This month I celebrated another birthday - not telling you which one!  I decided that I wanted to make a life change and began working on taking more control of my health.  I have a history of eating poorly and not exercising and as a result was feeling sluggish and lazy.  I knew I could improve. 

So, I began by setting some goals for myself.  I decided I wanted to eat better and begin an exercise program.  I know myself well enough to know that if I jump in, full force, I will burn out and never accomplish my goals.  So I am taking it slow.

Beginning August 1st, I began making a conscious effort to eat 3 meals a day.  (I was only eating maybe 2 and lots of junk food to boot.)  I went by myself to the supermarket on July 31st and bought fruits, vegetables, fat free yogurt, whole grain breads and cereal, low fat milk, 100% juices such as apple, grape and orange, low fat peanut butter ( I love peanut butter!), and 94% fat free popcorn as well as whole grain crackers to snack on.

I decided to begin an exercise program, and again, taking it slow since I don't exercise at all except for when I am organizing clients' homes.  I decided to walk.  I love to walk in my community.  We have a great community park which draws lots of people from our neighborhood.  There are walking and biking trails, basketball courts, soccer fields and more.  I even enjoy just taking a walk around the streets in my area.  There are lush trees and the wonderful sounds of nature to enjoy.  Everyone says "hello" when they see you; it's just so nice.  So, it was a good choice for me to at least get myself out the door and moving around.  I walk about a half hour, which covers 2 miles, every other day.  I walk at a brisk pace and feel energized when I am done. 

I am taking vitamins too!  I decided to start with a woman's multi-vitamin and since I have a Vitamin D deficiency (most people do and don't know it), I supplement with a Vitamin D on a daily basis.

This was a good start for me.  I am paying close attention to the foods I eat, using portion control, exercising and taking vitamins.  In two weeks, I lost a couple pounds and overall feel so much better. Mentally, I am happier and more energized.  I feel that it is much easier to accomplish my day to day goals with a much clearer head.

I guess the moral to this story is that you can begin to organize your life by making small life changes that will make you feel better about yourself.  As a result, you will feel happier and more energized to accomplish those goals you wish to achieve.  Now, you can tackle that messy linen closet or those pantry shelves!  Taking small steps to get where you want to go will have a lasting effect.

I will keep you posted on my progress so you can follow along...

If you have any comments or questions about this topic or any other organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to make your place A BETTER SPACE!

Have a great week!

Although I love Summer and hate to see it end, as a parent of a senior in high school, I have no choice but to start thinking about the upcoming school term. This year promises to be very exciting and it will be in full swing before we know it; September 3^rd to be exact.

So, once again, it’s time to start thinking about how to handle the deluge of school papers that will flow in and out of our homes. For students and parents alike, getting an ORGANIZED start to the new school year can make the difference between having a SUCCESSFUL school year or not. If you follow the eight recommendations below, I know that you and your child will have a much more successful school year!

GET YOUR CHILD RE-ACCLIMATED TO GOING TO BED EARLIER AND WAKING UP EARLIER

Start now to slowly move the bedtime back by a half hour or an hour a week so that when school begins, your child will be able to go to bed early enough to get the proper rest that they need in order to function best in school. This is especially true for older children (such as teenagers) who, like my son, started off the Summer going to bed at 1:00 a.m. and sleeping until 11:00 a.m. Teenagers need lots of sleep (usually about 10 hours per night). I am currently moving his bedtime back in one hour increments so that when Labor Day rolls around he will not have such a hard time going to bed at 9:00 p.m. This will enable him to get up for school on time at 5:45 a.m. As I move the bedtime back, I also make sure my son gets up earlier so he can get acclimated to doing that as well.

SET SOME RULES RIGHT FROM THE START.

Establish family ground RULES relating to the school year daily schedule, such as that ideal bedtime, homework completion, television watching, computer surfing, and socializing. Establishing these expectations at the beginning of the school year communicates the parent’s PRIORITIES and commitment from the start. Children need and want these boundaries to feel safe and secure, whether they know it or not, even teenagers.

SET UP A CENTRAL SYSTEM

Establish a "Command Center" for your children’s PAPER -- incoming and outgoing. Put an end to the school paper chase by establishing a zone for processing school paper – both incoming and outgoing. This area is where parents can review and PROCESS action papers (permission slips, lunch money, homework sign-offs, etc.) for quick turnaround. Adopt a simple two tiered "In/Out box" where you will process paper (the preferred location being in or near the kitchen) and instruct your children to place papers for mom’s or dad’s review in the In box. Completed paper is then given to children for return to school.

