Radical Life Organizing

Organizing has become the new chic cause of late. Everywhere you look, there are cute little boxes meant for papers, lovely fabric covered files to store magazines, high tech looking wire baskets for mittens.

Isn't this missing the true reason to organize?  

Isn't all of this causing more clutter in your home?

When did organizing simply for the sake of organizing become in?

How To Organize A Slo-Mo Day

Well, it 's the last two weeks of summer vacation here in NJ, and my family is celebrating it by s-l-o-w-i-n-g down, savoring the last days of summer.

We tend to do unusual activities, ideas that require more imagination then cash. The goal is fun and time spent together. But no stress. No running around. No waiting in lines. Living a slow motion life.

This is how memories are made.

Here's a short list of ideas to get you started.

Organizing Your Closet - Take 2

A bit rushed for time today, as the local newspaper is coming to interview me about my book!

Wouldn't do to have an unorganized house when the title of my book is 30 Days To An Organized Home. Luckily, any clutter that is sitting out has a home, so it won't take long to get everything in shape.

And I have a BIG ( a woman's entrepreneur group, click here for info) meeting this morning. And I want to stop by the local bookstore to ask them to stock my book, so, time is short.

But as not to short you, my valued reader, I present my most popular blog - How To Organize Your Closet.

Taa Daa - here it is:

A Clever Way To Organize Your Disappearing Ice Cream

There's no such thing as too much ice cream!

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

I just read a great story about Diana Hardeman, a woman in NYC who started an ice cream delivery service. What a great idea! Read the story from Real Simple here: http://bit.ly/nhJxHj

Got me thinking about the problem my family had  with ice cream this summer.
We were eating w-a-y too much of it.
In like I would bring home 2 cartons from the store and they would be gone by lunch the next day.
And that includes us going out for ice cream the night before.

We had a problem.

I put on my thinking cap. Here's my solution. It might seem a odd, but it works for us. Maybe not for my friend Amy. She thought I was crazy.

Problem: Our family of 5 inhales ice cream.

Reason: My three boys would eat ice cream at every opportunity so their BROTHERS WOULDN'T EAT IT FIRST! Ah ha!

(a brief explanation: my kids are allowed 2 sweet things a day. They police themselves. They would eat ice cream twice in one day just so their brothers wouldn't eat it all first. Completely logical if you are a kid.)

Solution: We make a trip to the supermarket once a week and everyone chooses their own tub of ice cream! Brilliant - right?

The high points:

• since everyone has their own ice cream, there is no race to eat it all first.
• we buy what is on sale.
• my husband & I share one.
• I can get flavors the kids don't like.
• they can get flavors I don't like. 
• permission must be granted before tasting anyone else's ice cream.
• they are in charge of how long it lasts. If they run out on day 3, too bad for them. We're not going back to the store until day 7.

The results: Works like a charm. One son even made his last 2 weeks! And it cut down on how often we go out for ice cream - so for approx. $10.00 a week we are good to go.

Works for us. Got rid of a source of competition in my home, saved money, and taught the kids delayed gratification. Can't get better then that!

Would it work in your home?

be organized.....evelyn

Organizing the End of School at Home.......

The end of the school fast approaches. Are you going to start your summer off neat and organized, ready for next fall, or are you going to be running around come September? Take my advice - spend a few minutes this summer organizing for next September. Summer is when you are not rushed.

More importantly, summer is when there are deals on school supplies.

Here's a picture of our "school drawer" during the school year. It holds such important items as papers my kids might need, math tests that they may have to study from, papers they just can't live without in January that become recycling fodder in June. Works terrific during the year, and if you don't have such a drawer, I suggest you make one. But for the summer? Not so good.

My goal as soon as school is over is to grab my kids and sort through this mess.

Stay tuned for how that works out........and hopefully an amazing after picture!

be organized..............evelyn

Crave more organizing tips? Just click to get a free sample of my eBook,
  30 Days to an Organized Home.

The 5 Organizing Tips Worth Your Time!

Let's face it. There are only so many hours in a day, so many days in a week, so many weeks in a month. And the list of what we would like to organize, make perfect and never worry about again is v-e-r-y long.

 

Time to weed out the best from the merely helpful.

 

Time to gather in one place the 5 organizing ideas will give you the biggest payoff. Do these and I guarantee that you will have more time and more sanity in your daily life. And less stuff sitting around bogging you down.

 

The Top 5 Organizing Tips

1. clean off your kitchen counters  Remove everything. Only put back what you use every day. Everything else needs a home somewhere else.
2. stop junk mail http://www.ehow.com/way_5392827_do-stop-junk-mail.html
3. stop spam  http://www.kturby.com/pcspam1.htm
4. plan your meals - In a nutshell - jot down what you want to eat for the next 7 days. Even if you say that's impossible, try it anyway. Look at your calendar. See what you have coming up. Make allowances for it. Some days, quick dinner, other days, you have a bit more time. Make a list that works with your life.You know what you like to eat. Just write it down. Make a shopping list of what you need, go to the store once, and have food for the week. If you need more details, check out my eBook,  30 Days To An Organized Home.
5. clean out your closet http://tinyurl.com/organizingclosets

That's it. Sounds simple, but they all build upon each other to make your life better.

