Category: Things You Should Know How To Do

A Place To Put My Hiking Gear

These last few weeks, I’ve written or shared articles about Being Prepared for National Preparedness Month.

Being Prepared isn’t just about preparing for crises and emergencies, though.
Being Prepared can be about being ready for anything that life throws your way, the Good in addition to the emergencies!

I’m going to re-cap this article before you read the rest, with these tips for Preparing For The Good Stuff:

  1. Recognize what is important to you.
  2. Proactively clear obstacles that stand in the way of being able to do what is important to you.
  3. Dedicate resources to what is important to you.
  4. Maintain your Prepared for the Good Stuff status with regular attention.

For example:  I recently purchased a hiking back pack.

Did you know?  I love to hike.  Nature nurtures and delights me. From big vacations to stolen moments as I travel through my day-to-day, I find reasons to stop and be out in nature.

I like to be prepared, so I have a small pile of hiking stuff I take with me when I hike, and I keep it at the ready in a small pouch.  What is my “hiking stuff”?  Bug spray, signal whistle and compass, small portable first aid kit, hat, bandanas (for keeping mosquitoes out of my ears, I hate that!), etc.  And I would toss that small pouch, a water bottle and a protein bar in my big backpack when I was going for a hike.

Or, I would do that if I wasn’t already using the big pack pack for something else, like when we were already traveling and the big back pack was my luggage. Or, sometimes the big back pack was just, well, too big for a day hike, and if you hike, you know you want to travel light. And where do I keep my pouch of hiking stuff between hikes?

I recently decided that to truly honor my love of hiking, I needed to dedicate some resources to making my hiking hobby work better for me.   Life is never about the stuff, but I can still be really happy with a new purchase that will make my life better.  (Shown here is the Kavu Paxton Pack I purchased, after a little bit of research.)

The new hiking pack solved the challenges I had with my hiking stuff before now.  Most importantly, I find the already packed hiking backpack motivating and it makes me happy, so Win-Win.  When there is absolutely no obstacle to an early morning hike other than filling my reusable water bottle and heading out the door, I am much more likely to actually head out that door!

I haven’t always considered myself an athlete, but knowing I’m prepared to hit the trails makes me feel like an athlete in this game called life, and I find that motivating, as well.

So, to Be Prepared for the Good in life:

  1. Recognize what is important to you.
  2. Proactively clear obstacles that stand in the way of being able to do what is important to you.
  3. Dedicate resources to what is important to you.
  4. Maintain your Prepared for the Good Stuff status with regular attention.

Happy Hiking! (Or whatever you choose!)

So, What’s In Your Wallet?

My husband has been on a mission lately, reviewing all his Little Spaces around the house.  You know, those Little Spaces?  His launch pad (basket) by the back door, his briefcase, different drawers of his desk, his wallet, etc.  Last week he shred a couple dozen files from his file cabinet, and this week he reviewed and pared down the contents of his wallet.

As he spread his wallet’s contents on the kitchen counter, I told him that he is the inspiration for this week’s article!

So, what’s in your wallet?  From an organized and prepared point of view, we should carry exactly what we need and not much else.


How to:  First, take everything out of your wallet, and lay it out on a flat space!

Sort what you have:

  • ID, credit cards, insurance cards, of course.  But also…
  • gift cards, rewards cards;
  • appointment reminders, business cards; and
  • receipts and random minutiae.

