Your Organized Home

6 simple steps to greatness…

I’m writing today to tell you about a great book that I recently had the opportunity to preview.  First, let me tell you a bit about the author, Kenneth Brown.

He was born to parents who had five children before reaching their own late-teen years … a youth spent in abject poverty and a string of evictions…

He pulled himself up and earned a university degree, and became one of the youngest African-American owner/operators of a McDonald’s franchise in history!

Now a popular Life and Business Coach, author, and speaker … Kenneth has just released his second book, “L.I.F.E – Living In Freedom Everyday”.

http://www.livinginfreedomeveryday.com/book/

The book is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow 6-step paved pathway to personal, financial, and spiritual freedom.

It quickly cuts through the clutter and confusion you may be facing in trying to live up to God’s wishes for you … and focuses in on what really works and how YOU can easily effect such great changes in YOUR own life!

Of course, I know full well that I can’t do it justice in this short post. So here’s what I want you to do…

Run over to Kenneth’s website, right here:

http://www.livinginfreedomeveryday.com/book/
… and see for yourself why so many experts are talking about “L.I.F.E – Living In Freedom Everyday”. Do it right now … before you forget you wanted to check it out.

To your success!

PS -- If you've enjoyed this post and want to see more, why not subscribe to our daily emails (Feedblitz) or through the RSS Feed (click here)?  Or, follow us on Twitter!  Or connect on Facebook!

PPS -- I do not make any money off of the sale of this book, but I did promise Kenneth that I'd tell you about it and offer a giveaway too.

Why Does Getting Rid of Clutter Upset Me?

(Guest Post: Amanda Jacobs)

So many households have so much unnecessary stuff and rarely have the time to deal with it. This situation raises stress levels and frustrations and can turn our homes into unhealthy environments. One of the big reasons that people give up organizing and un-cluttering is because of the difficult emotions that can arise when deciding which items to keep and which to dispose of. Read on for some insight into these feelings and tips on how to master them.

The Great Organizing Giveaway is Here!

The new year is a great time to think of ways that you can improve your life -- Getting Organized always lands in the top 10 lists of New Year Resolutions.  There are many outstanding resources available to consumers to help them get organized, but frequently people do not know where to find them or how to start.  Our solution was to get the resources available in one spot!

The Great Organizing Giveaway is Here!

Go to http://www.AskTheExpertOrganizers.com/signup.html and sign up to get resources such as e-books, tip sheets, audio programs, productivity software, consulting and more!  You can also enter into drawings for awesome prizes.  My amazing colleagues have really stepped up to the plate to deliver quality content just for you and it will cost you nothing!

De-Clutter Your Bedroom in One Day

(Guest Post: Chia Trams)

Walking into a bedroom full of clutter is robbing you from the feelings of relaxation and comfort that an organized bedroom has to offer. But de-cluttering a bedroom is a task that can be completed in just one day. So don't accept the clutter any longer do these easy things to finding a room of perfect relaxation and peace.

How to Store Kids Dress Up Clothes

(Guest Post: Shelby Strong)

Your children love to play dress up. In fact, they love it so much they dress-up almost daily, and then every evening dress-ups are scattered across your floors...

Sound familiar? You may need a dress-up storage option that is more child-friendly. Perhaps you don't even have storage for those Cinderella dresses yet! Storing dress-up clothes doesn't have to be headache. This guide will help you determine what type of storage option you need so that you can find the best dress-up clothes option for your family.

5 Simple Steps Towards Discovering True Treasure Hidden Amongst Your Clutter

(Guest Post: Debbie Tremblay)

Looking for a little treasure? I'm not talking about diving in the deep blue sea or climbing up the Himalayas Mountains in search of lost buried treasure.

While that may sound fun, finding true treasures begins at home in the darkest corner of your basement or attic.

Need proof? Let me share with you the treasure my client recently uncovered during one of our de-cluttering expeditions that took place in her basement.

