Clutter Conversions

Get Rid of the "I don't have time" mentality!

This is the time of year I hear so many people say, "I want to go on a trip or I want to get rid of of all the stuff in my spare room but I just do not have the time!"  If you do not plan time for it, it will most likely not happen.  No matter what it is you want to do.

Schedule time to do the things you want to do in your planner.  Some of my clients that use their cell phones for scheduling often leave out the little things and do not put it in their schedule.  If you want to do something, no matter how little or much time it takes, mark it in your schedule.  My clients do not think to put things like, running to the grocery store or some alone time in their schedule and then they are surprised when it does not happen.

We all only get 24 hours in a day!  Use it wisely!  Make a list of things you want to do (goals) in the next three months.  Under each item, list the things that need to be done to reach that goal.  Then go through your planner and start scheduling time to do each thing on your list that is going to get you to your goal.

Word of Caution!  Do not schedule more than 50% of your time in your schedule because you must leave unaccounted time for unexpected things to pop up.

 

 

Vacation Travel tips

Being organized will help you have an enjoyable vacation but you have to plan for it! The first thing you should do once you have made the decision to take the vacation you so truly deserve is to make a "packing list".   Make a list of the things you need to pack, making sure you're only taking along what you will absolutely need in order to reduce the number of bags you'll need to take.  This is also the time to make your grocery list if you plan on camping or needing any snacks. Look to see if you have the right amount of coolers. The list is made for each person in your family going on the trip and it includes everything that person needs to take. For example; what types of clothing, medicines, entertainment items, any special foods and all personal items.  You store this on your computer so that you can print it out every time you need it.  Items will need to be deleted or added for each trip but at least you will always have the basics.  You can print the list and check off the items as you pack. Secondly, you need to pack smart! If you are using the airlines to travel the FAA guidelines now limit carry-on baggage to one bag plus one personal item (i.e. purse, briefcase, laptop or backpack.) Some airlines have recently leveraged fees for checking bags or for checking more than one bag.

The Pack-It-System sold by The Container Store® compresses clothing in luggage to make the most of the space. This allows security personnel to quickly look through clothing and other packed items and speeds up the security check process.The Pack-It-System® is made up of see-through mesh side panels so that you can quickly see what is inside. Since your clothing is neatly folded and secured, it is quick and easy to put the items back into your luggage after passing through security.

If you are traveling by car make sure you have small toys and games easily accessible for children to use during the ride. Use clear bags so the children can see through them to pick out what they want instead of having to pull everything out.

Third, Pack for Safety If you are traveling by air the TSA may pick your bag for screening and may need to break into it due to stricter security checks.  There are three options for locking your bags; travel locks, locking luggage straps or cable ties.  The advantage to using the cable ties are that they are inexpensive, disposable, easily cut by TSA agents but still deter criminals for messing with them. If you are traveling with children pack a kit with first aid supplies.  Store it either in an outer pocket of a suitcase or in your carry on or day bag or in the glove compartment of your car. Consider carrying a small supply of the following items: bandages, pain reliever, stomach medicine, first aid ointment, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, stain removal pen and a sewing kit.

Modular Mates

Modular Mates by Tupperware® are wonderful food storage containers for the kitchen.  They can free up 1/3 of the space in your cabinets or pantry.  They are very durable and come with multiple colors for lids to choose from so that you could color code your items.  For example: pasta may be stored in containers using red lids, while cereals have blue lids.   They stack well and come in many different sizes.  Modular Mates® are also excellent at keeping bugs and rodents out of your food while being stored in your pantry or cabinet.  To see these or order them contact tupperwaregal@verizon.net or log onto www.my2.tupperware.com.

My Mornings Are Exhausting...Before I Even Get to Work!

You feel as if you have just ran a marathon and you are not even out the door yet to go to work!

Well, you are not alone!  It is a extremely common problem facing most of us on a daily basis due to the fact the most people do not have a clear reality of how long it actually takes to do a task.

For example: I had a client who had a full time job from 8 a.m.-4 p.m .  She was the stress-out mother of two elementary school aged children, a boy and a girl. When we met for her organization planning session, she described her weekday morning routine.

I get up at 6 a.m., go downstairs and turn the coffee on. I turn around and go back upstairs so I can wake up my husband.  I go back downstairs again. Then I start making the kids lunches, straighten up the den, and grab my coffee. Now I trudge back upstairs  and pick out clothes for my husband.  Did I mention that I am usually ironing his clothes at this point?  Now I can finally get ready for work from about 6:30-6:50 a.m.  Between 6:50 to 7:30 a.m. I focus on getting the kids up and dressed for school. After getting them downstairs, they get a bowl of cereal while I load their backpacks.  We head out the door at 7:30 a.m.  I'm exhausted every morning.  I don't know how much longer I can keep this up without going bonkers.

"How would you like your mornings to run?" I ask.

She said that she would relish having 10 minutes of quiet time.  Enjoying a cup of coffee would be a luxury.  It would be a miracle not having to rush getting herself, husband, and children ready for the day.   Eating breakfast?  Now she eats a breakfast bar on the run.  Would it be possible to eat at the breakfast table every morning?

