The time for school is quickly approaching. Getting good habits in place now will be a great start to getting the school year off to a great start. (Not to mention limiting the stress on you!)
Once you have put these items in place you should find
that your days run more smoothly and everyone gets out the door on a positive
note.
The U.S.
Department of Education’s daily homework guidelines are 20 minute maximum for
grades 1 to 3, 40 minutes maximum for grades 4 to 6 and two hours maximum for
grades 7 to 9. The National Parent
Teacher Association has recommended 10 minutes of homework per grade
level.
Other
ways you can help your child get off to a good start with schoolwork include
Continue reading "Back to School Part 3" »
Throughout the next 4 weeks kids will begin to start school. Now is the time to
pave the way to a good school year by setting up a routine and an
organized house.
Remember children need to make as many decisions as possible. Avoid power struggles by letting them make small decisions. Encourage independence. The more kids are
involved in the household, the less strain there is on the parents.
Here are tips for homework to reduce your anxiety level and making the school days run more
smoothly.
Continue reading "Back to School Made Simple - Part 2" »
As the
carefree days of summer are coming to a close, it’s time to start thinking
about sending the kids back to school. While some parents are jumping for joy, others view this time of year as
hectic and stressful. Now is the time to
pave the way to a good school year by setting up an organized routine and an
organized house.
The
key
is to have everyone in the household involved in the daily tasks.
Encourage independence. Let them help in what ever age-appropriate
tasks they can. The more kids are
involved in the household, the less strain there is on the parents.
Here are tips for reducing your anxiety level and making the school days run more
smoothly.
Continue reading "Back to School Made Simple - Part 1" »
Family Reunions can be the highlight of the year if they are planned and organized well. We found Mr. Spiffy out on the web and he has some great tips for making your family reunion one of the best ever!
Continue reading "Family Reunion Month " »
When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every once in a while we will select questions from our readers and share our response with you.
Q: I so am embarrassed to have you come over, my place is so messy! I know I need help, but how can you do that without seeing my place? -- Jennifer - Palatine, IL
Continue reading "I Am So Embarrased! and other thoughts" »
My husband's cardiologist would strongly disagree with how I started this article, but hang in there with me and you will see where I am going. Organize your files week is an April holiday, but you don't need a holiday to get your files in order! Before you create an organizing plan for your space, evaluate the necessity of removing the backlog. If you have a disaster of an office, you have to get it cleared out and start fresh before you can really make a difference.
Continue reading "Did You Know FAT is GOOD?" »
I love to hear my grandchildren talk about what they want to be when they grow up. While some children stay with their chosen career path from preschool through adulthood, most children find new interests that lead to other kinds of life work.
Adults frequently identify new interest areas throughout their lives. For example, my husband started golfing in his 50's. My sister started quilting in her 60's. They were both able to identify something they wanted to do, acquired the necessary equipment and skills, and carried it through the action phase.
New interests are sometimes the source of clutter, and I call this Wannabe Clutter. My definition of Wannabe Clutter is the material that accumulates as a result of start and stop interests.
Continue reading "Wannabe Clutter" »
Do you ever feel like this guy? So many things to do that you can't even see what is right in front of your face??
Well, Simple Mom posted a great article that is a fast read and includes 36 Tips for Productivity in the Home.
I enjoyed a number of them, but I especially liked point number 28.
Continue reading "36 Tips for Productivity in the Home" »
"Prepare yourself for something wonderful to happen. When you do, it always will."
— Shad Helmstetter
Every once in a while we like to share success stories from our readers, workshop participants or clients. Recently we received a letter from R.M. from Morton Illinois. R.M. was struggling with the belongings of her daughters and a basement space that was not functioning as she would like.
Continue reading "Success Stories!!" »
What does your kitchen "junk drawer" look like? What about your office desk? Rubbermaid has a great blog that talks about how to organize different spaces in your home and office. Recently, there was a post on using a silverware sorter to organize things other than silverware.
That reminded me of a personal project I had done a while back. . .
Could you find what you wanted in the drawer to the right?
I couldn't either! So here is what I did about it.
Continue reading "Organize your drawers in the office and kitchen" »
www.selfgrowth.com is an
awesome site and is the internet super-site for Self Improvement and
Personal Growth. The company’s mission is to provide informative,
quality Self Improvement and Natural Health information to help people
improve their lives. They provide information ranging from Goal Setting
and Stress Management to Natural Health and Alternative Medicine.
Regardless of what areas of growth you have, you will find the experts that can help you along your journey. I have
Continue reading "Check Out SelfGrowth.Com" »
Just about every client we talk with says that paper is one of their biggest challenges. Is it one of yours?
One way you can eliminate paper from your home office (or kitchen counter, entry hall table, etc.) is to
Continue reading "Going GREEN - Reducing Paper Piles" »
Do you ask for the same directions over and over? Not only is that embarrassing, it is a waste of time for you and the person giving you directions.
Continue reading "Know Where You Are Going Every Time " »
I was out on the web today at Gardener's Supply Company
and I found some pretty cool products. I thought I would share a few with you. Now, I'm not an avid gardener. I will puts around my flower beds, but that is about it. However, I love looking at this site to see different tools that inventive people come up with.
Continue reading "Taking care of your plants" »
Did you know that the foods you eat can make a difference in the levels of concentration you experience? Food can help you or hurt you. . . we all know that. My buddies at Butterfly Reports have shared
Continue reading "Eat Your Way to Focus" »
The other day my son, David, came home from school with a "Scholastic News." The short children's news story talked about how sneakers are now being recycled to create the ground cover on playgrounds. They use every part of the shoe.