The Six Reasons Why You May Not Declutter

(Guest Post: Cindy Brock)

Decluttering is no fun. As someone who was (and still somewhat is) a former clutter-junkie, it took a long time to figure out exactly why I kept what I did. These are some of the reasons that seemed to fit my particular situation:

Get Rid of Clutter Fast and Easy With These Simple Tips

(Guest Post: Marilyn Bohn)

Let's face it, there are some things that we don't like to do either because we think they are hard or we don't know where to begin or how to do them. A few years ago I was making one of my daughters her freedom quilt (this is a red, white and blue quilt I give them on their 21st birthday). I was appliquéing blue snowflakes onto a white background. I hit a wall and I couldn't continue making the quilt. Just the thought of sewing on it almost made me ill. Another daughter suggested I make only 21 blocks instead of the number I was aiming for. That one small suggestion is all it took; I changed the pattern and was able to finish creating this beautiful quilt.

If you are stuck with clutter and you want to change but don't know where to start I have several tips on how to get rid of clutter in four rooms in your home.

How to make Organizing Fun for the whole Family!

Does the thought of organizing make you want to scream? Do you procrastinate when it comes to getting organized because you feel it is too overwhelming?

Organizing does not have to be a chore there are ways to make it into something fun that you and your family actually might enjoy!

Here are some tips.  

5 Steps to Declutter Your Life

Today guest poster Jacky Tustain shares some ideas on how to clear mind clutter from your life.  Just in time for 2010!  Enjoy!

Kitchen Organization - How to Arrange Your Pantry and Fridge

(Guest Post: Carrie Tyler)

The kitchen is one area of the home that can truly benefit from reorganization. It will make cooking and clean up easier and you can even save money thanks to knowing exactly what you need to pick up at the grocery store. When you go to organize your kitchen, you'll want to schedule a day or two to arrange the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer optimally.

The Ideal Home Organization Tools

(Guest Post: Jill Borash)

Does your home have piles of paper, closets and cupboards full to overflowing, and constant stress because you can never find anything when you need it?

I know how you feel. My home was once the same way. Papers filled my home office and my kitchen counters. I didn't even know what the top of my desk looked like. My closets and cupboards were crammed full of so many things that I didn't even know what was where anymore. That's when I found some home organization tools to help me get my home in shape.

Would you like a simple way to get your home organized and keep it organized?

Home Organization How To's - The Entrance

(Guest Post: Amanda Jacobs)

Most households have too much clutter and not enough time. Following are some simple and effective strategies to help guide you through the de-cluttering and organizing process. We could all use more time and less worry when it comes to the home. Read on to discover how to make a good first impression on visitors and how to save yourself the stress of a messy entrance.

Let's start at the beginning, the front door.

To keep, or not to keep: that is the question!

Does this scenario ring any bells???
“Now, I am going to take time to file this stack of papers. Let’s see, this insurance policy is from spring of 2008, should I keep it or toss it? Hmmm….well, better to be on the safe side, I’ll keep it. What about this next paper? I don’t even know what it is, should I toss it? No, let’s just file it in my “Miscellaneous” folder. Oh gosh, how much is left? And, fifteen minutes has already gone by, this is taking way too long! I have to finish this another time. I will just put the pile on the top of the filing cabinet for now….Three weeks later the pile is still there and it has gotten quite a few new friends!!!”

Create Your Own Lego City!

It is the time of year where many children will be receiving a number of new toys and for sure, some of them will be Legos!  My colleague, Sherri Papich of Organize Your Life LLC was telling us about the "Lego City" that they created in her son's room and I asked her if she would share her story with us.  Keep reading to hear about the process and see pictures of her son's room.  It looks like so much fun!

AboutOne Wants to Hear from YOU - Chance to Win an iPod Touch!

I am quite honored to share that the founders of AboutOne contacted me earlier this year and asked me to sit on their advisory board.  After hearing Joanne Lang's extremely professional presentation and vision for an on-line tool that would help busy moms get and stay organized, I was hooked.  Of course I was honored to be on their board!

