Everyday Strategy: Reduce Mental Clutter

Write it down! Make lists. Get it off your mind and into one place.Whether you are a linear list maker or prefer mind mapping (search the web for a variety of creative tools), get it off your mind and out of your brain. You will then be free to begin tackling all of those tasks and to-dos and find yourself free for creativity!

Tools for Time Management

When our kiddos were in middle school, the house we lived in only had 2 bathrooms. Grooming had become a VERY important part of the morning routine for our daughter and son, then in middle school. Many a morning dispute arose over who had been in the bathroom too long. I quickly found a simple solution!  

 A few weeks later, my sister was visiting. I was in the kitchen when I heard her laughing and calling to me from the hallway. "

Sis, please tell me what an egg timer is doing in your bathroom!

" I explained that when that timer "dinged," each child knew their time was up: no arguing with one another; no arguing with me; the timer helped by giving an AUDIBLE BOUNDARY. More than ever today, people get lost in the amount of time they spend on projects. Clients and colleagues as well, admit they intended only to check their email, ended up logging onto FaceBook, which then led to someone's (then) interesting blog, and suddenly, they find they wasted almost their entire morning. At National Conference this spring in Ohio, one of my product favs was the Time Timer. Their tag line is "Make Every Moment Count."

The abstract concept of elapsed time is easy to see and understand with their graphic depiction

. This tool allows users to manage time more effectively in meetings, classrooms, therapy sessions, testing venues, at home and any other activities which require limits be set. There are different types of tools to fit any type of user: Some the size of a small alarm clock, large visuals for education, wrist watches, software apps for your computer and iphone -- endless possibilities. 

 Whether you choose a simple egg or kitchen timer or one of the many options that Time Timer has to offer, I challenge you to use a timer for just 1 week.

SEE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SOAR!

Own Your Time

One of my favorite books on time management and productivity isn't the newest one on the market. It was re-written in 2005 after its original writing in 1996 for the Hertz Corporation and its then struggling employees.  In "Organizing for Success, author Ken Ziegler includes a fantastic quote that I often share with my audiences: "From time waste there can be no salvage. It is the easiest of all waste and the hardest to correct because it does not litter the floor."   -- Henry Ford.With that, I usually hear some dreadful groans and then the room grows dimly silent -- as the truth of that statement is sobering, given the frenetic way in which we live our lives today. "However," I go on to encourage my audience, "Time CAN BE the great equalizer.” It is simply a series of CHOICES. Your time IS truly your own.Whether you are seeking to gain control of your time for purposes of time management, efficiency, achieving goals or  improving your quality of life, make good and wise choices each day, my friends. Then reap the rewards of owning your time.

Best back to school organizing tip?

Back to school means shopping of all kinds. Kiddos grow fast and that can mean a variety of new purchases will be made some time in late summer to prepare for the school year. Clothes and shoes from the prior year have been outgrown.Typically, new backpacks, lunch bags or boxes, and school supplies must also be purchased. Depending on the number of students, this can make for quite a few shopping bags arriving into the family home. Before attempting to put any new purchases away, ALWAYS remember the ONE-IN / ONE-OUT RULE. For every new item purchased, one old one must go out! Before putting away those 4 new pairs of jeans and 1 pair of khakis for young Parker, Mom and Dad, remember to make certain that a total of 5 pairs of pants go OUT!Options:

• can be handed down to a smaller sibling

• can be given to a younger or smaller family or friend

• can be donated

• or if they are really stained, soiled or torn, simply thrown away

When young Parker has less clothing clutter to sort through and his room and clothing storage is kept simpler, he will be more likely to engage in the process of getting himself dressed and ready for school.Happy, calm mornings result in better relationships between parent and child. Parker is off to a good start and ready to be an engaging student!Mom and Dad, remember to apply this ONE-IN / ONE-OUT rule to your own purchases as well, throughout the year!

5 Must Haves for Your Kid's Dorm Room

Whether you and your spouse are crying on one another's shoulder or HIGH-FIVING behind Junior's back, one way or another, you've got to embrace reality. Your baby is going off to college. It seems like just yesterday you just brought him home. My sister has always said she believes "the terrible teen years" are God's way of preparing parents' hearts so they don't literally break when kids DO go off to college.Face it, your kiddo needs to be ready for this new phase of life. Hopefully you've been doing much of the groundwork over the past 18 years, instilling morals and values. The rest is reminders and lists and such. One lesson I learned from my two and the entire process -- don't try to get TOO involved NOW (which was hard for me as a hands-on, generally organized Mom). Now is a time for them to work with their new roommate(s) on some problem-solving, explore their new environments, learn new rules and regs, and test their wings.That said, I'm sure Junior won't mind you helping him to "GEEK-UP HIS DORM ROOM" with some of the latest technology available as seen on CBS Early Show this morning:5 Gadgets to Geek-Up Your Kid's DormIf your student needs a little help, but perhaps is not particularly open to listening to Mom or Dad at this time in his life, consider working with a skilled Professional Organizer during this transition to provide him with all the tools he needs to get a good start!