 

• empty kitchen counters = sanity = place to put things down = more you time
• less junk mail  = more space =  less time reading & recycling = more you time (for pleasure reading?)
• less spam = less time at computer = more you time
• planning your meals = no last minute trips to store = more you time
• cleaning out your closet = less time choosing outfits = less laundry = more you time

 

It all leads to more you time. Time to do whatever you want to. Sounds like a dream?
You can do it! Start today with #1 and take your life back!

 

be organized............evelyn

 

Crave more organizing tips? Just click to get a free sample of my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home.

The Time Has Come.................

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things......

You may be wondering why in the world am I quoting Lewis Carroll?

Well, I've been writing on this blog for over a month now. A new entry every day. So, the time has come, I have said, to not talk of sooooo many things......

The time has come to let you catch upon any entries you may have missed. There's a whole list over at the bottom of the right hand column.

The time has come for me to start spreading the word about my blog.

The time has come spread my focus a bit wider. Cast a bigger net. See what fish I catch. Promote my eBook.

Oh, I'll still be blogging. Both here and on my other blog, http://www.comeongethappyblog.com/. Just not quite so often.

And I'll  be posting my tip of the day on Twitter and Facebook. Click on the "follow" buttons to the right to stay in the loop. (By the way, does anyone know how to get the little Twitter bird and small Facebook button? I really don't like these large ones!)

Time to go talk of many things. Just not right here right now.

But sign up to receive free updates so you don't miss anything!

be organized....evelyn

Crave more organizing tips? Just click to get a free sample of my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home. be organized.....evelyn

How You (yes, you) Can Organize The Best Birthday Party EVER For Your Child!

Your child's birthday party should be a time of fun and excitement. After all, you're celebrating another year in your child's short life. Time for merriment! Time for cake!

Then how come as parents, we dread it.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the actual birthday that strikes fear into our hearts.

It's the ...............ba, ba ,ba bum........BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Yes, it's true - our offspring want to celebrate in the biggest way possible and invite anyone they have ever met in their life, including the store cashier and the little girl they just saw in the sandbox a few minutes ago. But we disagree, we would like just the family and maybe one or two well behaved friends. With their moms. And a few extra babysitters thrown in for good measure.

Well, relax. I'm here to tell you it can be done. At home. (yes, I just said, gasp!, at home). And inexpensively. And it can be fun. No - it will be fun. I promise!

Admit it, wouldn't you rather give your child a birthday party they remember, with them being the star of the show, instead of farming the party out to a birthday party mill where your child is just birthday party #7 - of that day?

You would, you know it. You want to go for the brownie points, you just don't know how.

Well, here's the how. It's all about organizing. Straight from the person who has given many, many successful parties without needing Valium at the end.

Your easy birthday party organizing steps:

• Pick a theme. Get your child's input into this, but your vote counts too. And forget about "princess" or "cowboy" as a theme. That's not a theme. That's what's on the plates. A theme is "Fairies Delight" or "Rodeo". Pick a theme with some meat to it, something that suggests activities. It makes all your other decisions fall into place. And you don't have to do it alone. There are great books out there that give you themes and ideas. Games, invites, even what food to serve. I especially love the Penny Whistle Party Planning series. Get one, get two, get the whole series. They will make you a kid's party planning expert. All your friends will ask you to throw their kids parties for them. Just say no. Lend them the books instead.
• Make the guest list. I'm going to be firm about this. Only invite the same number of guests that your child is turning!!!!!!!! I cannot say this enough. If your child is turning 3, invite 3 guests. 4, 4 guests. And siblings count as guests!!!! You will want to invite the entire class. You will want to show off your party expertise. This is not the time to do it. Do that with grown up parties, since grown up guests are generally better behaved, and you can drink wine.  DO NOT INVITE MORE CHILDREN THEN YOUR CHILD'S AGE. Am I being clear on that fact? Make a mistake here and your party is doomed.....doomed I say. There will not be enough Valium in the world after that.
• Pick the date & time.  Mornings are good. Naptime is not. After naptime is iffy. Right before dinner is bad. Best time choice for small children? 10:00 - 11:30. Older kids? 2:00 - 4:00 
• Plan the food. I am a big fan of cake and ice cream. And water. That's it. Yes, I know most parties serve pizza, hot dogs, veggies that no child actually eats. I;m suggesting you buck the trend. Go simple or go home. In your invite clearly spell out that cake and ice cream will be the only food served.
• Make a list of absolutely everything you will need for the party; invites, plates, napkins, equipment for games. You don't have to buy everything, borrowing things is fine. Just figure out exactly what you need, (again, the books are great for this), and procure all the pieces. Include the birthday child on the expedition. Do not include the siblings. See, the "special birthday fuss" is starting already. Your child will love the special treatment!
• Send out the invites. Hand delivery is fun and easily accomplished since you are ONLY INVITING A SMALL GROUP! Do not send invites to school. Under any circumstances. You are only asking for trouble.
• Make a schedule for the party. An actual time line. Write it all down on a small piece of paper so you can keep it in your pocket on party day. Plan more activities then you think you will need. Small children do not stand around and chat. Activities = good. Down time = bad.
• Get everything ready and assembled in one place. The key to a great party is to have everything you need right at hand. Party time is not the time to go hunting string down. Have all game items organized and available in one bin or box.
• On your mark, get set, go! Party time!
• Be willing to go with the flow once the party starts. If the kids are happy digging for pennies in the sandbox, let them dig. If you don't get to all of your activities, no big deal. Your schedule,(that's in your pocket, right?), is meant to be a time frame reference. As long as you are having cake somewhere near the time you anticipated, all is good.
• I suggest you plan for present opening time at the party. The kids always love it, and (sneaky hint here) then you don't need to send out thank you notes since your child thanked them in person! (It's in the etiquette books, look it up if you don't believe me. An in person thank you trumps a note).
• Before you know it, the party will be over, your child will be happy and all will be good in the world.
• Since you didn't take the expensive birthday party mill route, you should have enough money left over for pizza for dinner. And a glass of wine. You deserve it. 

