Category: Motivation

Clear Clutter for National Recycling Week

This week is National Recycling Week.  Make a conscious decision to free your self and home from clutter while benefiting others and the environment.  Clear your house for Fall, for the Holidays or just because!

     Recycling goes way beyond the bags you put out with the trash every week.  It means re-using or re-distributing stuff, and almost everything is recyclable or reusable.  Recycling is the right thing to do.  It cuts consumption of energy and resources, saves money, keeps stuff out of landfills and toxins out of the water supply.  Looking at 5 common clutter challenges, here is how to make Recycling the easy thing to do, too:

Clothes and Donations:  I bet you have bags of donation clothes in the closet, by the door, in the laundry room or in your trunk.  Cast-off clothes and donations are easy clutter elimination and the ultimate recycling.  You may have designated stuff to donate or give to others, but it is still cluttering up your home.  Load up your trunk and drop off those bags of clothes / shoes / books / whatever.  Then come home, take a breath, appreciate the clearer space, then get back to work!

Returns are also a form of recycling since returning items you won’t use keeps stuff in circulation instead of letting it stagnate in your trunk or closet.   Take returns back to their stores, put some money back in your pocket, and revel in the clear space. 

Plastic and Paper Shopping Bags:  Got bags?  Under the kitchen sink, in the laundry room, on a hook by the door?  Working with a client recently in a small storage space we ended with 6 bags of plastic grocery bags to be recycled.  As an organizer, a problem I have with bags in general is that you can’t stack them or see inside, which make them a terrible way to store stuff.

     Keep a dozen plastic bags, and maybe 2 dozen if you happen to have a pet and need the bags for dog walks, etc.  Take the rest back to your local grocery store for recycling.  Re-use plastic bags as packing material or to re-line your messy garbage cans.  They’re also great for organizing projects – write “trash”, “recycle” and “donate” on 3 with a Sharpie, stand them up, and have the kids fill all three on cleaning day.  When they’re full, take action on the stuff in the bags, then fold them up and keep them for the next project!

     Get used to carrying your own shopping bags.  I always carry one small one in my handbag for most of my shopping stops, and for bigger trips, I keep my reusable bags where I need them, bundled in the car.

 Boxes and Cardboard:   Take a peek in your garage, attic, basement or hall closet.  Recycle those empty cardboard boxes and open up some storage space!

     Last week, I cleaned out our basement Holiday closet where we store Halloween and Easter decorations;  Halloween costumes; gift wrap and extra shipping boxes; and purchased gifts.  It was looking neglected, to say the least!  So I put away the Halloween decorations and costumes, purged a dozen extra cardboard boxes, and broke down the keepers to store them flat instead of assembled.   There’s lots of space now!

Electronics:  Many towns have E-waste recycling available now, for old computers, TVs, DVD players, etc. Check with your municipality to see what’s available near you.

Junk Drawer Contents:  As your professional organizer, I will let you have a junk drawer.  JUST one.  So, let me guess what is in your junk drawer… Dead batteries, old eyeglasses, dried up pens, broken crayons, pennies, random photos, household tools and repair items, expired coupons and take-out menus, twist ties and rubber bands, empty toner cartridges, scotch tape, old cell phones, pop tabs.  Sound familiar?

  Dedicate a use for each drawer, like office supplies or couponing or tools and hardware or kid’s crafts, so it is less likely to become a junk drawer.  Label it to make it easier to remember and maintain.  Almost every item I listed above can be Recycled or re-used.  Old batteries to Home Depot or Walgreens.  Eyeglasses to your local Lion’s Club.  See your old apple phone back to Apple for recycling and credit towards your next purchase. Sorting a junk drawer with your kids can be a great teachable moment.  Show them how to sort stuff, toss the trash, and organize what is left. 

      Use National Recycling Week to help your home by clearing clutter, and help the planet by doing it responsibly!

(c) Copyright 2011          M. Colleen Klimcak, CPO

Is Your Routine Stuck In A Rut?

     I talk about Routines often, OK, all the time.  Why?  Because Routines are great! Creating a Routine helps us prioritize and order our necessary tasks.  Sticking with our Routine takes care of regular maintenance items.  Routines free us from time-wasting decision-making.  They are vitally important to our every day success.

     However… there is a darker side of routines.  Buried in “Routine” is “rut”.  As in, “When we do the same thing over and over again, we can get stuck in a rut”.  We can lose sight of Why we do what we do, and then our routine starts to run us, instead of the other way around.  Sometimes, we have to look at our current practices and make sure they’re working for us.  And if they aren’t, it’s time for a change.

How do you know your current Routine works?

  • You feel comfortable with your schedule most days.  Even when you are busy, you don’t worry that you are forgetting a task or appointment.
  • You allow for flexibility in your schedule, to accommodate travel time between appointments, special events or requests, spontaneity and minor emergencies.  Then you get back on track.
  • You can easily explain your time management practices to others.
  • You get things done. 
  • You have time for work, relationships, hobbies or passions, etc. 
  • You are good with deadlines and appointments, and you are on-time most of the time.

