When Things Go Wrong

When things go wrong it's good to be organized. This week both our dryer and dishwasher broke. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it has put a little kink in our normal household routine. Fortunately, we have repairs scheduled for tomorrow and we are organized.

Being organized kept us from piles of undone laundry. As the person in charge of laundry in our household, I try to keep on top of laundry. For me, it's easier to do one load every day or so, rather than trying to do it all in a weekend. In addition, we do not have that many clothes, so we need to keep them in circulation by doing laundry frequently.

My husband is the one in charge of cooking in our household, which I translate to all things kitchen. He's also great about keeping the dishes done and put away, so when the dishwasher went on the fritz we only had a few breakfast dishes to hand wash. In fact, thanks to my husband the rule is no dirty dishes left in the sink at our house.

This may all seem a little rigid, but it just takes a few minutes daily and now has become a habit.

826michigan

826michigan is a non-profit tutoring and writing center for children in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a great organization that helps to promote writing and literacy in our community.

From July 20th to 22nd 826michigan will be having a rummage sale to raise funds for the organization. For more information or to donate, please go to the 826michigan website.

Summertime

The Summer Solstice officially arrives next month on June 21st, but with all the hot weather we have been having lately here in Michigan it makes me feel that summer has already arrived. Memorial Day passed us by on Monday and the kids will be getting out of school soon.



Summertime is a great time of the year to get organized and get your children involved in the process. By involving the whole family, you can teach your kids the life skill of organizing. If you do not know where to start, a professional organizer or organizing consultant can help. I often work with entire families to help them get organized.

Here are a few areas that are great summertime organizing projects:

• Kids Artwork: Sit down with your children individually to pick out favorite works of art from the previous school year. The "keepers" can be stored in a decorative box.
• The Basement: On the hottest days, it's great to work in a cool basement. I recommend working on your own in blocks of 1 hour or less. You can work longer if you have the guidance of a professional organizer or organizing consultant.
• The Garage: Summer is the best time to organize the garage because it is warm and it is the time you are using tools stored here. This will make it easy to get rid of all those things that collecting dust unused. I will be teaching a new class with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed this summer called "Get the Garage in Order".

For more tips on summer organizing, please feel free to sign up on our website for Simply Organized Life's free e-newsletter sent out on the first of every month.

Cleaning Products

When helping clients organize their homes, I often find that homeowners have enough cleaning products to fill a toxic landfill. Due to disorganization (or perhaps warehouse club memberships) homeowners do not realize what they have on hand and end of buying more cleaning products that add clutter under every sink in the home.

In my own home, I try to limit the purchase and use of heavy duty chemical cleaners when possible. One great way to do this is to use good old fashioned vinegar and baking soda. The website DoItYourself.com has some great uses for these old standards.

To avoid cleaning product clutter, buy only what you need when you need it. Not only will you conquer the clutter, but you will save money too!

Dexter Quilt Show

If you are a quilter, or just have an appreciation for the art, you might be interested in attending the annual quilt show at St. Andrew's United Church of Christ in Dexter, Michigan on Saturday, May 5th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be 100 quilts, demonstrators and vendors related to the fiber arts. This year's raffle quilt is a queen size quilt made from Grandmother's Flower Garden pieces. Admission is $4.00 and lunch (available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is $4.00 also.

Quilting is a wonderful hobby that takes a lot of talent and a little organization.

Often clients ask me what to do with old baby clothing or other fabric memorabilia. Fortunately, those of us that do not have the talent for quilting can outsource the work to company's like Ticche and Bea out of Chicago or perhaps you can find a quilter at the Dexter Show that hires out.

Clean Car

Did you know that April is National Car Care Month? Neither did I. I must admit that over the winter I neglected the cleanliness of my car a bit. This is particularly embarrassing for me as I come from a long line of clean car fanatics.

Just in time for National Car Care Month, yesterday I spent a little time to get my car back in order and I am much happier for it. As an organizer, my car is rarely cluttered, but it did smell of my 70 pound dog and there were remnants of winter salt on the mats.

Here are a simple few tips for keeping your car clean and organized:

1. Your car should not be used as a storage facility. Not only is it uncomfortable for passengers, but it can be very dangerous if you are in an accident.
2. Every time you fill up with gas, take a minute to toss out any garbage such as food wrappers.
3. At the end of every day bring in any items that do not belong in the car.
4. Schedule time in your calendar to vacuum out your car 15 minutes at a time. A little bit of cleaning at a time does wonders!

Money Savers

One of my passions as a professional organizer and consultant is to help families save money. I truly believe that living a Simply Organized Life can help families in so many ways, one of the most important being financial management.