Purge what can go:

  • Review expiration dates, and shred any old ID or credit cards.  (Auto insurance cards from  12 or 18 months ago?  Yes, those can go.)  And if you purge an old card, make sure you have the most up-to-date version if it is something you need to carry.
  • Add appointments into your calendar and toss / recycle the card (Dentist appointment reminder card from last summer?  Yep, that can go, too!).
  • Take a little time and enter business card contact info into your phone, and toss / recycle those, too.
  • File or shred old receipts.
  • Are you trying to track or curb spending?  Consider leaving a credit card or two at home

Once you know what you’re keeping:

  • Check the balances on any mystery gift cards in your wallet, or call or go on-line and combine your balances if you have duplicates.  I carry a tiny sharpie in my wallet to make note of gift card balances on the card as I use them up.
  • Any account cards, gift cards or loyalty reward cards you can move to your smart phone and stop carrying around with you entirely?  Go for it!
  • Take the cards that you are going to carry in your wallet and lay them flat on your printer glass and make a copy.  Then, flip all the cards over, and make a copy of those sides, too.  Keep these 2 sheets in a safe but convenient place in case you lose your wallet and need to file a report or make phone calls / go on-line to cancel your cards.
  • Pare down what you carry!  Make sure that your wallet is streamlined and that you can easily find what you need when you’re looking for it.

Looking Ahead:

  • Live lighter and more organized with a cleaned-out wallet!
  • Make a habit of snapping a picture of a business card instead of accepting it, or entering  an appointment in your calendar right as you make it and eliminate the need for those extra bits of papers floating around.
  • Make a habit of reviewing your wallet every few months, to keep it pared down and efficient!

Help Yourself Help Yourself! (Did you follow that?)

These last few weeks, a couple of readers have commented “Wow, you’re so organized!” Thanks for that, but I write these articles for inspiration, motivation and education (and never to show off!)  To shake things up and remind me why I write, lets start out with this week’s conclusions and suggestions:

“This week, look around and notice what tasks at home or work waste your time or make you tense, anxious or frustrated. Then ask yourself, ‘Is there something I can do about this task? Reschedule, outsource, do it less often, delegate it to someone else, automate it?’  If it is a challenge you are willing to talk about, ask others in your tribe (your people) how they have handled a similar challenge.  Then commit to change!”

We have a new schedule this Fall.  The sophomore has a 6:45 am zero hour class.  He likes it, I like it, it works.  Of course, we’ve only been at this for 2 weeks and I may change my mind when it’s -10 degrees and black as night at 6:45 am.

This earlier start makes me re-think some of my usual habits.

I have found the earlier start a challenge as I am not creative at 7 am even when that is the only  time I have to write my blog article for the week… ummmm… well… I got a lot of other things done, but not that…

I can’t text or call to check in with my clients at 6:45 as that’s just plain rude.  I could run errands with that extra early time, however:  I despise running errands any time and few things are open at 6:45 am.

I realized, however, as I’ve pondered how to run my errands at 7 am, that I have eliminated a number of weekly recurring tasks for home and business in the last few months.  For example:

  • Target Restock is magical.  OK, not magical, but really useful.  In the past, I would take a couple of days to create my Target list and then I still had to go and shop and put away.  Now, I add items to my list (my “Box”), hit send every couple of weeks, and our paper goods, toiletries and pantry items just show up on the door step.
  • Target Restock or Amazon.com is also helpful for stocking my work supplies – garbage bags, packing tape, etc. – so every other week, I check my supplies, place my order and poof! – stuff shows up a day later.
  • I eliminated the need to stop at Office Max / Office Depot once a week for myself and for clients – OfficeDepot.com.  I set up my customer and account information on-line and now enjoy their rewards program and free next day arrival.
  • I long ago automated our cleaning supplies with a once a month shipment from Melaleuca, and the same for my nutritional supplements from Isagenix.  (If you want more info about either, let me know.)
  • Around the house, laundry is more efficient by enlisting Alexa’s aid to tell me when to switch loads.  The Roomba runs every weekday morning, and while he doesn’t do a perfect job (yes my Roomba is a “He” and his name is Sonny, per the IRobot movie), he have been helpful in stretching time between cleanings.
  • I sampled a grocery delivery service this summer with mixed results.  I need to work on that!

“This week, look around and notice what tasks at home or work waste your time or make you tense, anxious or frustrated. Then ask yourself, ‘Is there something I can do about this task? Reschedule, outsource, do it less often, delegate it to someone else, automate it?’  If it is a challenge you are willing to talk about, ask others in your tribe how they have handled a similar challenge.  Then commit to change!”