      If you are wincing at any of the above questions, it’s time to re-assess your time management and Routine. 

 “How’s that working for ya?”     

     I’ve been working with a client who struggles to complete tasks. I suggested she use a planner and to-do lists to help her get things done.  She asked me Why she had to make a change?, because she really did not want to.  As her professional organizer, my obvious answer went something like “well, let’s see, life without a planner or lists – how’s that working for ya?”

             If you are missing deadlines, forgetting or re-running errands, spending more money than you need to, or feeling overwhelmed and out of control at least once a day, your current practices are not working, and YES, it is time to re-assess your time management and Routines.  I know new practices may seem intimidating, but soon they will be routine, too.    

     Do you know the story of the Frog and the hot water?  The adage says that if you put a frog in hot water, he will jump right out.  But if you put the frog in cold water then slowly heat the water, he’ll not jump out, and will boil.  We notice an abrupt problem, but not always a gradual decline.  

Don’t Boil the Frog, or yourself.  Review then re-commit to your routine regularly.   

      Lately, I have not stuck with my own Routine components of 1.  getting in the shower upon waking (very important for me to get in early, so I can get my boys up and ready for school); 2.  taking my vitamins every day (I feel so much better when I do the right thing); and 3. exercising (also, so important and usually the first thing I abandon when the schedule gets busy).  So I need to get back to all three of those things, and I started this morning. 

     I also realized that the things I have let slide are for my own health, and since it is bad when Mom gets sick as there is no one left to tend the family, I am also committing to completing the vitamins / exercise / weight watchers log-in tasks by 10 am every day. 

      If you notice things slipping, make sure the task that is slipping is still important, and then spend a few days focusing on completing that task until it again becomes Routine. 

Break Your Own Rules:  occasionally break your routine to get non-routine tasks done.

      Last Thursday, I realized that my regular routine was not allowing a couple of really important projects to get done, so I ditched the Routine and powered through those important things just to get them done and into someone else’s hands.  Then I caught up with my regularly scheduled life.    

     If I find that I am regularly breaking out of my daily Routine just to get things done, then I have to ask myself 2 questions:  1.  Do I allow enough time in my daily schedule and Routine to get all my tasks done?  And if not, 2. Do I need to reconfigure how I spend my time?  Which leads me to….

 Life Changes, and so should your Routine. 

     Our schedule has gotten crazy lately with 3 boys in 3 sports, in addition to everything else we do.  I love that my boys are involved in sports, but our 3-7 pm block of time, the time I usually use to make dinner, catch up on paper work, make client calls and take care of home business is now spent at games. 

     I recognize this fact, and have consciously decided to let Routine slide on some days to get business tasks like billing and writing done. I assure myself that volleyball season is fleeting, and in 6 weeks, when all is done, I’ll be sad it is over.  For now, though, forgive me if I respond to your phone call or email from the bleacher seats (thank goodness for my smart phone)!

            Sometimes changes are more long-term, not just a sport season but for life, like a new baby, new job or retirement, etc..  Use that transition time to reflect on your daily tasks and determine how to make things get done, around your new schedule. 

     So, Routines are the best time management tool ever, but even the best tool needs occasional adjustment.  Be aware of how you spend your time, and how you want to spend your time, and make sure the two match up!

Get Organized and Save Money

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     In this uncertain life, not to mention economy, it pays (literally) to be prepared and organized. A small investment now in time and resources can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars annually.

Make Some Money on Your Unwanted Items:

  • Sell your clutter. Clutter is defined as anything you don’t need, use or treasure. Turn those unwanted collectibles, furniture or clothes into cash at a consignment store or garage sale or on eBay. And while you’re at it, get rid of the storage unit that has been holding all of this clutter. Let your clutter become someone else’s treasure.
  • Return your clutter. Return any items that you purchased months ago but have not used. One of my clients, who still had clothes that she purchased months ago in a shopping bag, realized just how uncommitted she was to those items and took them back. She received a refund of at least 50 percent of what she paid. Money in your pocket is better than clutter any day.

Save Money on Your Stuff:

  • Buy only what you need. Being organized means knowing what you have and where it is in your home. Designate a permanent location for your stuff and stick with it. This will prevent you from purchasing duplicates of what you already have.
  • Take care of what you have. Don’t allow your treasures to be lost or crushed at the bottom of your closet under mounds of stuff you don’t need. Don’t let the clutter in your garage force you to subject your car to the elements. Don’t let your prescriptions expire simply because you lost track of them at the back of your kitchen or medicine cabinet.
  • Clutter covers up what we do need, use and treasure; by clearing the clutter, you can tend to what is truly important and save money, too!

