Professional Organizer or Magician

The job of an organizer encompasses many different things and many different areas. Sometimes it’s as simple as organizing a linen closet. Other times it’s unpacking and organizing an entire house. It can be organizing a two or three car garage with random items stacked to the ceiling or a storage unit. Other times it might be filing system, or a craft room, an office or a playroom and the list goes on.

I believe I speak for most, if not all, of us (Professional Organizers) when I say that we do our best to find a place for everything. You know the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place”. It truly is a Professional Organizers motto. To take it a step further, while we do our best to find a place for everything, we also try to make sure that “the place” makes sense. That it is functional and accessible.

It doesn’t matter if you have a home that’s 500 square feet or 6,000 square feet. There is only so much room in each house, office, closet, etc. We must work within the confines of that space and make it work. While we can make suggestions and introduce you to some great organizing products or space savers to help you get the most out of your space, we can’t make space where there just isn’t any. We are NOT magicians!

If you have to much “stuff” and there’s no room to put it all away, it is then considered clutter. Even if you love it. Even if it was very expensive. Even if your favorite Aunt left it to you. If it doesn’t have a “home” and we can’t find a place to store it or put it away, it’s clutter.

If you want an organized and functional home, office or other space, and it happens to be so full that’s there’s no more room, the only answer is to let some of it go. You can sell it if you are so inclined, you can donate it to charity and get a write-off or, you can throw it away.

Here are some suggestions as to how you can get started.
1. Get rid of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that is no longer serving your purpose and hasn’t for a while.
2. If you have VHS tapes of family reunions, vacations or other special events, have them transferred to a smaller updated format, i.e., DVD or hard-drive (especially if you no longer own a VCR player).
3. If you have tons of t-shirts or sweatshirts from your college days, instead of storing them in a large bin which is taking up a lot of room, consider having a quilt made of them.
4. Donate books that you started to read but just couldn’t get through or are no longer interested in.
5. Toss magazines that are older than 3 months. After that the information is pretty much obsolete and you can probably find what you need on the internet. If there is a particular article that you want to keep, rip it out and put it in a file (digital or physical) and throw the magazine away. FYI, hospitals, senior centers and doctor’s offices would be happy to take old magazines if they are in good condition.
6. Old shoes that are worn out, that no longer fit or are missing the match.
7. Clothes that don’t fit, are no longer your style or that you bought but never really liked when you put them on.
8. Anything that is expired including, but not limited to, food, spices and medications
9. Things that you intended to fix or mend one day but haven’t gotten around to for more than a few months. It’s okay to let it go. It’s broken!
10. Something that your favorite cousin or best friend gave you, but you never really liked. They gave it to you to enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t keep it. They love you and wouldn’t want you to keep something that is keeping you stuck and surrounded by clutter.
11. Socks that are torn, worn out or missing its match.
12. Lingerie or underwear that are stretched out or not comfortable any longer.
13. Purses that are out of shape or just worn out.
14. Hats that no longer fit or are just dirty/stained from too much wear and are beyond repair.
15. Old computers that have been sitting around for ages. If there’s important info that needs to be retrieved, take it to Best Buy and pay the Geek Squad or your IT guy to get it for you. If there’s nothing on there that you need, then take it to a place that recycles e-waste. Again, think Best Buy.
16. Going back to clothes… since this is usually a tough decision (especially for women). If you’re no longer working in the corporate world and haven’t for quite some time, start scaling down the business attire. Maybe keep one or two suits but you don’t need your entire wardrobe from that time in your life.
17. Furniture that is no longer serving a purpose. A lamp that doesn’t give off enough light. The couch that you can no longer sit in because you sink into it and can’t get up out of it. The broken rocking chair that’s been in the garage and you just haven’t had a minute to get it to the curb. The baby seats that have been in the garage since your kids were small and now they’re in their 20’s. (FYI, if you’re saving them for your grandkids, please don’t! Your kids will have newer/better models that your grandkids can use).

Bottom line is you gotta start somewhere. If you keep everything for “someday” or for that “just in case” scenario, you will always find yourself in this constant state of clutter. Getting rid of anything will give you more room than you had and free up some space.

