There are so many options available to us these days to help us get and stay organized.  I love options because everyone does not function the same way.  Some people are auditory, some are visual and some are experiential learners (hands on). 

There are several ways to organize your paperwork if you like clear your surfaces (who doesn't) but still be able to see what you have. (Visual).  One way is to make use of binder clips!

Here are some examples of how you can use Binder Clips to get and stay organized:

Use them on the back of a door, a cabinet, a bulletin board or a wall.  Adding a magnetic hook or push pins to the mix are a good complement.

I like to take a label maker and put labels on the actual clips themselves to give them a specific purpose.  You can even color code the binder clips as they come in so many different colors these days.  You don't need to stick with black.  

A use for color-coded Binder Clips is to use them for various tasks or for each family member.  Assign a specific color to each.

You can clip recipes together for the week and hang them on the inside of a cabinet door.

Use a magnetic hook on the side of your fridge to hang the Binder Clip on for a shopping list with coupons.  

Use push pins on the front of a shelf to hand the clips.

Hang a Binder Clip inside the door, under the sink in your kitchen or bathroom, to hold your rubber gloves.

Hang magnetic hooks on the side of a filing cabinet near your desk and create binder clips for "hot" action items. 

You can also use a bulletin board with a labeled binder clip called "HOT".

If you can't locate your label maker, you can use a binder clip to clip a labeled index card onto the front of a small bin on a shelf.  

If letter trays do not work for you to sort your mail, use a Binder Clips that are labeled "Pay", "Action" and "File". 

For paper management purposes, Binder Clips create a boundary.  They limit the amount of paper work that builds up.  It forces you to create a limit as to how long you put off the inevitable.  You will need to keep it under control! 

As you can see, there are multiple uses for just a simple Binder Clip.  Use your imagination!  I would love to hear your ideas and we can share them with everyone!

So, get out those binder clips and put them to good use in organizing your home and your life.

In the meantime, have a great week!

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the winter has been somewhat mild this year and we might not have had the opportunity to wear those very heavy wool sweaters, our fur lined boots and heavy winter coats.  

If you are anything like me, that's quite all right.  However, it does not mean that it's not time for that mid-winter check to see what we have used or what we wanted to use but because of the warm temps this year did not get to use.  

This is a good time for you to go through those winter-related items and donate the excess to charity.  You will free up space in your home and provide others in need with items they can use to make it through the rest of the winter comfortably, by donating them to a local charity.  

Take some time to check out the following: 

Blankets - Are there blankets in closets or in a cedar chest that you have not used in the past several years?  

Sweaters - If you haven't worn certain sweaters by now, will you wear them by the end of the season?  

Hats, gloves and scarves - If you have children, do their hats and gloves still fit them?  Do you just have too many that have accumulated?

Coats - Just like your sweaters, if you haven't worn that coat this year, are you going to wear them by the end of the season?

Boots -  If they are still in good condition, someone in need could use the ones you no longer wear.  Are they not comfortable, out of style, not your favorites?

Outdoor recreation items:  Have you checked your collection of snow shovels lately? Did you purchase a new one and not get rid of the older one?  How about your sleds, toboggans or ski equipment?  Don't have them take up additional space in your garage or attic if you are not using them anymore. 

Decorations:  Is there any holiday or winter decoration you didn't put out this year?  You can sell them on Ebay, Craigs List or give them away thru Freecycle.  See if any local day care centers can use some of them.  

Eliminate the excess by either selling the items, donating them to a charity or giving them away thru Freecycle or to a local entity.  Someone else will be glad to have them.

Let's make space for Spring!  It will be here before we know it.  

I am always talking about getting organized in your home but have never talked about how to be organized as a pet owner.  I think now is a good time.

Ninety-nine percent of my clients own pets - dogs, cats, birds, fish and once, a pot belly pig! 

The items in your home relating to your pet need to be organized.  You can use baskets, hooks, drawers or any other centralized location to hold the items that need easy accessibility.  

