Christmas Organising

With Christmas fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to talk about a nice and fast way to organise the festive season. Some people start months before and once December comes around, they're done and everything is organised. Not everyone is this organised or even wants to think about Christmas before December starts.

Here is a list I found on the Style at Home website that I would like to share with you. It covers 12 days of Christmas Organising and tackles pretty much all areas. If you jump in today (8 days to go) simply leave out tasks you can do without and combine a couple of days. You can still get organised, even if you haven’t started yet.

Keep your holidays in step with 12 days of Christmas organizing ideas.

Cooking and wrapping and decorating -- oh my! With so much to do in the days leading up to Christmas it's easy to get overwhelmed with holiday tasks. This year, minimize the annual festive frenzy with Style at Home's 12-day countdown to a stress-free Christmas.
Day 12
• Clean out the fridge and freezer to free up space.
• Gather your holiday recipes and cross-reference the ingredients you have with the ones you'll need to buy.
• Check your inventory of cookware, serving pieces, and food storage containers to see what’s missing. If you're in need of something, contact a family member or friend to see if you can borrow or share items.
Day 11
• Shop for groceries and pick up everything you'll need to complete your holiday recipes. If it can be baked or cooked ahead of time, buy the ingredients now.
• Be sure to purchase plenty of frozen hors d'oeuvres and finger foods - they're a lifesaver when guests drop by unexpectedly.
• If you have kids at home, hire a babysitter rather than taking them with you. Shopping alone will help you stay focused.
Day 10
• Cook any dishes ahead of time that you can. Casseroles, appetizers and desserts can be frozen, thus saving you time on the big day.
• Before starting your cooking and baking, lay out all the ingredients and baking supplies you'll need. Try to clean as you go, minimizing the mess.

Day 9
• Go gift shopping and try to cross off everyone on your list. Pick up a few small extras for last minute hostess gifts and unexpected visitors.
• Remember to include the people who make your life easier all year: the mailman, paperboy, or anyone else you can think of. Give them each a small gift and have it delivered right away in case they take time off over the holidays.
• Check and see if you need to stock up on any wrapping materials. Make sure there's enough paper, ribbon, gift tags, and the one thing everyone always runs out of – tape!
Day 8
• Have a tree trimming or decorating party. Pull some hors d'oeuvres out of the freezer or serve hot chocolate and sweet treats. Have holiday music on hand and make it a fun occasion for everyone. Having friends and family over to help you decorate will save you time and help you relax.
Day 7
• Run errands and pick up any extras you may have overlooked on your last shopping trip. Think about things like logs for the fireplace, batteries for toys and gadget gifts, ornament hooks, club soda for spills, extra ice, matches to light candles, and replacement bulbs for strings of lights.
Day 6
• Hire a babysitter to watch the kids and devote some time to wrapping gifts. Make it enjoyable by listening to Christmas carols or watching your favorite holiday film while you do it.
• If you're heading out to holiday parties over the next few days, print out the directions now. Put them all together and leave them by the front door.

Day 5
• Check all the linens you'll be using such as tablecloths, placemats, and napkins, and make sure they're clean and not musty. Give them a wash and iron or treat yourself to a professional dry cleaning.
• Pull out the special guest towels and decorative soaps and place them in the powder room.
• Clean out the foyer closet and free up space for guests’ coats and boots.
Day 4
• Go to the grocery store and stock up on anything you may have run out of or missed on your last trip. Pick up perishables like fresh vegetables and dairy products.
• Purchase any flowers you might want for holiday centerpieces and displays. It's just enough time for them to open up and settle so they'll look perfect for the big day.
Day 3
• Enlist the help of every member of the household and give the house a good spot cleaning. Dust, vacuum, and tidy up so you don't have to worry about it at the last minute.
• Take the turkey out of the freezer and put in the fridge.
Day 2
• Set the holiday table and get candles, flower arrangements and music ready. Prepare everything you can so you can relax on the big day.
• Order takeout or pull a stress-free meal out of the freezer. Give the oven -- and yourself! -- a break and rest up for the following day.
Day 1
• Pat yourself on the back as you enjoy a relaxing holiday with those you love the most!

Have a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year 2010!

Thursday’s Thought – Clutter Free Gifts

As it’s all about pre-christmas on the blog at the moment, and the last post was on ideas for clutter free gifts, I thought I’d add a few more thoughts on the subject.

Giving someone a voucher for something may seem like an easy option, an avoidance of thinking about what to give. But if you think about it in more detail, that doesn’t have to be the case. It could show that you have actually put more thought into a present than simply going into a shop and buying something.

Giving someone a voucher for a treat (like a pampering session) or phone top ups or downloads (such as i-tunes) means that you do care about what is important to them. You have thought about something they could really benefit from.

If you give someone a physical item as a gift, do you really always think about the following:

• will the person actually like the item?
• have they got the space to store it/display it?
• have they got time to do what it takes to look after it? (if you’ve ever received a nice item of clothing that can only be hand washed or dry cleaned you’ll know what I mean)
• does it need new batteries every week to keep it going?

You get the idea.

What I am trying to say: as long as you are really trying to put some thought into your “clutter-free” gift (such as a voucher for their favourite shop) your recipient will prefer that to the umpteenth pair of socks or the obligatory tie.

Clutter Free Gift Ideas

With Christmas approaching, some of us dread the idea that yet more clutter is going to enter our house in the form of presents. But this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Quite often we get what we wish for, so why not put things on your wish list that are not actually “things”.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing: presents to wish for or to give to your loved ones (since of course you don’t want them to drown in clutter either).

• Voucher for a “Meal Out” at your favourite restaurant
• Cinema ticket
• Theatre/Concert tickets
• Voucher for “services” to offer such as
• babysitting
• cleaning
• decluttering
• walking the dog
• house sitting
• DIY
• washing/valeting the car
• Voucher for a “Girly Day Out”
• Voucher for a “Boys’ Weekend Away”
• A Massage
• A Facial
• A Spa Day
• Any holistic treatment such as Reiki
• Adventure Days
• A cooking course
• Promise to be an Exercise Buddy
• Membership to a Club
• Weekend Break
• Offer a kid’s sleepover at your house so that the parents get to spend some “couple time”
• Charity Donation for particular cause (Oxfam do “un-wrapped” presents – the recipient receives a card and a simple fridge magnet showing what was given in his/her behalf)- (Save the Children have a Wishlist programme doing the same with Children’s gifts)
• If you’re good at cooking, offer to be the Chef for a night (maybe for a dinner party or just so, for their family)
• Mobile phone top-up
• I-tunes vouchers
• Apps for i-phone
• Music lessons
• Driving lessons
• Any lessons
• or how about the ultimate present: give the gift of decluttering - Well Organised Gift Vouchers 

Tuesday’s Tip – Clutter Entertainment

I found this great little video on YouTube that I would like to share with you today. It’s a clip by American comedienne Lois Morton named: Confessions of a Clutterholic.

Enjoy!

How to Motivate Yourself for Cleaning

Cleaning is one of those jobs that some of us really need to gear up for; it doesn’t come naturally. This post is for you.

Here are 5 super ways to get the oomph, to put your rear into gear to tackle the cleaning that needs doing around the house.

1. The Ultimate Motivator - Invite Someone Over To Your Home

Nothing gets you more going than knowing someone is going to pop in at a certain time. You will want to make a good impression and not let the sides down. After you’ve made the inviting phone call, go through the house with a visitor’s eye and you will see all that needs doing much clearer. Make a list and work through it. You’ve already got a natural deadline – you know when your visitors should arrive. And as a reward for all that hard work you can spend some relaxing time with your friend.

2. Clean Out Some Clutter

Decluttering is a very freeing exercise. As you get rid of items that you have been holding on to for years you begin to feel a sense of freedom, relief and clarity. It sounds corny, but it’s true and you won’t find out for yourself until you try it. Start in a small area, like a shelf or a side table. This will motivate you to tackle bigger projects. And with all those newly discovered clear surfaces you will find that cleaning almost does itself!

5. Rearrange a Room

This is another very good way to freshen up a room. In the process you will want to improve things and will start to clean and organise without even thinking about it. You don’t need to completely redecorate which can be costly, but simply move furniture, artwork, decorative items, etc. You will then want to keep it that way, all shiny and new looking, and are more likely to keep on top of things. And you never know, improving one room like this could even motivate you to extend that new fresh look to another room and soon your whole house will look like new.