I Love My New Packing Cubes

My morning view on va-ca!

As we prepared to travel to California in April, I took a moment and ordered packing cubes from Amazon.

I rarely encourage my readers to go out and buy something, but these specific items might make your life better! I love my packing cubes!  My set cost me $25 and showed up on my porch a few weeks before our trip.

What are packing cubes?   The image to the left is the set of cubes I have .  They are nylon and mesh zippered pouches.  My set of 4 ranges is size from small (11″ x 6.75″ x 4″) to XLarge (17.5″ x 12.75″ x 4″).  I’ve also seen sets that are 4 of the same size. Search for your favorite combination!

As I Pack:

Packing cubes help with the packing process!  I like that I can lay the cubes out on my dresser instead of a carry-on or big lunky suitcase. With packing cubes, you can:

  • compartmentalize your clothes and personal items, like packing pants in one cube and shirts in another; or
  • pack casual wear in one and dressier clothes in another, and then just pull out the cube that you need when you get to your destination; or
  • roll your outfits together in the packing cubes and zip them tight, then pull out just what you want; or
  • for short trips, each family member can use their own cube in the big communal suitcase, saving lots of time and trouble!
  • I use the smaller cubes for pajamas and swim wear (packed weeks before the CA trip and then set aside) and socks, bras and underwear.
  • Also, I find that my packing cubes help me realize how much and what I’m actually packing!

One of the strengths of the packing cubes is that you can pack them really full of your items and then zip the cube tight, which helps keep your items compressed in your bag, taking up much less room.

When I Get Where I Am Going:

If you have to open your suitcase mid-trip, packing cubes keep your stuff from flying out!

I rarely unpack at hotels, but having my cubes makes it ridiculously easy to pop the cubes out of my luggage and into a drawer.

If I leave my suitcase packed, I can grab the cube I need and access just the item I’m looking for.  If you are packing up and moving on without heading home, leaving the cubes packed makes transitions easy.

My cube set came with a laundry bag, so I usually use the laundry bag and then compress it into the smallest amount of space possible, too, for heading home.  If I am gone a short time, I will just repack the largest cube as my dirty laundry bag, which makes unpacking a breeze.

When I get home:

If the packing cubes need a re-fresh, they are machine washable.

After I’ve unpacked from my most recent trip, I re-pack a small cube with my travel PJs and one of my swimming suits and all the other cubes folded flat, and then leave it packed, ready to go again next time.  I already shared this idea a couple of weeks ago with my toiletry bag, which stays packed all the time, and now I’m excited to use it for these items, too!

A lot of these packing tips can be used for better packing, with or without packing cubes, but I love my packing cubes, give them a try and see if they’ll work for you!

Organizing Resources to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

We have good intentions want to do the Right Thing, but we don’t always know how!

Here are responsible and eco-friendly destinations to purge common household clutter!

 
 
Clearing clutter from my weekly newsletter, this post is where my resources shall live from now on!  I’ll keep it updated, and if you would like me to add something, email me at Colleen@peaceofmindpo.com.  Thanks!
 
 
 
 

Mattresses:

General household items to donate, Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs

 
 
Recycling Resources in General:
I follow Seth Godin and he shared an amazing idea:
  • Donate your frequent flyer miles to people in need! Check this out!
  • “Miles4Migrants is a 501(c)(3) charity, dedicated to using donated frequent flyer miles to help people impacted by war, persecution, or disaster start a new beginning in a new home. We partner with other nonprofits to identify refugees, asylees, asylum-seekers, and their immediate family members who have legal approval to travel, but cannot afford airfare. Together, we can transform miles into a life-changing force for good.” (From the Miles4Migrants website)
 
 
Shredding Services:
 
 
Clothing, Toys, House Items:
 
Children’s or Parenting books, diapers (child or adult)
  • SWADDLE collection box at Alzein Pediatrics,
    • 6700 W 95th Street, Suite 250 in Oak Lawn or
    • 2850 W 95th Street, Suite 400 in Evergreen Park.
 
