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Getting Ready for Spring: A Checklist

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Spring is just around the corner. In order to help you prepare your home for the change in season, we’ve created the below checklist. Take care of these items now and you’ll be able to enjoy the warm weather without having to worry about last minute To-Do’s. And remember, residential cleaners Brisbane North is always here to help!

 

Inside:

  • Closet Changeover: Swap out prime closet positioning of seasonal winter items (sweaters, jackets, scarfs, etc.) for light-weight Spring clothing (shorts, skirts, bathing suits, etc.). While you’re at it, don’t forget about a shoe rotation (boots for flip flops, etc.). For a complete How-To Closet Changeover guide, check out this post.
  • Mattress Rotation: Ensure maximum lifespan by rotating per manufacturer guidelines.
  • Storage: Rotate winter items from main closets to the basement or attic. Replace with items used frequently during the Spring (sports equipment, pool toys, etc.).
  • Linen Changeover: Swap out heavy linens for light-weight options. After washing, store linens in air-tight containers to protect from moths and dirt.
  • Air Conditioners & Ceiling Fans: Remove and clean filters for AC units. If your air conditioner needs more thorough maintenance, contact Gilbert AZ HVAC maintenance for routine procedures and cleaning of your air conditioning. Clean and rotate ceiling fan blades down (if unit allows) for optimum cool air delivery.
  • Household Safety Device Checks: Conduct quarterly check of smoke and carbon monoxide monitor batteries.  
  • Clean windows: Clean windows inside and out. Replace or repair broken screens prior to bug season.  According to aussieoutdoor.com.au/blinds-shop-near-me/, the proper blinds can help reduce the amount of cleaning required.
  • Purging & Organizing: Take the seasonal opportunity to review and donate/trash items that are no longer used. Organize remaining items for optimum storage and access.
  • Expiration Dates: Conduct a sweep of your pantry, fridge, medicine cabinet, and makeup drawer. Discard any items that have passed their expiration dates.
  • Closed Spaces: Inspect basement and attic for mold and pests that may have taken up residence during the winter months.
  • Infrequent Cleaning: Conduct a thorough Spring clean of your home, including spaces and items that don’t usually make the list. These may include vacuuming under the furniture, professional cleaning of rugs & carpets, washing of blinds & curtains, deep cleaning of appliances and wiping down of walls, ceiling corners, and baseboards. Carpet cleaning Sacramento provides you with the finest carpet care.

(Source: Ready Set Maids Houston cleaning service).
Outside: 

    • Roof: Inspect for winter damage. Have a professional conduct repairs where needed.
    • Grills: Inspect, clean, and condition BBQ’s and grills prior to first use. Secure a fresh propane tank, if necessary.
    • Prune, Mulch, & Plant: Prune dead branches and foliage, trim overgrown plants, and prepare the garden for planting by putting down a layer of mulch.
    • Gutters: Inspect gutters and clear debris where necessary. Pay special attention to the elbow corners where debris most often gets stuck. If gutter requires some repair work, contact Gettysburg gutter repair from Gettysburg Gutter Advantage.
    • Pool: Schedule an appointment for your pool maintenance firm to de-winterize the pool. Then secure a regular cleaning appointment with them for the warm months.
    • Patio Furniture/Outdoor Decorations: Remove from storage, assess for damage/wear, clean, and display.

For a more specific assistance contact Fort Collins septic tank pumping specialists.

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Reassess Your Resolutions

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s the end of February! Time to reassess your New Year’s resolutions.

We ran a feature in our most recent newsletter about planning your goals for 2012.  We wanted to help you plan in a way that will set you up for success over the course of the year.  The end of February is the perfect time to evaluate what is and isn’t working and make positive adjustments to our goals! These adjustments can help get you back on track to achieving your organizational goals without abandoning them altogether.

I recommend taking just 30 minutes of quiet time during a weekend when you’re more likely to feel calm, rather than during the week when you may already be anxious due to work and home duties. In that half hour, pick out the resolutions that are completely off track. Are they relevant to where you are in your life anymore? If not, it’s okay to remove them from the list completely. Let them go. If the goal is still one you’d like to achieve, leave it on the list.

Remember to be realistic in how much time it will take to reach this goal and give yourself a little more time beyond that to get there. Reset your deadline and remember to work backward in setting your milestones. Check that newsletter for a crash course in doing this.