You might already know that I am an independent consultant for Clever Container and they have three solutions designed to help organize you and your pup.  You can check them out on Page 23 of their 2012 catalog at www.clevercontainer.com. 

Another area of organization you should consider is pet information in case of emergency.  Have you ever lost your cat or dog?  It can be heart wrenching but if you are organized, it can make it a lot easier.  Here are some tips:

• Have your pet microchipped and have on file the name of the company, the microchip number and contact information for the company involved.  It's like GPS for your pet. 
• Know the number of your pet's rabies tag.
• Have updated documentation of your pet's vaccinations and surgeries.  (I always incorporate a folder in the filing systems I create for my clients for the pets.)  Shelters and vets that take in lost pets will a conduct blood test to identify strays from non-strays.  Knowing which vaccines are in your pet's blood and locations of scars can help in identifying your pet.  
• Take pictures of your pet at many different angles and of all unique pattern markings.  Have these images in digital format.  Many states and shelters will post pictures of lost pets online and you will want the pictures to print out fliers.
• Most agencies will only allow you to report a lost pet that has been missing for more than 24 hours.  Find out which agencies will take these notices (usually shelters and animal control centers) and have their contact information available.
• You still need to have a collar on your pet with identification, even if your pet lives primarily indoors.  Break away collars are best so that your pet doesn't accidentially choke himself/herself.

I hope you never lose one of your pets, but if you do, you will be prepared by having the above information at your finger tips. 

Give your pets a big hug (except if they are a fish, I guess) and have a great week!

There seems to be a phenomenon that is growing by the day. 

It's common for our socks to have lost their mates after we have done the laundry.  They have been known to hide inside a fitted sheet, stuck inside a shirt sleeve or attached to the inside of a pants leg.

The common solution for this phenomenon is to have a laundry basket filled with odd socks.  I have worked with so many people who have this laundry basket in their laundry room, bedroom or elsewhere in the house where the odd socks live.  

Sometimes we never find that odd sock.  I have a theory that there is a large hole in the earth somewhere where all of the odd socks get sucked out of our washing machine in the spin cycle and end up.  This leaves the other sock without its mate forever more.  How sad. 

However, don't be distraught.  I have begun a support group for all of the odd socks that get left behind to survive on their own.  I have called it "Socks Without Partners". 

The support group is not intended for long term, however.  It's is intended for a 30 day period of time.  The group meets after every laundry day in a laundry basket and they remain there for only 30 days.  After that, they move on to become dust rags. 

The by-laws of this support group state that after 30 days, the chances of finding their mates has become so minimal, it is not worth staying on.  They have already hung out with other single socks and are now ready to take on the world of dust.  I am thinking that a Veteran's hospital might be a choice as well since they care for some amputees who need socks.  Whatever you choose, do not get caught up in the "What If" syndrome that plagues so many of us.  "What if I find that other sock 3 months from now?"  It's not a great loss; it's okay.  Move on. 

Bottom line, you can create your own support group in your laundry basket called "Socks Without Partners" but remember, after 30 days, they are to move on. There will be more single socks in your future, I promise.

I would love to hear if you have started your own support group for your single socks and how many members you have! 

In the meantime, have a great day!

I don't know about you but I spend a lot of time in my car.  I am traveling to and from client consultations, client sessions, networking events, shopping trips for organizing product for my clients, donation drop offs and Clever Container parties for my hostesses.  That's just the time I spend in the car for business.  I also run errands, attend social events, visit with friends, etc.  

I know how important it is to manage your time when you are planning trips and one tip I quickly learned was how to plan out the amount of time I need to get to a new location for the first time.  If we have never been there before, how do we know how long it is going to take?  I have the solution!

My key to success to insure that I will be on time is to go onto Map Quest.  (You can also use Google Maps.) Get directions from your home (or wherever your starting point is) to the location you need to be and determine how many miles the trip is in length.  THEN, double that number and it will give you a good idea as to how long it will take you.