If your space feels like it’s busting at the seams and you want or need some assistance, give us a call. We’d love to help!

Top Ten Tips for Choosing and Using a Calendar

We’re all living in a 24/7 world. So, I’m assuming that everyone is using a calendar of some sort. That is, anyone that has a job, is a student, has a family, a job, a life.

They are really so important for so many reasons on so many different levels. We can use them for:
• Appointments
• Deadlines
• Renewals
• Tracking
• Reminders
• Goals
• Events
• Holidays
• Occasions
• Time Management and, of course, the best for last…
• ORGANIZATION!

Here are my top tips for putting a calendar to good use:

1. Decide if you want to use a paper planner or a digital planner. Go with whatever you think will work for you.
2. Use whatever option you decided upon for a few weeks as it does take time to get used to.
3. If you decide to use a paper planner and it doesn’t really work after a few weeks, CHANGE it. It’s okay to change it if it’s not working for you. In fact, that would be a good thing as chances are you won’t use it if it’s not working for you.
4. Make sure you use your calendar CONSISTENTLY. If you’re not consistent it’s not going to work well. In fact, not using it consistently can have an adverse effect. For example, when you look to see if you’re available when making an appointment and you forgot to add an appointment that you previously made, you could wind up double-booking or missing an appointment.
5. Check it each night before you shut things down so that you are prepared for the next day. It will remind you of what you need, where you’re going, etc.
6. Remember to update it when appointments change or cancel.
7. Don’t forget to cross off the things that you have accomplished. This step can be very rewarding.
8. If you use a paper planner, make sure that there’s enough space. What’s enough space? For me, it’s got to have enough room for appointments, To Do’s and whatever notes are important for each day (ie, someone’s birthday). I’m old school. I use a paper planner with two pages for each day. One side is for appointments, the other side is used for my To Do’s and the bottom has a section for notes. (See photo above)
9. If you use a digital planner make sure that you are synching it with your phone so that you have it on the go. Also make sure to back it up.
10. USE YOUR CALENDAR EVERY DAY!

PAPER:
http://www.lifephoto.com/catalog/daily-planners/day-planners/

http://www.personal-planner.com/US/

http://www.no-frillscalendar.com/

https://plannerpads.com/

https://www.daytimer.com/daytimer/home

https://franklinplanner.fcorgp.com/store/index.jsp?

DIGITAL:
Google Calendar
Cozi
Timeanddate.com
Outlook
Apple Calendar

I can assure you that using a calendar, each and every day, will help you in your day to day life by keeping you on track and, of course, ORGANIZED.

Let me know how it goes…I’m interested!

Did You Know That Getting Organized Is One Of The Top Ten New Years Resolutions?

Yup, it’s true. Getting organized, or better organized, as the case may be, is one of the top ten New Years Resolutions and has been for a really long time.

However, organizing isn’t just something that happens once. IMHO it’s something that we all “should” do every day. Maybe it’s a load of laundry, or dropping off a bag of donations or tossing something that is broken. Spending just a few minutes every day on something/anything will help you get organized and stay organized.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. We all have choices about how to spend that time. When it comes to organizing, you can do it now (as you go about your life) which will help keep things neat and organized OR, you can do it later when the piles are high or you find that you can’t find what you want or need.

Examples:
Now: Every time you take your clothes off they “should” be put in the laundry or put away. If you’re putting them away, you “should” either hang it up or fold it and put it where it belongs.

Later: If you decide to throw your clothes on the floor, eventually you will have to pick them up and do one of the following: put it in the laundry, hang it up, fold it and put it away. Note: By throwing your clothes on the floor, you’ve actually added an additional step (having to pick them up and determine what to do with them) which will ultimately take more of your time.

So, save yourself some time and just do whatever you can, when you can. Take a few minutes every day to stay on top of things. Clean the dishes or put them in the dishwasher, fold the laundry and put it away. Just do something around the house every day so things don’t build up and get out of control.

