Organized Life by Becca

Ten Bullets for a Happy Workspace

2011-12-02T18:29:00.001-06:00

Artist and cool guy Tom Sachs and his co-workers have made a viral hit video about the 10 rules they use to manage their workshop as a "happy and productive environment". Here the Wall Street Journal has him summarize the 10 points for readers who don't have 22 minutes to watch the Youtube video.

Some are tongue-in-cheek (I suppose), most are clever, and all made me think. I especially like #7 "Finding Lost Things" which includes 1)Believing you will find it, 2)clearing everything away (90% of all things are found when cleaning), and 3)relaxing and trusting your instinct.

Some people hate it and say they'd never want to work for Sachs, while others have embraced it and added it to new personnel training. See what you think.....

Info Overload

2011-11-10T10:55:00.004-06:00

I see and hear about the difficulties caused by the information explosion almost every day in my classes, with clients, and from my own life. I keep thinking we are just not equipped to handle the constant barrage of data and demands that goes on 24/7.

Dr. Andrew Weil (who I admire so much) has written a new book called "Spontaneous Happiness" about his own struggles with depression and the latest research on the topics of modern health. Excerpted in Newsweek in the Nov. 7-14th issue, he writes about the rate of depression in modern humans and points to some causes. These include our generally sedentary jobs, processed foods, and endless distraction - all so new that our thousands-year-old human systems of coping cannot keep up. He says "not only do we suffer from nature deficit, we are experiencing information surfeit".

Read the article or the book (I'm ordering it now) and see his Rx for better health and happiness:

5 Tips for Modern Life

1. Mindfulness training to develop your powers of concentration and attention
2. Sleep in complete darkness and try to get outdoors in bright light during the day.
3. Be social and reach out to others - make interaction a priority to safeguard your emotional well-being.
4. Avoid or neutralize disturbing sounds and choose to listen to those that have positive effects on your moods. Try to cultivate silence.
5. Avoid information overload by setting limits on time spent online, on the phone, texting, and emailing.

Cute Card Cubbies - Save Time and Money

2011-10-17T15:44:00.006-05:00

This is my favorite new tool for managing all those affinity cards (you know, Kroger, Steinmart, Hallmark, anyone else who gives you a discount but only if you have your card), gift cards (I've lost them in the past - $$ wasted!), business cards, frequent travel cards, ID cards, membership cards, small coupons, and anything else card sized that you want handy.

I bought my Sweetheart Red Card Cubby from its inventor at the National Association of Professional Organizers annual Conference in San Diego this spring. After months of testing I'm so thrilled with it that I want to share it with you! And, BTW, this is the first time I've ever found an organizing item that I felt was worthy to offer for sale. You know I'm the last person to encourage buying useless stuff!!!!

The Cubby comes complete with sturdy alphabetical dividers, so you always know where every important item is living. Actually find and use your deals and discounts without holding up the sure-to-become-cranky checkout line! Available in lots of fab colors (see the photo below), it's a great size for your handbag, or carry it alone for quick errands. Just pop in a key and a lipstick, put cash in the zippered compartment in back, and you're ready to go.

There's even a nice clear pocket on the back for your business card, cherished photo, or an ID for travel.

Colors
left to right front row: pewter, silver, gold croc, chocolate croc, leopard
2nd row up: lime soft, zebra, lime croc
far left: teal soft, teal croc, giraffe (orange-y)
far right: pink croc, pink zebra, pink soft
top row: royal black, sweetheart red (also come in plain, non-blingy black and red croc)

Order yours now, they make great holiday gifts for those women with too much stuff and not enough time!!

Only $20.00 (plus s&h if I don't see you in person)

Email or call me to order today!

Becca@convenientlyorganized.com

501-620-0546

Uncluttered Giving 2011

2011-10-11T10:18:00.004-05:00

(I'm re-posting an updated version of this earlier musing on gift giving.)

It’s the time of year when we look for ideas for gifts to give and to (subtly) request. My clients and those attending my seminars and workshops know that I am passionate about reducing the unnecessary “stuff” in our spaces and lives. I call it “giving consumables” – items that are used and enjoyed quickly without taking up permanent residence in our residence! Most of us have too many things and not enough time and serenity, so I’ve been thinking about some ways to show we care without adding to the clutter.

This is my answer to the “oh no - another gadget/ knick knack/ pair of socks/ dust collector” dilemma. The concepts can be valuable for a lot of people on your list, so use your imagination and customize them for your holiday gift giving and receiving for 2011!

Give Pampering

Give a gift certificate to a spa for a day of relaxation, some yoga classes, a massage, or a manicure and pedicure to someone who could really use a little bliss more than another kitchen appliance. They will think about you and smile during the entire serene process!

Give Treats

Make or purchase very special treats that people often deny themselves. Be sensitive to dietary restrictions, but gourmet foods, rich chocolates, or elegant wines or champagne are great choices that won’t permanently fill a cabinet. Luxury personal care items make lovely gifts if you know what they enjoy and use. Save space, your budget, and the planet by minimizing wrapping.

Give Fun

Tickets or season passes to the symphony, local playhouses, sporting events, or a favorite movie theatre show you know what they love, and they won’t end up stacked in the garage! Or, how about tuition for a class? Maybe they always wanted to learn to salsa, speak Italian, or make jewelry - and you will long be remembered for making it happen.

Give Time

Hire a service to help out the stressed out. Engage a cleaning or lawn service for a one time or ongoing project, or purchase child or senior care services to give a respite to those with too many responsibilities. Get a mobile car care service to detail a vehicle at their home or office, or – my personal favorite – hire a professional organizer to help them re-claim their space and inner peace! Go to http://convenientlyorganized.com/home or call 501-620-0546 to request gift certificates.

Give Life

Supporting charities is a simple, significant way to share holiday spirit. For example, give meaningfully in the name of someone who already has much by purchasing an animal from Little Rock based Heifer International. These sustainable gifts provide training and self-reliance to those in need around the world. Go to Heifer.org to choose your special live gift. Or have a tree planted in your loved one’s honor at Arborday.org which even supplies the gift card.

Ehow - lellujah!

2011-06-30T17:38:00.005-05:00

I'm organized but not very handy around the house. Everywhere I've lived I had a handyman on speed dial for whatever joy of home-ownership crisis occurred. So this is HUGE for me....drum roll please.... I fixed my own toilet handle this week!

It all started when the little plastic thingy that attaches to the handle ("lever" I've since learned is the correct term) on the outside just broke off. Not that I'm ever surprised since my home was built in 1928 and stuff just happens. My first panicky thought was to call the plumber. Now, I actually really really like my plumbing company (shout out to City Plumbing and Electric in Hot Springs), but writing the check is usually painful.

Fortunately, I mentioned my problem to a savvy handy woman friend who told me about E-how. She described it as the website for newbie DIY'ers, and said the articles were apparently written by real people rather than professionals. I was dubious, but looked it up. Low and behold, there was my exact issue with the broken thingy, and they explained in about 5 simple steps how to fix it. It began with "1. Take the lid off the tank." Precisely my level of expertise here.

Anyway, I asked around locally and was directed to a plumbing supply place rather than the Big Box Home Store for the part. A wonderful gentleman at Falk Supply asked what I needed, nodded confidently, disappeared in back for a few minutes, and returned with just the thing. He said he didn't carry the cheap plastic ones like I had before, only metal and brass. I'm still being very pliant in my Absolute Beginner Trying to Be Cool state and said that was fine, but kinda wondered what the "much better brass" one would cost. It was $3.50 - you read that right: 3 dollars and 50 cents!!

Took it home, followed the e-how directions and OMG it works! I am Woman Hear Me Roar/Rosie the Riveter/Josephine the Plumber got nothin' on me, etc. etc. Seriously, I feel all competent and stuff in an area of life skills that previously intimidated the heck out of me. Plus I figure I saved about $60 over the plumber visit. So check it out. E-how and how!

Toss the Tolerations

2011-05-04T10:10:00.008-05:00

I cleaned some silver today. Not usually a big deal, but I’d gotten this new plate device that came with pages of instructions and warnings, so I left it out “to do” for longer than I’ll admit here. :) It was always in the way – that little pan and cup and the jewelry and utensils to be made shiny again. I actually knocked it off my laundry shelf once and had to pick up the scattered pieces hoping nothing escaped under the washer.

Anyway, once I spent the 20 minutes needed to accomplish this little task I felt a huge relief! Way outsized for the project, but the stuff had been in front of me, mocking and accusing, always a reminder of something “to do”. Plus the visual clutter added to the discomfort – seems nearly all humans are distracted by this stuff lying around.