Save and Make Money with Paper Management:

  • Retain and organize your receipts. Keep receipts, manuals and warranty information for appliances, electronics and other big-ticket items, together in one place.
  • Take the time to fill out and mail the warranty cards. When something breaks down, you will have all the information you need to repair or replace the item.
  • Never pay another late fee. Store your outstanding bills in a file labeled “To Be Paid” in big, bold letters. Then set aside an hour every other week to pay those bills.
  • Take advantage of sales and deals. Retailers offer great money-back specials and rebates because they don’t expect the general public to send in the paperwork. Take the time to mail in that paperwork, and follow-up one month later. Those free product coupons and in-store checks can really add up.
  • Cash in those coupons, gift cards and certificates. I worked with a client recently who had accumulated $300 in local restaurant gift certificates. She used them up and saved some money in food and entertainment costs.

Self and Time Management:

  • Do more for yourself. Trim your son’s hair; mow your own yard; change your own oil; clean your own house; groom your own pet. If you are paying for services, you may be able to save money by doing these things yourself.
  • Ask for what you really want. Instead of more clutter, wouldn’t you love to have some time to pamper yourself with a massage? How about a donation in your name to your favorite charity? Or perhaps a gift of a day of yard work from your family is more to your liking. If you want less stuff but more of something else (time, help, love, self-care, etc.,) just ask for it.

     For me, being organized means I get to make the most of all that I have.  That means money, time, stuff and relationships.  Get organized, and make the most of what you have, too!

Maintenance: Easy, Essential & Perpetual

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Last week, I was asked “What are Your organizing projects?”.  We’re already organized, so I don’t have huge projects on my list.  My answer is “I am forever engaged in maintenance”.

I use the analogy of laundry. Laundry is never completely done, we’re always making dirty laundry.  In life, there are some tasks that we do and they stay done, and there are some tasks that we do and re-do forever, like dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.; or in an office, client care, filing, billing, etc.

My clients and I talk a lot about the value of “Done”.  Sticking with a task until it is finished so we can move on the next project.  The feeling of accomplishment, the chance to take a breath and pat yourself on the back – I love “Done”.  However, most things don’t stay “Done”.

Remember the line from The Incredibles?  Mr. Incredible: “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit?  I feel like the  maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for… for ten minutes!”

We all, including Mr. Incredible, need to recognize and embrace a vital component of the Organizing Process – Maintenance.   Maintenance is many things, but I will focus on three.  Maintenance is Easy, Essential and Perpetual.


Maintenance is Easy.  Maintenance is the easiest  part of organizing, certainly easier than getting organized.

Getting Organized takes lots of time, energy, money, motivation, decision-making and all sorts of other things we may or may not be willing to spend.  But Maintenance is what makes Getting Organized stick and stay, and takes much less time, money, energy, decision-making, etc.

Imagine your organized life.  Your clutter is gone.  Your stuff has a home, a place to be “put away”, and you have adequate storage for your items.  If this was your house, maintenance would be easy.  New stuff comes in, old stuff leaves, you put stuff away regularly and you make sure your stuff and systems are still working.  You do this a little bit daily and a lot once in a while, like at change of seasons.  This all becomes easy and routine, and you revel in having less clutter and less stress in your life.  Welcome to Maintenance.

And yet, Life Happens.  Good things, bad things, stuff happens.  Big emergencies and little upsets.  And that is why Maintenance is Essential.  I was discussing motivation with one of my tennis friends, and she said she would rather take care of things right away instead of waiting to do them “because more will always come”.  Maintenance is an investment in your future.

Being organized makes life run more smoothly, and occasionally saves us from those big and little emergencies altogether.  Maintaining our health keeps us healthy.  Maintaining our finances keeps our bills paid.  Maintaining our home keeps most major house emergencies at bay. In negative terms, there are many costs of Delayed Maintenance: Preventable but neglected health issues; late bills, collection agencies and poor credit scores; leaky roofs or plumbing problems.  Maintenance is essential, and a lot cheaper than emergencies. 

Maintenance is Perpetual.  I hear from friends and clients that it feels like organizing is never done.  We think we’re close, and then something happens and we have to adjust.

We are all perpetually in transition.  New day, new season, new challenges, new situations, new jobs, new babies, you name it.  So we have to realize that Yes, we have to maintain our systems and adjust to new things.  And that’s Ok.  And inevitable.

Sometimes I want to fight the perpetuity of maintenance.  Going back to Mr. incredible, can’t the world just stay saved for a while?   Any of these sound familiar (and not just in my house?!)?

“Come on!  I just went to the grocery!   Where did all the food go?  That was a week ago?  And we ate it?  Oh. ”

“We have to go pants shopping again because the teenager is suddenly 5 inches taller?  Really?”

“Didn’t I spend yesterday doing laundry?  What do you mean your uniform is dirty?”

“Didn’t I just pay the bills?  Or clean the gutters?  Or mow the grass?  Or get my flu shot?  DO I really have to do it all again now?  Grrrrr…..

So, I get it.  I do.  But then I remind myself that it is silly to fight Maintenance.  Maintenance will still need done even if I don’t feel like doing it.  And I know things will get really ugly if I don’t do it.  We need to eat, we need to wear clothes, I need to clean my house because it will not clean itself.  I don’t always love to clean, but I do love the end product of a clean home.