CREATE A LAUNCHING PAD

Establish a ZONE for the daily backpack pickup/drop close to the door where your child enters and exits each day. After Mom or Dad has processed the papers that need to go back to school, they can then return them to this zone for the kids to return to their backpack. Any other items needed for school should be placed in this area as well.  This simple strategy will greatly ease the morning rush.

CREATE A SPACE FOR HOMEWORK

Set up a desk or STUDY workspace that is conducive to concentration and focus. Considerations for setting up the child’s workspace should include good lighting, low noise levels, plenty of space to spread out, privacy, sufficient availability of supplies and anything else that adds to the structure.  Stock drawers with basic supplies your child needs in order to complete homework and projects.

THINK ABOUT CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

Establish a system and tools to help your child be organized AT school as well as at home. It is critically important for children to develop organizational skills at an early age. Accordion folders or binders with pocket folders labeled for each class can be an easy organizer system for your child to keep papers corralled at school as well as home. Once your child is old enough to use a locker at school, equip him/her with locker accessories that allow subjects to be separated by, perhaps, morning and afternoon classes.

TAKE IT EASY

Don’t overload your children with too many extra-curricular ACTIVITIES. Today’s school children are over-scheduled and stressed out as a result. A balance of academics, activities and down time is necessary for academic success and good mental health. Make every effort to have dinner together as a family and avoid outside activities that distract from this important family ritual. Ask yourself what’s more important, your kid’s skills or their sanity? They will gain a lot more from the time they spend with the family around the dinner table.

GET EVERYONE TO HELP OUT

Establish an age appropriate CHORE routine to keep your children engaged and accountable to the family unit. With EVERY family member pitching in to help the household run smoothly, more time is freed up for fun family activities when the work is done. This includes the parents. Children need to see that their parents are active participants in household chores, not just dictators.

By establishing these simple yet powerful organizational routines, you and your children will be on the road to success this school year.

If you have any comments or questions about this topic or any other organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to make your place A BETTER SPACE! 

Have a great week!

In the past week or so there has been a lot of talk about the stability of the banks in our country and the security of our assets.  I received a newsletter from the President and CEO of ING Direct, Arkadi Kuhlmann, that contained the following information which I would like to share with you.

"So, you've put some money away and you're just letting it sit there and grow.  Or maybe you've stashed away some valuables in a safe deposit box.  If you haven't touched either in three to five years, you may never touch them again.  It's all because of state laws - called escheatment or unclaimed property laws - that require banks and brokerages to turn over unclaimed property, including un-cashed payroll checks, stock, bank deposit and more, to the State.  Property is classified as "unclaimed" when a Customer doesn't contact the bank where his/her money is held over an extended period of time and there has been no activity.

The State goverment is then supposed to identify and contact the rightful owners, and reunite them with their property; however, each State has a "who's who" list of people who "couldn't be found" and whose property has been seized."

Here's what you can do to avoid this:

- Login to any on line account at least once a year.

- For each bank account, make a balance inquiry, small deposit or withdraweal at least
once a year.

- Cash or deposit checks when you get them.

- Use gift cards, traveler's checks and gift certificates promptly.

- Visit your safe deposit box at least once a year.

- Notify any holder of funds of an address change or a new name.

- Make a list of all your account information including retirement plans, insurance policies, trust payments, and brokerage or other accounts, and give a copy to a trusted family member or friend.

Remember, if you ignore your assets, they could disappear.  You certainly don't want that to happen.

If you would like more information on this or any other organizing topic, please feel free to contact A BETTER SPACE.   I will be glad to help.

Summer time is generally vacation time.  It's time to take those photographs and create a  collection of the memories of that great summer vacation or day trip. 

Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to give you some suggestions on how to display those photographs after you have developed your favorites.  Here are some Quick Tips For A Better Space:

Always keep in mind that visual clutter occurs when your photographs are in different frames and scattered randomly throughout a room. When displaying your photos:

I have recently had several of my existing clients advise that they are moving.  One of my clients is downsizing from a home to an apartment, one is moving from an apartment into another apartment in another town and the latest is moving from one house to another.

My advise to anyone who is planning on moving is to go through everything in the home to make sure that what they have is what they want to take with them.  I guarantee in every instance, you will find that there are many items that have just sat around the entire time you have lived at that current location and chances are those items will remain in boxes when you move.  Why spend the time and money to move those items?  Just get rid of them. 

If they are in good condition, someone else can make use of them.  Either give them away to family or friends, donate them to a local charity, freecycle them by going onto freecycle.org or place an ad for sale of the item on Craigs List or some other local listing.  Another option is to have a garage sale before you place your home on the market for sale.  (See my previous blogs about how to conduct a Garage Sale). 