Up until this point, the AboutOne team has been diligently in the background planning and programming the awesome new tool.  They are now needing your input to ensure that they are spending their development dollars in the right place.  (One of the things I like about this company is that they really care about what YOU think!)

If you have a few minutes, I'd love it if you would go to www.AboutOne.com and take their market survey.  It won't take long and it will help the team tremendously. 

A little about AboutOne:

Coming early in 2010, AboutOne is designed to help busy moms get organized, ->> it is a highly secure, on-line service that helps you quickly enter, track and organize your information and your household information, share pieces with family members and give you the ability from any location, 24/7 to find what you need in seconds.  

 

In addition to helping moms (and yes, dads you will love it too!) the AboutOne team is all about "giving back" too.  Here are three ways that they contribute on a bigger scale:

• free access for our Heroes (army, navy, fire etc) program
• sponsoring children in need
• giving time at events to raise money for cancer.  

Please help the team ensure that the product meets YOUR needs by taking the survey at www.AboutOne.com- it takes less than 10 minutes and you can win an iPod Touch every month too.

Oh!  They will be participating in the Great Organizing Giveaway too!

To your success!

Be organized and reduce your holiday spending!

It is easy to get caught up in the holiday excitement and overspend during the holidays. We want to be generous to our family and friends but, for many of us, 2009 has been a difficult year. I don’t want to start off 2010 with overwhelming credit card bills and I’m guessing you probably feel the same way. Here are a few tips and tricks that can help you reduce your holiday spending. 

14 Inexpensive or Free Organizing Tools for Your Home

Reuse and Recycle!  I bet you have a number of organizing products/tools right in your home and don't even know it.  Today I'm going to share 14 ideas you can use.

Easy Solutions to Organize the Legos in Your Home

Do your or your children's Legos look like that picture?  Legos can be a bunch of fun, or they can be a royal pain!  The good news is that there are some easy solutions to help you turn a mess into a system that is fun and manageable. 

Recently, the topic of Lego organizing came up on one of the organizing groups I belong to and I learned that organizer moms have their own techniques for keeping the tiny plastic pieces contained and ready for play at any time. I'm sharing their ideas with you today.

Could you live with just 72 things?

I was reading this post today: Living with 72 Things and wanted to share it with you to get your perspective.  Tammy and her husband have eliminated almost everything from their material lives and blog about living a simple life.  About two years ago they began letting go of things.  To date, they have let go of so many items that they have moved to a less expensive, much smaller home.  Read Tammy's post and come back here to tell me what you think!

To your success!

PS -- If you've enjoyed this post and want to see more, why not subscribe to our daily emails (Feedblitz) or through the RSS Feed (click here)?  Or, follow us on Twitter!  Or connect on Facebook!

How to Store Extra Artwork in Your Home

One of our readers, Kathleen from Dallas TX, asked us the following question:

"Hi.  My name is Kathleen and my husband and I are great lovers of art.  We own a number of paintings.  Actually, we own more paintings than we have walls.  I enjoy rotating them throughout the year.  I like matching our art with the seasons and holidays.  The problem comes in with storage.  Any ideas on how I can store the pieces that I don't have displayed?"

Kathleen, I sure do!  I asked my colleagues to share their thoughts, so keep reading and pick the solution that works the best for you.

Teaching a Child to be Organized

I love teacher conferences.  It helps me and my child's teacher communicate what we need to teach my child.  Well, funny thing happened my last conference. 

7 Ideas for Handling an Overabundance of Bathroom Products (lotion, sanitizer, perfume, etc.)

Do you have a plethora of bathroom products?

A Reader Writes:

I'm looking for ideas to help my mother.  She is 65 years old and has a HUGE collection of personal products in her bathroom and linen closet.  Most of them are unopened and expensive (she got them as gifts) so she does not want to throw them out.  But, she will never use all of it and her space is filled to the brim.  Is there any place that would like this kind of stuff?
Thanks!
MaryAnne -- Jacksonville Florida USA

MaryAnne- Yes!  I've listed seven options and I bet my readers will have ideas too.