Dental Hygiene Product Recycling:
 
Infant and Children Car Seats:
  • Car Seat Recycling, https://carseatrecycling.com/
  • Also, the seats can be recycled by cutting off all the straps and removing the cover. The plastic seat can be then placed in the recycling bin. If you do not recycle, please cut off the straps and place it in the trash.
  • Every year in September is Child Safety Week. In 2021, it was Sept. 19 thru 25th and Target had a trade-in program, recycle a child safety seat and receive a percentage off of another seat or baby item.
 
Valuation: In General
 
Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange:
 
 
 
General Donation Locations:
  • Donate Illinois, http://www.donateillinois.org/ to arrange a pick up
  • Amazon.Com, GiveBackBox.com, to donate items back via your amazon box
  • Restoration Ministries, Inc., 253 E. 159th St., Harvey, 708-876-8413 “We pick up donations of furniture, household items, appliances, tools, lawn equipment – just about everything. Serving Chicago, suburbs and Northwest Indiana. We also take cars.”  www.restorationministries.net
  • Habitat for Humanity, https://www.habitat.org/restores/donate-goods
  • AmVets, Purple Hearts, Goodwill: Yes, donating items is the eco-friendly choice. These organizations have multiple markets for donated items.
  • This company shreds for free every Wednesday afternoon and recycles the paper into book covers (Thanks, AW!): http://www.westrockaurora.com/docdes.html
  • “St Vincent Depaul has a location at 7010 W 159th St, Orland Park, IL 60462 and will allow you to keep the truck for donations (estate sales, large cleanings of garage and basements AND will always take textiles- bagged/tagged separately)”
  • The Toy Box Connection, http://www.toyboxconnection.com/ Located behind LakeView Plaza, 159th Street and LaGrange Road, Orland
 
 
Antiques / Consignment / Estates:  Places to post On-line sales beyond Craigslist and Facebook (I’m just sharing, not recommending any of these):
 
Bedding / Towels / Clean shredded paper:
  • PAWS of Tinley Park, 8301 W. 191st Street, Tinley, Park, 815-464-7298
 
Books:
 
Clothes, Professional:
  • St. Xavier University (SXU), 3700 W. 103rd St., is accepting donations of new and gently used professional clothing to benefit its Champ’s Career Closet, a free resource that provides professional and business-casual clothing for SXU students. Items accepted include button-down shirts and blouses, dress slacks, blazers, suits, belts, ties, dress shoes, purses, handbags and briefcases. Champ’s Career Closet will also accept closet equipment including hangers and garment racks. For more information, call the SXU Center for Success at 773.298.3131 or email centerforsuccess@sxu.edu.” (From the Beverly Review)
 
Coins:
  • Kedzie Koins and Jewelry, Chicago, 773-436-0777
  • LaGrange Coin and Stamp, 25 W. Plainfield Road, Countryside, 708-579-5397
 
Dumpster Rental:
Electronics / E-Waste:

Gasoline:

Haulers:
  • (Paid and awesome!) 1-800-Got-Junk
  • (Paid) Rourke Property Maintenance,  www.rourkemaintenance.com/
  • (Paid) All Clear Clean Out Services, www.allclearcleanout.com/
  • (Free) Restoration Ministries, 708-596-9114
  • (Free) Salvation Army, 312-738-4360
  • (Free) Pass It On, 5434 W. 127th Street, Crestwood, 708-824-0433
  • (Free) The Bridge Thrift Store, 15605 S. 71st Court, Orland Park, 708-614-6972, or via email at jason@thebridgeteencenter.org
 
Hazardous Waste:
 
Luggage:
  • Foster Care Organizations like Aunt Martha’s or Manley’s, 815-725-2741
  • Women’s Shelters (A New Direction)
Mattresses:
 
Metals, Precious:
  • DMK Metals, David Kas, President and Precious Metal Buyer, ” old, unwanted jewelry, coins, sterling pieces, dental gold, etc.”  DMK-Metal.com, (847)508-0224, david@dmk-metal.com
 
Record Albums:
Styrofoam Recycling:
 
Textile Recycling:
Tools:

Stick With Routines, Especially When You Don’t Want To!