Goal Setting – Taking Action

Setting goals is only the first step in achieving them. It is great to know what you’re aiming for but now you need to decide what it is that is going to move you towards your goals, so that in the end you will achieve them.

You have written down your goals and put them in a visible space so everyday you are reminded of what you’re working towards.

Now you need to take some action. Commit to doing one small thing every day that is going to move you towards your goal. This is the best and fastest way to getting there. Create a plan of action steps you need to do to accomplish your goals.

This action plan can take the shape of mini goals you set out to achieve that will ultimately lead to the main goal. These mini goals should be quite easy to achieve and only contain a few actions each. This way you see progress and are motivated to keep going.

Setting goals is not going to achieve them.
Writing goals down is not going to achieve them.
Taking small action steps every day IS going to achieve them.

Tuesday’s Tip - Motivational Quotes - Goals

Since I’m intending on keeping the subject on goal setting going for a little while longer – there’s loads more to discuss – I thought it’s time for some topical Motivational Quotes. Here’s what I found:

"The most important thing about goals is... having one."
-- Geoffry F. Abert

"A goal is a dream with a deadline."
-- Napolean Hill, Author

"Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."
-- J.C. Penney, Retailer

“Chance can allow you to accomplish a goal every once in a while, but consistent achievement happens only if you love what you are doing.”
--Bart Conner

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.”
--Og Mandino

Let me know what you think. Comments welcome!

On Track to Achieving Your Goals – Write Them Down

Last time we spoke about making goals precise and realistic to make them achievable. This time I want to talk about how to go about achieving your goals.

The first and most important step is to write your goals down. Don’t just have them flying around your mind, hiding in between all those other bits you need to remember. Write them down and then put them somewhere where you can always see them. This could be posted on the fridge with a magnet , on a yellow sticky note or in your diary or all of the above. This way you are always reminded that there is something you are working towards and your subconscious will do some of the work for you. It will, for instance, come up with different ways how to overcome obstacles and find different avenues to follow to help you along the way.

Studies have shown that people who write their goals down are more likely to achieve them than people who don’t. One famous study from Yale in 1953 said that the 3% of Yale graduates who had written goals had more wealth years later than the other 97% of the class combined. Makes you think, right? If it worked for these guys then it can work for you, too.

Formulate your goals in the positive. Instead of saying what you don’t want, what you want to avoid or what you want less of, specify what you do want, what you want to attract and what you want more of. We get what we focus on. If you focus on “less stress” you inadvertently focus on “stress”. The brain doesn’t really register the “less”. You will get more of what you don’t want.

Also, keep writing them. Refine them. Make them more precise. This makes your goals more real since it’s a process that is always fresh in your mind.

The Art of Goal Setting

How do you set goals? That is a question that is actually quite legitimate. Most of us have stuff we want to achieve. Make more money, be more organised, be healthier, to name but a few. But are these actually goals? Well, they are a good start I would say, but to become goals they need a bit more thinking.

Let’s look at one example: “I want to be more organised.”

Good idea, but how do you know when you have achieved this? Is it when all your CDs are alphabetically sorted? Is it when you are no longer late arriving at appointments? Is it when all your laundry is always up to date? What does being organised mean for you?

Another example: “I want to be healthier.”

Same questions: How do you know you have achieved this? Does your blood pressure or blood sugar (or both) have to be a certain level? Do you want to reach a certain weight? Do you want to be fit enough to run a marathon? And by when?

Being not very specific about setting your goals is one of the reasons why the famous New Year’s Resolutions usually fail. We are so vague about what we want to achieve that we have no idea what “achieved” actually looks like.

We usually don’t attach a time limit either, a realistic one to be precise. Unless you go on “The Biggest Loser” you are not likely to lose 3 stone by the end of January when you start on the 1st January. Unless you are a very lucky person you are not likely to win the lottery and therefore end up £1 million richer within a few weeks time.

So, the gist of today is: be specific about your goals. And give them realistic time limits. What precisely do you want to achieve by when?

Next time we’ll talk about what we do with those goals so that they don’t just stay dreams that won’t come true.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday’s Tip – Go and Set Some Goals

Everyone talks about goal setting these days. But why exactly should you do it? Just because people keep telling you to is probably not a good enough reason. And I completely agree with you on that one. But what about if you look at these 5 reasons:

1. Goals can give you a target to aim for
   If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?
2. Goals can help you focus
   What do you want to achieve today?
3. Goals can motivate you
   If you know what’s at stake you will want to stop procrastinating.
4. Goals can help you set priorities
   Find out what’s really important to you and do something do improve exactly that.
5. Goals can be a roadmap
   Find your way from where you are now to where you want to be.

Start today by writing down your goals and see where they can take you.

Today’s tip is the first in a series of posts on goal setting. I believe that goal setting is a great way to organise your mind and your time so it’s very relevant to the Well Organised philosophy.

Piling or Filing

Many people have piles on their desks. And for some of them these piles actually work. Some people are very visual and want to leave everything out in sight that they are working on because they are worried they'll forget it if it's files away. One problem of those piles is that they take up a lot of space. Another one is that no-one but you will know where anything is. Co-workers have virtually no chance of finding anything on a piler's desk.

There are a few practical solutions that save space and will make it easy to at least identify which pile holds what.

Using filing trays is one option. The ones that are stackable and are usually used as in-trays. Simply divide all your piles out into your different projects, then assign one tray per project and also label the tray.

If your projects are very paper intensive and would take up more than one tray, you can either divide your project logically into two trays (i.e. one for active documents, one for background literature) or you could use a literature sorter which can hold a lot more.

Getting your paper organised will help you save time finding things which you can use on actually working on your projects rather than looking for relevant documents.

Back Among The Living

Dear Readers,

After quite a long absence due to holidays and other inconveniences, 2 1/2 months to be precise, it is really highest time to update the blog again. I am sure you have missed my useful posts and Tuesday’s Tips and can’t wait to receive more.

So, to stop all this anticipation and because it’s Tuesday, here is a Tuesday’s Tip to get back into your organising:

Tuesday’s Tip – Cleaning Caddy

If the thought of cleaning fills you with dread because it always takes ages to gather all your supplies together, why not invest in a cleaning caddy (£2.98 from B&Q), that stores all your cleaning products and can be easily carried from room to room.

If you have more cleaning items than fit into the caddy think about scaling down. You don’t need different products for each surface in every room. A window cleaner (for windows and also great for bathroom sink, shower and bath), one surface cleaner for more delicate surfaces (ideally something that is environmentally friendly) and a general purpose floor cleaner. If you have laminate floors, use the laminate cleaner for the all floors. And you will need a cleaning cloth of course, ideally one that can be thrown in the wash once you’re done with it.

By cutting down on your cleaning products you will save money and also do your bit for the environment.

Tuesday’s Tip – Take Pictures of your Treasures

If you have a lot of items that you can’t seem to part from but that are taking over the house, why not take a photo of them. This could be children’s artwork and crafts, special outfits, knick knacks, items you received as gifts but no longer fit into your lifestyle, etc.

Pictures take up a lot less space than the actual items, and you can even turn them into a nice scrapbook.

Then, when nostalgia hits, simply get out the pictures, or look at the scrapbook and reminisce in your clutter-free home that reflects the current you.

Holiday Checklists

It’s now the end of June and universities are already on their holidays, and school wills be closed in a few weeks time for summer holidays. Many of you have booked a summer holiday, whether here in the UK or abroad and you will be thinking about getting ready for the trip.

There are lots of things to think about, whether it is transport, passports, what to take for the trip, what to pack, who’s looking after the pets, etc.

The friendly people from freechecklists.co.uk have made life a lot easier by providing free checklists on the internet that you can print out. There is a whole category for travel so that all different kinds of needs are captured.

A lot of people will be travelling in roughly a month’s time, so here is an excerpt from the list “Travel Holiday Month Before” (it’s about half of the original):

• Check you luggage is appropriate to airline/size/weight BA Easyjet
• Check in-flight entertainment for yourself/children
• Arrange special boarding requirements e.g wheelchair
• Arrange   any special meals
• Arrange car hire   Go to Hiring a Car checklist
• Consider surprises for children to open/play with en route
• Buy medicines for journey/whole trip Go to Health Abroad checklist
• Think about camera/film and buy more as required
• Finalise arrangements for leaving your home. Go to Leaving your home checklist.
• Check your documents are in order. Go to Travel Documents checklist
• Check you have told all friends/family/work of your itinerary
• Order foreign currency/travellers cheques.