As I tell my classes: imagine yourself in your favorite comfy chair, feet up, soothing beverage (adult or otherwise) in hand with a goal to seriously relax. If there is a pile of clutter within eyesight, you cannot completely let go because in the back of your mind there is some version of this running conversation: "1)what’s in the pile, 2)what should I do with it, 3)what if there’s something time sensitive/important there, and most devastatingly 4)what’s wrong with me that I have this stuff and can’t take care of it anyway?”

Jack Canfield – world famous author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series and fantastic lecturer (full disclosure: his presentation changed my life 5 years ago, and I am not overstating this!, as the Keynote speaker at my National Association of Professional Organizers annual conference) calls these little items “Irritations and Tolerations”. I could not agree more.

It may seem unimportant that these small projects are sitting around your space: the pants that need to go to the tailor, the photos that need framing/re-framing (boy, do I see this a lot in my work . Michaels could make a killing if they offered pick-up / drop-off services for their framing shop!), books that need to be returned to their owners, etc.etc.; but the truth is that they are impeding our focus, energy, and productivity.

Canfield also says that people feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in their physical space can go into a “state of resignation”. If you can’t control the little things, you tell yourself that there’s no way you can have the bigger and better things in life. That makes me so sad!!

He suggests listing your “irritations and tolerations”, (his blog has a worksheet) deciding what you can delegate, then removing/repairing/replacing what is left. I’d say block out a few minutes each day to work on this list till you start to feel in control again. These aren’t hard, they just take time and focus, and the payoff will be so worth it!

If this sounds like something you deal with in your home or office, first read his article HERE then call The Convenience Team to help at 501-620-0546! Let's declare this an End to Tolerations Month!!

5 Stages of New Electronics

2011-01-04T15:57:00.004-06:00

Gadget Angst

OK, so I very recently purchased both a Flip video camera and upgraded to a Blackberry Torch Smart Phone. Probably overly ambitious in hind sight. This phone is clearly so much smarter than me - it's mocking me this very minute with it's incessant little blinking red light.

Of course I skipped over about 6 generations from my antique flip non-smart phone, but I either need to hire a teenager to teach it to me or take off a week from work to learn it on my own.

From these experiences I've come up with the 5 Stages of New Electronic Gadget Acclimation:

Stage 1 Fear - trembling in the phone store and trying to look way hipper than I am and learning that the perky salesgirl has never even heard of Southwestern Bell Telephone. Sigh...

Stage 2 Loathing and Buyer's Remorse. I want my life back and my old voicemail message and a simple way to re-dial (surely there's something here??). Good thing they give you 21 days to return the darn thing....

Stage 3 Experimentation - maybe if I flip this up, or try this button, or call ATT (they actually answer and help eventually)....

Stage 4 Grudging admiration (here's where I am with my Flip) - OK this is kinda cool

Stage 5 How Did I Ever Live Without this Thing? Please tell me if you're here with any new toys, and how good it feels, and so on to encourage me. :)

Start Now

2011-01-02T18:37:00.001-06:00

Modern Definition of Procrastination:

"To voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay".

Many of us have resolutely vowed to make positive changes in 2011. I like to call them goals, and include the planning process that increases the likelihood of success. Whatever the term, and whatever the goal, we are often sidetracked by that universal nemesis Procrastination.

For example clutter is very often due to NOT making a choice. Peter Walsh - that Most Famous Professional Organizer and Friend of Oprah - said: "each pile of clutter is a monument to a series of small procrastinations".

When you don't have a place for something and can't decide what to do with it, chances are it lands on a nearby surface. Once 3, or 5, or 12 of these things group together they become a clutter pile. I'm pretty sure - although this is not scientifically proven - that these piles then take on magnetic properties and draw more stuff into them while we sleep. Just a theory....

Below are my top 3 strategies to overcome the roadblocks and get on with your terrific life!

1. Set priorities and look at the ROI. Review your list of things to do and determine the return on investment for your life. If it's truly vital, then do it. If not, then just say "NO"!

The #1 cause of disorganization is chronic overcommittment. Every time you consider a new hobby, or sport, or group to join, or taking on that leadership role, step back a moment and ask yourself: Does this move me nearer my vision of my perfect life? If not, then vow to focus instead on the more important stuff.

2. Avoid the Perfectionist trap. Understand that for most areas of our lives perfection is neither expected nor necessary. An inspiring quote from actor Michael J. Fox: "I'm careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God's business."

The endless amount of information available to us makes every project loom large - especially if we feel if must be flawless. Once anything becomes overwhelming in our minds we tend to put it off - finding any other activity preferable. (Full disclosure: I did 2 loads of laundry while trying to finish this article!)

Do your best, and wrap it up. Studies show that 50% of the effort used in any project is required to achieve only the final 10% of quality. You don't have to make 100 to get an A.

3. Break it down. Rather than pondering the entire project (studies again show that we mentally overestimate the time needed to complete something), bite-size it!

Decide to do a small portion now - write the outline, clear out a drawer in the kitchen, walk one block and back, etc.. Then do another and another using a timer if needed for short bursts of activity. I find I can do almost anything for 15 minutes. Completion and success then motivates you onward to the next step, and so on, and so on...

Improving the Inbox

2010-09-26T15:27:00.002-05:00

Fellow Professional Organizer Aby Garvey has written an excellent article on clearing up and organizing the dreaded email Inbox, and she offers great tips on managing it for the future.

I'm using some of her tips now including: 1) deleting old messages in bite size sessions - a few each day and I'll soon be back to my 1 page-full goal; 2)using the email's sorting options to make the de-cluttering step easier; and 3)setting up and consistently using more sub-folders.

It's a quick and simple read, and I bet you'll find some useful tips. Go HERE for the whole article.

Thanks, Aby!!

Get It Done!

2010-09-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

I'll be reviewing a new book just launching today "The Get it Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More" by Stever Roberts. Two chapters are available for FREE now on the website, and if they are any indication of the whole book, it's going to be a valuable and really fun ride/read!!!

Four of Stever's 9 Steps include: living and working on purpose, conquering technology (I REALLY need this one), cultivating focus, and how to stop procrastinating. I am so passionate about the topic of this book. In fact the most rewarding part of my business is teaching and speaking to groups about focusing on the vital parts of life and being truly present, editing out the unimportant, and making everything else as simple and convenient as possible.

The pre-release chapter on Procrastination offers great tips presented in an easy to read, witty, and utterly charming style. Sounds like a dreary topic - one you'd like to put off, right?? Heh heh. Anyway....he compares the breaking of projects into small "chunks" to speed dating.

His quote: "We'll even talk to someone who doesn't floss when we know we can move on in a mere three minutes. When a task seems endless we're terrified, because deep down, we fear getting trapped. Marriage has no end point: meditate on that and despair." Made me laugh out loud!! However the point is dead on - we can do anything for a few minutes.

I'll offer a more in-depth review once I receive and read the whole book. Should be a blast!

How Can I Let This Go?

2010-08-01T13:42:00.002-05:00

So now you're really ready to reduce the clutter, clean out that closet, or generally simplify your life. How to decide what to keep and what to Put Back into the Universe?

Here are some of my best questions that help my clients (and sometimes me!) determine what's a treasure and what is just excess baggage for the journey. Ask them yourself as you sort through your stuff.

Watch Tracy Douglass and me discuss this on the KARK 4 Noon Show on August 2nd!!

General Stuff
1. Was it a purchase mistake? If so, hanging onto it does not make it better, nor does it return value for your investment. (See earlier post on Sunken Costs)
2. Does it make me and/or others happy or unhappy to see it?
3. Am I ever seriously going to finish this hobby/project/craft?
4. Would I buy it again?

Paper
5. Am I legally required to keep it?
6. Can I find the info more quickly online?

Clothes
7. Do I love it and feel great in it?
8. Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current body to justify keeping it?
9. Is it stained or worn, and how would I feel if I ran into a good friend/old flame/my mother/my boss, etc. while wearing it? By the way: unless you are a painter, you only need 2 old painting outfits - max!!

Memorabilia
10. Do I have anything else that reminds me of this person or event? Or would a photo be enough?
11. Is there genuine intrinsic value as an antique or collectible now? Not 25 year from now, maybe, hopefully like Beanie Babies!
12. If it was a gift, would I feel guilty for long for letting it go? And would the giver truly want me to feel that way?

Hope this helps in your quest for the Organized Life!!

The Happiness Project

2010-06-28T17:05:00.003-05:00

Check out this cool blog - The Happiness Project - chock full of serious thoughts and fun ideas about getting happy.

I especially like a quote from author Mark Frauenfelder who wrote "Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World". When asked "Do you work on being happier, and if so how?" His answer included "...buy some happiness - we hired a person to help us organize our house. Clutter causes stress, and getting rid of clutter is liberating!"

Can I get an Amen?!?!