Quiz: What is Your Learning Style? Take this Quiz & Find Out! (via @hellenbuttigieg)

I have been studying learning styles for the past 15+ years and know that when you understand your learning style you can make all kinds of amazing things happen!  My colleague, Hellen Buttigieg, has created a great quiz that will help you figure out your learning style. 

Reserve about 10-15 minutes (it took me 8) and take the quiz below.  If you see more than one answer that applies, pick the one that best reprisents you.

Determine Your Learning Style » Quiz Question Maker

Want to learn more?

If you like the idea of using your learning style to figure out how to organize, then I encourage you to consider reading Hellen's book, "Organizing Outside the Box."  The secret — as revealed in this clear, concise, and compelling book — is to organize according to your natural, preferred learning style. Organizing Outside the Box will help you to:

• Determine whether you are a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner
• Pick the filing, storage, and organizing systems that fit your learning style
• Overcome feelings of frustration, anxiety, and overload
• Organize your thoughts and unleash your creative potential
• Run a  more efficient home and office by understanding the preferred organizing styles of family and co-workers.

Comment and Share!

Did you take the quiz?  What did you learn?  What kind of learner are you?  Let us know below.

Like what you've read?  Then share it with your friends!  Just click the buttons at the end of this post to share with those you care about.

To your success!

PS -- If you've enjoyed this post and want to see more, why not subscribe to our daily emails (Feedblitz) or through the RSS Feed (click here)?  Or, follow us on Twitter!  Or connect on Facebook!

Order Helps Build Better Readers

I was reading my copy of Working Mother Magazine today and came across an article that I wanted to share with you.  The article was "Family Focus - Order Helps Readers."  The tag line read:
 
How getting organized will help your kid become a stronger student. 
 
  

6 Tips to Feel Beautiful Today!

The other day I started working with a new client on her overabundance of paper.  Paper had essentially taken over her home... couches, beds, floors, kitchen counters, etc. were covered in paper.  As we worked through the day we explored why the paper accumulated and ultimately we decided it was because of her opinion of herself.  Really!  Over the years, life crashed down on her and she began to feel that she was not worthwhile or lovable.  That belief led to chronic clutter. 

Clutter is often a symptom of something else going on deep inside your mind.  You may not know that you even have the feelings.  Today, I asked my friend Sarah Maria to share some tips on how you can feel beautiful again.  Read it, try it and let me know what you think!

Why are we keeping oversized and out of season items in easy to reach places?!

As organizers, we often see items stored in a home that could have a different resting spot.  Today, organizer Annette Reyman shares her thoughts on the topic. 

I don’t know about you, but I can think of 2 reasons right off the bat why it doesn't make sense to keep over-sized and out of season items in easy to reach places.

Be Careful! You May be Buying More Than You Think!

On Tuesday I shared the post Control Your Inner Shop-a-Holic - Questions to ask Before You Buy, but did you know you might be purchasing more than you think you are? 

Consumption is a huge challenge for many.  Even when we think that we are controlling our spending, we may not be.  At least that is what Martin Lindstrom, author of Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy says.  Watch this short segment from the Today Show.

(Reading this in email? Go here to watch the video:  http://www.productiveandorganizedhome.com/2009/10/be-careful-you-may-be-buying-more-than-you-think.htm)

In it, he shares some amazing psychological "tricks" that retailers use to make you want to buy more without even thinking about it.

Comment and Share!

What do you think?  Does this really happen or is it just bunk to sell a book?  What do you do to control your shopping?  Do you control your shopping?  Please leave your comment below.

Like what you've read?  Then share it with your friends!  Just click the buttons at the end of this post to share with those you care about.

To your success!

PS -- Thanks to my buddy and colleague http://twitter.com/MYM_Organizing for keying me in to this video.