Chatting with my accountability partner this morning, she stated (again) that Routines and Adventures don’t always play well together.

Let’s face it: sometimes, when life is getting just a little crazy, our routines may start to slip.  In the midst of the chaos, you might be tempted to…

  • skip your morning work out, or
  • grab a snack on the run instead of eating a healthy breakfast, or
  • skimp on sleep so you can fit more in to your day, or
  • exist on convenience foods instead of full meals, or
  • merely pile up papers instead of actually working on them, or
  • leave the dirty or clean (or both) laundry in a heap in (or near) the basket, instead of putting it away for Future You to use.

And there are certain times or life events that contribute to the crazy or chaotic life.  When are we most likely to abandon or forget our routines?  When we are :

  • tired;
  • sad;
  • sick (or someone around us is);
  • traveling;
  • super busy;
  • in a life transition, like new house or new job or new baby; or
  • nearing a deadline for work or personal projects.

Routines (at least the ones I talk about all the time) consist of tasks that need to be done daily or weekly to keep your life humming along, for example:

  • nutrition;
  • sleep hygiene;
  • personal hygiene;
  • staying hydrated;
  • maintaining the basics at home; or
  • paying bills.

Sticking with our routines helps us through those crazy times.  Our routines keep us healthy and strong and on track during the busy times, and then they help us get back to normal more quickly.    When you find yourself wanting to ditch those routines, or that you already have?  That’s when you probably need them the most!

Let me be the little voice in your head this week, urging you to make the good and healthy choices even when life gets hectic or when you’re on the road or adventuring.  That is when we need the consistency and self care the most.  Stick with those Routines, especially when you don’t want to!

Prioritize and Make Better Decisions With The Eisenhower Box

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

I have been remiss.  I know about a really great tool for prioritizing tasks and I have never written about it.  Sorry about that.  I learned it from Steven Covey’s books on productivity years ago, but it’s actually credited to Dwight D. Eisenhower and appropriately named The Eisenhower Box.

 (Not this kind of box…)

Seriously, I’ve never written about this?  Unbelievable.

Upon googling the term just moment’s ago, I learned the tool is also called the Eisenhower Decision Matrix or the Urgent / Important Matrix and these names begin to explain how and why this tool works.

Eisenhower drew this box, with the two axes of Important and Urgent.  His theory was that any and every task is either Important or Not Important, and either Urgent or Not Urgent.   Of course, there is some in-between, but those are the basics.  Here is the blank box.

(from theorderexpert.com)

Important tasks fuel your mission and vision, improve your bottom line, help you reach your goals.  (And Non-Important tasks do not.)

Urgent tasks have a time component that demands your attention, with a deadline attached. (And Non-Urgent tasks do not.)

What Eisenhower’s quote, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important”  also tells us is that we risk getting so distracted by urgent tasks all the time that we fail to take care of our important tasks.

These two axes together give us the option of 4 different distinctions for any given task or duty we have.

  • (Quadrant 1) Important and Urgent
  • (Q2) Non-Important and Urgent
  • (Q3) Important and Non-Urgent
  • (Q4) Non-Important and Non-Urgent

So, if we can agree that almost any task can either be Important or Non-Important, and Urgent or Non-Urgent, then we can use this tool to sort and prioritize our tasks.  If we can determine what is both important and urgent for our goals and productivity, we will get our important work done with more ease and focus and less stress and confusion.