Q&A - Organizing Tween Room

2010-06-08T10:14:00.004-05:00

I've decided to start posting some of the questions that I get about organizing along with my answers. Here is the first about a messy 10 year old's room - never a simple solution since "wait till they move out" does not seem to satisfy most parents. :)

I'm changing the name to protect the innocent (or otherwise), so don't worry if I post yours here sometime in the future!

Question:
My daughter, "Jane", age 10, needs some major help in her room. Her tiny space so messy and unorganized. If we get her room in decent shape, it doesn't take her long to wreck it. What's the best way to begin?

Answer:
Dear "Frustrated Mom",

The biggest problem I see with most children's rooms is that they are just too full of stuff. You can put away once, but if everything is full and it's hard for THEM to put it away (cramming into drawers, moving things around to get to the proper storage area, etc.), the chances that they'll keep it up go way way down.

Also, parents sometimes set up a system that makes sense to them, and possibly it does not to the child, so they must memorize where everything should go. Include her in the organizing process so she both understands it and takes some ownership.

The key is to make it super easy to put stuff away. Store like things with like (based upon their version of similar categories), with plenty of empty space. Think of resource vs. archive, and move out anything that is simply being stored there long-term. Box up the sentimental outgrown things and store them elsewhere if she can't put them "back into the Universe". Only the most used items should occupy "prime real estate" in her room.

Finally, understand that it takes discipline and leadership by example to keep it neat, and most tweens and teens struggle a lot with this. Keep expectations realistic, try for a few minutes a day of maintenance, and congratulate even very small victories!!

That's a quick synopsis of what I do for a client. Hope it helps some!

Becca

"Eat That Frog" Excerpt

2010-06-08T09:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a great summary of a famous book (available at Simple Truths website) that addresses procrastination. I often talk about the 80/20 rule, so here's the backstory on that. Enjoy! Becca
An excerpt from
Eat That Frog!
by Brian Tracy

The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent.

He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.

Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.

Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.

Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.

Before you begin work, always ask yourself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?"

The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.

Motivate Yourself
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.

Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.

Closet Organizer by SNL

2010-02-02T16:26:00.002-06:00

OK - this is really silly, but it made me laugh. Also a reminder that organizing and crowded closets are so universal that even Saturday Night Live parodies it.

SNL Video

Or email me becca@creativeconvenience.biz if you want a better closet system that does NOT require feeding! :)

Selling Your Home

2010-01-12T08:58:00.018-06:00

We hear all the time that it's a tough real estate market for sellers right now. There are some ways to set your home apart and get the very best price, and the cost is so much less than your potential profit. Home Staging Specialist Catherine Tapp and I are appearing on KARZ's 7 PM News and KARK's Noon shows this month with Tracy Douglass to offer tips to sellers.
See the KARZ video here
And the KARK show here

De-cluttering
- Real estate professionals - according to Homegain.com - assert that the biggest return on investment possible when selling your home is to de-clutter. The average ROI is 973%!! In other words, for every dollar you spend de-cluttering you can expect to get back $973. This compares to: flooring - 101%, painting the interior - 148%, and updating a kitchen or bath - 168%.

- Real estate expert Sophie Allsop of HGTV's "The Unsellables" says that every box of clutter removed is worth $400 to $800 in added value to the property. Or, think of it this way - each box of clutter you don't remove costs you $400 or more!

Staging
- The National Association of Realtors report that, on average, a staged home sells more than twice as fast as a non-staged home (13.9 vs. 31 days). The US Housing and Urban Development Agency says the home will sell, on average for 17% more than its non-staged competitors.

- According again to Homegain.com, sellers who spend $500 on staging recover 343% of the cost when they sell the home.

- It is estimated that only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home when viewing it unstaged or empty.

So the key points are neutralizing and de-personalizing. Help the buyer picture themselves living happily in the house. Even buyers who may live in clutter currently don't view their Fantasy Home as a place full of excess stuff! Don't use anything (paint color, artwork) too out of the norm for the neighborhood or too taste specific. Take down your family photos, clear out the closets so they look HUGE, and finish up any incomplete maintenance projects.

Some examples:

Bath Before Staging vs. Bath After Staging

So, reducing the clutter is important all the time, but essential if you're serious about selling your home. Contact Becca at becca@creativeconvenience.biz for professional advice today!

Paper - Keep It / Toss It

2009-12-14T07:21:00.003-06:00

Paper clutter often occurs because we just don't know what to do with it. Should we keep it for a month, a year, indefinitely?? Real Simple magazine offered these guidelines for your "official" papers at home. Of course these are only general rules and you should check with your accountant to be sure these pertain to your particular finances.

Toss Each Month
* ATM and bank deposit slips
* Credit card statements (after you've checked all against your statements)
* Sales receipts for minor purchases (unless they have a warranty)

Toss After One Year
* Monthly bank and credit card statements (if you don't itemize deductions)
* Monthly/quarterly brokerage and mutual fund statements
* Monthly mortagage statements (if your year-end statements shows the total amount of interest and property tax you've paid throughout the year)
* Phone and utility bills (if you don't have a home office, use phone for business calls, or anticipate any need to prove long-term residency)
* Paycheck stubs (after they are reconciled against your annual W-2 or 1099)

Keep for Seven Years
* W-2 and 1099 forms
* Year end statements from credit card companies
* Phone and utility bills (only if you deduct for business, have more than 1 home, or have moved within the past few years)
* Cancelled checks and receipts or statements for: annual mortgage interest, property taxes, deductible business expenses, child-care bills, out of pocket medical expenses, or any other tax deductible expenses

Keep Indefinitely
* Annual tax returns
* Year end summaries from financial services companies
* Confirmation slips listing the purchase price of any investment that you own
* Home improvement records
* Receipts for major purchases (any item whose replacement cost exceeds the deductible on your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy beneficiary designations)

The Perfect Purse

2009-11-23T15:33:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-15T14:31:00.005-06:00

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
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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

2009-11-02T09:54:00.003-06:00

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

Organized Medicine

2009-07-24T09:51:00.002-05:00

I recently found this information on storing and disposing of medications on the CVS pharmacy website. This topic comes up quite a lot when organizing homes, so I'm posting the entire article below - great info - especially on meds disposal!

Becca

Safe Medication Storage at Home

Appropriate storage of medications, vitamins and supplements in the home is essential for their proper use and safety. Storing medications properly is especially important in homes with small children, elderly or disabled family members, or in homes where children or grandchildren may visit. Keeping your medications stored properly will also keep medications in the physical condition that helps them work best for you. Here are a few simple steps you can use at home to help you store your medication appropriately.

Clean Out the Clutter

At least once a year, you should check the labels on all of your medications. Medications that are past their expiration date, that have a change in color, smell, texture, or medicines that you are no longer taking should be disposed of properly. Expired medications may not work as well for you, or may even be harmful. All medications kept in storage should be in-date, clearly labeled and stored in their original containers. Never combine different medications into a single bottle. If you ever find a bottle of pills without a label, throw out the contents. Medications that are in-date and taken as directed by your doctor will work the best for you, and will have the lowest risk of side effects.

A Place for Everything

Storing your medications in the correct environments ensures that they will stay in the best condition to be the most effective for you. Some medications need to be refrigerated, while others should be protected from light. Check with your pharmacist if you are not sure. Most tablets, capsules, creams, lotions, or liquids are best kept in a cool, dry place at room temperature between 59°F and 86°F. Avoid keeping medicines in direct sunlight, and avoid extreme hot or cold temperatures as well as humidity. For these reasons, it is generally not a good idea to store your medications in a bathroom medicine cabinet or in the kitchen. It is also not a good idea to leave your medications in your car for long periods of time, which can become either very hot or very cold depending on the time of day. Never carry your medications in your pocket, where your body heat can damage them. Your pharmacist can help you determine the best storage conditions for your medications.

Special Considerations for Kids

Purses, the pocket of a jacket, or a pillbox are places where a child can easily find your medication, possibly resulting in poisoning. If medications must be carried in a purse or jacket, keep them in a secure pillbox, and never carry more than you need for the day. In your own home, keep all medications securely locked in a childproof cabinet. All medications should be stored in tightly closed child-resistant packaging. For those who require non-safety caps on the medicine bottles, be certain to keep these vials out of the reach of children and grandchildren who may be visiting. If you witness a child swallowing any of your medicines, contact the National Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222.

How Should I Dispose of My Medicine?

Studies show that pharmaceutical waste is present in the water we use and that certain drugs may harm our environment. Unfortunately, there are no waste treatment plants in the United States that are engineered to remove potentially harmful drugs from sewage. With this in mind, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy came up with the first consumer guidelines for the proper disposal of prescription medications in February 2007. The guidelines say that if you need to dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired medications you may:

take the drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash
as an extra precaution, mix the drugs with coffee grounds or kitty litter or some other undesirable substance, then put them in an empty can or sealed bag before throwing them out.