PPS -- If you've enjoyed this post and want to see more, why not subscribe to our daily emails (Feedblitz) or through the RSS Feed (click here)?  Or, follow us on Twitter!  Or connect on Facebook!

We love getting your questions!  Ask one or many!  We review questions on a regular basis and publish in one of our blogs or newsletter.

Control Your Inner Shop-a-Holic - Questions to ask Before You Buy

When you go shopping are you looking at everything with rose colored glasses or do you administer a dose of reality?

Some people are born shoppers.  One of my good friends, Angela, is a FABULOUS shopper.  She can spot a deal from miles away.  The other thing that makes her a good shopper, however, is she can walk away from that deal if it is not what she really needs.

Keep reading for some ideas that can help you be smart with your shopping.

Guest Post: You Get What You Pay For…In File Tabs and Organizing Consultants

You Get What You Pay For…

In File Tabs and Organizing Consultants

by Barbara Hemphill, CPO®

Recently I was placing an order for plastic file tabs for hanging folders to use with a client who was installing Taming the Paper Tiger software. The premium brand cost $4.15 for 25 labels while the competition offered them for exactly half the price.  Seemed like a “no brainer” – after all, how much difference can a file tab make?  (Besides, I was ordering several hundred, so we’re talking about a significant investment for something as simple and mundane as file folders!) 

Turns out, when I got to the job, it made a big difference! 

Use Simple White Chalk in Your Closet or Basement to Remove Moisture

Today's post is short and sweet, but one that could make a big difference in the smell of your spaces!  Do you have damp closets or basement spaces?  If so, go purchase simple white school chalk.  Tie a few pieces of chalk together to form a small bundle and hang in a closet or other space to absorb moisture. 

Seven steps to conquer clutter in your garage

Have you seen that garage?  You know, the one down the street that functions as good as it looks? 

The garage that is organied and so advanced that the owners have no clutter concerns.

It is the one that holds cars in the winter to keep them snow and ice free.

Now... imagine that garage is yours.  It can be!  Read on to learn 7 tips to get you there.  You CAN take back your garage!

How Long Should You Keep Papers In Your Home - Ideas for 76 Kinds of Residential Paperwork

Do you struggle to figure out what papers you should keep and what papers you can let go of every month?  Then you are not alone!  A few years ago, I talked with a number of accountants and lawyers thinking I would get the same answers and learned that there is no 100% answer for how long you should keep a document!  It really depends on how conservative you are.

So, I talked to a few more accountants and lawyers and created this document for my clients and now you.  The special report covers 76 different types of typical residential/personal/home related papers.

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Comment and Share!

I'd love it if you would tell me what you think of this document and then share this page with friends and family so that they can get their own copy.

To your success!

P.S.  I can't stand spam! We will never share your information with a 3rd party - period.

Use Color to Help Organize Your Family

Organizing with color is a fun way to organize a family.  It can help you quickly identify where an item belongs or to whom an item belongs.  You may not realize it but you probably already use color to organize your home.   For example: your toothbrushes.  Does everyone in your house have a different color?  Of course they do, otherwise it would be confusing and could get a little gross.

Unique Ideas to Keep Your Home in Order

Do you think of yourself as a failure when it comes to organizing your home?  Have you thought of giving up or have you already thrown in the towel?  Or have you cleared out a shelf only to find it filled up a few days later? 

Keep reading for unique ideas on how to find your control.

News Headlines & Blog Posts About Organizing Your Home

Don't have time to surf the net for the latest organizing and productivity news?  No problem!  Keep reading to see some of the latest headlines and blog posts on the net.