If you check out the site, there are lists for a whole host of other topics. The creators of the site seem to have aviation background, where checklists are the lifeblood of everything working well. Flying is as safe as it is, because everything runs via checklists that are always up to date. I think we can learn from that. Checklists make things run smoother, even when you’re not flying a plane.

Thursday’s Thought – Start! Begin! Now!

This week’s Tuesday’s Tip didn’t quite make it and since Wednesday’s Wonderings or Wednesday’s Womblings or similar all sound a bit ropy I came up with Thursday’s Thought as a nice alternative.

And it’s all about beginnings. Have you noticed that the most difficult thing about pretty much anything is getting it started? And once you have started it is much easier to keep it going? It’s that first bit of movement that takes the greatest amount of energy. If you have ever tried to push a car (or pull a truck if you’re into that sort of thing) you will have noticed that once you’ve got that thing to move, it’s not as hard to keep it moving. Some physical principles are at play here (google Newton’s First Law of Motion for more information).

And this not only applies to physics but to getting things done as well. Make a start. Find out what the first thing is you need to do to start your project, to get this show on the road and do it. Now! And then simply move along with it while it’s own momentum keeps it going.

Time Saving Tips

We all have different ways of dealing with our time and most of us often complain that we don’t have enough time. But time is a finite resource and no matter how many wishes and pleas we send out to the universe, there are only 24 hours in a day. The secret is to make the best use of the time you have available.

Here are some time saving tips, that will hopefully free up some valuable time so you can spend it on things that are important to you.

Weekly Planning Routine

Setting a weekly planning routine will help you manage your time better. Make time to write and prioritise your projects and tasks, reconnect with your mission and goals, and create a plan for the upcoming week.

Don’t file an item that still requires any action

Avoid filing an item that still needs your attention before you record it in your diary. Otherwise, you might easily forget about that item and the associated work that you still need to do. This applies to paper as well as emails.

Record your favourite TV programmes

If you can’t live without certain TV programmes why not record them instead of watching them live. You don’t have to plan your schedule around the TV, but watch the programme at your leisure and you can then fast forward through the ad-breaks, saving even more time.

Give each item a home

A key principle of organisation is giving each item a home. This should be ideally somewhere near where it is actually used, saving time when putting away and retrieving alike. This alone can drastically improve the organisation in your home and office.

Learn to speed read

This is a valuable skill in particular if you spend a lot of your day reading documents. There are classes and books on the subject.

Tuesday’s Tip – 5 Bits of Motivation

Motivation is key when it comes to getting organised and taking on a big decluttering project. Here are 5 little tips that will help you get going and keep going:

1. Drink plenty of water: Dehydration can lead to fatigue and mental sluggishness which really does not help when you have to make decisions what to get rid of and what to keep. Make sure you keep your fluid intake up and stay alert.
2. Take regular breaks: making non-stop decisions for too long will lead to burn-out very quickly. Schedule regular breaks. This will keep you more alert and you will get more done in the long run. It can be equated to “sharpening your saw”.
3. Put on your favourite up-beat music: This will keep you in good spirits and it’s always more fun to do anything with a bit of music in the background.
4. Oxygen: Fresh air will also do wonders for your alertness. Make sure you keep a window open while you work. If the weather is particularly bad, try to keep it open for a few minutes per hour at least. It’ll really help.
5. Push yourself harder: If you think a certain task will take 30 minutes, see if you can take off a few minutes. Set a timer for 25 or even 20 minutes and see how fast you can go. Remember: Work will always expand to fit the time available.

Procrastination – You’re Fired!

Watching the latest season of “The Apprentice” has inspired me to this title, as you can probably imagine. And the series is a good example that you can only get anywhere in life if you are pro-active. This also applies when you are aiming to get organised. You will not achieve a lot of progress if you are constantly thinking about getting organised but never actually do anything about it.

The successful candidates in the show were not the ones taking the back seat and the ones trying to stay under the radar. The successful people stood out as taking risks and doing the tasks to the best of their abilities.

Now when it comes to a project like getting organised, you can do many things to bring about success. But the main thing is to get started. Yes, do spend some time making a plan, but then start implementing it, making the first step. A Chinese proverb states: Even the longest journey starts with the first step. And this also applies to the largest of organising projects.

Divide your project into tasks. Break down the tasks into small, manageable bite-size chunks. Think about what needs to be done first and then do it. It will do you and your disorganised surroundings no good if you have the best plan and you don’t implement it.

If you’re not too sure how to go about the whole thing, get some outside help. HIre a Professional Organiser who will put you on the right track and stay with you for as long as you need. They can plan the whole project with you and you decide how much they actually do with you. Once you’re ready to go it alone, they will usually leave you with a host of good advice to increase your confidence and help you on your way.

So why not fire that procrastination today and get started!

Tuesday’s Tip – Checklist for Day Trips

With the weather being so wonderful at the moment, weekends are often used for daytrips into the surrounding countryside. Why not make your daytrips more successful with a little bit of pre-planning.

Write a master checklist for your daytrip and include all the items that might come in handy on the day. Things like water bottles, sun screen, a picnic blanket, a small first aid kit, snacks and of course raincoats (you never know in this country) could be on that list. Add all the items you usually forget and wish you had with you. This might include a camera, for instance.

Then keep this list in a handy place. When you get all your things together for your trip, tick things off as you go along. This makes sure you will be better prepared for your trip and make it a more successful outing.

If you keep an online copy of your list you can always add to it and adapt it.

Have a fun day out!

Tackling your To Do List

“Don't get freaked out by the items on your to-do list; think of the tasks in terms of what they'll mean to you once they're done.”
- Merlin Mann (43folders)

When we look on the items on our to-do list we often think of all the work that’s involved, all the time we need to spend until it’s all done and all the fun stuff we could be doing instead. Even though all this is justified, why not try and change your attitude. Think about the pay-offs instead. All the “What’s in it for me?”.

What could be the pay-offs for finishing the items on your list. Here are some possible positive effects:

• peace of mind
• praise from your manager, family members, yourself etc.
• a reward
• a finished project
• a raise
• a well prepared … (fill in the blanks)
• a good grade
• a degree
• a repaired and working item
• a tidy kitchen
• a clean bathroom
• etc.

Stephen Covey’s 2nd Habit of Highly Organised People states: Start with the end in mind. If you keep your eye on the outcome of your task, you always have something to look forward to and motivation and incentive to keep going until it’s done.

Tuesday’s Tip – Quote of the Day

Today’s Tuesday’s Tip is linked to today’s Quote of the Day which is in the little widget on the right of this page.

“To speed your success, twice a day form a clear mental picture for two minutes of the one thing you want; and tell yourself it's already yours. Imagine it is.”

I think it’s a wonderful quote and very suitable to my blog, because this is how you should start every organising project. Visualise exactly how you want your space to look. Where would you like what to be, how would you like your space to be organised. Then think what the first step is to get to that point. Take this step. Then the next, and so on.

And with small steps even the largest project will be achieved.

Preparing to Sell Your Property

Despite the media repeating nothing but doom and gloom messages, the economy is actually starting to turn upwards again and there are signs everywhere of houses starting to sell again. More and more For Sale boards are going up, solicitors are getting busier – it’s looking up, folks!

With all that in mind, you might be thinking about selling your property. And with another May Bank Holiday just around the corner, why not start getting your house prepared for selling. We have all watched House Doctor and have seen what a difference it makes to show your house off at its best. And that means it needs to look and feel spacious providing enough storage for your belongings.

So why not use the Bank Holiday weekend for just that, a good sort out, rearranging and reorganising, maybe some gardening to get everything into good shape. It’ll also make things easier once you get to moving yourself since you will have a lot less clutter to move if you do a good sort out beforehand. You might even get as far as using your garage for the purpose it was intending, (keeping your car safe), rather than a junk storage container.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Walk through the house with buyers eyes and a piece of paper (maybe even a clipboard). Starting at the front door, go through the house room by room making notes of what needs improving. This way you have the start of a project plan.
  