What else? Check back in with your buddy! Let her know that you’ve reassessed your resolutions and the goals you’d like to achieve have changed a bit, but you’ll still need her support in getting there. Set weekly check-ins with each other.

This is your year to reach your goals with diligence. At the same time, be gentle on yourself by performing a resolution reassessment every so often. Readjusting your 2012 to-do list will set you up for continued success over the rest of the year. Priorities change, and so should your goals!

Here’s to 2012, again!

-TWOW

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On the Go: Our Favorite Organizational Apps

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In keeping with our recent theme of organizational resolutions for the New Year, let’s spend a little time going mobile! That’s right, your mobile devices and computers are great resources for helping you achieve your goals in the time management, organizational and financial arenas – on the go. Here are the best WOW-approved apps for keeping your life organized, no matter where you are in your day!

EverNote: Let’s face it, it’s tough keeping track of everything you need to do and remember in your life. That’s why I LOVE Evernote.com and its mobile app. The majority of my day is spent out of the house and at appointments. Working is therapeutic for me –  I often do a lot of my best thinking during this time – which means I’m always coming up with ideas and to-dos for my own life. It can be tough to organize these goals, but with the Evernote app, I can easily whip out my phone and record such things as the books I’d like to read, movies I’d like to watch, articles I’d like to write, recipes I’d like to cook, webpages I’d like to revisit and new organizational tools I’d like to try. But what if I can’t remember the note once I need it? Well, there’s a tool for that, of course! Evernote has a search function that allows me to use keywords to reference the note or list I’d created for myself earlier that day or even two weeks ago. It syncs with my other devices, and I can even share notes with friends and employees. This app is my organizational lifesaver, and I recommend it to most of my clients.

Mint: Ever feel like you have so many accounts in so many places and no way to organize them? Fear not!  Mint.com does it for you in a safe, secure and mobile environment. Your Mint app connects and tracks information from each of your checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, loans and retirement funds. At any point in time, I can pull up my mint.com profile and see how much money is in each my financial accounts, all in one place. But what I love most about this app is the goal-setting function. You can set goals for paying off credit card and loan balances or saving for big purchases, on a self-determined timeline. The app shows you how much you need to pay or save each month to reach your goal. We all need a little help to reach our financial goals, and mint.com provides the encouragement and accountability you need to achieve an organized financial year.

PageOnce: Pageonce.com is a wonderful app that helps you organize your finances AND pay your bills online, from one place. Like mint.com, you can view each and every account in your financial life, safely and securely, and you can pay your bills on time from your smartphone with the touch of a button. Pageonce.com will also send you alerts and reminders when you have a bill due, which helps avoid late fees. You can even choose which account you’d like to use to pay that bill. I appreciate this function, as I can’t always remember every single log-in and password when I’m on the move and in between appointments. As a bonus feature, Pageonce will also import updates from other online accounts, such as travel, shopping, social networks, event management sites, and email. If you’re a busy woman, the Pageonce app keeps your online life organized and respects your time management goals – WOW!

Dinner Spinner: Whenever I decide to cook a meal that is unfamiliar to me and my kitchen, I head straight to allrecipes.com for ideas that are quick and easy. I love to cook, but I’m also very busy, and so are my clients. Not only do I find what I’m looking for, but allrecipes.com also points me to variations on the theme in the event that the first recipe I find isn’t the right one for me and my family. Dinner Spinner is the mobile app for allrecipes.com, and it is compatible with both the iPhone and Android platforms. With this app, I can browse recipes, bookmark my favorites, share recipes with friends and create a shopping list. Cooking dinner at home helps me save money, a goal I set for my family every year. Being able to organize my meals on the go is just the icing on the cake!

 

Grocery Gadgets: Another app that saves me money and time on my way to the grocery store is Grocery Gadgets. It allows me to organize my grocery lists, recipes and coupons for free, on my phone. The app even syncs with every device in my household, which keeps my kitchen life managed, no matter where I am. With Grocery Gadgets, I can create my list, see the prices and search for offers online – talk about organized! The part I love the most about this app is that I can check the items off when I’ve bought them – putting the check in check-list is most gratifying for a Well-organized Woman!

 

If you are a mobile woman who is on the go all of the time, give any of these apps a try. You’ll be an organized, domestic and financial goddess in no time! Enjoy!