Oct 14 Teleconference: Part With Your Sentimental Clutter Without Breaking Your Heart-Expert: Rita Emmett

Do you struggle with the clutter in your home? Do your emotions get in the way of being able to simplify?  Do you own items that used to belong to family members or loved ones?  Sentimental clutter can paralize us.  Attend this session live (or via recording) to learn how to free yourself from your emotions and make choices that really work for who you are and your situation. Bonus!  When you register for the LIVE session, you will also receive a copy of Rita's book: The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your Life Clutter-Free

$25.95

Do you struggle with the clutter in your home? Do your emotions get in the way of being able to simplify?  Do you own items that used to belong to family members or loved ones?  Sentimental clutter can paralize us.  Attend this session live (or via recording) to learn how to free yourself from your emotions and make choices that really work for who you are and your situation. Bonus!  When you register for the LIVE session, you will also receive a copy of Rita's book: The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your Life Clutter-Free

$25.95

TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8 Hire a Professional Organizer

Delegate?  Ditch?  Keep?  Donate?  Dust Bunnies?  No?  Maybe?  We're excited to know that Jon and Kate have hired a real-life Professional Organizer!

There are some that love and watch this show and keep track of the children as if Jon and Kate are their family members.  There are equally as many people that are tired of the drama and do everything they can to stay away from this TLC show family.  However, I was reading my colleague, John Trosko's blog today and came across his post announcing the organization focus on the show and had to check in to see what was going on.

Easy Solutions to Organize Your Shed

Well, I hate to admit it, but summer is over here in Illinois.  The temperatures are dropping and we're expriencing a lot of rain.  It is now time to prepare for the colder months and close up our summer items.

If you are like my friends, you have a shed or storage area that holds all of your summer ites: mower, pots, dirt, gardening equipment and so on.  The best time of year to get this area under control is right now! 

Remove all items from your shed and give it a good cleaning

Empty out your shed and either use a hose and a good brush or a low-powered pressure washer to clean out the debris, cob webs, etc. that has accumulated in your shed.

Review your gardening tools and replace where appropriate

While your shed is drying out, look through all of your gardening tools and replace any items that are broken or no longer operating correctly.  Fall is a great time to replace your gardening tools because most lawn and garden stores hold awesome sales. 

Review gardening chemicals and discard where appropriate

Lawn and garden fertilizers and weed killers only last for so long.  I'd love to give you a difinitive answer on how long they last, but it depends on the brand you purchase.  Many organic products will go moldy over the winter.  Other non-organic products can last anywhere from 6 months to 3 years and still be viable for your yard.  Check the manufacturer website for the longevity of the product.  If yours has expired, discard according to your community's disposal rules.  Don't buy now.  Make a quick shopping list and post it in your shed. 

Increase your space by installing shelving or other wall storage

Clutter can accumulate when you own a shed.  Shelves are ideal for shed organization.  Consider pre built shelving that is stand-alone, or install shelving with kits.  You van find a wide selection of shelving options by visiting any Menards, Lowes or Home Depot.  Don't have one in your area?  Check out their sites online.

By adding shelving to your shed, you can get things up off the floor, giving you more room to move around inside your shed safely. Using the vertical space will allow you to store a lot more in the space as well.

Don't want to have shelves sticking out?  You still have options!  Check out the great wall organizers for tools available here.

Place like items together

After installing your shed shelves, organize like items together.  How you define "like" can vary.  Here are some possibilities:

• Group by type of gardening - flower garden, vegetable garden, lawn care, etc.
• Group by type of tool - pots, tools, chemicals, potting soil, etc.

By storing like items together on shelving, you save time and money; you reduce stress and clutter as well as now have the ability to find what you want in the shed when planting season comes around.

Share your tips and thoughts!

What do you do to keep your lawn and garden items in tip-top shape?  Do you have a shed?  What do you do to keep it clean and organized?

To your success!

@StephCalahan 

An Easy Solution for Paper Clutter on Your Kitchen Counter

Paper.  We get a lot of paper in our homes and some of it we need to keep.  You don't see many homes without a pile of paper somewhere and usually the piles are on the kitchen counter.  An easy and quick solution to get rid of the piles of paper is to have an open file box.

Recycle Your Encyclopedias and Other Reference Books

Carla (a reader from S. Florida) wrote us the following inquiry:

"Back when my kids were young we purchased a set of beautiful encyclopedias.  They really are nice.  Color photos and gold leafing... 