Your "In A Snap" Solution: Knowing how many tasks are in a project and how long each task takes. Step One: I had her write down every single task that she did in the morning.  Beside each task, she had to write how long she thought it took to do it.  Next she added up the total time for all her morning tasks. Her first list did not include every single task because she still kept lumping things together.  She combined her shower time with dressing, hair drying, and make-up time.  I had her break out her list in detail.  She added each individual task. Step Two: I then asked her to write down a new list.  For the next 4 days she was to write down how long it actually took her to do each task.  She quickly realized that she was trying to do way too much in the time she allotted herself. Step Three: I sat down with her.  It was time for making a few tough decisions. With gentle coaching, we walked through the process of deciding what she could do the night before : Straightening the den, packing the kids lunches, preparing their backpacks and sitting them beside the door, having the kids help her pick out their own clothes, and setting the timer on the coffee maker.  Then I asked her what could she delegate to someone else (her husband).  He could wake himself up, pick out his own clothes, and make sure they were pressed.  This allowed her husband to lend a hand with the morning routine. Step Four: After giving her new routine a test run for just one week, she was de-stressed! She was thrilled, her kids were less moody, and her husband was able to lend a helping hand. The morale to our organization story: Are you setting the stage each morning for a positive day or a rushed, stressed out day?  Let Clutter Conversions in control..Organized Living in a Snap!

Hurry! Get in the Car!

Do You Find Yourself Rushing Around Every Morning?

Are You Completely Stressed Out Before You Get to Work?

There are thousands of parents who are trying to get the kids dressed, breakfast and lunches prepared, backpacks packed in the morning, as well as, themselves ready for work and by the time the family is headed out the door, parents are already stressed and tired. 

Are you one of these harried parents?  Do you hear yourself say, "There's never enough time in the mornings to get everything done?" 

Here are a few "In A Snap" tips that will make your mornings much more enjoyable!

1. The night before, set out the children's clothes they will be wearing to school the next day.
2. While you are preparing supper, make the children's lunches, put them in their lunch bag and designate a place in the refrigerator that you will put it every night.
3. Every night before the they go to bed, set aside about 5-10 minutes for each child to pack their back pack.

 

Develop this plan and make it a part of everyone's routine every night.  By doing these 3 things, you will be teaching your children how to plan and organize while at the same time reducing everyone's stress in the morning.

Our guarantee:  You will save yourself at least a half hour every morning!  Relax and enjoy that extra cup of coffee.

The impact of disorganization and clutter on your Health

Whether we realize it or not, organization and clutter (or lack of) has a huge impact on you physically and mentally!! Disorganization can lead to:

Medical Mistakes and Errors such as grabbing the wrong chart or wrong medications, poor communication.

Physical stress on the body, Increased blood pressure and Heart rate, Decreased immune system (more colds and flu's).  When you need something right away and you have to dig through the piles on your desk, floor or drawers to find it, physically your heart rate and blood pressure increases and you begin to panic.  Your body is in the "Fight or Flight" mode and if this happens frequently, your body stays in that mode and cannot relax.  Studies have shown that this leads to ulcers, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions. Unprofessional =  Missed Appointments and Project Deadlines. Clutter can lead to: Depression and Isolation = Some people get so caught up in "their stuff" that it takes over their entire life.  The items that surround them become like a security wall in which they find comfort but at the same time they become isolated because they will not invite visitors into their home because they are ashamed and that can lead to loneliness and depression. Increase in Weight =  When you walk into the kitchen and you have to move items off your counter to prepare the meal or the kitchen table is piled with mail, magazines and the kids book bags, it is easier to pick up the phone and call for food delivery.  Check out the book, "Does This Make My Butt Look Fat" by Peter Walsh. Sickness and Disease = Most people do not pay attention to or know the expiration dates on many of the products they have in their homes.  For example, make-up and make-up brushes will begin to carry germs after 2 months.  Another item that most people frequently forget to check the expiration dates on is medications (headache powders, contact solutions, laxatives, antacids, creams, etc). Allergies = Having a lot of clutter sitting around collects dusts and it is hard to clean all of it weekly. Energy = Owning a lot of "stuff" demands your time and energy!!!  You spend a lot of money buying all of those items and now you have to spend a lot of time maintaining them and keeping them clean which also takes your energy!!!

Impact of Organizing on Your Health

Whether we realize it or not, organization and clutter (or lack of) has a huge impact on you physically and mentally!!

Disorganization can lead to:

Medical Mistakes and Errors such as grabbing the wrong chart or wrong medications, poor communication.

Physical stress on the body, Increased blood pressure and Heart rate, Decreased immune system (more colds and flu's).  When you need something right away and you have to dig through the piles on your desk, floor or drawers to find it, physically your heart rate and blood pressure increases and you begin to panic.  Your body is in the "Fight or Flight" mode and if this happens frequently, your body stays in that mode and cannot relax.  Studies have shown that this leads to ulcers, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.

Unprofessional =  Missed Appointments and Project Deadlines.

Clutter can lead to:

Depression and Isolation = Some people get so caught up in "their stuff" that it takes over their entire life.  The items that surround them become like a security wall in which they find comfort but at the same time they become isolated because they will not invite visitors into their home because they are ashamed and that can lead to loneliness and depression.

Increase in Weight =  When you walk into the kitchen and you have to move items off your counter to prepare the meal or the kitchen table is piled with mail, magazines and the kids book bags, it is easier to pick up the phone and call for food delivery.  Check out the book, "Does This Make My Butt Look Fat" by Peter Walsh.

Sickness and Disease = Most people do not pay attention to or know the expiration dates on many of the products they have in their homes.  For example, make-up and make-up brushes will begin to carry germs after 2 months.  Another item that most people frequently forget to check the expiration dates on is medications (headache powders, contact solutions, laxatives, antacids, creams, etc). 

Allergies = Having a lot of clutter sitting around collects dusts and it is hard to clean all of it weekly.

Energy = Owning a lot of "stuff" demands your time and energy!!!  You spend a lot of money buying all of those items and now you have to spend a lot of time maintaining them and keeping them clean which also takes your energy!!!