Food for thought…why not just make organizing a part of your daily routine. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Just a few minutes each day. It’s still the beginning of a New Year. Why not just try doing things differently for one month to see how it works out? As we’ve all heard… “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result”. Why not stop the insanity and try selecting one area, one small area, that needs to be organized? Take a few minutes (since it’s a small area) and organize it. Here’s how:

• Take everything out, sort things into categories
• Get rid of the trash
• Make a pile of donations if applicable and then decide what to put back into that space.
• Start putting things back into place so that they accessible and functional.
• Put like items with like items.
• Use supplies if necessary (bins for laundry, boxes for donations, new hangers so that things look cohesive, labels so you can find things easily).

I can assure you that you will be more inclined to keep that area organized (at least for a while) because you’ve put in the time and effort to organize it.

Now, all you have to do is maintain that area. If you take something out, put it away when you’re finished. Put it, whatever “it” is, where it belongs. If something doesn’t belong in there, DON’T put it in there.

It’s that easy. Organizing isn’t rocket-science. It just takes time. Take the time and get organized little by little. Eventually you’ll get there.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Check your schedule and make time in your day that works best for you to get things organized. Put it on your calendar. Make an appointment with yourself.

• If you don’t want it or don’t need it… get rid of it. You can sell it (whatever “it” is) or you can donate it and get the deduction.

• Learn to say “NO”. It will free up some time to do the things that are important to you.

• Delegate. If you don’t want to do something, give it to someone else to do. Sometimes you’ll have to pay someone else but that’s okay. You can’t do it all!

• Ask for help. It’s okay to ask for help if you want it or need it. Let me repeat… you can’t do it all.

If you need or just want help, give us a call. We will help you achieve your goals.

Great Tips for Holiday Travel

Vacations are supposed to be fun! However, it’s hard to relax when you’re thinking about all the things you have to do. There are so many things to remember and so many things to do before you leave.

Stress no more. The following Travel Checklist will help you remember some of the important things to do before you leave home:

• Make a list of all of the things you want to take & check them off as you put them in your suitcase.
• Notify the post office and arrange for them to hold your mail.
• Give someone close to you your itinerary if you have one. At the very least, give them your flight information.
• If you’re traveling abroad, make sure a trusted friend or family member has a color copy of your passport and drivers license, as well as a copy of your itinerary.
• Ask your neighbors or a good friend to keep an eye on your home.
• Leave a house key with your friend or neighbor.
• Adjust thermostats to save energy.
• Pay any bills that will come due while you are traveling.
• Lock all doors and windows.
• Close the blinds and/or curtains, especially in the back and side of the house.
• Set security alarms.
• Set up timers on lights and TVs to give the appearance that someone is home
• Inform your security monitoring company that you will be away and arrange for a security patrol.
• Check the fridge/kitchen for perishables and dispose of them. Take the garbage out!
• Since so many bags look alike, consider putting a bit of colored tape or ribbon on the handle to quickly identify your bag at the luggage carousel.
• Make sure to have all of your important travel information and documents all together in one place. (Note: *Carry important papers with you.! Do not check anything that you don’t want to lose)
• Photo identification
• Passports/Visas
• Itineraries/Schedules
• Tickets and Seat Assignments
• Frequent Flyer Cards
• Confirmation numbers
• Contact numbers for hotels or car rental agencies
• Money or Travelers Cheques

While going on vacation is exciting I think we can all agree that returning to work after a vacation is usually stressful. There’s a lot of mail, a ton of e-mails to go through and dozens of other things you need to get to that have been piling up while you were gone. It can almost seem like a punishment for ignoring your responsibilities.