Federal guidelines say do not flush drugs down the toilet. The only exception is if the drug's instructions specifically tell you to flush them down the toilet. Pharmacies, water districts, or solid and hazardous waste agencies may sponsor take back programs to which you can bring unused medications. Check locally with these agencies or with your pharmacy for more information.

After getting rid of all the outdated pills you don't need anymore, you'll have plenty of space for those that you do.

--Karen Saenko, PharmD candidate with Allyson L. Wojtaszek, PharmD

Updated: September 26, 2007 by Rachel Maynard, PharmD Candidate and Deborah M. Johns, PharmD

Sunk Cost Bias

2009-07-07T08:24:00.003-05:00

I see this problem often in my work with clients and in teaching: people find it difficult to let go of an item (or idea or belief or hobby or activity....etc...) because of the cost incurred in getting it. Sunk Cost is a term economists use for something spent that cannot be recovered.

Read on if you have trouble clearing out stuff in your life that bring no value to you.

The Sunk Cost Bias and 4 Ways to Overcome It

(Re-posted from litemind and published by Luciano Passuello)

The sunk cost bias is a thinking trap that not only slows down personal improvement efforts, but one which can make people literally waste their whole lives on — something I’ve seen happening with disturbing regularity. The good news is that, like most thinking traps, the biggest step you can take to overcome it is by simply becoming aware of it.

Suppose you pre-ordered a non-refundable ticket to a basketball game. However, on the night of the game, you simply don’t feel like going anymore: you’re tired, there’s a blizzard raging outside, and the game will be televised. You regret the fact that you bought the ticket because, frankly, you would prefer to stay at home, light up your fireplace and comfortably watch the game on TV.

But the fact is that you did buy the ticket — and it was quite expensive and hard to get. What would you do?

The Sunk Cost Bias Exposed

Sunk costs are costs that are irrecoverable. It’s something that you already spent and that you won’t get back, regardless of future outcomes. It’s like that gym club membership you bought: whether you get its benefits or not, the money is gone and there’s no way to get it back.

In the basketball game ticket example, the point is that the money is already gone, so now you are better off doing what pleases you best. So, unless you can sell the ticket, just forget about what you paid for it. You are better off using it to help fuel the fireplace while you comfortably enjoy the game on TV.

This is, of course, easier said than done. There are many psychological blocks in the way of simply discarding an expensive ticket. And if that holds true for a mere basketball game ticket, imagine how strong that effect is when it comes to, say, abandoning a long-time relationship that you invested so much time on, but that just isn’t working anymore.

That’s the sunk cost bias. It’s what you may have heard as “throwing good money after bad”, but it isn’t just about money: any type of investment you make — time, money, effort, anything — is subject to this thinking trap.

Are You a Victim of the Sunk Cost Bias?

Persisting with bad decisions due to our irrational attachment to costs that we cannot recover has become so common that you can find them just about anywhere. Big organizations and governments excel at it. (A government that insists on a war so the lives already spent “are not wasted” comes to mind, but I digress…)

The fact is that this mental trap permeates our decision making and affects not only organizations, but it deeply affects us at a personal level, too. Check out some examples:

Bad overall life decisions: What would you say about persisting on an unfulfilling job or career, just because you ‘invested so much time in it’? Or persisting on a bad relationship, just to ‘make all those years worth it’? These are the saddest cases of the sunk cost effect that I know, since people can literally waste years — if not their whole lives — because of it.
Bad financial decisions: Do you know anyone who refused to sell something for a perfectly reasonable price, just because they spent so much money in it (maybe property or stocks)? What about casino gamblers that simply won’t quit, claiming they need to make the money that they already lost “worth it”?
Bad Everyday Decisions: You ordered too much food, but you eat it anyway despite being full. You keep useless clutter in your home, if only because you paid for it. You watch a bad movie up to the end, only because you started watching it. The examples just go on and on. The consequences for each of them may seem trivial at first, but if you think about it, we make these mistakes so often that they add up pretty quickly.

Why Do We Fall Into the Trap and How to Avoid It

So, if dwelling on sunk costs is a bad idea, why do we do it? More importantly, how do we overcome this thinking trap? Here are 4 main reasons why we do it, along with ways to overcome each of them.

1. We Want to Make the Investment Worth Our While

This is the fundamental reasoning behind how we deal with sunk costs. We have a genuine interest in making our efforts worth our while. We don’t want to feel that we spent anything in vain — time, money, anything. However, even if we know deep inside that our approach is wrong, we still have trouble abandoning it.

Solution

Sure, we all expect to have a good return on what we invest. It would be insane not to. Just make sure you’re not on a situation solely because you made the investment in the first place. You don’t make a bad move any better by dwelling more on it, unless you can effectively make something that changes the expected outcome.

Stop spending resources on a bad move — throwing good money after bad — immediately and start spending these resources on a new one: Cut your losses and move on!

2. We Fear Failing and Looking Foolish

We live in a success-oriented culture. Cutting losses means admitting you made a mistake, if not in public, at least to yourself. Our egos will always stubbornly try to hold us to our commitments, so we don’t need to admit our imperfections. If you made a public commitment, you’re even less likely to break it, as there will probably be a lot of explaining to do.

Solution

Allow yourself to make mistakes. Quickly admitting your mistakes is much more productive than entrenching yourself in a situation just to “save face”. Be aware that quitting is not failing (actually, sometimes it’s exactly the opposite).

Better yet, do like Socrates and think differently: become proud of admitting your errors. Change your attitude from hiding mistakes to actively exposing them. Look for them: the more, the merrier. You’ll surely feel defenseless and uneasy at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll feel invulnerable to harsh criticism.

Moreover, instead of focusing on the sunk costs, take pride in having recognized the costs associated with sticking to the old approach.

3. We Become Attached to Our Commitments

After we decide to do something, we feel attached to what we committed to. And the bigger the commitment, the harder it is to let go. Not only that, but it’s a human trait to be overconfident that everything we set ourselves to do will pay off. We’re biased when we evaluate the probability of success of already-made commitments. (This is known as overly optimistic probability bias.)

Solution

Be aware of the natural bias to stay on your current course of action. While considering other options, evaluate the status quo as it was just another option, rather than the front-runner.

Also, try to detach yourself emotionally from your past decisions. Be especially careful with things that worked at some point in the past as this is not a guarantee that they’ll work in your favor again.

I like to practice what I call “zero-based thinking”. Forget about the past and consider this very moment as your “point-zero” in time: act like all you have is the present. I often do this by pretending that I just woke up with some sort of amnesia. I imagine myself in my current situation, but without any knowledge of how I got there. This way, it’s much easier to focus on my current situation, instead of clinging to past decisions that would drag me down.

4. We Lose Sight of Our Underlying Goals

Sometimes we become so preoccupied by how much time and effort we put into something that we lose sight of its relevance in the greater scheme of things. We become attached to the means and forget about the ends.

Solution

Always be mindful of long-term objectives. Don’t confuse any greater goal you want to achieve with the specific means of implementation you’re attached to. Don’t get caught up in justifying your current actions.

Moving away from the basketball game example, suppose your original goal was to have fun, so you rented a movie. If the movie turns out to be a bad one, don’t forget that your goal was not to spend two hours watching a movie, but to have fun. So, turn it off and go have fun, somehow.

Let Go of the Past, Move On

I’m not recommending that you become a quitter by any means. The point is to be always aware of your current situation. If you decide to stick with your current approach, that’s great. Do it consciously and for the right reasons.

And remember that the greatest example of sunk cost you pay is with your own time, and which you will not be able to recover: all that you lived up until now is gone — you just can’t reclaim that time. Stop clinging to the past and make the most of your life right now.

Effective Time Management

2009-06-08T11:09:00.003-05:00

Below is a lengthy but very useful article on time management by recognized business coach Allison Darling. It was written for entrepreneurs, but it works for most everyone. As I say in all my presentations to groups: "We all have too much stuff and not enough time."

I appreciate the concept of "return on investment" for our time. We commonly use this expression when discussing money, but it works the same way with our precious time. What activity (use of time) will result in the best outcome?

Some of the tips here may help you get a handle on your time issues.

Best wishes for your Creative and Convenient Life!

Becca
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By changing how you think about your tasks, you can create a better return on investment for your time.

Do you have more 'to-dos' than time in your day? Is lack of time preventing you from reaching more of your goals? If you had more time, what would it mean to your business, your finances, your family - your life? No one is given more than 24 hours a day. How then do some people accomplish so much while others drown in incomplete 'to-do' lists, missed deadlines and unmet objectives?

Effective time management is the process of ensuring that all of your time is spent on activities that move you closer to your goals. What you do is far more important than how quickly you do it.

The bottom line, how you spend your time determines your success. The most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs invest their time very carefully.

