Article on Hiring an Organizer

There is a great article in today's Wall Street Journal on hiring an organizer.

Just for Fun

It's Friday and I finally finished preparing for our annual tax visit to our CPA. The appointment was delayed two weeks due to sick kids, sick parents and my husband traveling on business. We still have plenty of time before April 15th, so all is good.

For fun this afternoon (yes, my life is pretty simple) I checked out a blog I had read about in a parenting magazine. This woman makes little bento boxes for her son every day. Since I lived in Japan, I was hoping for something a bit more Japanese (loosely translated, bento means "lunch box" in Japanese), but it's all fun and good. As for the lady's other posts and photos of her household, it looks like she could use the help of an organizer, especially since several of her 2010 goals include organizing projects.

Exciting Announcement

Carolyn is now a NAPO Golden Circle Member!

As of today, I am now a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers' (NAPO) Golden Circle. For more on this topic, sign up for my monthly e-newsletter by March 1, 2010.

Selling on Craig's List

For those of you that read my last posting on "Letting Go of Children's Clothes" I am happy to report that I sold my remaining kids' clothes on Craig's List within the day I posted. The most difficult part was finding a place and time to meet the buyer, but the whole thing went smoothly. I have sold other items on my local Craig's List and have a few tips if you are looking to let go of your things this way and earn a little cash.

• Always include a photo. When looking to buy on Craig's List, I won't even click on the item unless there is a photo.

• Set up your photos on a clean uncluttered surface (see photo at right). If the background looks cluttered or dirty, I won't consider an item.

• Arrange to meet the buyer in a public place. Let's face it, there are weirdos out there and this goes for buyers and sellers.

• Ask for cash and list at a reasonable price (similar to a garage sale). Expect buyers to want to negotiate. I think of Craig's List as an easy way to get rid of stuff that has some value, but if I have something really valuable or collectible, I will turn to eBay.

Happy decluttering!

Letting Go of Kids' Clothes

Since becoming the parent of two kids, I have been surprised at how hard it is to let go of some of my children's old clothes. However, I do let go and as a little consolation for myself I take a photo of favorite outfits on the kids as they start to outgrow them.

Lately, my favorite place to buy (and sell) children's clothing is the Grow With Me Resale Boutique in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I really try to practice what I preach and minimize the number of clothes I buy for my kids. Even though I do not buy or sell much at Grow With Me, they are always friendly and courteous. I should note that they are VERY picky with what they buy, but the stuff they sell is similarly priced and much nicer than the Children's Orchard store in Ann Arbor. Many of the items even have the original tags attached.

Recently I sold (or rather exchanged, because I turned around and bought some things with my store credit) some of my kids' clothes to Grow With Me. They took maybe half of the stuff I brought in and gave me a small store credit. It was easy.

I also recently took some children's clothing to Children's Orchard, as I had sold some maternity clothing to them some time ago. They didn't take ANYTHING and after I got home, I discovered they had lost a couple of small items. When I called the next morning, the lady at Children's Orchard remembered me, but couldn't find the items. She said small things get lost in the shuffle and either donated or tossed. So much for being organized.

So now, after both a good and bad experience with children's resale, I am going to try to sell the remainder of my outgrown kids' clothes on Ann Arbor's Craig's List and see what happens. I can always donate them to Purple Heart or Faith in Action. Next time I will skip the trip to Children's Orchard.

Winter Adult Outerwear Needed

Now is a great time to take a look at your coat closet and find out what you are really wearing. Wash or dry clean those coats that need freshening up, especially out of season coats that can be stored elsewhere during the off season.

While you are at it pick out the coats that you no longer wear to donate. Currently Ann Arbor's St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop is seeking out adult sized winter coats among the items they normally accept.

Donate Card Tables

Ann Arbor Rec & Ed is looking for square folding card tables to use for its bridge class. If you have a table that you no longer need, please contact Linda at 734-994-2300 extension 53203 to learn more. Your donation is tax deductible through the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Keeping Resolutions

There was a great article on keeping resolutions in the December 30th Wall Street Journal. Of course, I particularly liked the example of the woman who resolved to get organized. She is quoted as saying "my life is so much easier" now that she is organized. I couldn't have said it better.

Organizing Medical Paperwork

Today one of my children went to the dentist for the first time. Thanks to Dr. Rice, Mickey, Kathy and Pam for making it such a wonderful experience for both of us!



Along with a visit to the dentist or doctor comes paperwork and sometimes lots of it! Here's what I do to organize the medical paperwork for my family:



1) Each family member has a three ring binder with their name on the spine. Mine is titled "Carolyn Health Care" and is stored alongside my husband's and children's binders.


2) We are basically healthy so one binder is sufficient for our medical, dental and vision records. I like to use Avery's write-on dividers that can be erased and reused, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Here are a couple of photos of my child's binder.


If you visit multiple doctor's or have a lot of medical paperwork, you might need several divider tabs or a binder for each doctor.


3) I organize the papers in reverse chronological order according to the date of the office visit with the dates highlighted in yellow. Sometimes the insurance companies will send explanation of benefit (EOB) paperwork with several visits on one sheet. In that case, I just take a copy or make a note of the coverage on the medical provider's paperwork.

Tips for Sick Kids

As the parent of two young kids, I am both terrified of the H1N1 virus and know firsthand how easy kids can get sick. When illness strikes, the last thing I want to be doing is running out to a drugstore in the middle of the night. Here are some simple tips for being organized for sick kids:

• Make time in your schedule to get your kids and yourself vaccinated. Avoiding illness in the first place is the ideal scenario.