If we take this tool one step further, we can designate a quadrant for all of our tasks, and take the next step – DO, DECIDE, DELEGATE or DELETE, required on those as well.

from luxafor.com

What would each type of task look like:

  • Important and Urgent:  Today’s work.  For me, go and work with client, give presentation, write article.   Working on these tasks is the best and most productive use of my time.  Their completion moves me towards my goals.
  • Non-Important but Urgent (time related):  Order routine office supplies, respond to today’s texts and emails, drop off donations from a client to a charitable organization, post to Facebook business page, publish newsletter.  Many of these tasks are important to do, but it isn’t important WHO completes the task.  I can ask myself, am I the only person who can do these tasks, or could I delegate them to others?
  • Important and Non-Urgent: design a new presentation, start a fitness plan, visit a financial advisor, re-imagine my website.  Make a Plan and a Date (though not today) for getting these tasks done. 
  • Non-Important and Non-Urgent: scrolling social media, binge watching ANYTHING, eating cookies, over-organizing the minutiae in your desk drawer.
    You could let any all of these tasks go. 

Let’s use the Eisenhower Box to prioritize your organizing projects.

At my classes, I give 4 possible projects and then walk folks through the decision process to pick the first project.  The four projects are organizing your

  1. Kitchen,
  2. Linen Closet,
  3. Garage or
  4. Attic.

Let’s imagine these are your 4 projects and you want to decide which has the highest priority, and is therefore your starting point.

All are important, so let’s consider urgent.

Attics are rarely urgent projects.  The stuff in the attic has been there for years, and it will still be there once the other projects are complete.

Garages are sometimes urgent, depending on the time of year.  Let’s say the goal is to organize your garage so you can park your car indoors this winter, but it’s June.  Important yes, but not too urgent.

Kitchen or linen closet?

Did your doctor give you a new diagnosis that requires a special diet?  Are you having a party soon, or you just really need to go to the grocery?  Then, your kitchen organizing project is both important and time sensitive (urgent).

What if there is a drive at a local animal shelter this weekend, though, collecting used towels and bedding for the animals?  That creates a deadline and therefore urgency for your linen closet project.

So, in order, we would tackle either the kitchen or linen closet first, then the other second, then the garage and finally the attic.

Make sense?

Look at your day and week this week and imagine where else you can use this great decision making tool!

Yesterday Was a 5 Bag Day (Whew!)