In this month's Parenting Magazine there is a great little article titled, "Instant Money Savers." I was so happy to finally read a magazine that linked the correlation between being organized and saving money! I know that my simple organizing strategies have helped my family and my clients' families save tons of money!

Read the article, take what applies to you and watch your bank account grow!

Novi Event

The Novi Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 8th annual "Threads of Power Breakfast" on March 23, 2007 at 8 a.m. at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Novi, Michigan.

This year's slogan is "clean your closet for a cause." Attendees to this event are asked to bring gently-used business attire (clean and on hangers) to donate to local organizations. What a great way to organize your closet and bless others on their professional journeys!

The cost for this event is $15 and reservations are required by March 20, 2007.

Hoarding

In this month's on-line version of Reader's Digest, there is an article about hoarding as a clinical obsessive compulsive disorder. To read the article, click here.

If you believe that you or someone you know suffers from hoarding as a clinical obsessive compulsive disorder, it is important that they get help from an experienced social worker, clinical psychologist or other licensed professional with a specialty in this area.

As an organizing consultant and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), I am happy to state that most people that have clutter are not hoarders. However, those that are hoarders deserve the best possible help to overcome the disorder when they are ready.

Wedding Registry

It's that time of year again! Wedding season!

In addition to our organizing services, Simply Organized Life also provides event planning services for weddings and other festivities. I do recommend that brides and grooms register with a favorite store for items that they both want and need. This also helps them to avoid clutter down the road of marriage.

A friend of mine, who incidentally will be a June bride, brought to my attention the I Do Foundation. This organization partners with retailers to donate a portion of the registry sales to a charitable organization selected by the bride and groom. What a wonderful way to celebrate a marriage and give back to society!

Clutter and Oprah

Earlier this week, Wednesday, February 7th to be exact, Peter Walsh of TLC's Clean Sweep appeared on the Oprah show. On Friday, I was able to watch a recording of the show with five other experienced professional organizers.

In the hour long show Peter Walsh was able to transform a young family's home from chaos to something that looked like the Pottery Barn catalog. However, I worry that the general public was given an unrealistic view of how organizers really work with clients.

First of all, I felt that Oprah and at times, Peter Walsh, were insensitive to the negative feelings that the family (particularly the mother) had surrounding their clutter. As an organizing consultant, it is not my job to judge clients nor their clutter. Peter Walsh went so far at one point to basically tell the woman that she was a bad mother because her house was cluttered. I felt that this was unnecessary and demeaning.

The other complaint that I have with the Oprah show--and basically all television organizing shows--is that it all happens so quickly with so much additional consumption of bins, boxes, etc. The mother of the cluttered family on the show actually worked at The Container Store, which is proof that containers do not organize people, but rather good habits organize people.

On a positive note, Peter Walsh was right on when he said that clutter "robs you psychologically" and one cannot be a peace while living with clutter. I find that once my clients can get rid of the clutter, their lives are opened up to many more blessings.

Auction Event

From time to time, Simply Organized Life donates services to local charity auctions. This is the second year in a row that we have donated a non-transferable gift certificate to the Performance Network Gala Auction. The Gala will be held on February 16, 2007.

In addition to supporting the auction, I have a few raffle tickets to sell for the Gala. The grand prize is a pair of diamond earrings valued at $3,500 from Schlanderer and Sons in Ann Arbor. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing one ticket for $20 or three for $50.

We believe in giving back to our community!

Time to Read

In working full time with the clients of Simply Organized Life over the last two years, I have met some wonderfully interesting intelligent people. One of the common threads among my clients is that they seem to have a thirst for knowledge, particularly the written word. Everyone wants to know how they can find more time to read the books, magazines and newspapers piled up around their house.

At the core of my organizing philosophy is the belief that if we are able to organize the more mundane details of life (laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.) we will have time for the things we love, such as reading. That being said, in 2007 there is way more information to read than any of us have the time to keep up with. So we have to be a bit selective in choosing (and keeping) our reading material.

Here are some tips:

1. An old newspaper is like a used Kleenex. Recycle newspapers more than a couple of days old.
2. Limit the number of magazines by using a container, such as a basket to store them in one place.
3. Practice the one in, one out rule for books. If you buy a new book, donate or sell an old one.

Preparing for the Inevitable

Most of us probably do not want to think about, let alone prepare for, our inevitable deaths. Admitedly, on our organizing journeys this is probably one of the later things we will spend time on. However, it is an important gift that we can provide to our families and our heirs.