• Don't get more overwhelmed.
  This might happen at the thought of decluttering your old home, so you end up procrastinating and not doing anything about it.
  You may already be overwhelmed with your clutter. Don’t increase this by thinking you have to get rid of it all in one day.
  Pick one project for each of the weekend days, a project you are sure you can complete. Before you know it, you should begin to see your table surfaces, floor space and begin to make your make your house sellable.
  
• If you have a team, use it. 
  If there are other people in your home besides you, every person in your household should be responsible for certain parts of the project.
  Split up tasks between you and your spouse. If you have kids, give them tasks and insist they do those to contribute to the family goal. 
  It's amazing how much time could be saved when good teamwork is put in action. If necessary, hire outside help, or ask a relative or neighbour to assist.
  
• Work expands to fit the time allotted. 
  Never schedule your time according to how much time you have available. Instead, schedule your time according to how long a particular project or task should actually take. Just because you have 3 hours, doesn't mean it should take you three hours to do something that should only take an hour or so. You'll get a lot more done if your deadlines are set properly.
  
• Give yourself a plan.
  How much will you accomplish, and how well will you accomplish it all, without a plan? Make sure that you don’t jump from one thing to the next with absolutely no plan. You'll end the day both exhausted and unfulfilled, and most likely you'll have a bunch of unfinished projects.
  Instead, give yourself a written plan. Make a To Do list each evening for the next day. Follow it closely throughout the day. Cross things off as you finish them.
  At the end of each day, look at all the things you crossed off your list and rejoice in everything you have accomplished--then relax and enjoy your evenings!
  
• If the weather is particularly fine, a project might include some gardening. Get rid of those weeds, do some trimming of overgrown shrubs, maybe even plant some annuals in the front garden to improve the “curb appeal”.

At the end of the weekend, your house might not be ready for viewers just yet, but you will have made a huge step in the right direction. Just make sure that you keep up what you have achieved to this point so when the next free weekend comes around, you don’t have to start all over again.

Tuesday’s Tip - The Many Uses of Baking Soda

Last week we talked about white vinegar. This age old versatile ingredient led me to another one – Baking Soda. It’s just as versatile as vinegar, a lot kinder to the environment than many modern harsh chemicals and just as effective. And it’s a lot cheaper, too.

Here are some applications for this useful products:

• Deodorize your fridge and freezer by putting in an open container of baking soda to absorb odours. Stir and turn over the soda from time to time. Replace every 2 months.
• To remove stubborn stains from marble, formica or plastic surfaces, scour with a paste of soda and water.
• Polish silverware with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rub, rinse and dry.
• To relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.

For around 60 of these useful tips visit Belly Bites.

Tips for Sorting your Wardrobe

If you are intending to sort out your wardrobe, here are some tips on how to get started.

What to purge

Should your wardrobe be bursting at the seams you probably have too much stuff. But how do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Here are some guidelines. Get rid of it if:

• it’s damaged or soiled beyond help
• it doesn’t fit
• it’s no longer your style

Donate or recycle

Decide on a charity you would like to bless with your unwanted clothes. Pass them on to friends or family if you feel comfortable to do so. Do this only with the clothes that no longer fit or are not your style anymore. Find a rag recycling place for damaged and soiled clothing.

Storing what you’re keeping

For the purposes of reorganising your wardrobe, separate out between different items of clothing, such as skirts, trousers, shirts, jackets, etc. This will make getting dressed in the morning so much easier.

Good Clothes Maintenance

Do not store furs, suede or leather in plastic. These items need to “breathe” and should be placed in cloth coverings or cloth zippered clothing bags.

Do not use wire hangers for your clothing. Apart from being unsightly, they do no favours to the shoulder area of blouses and shirts, use plastic hangers instead. For trousers and skirts use clip hangers, as they eliminate creasing. Do not jam pack your wardrobe as this also increases wrinkles in your clothes.

Accessories

Store accessories in boxes. Use decorative boxes, such as hat boxes. Belt and tie racks are good. Just keep them simple and easily accessible.

Archive Storage

Keep your special occasion wear, such as party wear, wedding outfits, fancy dress, etc. away from your main wardrobe. Use another wardrobe if you have one or keep the items in containers on a shelf or under your bed.

Items that are out of season should also be kept away from your daily clothes storage. This gives you more space in your wardrobe and will reduce stress (less creased clothes, better overview of what you own).

How to keep it all up

Use the “one in – one out” rule. Whenever you buy a new item, get rid of an existing one. Don’t just buy something because it is on sale. Resist bargains since they are only worth getting if you would have bought the item at full price as well. Otherwise don’t bother.

Use change of seasons to purge items. Whatever you haven’t worn all season, get rid of it. Chances are more than high that you will never wear it again, so why let it use up valuable storage space.

If you have trouble deciding what to keep, ask a friend to help you decide. This should be a friend who is up to date on fashions and will not allow you to keep something that is out of style just because you paid a lot of money for it! Now go see what’s lurking in your wardrobe!

Tuesday’s Tip – The Many Uses of White Vinegar

After seeing White Vinegar being used on a few TV programme for all sorts of weird and wonderful purposes I decided to do a little research. And low and behold, I came across not just dozens but actually hundreds of uses for this amazing liquid.

Here are a few of them:

Gardening: Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full strength white vinegar in cracks and crevices of paths and driveways.

Cleaning: Clean and deodorise a drain by pouring one cup of baking soda (another amazing multi purpose product) and 1/2 cup of hot white vinegar down the drain. Let this soak for 5 minutes, then run hot water afterwards.

Laundry: To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white vinegar in the final rinse.

Health: Stop insect bites and stings from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with white vinegar.

Automotive: Remove the hazy film that builds up on the inside of car windows by spraying with white vinegar.

Pets: Prevent your cat from eating your house plants by spraying the leaves with a solution of white vinegar and water.

Find these tips and many more on www.vinegartips.com .

Or visit the Vinegar Institute.

Bank Holiday Decluttering – Part 2

And we’re back with our big project for the Bank Holiday weekend. Here is the second lot of top tips for a successful decluttering session.

You’ve done all the getting rid of things, what are the next steps:

Reorganise: Put like things together. This means if you look for a particular item it can only be in one place. No more hunting around.

Containerise: Once you know exactly what you keep, you can move on to a great part of the job and find suitable storage containers. Use these as much as possible, they really help to corral your belongings and make putting things away so much easier. And make sure you label the containers once you have decided what goes in. This will save you lots of time later looking for things in your new system.

Reward: Make sure you plan a nice reward for the end of your project. If it’s just you doing the work, then have a nice bubble bath, if the whole family is involved, maybe a trip to the park or to the cinema. I’m sure you can think of a suitable reward. You deserve it.

Maintenance: So that the whole effort wasn’t in vain, you need to maintain the new order. Simply stick with what mums have told us for generations. “Put it back when you’re finished with it.” You don’t want to have to start over in the same area once the next Bank Holiday comes around.

And if after all that the whole thing is still too daunting for you, why not call in an expert to kick the project off. Here at Well Organised we can put you on the right track and start you off with a few hours of professional help or we can guide you through the whole project, whatever your needs.

Tuesday’s Tip – Car Boot Sales Planning

This week’s Tuesday’s Tip ties in nicely with the main topic of the week “Bank Holiday Decluttering”.

If you do decide to sell your decluttered and unwanted items at a Car Boot Sale, it is a good idea to do a little bit of research beforehand. Find out about suitable Car Boot Sales in your area. You’ll want to know:

• Where is the exact location of the Car Boot Sale
• When can you enter the site for set-up
• What are the opening times
• What are the fees per car
• Whether you need to pre-book a
• Whether there is any catering on site or whether you need to bring a flask/some nibbles etc.
• Whether there are toilets on-site

A little bit of research beforehand will save you from unpleasant surprises on the day. Check out Car Boot Junction online to start you off. It’s an extensive directory for Car Boot Sales across the country.

Also beware: the first thing that happens when you set up is that your car will be surrounded by the Pros, people who are professional dealers at these events and make their living this way. They will try and buy anything of value off you at rock bottom prices so that they can sell them at their stand for a profit. Therefore make sure you know how much your prized possessions are actually worth and how much you are willing to let them go for.

Bank Holiday Decluttering – Part 1

May having 2 bank holidays is a great month for decluttering. You can either do a major decluttering session on the first bank holiday and then a car boot sale on the 2^nd, tackle two large projects including a sale for each one on the Mondays or use the first weekend for being productive the second for much needed rest and relaxation. It’s up to you.