The bottom line is that you want to make the move as smooth a transition as possible and you can do that by only packing up and taking what you truly need.

Using the services of a professional organizer to help you make those decisions and help to organize the packing will save you lot's of time and aggravation when you move to your new home.  Moving companies love when I organize the packing with my clients because they always know where something should go.  It saves time and therefore saves money because they can move your items into the home fast and, therefore, you don't have to spend as much for their time.  

I recommend using my services to help you before and after the move.  When you get to the new location, using my services to organize the placement of items in the home can save your lots of time and aggravation as well.  You want to get your home settled quickly so you can function easily and enjoy it.

If you have any questions or concerns about an upcoming move, please feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you make your place A BETTER SPACE.

Have a great week!

Last Wednesday I was at a networking meeting and out of no where, I went into extreme spasm in my neck.  It was so bad I could not drive home from the meeting and had to leave my car in the parking lot and get a ride home from a friend.  I felt helpless.

Needless to say, the rest of the week I spent focusing on eliminating the spasms in my neck and taking time to recouperate.  As a result, I had to take a week off of work and not do too much around the house.  I could not drive so I could not run errands.  I was not able to keep up with the housework and not able to keep my home "organized".  

I have a hard time not being able to do what I normally do when things happen to cause me to lay low for a while.  Not my style.

I am anxious to return to work this week and resume my normal activities.

I know that most people believe that since I am a professional organizer, my life is always "organized".  However, this goes to show that we can all have times in our life when something comes along, unexpected, that throws us off course.

The important thing to remember is that you need not give up, but rather, work to get back to where you were before and resume those every day tasks.

Of course, being organized to begin with will help you to resume your normal schedule quicker.  Just pick up where you left off and accept that sometimes, we cannot control what happens in life.  Just learn to roll with the punches and be determined to get back to "normal" as soon as possible.

Remember, organizing is not a one-time-and-you're-done kind of job.  It's an ongoing process so get back on that horse and get going!

If you have any questions or issues relating to any type of organizing, please contact me and I will be glad to help make your place A BETTER SPACE.

Have a great week!

It's officially Summer!  This is a great time to consolidate your efforts to save time and energy so you can have more time and energy to do those Summer activities. 

Here are some quick tips for A BETTER SPACE in your day:

Shop for groceries once rather than three or four times a week.  Plan out a menu for the week and do it all at once.  It will not only save you time and energy, it will save you gas!  You would be surprised how those trips to the grocery store can add up.

Iron a bunch of items at one time rather than one at a time.  It takes time to pull out that iron and ironing board and set it up to iron.   Gather the items you have laundered for the week and do it all at once.  It will also save you time when you go to get dressed in the morning.  You will not have to take time to iron that particular item; it will already have been pressed and ready to go!  Also, cut down on your ironing time by pulling items right from the warm dryer and hanging them immediately.  The warmth from the dryer will release a lot of those wrinkles on their own, saving you time.

Double a recipe and freeze half for another time.  When making dinner, double it and store the additional amount for another meal.  Over the course of time, you will have built up an array of dinner options and all you will have to do is defrost them and heat them up.  This will save lots of time on those nights when there is just a short amount of time to put dinner on the table.

Lastly, buy all the birthday and other special-occasion cards and gifts you need one month in advance.  Sit down with your calendar and figure out whose birthday is coming up the next month and plan to purchase a card and perhaps a gift.  Planning out what you need for when will save you time and effort.  When the day arrives, you will be ready!

Hope these tips will help you enjoy more of your time this Summer and throughout the rest of the year.

For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you may have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your organizing goals.

Have a great week!

So you've decided that you want to have a garage sale (or yard sale) and you don't know where to begin.  Here are some Quick Tips to create A Better Space in your home by getting rid of those items you no longer want, but wish to get a little money for them.

First, don't save things to sell at a garage or yard sale unless you have set a definite date for that sale.  Donate those items instead.

However, if you have determined a date (sooner as opposed to later), be aware that your time is valuable.  It takes a lot of time and energy to plan and hold a successful garage sale so be prepared to spend the time. 

Advertise in the local paper - post signs in your neighborhood with arrows pointing to your home. (Just remember to go back and remove them when the sale is over!) Post signs in local stores that you frequent. My bank has a community bulletin board that I use to promote my business. You can do the same for your garage sale. Get the word out!!!

Make it a family affair.  Get the kids involved.  Have them select some toys or games they no longer play with and books they don't read anymore.  Let them keep whatever money they make for themselves!

To get started, evaluate what you have and categorize it.  Use boxes for smaller items and a large blanket or drop cloth for larger items.  Visibility is key so make sure everyone can see what you have.