For example,  if I am visiting a client for the first time and I know that her home is 14 miles away from mine, I double that number and I know it will take approximately 28 minutes (give or take a few minutes) to get there. 

Trust me, this works.  I have been using this method for more than seven years; from the time I first started my professional organizing business in 2004 to figure out how much time I should allow to get to my appointments.  Now I use this method for all trips to places I have not been to before.  Keep in mind you might get there just a few minutes early some times depending on traffic but you will not have to worry about being late.  You can always cushion it with an extra five minutes if you will be involved in rush hour traffic, but again, this system works well for me.  I love it because I have found that my GPS is very inaccurate with judging arrival times because it does not take into account traffic delays.  My system does!

We can all use tips to help us with time management and I particularly love this one.  Give it a try and let me know how you make out.

In the meantime, have a great week!  

I am posting this blog one week after my official launch of my Clever Container business.  I am an independent consultant for the only company in the United States that provides organizing products and education right in your own home when you host a party.  As a consultant, I come to your home (in Bucks or Montgomery County, PA) and bring organizing products right to your home and educate your guests about how to get organized and the products they can use to do so.  It is a great way to have some fun and get some great products at the same time.  Anyone can order product from their catalog by using my Consultant ID#373 at www.clevercontainer.com.

I mention this because now I am technically running two businesses, A Better Space and my Clever Container organizing product business.  Lately, I have felt that time is not on my side.  Learning a new business is a challenge and I am determined to learn all that I can to provide the best service and products to my clients and customers.  ln doing so, I have had to commit a lot of time and energy to spend the time necessary to do it right.  That is my nature. It doesn't have to be perfect, mind you, but it needs to be the best it can be.

What that means, however, is that I have been getting up early and going to bed very late at night in order to stay on top of all that is necessary to keep it all running smoothly.

Very quickly, I learned, after seven and a half years of being in business as a professional organizer and now as a product consultant, that time is no longer on my side and I need some help.

I am taking the next step and will be looking for someone who can help me by doing some of the administrative work in my office either virtually or in person. 

The reason I am telling you this is to show you that sometimes, we need to re-evaluate our situations and make the changes necessary in order to grow or improve because we sometimes need more time on our side and we can always find ways to do just that. 

Do you need to find more time in your day?  What can you do get more?  Delegation is the key to success.  I would love to hear from you what you have learned to delegate. 

If you are struggling to figure it out and need some assistance, contact me.  I would love to help you find more time in your day. 

In the meantime, have a great week!

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a great holiday season, but now it's time to get down to business.

As a women entrepreneur who began my Professional Organizing business over 7 years ago, I work with many other women entrepreneurs who struggle with time management and paper management in their home offices.  As a result, I pay lots of attention to the struggles with growth and prosperity that entrepreneurs alike contend with. 

There are many habits that can hold us back so I thought I would list some: 

• Not returning phone calls.
• Being late for appointments.
• Not returning emails.
• Not having a schedule.
• Not filing important documents.
• Not saving money or paying yourself first.
• Failure to understand the law of reciprocity.
• Handling mail or email more than once.
• Forwarding nonsense emails.
• Not scheduling events.
• Not exercising.
• Procrastinating.
• Lack of systems.
• Not choosing healthy foods.
• Not drinking enough water.
• Not taking time to rejuvenate.
• Watching meaningless television.
• Failure to invest in personal development.
• Failure to listen.
• Trying to be perfect.
• Waiting for the right moment.
• Failure to budget.
• Lacking or not providing sufficient or efficient communication.
• Having a messy or disorganized workspace or home.
• Unprofessional voice mail.
• Not having a dedicated workspace.
• Not having a business card.

Which of these apply to you?  Choose two or three habits at a time and replace them with good ones. 

If you need help with time management, paper management, or organizing your messy and disorganized workspace or home, contact me.  I can help.