We can realize the perpetuity of Maintenance, but still cut ourselves some slack, and accept “Done Enough” or “Done For Now”.  There comes a time each night when my people are safely in bed, and I turn off my brain and the light and declare myself done for the day.  “Done Enough”. For now.  Tomorrow is another day.

So embrace Maintenance, in all its forms, and keep up with your Organizing efforts.  Remind yourself of the Easy and Essential parts to help you embrace the perpetual part!  And give yourself a break and allow for “Done Enough” or “Done For Now” sometimes.

Clear Some Closet Clutter This Week!

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      Last week, I knew it was time to Swap out my clothes for Fall when I could not find something to wear in a full closet.  Chicago’s September weather is capricious, and wardrobe choices are challenging when we can wake up to frost, and are back in the 70’s by 3 o’clock.

     I have zippered canvas bags on my top closet shelf for off-season storage.  There is a card in a clear pocket on the front with “Summer” written on one side and “Fall / Winter” on the other (I know, not terribly original).  So out came my Fall faves, and away went all my summer colors and hot weather items.  I feel much better about opening up the closet to make my choices!  My challenge to you is to Spend a little time organizing your closet this week.

      Why?  Why spend time organizing?  To make life simpler and less stressful, and ensure we are using what we have in the best way possible.   To make decision-making easier, to clear out real and visual closet clutter, to review what you have in an objective and critical way, to make sure you are looking and feeling your best in the clothes you have. 

     You have two options for your plan of attack:  1.  Carve out a couple of hours and phone a helpful, supportive and honest friend (or call me, and I’ll help!).  Then take all the clothes out of your closet, review them and purge what needs to go, then put back what is left.  OR: 2.  Do your closet in bits and pieces, like shelves today, rod tomorrow, or pants today, skirts tomorrow.  “Bits and pieces” are less disruptive but take longer.

     Sort clothes in a way that makes sense to you.  With clothes, your best bets are either by color or by type.  I prefer to sort by type, with all the pants together, all the skirts together, etc.  I have clients that sorts strictly by color.  Both ways are correct, so long as they make sense to you or to me.

      Once we sort, we decide what stuff can go away.  When it comes to clothes, it is helpful to realize that some items can stay in your life, but can be stored somewhere other than your closet. 

  • Items may need to go away just for the season, like specifically summer items and shoes.
  • Some items may need to go away for longer.  For example maternity clothes can be stored away somewhere else in your home if you plan to have more children or are saving them for a family member.
  • Also in your home but not in your closet may be clothes from older children that you plan to save for younger children (I have three sons, we always have bins in storage for the between sizes).
  • Treasures:  Your bedroom closet is prime real estate, beach front property, if you will.  Dedicate it to the stuff you use and wear all the time.  Treasures are great, but should be stored elsewhere.  Yes, I still have my wedding dress, but it is safely stored in the basement.

 I am not a fashion consultant, but let me share what stayed in my closet, and moved to the front:

  • Light weight wraps and capes, for drama and color in this transition time, before I commit fully to a coat!
  • Clothes in Autumnal (I love that word) and winter colors, regardless of fabric weight
  • Scarves, for drama and color and occasional warmth to lighter fabrics. 

What left the closet, for now?

  • Clothes is summery colors, like pale yellows and creams. I really only look good in those with a tan. 
  • Duplicates of shorts, leaving just a few pairs in my drawer for the few really warm days we have yet
  • Most of my sandals, sad to say.  The flip-flops that match my swimming suits went in the drawer with the suits, in case we travel, and the rest went in the canvas storage bag.

 What left the closet and my life for good:

  • I have a friend who does not transition her closet.  She dresses extremely well, and wears everything in her closet.  The closet is not really big, she is great at using well what she has.  For the rest of us, though, we need to occasionally purge and shop, to keep our wardrobe fresh. 
  • Anything more than one size away from my current size went away.  Happily, I am smaller than I was in the spring, thanks to clean living and Weight Watchers.  And after working hard to earn this smaller size, I cringe when I put on the now too-large clothes.  Bigger is not better, nor is it flattering.
  • Some cool weather clothes went away, like the stuff that I never liked, e.g., some boot cut jeans I had because I heard the cut is supposed to be flattering to my shape.  But I can’t stand the extra fabric.  So I practiced some tough love, cut my losses and ditched the pants.
  • Loved items that were starting to show their age.
  • Summer stuff that I did not wear this summer, and won’t wear next summer.

     A word on Replacing / Shopping…. I should mention I swapped out my closet only after I looked through my September / October magazines to become aware of the styles and trends for fall.  So, now that I know what I have on hand, I also have a clearer picture of what I need to purchase to replace my purged items and update my clothes for fall. 

     Spend a little time and make your closet work for you.  You’ll thank yourself tomorrow morning!