-TWOW

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10 Tools to Keep Your New Year Organized

January 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

Happy New Year! I hope that your holidays were relaxing and organized. So many of my clients have such tremendous energy towards getting organized in the new year, and the momentum is truly inspiring! As the month of January gets underway, though, it is time for all of us to face the music in getting to our goals. I thought I’d take a moment to share 10 tools that can help you fulfill your resolutions in 2012 and beyond. I use each of them in my own day-to-day life, and I often encourage my clients to use those that are right for their organizational styles, as well. Read on to set yourself up for success!

1. Slow Cooker: Cooking at home is a great way to save a significant amount of money, as well as to eat healthier meals – two goals that are on most resolution lists every year. But often we find ourselves just too exhausted when we get home to prepare a full dinner, especially in the cold winter months when it gets dark earlier in the evening. A slow cooker is an age-old solution to this problem and requires a small amount of prep time. You can even prepare the contents of the next day’s meal the night before while you’re watching TV, rather than the moment you get home. In fact, I love to marinate my meats and veggies in the pot overnight (in the fridge) and simply pop it in the heating unit before I leave for the day’s activities. I like this model by Hamilton Beach because it has a timer option that switches to “Warm” mode when it’s completed its cooking cycle. Nothing feels and smells better than coming home to an already home-cooked, warm and hearty meal after a long day working!

2. Grid Organizer: The GRID-IT Cocoon Organizer is one of my favorite portable and storable organizational products. I recommend it to my clients and often give it as a gift at the holidays. Not only is it perfect for travelling in your carry-on or your purse, it’s also perfect for organizing small things around the house like earphones, cell phones, etc.

3. Purse Perfector: Chances are you’ve heard me go on and on about the wonders of the Purse Perfector, and there’s a reason! As we mentioned in our past post, Power to the Purse: How to Keep Your Handbag Organized, the Purse Perfector is a removable pouch with several pockets to hold all of your handbag must-haves. Not only will you know where things are in your purse when you need them, but you’ll be able to change handbags easily by simply moving the Purse Perfector over to tomorrow’s bag. A clean and de-cluttered handbag brings you one step closer to an organized New Year.

4. Closet Shelf Unit: Recently, I re-organized my own closet at home, and I put in this shelving unit from ClosetMaid Cubeicals to hold non-hangables. I recommend this 9-cube organizer to almost every client to organize any room in the house – from playrooms to home offices – but I have been particularly happy with it as a closet unit. City living can mean limited space for storing items like socks, under garments, t-shirts and exercise clothes. You can find it at target.com, and it is usually on sale about once a month. Give this unit a try to keep your closet and your clothing looking their best!

5. Cable Cord Holder: Sometimes it’s the little things, like hundreds of electronics cables tangled under your desk or plugged into your wall, that can make your home seem completely messy and cluttered. I stumbled upon Blue Lounge’s CableBox and CableBox Mini last year and have since used them in my own home. What a difference! The bright colors add a little pop to my home office, and all cords are nicely streamlined and hidden.

6. Winter Sales: New Years resolutions aren’t just about the beginning of the year. I also like to think ahead to the last half of the year and what I’d like to accomplish. Winter sales are a great way to stock up on gifts, wrapping paper, holiday cards and decorations at extremely discounted prices. Try target.com or momastore.org. Come next holiday season, you’ll already have new materials to work with and you won’t have to spend a small fortune to prepare!

7. Labeler: My go-to organizational accessory is the Dymo LetraTag labeler. I use it every single day with all clients and in my own home. Labeling drawers and compartments, folders and office supplies, boxes and storage bins, etc. is a key to successfully organizing and staying that way. The label serves as a reminder of what goes where, and you’ll be less likely to let things sit out or go in the wrong spot when you see them.

8. Mail Processing System: Mail has a tendency to pile up in many of my clients’ homes. Not only does this look messy but it can also lead to missed bill payments. To solve this problem, I encourage people to keep a table top file in an obvious place to sort your mail. Keep one similar to the picture below on your front table or the surface where you always drop your bag and keys when you walk in the door. The sorter is the first thing you’ll see, so it encourages you to open your mail right away and sort it according to the actions you need to take with each.