Those who develop effective habits for time management create a competitive advantage. The secret is understanding where time is best invested and developing systems, processes, behaviors and habits for effective use of time and priority management.

Change Your Attitude
To change results it is necessary to change behavior. Significant behavior change requires a change in perspective or attitude; in other words, how you think. Effective time habits require effective time attitudes. Think about your time as a limited resource to be invested rather than spent.

Know What You Want
Make a list of your top priorities, both personal and professional. This process helps clarify where to focus your energy and speeds decision-making when events arise that are not top priorities. Daily, weekly, monthly and annual prioritization is a powerful time management habit.

Establish Your Personal 80/20 Rule
Typically, 80 percent of success comes from 20 percent of your effort. Determine what your most profitable 20 percent is and spend the majority of your time in those activities.

Eliminate Unproductive Activity
One of the most practical exercises for better time use is a personal time study. Track activities in 15-minute increments for 3-5 days. Look for opportunities to eliminate unproductive behaviors that do not pertain to top priorities. Often the greatest gains in productivity are the result of eliminating bad habits and non- value added activity.

Automate
Use technology to your advantage. Automation is a great way to multiply your efforts. Review your time study for opportunities to memorize transactions, create automatic activity series, sort e- mail, auto-complete fields, etc. While it takes time to set up, it is always a wise investment.

Delegate
If the return on your time investment is less than the cost, yet the task is too important to eliminate and cannot be automated, consider delegating it. Opportunities abound to use staff, a virtual assistant, contract professionals, temporary help, family members, etc. Eliminate dependency on specific individuals by creating checklists and procedures for each delegated task. This helps bridge the gap if you have to do the task again and improves training effectiveness with new people.

Simplify
Look for every opportunity to simplify processes, decision- making, communications, proposals, customer tracking, etc.

Leverage
This concept refers to multiplying the return you get from every effort. Perhaps creative work can be re-purposed or meetings can serve multiple functions. Look for every place to consolidate your efforts and get greater return on your time investment.

Vision
Take time to create a clear, succinct vision for both yourself and your organization. Don't stop at the words; create pictures of what it will look like once you accomplish your vision. Imagine what it will feel like once you get there. The more emotionally tied you are to your vision; the easier it is to remember the success habits you are trying to create.

Time Blocking
Complete similar types of work all at the same time. Opportunities for blocking include client visits, telephone work, computer work, writing, e-mail correspondence and completing personal tasks. This strategy maximizes your time investment far better than moving from one unrelated task to another throughout the day.

Analyze
Keep track of what's working really well, personally and for the business. Also, track opportunities for improvement. Review your list regularly and implement new habits, processes and systems at every opportunity.

Successful entrepreneurs create highly effective habits. If time management is actually effective priority management, then creating habits for better self-management is critical to your success. Think about the impact that one or two new time habits and/or attitudes could have on your business over the next year.

Perhaps your best time investment right now is creating your personal action plan for highly effective time habits.

Reprint permission granted by author Allison Darling, ManagementConcepts

Tax Time

2009-01-31T18:25:00.005-06:00

That most dreaded season of the year is fast approaching - Tax Time! Below are some ideas for improving your filing system and collecting the documents you need. An effective process will save you time and frustration next year, and possibly even increase your deductions and save you money! That makes the organizing investment now all worth it now, right?

First, plan to keep all your files with the necessary papers in one place. It should be fairly accessible since you'll collect documents throughout the year that need to be stored here.

Next, set up a folder for each of these categories (if they apply to you), which will create storage for most everything needed for your personal tax files:

* Income- Include pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s, interest statements, and dividend statements

* Medical- File receipts for medical expenses, and health insurance out-of-pocket expenses

* Donations-Include receipts (with lists of items) for both cash and non-cash donations

* Real Estate- File interest statements from mortgage, tax assessments

* Child Care- Payment receipts for potential deductions

* Tax Correspondence- Any letters from the IRS or your state revenue service

* Student Loans - File statements of loan interest paid

* Misc. Receipts- Add any receipts that might be needed for deductions, particularly if you are self-employed

* Payments- Include any records of advance tax payments

* Past Year Tax Returns- File old tax returns by year. These can be stored in less accessible areas if storage space is an issue

A little time now and minimal maintenance through the year will make 2010 a snap!

Simplicity is the New Black

2008-12-31T08:21:00.004-06:00

I realized the world had truly turned upside down when I saw this full page ad in national magazines this month. It was very simple and spare, pale gray background, and these words were printed in the middle:

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HERE'S TO LESS

Our lives are filled with things. We're overwhelmed by possessions we own but do not treasure. Stuff we buy but never love. To be thrown away in weeks rather than passed down for generations.

Perhaps it will be different now. Perhaps now is an opportunity to reassess what really matters. After all, if everything you ever bought her disappeared overnight, what would she truly miss?

___________________________________________________________________

Guess which giant global company produced this very evocative ad......give up? It is DeBeers, the diamond mega-conglomerate. Now, forget for a moment the fact that they are, of course, still selling some pretty conspicuous consumption, and perhaps you have issues with the diamond trade itself, but see this ad as the start of a trend rather than a fad. DeBeers is known for memorable, classical, beautiful, and very successful advertising campaigns. Their super savvy marketers recognize and reflect the shift - or possibly even the re-set - of our consumer world.

One of the best writers in America, Anna Quindlen, titled her most recent article in Newsweek "Stuff is Not Salvation" . The sub heading is "As the boom times fade, an important holiday question surfaces: why in the world did we buy all this junk in the first place?" She points out that a person in the U.S. replaces their cell phone every 16 months, not because it is old, but because it is oldish.

As a professional organizer I see the results daily of our years of rampant consumerism, forced along by brilliant and overpowering advertising. We are blasted at every turn by promises that this product or that one will make us healthier, smarter, younger, sexier, more productive, more popular, more lovable, more attractive, and yes - happier. It was irresistible, and our credit cards and rising home and stock values made it all so easy to comply.

I'm certainly not a minimalist, and I don't think we'll be returning to our agrarian roots, but this may be the time to pause and contemplate, to set new goals for 2009. Focus on the genuinely important, filter out the unnecessary and the distracting. The media is pointing or reflecting the way, the zeitgeist is clear. "Here's to Less".

12 Tips of Christmas

2008-12-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

I put this together for my December e-newsletter. Subscribe free at My Website.

Here are a dozen ideas to help you minimize the work and maximize the pleasure of the season. Thoughtfully choose the activities that will be meaningful for you and your loved ones this year, and streamline or discard the rest.

GET IN THE HOLIDAY MOOD
If you need to set the holiday mood to start wrapping gifts and writing out cards, take out the seasonal MUSIC or MOVIES and pop one in. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’re ready to tackle the holidays!

CLEAR OUT

Clean out the old to make room for the new! Get rid of toys that your children have outgrown, are broken or no longer of interest to them. The same goes for the clothing closets. If you haven't worn it in the last 2 years, sell it or donate it. Take advantage of the year-end tax DEDUCTIONS.

SIMPLIFY
Carry a small NOTEBOOK in your purse. Write down your thoughts immediately: things to buy, things to do, etc. This will free you from those nagging doubts and fear of forgetting something vital. Refer to it often.

GIFTS

Once you come across an idea in CATALOGS, sales flyers, or elsewhere tear the page out and place the idea in a folder titled "gift ideas. If online make a note of the URL, or print the page and add to the file. Keep the ordering information and clip or staple them together with the name of the potential recipient. This could be a year round project making holidays that much easier. See below for my ideas for Clutter-Free Giving.

RECEIPTS

Get a large white envelope and label it Shopping Central. Put your shopping list there and keep ALL receipts in this envelope. This will make shopping and any returns a breeze.

HOSTESS GIFTS

Keep a supply of candles, boxed candy, wine or other small gifts on hand to use as GENERIC hostess gifts, teacher gifts, mailman gifts, etc. Or buy lots of poinsettias as soon as they appear in the stores, then use them to decorate your house and give them away as needed.

WRAP IT UP

If you must wrap, remember the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce waste by wrapping gifts within gifts. Reuse paper, bags, or other containers. Recycle by choosing wrapping materials that won’t end up in a landfill.

DECORATE
Take SNAPSHOTS of your decorating arrangements to save time and decision making next year. Order double prints. Keep one set with your Christmas decorations to serve as instructions. Put the other set in your safety deposit box with your household inventory for insurance purposes.

STORE
Consider giving decorations you haven’t displayed in years to new homes. Make a list of supplies you’ll NEED for next year, such as wrapping materials, cards, extension cords, and replacement light bulbs. Determine how many and what size containers you’ll need for storage. With this list, take advantage of after-Christmas SALES. Stick to your list, being careful not to collect more clutter just because it’s on sale.