In the meantime, have a wonderful week!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is in two days.  Are you stressed out trying to get everything done?  I want to help you to keep your stress at bay these next few days so you can enjoy the holiday.  Try these three strategies:  

• Keep perspective. If the present doesn’t arrive until after the holidays, the ornaments aren’t hung on the tree, or the gravy never makes it on the table — you will be okay. In fact, you’ll probably have a funny story to tell for years to come about the year you didn’t serve ham because it was frozen solid and Uncle Joe broke his knife trying to cut it!   (That never happened to me personally but I can tell you that one of my presents this year will not arrive on time so I simply put a picture of it in a box with an explanation.  I know I will be forgiven.  No problem!)
• Adopt a mantra. I am a fan of mantras.  I think they help us stay the course, thereby reducing our stress.  One of my favorite that I keep finding myself saying more and more is "It's good enough".  Using this mantra takes a lot of stress off of my Type A personality and tendency to want to be "perfect".  Knowing that I did my best, although perhaps not perfect, is "good enough" for me.  Whatever positive saying works for you, use it and use it often. 
• Let it go. In keeping with the above, you are not a superhero. Perfection is unattainable, so stop trying to be "perfect".  Buy a smoked turkey if you’re nervous about cooking the bird. Throw all your clutter into a closet (did I really say that!?!?!?) and deal with it after the holidays when you’re more level-headed. Purchase a gift card instead of hunting for the exact gift you think you might discover at the last minute.

Do yourself a favor and be a happy holiday celebrant.  It is much more enjoyable for everyone around you when you are enjoying the festivities along with everyone else rather being irritable and stressed out.  Takes all the fun out of it for you too, doesn't it?  

Wishing each and every one of you a happy holiday.  Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year!  May you have a stress-free and joyful holiday season.  See you again in 2012!!!!

A lot of my clients and organizing community are busy moms who work from home.  I know that you need all the help you can get.  It's a juggling act.   I was interested in what Ali Brown has to say about holiday tips for work-at-home moms.  I thought I would share:

We are now in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.  With Chanukah starting on December 20th, Christmas on December 25th, Kwanzaa on December 26th and New Years Eve on December 31st, there is a lot to plan for. 

I have a few suggestions as to how you can save some precious time during the holidays.

1.  Give yourself a break!  You don't have to prepare all of the food yourself.  You can prepare those special recipes you enjoy making but have others contribute.  Have your guests bring a dessert or an appetizer.  Order a nice tray from your local grocery store or speciality shop to reduce the amount of time you spend preparing for your dinners or parties.

2.  Avoid the traffic jams on your stove.  Use an electric skillet, slow cooker or food warmer.  You can use them to heat premade foods and set them up somewhere else besides the area around your stove.  Why not use another portion of your counter top, a table or a server? 

3.  Create a centerpiece for the table by using what you already have.  Use a long runner that reflects the holidays.  Use fabric or even wrapping paper and let the food you prepare serve as the decorative part of your table.  Use a nice basket of seasonal fruit to create a focal point on your table.  Put it on a larger plate and surround it with Christmas ornaments for an even more festive table.  Again, if you don't want to take the time, have your local grocery store or specialty shop create the fruit basket for you.

4.  Keep a few gifts on hand for unexpected guests.  We are bound to either forget about someone or someone shows up with an unexpected guest.  Be prepared by keeping a few extra gift items on hand.  Wrap them ahead of time and indicate on a post-it note what it is and you will not be caught off guard.

5.  As I've written about in previous posts for Thanksgiving, do the same for the upcoming holiday parties and dinners.  Give your fridge a thorough clean-out.  Get rid of what you don't need, clean the shelves and make room for those leftovers!

6.  Make a list of the items you will need to prepare your special recipes.  Avoid having to run to the store last minute to purchase that extra stick of butter or some condensed milk.  Go through all of your recipes carefully and make sure you have everything you need when you go to prepare that special appetizer, side dish or dessert.

These suggestions will help you to save some time during the holidays.  Let me know which one you like the best. 

Most importantly, enjoy!