Saturday, May 19, 2007
Tip - The Miracle of Music
Does music motivate you? Next time you need to clean the kitchen, try putting on some fun music.
Tip - Small realistic doable goals!
Are you overwhelmed by the clutter in your home?
Does it feel impossible to manage? No matter how hard you try, the papers keep piling.
Here are two tips that will help you succeed.
1) Think... baby steps or small realistic steps
2) Create a threshold, check in, or time frame in which to focus and take care of the clutter.
Challenge: Keeping Your Desk Clean
Most of us when we have a task looming in the back of our minds day in and day out are thinking too big. So big in fact, it deters us from making strides to complete the task. How many times have you looked at your desk and said, "I still need to do that", "my desk is driving me crazy", "I can never keep it clean, even when I try, it gets dirty again."
Solution:
SET ASIDE A TIME of day or a regular interval in which you check in with the status of your desk and make small improvements. For some people, it might work to set aside time Sunday night. You might decide that the first sunday of the month at 9pm you will work on your desk a little bit.
SMALL REALISTIC GOALS
For most people, the goal of clearing entirely will not work. If your desk has 4 drawers, trackle one drawer each Sunday. Since you will be revisiting it regularly, it will keep in check and take less and less time to do.
If we wait months or years, we get overwhelmed and our fear builds. Keeping after it, we only have to manage the "surface layer" which can be done quickly.
Imagine you are having guests over at the last minute and it only takes you 10 minutes to straighten up your desk or the kitchen counters. Remember SET TIME ASIDE and SMALL REALISTIC GOALS and you will be amazed at the result.
Does it feel impossible to manage? No matter how hard you try, the papers keep piling.
Here are two tips that will help you succeed.
1) Think... baby steps or small realistic steps
2) Create a threshold, check in, or time frame in which to focus and take care of the clutter.
Challenge: Keeping Your Desk Clean
Most of us when we have a task looming in the back of our minds day in and day out are thinking too big. So big in fact, it deters us from making strides to complete the task. How many times have you looked at your desk and said, "I still need to do that", "my desk is driving me crazy", "I can never keep it clean, even when I try, it gets dirty again."
Solution:
SET ASIDE A TIME of day or a regular interval in which you check in with the status of your desk and make small improvements. For some people, it might work to set aside time Sunday night. You might decide that the first sunday of the month at 9pm you will work on your desk a little bit.
SMALL REALISTIC GOALS
For most people, the goal of clearing entirely will not work. If your desk has 4 drawers, trackle one drawer each Sunday. Since you will be revisiting it regularly, it will keep in check and take less and less time to do.
If we wait months or years, we get overwhelmed and our fear builds. Keeping after it, we only have to manage the "surface layer" which can be done quickly.
Imagine you are having guests over at the last minute and it only takes you 10 minutes to straighten up your desk or the kitchen counters. Remember SET TIME ASIDE and SMALL REALISTIC GOALS and you will be amazed at the result.
Summer Tip: Container for outdoor toys
As the weather get warmer and the outdoor toys begin to find their way outside, consider buying some type of container to store them in.
Here are some choices:
1) plastic/resin chests
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_fe_l_2_126927011_6/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&node=304850011
(Target : Patio + Garden : Patio Furniture : Storage Benches + Boxes )
2) large plastic containers
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AV5MFM
(Target : Storage + Organization : Plastic Totes : Ultra Latch Storage Boxes - 4 Piece Set (116-qt.) )
Here are some choices:
1) plastic/resin chests
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_fe_l_2_126927011_6/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&node=304850011
(Target : Patio + Garden : Patio Furniture : Storage Benches + Boxes )
2) large plastic containers
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/601-5878140-6847347?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AV5MFM
(Target : Storage + Organization : Plastic Totes : Ultra Latch Storage Boxes - 4 Piece Set (116-qt.) )
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Mom's don't always want monetary gifts, think about what you can do that will make her happy.
Has she asked you to pick up your room or another part of the house?
Are there projects she has been waiting for you to do?
Has it been years since you lived in the house and yet you still have stuff there taking up space that your mom could use for other things (i.e. a hobby, office, new clothes, guest room, exercise room)? Does your bedroom look exactly as it did when you left?
Surprise her by tackling some of the projects she has been asking for.
For those of you who haven't taken the time to clean out your bedroom at your parent's house...
Consider what real estate costs today. Is it fair to leave your room as a shrine and not help your parents by cleaning it out and allowing them to use it? Next time you are home, take a look at what you have in the room.
Most likely there are some things that remind you of experiences you had. Decide whether they are items you have kept for the memory or if the item itself is really important to you. If you have kept things for the memory, consider taking a picture and then getting rid of the items. It is the memory that is important, not the object. If the object is really important to you, take it with you to where you are living now. You can't honor it and enjoy it if you can't see it.