Spend Your Screen Time Wisely

Did you Know?  September 18-24th is National  Turn Off Week , a challenge to Reduce your Screen Time on TV and technology.  

     I am blogging to the internet on my laptop, then sending a newsletter via email to suggest you spend less time this week on Screen Time and technology devices.  The irony is not lost on me!  So let me get on with this, so you can read and learn, then go and do something else!

     A Google search of “Turn Off Week” produced links from hundreds of organizations recommending less screen time for both adults and children.  Why?  As a society, we are spending lots of time, often too much time in front of Screens and technology.  Stepping away from the TV, computer and game screens enhances our fitness, health, nutrition, education and family time, just to name a few.  

     I like TV.  I have a handful of shows that I DVR every week, and watch avidly when I have the time, on my own terms.  TV is not bad.  As I start this article on a rainy Sunday afternoon, my hubby is watching football and the kids are watching a Red Box DVD downstairs.  We like TV.  But just this past week, it became evident we need to spend some more time on our school work; all three boys want to sign up for Fall sports; and the pre-teen wants to learn 2 (yes 2) more musical instruments.   Time for these activities has to come from somewhere, so Off The TV will go!

     I love technology.  I use lots of screen time for work and play.  But Technology is only a  tool.  It can educate, communicate, illuminate, entertain.  It can do lots of things, but it is a thing.  It exists to make our lives better.  So use this National Turn Off Week to make sure you are using your technology, and not the other way around. Consider Turn Off Week as a Time Management experiment, how to use our time and resources the best way possible.  

 Things to Think About and Try This Week:

  1. Remind everyone (including yourself) that Turn Off Week is a positive choice.  Replace screen time with family activities, game night, hikes and outings, etc., to reinforce that Real Life is more important than screen time.
  2. The first step to positive change is always awareness.  Need to start small?  Just pay attention to how much you and your family uses technology, and determine if you all could improve your lives by cutting back on your screen time.
  3. Use tech tools to manage your tech.  I love these ideas, for managing your Tech Time, from a Real Simple article, April, 2011:
    • “MacFreedom.com disables all roads to the internet for an allotted amount of time”;
    • “RescueTime.com  tracks your every on-line move and provides easy to read, painfully revealing charts” telling you just how much time you really spend on Facebook or shopping on-line; and
    • “LeechBlock, addons.mozilla.org, blocks certain websites either perpetually or during specific periods, to help you focus you and your family’s time better.”
    • Also, we can set our Direct TV parental controls to allow TV viewing only at certain times of the day, and on certain channels.  I will re-set our viewing hours to between 6 and 8 pm unless I lift the block with the secret code (we’ll see how that goes!!).
    • On the other hand, we can record shows on the DVR for the kids to watch later, so they are guaranteed to have something they want to watch when they do finally sit down to do so. 
  4. Set a limit for how much screen time you and your children use every day.
    • My MIL used TV tokens with her kids, and introduced the idea to my boys one week over the summer. Every day each child receives 3 tokens, for ½ hour each of TV time, Wii or Nintendo.  They can lose their tokens for minor offenses, or they can save them up if they want to watch a movie on the weekends. 
    • It was amazing to watch my 7-year-old become a savvy shopper when it came to “spending” his tokens.  He might turn on the TV, consider what his choices were, and then decide to turn it off because he didn’t really like the choices.  Before the tokens, he would have just sat there and vegged out. 
  5. Be mindful.  Decide when and what to watch, or when you will check your email or smart phone.  Then Do what you plan to do, and Move on.  Get on Facebook, check in, get off, go do something else.  Be mindful when you are using your technology tools, but also be mindful and appreciative of your family and the day around you.  

For Life:  Reduce Screen time with a few simple guidelines: 

  • Keep TVs and computers out of the bedrooms, especially children’s bedroom, for safety, better sleep, better focus, and more family time;    
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer (a challenge for me on days when I work from home); and
  • Set guidelines, like “No cell phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table”.  Neither my teenager nor we parents need our phones where we sleep, since we should neither send nor receive texts at midnight!  We can choose when to answer messages and texts, and hopefully raise awareness in others as to what is appropriate or not. 

     So, our plan?  1. We’ll all work on using our Turn Off Time wisely, for the cool activities we want to do instead of mindless TV viewing, and 2. I am going to work on my own screen time, to focus on people and not technology when we are all together.  I will check then ignore my email first thing in the morning on my iPhone, but wait to turn on my computer until the boys are off to school and I am ready to really work.   And I’ll let  you know how it goes, in a week, via technology again!   And let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for how to spend your Turn Off Week!

Why I Organize my Family (and you should, too!)

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     My goal for writing is to motivate and educate my readers and clients about organizing. Most people who contact me need organizing motivation or education, or a mixture of both.

     My last few blogs have been heavy on the How-To, as in how to organize for Back To School, but this week I want to talk about the Why.  Why should we and our children get organized for Back To School?  And this applies to everyone, not just folks in the midst of Back To School right now!

 We want our children to do well in school and in life.