Yesterday was complicated.   I left home knowing full well that I would probably be gone over 12 hours.  That is not noteworthy, lots of folks are gone for that long.
However, I had 2 presentations scheduled at a learning center in Indiana from 10-noon and 3-5 with a short break between, and then a school board meeting from 4 to 8:30 (yes, I know, those times overlap).  I needed different supplies, paperwork and outfits for these different responsibilities with no opportunity to stop at home between.  I recognized that I needed to prep really well for my day.
And that meant BAGS.
Lots of bags.
As I gathered my thoughts for the day, I also gathered my belongings.  I packed:
  • A professional looking bag for my presentation materials like my notes for the presentation, my handout copies, promotional pens to share, water bottle and a few visuals.  That was easy to put together and then set by the door.
  • Another professional looking bag for the school board meeting, with my notes and materials for that meeting.  Also then set by the door.
  • A third bag for a back up shirt and light sweater, because I knew with 12 hours gone and the need for options.  I would only grab this out of the car if I needed it.
  • The 4th and 5th bags, my daily go bag (discussed below) and my handbag backpack.
What do I want you to know about bags and how to make them work for you?
  • Mentally Walk Through Your Day. We’ve got a lot coming at us most days.  Take a few moments in the morning (or the night before!) to mentally walk through your day so you’re sure to bring along what you need!
  • Bigger is not always better.  Some days I wonder if I just need one REALLY BIG bag, perhaps with wheels or its own filing system. But that would be super heavy and probably not a good choice logistically!  Stick with a manageable size, even if you need to sub- sort.
  • Keep Essentials Always Packed.  One bag is always packed.  A friend / client observed that I carry a go-bag with me every day.  (OK, she called it a diaper bag though I don’t have a small child).  But I do always care it with me and it is indeed always packed.  It contains my small charger bag with all my cords plus a power bank and a multi port charging station.  I also carry a back up shirt in there in case I get grubby at a client appt, a small bag of snacks for just in case, a small bag of toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste, and the keyboard for my IPad.  These is plenty of room left over, too, in case I want to toss in my Ipad, bullet journal, book, etc.
At my classes, I mention our family’s Swim Bag.  We have a bag packed all the time with anything you would need to go to the beach or the pool:  beach sheet, frisbee, swim goggles, sunscreen and bug spray, diving toys, etc.  That bag is always packed and ready to go.
What are your essentials (just a few, not a million)?  Keep those items in your bag every day to save time and trouble later!
  • Review the Essentials Once in A While:  Clean out and review the contents of your go-bag / briefcase / handbag regularly.  Don’t let rubbish or reading materials or heavy pocket change pile up, or your shoulders will start to protest with the extra weight!  And be ready to re-stock things like snacks or tissue packs.
  • Unpack the rest of the bags EVERY DAY.  When that many bags leave the house with me in the mornings, the same or more return with me.  And the optional bags need to be unpacked EVERY DAY.   The first chance I had, I unpacked all of the bags but my go bag, and put all the stuff away.  I DO NOT have room in my office / family room for days and weeks-old partially packed bags of random belongings.
    I also don’t have the mental energy to remember if a personal item like my dressy black sandals are in a bag or actually in my closet where they belong when I’m not wearing them.  Seriously, my items have homes already!  Who has the time to look everywhere?  No thanks!

Get your thoughts and stuff and bags in order!

When Your College Student Moves Home For The Summer

May is a busy month most years.  But this year, we added an extra layer to the already busy month, when my college student son who lives on campus (the other lives at home) moved home for the summer.  With all of his stuff.

I’ve published over 430 blog articles on my web page.  That’s a lot of articles.  But moving a young adult back home was uncharted territory.   Whoooo, boy.

My sons are either the luckiest people ever or completely tortured for having a mother who is also a certified professional organizer.   I prefer to go with “lucky”, they may have a different opinion.  But here is how we handled Moving Home For Summer!

The Move Home begins long before the big day.

  • The Moving-Home process really starts when your student leaves for the school year.  DO NOT take over your student’s bedroom or storage space when they go away to school. And
  • Keep an inventory of what moved to college with your student.
  • Clear as much out of the bedroom as possible before your student moves home.  I have spent a couple of hours in my son’s room while he’s been away, clearing out clutter, containerizing keepsakes, etc.  I know, ideally your children will do this themselves.  Ideally…
  • Plan for the Big Stuff:  In April, I cleared out one side of his closet to make room for the large storage boxes we sent off to school with him.  Expect to use under-bed storage, too.
  • In March, my son brought home a large suitcase full of stuff he knew he wouldn’t need anymore, to start the process.

Day of:

  • I did not help with the actual pick up / load up  / drive home day.  Son and husband tackled that day, bless them both.  Obviously, my son’s stuff did not come home from college nearly as tidily as it moved TO college, but they loaded up and got home in good time, so props to them.  The two packing tips I would share are 1.  zip-ties to bundle hung clothing together, and 2. reusable shopping bags for the last 10 minutes to toss the last of the random stuff into.
  • Unpack the car when you get home.  All of it.  Yes, all of it.
  • Accept that the mess will grow before it shrinks.