If you want to buy a gift, consider what she has been needing or wanting. Does she need more storage? Does she want a place to sort the mail? Does she have adequate file space? Is she having trouble reaching things in the kitchen? Research some solutions for her or give her a gift certificate for a place she will enjoy.
Has she asked you to pick up your room or another part of the house?
Are there projects she has been waiting for you to do?
Has it been years since you lived in the house and yet you still have stuff there taking up space that your mom could use for other things (i.e. a hobby, office, new clothes, guest room, exercise room)? Does your bedroom look exactly as it did when you left?
Surprise her by tackling some of the projects she has been asking for.
For those of you who haven't taken the time to clean out your bedroom at your parent's house...
Consider what real estate costs today. Is it fair to leave your room as a shrine and not help your parents by cleaning it out and allowing them to use it? Next time you are home, take a look at what you have in the room.
Most likely there are some things that remind you of experiences you had. Decide whether they are items you have kept for the memory or if the item itself is really important to you. If you have kept things for the memory, consider taking a picture and then getting rid of the items. It is the memory that is important, not the object. If the object is really important to you, take it with you to where you are living now. You can't honor it and enjoy it if you can't see it.
If you want to buy a gift, consider what she has been needing or wanting. Does she need more storage? Does she want a place to sort the mail? Does she have adequate file space? Is she having trouble reaching things in the kitchen? Research some solutions for her or give her a gift certificate for a place she will enjoy.
Moving - Change of Address Checklist
If you move pretty often, it is useful to maintain a list of all the institutions you need to contact to change your address.
Moving - Change of Address
Changing our address each time we move has always been a time consuming process. Luckily, with the advent of the Internet, this process is getting easier. We can now change our address online for the post office (http://www.usps.com) and many of our other bills. Some financial institutions, especially investment banking, require a written document be mailed or faxed to them still.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Are toys overtaking your house?
If you feel overwhelmed by the toys in your house, there are some steps you can take to minimize the abundance of toys around your home.
1) Define an area where toys are kept and keep them out of other areas. DO NOT let them spill over into the other areas. Would you store a frying pan in a bedroom? a stapler in the bathroom? clothing in the kitchen?.... Probably not. Each of these articles has a defined place and it does not seem right to have them anywhere else. Use the same philosophy for toys. Give the toys a home whether it is in your child's room, a den, or family room.
2) Putting away toys. Put toys in bins and label the bins with pictures of the items that are inside. Children are visual.
3) As your children grow too old for a toy, they get warn out, or fall out of favor, REMOVE them from the house. If you are keeping the toys for sentimental reasons, take a picture and create a scrapbook. One rule of thumb is to eliminate one toy for every toy that comes in. You can involve the children in the process by teaching about children less fortunate than them and having them chose a toy to give.
4) Avoid toys with too many parts. If you do have toys like these, train your child to reach for one item at a time from the bin and not to dump out the whole thing on the floor.
5) When creating storage for toys, or anything else for that matter, make sure to leave room for new items. Whether you are using bins, shelving, or drawers, on the day that you put everything away, they should not fill more than 75% of the space. If they are entirely full, your organizing system will not work as new items won't have a place to go.
6) Remember that children do not need everything. They are often totally entertained by the simplest things (a bubble, a balloon, a box).
1) Define an area where toys are kept and keep them out of other areas. DO NOT let them spill over into the other areas. Would you store a frying pan in a bedroom? a stapler in the bathroom? clothing in the kitchen?.... Probably not. Each of these articles has a defined place and it does not seem right to have them anywhere else. Use the same philosophy for toys. Give the toys a home whether it is in your child's room, a den, or family room.
2) Putting away toys. Put toys in bins and label the bins with pictures of the items that are inside. Children are visual.
3) As your children grow too old for a toy, they get warn out, or fall out of favor, REMOVE them from the house. If you are keeping the toys for sentimental reasons, take a picture and create a scrapbook. One rule of thumb is to eliminate one toy for every toy that comes in. You can involve the children in the process by teaching about children less fortunate than them and having them chose a toy to give.
4) Avoid toys with too many parts. If you do have toys like these, train your child to reach for one item at a time from the bin and not to dump out the whole thing on the floor.
5) When creating storage for toys, or anything else for that matter, make sure to leave room for new items. Whether you are using bins, shelving, or drawers, on the day that you put everything away, they should not fill more than 75% of the space. If they are entirely full, your organizing system will not work as new items won't have a place to go.
6) Remember that children do not need everything. They are often totally entertained by the simplest things (a bubble, a balloon, a box).
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