Get Organized for Back to School

Photo Source: 
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/08/01/frugal-back-to-school-shopping/ 

I love the idea of a fresh start. If things have gotten cluttered over the summer, back to school is a great time to make a fresh start in your home. Why wait until January 2013? Here is what I am doing with my children to prepare for back to school before Labor Day rolls around: 1) Update the Family Binder If you do not have a family binder, or even know what it is, now is a great time to set one up. The family binder functions as one place where you can store all of those important papers that you will need to refer to in the future.  My family's binder is simply a three ring binder (that I already had) filled with babysitter information, school class information and information related to activities such as swimming or soccer. I like to use and reuse Avery's erasable tabs, so it is easy to switch from year to year. Take the time now to clear out the old and make room for the new.   2) Update the Calendar By now most schools will have their annual calendars posted on-line. While more detailed calendars are forthcoming, take the time now to post all those holiday breaks and random days off into your personal calendar.  Transferring the school, church or activity calendar into your own calendar as soon as it is available is a great habit to get into to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.  3) Start the Schedule Shift Most of us let our schedules slide a bit in the summer. If your kids have turned into night owls over the last two months, now is the time to slowly shift bedtimes earlier.  Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Carolyn will be presenting "Get Organized for Back to School" at My Urban Toddler in Saline, Michigan on August 17, 2012 (childcare is available, check with My Urban Toddler for details). Register with My Urban Toddler by Friday, August 10, 2012.

Avoid Organizing Mistakes (Part 1 of 3)

Summer is a busy time. 

With all the activities on the calendar and less structure, I find it more difficult to stay organized in the summer months. Does this hold true for you? 

That being said, I believe even a little organization can take us a long way in the busy month of July. 

Today I am sharing the first of three ways you can avoid the most common organizing mistakes. 

Follow these tips and you can take in all those activities guilt free, without worrying about disorganization.

Do a Little at a Time

Many of us think that if we just had one weekend (or if you're a Mom, maybe one hour) we could really get things organized. The problem with this thinking is that for most of us these large chunks of time are few and far between.

While spending a weekend on organizing can lead to amazing results, if you do not have a plan to keep the area organized, it won't be long until you are in the same predicament again. Taking baby steps when it comes to organizing is the long term way to keep clutter at bay. 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Carolyn will be presenting the hands on workshop "Tame the Paper Monster" at My Urban Toddler in Saline, Michigan on July 20, 2012 (childcare is available, check with My Urban Toddler for details).

Stress Free Holiday Tip #3

Tip #3: Use a Calendar!

If you have been reading my blog posts, subscribing to the "Your Simply Organized Life" newsletter or have attended any of my seminars; you know I am a fanatic about calendar usage. I don't care if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a retiree, in my humble opinion EVERYONE needs to use a calendar daily.

Hopefully, most of you are already using some sort of calendar or planner in your daily life to keep track of personal, professional and family appointments. It does not matter what type of calendar you use (paper or electronic) but I recommend using one calendar for all appointments if possible. If you are not using a calendar, now is a good time to start.

To avoid overbooking (and going crazy) during the holidays, put all of your appointments on the calendar. This includes the company parties, family gatherings and even your kids' holiday events. Be sure to ask your family members about these events and if you will be required to bring anything, dress a certain way or in general make any preparations. Remember, to say "no thank you" to events that do not fit with your holiday plan. This is the difference that will keep you stress free!

If any of your scheduled events require preparations, check to see if they fit with your holiday plan. If they fit with your simple holiday plan (i.e. it is something you want to spent time on), schedule time in your calendar for those preparations and do not forget to schedule driving time! For example, if you want to attend your company holiday party, but do not currently have the appropriate attire, schedule time in your calendar for shopping in person or on-line.

If the scheduled events on your calendar require preparations that do not fit with your holiday plan (i.e. it is something that you do not want to spend time on), try to outsource or avoid those duties whenever possible. For example, if your child needs treats for the school party and you are clueless in the kitchen, schedule time with your child to purchase or order an alternative. It can still be homemade, just not from your kitchen (ask me about my cupcake lady anytime).

With so many service providers available these days you can outsource just about any holiday task from baking, to decorating, to even sending your holidays cards (I have a great system for holiday cards). The key is to make sure that you can afford to outsource holiday tasks. In my next blog I will write about making a financial plan for the holidays!

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life.

Stress Free Holiday Tip #2

My last entry covered Stress Free (or at least less stress!) Holiday Tip #1: Keep it Simple! In that blog we mentioned creating a holiday plan which leads us to...

Tip #2: Plan, Plan, Plan!

