January 24 – January 30, 2010 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Chuck from Lansing, MI
Chuck writes: “I travel a great deal, and don't have time to re-invent the wheel so to speak when packing a bag. So I have a series of lists that enable me to delegate packing to staff, friends and family if need be: a 2-day bag, a 4-day bag, a week-long bag, etc.
Some other useful traveling tips I use are:
Always carry plastic shopping bags. They are excellent for holding laundry, wrapping anything wet and keeping anything dry.
Always carry foam ear-plugs so you can sleep properly when traveling.
I keep a record of the serial, reference and registration numbers of all my insurance policies, bank accounts and personal and professional information in a single word document on my computer. At any time I can access it should emergencies or other needs arise.”
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This is the busiest time of year for travel. It is also the busiest time of year for everything else…so coordinating all the details and organizing travel plans can quickly become overwhelming. So what can you do? Here are few tips to help you organize any trips you are planning for next week…or even next year!
Make lists: These can include lists of things to pack, things to do, things to see, ect.
Always take extra plastic bags for dirty laundry, shoes, etc.
Don’t feel like you have to plan activities for each and every day - have some ideas for rainy day activities too so that you can simply look at your list and choose an indoor activity.
Count on purchasing items on your trip. Plan to take 10lbs less than your baggage allowance so that you have plenty of space for any souvenirs and shopping.
Choose a color palette for your clothes and stick to it. I find doing this that each pair of pants then matches with any of the tops, and vice versa.
Pack travel-size toiletries or if you have some old hotel toiletries, use those. I keep my toiletry bag permanently packed and restock immediately when I return from a trip. This saves a lot of time because all I ever have to do is pack clothes.
Always take a backpack. There is a reason why these are so popular with tourists - your hands are free to eat, browse, carry your water, etc.
Pack “disposable” reading materials. Take magazines or e-books that have piled up around your house. This way, you can catch up on your reading and leave the magazine or e-book behind. You will lighten your load as you go and hopefully be finished with your reading by the time you arrive home.
Take a notebook with you to journal or make some notes about the places you visit. It will help you remember your holiday with greater clarity especially once you're back home.
And now that you're organized, have a wonderful time and enjoy your trip.
'Tis the season for spontaneous entertaining! The holidays, more than anytime of the year, is when friends, family and neighbors are likely to call and say, "We're dropping by for a quick visit."
If you're house isn't always ready for unexpected company, here's a plan of action that will get your house spiffy in a jiffy. If you're home alone, take a deep breath and hit the hotspots that you think company is most likely to see. If you have family at home, divide and conquer!
ONE: Clutter Grab an empty laundry basket and collect newspapers, mail and other clutter that have accumulated in the entryway and living room (or family room, if that's where you're likely to gather). Tuck it into the laundry room or a closet, but don't forget it's there after the company goes home!
TWO: Floors A clean floor can make the whole house look clean. Grab a broom or your vacuum cleaner for a quick once-over. Finish up with a spray of air freshener or light a candle.
THREE: Kitchen If you have dirty dishes, stack them quickly in the dishwasher. Larger pots and pans can go in the oven - as long as you make a mental note to get them out of there before you preheat the oven the next time. Grab some fresh-smelling spray cleaner, and touch up your countertops, sink and faucets.
FOUR: Bath This is a good reason to store a few extra rolls of toilet paper in your linen closet or under the bathroom sink. You'll need them and some antibacterial spray to wipe down the toilet, sink, and faucets and touch up the floor. Put out some clean hand towels.
Make a few extra casseroles and pots of soup now and put them in the freezer. When company arrives, you can serve a home-made meal and enjoy visiting instead of working in the kitchen.
Also, bake a few extra batches of cookies, divide them up in small servings and bring one along to each party as a hostess gift.
You will always look organized and prepared…even if your not!
When ever you have guest over during the holidays, you will most likely serve some type of hot beverage...I know I do.
So take a few moments right now, to find a cute fabric lined basket and fill it with a nice variety of tea bags, hot chocolate mix, cappuccino packets, coffee, filters, sugar, creamer, stir sticks, marshmallows, etc. Store this basket/bin/tin next to your mugs and when guest arrive, simply turn on the hot water and let them pick their favorite drink.
If you are hosting the big gathering, you probably have a million things on your to-do list, right? Well, here are a few more things to add to your list. Make sure the following items are accomplished today and you will be a little more relaxed tomorrow.
·Work on dishes or prep work that you can do ahead.
·Pick up last minute food items, such as that ordered pie.
·Finish setting tables for tomorrow.
·Tidy up the main areas of your house and do last minute chores.