MORE STORE

Put away sorted decorations according to GROUPINGS. For example, keep all your tree trimmings together rather than scattering them throughout your storage boxes. Be sure to label each container according to its contents. Consider numbering your boxes according to decorating priority. “Box 1” would contain those items that you consider essential and would want to unpack first, such as decorating photos (see #9), holiday music, and special recipes. Take this opportunity to store other items that you ONLY use during the holidays, particularly those that take up valuable kitchen cupboard space like serving platters.

GUESTS
If you expect overnight houseguests try out the room by spending a night there first. Pretend you are a hotel guest and look at it with outsider’s eyes. Is the bed and room comfortable? What items would you want – clock, nice hangers, tissues, extra blanket? Does the room need to be CLEANED? This is a great time to get the room de-cluttered - throw out and donate some of the items that have inevitably found their way in.

NEXT YEAR
The day AFTER Christmas, make next year's "to do" list so that you won't have to work so hard again! Shop year round for gifts, decorations, and cards for those you love. Keep a running list of things you enjoyed, recipes that were a hit, activities to skip, and tips for making things easier on you and your household.

Do I Really Need This???

2008-11-03T12:37:00.005-06:00

Almost everyone has a hard time letting go of items that no longer serve them in their life. I often find that asking the right question helps people make the decision about whether to keep or to put something back into the Universe. To paraphrase English designer William Morris, I truly believe we should not house anything we do not feel to be functional, beautiful, or both.

Here is a series of questions to ask yourself compiled by our NAPO (National Organization of Professional Organizers) forum. They cover many situations and lots of types of stuff that can come to overwhelm us.

General Stuff

* Was it a purchase mistake? (if so, it does not make it better to keep it)
* Does it take more time and effort to manage than it is worth?
* Does it make others unhappy to see it? Am I putting things before people and relationships?
* Do you need it? Is it redundant (i.e., do I really need 3 measuring spoon sets)?
* Do I love it? Does it make me happy or unhappy to see it?
* If you were moving, would you pay to have it packed and moved?
* Would you buy it again?
* Is it broken, and if so, are you ever really going to fix it?
* Are you ever really going to finish this project (book, quilt, etc.)?
* Can you borrow or purchase another one, if needed, without spending a fortune or having trouble finding it?
* When is the last time you used it (assuming you knew it was there)?
* If you knew that someone else would really benefit from having this (i.e. if you found a great place to donate it), would that make it easier for you to let it go?
* Is this adding value to your home or business?
* Is this item getting in the way of your ability to find what you need, when you need it?
* Will this help you make or save money?
* How much space does it require (the more it takes, the more critical you should be in your decision to keep it)
* If you keep it, will you remember you have it? If you remember you have it, will you be able to find it?

Paper

* Am I legally required to keep it (i.e. vital & tax records), and if so, for how long?
* Will I actually use it/refer to it/need it?
* Is the information still current?
* Can it easily be duplicated or created if needed again (i.e. found on the web)?
* What's the worst that can happen if you toss it?
* Is it a duplicate?

Clothes

* Is the item in good condition?...does it have stains or tears or is it too worn)?
* Is the item still in style (And no.....1980's shoulder pads are not going to come back into style in the same exact way)?
* Do you love the item, or even like it? Does it make you feel great to wear it?
* When was the last time I wore this item.Would I use it again now that I remember that I have it?
* How many do I currently own of this type of item (maybe 20 pairs of black pants are too many)?
* Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current size to keep it?

Memorabilia

* Do you have anything else that reminds you of this (event, person, time)?
* If we took a picture of it, would that make it easier for you to let it go?
* Am I keeping it because someone gave it to me and I'll feel guilty if I get rid of it?
* Does the sentimental value exceed the practical value (if so, by all means, keep it!)

Clutter Free Giving

2008-10-30T11:22:00.013-05:00

It's the time of year when we look for ideas for gifts to give and to (subtly) request. My clients and those attending my seminars and workshops know that I am passionate about reducing unnecessary "stuff" in our spaces and lives. What I've come up with is the concept I call "giving consumables". These are items that are used and enjoyed quickly without taking up permanent residence in our residence! Most of us have too many things and not enough time and serenity, so here are some ways to show we care without adding to the clutter.

This is my answer to the “oh no - another gadget/ knick-knack/ pair of socks/ dust collector” dilemma. The concepts can be valuable for a lot of people on your list, so use your imagination and customize them for your holiday gift giving and receiving for 2010!

Give Pampering

Give Treats

Give Fun

Tickets or season passes to the symphony, local playhouses, sporting events, or a favorite movie theatre show you know what they love, and they won’t end up stacked in the garage! Or how about tuition for a class? Maybe they always wanted to learn to salsa, speak Italian, or make jewelry - and you will long be remembered for making it happen.

Give Time

Hire a service to help out the stressed out. Engage a cleaning or lawn service for a one-time or ongoing project, or purchase child or senior care services to give a respite to those with too many responsibilities. Get a mobile car care service to detail a vehicle at their home or office, or (my personal favorite) hire a professional organizer to help them re-claim their space and inner peace! Go to http://creativeconvenience.biz/ or call 501-620-0546 to request gift certificates.

Give Life

Supporting charities is a simple, significant way to share holiday spirit. For example, give meaningfully in the name of someone who already has much by purchasing an animal from Little Rock based Heifer International. These sustainable gifts provide training and self-reliance to those in need around the planet. Go to www.heifer.org to choose your special live gift.

Short Takes

2008-10-02T13:57:00.004-05:00

My posting is way overdue, but I've gathered a few thoughts about organizing. Sometimes just a snippet inspires me, so maybe you'll find something of value here.

Time

“Time management is a misnomer. The challenge is to manage ourselves.” Stephen Covey

Eben Pagan – author and marketing coach - expands upon guru Stephen Covey's quote. He says "manage YOURSELF better rather than manage your TIME better as this changes the paradigm and your thought process." Time cannot be gained, expanded, bought, banked, shrunk, or out run, but our use of it IS within our control to some degree. Don't blame a loss of time but rather look at your priorities and how you use the time you have.

Anyone who has attended one of my classes or workshops knows how I feel about multi-tasking. Once the prime attribute sought by hiring managers, it has recently been proven that the scattering effects are counter productive to any but the most rote work. Our minds are built to focus on one thing at a time, but we lose this ability by years of multi tasking and allowing ourselves to be distracted constantly. We should make it a RITUAL to focus on a single thing for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour until it becomes a habit and re-trains our brain for success. Create large blocks of time with no interruptions (calls, emails, texts) to focus on the important aspects of your job or any project.

The Pleasures of an Empty Fridge

My house was without power for 4 days after the first hurricane hit Central Arkansas - Gustav, not Ike. And isn't it weird to have to name the hurricane that caused this damage ... in Central Arkansas?!? Anyway, I was out of town for the first 3 days and when I got home I faced my warm and smushy refrigerator/freezer. Everything was lost - 3 years worth of over-buying and saving unspoiled (probably) food until both compartments were packed full.

It was a painful process for a frugal organizer - mentally counting out "$2.99, $4.00, $6.50 for the gourmet organic cheese" and so on as my losses piled into the Hefty bags. Before the power came back I scrubbed the whole thing down (very hard to do when it's icy) and waited till Entergy convinced me it was safe to go back into the grocery stores again.

Now here's the interesting part - it felt really good to start with a completely clean slate. I just bought a few things as I needed them, and I actually use them because I KNOW I'll like the item (no exotic experimentation when you have to buy everything new), plus there is no freezer burn or other bacterial possibilities affecting the contents.

I'm going to fill some cartons with water to put into the freezer, because I read that it cools much more efficiently when the volume is solid rather than air. But otherwise, I plan to keep it mostly empty - buying no more than the few necessities plus whatever I plan to fix that week. It looks nice and clean and spacious now.

This all connects back to the process of organizing too (in case you were wondering where this might be going), and the rule that you must remove everything from the targeted space first. Starting from nothing gives you both the proper perspective of what will fit, and proves that empty (or negative as the designers say) space feels good and even kinda luxurious.

I don't want to go through this process again - please please Mr. Entergy - but it was a good learning experience. I'm going to go waste a few kilowats now and gaze into my lovely fridge....

Updates from Clients

Quite a few of my clients and students have successfully tried out my Action Filing System and several have shared it with their friends and family. One little blue file box even showed up in a photo contest on someone's desk! If you have trouble keeping up with current action items or pilage on your desk go to the "Conquer the Paper Piles" story below in this blog to see if this tool and process might help.

Another idea for minimizing distractions at work was published in last month's Organizing News e-newsletter. (Subscribe on my website Creative Convenience.) It suggested that you institute a rule that anyone (primarily family) calling you at work must have at least 3 items to discuss with you unless it's an emergency. One dear client and her children came up with a sign posted by their home phone "Don't Call Me if You Ain't Got 3"! She says her kids laugh and mostly follow the new edict freeing her up some at work.

