The Perfect Purse

I'm often asked by women for handbag organizing ideas. I studied what bag designers had to say, interviewed a lot of women who said theirs either worked well or not at all, then applied general organizing principals and my own experience to come up with the "The Perfect Purse".

My best suggestions for the everyday /carry everything / yes it's too big and heavy / work bag:

1. Go "East-West", not "North-South" - In purse designer lingo this means a bag that is wider rather than taller. Deep bags require more digging around up to your elbow in the dark - frustrating!

2. Light lining - Avoid black or very dark lining - lighter fabric makes everything inside easier to see and reduces search time.

3. Outside pockets - If you carry things you access often and quickly - like keys and cellphone - designating a secure exterior spot that is easy to get to will make finding essential items a breeze.

4. Corral and Contain- Put similar small items into distinctive zip pouches so they are always handy and never swarm around the bottom of the bag. No need to buy anything - use those bonus bags from cosmetics companies. You know the ones I mean....every woman has several lying around the house!

5. Categorize – When carrying items not used daily (work-out stuff, evening jewelry or cosmetics, etc.) use a separate tote - NOT the daily Perfect Purse. You don’t want it to be bursting at the seams, or so heavy that it hurts your shoulder and bangs into everyone in your path!

6. What to include –
- Coupons – if you don’t have them with you all the time, you’ll never use them. Coupon organizers are great if you have a lot, or use simple envelopes in the categories that use most.
- Cosmetics –small hand lotion and sanitizer, possibly sunscreen, nail file, breath spray/strips, collapsible hair brush, essential make-up items
- Medication container – a few pills for any potential need (pain reliever, anti-acid)

- Miscellaneous – Tide pen, ponytail band, tissues, small notebook to collect those to-do's and for ah-ha momentsWith Tracy Douglass on Little Rock's KARK 4 Noon Show today talking about "The Perfect Purse" November 23, 2009

De-Cluttering - Your Best Value

Here is an interesting article showing the power of de-cluttering. Important any time, but it's critical when selling your home, according to HomeGain's survey of real estate agents in this AOL article. Note the predicted 872% return on investment!!! Call 501-620-0546 and let Creative Convenience help you get your space ready for sale!

Becca
_________________________________________________________________

HomeGain.com Survey Shows Where Agents Say Sellers Should Put Their Money

Brett Widness, AOL Real Estate editor

November 13, 2009

---

Nearly 1,000 real estate agents cast their votes on which do-it-yourself home improvement projects will help sellers get top dollar.

HomeGain.com's 2009 Top 12 Home Improvements Survey Results showed that cleaning and de-cluttering was the easiest and most cost-effective way to make your home more appleaing to buyers. For as little as $100-$200, sellers could see as much as a 10x increase in their sale price.

To be clear, these are all projects that you can do on your own or with a little help, so you won't see replacing your roof or adding a deck on this list.

Most of the recommended projects come in under $500, with an ROI of at least 100 percent.

Even for some of the more expensive projects, like updating your kitchen for $1,500, you can replace the hardware and touch up the cabinets, just so that buyers don't see any glaring issues. New appliances are actually very cheap right now, and often come with free installation, so don't let an old fridge or dishwasher kill your deal.

The total return on investment for all 12 of these projects could total more than $20,000. For a median priced home, that's about a 10% increase in your sales price.

Check out the HomeGain HomeSaleMaximizer for customized recommendations in your ZIP code.

Saying No

---

I recently read this great article sent by my friend, Business Coach Marcia Cook of Pinnacle Performance. It says so much about our use of time in the workplace and builds upon my own crusade against clutter - physical and mental. Read on for some important concepts and and an exercise to be more effective at your job.

Just Say "No" to Make Space for a More Important "Yes

Today, you are bombarded with demands for your time. How are you handling the choices? To what are you saying “No” and “Yes?” Do you still have the thought at the end of the day that “nothing got done?”

Here is a practice to increase your sense of professional accomplishment.

• Name the three to six critical expectations of your job. (Job Accountabilities)
• Prioritize those expectations and the percentage of time you should spend to do them well.
• Set yearly goals for each expectation.
• Plan your quarterly, monthly and weekly goals and tasks based on those yearly goals.
• Check daily and weekly on your progress toward your stated and continually updated goals.
• When something comes up that does not fit in those goals, delegate, ditch, or delay it.

It doesn’t mean that the item is not important to someone; it just doesn’t align with your current goals. You will be focusing on strategic activity (planning and preparation) and day-to-day legitimate deadlines. You will be skipping time wasters and those seductive activities that masquerade as important and urgent.

About 80% of you will justify why you should do something that doesn’t align with your stated goals. However, those of you who have the discipline to manage time around key goals will reap great rewards and set a standard with colleagues that you are focused on your job expectations while at work, i.e., you are not easily distracted.

Say “No” to at least one non-essential item today.

By Dr. T. Elaine Gagne' - Engage Change