What A Waste?

I clipped a Starbucks coupon entitling me to a free drink. It expired yesterday. Here I am at Starbucks today, writing this blog and paying big bucks for my coffee. What a waste. Or is it?

One of the reasons I became a professional organizer is that I hate waste. Whether it’s waste a of time, waste of money, waste of resources, waste of energy, waste of food, waste of stress, or waste of a life—waste really gets under my skin. What I’ve discovered in my war on waste is that waste is a very relative thing.

I work with people who struggle with throwing things out. This is what I commonly hear. “That’s still perfectly good.” “That needs to be recycled.” “I need to get that repaired.” “I could probably use that for something.” There may be no personal value in these items for the individual, but because there is a perceived value, there is a concern about waste.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about reduce, reuse, recycle, but there comes a time when you have to step back and look at the larger waste issues. If you have a limit to how much stuff you can fit into your home, then you also probably have a limit to how much time, energy, and money you can devote to controlling it. It’s all too easy to waste the precious resources of time, energy, and money on less vital waste issues, like recycle and repair.

Getting back to coupons. I once had a client tell me he felt like he was throwing money in the garbage. He was actually contemplating using a coupon for a dinner at a local Chinese Restaurant.  The irony was that he does not like Chinese food. He was actually trying to figure out what he could order on the menu to suit his tastebuds so that he could get his FREE meal. Finally, when he listed a dozen “ifs” he realized it was ridiculous. The coupon wasn't money, it was a piece of paper he could never use.

So I realize that I am kind of doing the same thing with the Starbucks coupon. I’m beating myself up because I kept the coupon in a prominent place for several weeks, thinking I had until the end of February to cash it in. Seemed like all the time in the world on January 1st! I figured I would go to Starbucks daily to focus on these blogs, so I really expected that I would use this coupon soon. Other priorities have risen to the top of my to do list since then, so I have been blogging whenever and wherever I could. I realize now it would have been foolish to shift those priorities just so I can get a free coffee. I had been lamenting a wasted opportunity that I never had. In reference to balancing priorities, it’s not a waste at all.

Keeping Your Car Neat and Organized

Keeping your home clutter-free can be challenging enough, but many of us face the additional challenge of keeping our cars neat and organized as well.

Below are a few tips to help you keep your home away from home clutter free and tidy.

1. Empty everything out of your car and clean the inside thoroughly. Make sure to vacuum as well. Then take the items you need to put back in and sort them so you'll know where they are if you need them.
2. Keep a trash bin in your car. Whether a small plastic bag or one designed specifically to hang on the back of a seat.
3. Create a children's activity kit for long road trips filled with items to keep the kids occupied. You can use a small plastic bin or canvas bag filled with items such as: crayons and paper, playing cards, books, small toys or electronic games, and snacks and juice boxes. Having these items in the car can contribute to stress free driving.
4. A CD holder made for visors can be used for far more than just holding CDs. You can keep coffee cards, coupons, gift certificates and important papers stored there as well.
5. Keep a small first aid kit in your glove compartment packed with the basics: band-aids, gauze, tape, insect repellent, and pain relievers.
6. Lastly, make sure to carry emergency items in the trunk such as: booster cables, flashlight, blanket, and a bottle of water.

Always remember, a little extra pre-planning can go a long way!
Happy Travels...

Gently Used Furniture Wanted for New Haven Recovery's Used Furniture Co-op

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Wanted! Beds-Mattresses-Sofas-Kitchen Tables/Chairs/Dressers & Other Household Goods to help turn an empty house into a home

New Haven Home Recovery, a non profit in New Haven established in 1990 in response to a critical need to shelter women with dependent children is in need of gently used furniture for their Furniture Co-op. The Furniture Co-op helps turn empty houses into homes as women and children transition from homelessness into a home.

Each month almost 150 clients from New Haven Home Recovery and their member agencies come through the Furniture Co-op and are able to receive 4 major pieces of furniture to begin to turn an empty house into their own home.

For the months of February & March The Furniture Co-op will be providing free pick up for any furniture donations in the following towns: Branford, North Branford, East Haven, Ansonia, Derby, Cheshire,Hamden, Milford, New Haven, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.

Don't dump your old furniture donate it! You'll be helping a family furnish a home. To schedule a pick up or if you have more questions please contact Agnes at 203.492.4866.