Twelve Tips for Spending Less

2008-08-20T14:35:00.005-05:00

These are tough economic times, and lots of people are feeling the stress. I found these useful tips (as a former Shopaholic I know about this stuff!) at realsimple.com If you’re trying to cut down on your spending, try following some of these strategies:

1. Pay cash. Studies show that people find it much easier to spend money when they’re using a cash substitute (they also find it easier to cheat or pilfer!). Keep yourself in touch with cost, by using cold hard cash.

2. Focus on small items first. When you buy an expensive item, it’s easy to toss in unthinkingly a lot of smaller items alongside it – items that you might have otherwise have spent a lot of time considering, and which add up to a lot of $$$. So pick out smaller items first, then the larger item. Buy the software, the mouse, the mousepad, and the other bits and bobs, then choose the computer.

3. Don’t buy too much at one time. If you’re buying too many things, you stop paying attention to what you’re getting. Any one item seems insignificant. I call this “shop shock” or “drive-by shopping.”

4. Don’t buy anything at a bargain store that you haven’t bought before at full price.

5. Before paying, review each of your purchases with a skeptical eye. Don’t buy anything you’re not sure you want and can use – this is particularly important with clothes. I often ask myself, “Do I feel like wearing this tomorrow?” Sometimes, I realize I’ve picked something out because I can “use” it – but really, if I don’t love something, I almost never end up wearing it, no matter how useful it might be.

6. Don’t tell yourself, “I can always return it”; remind yourself, “I can come back if I decide I need it.”

7. Make a list and stick to it.

8. Don’t buy anything that needs to be a specific size unless you KNOW the measurements you need.

9. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. Even for non-food items.

10. Don’t shop as an activity with friends. It’s easy to spend more than you intend, or to buy something you don’t really need or want, when you’re distracted by conversation. Find something else to do with your friends. Have coffee, go for a walk, run errands together (in high school, my friends and I used to do errands together all the time, and it’s a great way to turn a nagging task into something fun).

11. Be very skeptical of anything that’s on sale.

12. If you don’t shop, you don’t buy. Stay out of stores.

One other strategy I learned long ago: leave your purse (or wallet) in the car if you're at an "optional" shopping opportunity like flea markets, antique stores, outlet malls, etc. Finding something you want badly enough to go all the way back to the car for your money means it might be a worthwhile purchase.

Have a lovely cool and gray week here in Central Arkansas - and watch out for the Urge to Splurge!!

Becca

For more life simplifying tips go to my website

Hot Tips for a Hot Month

2008-08-01T15:03:00.003-05:00

It's August and heading over 100 degrees, so let's talk about some life simplification tips. Most can be practiced indoors!

Your Stuff

1. Books are often a clutter issue because they hold special value and memories for people, but they take up a lot of space and most are never re-read by the owner. Here's a great way to literally "put it back in the Universe". Try BookCrossing a really cool product or service or website or something. There you'll register a book and then "release" it by leaving it somewhere (like a park bench, airport, hospital waiting room, etc.) for someone else to pick up and enjoy. They can go online and record the travels of your registered book, which is tracked on maps on the website. This is especially cool for kids since their book has a life that they can follow and the website is clever and fun using terms like "catch and release" and "into the wild".

[Thanks to my dear client and friend "RAN" for this tip about one of her passions - books!]

2. A different way to think about clutter is that it is anything unfinished: unfiled documents, broken jewelry, incomplete hobby projects, unloved stuff to be donated, or even unfinished conversations. Ahh...now that's interesting...think how the "I wish I'd said that" and "I really should call them" and even "we never had closure" thoughts can clutter your mind and keep you awake at 1AM.

Your Money

1. Gas prices have eased a bit, but it's still painful to fill up. Go to GasBuddy to find the lowest price in your area on any given day. It's so easy -just type in the nearest zip code and it lists the stations with prices from the lowest on up along with the posting date for the price.

2. Skip the drive thru lane - go inside instead to make your deposit or pick up your burger. Idling your car for 1 minute uses the same amount of gas as starting it, so a wait of over 1 minute is needlessly burning gas at 0 miles per gallon.

3. Watch your speed. The website FuelEconomy (the US Dept. of Energy site) reports that each 5 mph you drive over 60 costs $.30 per gallon extra.

4. Use cruise control on highways (but not in mountains). It greatly reduces rapid acceleration and braking and saves fuel.

5. Fill up during the week (prices usually go up on weekends) and earlier in the day when it's cooler. Heat expands the vapors so you get less gasoline in your tank later in the day.

Your Time

1. Avoid distractions - I know, easier said than done - but a 2004 study found that office workers are interrupted every 3 minutes, and it takes about 23 minutes for people to get back and focus on the task they were working on.

2. Multi-tasking is not that efficient. Turns out, we were wrong in the 90's in thinking that multi-taskers get the most done, were the best employees, etc.. See #1 above, plus doing more than one thing at once (typing on the Blackberry while talking on the land line sound familiar?) creates the perfect storm of possibilities for miscommunication, misunderstandings, and mismanagement.

That's it for now. Contact me at bclark99@sbcglobal.net or go to my website at CreativeConvenience for professional organizing help for your home or office.

Make your life simple and convenient and have more time for the important or fun stuff!

My Favorite Things

2008-06-29T14:37:00.003-05:00

No, not raindrops on roses, but my favorite things that help achieve life simplification. I am crazy about convenience - whatever makes navigating through the day easier. I want more time to do what I consider important, pleasurable, or just fun.

I don't get compensated for recommending any of these - just sharing stuff that works and makes me happy every time. Everything is easily found either online or in Central Arkansas.

Here are some favorites that come to mind and why:

1. Swiffer Duster - the quickest and easiest way to dust almost anything. It combines the power of Swiffer throw-away microfibers with little tendrils that get into nooks and crannies. You buy a set with handle then refills as needed. Fairly cheap (watch for coupons) and available at most grocery, discount, drug stores.

2. Huggable Hangers - my latest winner in my ongoing search for the perfect clothes hanging products. Available in some catalogs and in many colors and combinations on hsn.com
[full disclosure - I formerly worked at a sister company, Expedia/Hotels.com]. These cool hangers have a great shape - no shoulder bumps. Also nothing slips off with their faux velvet finish, and they are sturdy. The company's big selling point is that they are very narrow and take up less room in our generally over-crowded closets. You can use the hooks to cascade clothes down if you have extra vertical space which is useful, but I'm not crazy about the clips for pants or skirts. The don't hold very firmly.

3. My new tiny voice recorder for reminders. It's small enough to fit anywhere, and I use it when I drive or in the middle of the night if I wake up and need to remember something. Just speak it in, play it back. No tapes or anything complicated. Don't know yet how long the battery will last, but for now it's a cool tool.

4. My Action Filing System - see blog below on Conquering Paper Clutter. I LOVE mine and have gotten rave reviews from several others who have tried it.

5. [Guys - skip this one] YSL Touche Eclat - OK - not exactly an organizing or productivity tool, but it's the very best skin Highlighter product made to touch up dark circles, spots, add focus, contour, or whatever - and I've tested them all. It saves me time and anguish every morning at the make up mirror so that is convience!! It can be used over your make-up, touch ups never cake or build up, and it looks really natural. Seriously, lighten the inner corners of your eyes and lose 5 years! Pricey (about $35) but they last a long time - high end dept. or cosmetic stores, I get mine at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Send me your Favorite Things to bclark99@sbcglobal.net and I'll share with everyone.

Have a Convenient Week,
Becca

100 Years

2008-06-16T17:39:00.003-05:00

Today's post is purely personal, a re-cap of my darling grandmother's 100th birthday party on Saturday. Yes, she's lived a century and is still remarkably healthy, happy, spry, and she has a perfect memory for long past events. She forgets her keys and loses track of appointments from time to time, but she just needs a better organizing system - I should add her to my client list!

Anyway, the celebration for Ms. Mildred Mazander was a huge success with over 80 people attending including local dignitaries and the press. She's on the cover of the Hot Springs newspaper today, and she got congratulatory letters from the Governor, the President, Willard Scott, and Bill Clinton. The Garland County Judge proclaimed June 14th as "Mildred Mazander Day".

The most amazing thing about my "Mema" (as the first grandchild I must take the blame/credit for naming her), is that she worked up until a year ago. She's on a Dept. of Labor website citing her for working 2 part time jobs with such enthusiasm...of course at that time she was only 97. Local AARP officials helped with the party and spoke about her work in their program, and they are currently trying to find her another part-time gig that is within walking distance from her home. They'll be breaking new ground finding work for a "Super- Senior" as the over-100's are apparently called.

