That's My Girl!!

Tip for Keeping Track of Donations

We donate a lot of stuff to various organizations, especially the ones that are willing to come to our area and pick up what we have.
I only recently realized how beneficial it can be to keep an itemized list of the things that you pass along.
It can be a pain to have to document it all on a list, which may be difficult to find each time and to be consistant with, so this year I have started a new system.

When an organization calls to schedule a pick up, I write the name on the calendar, and then I put  post-it in the space on the calendar, making sure that it is dated as well. As I go through things, filling a box or bags, I write down the items on the post-it.
When the group comes to pick up, I just take the post it of the calendar and stick it to the receipt that they leave, creating an itemized record of my donation.

I know that there are digital tools that cnbe used to track such things, and I might do this quarterly or so, but it's easier for me to be consistent if it's right there on the calendar in the kitchen.

Happy Planner! So Me!

I have always been a planner person, and as a professional organizer I have always encouraged clients to use whatever style they find fits them best; planner, calendar, or digital calendar. I use all three, and I love these new planners! I had been using post-its on the family calendar, because it's so handy to write down all the information for an event or an appointment and then be able to grab it and take it with you, but with my Happy Planner I am able to grab the whole thing! I got a nifty case at Michael's on a coupon with space for a notebook, all my pens and whatever else I may need. I use the three sections for morning afternoon and evening, and I am still shaking out all the new things that I can do with it.

What To Do?

That is the question that I ask myself so many times a day these days.
I have withdrawn from the state of employment, within a company. No w-2s in the near future as far as I can see, but I am unsure of what the next steps will be, in my professional life.

I know that I want to serve clients in the area of Professional Organizing.
I know that there is a good concept in the idea of detailing rooms and organizing in that way.
I could probably use one of the presentations that I have developed and turn it into a book.
What that could lead to I have no idea, but I think it's worth pursuing. It would be a good way to be productive and be working on something.

I just love all things organizing! I want to stay in the field. I want to help people find serenity and make peace with their environment. I want to show families how there can be enough, without becoming enslaved to too much.

I will continue to work for my friends and see if I can get the shape of the Detailing concept to come to fruition. I know it can work!
I have several people that are interested and I need to follow up with them.

This post has become a very stream-of-consciousness little note-to-self, but that's important too.

Life Planner

I have been hearing a lot about Life Planners, and I wanted to give one a try, but I didn't want to spend a lot until I could see if I would follow through.
I am going to use it more for personal goals and notes, and not just to keep track of things that are on the calendar. Those will be on there too, but there are so many things that I want to note and keep on the front burner that are just me and not just dates and times.

Setting goals to read a certain amount every day.
To make sure that I am getting my personal time in and following through on the promises that I make to myself.

Here is a picture of the beginning of my week:

Winning in Increments

Some people have a hard time settling into a routine and making sure that all the little details around running a household get done on a regular basis.
It's really easy for things to get missed, or just get put off due to a crazy week, or the speed of life in a season.
If you want to be sure that you are at least keeping up, make a list of the things that you absolutely have to, do every day, in order to at least stay afloat.
This list could include things like doing a load of laundry, getting all the dishes done after lunch to prepare for dinner prep, making the bed, wiping down the bathroom, etc.

Now, organize this list into groups:
Tasks that you can do in 5 minutes
in 10 minutes
 and things that will take more than 15 minutes.

Next, plan to do all the things that you can do in five minutes or less before you leave the house, or get started on other things in the morning.
You may be surprised that most of the things on the list take 5 minutes or less.
If you want to break down a longer job into smaller tasks, you can reorganize your list and do one of those tasks in the morning, one after you get home, and one in the evening.

A load of laundry takes as long as the washer and dryer, but starting a load takes less than 5 minutes. Switching to the dryer takes about a minute, and folding out of the dryer about 5 minutes.
Put it away before bed, and the load is totally done. The actual work takes about 15 minutes.

Here are some examples of nagging tasks that really improve the flow of the household, and really only take minutes!

Making the bed- 2 minutes
Wiping down the bathroom sink- 1 minute
Wiping down the shower- 2 minutes
Sweeping the floor- 2 minutes
A sinkful of dishes- 5 minutes

A lot of what we dread is what has accumulated through procrastination.
Look around and take control in small ways.
Each small battle won is a step toward winning time, peace and enjoyment.