Strategies for the Unstructured, Creative Individual

5 Tips

Five Organizing Strategies for the Unstructured, Creative Individual
By Evelyn Gray

Evelyn Gray is a productivity expert, AD/HD consultant and hoarding specialist. She helps HR managers solve this delicate and sensitive issue in the workplace. Her mantra is: If you can’t find it in 30 seconds, it’s in the wrong place.

Evelyn is also the author of Simple Organizing Strategies for the Unstructured, Creative Individual, along with co-author and fellow NAFE member June Davidson. Evelyn works with stressed-out professionals whose disorganization has affected the quality of their lives and their personal and business relationships. Her techniques can improve workplace performance up to 40% through behavior modification with her method called “Stop, Drop, and Roll.”

1. Where Does Chronic Disorganization Start?
Can a person be challenged by disorganization at work and not at home? The answer is yes. Once they get buried in an avalanche of paperwork, people stop making decisions and the clutter begins to pile higher and higher. Some people waste as much as two hours a day looking for things—whew!

2. What is AD/HD? (Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder)
AD/HD is a “neurological and developmental disorder, most often inherited, characterized by recurrent difficulties attending to tasks, and following them through to completion.” Through behavior modification, changing how someone with AD/HD thinks will lead to a more happy, successful, and fulfilling life. Then they can maximize their workplace strengths like creativity and inventiveness.

3. Managing Activities: Getting It All Done
Write down an important task on a piece of paper and post it in a visible place. Determine how long the task will take, and break it down into bite-size pieces to do each day. Organize at the time of day when your energy level is the highest. Retrieve and respond to e-mail/voice mails just twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon, at the same time every day.

4. Run an Interruptions Log
No matter how well we plan our day, we get interruptions and distractions. Keep track with an Interruptions Log. Write down who or what interrupted you, the length of time you were interrupted, and a brief comment about what the interruption was. My general rule is to plan up to 50% of my day and leave the other 50% for interruptions and distractions.

5. The Psychology of Clutter
Why do we hang onto items of apparently no value? There are three reasons. (a) Grieving. When someone who is no longer in our life gives us something, we may cling onto things that remind us of them. (b) Being Thrifty. People often refuse to let go of something believing that the item will be useful someday, and don’t want to be wasteful in getting rid of it. (c) Denial. Holding onto our stuff can be a way of trying to hold onto what is over and can’t be reclaimed in our life.

Remember, if you can’t find it in 30 seconds, it’s in the wrong place!

Organizing your Crafts in your Home

With winter weather finally settling in, why not carve out some time to finish up a scrapbook, sewing project, or paint the old end table you picked up at that tag sale last year. Whatever your hobby, craft or passion, you will be able to enjoy your crafting and be more productive with a few tips on how to get your craft space and supplies in order.

1. First make sure you have adequate lighting and enough space to work. Position your work table in the center of the room so that you can tackle your project from all sides.

2. Keep like items together. For example: glues and adhesives together, embellishments, stamping supplies, etc...everything should be in its own bin or basket and labeled.

3. Keep all items handy. Open the bins of the items you will be using and if you can, bring them closer to your workspace. Make sure to label everything.

4. Keep a trash can nearby to easily dispose of paper scraps and garbage. Better yet, tape a paper bag to the side of your table and simply brush the scraps in.

5. If you can, hang a cork board or a few cork squares in your space for reminders, craft directions or photos of projects.

6. Baby food jars are great for storing small items, tacks, brads, or paint samples. For a decorative flair, find an empty spice rack and display the jars in the rack on the wall.

7. Be creative and resourceful. You can even use an empty pizza box to store oversized projects in a safe place. Decorate the pizza box with colorful duct tape to add pizazz.

8. Use accordion folders for storing paper supplies such as: stickers, die cuts, scrapbook papers, etc...

So get busy, and start organizing your craft supplies today for a creative and productive tomorrow.

FTNS Internet Radio

Tune in Wednesday, January 18th at 1 pm to Internet radio FTNS. I will be a guest on the "Green Gate" discussing how to clear the clutter and get achieve your goals for 2012!

On the Go, Mini Filing System

Card Cubby

Did you know there are over $8 billion in unspent gift cards held by individuals? Take a look at this great mini filing system.

An alphabetized mini-card file that fits right into your purse, briefcase or car console. Use the cubby to alphabetically file your gift cards, frequent buyer cards, business cards, discount cards, etc.

Great for birthdays, graduations, baby and wedding showers, and teachers. Holds approximately 80 cards.

As part of my organizing tools inventory, give me a call or reply with your order.