She's my sweet, loving, fairly deaf grandmother who calls a few times a week to tell me stuff (she doesn't really hear much of my response) about her life. Still mentally and physically fit, she grows beautiful flowers and tomatoes in her small courtyard, roots for the Cardinals, keeps track of world events, has strong opinions on politics (that's a whole other blog!) and attends church as often as they let her in.

Let's all hope we get to live so well and experience and share as much joy as my Mema, however long we're here.

Cheers,
Becca

Conquer the Paper Piles!

2008-06-05T18:23:00.006-05:00

I have a confession - I'm a "partial piler"! Yes, even Professional Organizers have their challenges and none has been bigger for me than this: what to do with all the "to do's"??? You know, the snail and email stuff that needs attention, but not right now.

Every paper item that comes into your home or office should fall into 3 categories: File, Act, or Toss (FAT). File and Toss are easy, but Act - that's tough. Most people (including me) tend to spread the papers out so they don't forget something. Then they run out of room, pile something else on top, and next thing you know the water is being disconnected. :(

So here's what I've come up with - an interim filing system that you can use everyday for things that need action within the month. I'm looking for a catchy name, but for now it's generically The Action Filing System. It has cleared up the little piles on my desk and kitchen cabinet, and I no longer worry that I've forgotten to deal with something important. Better space, better sleep, better life - now that's a solution!

How it Works:
1) get a letter size file box that is fairly small and easy to move around. See the photo of mine at left - from The Container Store.
2) Add a few hanging file folders (I put in 5, using only 3 so far)
3) here's the cool part - put in file dividers labeled 1 thru 31 (see below). From Office Depot these are a hard plastic which are sturdy and stand up nicely in the hanging file.

Every time you get mail, or bring home a to-do, or print something from the computer that needs action you just decide when you'll take care of it, then file the bill, paper, folder, whatever, into that date.

The hard part: you have to check it every day and review the stuff in that date - some discipline is required here. Then you can take action or defer it back to a later date. After a few deferments you need to admit you aren't going to do it and Toss.

It's worked really well for me and another client is testing it now. It's light and portable - fits under my desk. Let me know if you have questions or share your results. Happy Un-piling!!!

Becca

Critters in Spring

2008-05-14T15:54:00.004-05:00

Ah Spring in the Springs.....when all the little creatures are stirring around in my neighborhood which is adjacent - literally across an alley - from a national park. This photo of the park entrance is right beside my home, which offers priceless opportunities for walking and enjoying nature, but last week nature came too close.

You see, there were suddenly some surprising bumps and thumps from above my head Sunday evening. After some investigation it was clearly coming from my attic, not the roof - a favored spot for squirrels. It reminded me of my first apartment, which though very reasonable in price, had walls, doors, and windows that were so thin they barely kept the world out. My upstairs neighbors there - a non-petite couple - sounded a lot like my new attic companion.

After some wrestling with the conscience - what if it was a mother with babies? - the fear of chewed wiring or disease-carrying fleas overcame my PETA sympathies. I called around and found the Critter Getters here in Hot Springs Arkansas - seriously, their name alone required further contact! Two cousins, Alex and Keith, came promptly and entered my non-accessible attic without a ladder using a Chinese acrobat technique that was worth the price of admission itself. They toured my scary basement/crawl space, and pronounced me a shelterer of a pushy oppossum. They could trap and take it out to the Country (I'm sure they found it a lovely new home and nice friends) and seal up all the potential access points to deter future guests from setting up housekeeping without assisting with the mortgage. All this for the cost of my nice Government Stimulus Check - so much for the plasma TV suggested by our President.

Anyway, the service worked within hours, I fortunately never saw my 'possum buddy on his way to the Country, and all is quiet again here on the edge of the Park. I've tried to find some way to tie this story to organizing or de-cluttering or something, but without success. Sometimes you just need to find experts like the Critter Getters to bring you peace.

Enjoy a peaceful week.
Becca

"Someday"

2008-04-28T11:41:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth Hagen is a NAPO board member and a speaker at their annual Conference I recently attended in Reno ( pre-earthquakes fortunately!). Elizabeth has years of experience as a Professional Organizer, and she's a terrific speaker who both educates and inspires.

I see the problem with "someday" too often in my work - clients who are stuck in thinking too much about and living for a vague future. This negatively impacts much more than the stuff cluttering space that is being kept for possible use "someday". The article below from Elizabeth is from her newsletter at www.elizabethhagen.com

My personal organizing motto is "Do not have anything in your home that you don't consider functional, beautiful, or both".

Have a terrific week - the weather here in central Arkansas is gorgeous today!

Becca

_________________________________________________________________

Do you fall into the 'someday' trap when trying to get organized?
by Elizabeth Hagen

I might need this someday.

I'll fit into this someday.

You just never know, this may come in handy someday.

Someday I'll get organized.

The 'someday trap' is a real self-esteem and productivity killer. If you allow yourself to let 'someday' be part of your thinking you're going to find it really hard to let go of items you don't need, clothes you'll never wear again, and paper that is not necessary.

How about a new way of thinking? How about having 'someday' be today? If you can't wear something right now, if you don't need something right now, and if you can't come up with a great reason to keep that item - and if that elusive word 'someday' pops up as you're going through the decision making process of what to keep - let the item go. Yes, let it go.

If you do I guarantee you're going to feel a lot better about yourself. Imagine, having only clothes that fit you in your closet. Imagine, your office only has the documents you need. Imagine, your junk drawer doesn't have any 'junk' in it!

Stop beating yourself up every time you dig through a file drawer, a desk drawer, the top of your desk, and your closet. Make an appointment in your calendar to organize that area and don't let the 'someday trap' mess it up!

My guideline for quality living is: Only have in your life what you know to be useful, think to be beautiful and you love. There is no room for 'someday'!

___________________________________________________________________

Creating Abundance

2008-04-21T16:03:00.003-05:00

Creating Abundance

Here is a thought provoking article from my colleague Monica Ricci who is a nationally known professional organizer. I agree that we need to set more limits to reach the abundance we want and need from our lives. Read it here:

http://www.cluttercontrolfreak.com/2007/11/02/how-setting-limits-creates-abundance/

We all have too much stuff and too many commitments for our limited amount of time and energy. Consider scaling back to achieve more....

Best wishes for a Simply great week,
Becca

April 18 - What's News?

2008-04-18T11:49:00.002-05:00

Actually, I'm the news! I was on the THV-11 Morning Show today giving "3 Tips to Organize Everything", talking with hostess Allison about ways to de-clutter and simplify life. The video will be linked to my website soon at www.creativeconvenience.biz . Special thanks to Rebecca Buerkle, morning producer, for inviting me.

Watch this space for more information about my trip a few days ago to Reno for the annual NAPO conference. The National Association of Professional Organizers is the Organizing Authority, and the only certification association in North America. We have over 4000 members and 800 attended the conference where Peter Walsh was the keynote speaker. I'm one of 11 NAPO members in Arkansas, and their website is www.napo.net .

New World

2008-04-16T09:49:00.004-05:00

Hi and welcome to my latest venture into the Electronic Age - my first blog. Here is my home and office at the prettiest time of the year - azalea season. Hope you enjoy my blog!
Becca

Organized Life by Becca

Ten Bullets for a Happy Workspace

Info Overload

Cute Card Cubbies - Save Time and Money

Uncluttered Giving 2011

Ehow - lellujah!

Toss the Tolerations

5 Stages of New Electronics

Start Now

Improving the Inbox

Get It Done!

How Can I Let This Go?

The Happiness Project

Q&A - Organizing Tween Room

"Eat That Frog" Excerpt

Here's a great summary of a famous book (available at Simple Truths website) that addresses procrastination. I often talk about the 80/20 rule, so here's the backstory on that. Enjoy! Becca

An excerpt fromEat That Frog!by Brian Tracy

Closet Organizer by SNL

Selling Your Home

Paper - Keep It / Toss It

The Perfect Purse

De-Cluttering - Your Best Value

Saying No

Organized Medicine

Sunk Cost Bias

The Sunk Cost Bias Exposed

Are You a Victim of the Sunk Cost Bias?

Why Do We Fall Into the Trap and How to Avoid It

1. We Want to Make the Investment Worth Our While

Solution

2. We Fear Failing and Looking Foolish

Solution

3. We Become Attached to Our Commitments

Solution

4. We Lose Sight of Our Underlying Goals

Solution

Let Go of the Past, Move On

Effective Time Management

Tax Time

Simplicity is the New Black

12 Tips of Christmas

Do I Really Need This???

Clutter Free Giving

Short Takes

Twelve Tips for Spending Less

Hot Tips for a Hot Month

My Favorite Things

100 Years

Conquer the Paper Piles!

Critters in Spring

"Someday"

Creating Abundance

April 18 - What's News?

New World

An excerpt from
Eat That Frog!
by Brian Tracy