The Week After the Move Home:

  • I have to chuckle, my son just keeps saying he didn’t realize he had so much stuff, and so much he doesn’t need.  These have been teaching moments, to help review his belongings and determine what he does and doesn’t need.  There were a few days when stuff wasn’t getting put away, until he and I realized there was older stuff in his drawers that he had to make decisions about and probably get rid of, to make room for the stuff he does want to keep.
  • Unpack everything.  If food moved home, plan to use up what is perishable.  If items are shelf stable – dried goods, unopened hand soap or shampoo, etc. – consider repacking them for the move back to school to save $$ on restocking.
  • Wash everything (or mostly everything). Dishes, bedding, yep, just wash it all.  He cleaned the toaster and the coffee maker.  Review everything, and make sure it’s all clean.  You REALLY don’t want to find a dirty dish or old towel in three months.  Ew….
  • And, once the stuff is clean, re-pack it.  Kitchen items with kitchen items, books with books, room decor / cords / lamps, etc. all together. Most of the storage cubes in his closet are already re-packed and ready to go back so school in August.

Please, learn from our experiences!  And enjoy your summer with your family!

Organized People… Use 20 Minutes to Make a Big Difference!

The most important step in the organizing process is the every-day-for-the-rest-of-your-life step.  I’m talking about maintenance.

There are tough steps, for many folks, along the path of getting organized: getting started, staying on task or making decisions, for example.  And that’s is completely understandable.  But conquering and assimilating maintenance of your organization into your daily life will be the step that reaps the most rewards.

Twenty minutes can make a huge difference in life.

Recently, I discussed this with a client who was frustrated because, while she has made great progress on her organizing projects, some times the clutter still piles up.

I hear you, sister. I’m guessing we have all felt this same frustration!

I shared how I made a commitment to 20 minutes every morning for my New Year’s Resolution, and that this focused routine really keeps me on track.  I create calm in my home, clear clutter, fortify myself plus start some laundry, all in 20-ish minutes.

What simple tasks would help you and your home immeasurably if you could tackle them in little pieces every day?  It may not be in the morning, and let’s face it – some days may eat up those 20 minutes.  But the Habit and Focus and Routine still matter!

Here’s what mine looks like, what could yours look like?

Somewhere between 7:45 and 8:15 most mornings, I do the same tasks:

  • I check bedrooms: turn off lights, straighten beds and grab the laundry hamper if my son hasn’t already taken it to the basement like he’s supposed to! (Elapsed time 1 minute)
  • Next, my bedroom: I make the bed if I haven’t already, hang my walking clothes and pajamas on their hooks, toss dirty laundry in the hamper I still have with me from my son’s room. (Elapsed time 3 minutes)
  • I check the bathroom and hang up or wipe down whatever is out of place. (Elapsed time 2 minutes)
  • Dining room / living room: I straighten or collect any random shoes at the front door (or any other clutter), turn off the porch light and open up the curtains to let in the sunshine. (Elapsed time 2 minutes)
  • Kitchen, office / family room / back door area (all one big long space in my house): Obviously, this takes more time. I start my second cup of coffee, take my vitamins and make my smoothie. I fill my water bottles for the day, put my water and lunch in my cooler bag, then set it all by the back door in my office. If I’m really paying attention, I’ll check the weekly menu to start thinking about dinner prep, take out the trash or load or unload the dishwasher. Once I’m done making a mess, I grab counter spray and a microfiber cloth and wipe down the counters and table. (elapsed time 10 minutes)
  • Finally, I check the family room / office area for any more stray clutter, shoes, laundry, etc., toss the microfiber cloth from the counters, dish towels and cloth, etc., and take the laundry to the laundry room to start a load before I head out for the day. (elapsed time 5 minutes)

These 20-ish minutes are the BEST INVESTMENT in my day EVER. I can leave my house with a calm mind, food and snacks to sustain me during my busy day, and a clear conscience! And I come home to a relatively calm and organized space, which does wonders for my Peace of Mind and my productivity.

If you have doubts, remember that if you do this almost every day, clutter won’t have accumulated for days or weeks. Piles won’t be large, surfaces will be clearer. Regular little bits of maintenance help us out EVERY day.  EVERY DAY.  And it doesn’t have to take long.

What maintenance tasks could you add to your daily routine?  Go for it!