Continue reading "Going GREEN - Tennis Shoes Become Places to Play!" »
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time."
"Just let me finish this first."
"Can you do it?"
"Not now!"
"I have work to do."
"Can I watch you later?"
Have any of these words come out of your mouth as you were talking
to your child? Do you have children that you are not able to spend as
much time with as you would like? Today is the day to start putting
some things in place to be ready for June 21st!
Continue reading "Get Ready for Hug Your Kids Day" »
Last March I had the pleasure of spending some time with Jim Killian, News Director for WGCY
radio. He was fabulous. It was really easy to talk with him and he
made me feel at ease. (Thanks Jim!) To make things even better, Jim
provided the recording of our conversation for me to share.
Continue reading "Organizing WGCY Radio Recording" »
When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every once-in-a-while we will select questions from our readers and share our response with you.
Q: Do I need to be a neat freak to be organized?
Continue reading "Do I need to be a neat freak to be organized?" »
23% of adults say they pay bills late (& thus incur fees) because they loose them, according to Harris Interactive. The systems you use (or don't use) can make or break your financial situation. Here are some web resources to help you get your financial affairs in order and reach towards your financial freedom!
Continue reading "Financial Management Resources" »
This month is Stress Awareness Month. Understanding the stress in your life and how to overcome that stress is one of the first steps to living your life to your priorities. We have provided the following links for you to learn more about stress and what you can do to fight it.
Continue reading "Are You Stressed?" »
Whether your sewing space is a corner of the dining room, a dedicated closet or a separate room just for sewing, you can make that space inviting and efficient for your sewing tasks. With some thought and organization, your sewing area can be a source of enjoyment and many accomplished projects. Here are 5 tips to start you on your way to a great organized sewing area.
Continue reading "5 Tips For a Productive Sewing Area" »
One of my long-time readers asked me if I knew of a resource to learn
more about e-bay. He wants to "unload all of this stuff" and he is
also considering the possibility of a home-based business using e-bay.
Continue reading "EBay the Easy Way" »
When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every now and again will select questions from our readers and share our response with you.
Q: What causes Chronic Disorganization?
Continue reading "Chronic Disorganization - What Causes It?" »
When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every once in a while we will select questions from our readers and share our response with you.
Q: What is the appropriate age at which to throw out cosmetics & toiletries?
Continue reading "Makeup - To Keep or Not to Keep" »
Keep reading for great books on organizing your office. Have you read any of them? If you have please comment in the comment section of this posting and let us know what you think! Have another book that we have not mentioned that you love? Let us know that too!
Continue reading "Books on Office Organization" »
The e-mail started "Have you heard about GreenDimes?! Well, no, I hadn't. However, since the e-mail came from a very trusted and respected source (one of my favorite professors from my college days -- way too long ago) I figured I better take note. I'm glad that I did and so will you!
Continue reading "Junk-Mail -- Banish It for Good with GreenDimes!" »
Do you work from home? Would you like to know how to set up your office so that it functions better for you? Did you know that there are now more home-based businesses than there are "store front" small businesses? Keep reading for some resources and tips on setting up your office.
Continue reading "Home Office Organization and Design Resources" »
Clutter! Clutter Awareness week is this month, so we thought it was timely to focus on those areas of our life that we normally avoid.
Clutter accumulates in various areas of life because you have decisions you are avoiding for one reason or another. De-cluttering is often difficult, because we are forced to face those decision points.
Continue reading "Clutter Awareness Week and My Personal Learning" »
Is paperwork taking over your life? Are you keeping every single bill, tax return, insurance invoice, medical documentation, contract and even the 15-year-old warranty for the water bed that you sold at the yard sale ten years ago? If you answered "yes", you are not alone. Many people are not sure how long financial records retention should last, especially tax records. Determining what to keep and what to toss is often a difficult decision for homeowners.
Continue reading "Record Retention for Your Home" »
Now is a great time to get ready for tax day. Eliminate the stress of running your calculations up to the wire by collecting what you need now. The list below are the things you should make sure you have handy.
Continue reading "Tax Time - Get Ready" »
How many of you have a big pile (either all together or spread out throughout your home or office) of different sized booklets that give you informaiton about something you purchased? How many of them have you ever referenced?
Next question, if something broke down, could you find it when you needed it? I now know about a great resource that will help you get rid of your obscure ones with no problem!
Continue reading "De-clutter Those User's Manuals!" »
When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every once in a while, we will select questions from our readers and share our response with you. Have a question you would like to get answered? Ask us!!
Q: Who hires a Professional Organizer?
Continue reading "Who hires a Professional Organizer?" »
Clutter can be really paralizing for many people and unfortunately, it can be deadly in some instances. Today's headlines covered two stories involving clutter, fire and death. One in Nebraska and one in New York. Unfortunately, it is so common that many fire departments even have a term for it. They call a home that is dangerously cluttered by the code name "Collyers mansion."
So what is a Collyer mansion?
Continue reading "Clutter Killed Family in a Blaze and the Collyers Mansion Effect" »
One of the key strategies in getting and staying organized is the efficient use of vertical space. Retailers often do this quite well. Think of any store that you frequent and imagine the space with only one level for display. You are likely envisioning a space that is quite cluttered and hard to move around in. Retailers are able to get significantly more product on their display floors by working up as well as out. You can use the same strategy when structuring your space!
Continue reading "Think Like a Retailer - Reclaim Wasted Space" »
If you are looking for a great way to moisure proof the items that you have in your basement or attic, then the StorPod may be for you! There are three different configurations depending on your space needs.
Continue reading "Dust Free Storage with Stor Pods" »