9. Night and Morning Routine: One tool you can’t buy is time. But I can at least give you a few tips for how to get more of it on your side! I have found over time that a morning wake-up routine and an evening wind-down routine keep my mind calm, organized and ready for a productive day or a restful night. At night, I like to prepare myself for the day ahead, followed by a little me-time-down-time. I’ll look at my agenda and set out my clothing and make-up for the next day. I’ll then take a little time to read before heading to bed. Then in the morning, I can easily get ready and spend time with my coffee with a clear head and organized intentions.

10. Lug Bag: I’ve had a Lug tote for a few years now, and I simply love it as a carryall for carrying my clothing and shoes to the gym. This durable bag has a compartment for your shoes in the bottom of the tote that keeps them away from your clothes and has a breathable mesh cover. The main compartment has enough space to hold your clothing and iPod, and side pockets hold your water bottle and a snack! If one of your resolutions is to spend more time being active, this tote helps you do so with style and ease.

10 new tools is a lot to add to your daily life but integrating two or three into the mix at a slow but sure pace can really improve your chances for lasting organizational success this year. I go into greater detail on a few of these items on my latest TV segment with Shaunya Chavis and Kimberly Kennedy of The Chat Room… Good luck and happy organizing!

-TWOW

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GUEST POST: Organizing Your Child’s Library

December 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall.”
— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


If your child has enough books to operate her own children’s library, is it possible that she has too much of a good thing?

First of all, is storage space or clutter the primary concern? Have you weeded the toy population yet? (In my humble opinion, books trump toys!) If so, by all means limit the number of books to fit comfortably in the child’s room. Work with your child to set aside stacks of his favorite books and those that don’t appeal to him. Don’t state that any books will be discarded at first, as this may result in a number of unlikely additions to the favorites pile. Some “special” books may include favorite bedtime stories, gifts from family members, or the first book that your child read on her own.

If your little one is too young to help with this task, spend a week or two paying close attention to his current likes and dislikes. As you know best, some items are grabbed and handled more than others!

Once the selection is complete, set aside any discarded books that once had special meaning for you and your child. If space permits, he may value having these as an adult. You may also wish to store seasonal favorites or any books that you suspect your child has discarded because they are too advanced for her present reading level. These may also be stored and introduced at an appropriate time (more on that later!).

Whether your home can hold the entire Library of Congress collection or only a single shelf’s worth of books, now is a great time to consider the role that the books in your child’s room play in her literacy development. It’s amazing how significantly home-based reading habits and choices can affect your child’s reading confidence and proficiency!

Remain in active dialogue with your child’s teacher and other caregivers about her reading habits and development at school or daycare. We teachers are always happy to support at-home learning! Whether you hear that your child could use some support to reach grade level proficiency, is right on target, or is several steps ahead of his peers, you’ll be able to reinforce and challenge his learning at home.

Maintaining book balance:

Even timid readers typically feel very proud of their reading accomplishments. Be sure to keep a few books that your child has mastered recently and allow her the opportunity to “show off” her skills by reading aloud to you or a sibling. Likewise, particularly if your child is an emerging reader, keep those alphabet and phonics-based books handy. She may benefit from looking back at these for some time.

Every child requires a bit of challenge for reading advancement. Your child’s book collection should include several books that are challenging for him to read alone, but that, with your help and practice, he will be able to master with effort. Parents can be particularly helpful during a child’s transition from picture to chapter books. It’s a good idea to have a few of these on hand and read them with your child in small doses, even if he resists reading them alone or isn’t yet able to do so.

Whether or not you have the space for serious stacks or a single shelf, remember that reducing the number of things your child owns is a great opportunity to teach lasting positive behaviors. Consider helping your child decide to donate some favorite but outgrown books to charity. Exchanging books at a used bookstore is a great way to teach the concept of “reusing” resources.

Finally, don’t forget your neighborhood library! You’ll be happy with the saved space and money. Your child will find an abundance of books free for the reading and will gain a sense of responsibility when she learns how to check out a book, enjoy it at home, and return it on time so others may enjoy it.

Back to the original question for a second, though—the teacher in me says there can never be “too many” books in a child’s life—it’s really just a matter of managing their presence appropriately.

–Erin L. Kelly, M.A., C.A.S., M.Ed.
Art Conservator / Educator / Outreach

Erin is an independent educator, art conservator, and visual artist who enjoys writing and promoting creative projects in her spare time and is happy to call Atlanta home. She enjoys teaching students of all ages and has worked in traditional classrooms, universities, museums, and remotely, as a distance learning coach. Along with visual art and art-integrated science, English, and math instruction, Erin offers curriculum design, content, and consulting services.