    1. Last fall, I renamed my Organize Your Kids class “An Organized Family”.  Sometimes it is not the children who make a family disorganized, but we adults. It is up to me to get my kids to school on time, even as they get a little older.
    2. Lack of organization is often interpreted as lack of preparation, cooperation or knowledge.  Good grades are great, but if your child is regularly late or unprepared, it will reflect negatively on him. 
    3. Tardiness disrupts class and instruction, and it singles out your child.  And your child has to face the teacher and school staff every morning, not you.
    4. One of my myriad of responsibilities as a parent is to cultivate a strong work ethic and life skills in my children.  We are not raising children to remain children, we are raising future adults.
    5. Your child probably wants to be on time, but may be nervous about asking you or doesn’t realize things can be different.

We want life to be less complicated. 

    1. We live in a complicated world.  There are so many responsibilities vying for our time and resources. 
    2. We want more living and less drama.  More time spent with loved ones in good relationships, less time spent on stuff. 
    3. Having a better grasp of our time allows us to not worry about being on time.  Go figure!
    4. For example, we establish our morning routine every August, and we know that if we stick with it, all is well.
    5. We are well-rested, clean, dressed and well-fed, prepared for our day and on time.  If we just do what we’re supposed to do, we have fun and relax, without drama.  

We realize we are the parents, the Adult, and we set the example.

    1. We have to teach our children to do things for themselves before we can expect our kids to do things for themselves.
    2. Be clear with your expectations.  Be clear, be brief and keep them simple.
    3. In quiet reflection after Mass, I realized that if I can give an hour, uninterrupted, to God during the Mass, I should do the same for my kids, every morning from 7-8.  So that is one of my goals for this morning, to focus solely on preparing for the day during that hour with my kids, until we’re on track.

We want to be able to say “Yes” to new things. 

    1. My way is not the only way, nor is it the best way for every family.   I happen to value organization, and am convinced of the importance of organization for success in life.  That is purely my opinion, there are lots of things to value in life. 
    2. I had an artistically creative and wonderful class participant ask me “What if some days I don’t feel like being organized?”.  I understand where she is coming from, sort of, like some days it is fun to abandon routine and go with the flow.  But I don’t view Organization as an Either / Or.  I view it as a means to a better life.
    3. Because we are organized, we can be flexible and open to new things, and respond to opportunities that come our way, or make our own opportunities for new things or activities or experiences. 

      So, my challenge to you this week is to look at your own ideas about organizing, and make a list, mental or other wise, of your answers to the Why Get Organized question.

     Above is my list of Why statements, my answers to the Why Get Organized? Question.  Your list may look completely different, and that is great!  Just give it some thought, find your motivators, post them where you can see them, and use them to help you stay on track in the busy days ahead!

BTS: Never Be Late Again!

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Last August, I resolved we would be on time for school. Every day. And except for the very last day of school, when there was an actual flood in our neighborhood, we accomplished our goal.

Do you know why we succeeded?  Because I realized that my own adherence to my own routine can make or break our morning.  If we are late for school, by and large, it really is my fault.

As my children grow up, the responsibility shifts to their shoulders.  Some mornings, kid cooperation is not 100%.  But it is still up to me to set the example, to create (with family in-put) and stick with our Morning Routine, to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted, to keep the goal of “School On Time and Prepared” ever in sight.

Your kids may have a few weeks until they go back to school, and soon their morning routines will get tweaked.  So, this week, get your own Back To School (or going to work every day) Routine on track, and make the BTS transition easier for everyone!

Get up when you plan to get up.

I admit, I am a snoozer.  When the alarm sounds, my hubby hops up and stays up.   Me?  Not so much.  I learn from him, though, and moved the alarm clock more than an arm length away from the bed, to keep me from smacking the snooze button without even fully registering that the alarm went off.

Why?  Because I use an alarm for a reason.  I need to get up at 6 am to get myself ready before the kids get up.  And if I don’t get up with the alarm, I defeat my own intentions before I even get out of bed.  Setting the alarm earlier and allowing snooze time doesn’t solve the problem, either, now does it?  Nope.  Same bad habit and defeatist behavior.  So bye-bye bedside clock, hello hidden-under-the-bed or across-the-room clock.

And, DO NOT set your clock ahead.  Everyone knows it is set ahead, and it loses effectiveness (unless you set it a minute or two ahead, and don’t tell anyone….)

Get Ready First.

I talk about “Back to Ready” with my clients.  It is a mental image of what an organized and ready family looks like.  We know what is necessary to get ready, how to do those things, and that once we’re there, we can go do something fun.

But it has to start with getting Me “Back To Ready”.  Why bother getting the kids or the house ready for us to go if I am  not ready?  First order of the day is to get myself up and showered and dressed and fed.  Then I am much more available and coherent when the kids get up.

Lower Your Morning Standards.

Whenever I talk about routines, I always suggest to write down what you Need to do in the morning.  And, yes, I said NEED.  Make sure the Needs are covered, then move on to the Wants.  Needs are get clean, get dressed, eat breakfast, get out the door.  Everything else is extra.