Whichever option you choose, here are my top tips for making the most of your decluttering session:

Before you start: Be sure you know what you want to achieve and get realistic what you can achieve. Your home didn’t get cluttered in one weekend. You can’t really expect to have it sorted overnight. Which room or which area bothers you most, that’s your first project.

Go with the weather: since it is now finally starting to get warmer, make the most of a sunny weekend by tackling the garage if that’s on your list, or the garden shed. Should it be rainy and cold, tackle a room or two in the house, the loft or some cupboards, whatever needs doing.

Baby steps: Don’t try and tackle the whole project at once. Break each job into smaller sections and tackle them one by one. You feel less overwhelmed at the beginning and a great sense of achievement every time you finish another chunk, especially if you have written out a list and get to cross things off one by one. This only works if you completely finish one section though, before moving onto the next one.

More top tips will follow on Friday, just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend. See you then!

Tuesday’s Tip – Making Money – The Video

Today I’ve got a video for you. It is a clip on YouTube showing the lovely Peter Holmes from BBC1’s Trading Up. The video shows a good example of how you can turn your spare room into more than a bit of spare cash. It is sponsored by the lovely people at Big Yellow Self Storage (I apologise for getting the name wrong in the post about Declutter to Make Money). Once you have decluttered your spare room – often referred to as the “junk room” – why not put the items that are left and that you want to keep in to storage. Check out Big Yellow Self Storage what they have to offer.

And here is the video:

Be inspired and start to plan what to do with the extra cash!

Increase Your Efficiency to Stay Ahead in Business

Companies need to focus on boosting productivity at a time where any inefficiency could be highly costly, despite the fact the average person in the UK wastes 33% of the working year – that is 87 days of the 235 days worked (The 2008 Proudfoot Global Productivity Report)  .

In March 2009, business advisor BDO Stoy Hayward announced predictions that more than 320,000 jobs may be lost over the coming months so now, more than ever, companies will need to have much more organised and efficient workforces.

Practical organisation solutions can easily be implemented throughout an organisation. The benefits of implementing learnt time management and organisation techniques, and improving office environments that employees are proud of, increases productivity and thus the company becomes more competitive.

With the UK having the longest working week in Europe – an average of 43.6 hours compared to the EU average of 40.4, businesses need to become aware of the simple changes they can implement in the day to day running of the business by improving office filing systems, making better use of their desk space or learning new time management techniques, which leads to less waste and more effective resource management.

In fact, Robbie Weir, programme manager for Envirowise, the resource efficiency company, has found that more efficient time management and organisation will not only save those pennies but ‘can also lead to an increase in turnover of up to 4%. (Envirowise Press Release 2008) 

With statistics like these, time management and organisation guidance is crucial for riding the current storm. The way to achieve this is through engaging with employees; it is essential to find solutions that motivate employees, and create a fresh outlook on the business and working day – particularly during times of economic uncertainty, when negativity can nibble away at workers’ enthusiasm.

Tuesday’s Tip – Don’t Move Clutter

If you are planning to move in the near future, start now to declutter. You don’t want to move all your clutter with you. Why not take it as an opportunity to start fresh, with a new house and new habits. Living clutter free – now there’s a challenge.

This is just a little a taster of the next bigger topic – clutter and moving. Come back soon to read more about it, it’s probably going to run for a couple of week since it’s a big topic.

Declutter to Make Money

I have already talked about your different options to make money from decluttering by selling your unwanted items. But have you ever thought about decluttering so that you can make money? A recent survey, commissioned by Big Yellow Storage has come up with some amazing facts.

Households across the UK could be making up to a whopping £38 billion a year, just by storing excess clutter to rent out a room. That equates to over £3 billion a month based on average rental incomes across the UK. It could mean an extra personal income of as much as £320 a month or £3,840 a year per household! It’s time to get the junk out of the spare room to make some money.

More than a third (36%) of us that have a whole room in our home filled with junk and the storage company found that nearly one in three (31%) would definitely rent out a room to make money and beat the credit crunch. With recent figures showing that the rental market is continuing to flourish with a 20% rise in tenancies, it looks like some people have already cottoned onto this lucrative scheme.

You could rent out full time or part time. For instance, you could rent out to weekly commuters from Monday to Friday and have the room to yourself at weekends for your own houseguests or visitors.

In any case, there is money to be made. And it all starts with a few hours spent decluttering. If the task seems too overwhelming to tackle on your own you could hire a professional declutterer. It is a small investment compared to what you can earn in the long or even medium term and the job will much easier to tackle with expert help.

Also, check with your financial advisor as renting out one room in your own home can even be tax free!

Tuesday’s Tip – The Wisdom of Goal Setting

Goal setting was not invented recently, it is in fact hundreds, if not thousands of years old as the quotes below show. Here are some of my favourite quotes on goal setting:

If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra

There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.
Henry Ford

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
Seneca

Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.
Burmese Saying

In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.
Author Unknown

Less Clutter – Less Arguing

There are all sorts of reasons why people argue. Disagreement over money, the in-laws, how to raise the kids and jealousy are to name but a few. But one reason of arguments, and it’s quite high on the list, is clutter and mess.

Clutter may unnecessarily take up room but it’s also a source of contention for everybody, with almost one in three (33%) of us arguing about mess at least once a week and 2.4 million of us are arguing about it more than once a day! 18-24 year olds are quickest to lose their temper over mess and 38% of us claim clutter is the main source of arguments. That’s nearly five times more than rows caused by the remote control and double the number caused by housework! (Based on a survey of 1065 people in the UK commissioned Tickbox, on behalf of Big Yellow Storage).

And it would be so easy to get rid of this particular enemy of calmness. Only 15 minutes of decluttering every day will make an enormous difference (see Flylady!). Even if you don’t do anything on Sundays you will rack up 1 1/2 hours of decluttering every week and your house will get back in shape soon.

And while we’re on the subject of decluttering, you will probably come across some items that you want to keep but haven’t really got room for. This could be sports equipment you only need half of the year or ornaments that are seasonal. Have you ever considered putting them in storage? There are lots of companies out there offering different packages. Simply google “storage companies” or go to yell.com and look for “storage” in your area.

And why not hire a Professional Declutterer to help with the job. At Well Organised, we are non-judgmental and objective and will give you a different point of view. And best of all, we will put new systems in place for you that should make it much easier for you to keep on top of things.

Tuesday’s Tip – Deciding What is Clutter

Clutter means different things to different people. For some it’s simply “whatever doesn’t fit on the shelf”. But the thing is that the shelf might be filled with clutter and all the good stuff then doesn’t have a space.

Here are some guidelines to help you decide what is clutter, and therefore what can or even should go:

• you don’t like it (yes, that does include unwanted gifts)
• it is broken and won’t get mended (can’t or won’t)
• there’s no current use for it and you can’t see yourself using it in the near future (“I might need it one day” DOES NOT COUNT!)
• it clogs up areas which you could be using so much better
• it prevents you from living an organised life

Why Time Management?

We all have limited amounts of time. There are only 24 hours in a day no matter how much we wish for more. And some of those hours we need to sleep to recharge our batteries (ideally around 8),  leaving 16 hours to play with. And everyone of those hours comes only around once. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There is no way you can relive an hour, make up an hour or get an hour back.

With that in mind it seems logical to try and make the best out of every hour that we have, make every hour count. The term time management is a bit of a misnoma. You can’t really manage time because it’s constant and simply ticks away but you can manage what you do with it. So it’s more about self management than time management, really. It’s a bit like the old joke if “olive oil is made from olives, then what is baby oil made out of?”

So if we can’t manage time, but only ourselves, it should really be quite easy since we are in control of what we do. Or are we? There are so many demands on us these days that it can be really difficult to decide how to spend our time, so many distractions, so many wonderful ways to waste time.

But: If we’re really enjoying ourselves, are we actually wasting time? I would say that depends. If your main goal in life is simply to enjoy yourself and you spend a lot of your time doing just that, then I would say, you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.

Most of us have more aims and goals for our lives though. We want to have a career, make a nice home, achieve diplomas, give something back to society by doing charity work, spend time with our families, socialise with friends, further our education, and so on. The list is endless. But who says you can’t enjoy yourself while following your dreams.