Don't wait until Thanksgiving Day to start cooking your Thanksgiving meal; start ahead of time. You can make side dishes and gravies and refrigerate freeze them. You can also make pie crusts early and dice onions and peel and slice potatoes and refrigerate them. You can even cook your turkey the day before, pull it off the bone, and stick it in a crock pot with all the juices on Thanksgiving Day. (This does not have the same presentation effects of serving a whole turkey, but it taste delicious!)
You don't have to wait until the last minute and make everything simultaneously. That type of disorganization in the kitchen could be stressful, especially if you're not an old pro at making Thanksgiving dinner (and you have a load of guests on the way).
So get started today and save yourself some stress on Thursday!
Thanksgiving is meant to be a time of remembrance, family and thanks, not a holiday of stress and chaos. Here are a few easy ways to stay organized for an enjoyable, stress-free Thanksgiving Day:
1. Plan Your Meal: Plan your meal from appetizers to dessert on a piece of paper. Make a list of all ingredients needed. Bring your list when you go shopping and check items off as you put them in your cart.
2. Turkey Talk: First, determine how much room you have in your freezer and refrigerator, and how many people you will be serving. Then, order your turkey. If you need more storage space, perhaps a neighbor or relative can help you out. Rather than defrosting a frozen turkey in water on Thanksgiving Day, defrost it a few days ahead in your refrigerator instead. This saves tons of time and is less messy.
3. Check Your Supplies: Check your supply of chairs, tables, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, serving plates and utensils. Arrange to buy, rent or borrow anything you don't have.
4. Cook ahead: Prepare side dishes, deserts, and anything else that you can a day or two before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, just heat and serve. You will save tons of time, plus you'll be able to join in the festivities without being stuck in the kitchen.
5. Get Ready the Night Before. You'll be happy you took care of a few things the night before. Set the table. Get the good silverware out of storage. Lay out your (and your kids') wardrobe…and don’t forget to set your alarm!
6. Give Thanks!
After all, it is Thanksgiving…and it’s a wonderful time to give thanks for health, family, friends and all that life has to offer.
If you’re looking for some tips and tricks to boost your productivity at home and at work, our Productivity Workshop is for you! In just 3 hours you’ll learn how to better manage your time, your home, your office, your computer/e-mail, and your life to promote maximum efficiency and get more accomplished in less time.
You will also learn how to establish a clutter busting routine, how to layout your office for maximum efficiency, and 13 tips to increase your productivity.
The class is tonight from 6-9:00 pm at Grandville Middle school. Contact me immediately if you want to register!
Whether you are decorating for fall, planning a Halloween party, or preparing for trick-or-treating, being organized always helps. Here are a few helpful tips for getting organized during this fun time of year.
1. Make a list of the family members who will need a costume. Consider going with costumes that are simple and reusable. You can pull ideas for costumes from a number of sources, including classic fairy tales, video games, comics, cartoons, etc.
2. If you plan to host a fall/Halloween party, the first thing you need to do is come up with a theme. Then you can pick the location and put together a budget. Make a checklist of all the tasks that need to be done, when they need to be done and the items that need to be purchased, such as invitations, food and decorations. Plan fun activities and games for your party. Bobbing for apples is a one example of a classic game associated with the holiday. Do not forget to set the mood with music. Planning these details ahead of time makes for a smooth event which in turn allows you, the host, to enjoy the party too.
3. To get your home ready for trick-or-treaters, make sure your walkways are well lit. Remove objects from your yard that could present a hazard. Be sure your pets are secured and away from the entryway. And don't forget to get into the spirit of the occasion by putting on a costume yourself. The trick-or-treaters will enjoy seeing you dressed up.
4. Fall decorations do not have to be difficult and elaborate. You can create a festive centerpiece for your table by filling a vase with dried flowers, brown leaves and empty branches and then simply tie a dark ribbon around it. Pumpkins and gourds of all colors are plentiful this time of year. Put them together with corn stalks, hay or other decorations for a festive look. Stores also have a large variety of decorations available for your decorating projects that fit many different budgets.
5. Buy your treats ahead of time and have them ready for trick-or-treaters. In the event you choose not to give out candy, consider these healthier options: sugarless gum, trail mix, peanuts, fruit, roasted pumpkin seeds, small bags of popcorn or pretzels, sunflower seeds, or pre- packaged cheese and crackers. Great non-food items to give as treats include Halloween-themed stickers, coloring books, pencils, erasers, temporary tattoos and other small prizes.