I am the queen of starting just one more thing when I should be leaving, but that “one more thing” like writing an email or starting a load of clothes can make us late.  You and I both need to Write It Down and save it for later, and get out the door.

I read an article the other day that suggested we all Need to rise before 5 am to meditate, journal, work out, conference call with Singapore and grind our own flour for organic muffins for our families (yes, I made some of that up.  But not all!) before 7 am.  But if that list of things to do is not for you, don’t worry.  Stick with Needs, then move to Wants.

Recognize Load Time and Leave Time are two different things. 

Load Time:  The time we start loading ourselves in the van.  Factor in the every-morning-search for the 11 year- old’s watch, the 7 year-old’s daily dash to the bathroom as soon as I holler “Let’s go, people!”

Leave Time:  Time you pull out of the garage and head to school.  Leave Time factors in the length of the car ride / walk to school and adds a little cushion.  Aim for 5 minutes early to start with, it’s better to be early rather than late!  And don’t consider Early early.  Consider it On Time.

If you only have yourself to get out the door every morning, you can learn from this, too, especially if you find yourself running back for a few things as you leave the house.  Know your self.  For example, if you have to leave at 7:30 am to get to the office on time, aim for 7:20, realizing you always search for your car keys, double-check the locks, share a few words with the neighbor, or forget something.  And if you actually get to work a few minutes early, that is great, too!

So, whether you are going Back to School or not, let me challenge you this week to make your Morning Routine work better for you, and Get Where You Are Going On Time Next Time.  Give it some thought, get up a little earlier (or just move the alarm clock like me) and never be late again!

Clean Your Home: Everyday or All At Once?

     Do you clean your home?  I am assuming most of you do.  So the next question is:  when?  Are you a spend-time-on-it-everyday person, or a clean-it-all-at-once person?  Or have you ever even thought about it?

     There is no wrong answer to this question, but knowing yours helps focus your Clean House mission. It may also be helpful to note that the answer to “Clean Your Home:  Every day or all at once?” can change as your life changes.  The All-At-Once way was no longer working for me, so I made the plan and the decision to change to Every Day.

     My goal for today’s blog is not to persuade you to choose one method or the other, but to suggest:

  1. There is always more than one way to complete a work project;
  2. Before jumping into action, give your situation some thought, and determine how best to attack that project; 
  3. Be flexible and open to other ideas, and find solutions that work for you; and
  4. Even something as mundane as cleaning your house becomes more meaningful if you set your terms for getting it done.   

    I started my current experiment in May, here are my notes from that day:

  • May 15th.  I love my house.  I love my family.  But I don’t love losing my weekends to housecleaning.  My schedule used to allow one full day dedicated to my home, but as the kids and business have grown, I can’t spare a whole day for cleaning.
  • Friday was Cleaning Day, which worked great even when we traveled, because I could clean and pack as I went.  
  • However, I still have to get Back To Ready on Mondays (or if we are traveling, whenever we got back), and maintain during the week, too.  And often, Cleaning Day gets pushed to Saturday, Sunday or even Monday before I finish. 
  • I feel like I am cleaning all the time, but I don’t feel it is getting done well, and I stress with the tension between doing it all / cleaning when I have time / making time to clean. 
  • I am embarking on a new house cleaning / maintenance schedule.  I will spend a House Hour every day on cleaning and maintenance instead of the All At Once approach.  The little-bits every day approach chafes against my perfectionist tendency of wanting everything DONE at least for a moment, but I am optimistic.
  • To Sum up, Challenges:
    • There is work to do, lots of effort goes into maintaining a home. 
    • I do most of the work alone most weeks.  I don’t know how to ask for help.
    • Am I really teaching my kids any life skills if I am the only person who cleans the house, and I do it while they are at school?
    • Will I have those children that go to college not knowing how to clean a bathroom or do their laundry? 
    • Am I demonstrating that only women do house work?  All of this has to change!
    • I can clean all day one day a week, and still need to maintain every day, too.  If I have to maintain every day anyway, could I just do that for a longer block of time instead of All At Once AND Daily Maintenance?
  • July 25th:  Outcomes of my experiment.
    • Click here to see my house cleaning spreadsheet.  It hangs on my refrigerator in a plastic page protector so I can assign chores to different people, and cross things off as we complete them.  Make your own, and add whatever you want!
    • We have done pretty well.  The house is consistently tidy.  In the All At Once approach, I would give up maintenance a day or 2 before my scheduled Cleaning Day, which became a growing problem if Cleaning Day got pushed later and later!
    • I love the daily approach.  There are some days our House Hour does not happen, because we are exceptionally busy or out playing (it is summer, after all!), but then I dedicate more time the next day, and catch up.
    • As we’ve gotten better at this House Hour idea, I have learned some days are easier than others, and I can spend more of the Hour on the easy days on organizing or projects.  This week, we look at school clothes  and supplies, and clean out my little guy’s toy box. 
    • The kids are learning the different tasks and skills that go into maintaining a clean home, how a household works and how they are a part of it.      
    • I am still working on the Asking For Help part, and probably will be for life.  A finite list of things of tasks for each day is less intimidating for all of us.  Once their tasks are done, they can go play. 
    • A personal challenge for me is to accept “different” as “just as good as my way”.  This is tough for me, but I am learning.  My wonderful hubby did the bulk of our vacation laundry, God bless him.  And his way is just as good as mine, though dissimilar.  It made me momentarily crabby, then I smacked (metaphorically) my self upside the head and reminded myself that the laundry was clean and folded, and I did not have to do it.  Woo hoo!
    • I was pleasantly surprised today.   We just got home back from a week’s vacation, and I am often overwhelmed when reality rushes back in after a week away.  But things look fine today, and I can pick back up my House Hour tomorrow. 