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From the WOW Kitchen – Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Given that Thanksgiving is just a day away, I thought I’d take a moment to share a few of my favorite recipes I’ve used over the years at this holiday, just in case you’re in need of some last-minute menu organization. My recipes are all quite simple and are often borrowed from other sources, including the back of the bag the main ingredient is in! Enjoy!

Fig & Pine Nut Stuffing - from RealSimple.com, this recipe has the hearty flavors of fall, and the figs add just a pinch of sweetness. I recommend making this recipe the night before or the morning of Thanksgiving before you start on the turkey. You can always warm it up just before everything goes out on the table!

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish and foil
  • 1 large loaf Italian bread (about 1 pound), cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces (about 16 cups)
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup dried mission figs, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Divide the bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the bread, broth, eggs, figs, pine nuts, thyme, and ½ teaspoon salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes more.

Sweet Potato Casserole – Who doesn’t love sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving?! This recipe, from the southern food section of about.com, adds a lovely sweetness to your plate, and it makes the house smell amazing while it’s baking!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • Topping:
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned. Serves 6 to 8.

Green Bean Casserole – This recipe is from allrecipes.com. It’s a lovely variation on the traditional Campbell’s soup recipe. In fact, I like it better! I still use the fried onions because I love their flavor and texture. Simply substitute ~1 cup in place of the crackers below.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Cranberry Sauce - Though it’s right off the bag of the Ocean Spray cranberries, this recipe is one of my favorites and has always been a welcome addition to my plate – especially on a piece of turkey! I like to make two batches the night before Turkey Day and save one to go with all of our leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 12 oz. bag Ocean Spray Cranberries

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Pecan Pie – This is my favorite pecan pie recipe from my favorite restaurant in Athens, GA, The Grit! My family loves it so much, I even made extras last year and sent them as gifts! Buy the cookbook here!

Ingredients:

1 Basic Pie Crust
⅓ c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brandy
1-1/2 c. pecan halves or pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a deep-dish pie pan with Basic Pie Crust. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Beat in eggs and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pie crust. Place pie on large cookie sheet. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until crust is lightly browned, filling is dark brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving. Yields 8 to 10 servings.

 

Other easy favorites include green peas and mushrooms (to add a little color to your plate), Pilsbury crescent rolls (so warm and buttery) and, in a pinch, Costco pumpkin pie (it’s enormous and really tasty)! Best of luck with your holiday meals. I am thankful for each of my clients and all of my readers!

-TWOW

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Organizing your Jewelry is a Cinch!

October 31, 2011 By 2 Comments

My lovely and creative client, Brawner Raymond, recently shared her brilliant idea for organizing and displaying her jewelry at home. I loved what she did so much, I wanted to show it to all of you! These pictures below show her genius use of cork boards and pins to hang her baubles. How creative! -TWOW


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Claire Kurtz Organizes Her Closet: A Follow-up Post

October 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

As a follow-up to last week’s post, I’d like to share my own seasonal closet changeover experience. After all, I wouldn’t be the Well-Organized Woman if I didn’t follow my own advice! It’s really taken an unexpected turn towards arctic temps this week here in Georgia, so I knew it was time to dig in – out with the old and in with the warm and cozy, I say! And yes, ‘arctic temps’ is a slight exaggeration.

Sandals to Keep

I started the closet rotation by gathering my summer clothes and shoes and sorting into my store, donate and trash piles. Decisions for what to keep are usually pretty easy for me, so I was able to quickly gather and bag these items for storage. These silver sandals were my only question mark for the keeps.  I like them but I’ve owned them for two summers and have worn them once. I’ll give them one more summer, and if I don’t wear them again, they’re out!

I like to cycle things in and out of my wardrobe, so donate and trash piles are not too much of a struggle for me, either. However, I still like to give them a little thought. I picked out a summer dress, a black lace cami and a pair of shoes to donate. The dress is a color I like but it requires a cami under it and a shrug over it, and I’ve never felt great in it. It’s still in good condition so off to Goodwill it goes! I purchased these shoes on sale while shopping for boots. I’ve worn them once, they hurt my heels and aren’t even my style so….Goodwill for these, as well. And finally, this black lace cami is still in good condition, but I no longer like it so that was a fast drop into the donate pile.