Once you know what your goals are and you have drawn up a plan how to achieve them, and then made room in your diary for the relevant actions that will help you achieve those goals, you are on the right track. You are on target to achieving your goals and you are managing your time well. Or should that be managing yourself?

Tuesday’s Tip – SMART Organising Goals

When setting your organising and/or decluttering goals make sure they are SMART. Setting the goal “I’m going to get organised” is simply not going to cut it.

Here is what SMART stands for with some examples:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Timely

Specific: I’m going to put everyone's birthday into my diary.
Measurable: I am going to spend 10 minutes at the end of each working day on filing.
Achievable: I am going to complete the decluttering of the spare room in one weekend. (This might stretch you a little, but is achievable)
Relevant: I am going to go on the next time management seminar at work. (Related to “getting organised”)
Timely: I am going to finish reorganising my pantry by the end of this week. (Goals need a time factor. This helps prevent procrastination and will motivate you to get a move on.)

And now for one goal that ticks all the boxes, one SMART goal:

By the end of the week, I will have entered all my family and friends’ birthdays into my diary.

February was National Time Management Month in the US

To celebrate National Time Management month in the USA, NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) published a whole host of valuable time management tips.

Here is the full list:

General time management tips

• Use a planner to track appointments and tasks. It can be a paper-based notebook, a computer software program, or an electronic handheld device.
• Make a habit of prioritizing your weekly tasks. Rank them in order of importance.
• Review how you are spending your time and make adjustments according to your goals and priorities.
• Create at least one hour of uninterrupted time per day to tackle projects and action items.
• Allocate more time for a task than you think it will take to allow for interruptions.
• Break large projects down into small, sequential steps. Schedule these steps into your day with your planner.
• Group errands together so that you save time (and money) on travel, and the hassle of having to run out again because you didn’t plan your trip initially.
• Work while you wait. Have “busy work” on hand to do while you wait at the doctor’s office, are on hold with the cable company, or are stuck waiting for a late lunch date.
• Create time management goals. For example, set a goal that you will not take personal phone calls while you’re working.
• Track your activities to determine whether or not you’re accomplishing your time management goals.
• Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.
• Be sure your systems are organized. If you waste a lot of time looking for files on your computer, take the time to organize a file management system.

Other organizing tips are available at www.napo.net.

Tuesday’s Tip - Motivation

(for technical reasons this week on Wednesday)

Something I read once and it stayed in my mind, unfortunately I do not remember who wrote it. Today' I thought it’s time I share it with you:

If you reach for the stars – you will reach the moon
If you reach for the moon – you will reach the sky
If you reach for the sky – you will reach the clouds
If you reach for the clouds – you will reach the top of the tree
If you reach for top of the tree – you will fall on your backside.

So why not reach for the stars, you never know where it might lead you.

More Green Decluttering - Excess Mobile Phones

To stay with this week’s topic of “Green Decluttering” I have found out a couple of ways to get rid of your excess mobile phones without simply dumping them.

If you’re on a contract or simply a bit of a techno geek and like to have the latest model you will probably have a few more phones than you are actually using. They also can (and should be) decluttered.

But instead of simply throwing them out, which is really a bit of a waste, especially if they are still fully functional you can do one of two things:

1. Give them to charity

Charities have different ways of making money out of used mobile phones. Just make sure the charity in question actually takes mobile phones.

Here is a list of couple of charities that do:

• WDCS – Save the Whales and Dolphins (they even have special little bags that they send out for that particular purpose)
• www.phones4schools.co.uk
• http://www.greensource.co.uk/
• Casa Alianza – Help for Street Children
• and many more. Simply google “donate mobile phones” for more options.
  

2. Sell them

You can also sell your unwanted mobiles for hard cash. There are dozens of places that buy, recondition and sell on your phone. Here are some of them (some of them are also charitable organisations):

• http://www.shpforcharity.co.uk/
• http://www.coolafone.com/rewards/
• http://www.fonebank.com/oxfam/
• http://www.mazumamobile.com/
• and many more. Simply google “sell mobile phone” for more options.

Tuesday’s Tip – Furniture Recycling

This week’s main post it’s all about Green Decluttering. There are so many more ideas that I thought I’d stay with it a little bit longer.

I have already mentioned Freecycle (http://www.uk.freecycle.org/). Here are some more ideas for recycling furniture:

The Furniture Reuse Network (www.frn.org.uk) is a national charity which collects furniture donations for households living on income benefit: they refurbish and recycle over 2 million items a year.

Any Junk (www.anyjunk.co.uk) will collect items from your door (costs from £25) and they claim that over 50 per cent of their loads are not dumped on a landfill (larger items like sofas are donated to charities)

These ideas are taken from www.angelsandurchins.co.uk from their feature on decluttering. On their website you find useful parenting information for people living in and around London.

Green Decluttering

When you are having a decluttering session make sure that whatever goes out of your house is going to the right place. There are lots of ways to ensure that you are not simply filling up a landfill site even more.

Of course, the simplest thing to do would be to dump it all in the household rubbish or take it to the tip or even hire a skip (depending on how much you are getting rid of). But with just a little planning your decluttering can be a lot greener and it might even make you some money in the process.

First of all, when you decide to get rid of something, decide whether it’s in good enough shape that somebody else might want it. Is it even good enough that someone might want to buy it?

• If you answer that last question with yes, you could either sell it on Ebay or a carboot sale. You could give your friends/family first refusal at a fair price.
• If you don’t think anyone would give you money for it, then you could donate it to a charity shop.
• If you don’t want to sell it for whatever reason and don’t want to give it to strangers, why not offer it to someone in your family or a friend who you know could use it.
• For women’s clothing, jewellery and accessories you could hold a Naked Ladies Party. No worries, nothing rude going on here. It’s a get-together of women who swap clothes they no longer want or that no longer fit. Check out http://www.getcrafty.com/home_nakedlady.php for more details.
• You can also post it on Freecycle. Check out  http://www.uk.freecycle.org/ to find your local group and once you post the item, whoever needs it will come and pick it up. It is a recycling scheme where people offer items free of charge to other people who might need it.

All of these options ensure that someone else could make use of it and it doesn’t have to go to waste.

If the item is past it, then find out whether it can be recycled, then either put it in the correct recycling bin or take it to your local recycling centre to be disposed of properly.

Only throw away items that can’t be sold on, given away or recycled. That way, decluttering will improve your home and you won’t have to worry so much about damaging the environment since you have done your best.

Tuesday's Tip - Think on Paper

Whenever you are planning your day or thinking through your goals, do it on paper. It makes your thinking sharper and more focused.

A written To-Do List is more likely to get done. A written goal is more likely to get achieved.

With written lists you also have the satisfaction of ticking things off once you achieve them, making you feel more successful, like a winner.

Writing things down also helps you prioritise since you see in front of you all the things that need to be done. It makes you a better planner and helps getting things done.

File Management - Decluttering your Computer

Are you spending way too much time looking for your files, documents, digital pictures, etc. ? Then it's probably time for some organising and decluttering on your computer.

Set up folders for each person who uses the computer, then subfolders for each category of files that this person uses. Some subfolders might need subfolders again, simply depending on how complex you want or need your system to be.

A home filing system on your computer could look like this:

This could be a system for digital photos:

Once you have set up the system, go through the files, delete the ones you no longer need (decluttering part), then move the files into their appropriate new homes.

For digital pictures, delete all blurry, out of focus, under/overexposed pictures or ones that you have no idea what they're actually showing, then again, reassign logical locations.

This process will probably take several hours, depending on how many files you have accumulated, but it is time well spent. It will save time in the  long run - lots of time.

For new files, make sure you give the files meaningful names (not just letter.doc or invoice.xls), then store your file in a place that makes sense to you.

If you're not sure how to do any of this, there are online tutorials on file management or visit a class at a local college. If you're in the Nottingham area, you can contact me for help. As part of my services, I also offer one-on-one IT tutoring.

Tuesday's Tip - Easy Bill Management

The best way to deal with bills, especially recurring ones, is to set up a Direct Debit. The bills get paid automatically. You quite often get to choose when the money gets taken out of your account, at the beginning of the month, at the end, on the 15th, etc. And you don't have to worry about forgetting to pay a bill,  getting into arrears and having to pay late fees.

Another great advantage is that many companies will offer a discount if you pay by DD since it is also easier for them. Which means you will save money.