     So if you have ever felt the tension of when / how / what to clean, give your timing some thought and see what works best for you.  Try something new for a month or 2 – you’re a smart person and you can change – and see how it goes!

Organizing: Where To Begin?

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     This week, I heard from three different people, “ I am so overwhelmed, where should I begin?”  We’ve all been there – we look around our home or office, and disorganization is everywhere!  Perhaps we’ve been busy, and regular maintenance has been neglected.  Perhaps it is a time of transition; leaving on or arriving home from vacation; career change; a family member moving home or moving away; change of seasons on the calendar; change of seasons in our life. Regardless of the reason, we wake up one day with disorganized space and a long list of projects or goals.

     Then we have that deer-in-the-headlights moment, when we are frozen stiff and our brain is racing in circles, trying to figure out where and how to start, and sometimes in that moment we get so overwhelmed that we shake our head and racing brain, turn around and leave, instead of accomplishing something, anything.  

     So, then, where do we begin?

  • Ask yourself “Which project will make the greatest impact on my daily life?”  That is a great place to start!  For example:  If you have 4 projects (kitchen, linen closet, attic and basement), start with the kitchen then the linen closet, as those projects will help everyone in your home immediately.
  • To rephrase, “Start in the area that is causing the most pain” according to Barry Izsak, CPO and author of numerous organizing books.
  • The other answer to the “So, where do I begin?” is pick a starting spot – like the doorway to a room or closet, and move left to right around the space.  Or right to left, or top to bottom.  The starting spot itself is not magic. It is the choosing-a-starting-spot-and-working-methodically that gets things done.  
  • Walk around your house with a pen and clip board, and looking objectively at each room.  Jot down necessary repairs, organizing projects, items that need to go away or be replaced, etc.
  • Make a list of the tasks required to complete each project. For example, don’t just say “organize teenager’s closet”. A task list might include:  1.   Empty all drawers, purging old or unloved clothes; 2.  Install new hardware on dresser drawers; 3.  Empty closet, purging old or unloved clothes; 4.  Paint shelves; 5.  Install new closet rod, closet light and over-door clothing rack; 6.  Swap out old hangers with new hangers for hanging clothes.
  • Be specific with your tasks list, and the needed supplies to pick up at the home improvement store quickly become evident. Also, it is easier to determine time allotment for the specific tasks, than it is for the whole project.
  • Keep a master list for all of your projects.  This will illustrate where among the projects there is common ground, like tackling two projects with one trip to Home Depot or one call to the handyman.  This saves time and money and gets things done. 
  • Repeat after me: You do not need to complete every project right now, today. And you probably could not if you tried.  Don’t you feel better already?  But you can move forward on a project today, and come closer to completion, and there is satisfaction and success in that.

To Prioritize Tasks, Ask yourself these three questions (from Julie Morgenstern, Never Check Your Email in the Morning):

  • Question 1: How long will the task take? We inflate our idea of how long an undesirable task may take. I dread balancing my check book, so it seems intimidating, but it usually takes all of 15 minutes a month. Conversely, you also must allow enough time for a project to get done. If you tell yourself you are going to paint the basement this summer, but don’t actually block out time in your calendar to get it done, it won’t get painted. Dedicate a block of time or regular intervals to make the project happen.
  • Question 2: What is the return on investment? It may take a full 4 hours on a summer afternoon to finish a project, and you’ll wish you were somewhere fun, but the return is big when you are done. Find a balance between the potential pay off of a task and the estimated time it will take. Remember too, there are lots of things that need to happen today, but not all are major.
  • Question 3: When is the deadline? Even if one project is the biggest, if the deadline isn’t for another month, do the smaller but more timely things first.

So, the next time you are faced with multiple projects and your brain is racing all around, close those eyes and take a deep breath, take a walk around your house, and then pick your spot to begin.  You can do this, I know you can!

PS:   I am thinking of starting a blog category entitled “If I Had a Nickel….” for every time someone asked me certain questions.  I could call it Frequently Asked Organizing Questions, but I like “If I had a nickel… “ better!  Which do you prefer?  And what questions should I include?