6. There are unlimited ways to make food fun and fitting for Halloween. It is a great time to let your creative juices flow. For example, put out snacks such as gummy worms and other Halloween candy treats. Simple party food can be turned into Halloween fare with Halloween embellishments. Freeze raisins in ice cubes and it looks like bugs. Green, red and blue food coloring added to scrambled eggs makes it look like brains. Green jell-o is festive. If you are at a loss for ideas, the Internet, books and magazines are a great source of inspiration.
7. Take advantage of all the fresh produce and head out to a u-pick apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Go for a hay ride, have a bonfire, walk through a corn maze or visit a haunted house. There are so many fun things to do outside…and in a few months, you will wish you could head outside again.
Take some time this fall and do something festive with your family and/or friends.
Is your utensil drawer terminally overstuffed and out of control? Real Simple is in search of America’s messiest pantries and kitchen cabinets and drawers: Send in a photo of yours, and it could be made over for the December issue.
I am participating in a fundraiser with H.U.G.S. Ranch in Jamestown, MI. H.U.G.S. Ranch is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage mental, emotional, physical, and social healing to hurting children and rescued equines (horses) by allowing them to share together in experiencing Hope, Understanding, Guidance, and Support in a no-cost, safe, Christian environment. They are hosting a fundraiser, which I am speaking at...so come and learn about clutter control, time management and productivity, and support a great cause! Click here for more information.
february 22 -- february 28, 2009 this weeks "tip of the week" was sent from Liz from Lenexa, KS
Liz writes: " When going through the house for garage sale items to sell, I price the items as I go. That way, I don't have to spend extra time the night before a garage sale pricing everything. I can just put the items on a table and be done."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Do you have an organizing or time management tip that you would like to share? Click here and your tip could be the next one featured in our newsletter, our blog or on our website! For more organizing tips, check out www.andreadekker.com. It is full of great organizing tips for every area of your life.
Quick and SIMPLE Clutter Control: January 21 (6-9 PM) Have you made it a goal to get organized for the new year? This class will focus on eliminating clutter from every area of your life and give you helpful suggestion on how to keep clutter at bay all through 2009.
Family Planning: February 19 (6-9 PM) This class is great for busy family and will help you (as the parent) learn how to better manage your time and plan your family's daily activities.
Boost Productivity at Home & Work: March 18 (6-9 PM) Are you looking for a way to increase you productivity at work? How would you like to have more time to do the things you really want to do each day? This class will show you how to do just that in one, compact workshop!
If you never have a chance to enjoy the holidays because you're always running from one home to the next, it's time to do something about that this year.
Avoid stress by planning holiday visits early, so everyone in the family is aware of who will be where, and when.
See if you can visit one house on Christmas Eve and another on Christmas Day, for example. Or perhaps visit one family on Thanksgiving and another on Christmas. Perhaps your family might even be willing to celebrate on odd days, like the 23rd or 26th--you don't know unless you ask.
If you must visit two homes in one day, how about suggesting a holiday breakfast at one, and a holiday dinner at the other--in doing so, you get to see everyone, but there's enough time in between to relax.
Another possibility is just having everyone over to your house. If you don't want to cook, you can always have it catered, or ask everyone to bring a dish to pass.
Have you ever wondered where and when Labor Day began. I did, so I looked it up at www.history.com and found a lot more background than I realized. Take a few minutes to read about the first Labor Day (below) and then focus on relaxing and spending time with your family and friends! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.
With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an upaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.
On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union led by Eugene V. Debs and on June 26 the American Railroad Union called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.
The founder of Labor Day remains unclear, but some credit either Peter McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, for proposing the holiday.
Although Labor Day is meant as a celebration of the labor movement and its achievements, it has come to be celebrated as the last, long summer weekend before Autumn.
Making the transition from lazy summer days to a structured school day can be tough for many children...and adults! Here are some tips to make it easier on you and your kids.
start early: I know that it doesn't seem like summer should be over yet (and it's not) but you will thank yourself later for doing a little pre-school planning now. Stock up on basic school supplies and non perishable snaks now to lighten the amout of shopping and spending you have to do later.
make it a special event: plan a day (or just a few hours) to take each child on a school shopping trip all by themselves. You can get their hair cut, get any specific items he or she will need for that year, shop for new clothes and even get a bite to eat. It will be your time to spend alone with each child and it will be something they can look forward to as well.
change sleep paterns: waking up early can be tough if your children are used to sleeping until 10:00 every morning. Start a transition period of putting your children to bed a little earlier each night and wakeing them up a little early each day. This transition will help them adjust to their new school schedule and the first day won't be a rush to get everyone out the door.
meet the teachers: take your children to school and walk the halls. Find their classroom and meet their teacher. These small steps can help even the shyest of children feel more confident about their first days of a new year. You might even want to navigate your way around the school if it is in a new building. Find the closest bathroom, the library, the gym, the cafeteria and the office.
tutor time: the summer months provide a long break for children to forget much of what they learned in the previous year! Take time now to do simple learning exercise like crosword puzzles, flash cards, spelling quizes, memorization activities and reading. You can make the activities into fun games and have prizes at the end. It doesn't matter what you do, just that you get your children back in the habbit of focusing on school-like activities for a period of time.