And if you check your bank statements on a regular basis you can be sure that the correct amounts are taken from your account. In many years of paying bills this way, I have to say, I have never had a single occurrence of the wrong amount being taken from my account.

What to do with your decluttered books

So you have finally decided to sort out your bookshelf, and the space around it, and the pile of books next to the couch, and .... wherever else there were books, books and more books.

You sorted out books that you've read, and you know you'll never read again, books that you know you'll never read, books that your kids have grown out of years ago and you don't ever intend to give to your grandchildren. And of course all the books from your ex who emigrated to Australia five years ago and has no intention of ever repossessing those books. In other words you are only left with the books you (and your family) love and you are sure you want to keep.

Now what are you going to do with all those books piled high in boxes, bin liners etc.? Of course you could simply put them in your paper recycling bin. But there are some really good alternatives.

Here is a list of "What to do with all those books"

• You can take them to a charity shop. Charity shops always welcome books, since they are a good seller. If they are in sellable condition they will be put on the shelves, otherwise the charity will recycle them. Oxfam have now even specialised book shops who will also take your old videos, DVDs, music CDs and even cassettes and records.
• Take them to work and leave them in your "chill out zone" (if you have one or offer them to colleagues at work
• Organise a "book swapping party" with friends. Who knows, it might even turn into a bookclub.
• List your books on www.readitswapit.co.uk . It's free to join and you send books to people who request them from you via email.
• Donate to your local library. They will be welcome. Books should be in good condition. What can't be used, will be recycled by the library or sold to boost funds.
• If you want to make money yourself, then why not sell your books on one of the following
• car boot sales
• ebay
• www.abebooks.co.uk
• www.booklovers.co.uk
• www.greenmetropolis.com (5p from every sale is donated to the Woodland Trust)
• www.sellstudentbooks.co.uk
• or google "sell second hand books" for even more options

This if of course not an exhaustive list what you can do with your books. If you have any other ideas I haven't mentioned please feel free to comment.

Tuesday's Tip - Time Yourself

In one of my first posts at the beginning of October I mentioned Flylady's 15 minute rule ("You can do anything for 15 minutes") or 10 minutes if you prefer my way. And this week's main post about Cybercrastinating also has a timing element.

In this week's post I mention a very useful website and just in case you haven't read it, I just wanted to point it out again. It's a free online timing tool and can be found on www.online-stopwatch.com . You can choose from a simple countdown digital clock, but there are also funky visual ones such as egg timers, bomb with a fuse, etc. if you feel a bit more playful.

Go check it out and time yourself. You'll get so much more done that way.

Cybercrastination

Have you ever found yourself "quickly" checking Facebook, MySpace, Beebo or any of the other social networking sites, maybe "briefly" updating Twitter or messaging with a friend for "a bit" or checking one or two blogs and suddenly it's over two hours later? What just happened? Did you get sucked into a time vortex? No, not really, although that would make a great excuse. No, you simply found yourself cybercrastinating - procrastinating the modern way. Putting things off that should really be done, by doing something else, something a lot more enjoyable. And you have also done something for your social life, kept in touch with friends, maybe played a little game, all lovely stuff. Except that it kept you from doing what was on your agenda, on your To Do List or something that simply needed doing.

I really don't know what it is about the social networking sites, they have something addictive about them. I can't say that I am immune to them at all. I frequently visit one of them but I am aware what it can do to my schedule. It completely messes it up if I'm not careful.

What can you do about it? You want to stay in touch with friends via this excellent medium and that's fair enough. Here are a couple of tips what you can do:

• Decide beforehand how long you want to spend on the computer for that reason, but be realistic.
• Set a timer - this could be a kitchen timer or use a useful online tool at www.online-stopwatch.com by opening another tab in your browser or another browser window. Make sure you use the Count Down option, otherwise you simply measure how long you are surfing. Also have your speakers on, otherwise you miss the alarm bell when it goes off.
• Another option could be that you give yourself a treat for things accomplished. Allow yourself a longer session after "being good" with your To Do List for instance.
• If you are working at the computer, make sure you log out of your messenger programme so that that you are not constantly reminded who logs on or off. One distraction less.
• Again, if you do lots of your work at the computer, maybe in your home office, create yourself a "work" user account. Take out all the programmes such as web browsers, instant messengers or chat programmes and other culprits. You are less likely to constantly log off and on as different user just to hop online.
• Set up an aggregate reader programme for blogs such as Google Reader, so that all updates to blogs you like to follow are in one place. You can then decide when you want to look through those updates without wasting time trawling through all the blogs separately.

As you can see you can use technology quite well for this purpose. And why not. Let's fight the procrastination super highway by making use of it.

Tuesday's Tip - Important Nighttime Notes

This week's Tuesday's Tip ties in with the main posting this week. It's all about improving your sleep, making the "nodding off" a little bit easier.

Quite often you can't go to sleep because you think you need to remember something for the next day.

Keep a pen and pad ready on your nightstand. If you find yourself with that important thing that you suddenly remember and that you need for the next day, turn your light back on and write it down. It will only take about a minute to do but will save hours of tossing and turning while your brain multitasks with remembering and going to sleep at the same time. Your brain is basically trying to stay switched on and switching off simultaneously - not easy to achieve. Once the information is written down, you can give yourself permission to forget about it until the morning and your brain can switch off. When you wake up, the reminder will be there, right in front of you.

I have been known to put that note on my slippers so that I definitely notice it when I get up.

Something to Help you Sleep

Have you ever had the best intentions of getting a good night's rest so that you are fighting fit for a busy day ahead only to find that you simply can't go to sleep. All the thoughts of that exciting next day are racing through your head. You remind yourself, "No, I must go to sleep now!". You turn over and more thoughts keep racing round and round. When you finally nod off, your sleep is fitful and you reawaken several times. And the next day you feel sluggish due to lack of sleep.

Well, this post offers a cure for you. It works really well for me and I have also had positive feedback from other people who have tried it.

Lie on your back, your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths. Now imagine a little cloud floating by. Take the first thing that comes to mind (that argument with your boss for instance) and imagine you put it on that cloud. Watch it float into the distance. Another cloud floats by and you put the next thing on that clutters your mind (maybe the task you have been putting off and should have done by now). Watch it float off. And so on until your head almost magically clears. Some items/people/situations need to be put on a few times until they finally drift off completely.

When you feel all calm and ready, get into your comfiest going-to-sleep position and enjoy a good night's rest.

I have found that if I do this one night, it usually lasts a few nights in a row, and my sleep pattern improves for quite a while.

Tuesdays Tip - 100 reasons to get rid of it

(For technical reasons this week on Wednesday)

If you are a regular reader of this blog you are probably wondering how I can get 100 reasons into one short and sweet Tuesday's Tip (and these tips are usually quite short, you have to be the judge whether they are sweet). Well , I'm giving you a link to a page with exactly those reasons on it. It's one of Martha Stewart's Organizing gems that landed in my inbox and I would like to share it with you.

Just to whet your appetite, these 100 reasons include:

number 2: people burn 55 minutes a day looking for things
number 3: 80 percent of what we own we never use
numbers 12 - 40: because someone else needs it
number 50 (one of my personal favourites): getting rid of clutter will reduce housework by 40 percent 
and so on .....

And here is the link:

100 Reasons

Now go and find YOUR reasons and start getting rid!

Professional Looking Labels

The best way to make any organising project look a lot more professional is to use a label maker or label writer. Or you could also print out labels from your computer, of course.

If you use your PC or laptop you need some word processing software. You can use MS Word for instance. If every label is different you need to use the Mail Merge Assistant to create your labels. If all labels are the same or you only need one you can use the Envelopes & Labels function in the Tools menu (not sure how that would work with the new Office 2007 and its "ribbons" but a little scour through the help function should be able to sort this out).

The beauty of using a label maker is that it is portable and you can create your labels there and then. There are dozens of different makes and models in a wide variety of prices. The cheapest I have seen was a whole £15, the most expensive over £200.

The next thing you need to consider is the consumables cost for refills tapes. Again that varies tremendously and a bit of shopping around is a good idea. For one single type of refill (same brand, same size, identical product number) I came up with a price range between £3.39 and £5.99 .

So all you have to do is decide on a label maker within your budget and you can finish off your organising project in style.