Once you have decided what is important to you for simple holiday celebrations, you need to create a plan to make it happen.

Going through the holidays without a plan is kind of like driving in the car without a map or GPS system. I know, many of you will resist this metaphor with the logic that you do not need a map for somewhere you have already been. But if you got lost (i.e. stressed or sidetracked) the last time you went through the holidays, a plan for this holiday season is going to help keep you from getting in a wreck (i.e. overdoing, overspending, and regretting it come January).

You can create a simple holiday plan, by writing down what you want to do this holiday season and scheduling time to do those things on your list. You do not need a fancy notebook or special paper, but you should have your calendar nearby for scheduling time. Any paper or calendar will do, or if you are a techie, you might want to do this on the computer.

Next time we will talk more about using a calendar for scheduling both holiday events and tasks!

Monday Musings

Mackinac Island, Michigan---Fall 2010

Despite all of my good intentions, it has been a long time since I have posted to the blog and summer is rapidly slipping out of our hands here in Michigan.

After such a hot summer, I welcome fall, my favorite season of the year. I recently discovered, however, that many busy families dread fall. They are stressed by new schedules, the deluge of papers from the school and the general busyness of it all after the supposed lazy days of summer.

Here are three quick tips to address the stress families feel in fall:

1) New Schedules---Times of transition and change can be difficult for adults and children alike. For many readers this may be the first full week with kids back to school. Remind yourself it might take another week or two to adjust to new schedules. In the meantime, pull out your calendar and put EVERYTHING in it. Your calendar is your time management bible.

2) School Papers---This is where nearly everyone struggles. The problem with paper is that it just keeps coming at you, ready or not. The trick is to have a few simple systems in place and keep ahead of that paper monster. Designate one place for incoming papers and take 5 to 15 minutes daily to file, act upon or toss those items.

3) Busy Days---Mahatma Gandhi once said that "There is more to life than increasing its speed." I always joke that my clients have much more interesting lives than myself and there's a lot of truth in that joke. My clients are often the folks that hold up our communities: the go-to people in the schools, churches or synagogues. They are wonderfully kind people, who sometimes take on too much. Remember, to take a step back and slow down life a little if you have inadvertently taken on too much.

I hope these quick tips will help you feel just a little less stressed this fall. For more free tips and a free gift, sign up for my monthly newsletter at Simply Organized Life.

Ann Arbor Book Festival

For two years (2006 and 2007) I served on the Planning Committee as Volunteer Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Book Festival. While I am no longer on this committee, current Volunteer Coordinator, Hillary Dorwart, needs your help for this year's Festival. Here's what Hillary has to say:

The sixth annual Ann Arbor Book Festival takes place May 15 - 17. Please volunteer your time and enjoy the community-wide event that celebrates reading, writing and literacy. View the full, exciting schedule at www.aabookfestival.org. Contact the Ann Arbor Book Festival at aabf@aabookfestival.org to volunteer today!

Internet Secretary

Here's a new concept. Or at least new to me. "Sandy" is a internet based free secretary for daily reminders. You e-mail or text Sandy your requests for reminders and she will get back with you at the appropriate time.

On a totally unrelated note, some months ago I mentioned my friend, Laura Jannika, who is a Creative Memories Consultant. Laura has a new blog titled Power of Flower where she showcases her digital scrapbooking and flower photos. It's beautiful!

The photo above is from my garden and was taken by our friend, Michael, who visited us from Germany in early July.

Carlos Ghosn's Calendar

The Wall Street Journal has an occasional feature called "Boss Talk" where they typically interview CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Today's Journal featured an interview with Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault. This article was of interest to me having spent nearly 10 years working in the automotive industry and nearly all of my life in Michigan, where our economy has been hit hard due to our strong ties to this industry.

What I didn't expect to find in this article is confirmation of something I often teach in my seminars. The "5 Tips from Carlos Ghosn on Managing a Global Workforce" included using one calendar (or time manager) for keeping track of all appointments. My seminar attendees as well as my clients often hear that one calendar is better than two. If this tip is good enough for a CEO that splits his time between Tokyo and Paris, it should be one that the rest of us can follow as well.

Happy New Year 2007!

Simply Organized Life is entering its second year in business full time. We would like to thank all of our clients, blog readers, seminar attendees and others that have helped make this business a success.

A New Year is a time that offers us a fresh start and new hope on our personal and professional journeys. We look forward to helping new and old friends on their organizational journeys in 2007.

Now is the time to bring out the new calendars and set goals for the New Year. What opportunity a New Year and a blank calendar brings!