Once items have been categorized, you can use the box to indicate the price of the items or mark it "Priced As Marked" and then individually tag each item within that category.

Be reasonable.  Remember, it's a garage sale and customers are looking for bargains. Don't attach your sentiments to the item to determine it's worth.  Think about what someone would be willing to pay for the item.  You will make out better if you sell a lot of items cheaper as opposed to charging more for one large item.  You want the customers to buy a lot of things.  The goal here is to get rid of the stuff!

Make sure you have a cash box on hand for dollar bills and coins to make change.  Sometimes people bring large bills to a garage sale and you don't want to lose a sale because you can't make change.

Have some paper grocery bags or plastic bags for your customers to carry their purchases.  If you have fragile items, make sure you have some tissue paper or bubble wrap on hand.  Your customers will appreciate the extra effort you are taking to wrap up their precious belongings.

Negotiate.  If someone really wants something, let it go for a bit less than you originally priced it.  It's not worth holding onto for just a bit more money.  There is a chance you might not sell it at all!

Have fun!  Talk to people.  Be a salesman (or woman).  See if you can help them find what they are looking for. 

At the end of the day, let the stuff go.  Don't put it back in the garage or in the house.  Donate it to a local charity or post the items on freecycle.org.  Someone will make use of what you no longer want and you will keep it out of the landfill.

Take the proceeds from the day and do something fun with them - go to dinner with the family - buy something that you actually need.  And look around, you now have A BETTER SPACE!

For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you may have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your organizing goals.

Wishing you a good week!

With Father's Day coming this weekend and Independence Day (a/k/a The Fourth of July) just around the corner, I thought a few tips to organize your grill area might be just the ticket!

This time of year, like you, your food doesn't even want to be inside either!  Set up for barbecue season with a smart outdoor cook station. 

Place your grill on a flat surface that is well ventilated, away from the house, yet protected from winds that might cause flare-ups.  Then, set up the area like a mini kitchen:

Create an insta-island for food prep with a folding table.  Place a grill mat underneath the grill to protect your deck and have a trash basket close by.  Use hooks and magnetic clips to keep the cooking utensils handy. 

Opt for long handled metal cooking utensils which give you some distance from the open flame and long-armed mitts to better protect you from splatters and burns.  Avoid using plastic utensils and standard oven mitts - just leave them in your kitchen drawer!

Keep an extra spatula and pair of tongs on hand to prevent cross-contamination of raw food and cooked food.  You can designate which you use for uncooked meats by using red tape for "raw meat" around the handle.

Toss your grill-cleaning brush (or replace the head) once the pad or bristles get too worn out to work. 

Keep the grill on high after cooking to let residue from the food burn off and clean the grate more easily.  (Remember to shut it off when you are done!)

Invest in storage on your deck.  Deck boxes, such as a watertight plastic models can stow your supplies outdoors where you need them.  Certain versions can also double as additional seating.  Stash paper towels, aluminum foil, platters, cutting boards, skewers, grilling utensils, a meat thermometer, a timer, mitts, etc.

Also, save yourself a few trips to and from the kitchen by using a carry-all caddy that has compartments for condiments, napkins, plates and eating utensils.  Imagine actually being able to eat along with your guests instead of spending that time running back and forth to the kitchen!

Create an outdoor living space where you will want to spend time relaxing and entertaining outdoors this summer.  Most importantly, be safe!

With these tips, I know you will create "A Better Space" for your grill area.  Enjoy!

For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you may have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your organizing goals.

Happy Father's Day!  Have a great week!

Here's another Quick Tip for A Better Space -

I bet a lot of you are cleaning out your garages and other areas of the home in preparation for summer.  Below is some information you can use when considering making use of your local consignment shop.

If you have high-end furniture, for example, that’s too big for your space after you've downsized, it may be worth investigating the possibility of consignment sales. Be aware however, that although something may be of good quality, it may be out of style and a consignment agent will be less likely to take it on.

Before going the consignment route, research the various stores and agents in your area to be sure it is a worthwhile arrangement. You’ll usually receive a percentage of the selling price and some shops only take items they know they’ll sell.  Once you’ve given it to them you won’t have to ever take it back. This can apply to making use of E-bay stores as well. 

Remember, sometimes, it's just better to give it up and move on.  In some cases, if it has served it's time and you have gotten it's money's worth, it's time to just let it go. 

Separate emotional value from monetary value and you will have a better time deciding what to do with those "expensive" items.  I promise you will then have A Better Space.

For more information and assistance on any organizing issue you may have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your organizing goals and create A Better Space for you.

Have a great week!