• Teaching kids good hygiene can be difficult, especially if you have toddlers. I recently read about a product called Germy Wormy to teach kids to cough into their sleeve. I made my own reusable one by cutting off the top of an old sock. My child left the thing on for about 10 minutes but usually does cough into the sleeve, so I am glad I didn't buy the Germy Wormy product.

• Have basic medicine (i.e. Tylenol/Motrin) on hand. I like to keep one bottle upstairs and one downstairs for convenience. When I see one is low, I just add it to my shopping list. I use the notes function in Microsoft Outlook for various lists.

• Keep a bottle of Pedialyte or Gatorade in your pantry. Just be sure to watch the expiration dates for safety and to avoid waste.

• Have the telephone number for the doctor's office nearby. I keep these numbers in Outlook, but also in a binder in the kitchen for babysitters and when I cannot get to my computer quickly.

Donate Household "Scraps"

The Scrap Box in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a great place to donate old collections of baby food jars, buttons, craft supplies, coffee cans, corks and other household "scraps". They also take National Geographic Magazines, which I know can be difficult for folks to part with.

The Scrap Box is a non-profit organization that provides craft materials for teachers as well as individual families. What a great way to get rid of clutter and keep it out of landfills!

WSJ Article on Hoarding

Today's Wall Street Journal had an informative article on compulsive hoarding disorder. The article included a quote from my colleague, Deb Stanley, who specializes in helping chronically disorganized clients. There is also an interesting recording with an interview with Dr. Randy Frost, a psychologist from Smith College who studies hoarding.

E-mail Overload

Like most people, I find it is so difficult to keep my e-mail under control. Using some of the techniques from my friend and colleague, Randy Dean, I am happy to say that my in-box is at 3 messages today. A record low!

Local Hoarding Fatality

In Clinton Township, Michigan a local elderly couple recently died in their home. Fire officials believe the couple's hoarding of stuff may have prevented the couple from exiting the home. The Detroit News reported this as "collecting" but from reading the article it appears to me that the couple might have been hoarders. While professional organizers, such as myself can help, compulsive hoarding is a real disorder requiring the help of a mental health professional.

I should also note that most of my clients are not hoarders or people in need of mental health help. The folks that I work with are mostly busy professionals and families with whom life has gotten a little disorganized.

Upstairs/Downstairs Organizing

I grew up in a small ranch style home, but currently live in a two story home with a basement. It seems like sometimes I find myself constantly running up and down the steps to put things in their proper places either upstairs, downstairs or in the basement.

I recently have had to limit my trips up and down the stairs due to temporary health issues, which has turned my poor husband into a bit of a pack horse. The general rule in our house is that you never go up or down empty handed, but I do not want to create unnecessary trips, especially now when I am relying on my spouse's help.

In order not to forget anything, I have a basket where throughout the day I place items needing to go upstairs and make a list of things I want to bring down. This is working so great, I might continue this practice when my stamina is back.

Goodwill Opens in Chelsea

Folks in western Washtenaw County have another option for donating household items and clothing. The Dexter Leader and Chelsea Standard recently reported on the opening of a new Goodwill drop off location in Chelsea, Michigan:

"The Chelsea Goodwill CMH center is located at 1167 S. Main Street. The 2,000 square foot location will be open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m."

Organizing Recipes

In the August edition of my monthly e-newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life (click here to sign up), I will answer a reader question regarding organizing recipes torn from magazines or newspapers.

Here is how I like to organize recipes in my own household. I have a simple one inch binder (shown below) for all the recipes I collect. This limits me from collecting too many that we may never try. If something isn't to our tastes, it gets recycled to allow room for another recipe.

Inside of the binder (see below) each recipe is housed in a plastic sheet. This is great when things get messy or the recipes are not quite the right size. I find this solution to be simple, easy and inexpensive.

Summertime!

Now that we are fully into July, summertime has officially arrived here in Michigan. My garden is in full bloom and looks so beautiful. The tree peony (photo below) blooms are long gone and have been replaced by lilies and lavender. This summer what are you doing to enjoy life more? Are you slowing down to "smell the roses" or "take in the warm sun"? Or are you finishing up some nagging projects? Remember this time is fleeting, just like the beautiful peony bloom. Take advantage of every day!

Donate Clutter in Dexter

Here's a great opportunity to get rid of your clutter (err, unloved treasures) in Dexter. Every day this week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter is collecting items for their upcoming flea market. Items can be dropped off at the Parish Center in the village.

If you cannot drop your items off this week here are additional dates and times:
Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
June 29~July 3, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
July 6~8, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Book Review

David Allen's 2001 Bestseller: Getting Things Done

This book has been on my reading list for a long time now. As I mentioned in my May 2009 Newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life, I finally figured out how to use my local library's on-line catalog to put books on hold and work my way through my "Books to Read" list. This is working great for me and it doesn't cost me a dime. Now if I could only read books faster than they appear on my list.

Getting Things Done, or GTD as it is commonly referred to is chock full of tips for organizing your time and your stuff. Overall, I learned some new things and felt the time spent reading GTD worth it; but did find it to be somewhat of a slow read.

What I like about GTD is that it incorporates tips not only for one's work (corporate) life, but also for your personal life. Some of systems David Allen recommends seem confusing and cumbersome (even for a professional organizer!). But there are some great tips to be had from this book. My favorite from page 99 "Keep the Drawer Less Than 3/4 Full" can be applied to organizing almost any physical space.