be organized!.....evelyn

If you would like more organizing tips, find more in my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home, by clicking on the title. You can get a free sample download here too!

How You Can Organize Moving & Still Keep Your Sanity

Today's topic - Packing up everything you own and moving it somewhere else. Easy as pie - right?

If there was ever a time to clean out and pare down, it's when you move. That's when you find out just how much clutter you have unknowingly accumulated over the years. Time to organize it and move it out!

Some basics:

• Get rid of extra junk. Look at my list of other blog entries in the right column to help you clear out and declutter.
• Buy boxes from a moving and storage company. All the same size. This way it's easy to stack them,and you fit more in a small space. Saves money when you pay by the square foot for transport.
• Start packing way, way, way ahead of time and stockpile. When we moved we actually blocked off one end of a room with packed boxes piled to the ceiling!
• Label the boxes with what room they go in, and give each box a number.
• If you are moving yourself, and you are handling all the boxes, write briefly on the outside what is in them, i.e. china, linens, pots, etc.
• If you are using a moving company, make a paper or computer list that corresponds to the numbers on the boxes. This way the movers won't be "tempted" to open the boxes. And you will have a list of what is in what box so you can find it later.
• Make one box your "unpack first" box. Include in it things you need to feel right at home and things you need for the first night. That way you don't have to rifle through you boxes looking for your jammies.

A great source to turn to when moving is http://www.movers-edge.com. This site helps you out by giving you packing info, a moving day check list, mail forwarding forms, etc. And it includes a four week countdown to the big move!

That's it. Happy moving and I hope these tips help you have a well organized, stress free move!

be organized....evelyn

If you would like more organizing tips, find more in my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home, by clicking on the title. You can get a free sample download here too!

How to Organize Your Mind When Your Brain Isn't Cooperating.

Mind control. Wouldn't it be great if we all had it? I'm not talking about controlling other people's minds, just our own! Sometimes it seems like one half of your brain is out to get the other half. You try and remember to buy milk, and your mind is remembering the name of your junior prom date. Why? Why, I ask? And more importantly, what can we do about it?

Luckily for us, (at least for me), there are some simple devices you can use to help your brain remember and organize the info it needs to. And get it out of your brain where it just keeps looping around. You can be as high tech or low tech as you would like. Ready? Here are some ideas to help:

1. Lists. Can't get more basic then this. But you actually have to use them. Simply writing down vague ideas, or even concrete things to do won't help at all  IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE LIST! I know, seems basic, right. But get yourself a long skinny notepad, preferably one with a magnet on the back, and stick it on the side of your fridge. Easy to find, not easily visible to guests.
2. Now use it! Write down a list of things you need to accomplish, and include a few things you want to accomplish. Something for you, like going for a walk, taking a long bath. It's important you balance the needs with the wants, otherwise your day has no joy in it, nothing to look forward to.
3. The list doesn't have to be updated daily, weekly is fine. Whatever works for you.
4. When you've completed something, cross it off! Pick a color pen or pencil you especially like, and use it to make a big line through what you've done. Instant gratification. It doesn't get much better.
5. When you finish all on one list, begin a new one.
6. If you want to keep track of what you've accomplished, keep the old lists in a folder. Look back on it whenever you feel like you are getting nothing done, going no where fast. It will remind you of what you HAVE DONE!
7. You can go high tech with a list kept on your electronic device. Works for some people, but not for me. I need to manually cross out the done items with a big red pencil. Little things just make me happy!

That should empty your mind of all those pesky things you need to do, as well as make time for all those things you want to do. Congrats - you are now a master of mind control......

be organized!.....evelyn


 If you would like more organizing tips, find more in my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home, by clicking on the title. Also available on Kindle.