Tuesday's Tip - Check before Washing

A friend told me the other day he had an amendment to a previous Tuesday's Tip, the one about using a diary. He said to add the following: Make sure you take your diary out of your jeans pocket before putting your jeans into the washing machine. Unfortunately he spoke from experience.

I thought there was another Tuesday's Tip in there somewhere and here it is. Whether you carry your diary in your jeans pocket or not, make sure you  check all your pockets before putting any item of clothing into the wash. It only adds a few seconds per load but will save you so much hassle in the long run. Just imagine my friend had kept his mobile phone in that pocket instead!

What Are My Top Priorities?

Finding out what you really want and need to do.

First of all, sit yourself down, with a cup of tea if that helps, and do a complete mind dump. Write down all the big and little projects that you need to do. Don't worry about any particular order just get them on paper. Consider it a shopping list for the great supermarket of life. You wouldn't go shopping without a list, would you? Of course not. Well, I don't recommend you do anyway.

This is your master list. Now look at the list in detail. There will be obvious groups. Items related to your home for instance, your work, your family, your health etc. (I did say "complete" mind dump.) You can either colour code them, or if it works better for you rewrite the list and this time put each item on your list in a different category. These categories can be on different sheets or in columns or any other form of visual separation.

Next you need to decide which of the categories are your top priories. I am sure there is more than one and that is absolutely fine. You don't need to sacrifice your health for your family or your family for you work. All of these can be top priorities. But you choose. Whatever is really important to you.

Next look at the items within the categories, which of these are urgent and important? These are your A priorities. Next find the ones that are urgent, but less important. These are your B priorities. And finally the ones that are important but not so urgent. These are your C priorities. Whatever is left are D priorities, if they don't get done, nothing bad will happen, but if would be nice if they did get done. Items from your less important categories will probably never make it into the A priorities. Now using the Rock, Stone, Sand and Beer Analogy from last week, fill your diary with these items, scheduling them, given them the time and attention they need.

Using lists and writing things down can really help you accomplish things. Tasks that are written down and scheduled, have a much higher chance of getting done than tasks that are kept them in your head.

Tuesday's Tip - Do a Little Planning Every Day

Every morning spend a few minutes going over the tasks for today. Check your diary. What is scheduled for today? Is there anything else you need to accomplish? If so, add it to your diary. Are there any items you need for your appointments? Get them ready.

Depending on your personal style you might prefer to do this the night before, just before you go to bed. It will take only a few minutes but time can be precious in the morning.

Whatever time you choose for your little planning session, you feel more in control and better equipped for the day if you have done some planning.

Organising your Day

A university professor showed his students the following experiment. On his desk he had a small bucket, a few large rocks, quite a few stones, a heap of sand and a pint of beer.

He filled the bucket with the rocks and asked his students: "Is the bucket full?" A few of them answered: "Yes, it is." He then put the stones into the bucket. They filled up the gaps in between the rocks, and he could fit quite a few of the stones into the bucket as well. He asked again: "Is the bucket full?" Again a few answers: "Yes, now it is full." The professor now took a little shovel and filled most of it into the bucket, filling up all the gaps in between the rocks and stones. And again he asked: "Is the bucket full?" Now quite a few students said: "Yes, it's definitely full now." Finally the professor took the pint of beer and poured it into the bucket. It seeped through the sand and filled up the final gaps in between the grains of sand. "Now is the bucket full?" Yes, everybody now agreed that the bucket was definitely full. One student piped up: "And it shows that no matter how full you are there is always room for a beer." Everyone laughed.

The professor stayed serious. "You are not wrong, my friend, but it also has a more serious meaning. The bucket represents your day. It is a vessel that you choose what you fill it with. The large rocks represents the important things in your life, your top priorities. The stones stand for other important things in your life. These might be not quite at the top of your list, but still need to get done. The sand symbolises all those tasks that are easy to do, only take a few minutes, are quite low on the priority list and are not very important. And finally the beer. I've chosen this liqid for a very good reason. Most of you like it a lot and you don't want to live without, yet it's more of a reward than a priority. It satisfies instantly, takes up precious time of your day yet doesn't accomplish any of your goals."

Using the order that the professor filled the jug, large rocks first, stones next, then sand, and finally the beer - this is the perfect order to structure your days, weeks, and even your life.

Define your top priorities and make sure that they are scheduled into your day first. Then you will still have time gaps to fill with the itmes that are next on your list of urgency and importance. Finally fill in the gaps with smaller jobs, that you need to do or want to accomplish and can get slotted in or added to the next day's list if you don't get to them. And finally the rewards, the time wasters. I'm thinking here of watching telly, playing computer games, chatting on the phone. All of these are enjoyable activities and we all need to wind down, but make sure you have accomplished your more important tasks for the day first, you'll feel all the better for it.

Next week, we'll have a look at what those top priorities are and how you can to find yours.

Tuesday's Tip - Use a Diary

At the beginning of a year, when we are full of good intentions it might be a great idea to start using a diary. It doesn't have to be a big fancy thing, just make sure that the space for each day is big enough for you to write something in. Appointments, things to remember, etc.

Carry it with you at all times and refer to it when setting up appointments, planning outings, needing to remember things such as phone numbers, websites, or items to buy etc. Make it your external brain and it will serve you well throughout the year. You will seem more organised, you will feel more organised and you will be more organised.

Keeping New Year's Resolutions - Once and for all

2009 is a brand new year and I bet lots of people started it with well intentioned New Year’s Resolutions. But how many of those will actually be kept? Unfortunately, they mostly won't. Why not? Why is it so difficult to keep those New Year’s resolutions. We have all the best intentions and plans to keep them and are really motivated, aren’t we?

Well, lets have a look at an average list from an average sort of person. Let’s call him Joe Bloggs (I guess that’s an average name).

In 2009 I want to:

• Get fit
• Lose weight
• Stop smoking
• Drink less alcohol
• Get my finances in order
• Use my car less
• Do something for charity
• Get organised

Now how many of those resolutions is Joe going to actually keep? He might start out on the first of January with high motivation and best intentions but by the end of the first week, he will probably have had a few cigarettes, a greasy portion of fish & chips, postponed his running or cycling at least twice because of bad weather, and given up on writing down what he spends every day. In other words, things will have gone down the drain again, and by the end of January his resolutions will be nothing but a faint memory and life goes on as usual.

What could Joe have done differently? What would have increased his chances of keeping any of his resolutions? Should he have even bothered?

I will answer the last question first – Absolutely!! With a capital A.

Joe, like so many of us, wants to improve himself and that is a good thing. We all want to better our lives and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s just how we go about it, that makes the difference between failure and success.

What should he have done differently and therefore increased his chances of success?

1. He should have had fewer resolutions. If you need to make changes in your life, don’t expect to make too many at once. You’re only setting yourself up for failure. If you need to make big changes, choose 1 thing, and 1 thing only that you are going to change. It will keep you focused and you are more likely to succeed. (If it’s minor changes, don’t attempt more than 3.)
2. Change the resolution to a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym and stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Let’s take the old favourite of Losing Weight. If you simply state, I want to lose weight, how do you know when you have achieved it? You will have lost weight once you have dropped a pound but that is probably not enough for you, but what is? And by when? Here are a couple of suggestions for SMART goals relating to weight loss:
   - I want to lose 20lb (ca 1 ½ stone) by the end of March.
   (With an average and healthy weight loss of 2 lb per week this is definitely achievable.)
   - I am now a size 16, I want to fit into my size 12 dress at the end of March by losing 9 kg.
   (This is a similar weight loss to the previous one, so again achievable.)
3. Write your goal down and underneath write specific actions you are going to do to achieve this goal. Make your plan as detailed as you can.
4. Be accountable.
   Tell a friend, colleague or relative about your plan and promise them that you are going to stick with it. You have already set yourself up for success by creating a SMART goal and creating an action plan. This step will help you by making it more difficult to give up if you involve someone else in the plan.
5. Don’t give up if you slip up.
   If you have a down day and you stray from your action plan don’t give up on the whole thing. Simply restart again the next day with fresh enthusiasm. Remember how often a little child falls before they can finally walk unaided. If we had given up at that stage, we would walk on all fours for the rest of our lives.
6. Plan a reward. Once you have reached your goal celebrate, do something nice for yourself. You deserve it.

And finally:

"We are judged by what we finish, not what we start."
-- Anonymous

"It takes the hammer of persistence to drive the nail of success."
-- John Mason, Writer