Tax Time Shouldn't be Taxing!

Keeping orderly records for tax-filing purposes is perhaps just as important as making sure you claim the appropriate tax credit, deduction, or filing status. Without the right paperwork, tax filers could miss out on important money-saving benefits. For example, the credit for first-time homebuyers has been extended, and even increased a bit from 2008. It can now be up to a maximum of $8,000 for the 2009 tax season. But be careful, good documentation is required to take full advantage of this deduction.There are many tax incentives for businesses, as well. But if you don’t have your paperwork and records in order, likely you will be missing out. You work hard for your money. Make certain you make time to put in place a really good system for filing, maintaining, and staying on top of all your paper tasks. If you don’t have one, help is a phone call or email away – your Professional Organizer can help!

Confessions of an Organizer

Prior to Memorial Day weekend, I was scrambling about, preparing for company. Two beloved couples, Roy & Patsy Cutsinger and Steve & Liz Wendel were coming to the ranch for an overnight visit. I was making tremendous progress with my decluttering efforts, with a little help from my husband, when I stopped and said, "Gosh, I hadn't realized our home had gotten so cluttered." He replied, "Well, Puddin, . . . " and then muttered something else under his breath about cobbler's children and their shoes.The lump on his forehead is getting better with each passing day (just joking). Truthfully, his words really stung.In the remaining hours of that day, I continued my decluttering efforts. As I did so, I tried to reflect on how it had gotten this out of control in my own space. After all, I'm a Professional Organizer for a living. I help other people all the time. I had just written another press article on HOW to declutter -- targeted to folks who want to do it on a DIY basis. Again,so how did it happen to me that my space got cluttered?I'm human, that's how! Why am I sharing all this with you? I'm doing so because I want you to understand that it happens to all of us, despite best efforts.Life, well it just happens This is how some of it came to be for me in the last few months:

• Last October our daughter took a teaching job abroad, moving from Austin to South Korea. A few boxes came home on a "temporary" basis (in addition to the ones that never left when both kids moved on to college). Oh, did I mention she got married? We all know that love is unpredictable. Once she settled in with her new job, love found her. She is now Casey Kim and likely those boxes will be stored more long-term. That accounts for a little of the clutter.

• Then, in January we moved my precious mother-in-law who is 95 to a retirement center. You always know in the back of your mind you may need to do this, however, this particular move came on with great urgency, with no time to plan. With that move came literally over a century (her lifetime and those before her) of pictures / memorabilia / history / antiques to be dealt with (somehow that fell under my job description).

• Then about 6 weeks ago, a storm (some believe a tornado) hit our area of the county. Fortunately, our home was mostly spared, but sheds, barn and other buildings weren't, and it seems like it has taken every spare moment of our time to clear damage on the ranch. This will likely be our "hobby" for the next year.

All of these things I've listed here are what organizing expert and author, Julie Morgenstern, defines as "external realities."  External realities are obstacles which may be holding us back from getting organized, despite our best efforts. They are essentially transitions or changes of various kinds (either positive or negative or perhaps some of both) which cause changes in life as we know it.What does this mean for you? Knowing what it's like to deal with clutter on a personal level allows us to be sympathetic and empathetic to the effort it takes to make a change in your space and in your life. We are prepared to get in the trenches of disorganization with you, while keeping a strong foothold on the training and sound organizing principles we know and rely on.Our commitment to you:

• we have training and experience

• we have tips, tools, and countless resources

• we seek continuing education and attend conferences in order to be "in the know" about the newest organizing solutions available

• we are able to resource with over 4,200 other Professional Organizers world-wide through an email chat service to share and exchange knowledge and organizing solutions

• we give impeccable service and are committed to helping our clients through the organizing process

You may not need us today or tomorrow, but when you think of getting organized, think Divine Organization.peaceful order where you live and work,Kat JacobyDivine Organizationwww.divineorganization.com