That's a wrap!

Ok, it's 4 days until Christmas, so maybe you're like some lucky souls that already have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree. Or, perhaps you're a bit like me, you still have gifts to wrap and may even be a bit overwhelmed by all the various "to do"s to cross off your holiday checklist.

To help ease some of that anxiety, I would like to recommend that you create a "wrapping station". My "WS" is my ironing board (for height) with my gift wrap, tissue paper, boxes, tape, gift tags, a pen and some ribbons & bows.

In addition, I suggest that you place an envelope in your "WS" so that you can put all of your holiday receipts into it as you begin your wrapping marathon. That way, everything will be in 1 place and it will cut down the stress later on.

Here's wishing you a happy and stress-free holiday!

It's that's time of the year...

...to hang up your stockings, trim the tree & wrap the gifts! In the hussle & bussle of the holiday season, it's important to be as organized as possible. Gather up all your coupons and put them in 1 place, preferably a clear zip-lock bag. Remember that many online vendors are now accepting "promo codes" for holiday purchases, so go to Coupon Cabin or Coupon Sally (there are literally tons more to find!) for the best discounts! A friend just downloaded a $20 off coupon to Burlington Coat Factory...now we're talkin! As Santa would say, make a list (and check it twice) of the people you need to buy gifts for. You may even want to assign a monetary value to each to help keep your costs within budget. Afterall, it's not fun to go broke over the holidays, so plan, prepare & have fun while you're at it! Happy Holidays!

Fall foibles and handbag solutions...

Do you get annoyed when you can't find that one item you need and remember it's in your "other bag"?!? Well, do I have the solution for you. To combat this problem, I use a small zippered bag (you get to choose the size & style) that I keep my frequently used items in (e.g. Tylenol, tissues, chapstick, lip gloss, etc). Whenever I need to change my bag, I just remove the smaller bag and put it in the new one. Presto! It's that easy and it's a real time saver when you're in a hurry and need to pick up your bag & go. Try this out and let me know if it worked for you. Happy Fall!

15 minutes is all it takes...

...to complete a simple task. In order to reduce the overwhelming-ness (is that a word?) of de-cluttering/organizing, why not start with 15 minute segments. Identify a small task to tackle, set the timer and work at it for 15 minutes. For example, I sorted through a glass filled with loose change, picture hooks, paperclips and other random items the other night. It took me about 15 minutes to sort through the glass, put the change in a container and make a home for the paperclips. By accomplishing smaller tasks, you will empower yourself to work your way to tackling larger projects. You can do it!

Book recommendations...

Happy Spring!

I hope you're off to a great start to the season. I recently attended a prospective members meeting for NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). At this meeting, I learned of two books that may interest you:

"It's hard to make a difference when you can't find your keys" by Marilyn Paul

AND

"Organizing from the inside out" by Julie Morgenstern

As I continue to take steps in building my business, I would welcome any books you may know of as well.

Thank you!

Cutting down on junk mail...

As I was reading through Real Simple today, I came across two websites that I thought were great for cutting down on all that unwanted mail:

optoutprescreen.com (credit card offers)
catalogchoice.org (unsolicited catalogs)

I also wanted to recommend a great magazine/website that offers a lot of helpful organizing tips/hints, it's called Real Simple. They offer several "topical" e-newsletters which have different cycle options (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly)for you to choose from.

I subscribe to the "daily thought" and it is packed with lots of helpful info! To check it out, go to http://www.realsimple.com/. Also, in honor of their 10 yr anniversary, they are offering $10 subscriptions (snail mail) until supplies last...

Happy spring!
Jen

Spring cleaning...

Now that we have officially ushered in spring, it's time to set aside some time to do some spring cleaning. If you're cringing at the thought, let me encourage you to take it all in stride. Take a moment to sit down & write down a few projects you would like to do and create a plan to accomplish each. For example, I usually take down all my curtains throughout the house and wash them in the spring. So my action plan would go like this:

-- Take down curtains
-- Wash curtains
-- Hang curtains while they are slightly damp, so that they can air dry (or, if they are a bit too wrinkly, you can iron them accordingly to the manufacturers directions on the label)
-- Enjoy the spring breezes coming through your window. You could even spray some Febreeze on them for an even nicer spring scent!

I hope this quick action plan encouraged you. Happy Spring!