Anyway, our kids are grown and have moved out of the house and these beautiful books take up 4 feet of space in my office.

I have tried to get rid of them in many ways:

Is it Got Sentimental Clutter? Watch this Video and Tell Me What You Think.

Do you have things that you have kept forever because it reminds you of a good time in your life?  If you answered yes, you are not alone! 

Today I share a video from a new YouTube buddy, Rita Emmet.  She shares her perspective on dealing with her mother's belongings and other sentimental items.  I'll share some of my thoughts too! 

Medication Mania! How to manage multiple medications/supplements a day.

Being accountable for your own health is the first step in being healthy!  However, when you have slews of pills to take at different times of the day, it can be hard to do it right.  Do you have a lot of pills to take or know someone who does?  Maybe it is medication for a medical condition, or nutritional supplements . . .  It can be confusing to track different pills.  I'll show you step by step how we organized one woman's 20+ pills a day.

Clutter or Collection? Watch this Video and Then Tell Me What You Think

Collections are frequently the hardest thing for people to manage when it comes to their belongings.  I was laughing quite a bit when @unclutterer shared a YouTube video from Marc Sotkin of BOOMERALLEY.

Marc wonders whether he's got a collection or just clutter.  It is an excellent question and the video gives many awesome examples.  Take a look and tell me what you think!

Sure Fire Ways to Keep Kids Occupied While You Are Doing Other Things

There are just days where as a parent, we have things we need to get done and our kids don't follow along with our plan.  On my other blog, I posted some tips and tricks that can help you.  Check out the links and comment with your ideas!

Sure Fire Ways to Find Work-Life Balance When Working From Home with Kids - Part 1

Sure Fire Ways to Find Work-Life Balance When Working From Home with Kids - Part 2

To your success!
     

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'Disappear' Toys or Ask Your Child to Choose Which Ones to Give Up?

One of my Twitter friends @CarlaYong just posted this question

"A question for the Moms out there: better to 'disappear' toys or ask your child to choose which ones to give up?  A bit more info on my Q: DD just turned 4YO & has previously willingly given up toys to younger friends & does get attached to everything!"

I am asked this question frequently, so I thank Carla for the blog post inspiration!  Keep reading for my reply.

Cool Do-It-Yourself Projects with IKEA Hacks

Are you a closet DIYer?  Do you like to make things for your home or office?  If you are like me, you may like to "hack" things more than make them from scratch. 

What is a hack? A "hack" is when you take something and make it into something else. 

What is IKEA? The store IKEA is a world-wide company that offers a "wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them."  Their designs are very utilitarian most of the time, but high quality in workmanship.

So, an IKEA Hack takes IKEA products and modifies them for form, function or design to work for what the user needs in their space.  If this is of interest to you, check out the blog IKEA Hacker.  IKEA Hacker shows you how to transform IKEA stuff and takes hacks from all across the globe to feature.  Check out the link below for great ideas.

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/search/label/storage

Thanks!! to @lisamurphyTO, @chrissychrzan and @tinkugallery for sharing this site!

Be on Purpose

January is also BE ON PURPOSE Month.  Live your life with a plan!  Make sure that what you do is not by default.  Be on Purpose!  Many people loose track of their focus and goals because of procrastination.  Does that sound like you?  If so, try this technique I read about in the Early to Rise newsletter.  The next time that you find yourself putting things off:

Finding Time to Get Organized

When someone begins thinking of organizing, many questions can pop into their thoughts. Every once in a while will select questions from our readers and share our response with you.

Q:  How do I find the time to get organized if I'm already so busy?  -Carl, CA-USA

Clean Out Your Closets Month!

January is Clean Out Your Closet Month so I thought it would be helpful for you to get some ideas on how you can get started.  Closets can be really overwhelming for many people.  If you have an overwhelmed closet, start by sorting through what you have and placing your items into three categories:  yes, maybe and no.