Hopefully you will be relaxed and ready to tackle the many tasks that have been waiting for you upon your return. However, just in case you get overwhelmed, here are some tips to help you ease back into reality:

• Notify people you regularly interact with that you will be unavailable and away from the office. If people know you’ll be gone, they (hopefully) won’t try to contact you which will significantly reduce the amount of voice mails and email.
• Clear the inbox on your desk and your email inbox so that the new items you must attend to when you return will be obvious.
• Wrap up all of your “To Do’s” . This may be difficult depending on the type of job you have, but do the best you can.
• Make sure you don’t have any meetings or appointments the first day (or two) when you return to the office. You will definitely appreciate the time to get caught up.
• Arrive an hour early to work. Use this time to check your schedule, messages, mail and e-mail before co-workers get in and start asking about your trip and giving you more things to do.
• Take an extra day before heading back to work to regroup and catch-up on your life. Use the extra day to get things done at home so that you can focus on work when you return to the office.

Okay, now go and relax and know that when you get back from your vacation, you’ll have everything under control.

Wishing you a safe and relaxing vacation!

Emergency Planning for Pets

I was talking to one of my colleagues recently and, being an animal lover, she was very concerned about what was happening to the animals that were also victims of the recent natural disasters in Texas, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Napa Valley.

So, since I’ve never written about anything related to your furry family members, I thought this would be as good a time as any to provide some helpful information. Some would say … “better late than never” but, living in California we never know when the next earthquake will hit so this is really not too late.

Emergencies, disasters, evacuations, will be stressful on your pet as well as on you and your family. It is important to keep them as safe as you can as they rely on you. So, just like you would gather materials for your own safety, it is important to set aside an emergency kit for your pets. Here are just a few suggestions to help you get started:

Get something to put all of the things you’ll need for your pet (ie, duffle bag, plastic bin)
If your pet is on medication, make sure to have an extra on hand
Make sure to have food, water and treats. It is recommended that you have a minimum of 3 days worth.
Include at least 2 collapsible bowls (for food and water)
Consider getting a microchip for your pets. It’s the #1 way lost animals are reunited with their owners. Make sure the personal information is up to date with your current mobile number as well as a phone number of a close friend or relative. You can call the company you registered with and update it or, if you aren’t sure, ask your vet to scan your pet and let you know what the read out says.
Something that may be very useful, but doesn’t seem obvious to put in your pets emergency kit, is a recent photo of you with your pet. This proves ownership and aids in finding your pet if it gets lost.
Keep an eye on pets when the emergency is over. It can take them time to get back to normal and they are good at covering up ailments or injuries that may have occurred.
Below are some links to sites that contain a plethora of information as well:

https://www.ready.gov/animals

http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/pet-disaster-preparedness#Pet-Emergency-Kit

http://wtop.com/animals-pets/2017/09/build-emergency-preparedness-kit-pets/

http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_multi_top10_emergency_pet_kit_items

I hope this information was helpful!

NOTE* If you haven’t prepared an emergency kit for yourself or your family, PLEASE do so now. Or, you can always purchase one on the shop page. It’s easy and its affordable!

Relocations-The Many Ways We Can Help

As most of you know by now, helping people relocate is one of the many services that we offer.
We help with:
1. Downsizing: Getting rid of anything that you don’t want whether by donating, selling (if it has value) or tossing.
2. De-cluttering: We take all of the excess decor and personal items off the counters, shelves and other common areas and either put them away or pack them. Of course if you no longer want something we will donate it, sell it (if it has value) or toss it.
3. Staging: Getting the house ready for sale or, as we like to say… light staging: We don’t bring in or rent furniture or accessories. Rather, we use what you have and make it look good so that your property is ready for the realtor to take photos.
4. Packing: I guess this speaks for itself. We basically pack up whatever you are taking with you or want to ship to someone else.
5. Estimates: We will schedule 3 estimates from moving companies so that you can compare rates & services.
6. Donations: We will help you figure out what to donate and will either take those items for you and obtain a donation receipt for you or, schedule a donations pick-up
7. Trash Removal: We will schedule and oversee trash removal to make sure that the property is completely clear when you move out. Every closet, cupboard, drawer etc will be completely empty.
8. Moving Day: We will be there on the day of your move to make sure everything goes smoothly.
9. Unpacking: Hands down our favorite task. We get to put your new home together in an organized, accessible and functional manner. It will look great too!

You can choose to utilize all or any one of the services mentioned above to make your move less stressful and overwhelming.