Cami to Donate

Shoes to Donate

Dress to Donate

Yesterday I grabbed my trash items quickly. A few undergarments went right in the trash, of course, and then I said goodbye to this comfortable but shapeless sleep shirt and this well-worn work shirt.

Shirts for the Trash

I have to place an online order for basic camis and tank tops first, and then all of the old versions are into the trash, as well. (I’m very hard on my clothes!!)

Our Home Storage Unit

At home, my husband and I use this 9-cube organizer in our closet to store all sorts of clothing: in winter – sweaters and work-out clothes and in summer – shorts, work-out clothes and tanks. Clients may recognize this organizer as the one I recommend for virtually any room! From playrooms and craft rooms to closets and kitchens, it’s a great multipurpose storage item.  It is now empty and ready for our trip to storage this evening to retrieve our sweaters and winter work-out clothes.

Ready for a trip to storage!

We love living in Midtown Atlanta, but the trade-off for city living in a condo is, of course, space!  Our solution is a storage unit nearby that holds our off-season clothing, large luggage and various holiday decorations.

Every seasonal closet rotation or decorating spree requires a quick trip to the storage space where we pull out the new season’s needs and pack in last month’s goods until next year.

And with that, I’ll wish you a happy weekend!
–TWOW

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Work It: How to Stay Organized at the Office

October 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Last week we featured a Winning Workspaces article on our Facebook page that shared tips for organizing your desk and office space. We really loved what this piece had to say and felt it was only fair to follow up with our perspective on office organization, so read on for a few WOW-approved tips and tricks.

 

Two of the most common questions that potential and existing clients ask me are: ‘How do I organize my desk at work?’ and ‘How do I keep my desk organized?’. At the Well-Organized Woman, we believe that an organized work space encourages a productive work day, so my answer to these queries is almost always the same — take the time to establish and stick to organizational routines and layouts for yourself and your space. Spending a few extra minutes to organize your tasks and your desk before your day begins and as your day ends ensures that your time out of the office is spent on your personal life — the good stuff!

 

Evening Leave Work Routine: Take 5-10 minutes each night to complete an “office re-set”
-Clear desk of random paper and notes, and return items to their designated place
-Write to-do and to-call lists for the next day
-Check next day’s calendar for meetings
-Stair step work – Stack projects, folders and papers in the order you’ll need them for the following day 
- Send any emails that will generate responses/information you need to start working the next morning
The goal is to set up your workspace as a command center. When you arrive to the office the next day, you can sit right down and start the day’s tasks.

Morning Get to Work Routine: Make a game plan before you get in the game.
- FIRST, determine the top 3 must-do projects for today, everything else you complete is gravy
- THEN, answer any urgent emails. Some productivity experts suggest waiting at least an hour after waking up to check emails. You want to be awake and thoughtful when you respond to anything urgent.
- Tackle your to-do and to-call lists in chunks, attacking your hardest tasks first.
- Consider breaking your day into hour-long periods, each dedicated to a different sector of your to-do list. Often, one hour of dedicated time on a project can lead to more productive results.
- If meetings are taking up important work time, carve out an hour (or two) on your calendar where you cannot be booked. This ensures you’ll actually get to spend time on the work you need to complete.

Office and Workspace Organizing: A place for everything and everything in its place
- Office supplies – do not hoard them! Keep only what you need for day-to-day work.
- Create a desk layout according to your behaviors
-If you are right-handed, put your pencil cup on the right side, an arm’s length away.
-Push items you use regularly, but not daily, towards the back of the space
-Turn this layout into your desk template. Everything returns to its place when you are done using it or at the end of the day when completing your office re-set.
- Use vertical, hanging files for storage and loose, horizontal folders for actionable work that you can easily retrieve and stack on your desk.
- Only have the project folders you need that day out on your desk and label them with your project name.
Remember that the best laid plans do get derailed sometimes. If you feel your game plan is spinning out of control at any point in the day, STOP. Get up, and walk around the office or take a walk around the block. When you return, reorganize your space and get back to work. A mini re-set in your day can help you get your efforts back on track.Lastly, if these tips and tricks have your head spinning, start small and slow by adding one or two new behaviors every few days. You’ll be able to gauge what works best for you on your journey to productivity at work.

Good luck!
-TWOW

Recommended Books:
Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

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