My colleague, Shannon Ronald, who I met at the 2006 NAPO Conference in Boston recently appeared on http://www.wsradio.com/ internet radio. Shannon, who is both a professional organizer and a life coach discusses the need to speak openly with our family members about our inevitable deaths. Click here to listen to the 10 minute segment with Shannon.

As with any other task on our organizing journeys, preparing for death can take many forms. One element is physical (i.e. your "stuff") while other elements include paperwork, financial documents and other wishes after death. By decluttering throughout the stages of our life and organizing our paperwork, we can eliminate stress for our loved ones after we are gone.

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!

Enjoying the Season

For those of you that have been reading December's posts, we are now at 81 holiday cards sent, approximately 30 received. It's not necessary to do this, but I like to keep track of the cards our family sends and receives in a simple Excel spreadsheet. My Mom uses a spiral bound notebook.

We are now in the midst of Hanukkah and hope our Jewish clients are enjoying the season. Our Christian clients will celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent in just a few days on Christmas Eve this year.

I am sure some of you are still scurrying around to take care of last minute holiday preparations, but we hope that most of you are able to take time to enjoy the season, friends and family.

In my family, we are expecting houseguests to arrive tomorrow evening. With the exception of a little cleaning and food preparation, we are ready for our visitors and are enjoying this holiday season. The only thing missing is a little snow to set the mood, but we will have to make do with our holiday decorations instead this year.

Spicy Holidays

In yesterday's post I was hoping for a windfall of holiday cards in my mailbox. That didn't happen. Today's count: 81 cards sent, 13 received. I did receive a card from my brother's family for the first time in 7 years. Perhaps my sister-in-law reads this blog?

If you plan to be baking or cooking this holiday season, I hope you will make it spicy. Nothing is worse than stale spices.

It came to my attention through fellow NAPO members that McCormick has some great guidelines of their website regarding the shelf life of spices. Of course, their intentions aren't all altruistic, but if you have McCormick cinnamon in a square box you had better toss it as it's at least 15 years old!

Those of you that know me know that I am not much of a cook, but our family's spices sure are organized. If you want to see for yourself click on the organizing page at Simply Organized Life.

Finding the Time

As of today the holiday card count at my house is 81 sent, 11 received (see yesterday's post). I am hoping for a windfall in today's mail.

Finding the time to write holiday cards, or take on any holiday project, doesn't need to be complicated. You do need to plan ahead.

Before our family writes a single card, I make sure we have all of the materials together in one place. This includes: pens, stamps, address labels, return address labels, our family photo and of course, the cards! Our "holiday card kit" is kept in the same place every year and I try to gather all the "pieces" prior to Thanksgiving. Then, whenever we get 10 or 15 minutes here and there, we can write a card or two.

Here's another example. If your holiday project is baking cookies, you would want to do the same by having all of the ingredients on hand before you pull out the mixing bowl. Use your calendar to remind you to check the pantry for ingredients a few weeks prior and add needed items to your regular shopping list. A little planning saves tons of time in the long run.

Holiday Cards

In our household we love to send holiday cards. We are traditionalists when it comes to these cards: no form letters and every card gets a handwritten note. As of yesterday, we have mailed 80 cards to friends and family in five countries. So far, we have only received 7 cards in return, so I hope at least some of our friends read this blog.

Now you may be wondering, "How in heaven's name does she find the time?" With planning and a simple system in place, it can be quite easy. I will share my secret in the days ahead.

Some years ago, I created created a template in Microsoft Word for Avery mailing labels. You can do this using the "mail merge" feature if you keep your addresses in Microsoft Office or type them in manually. The labels save tons of time in comparison to writing each address and you can print from the same template every year. Throughout the year, I make sure to update the list when someone moves. Prior to Thanksgiving our family reviews the list to determine who we will send cards to that year.

If you plan to send cards in time for Hanukkah, you might squeeze in under the wire. If you are sending Christmas cards, the US Postal Service recommends mailing first class letters by December 18, 2006. So, you still have time to get your card to us!

Holiday Tips

This blog was started in 2005 to share Simply Organized Life's 10 Tips for Stress Free Holidays (or at least holidays with less stress).

Here's a refresher on the 10 Tips:
1) Keep it Simple
2) Plan, Plan, Plan
3) Use a Calendar
4) Make a Financial Plan (and stick to it!)
5) Declutter your Space
6) Ask for What you Want (and ask others what they want)
7) Give Clutter Free Gifts
8) Accept Imperfection
9) Remember the Reason for the Season
10) Have Fun!

To learn more about each of the tips, please click on the archives for November 2005 and December 2005. Rather than repeat this in 2006, in the days ahead I will share other tips for stress free (or stress less) holidays.