No one wants to be scrambling on the first day of school...so start now! All of these ideas will help you jump start your school year and get off on the right foot! Oh, and don't forget to enjoy the last few weeks of summer too!
Where I live, and I assume in most parts of the country, it is inevitable that the first signs of spring are street corners littered with "Yard Sale" advertisements. The signs persist until late September, or possibly beyond, depending on the weather. Each seller has high hopes of bringing in some extra income by selling items he or she no long want, need, or use.
As a professional organizer, I applaud their effort to purge their homes and lives of needless clutter. I do, however, questions the amount of preparation needed to put on such an event and am often asked by clients what they can do to make their sale more profitable. So... I've put together a five-step plan that should make your yard sale more enjoyable and more importantly, more profitable!
STEP 1: Plan The Event
Pick the date for your sale. Try to avoid holiday weekends as more people will be out of town. Also, it is a good idea to span your sale over 3 days (Thursday-Saturday) so people with different work schedules can attend.
Start accumulating merchandise several months in advance(as if this is a problem for anyone). Have a designated spot in your basement or spare room that is only for yard sale items. The more you have to sell, the more appealing your sale will be to shoppers.
Go through pockets of coats, pants, shirts, and purses to check for money and other belongings...you wouldn't want to sell something for $5.00 not knowing there was a $20.00 bill in the pocket!
STEP 2:Advertise
Starting a week before your sale, call the newspaper and purchase a classified ad. Run the ad the day before and the day of the sale. Make sure you include your address, date and hours of the sale, plus any important items for sale.
Mention your yard sale to neighbors, friends, family, coworkers, and others you come into contact with. The power of word-of-mouth advertising is amazing!
Advertise on free websites such as Craigstlist.com
STEP 3:Get Ready
Plan the location for your sale...usually in the garage or drive way. However, you could set up a tent if you have a large enough yard or you could have it in a pole barn on your property. Make sure people can easily access this spot from the road.
Have a plan-B in case the weather does not cooperate. Your sale should not be canceled due to poor weather conditions...and you would be surprised how many people will still come during a rain storm!
Stock your display tables the night before and keep them in a secure storage area. Presentation is important so make sure your displays are visually appealing and have like items together.
Remove or cover any items that are not for sale.
Make sure your lawn is cut, any animal traps are removed, and any hazardous items in your garage are disposed of or removed for the days of the sale. If you have dogs, you should walk through the area to look for any thing they may have left behind (if you know what I mean!)
Make sure all items are clearly priced (at a reasonable price), and that you have plenty of change and small bills handy. You will also want to have a secure storage box for the money, a pocket calculator, and plenty of bags for your customers to put their new treasures in.
Have electrical outlets available for people to try out any electrical devices.
Make arrangements with a local thrift store to come the day after your sale and take anything that is left over.
STEP 4:Advertise Part 2
Post signs around your neighborhood and on main cross streets the day before your sale. Make sure you check that they are still their on the morning of your sale.
You will want to make signs that are attractive, easy to read, sturdy, and weather proof. Wooden garden stakes make a very study anchor and broad-tip permanent markers or paint are good weather proof options. Consider laminating your signs for future use.
If you live in a subdivision, make sure you have a sign at every corner, directing people which way to turn.
Remember to take down all your advertisements after the sale is over.
STEP 5:Sell!
Get up early, eat a good breakfast, and get your display tables into position before you are scheduled to open (people will always come early).
Put any interesting or high profile items near the end of the driveway to lure people into your sale.
Keep small, valuable items near the cash box so you have a constant eye on them.
Create a pleasant atmosphere. Have music playing, offer lemonade or water, have trash cans in place and make a point to welcome everyone who comes up the driveway.
If items aren't selling after the first day, feel free to lower the prices or make a sign advertising "everything 50% off" for the last day.
Don't take personal checks unless you are confident that they won't bounce.
Be prepared for shoppers to barter with you over a price they think it too high. Don't feel pressured to take their lower offer, especially if it is near the beginning of your sale. It might be a different story on the last day when you are trying to get rid of everything that is left over.
Be firm about your closing time and put things away at the scheduled time.
Have fun!
Hopefully this will help you the next time you need to put on a yard sale. Although it is a lot of work, there is potential to make a lot of money on things you and your family are no longer using.
