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Simple Ways to Feel More Organized

March 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Organizing professionals understand that there are some small things you can work on that make a big difference in the level of organization you feel in your home. These changes don’t take a lot of effort and can be fairly inexpensive, but you’re certain to notice the positive effect in your home. Here are some of our favorite ideas.

1) New Hangers: Changing out your mismatched, old hangers to a complete set can instantly make your closet appear more organized. The process of replacing the old ones can also be a good time to complete a clothing purge and re-organization.

2) Junk Drawer Organization: This is one area of the home that is frequently out of control. Tidying it up with some drawer organizers can feel like a huge relief for most people, but the task can be fairly quick.

3) Implement a Mail Routine: Instead of opening the mail and letting it pile up on the counter for months, institute a daily routine where you open the mail over your shredder and near you filing system. Once mail has been sorted, shred the unnecessary items and file the rest in appropriate mail system folders.

4) Labels: It can be difficult for large families to all contribute to a new system of organization. Labels can help them stick to the system and remember where things belong. Use a label maker to identify where things live in the kitchen, medicine cabinet, office, play room, and anywhere else where items are frequently used and moved.

5) Create Return, Donate, & Repair Bins: Some of the most common clutter that accumulates in homes are items that are actually meant to leave, but never quite make it out. Creating a three bin system in your garage or car can help you move these items along more quickly. When an item needs returning, donating, or repair, simply place it in the correct bin and handle on a regular basis.

 

6) Contain Unsightly Cords: Use a cord organizer to discreetly contain and hide cords in your office or living room.

7) Clear off Elevated Flat Surfaces: By taking a few minutes to clear the surfaces in your home of clutter, you’ll feel a greater sense of organization throughout. All elevated flat surfaces count, so don’t forget places like dresser tops, nightstands, and kitchen counters.

8) Bathroom Cabinets: These spaces are often cluttered, but also underutilized. Measure the space and purchase bins or baskets that offer greater use of the full height and width. Organize using a like-with-like strategy.

What are your favorite quick organizing ideas?

TWOW

 

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Time Management: 7 Tricks from the Pros

February 20, 2013 By 1 Comment

Time management professionals and gurus each have their own set of strategies and techniques that they recommend. We’ve found that some work better for us at WOW and we’re sharing them with you today.

1. Prioritize: A common problem people face is knowing what’s important and what’s not. When creating your to-do list utilize the time management matrix to the right to determine which items are urgent and important and which can be de-prioritized to the bottom of the list.

2. Do Quick Things Immediately: If you have several tasks on your to-do list that each take 5 minutes, get them all done immediately. You’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment getting them off of your plate and then you can move on to the larger items.

3. Dedicated Time: If you have a project that needs a significant amount of time and attention, dedicate a specific hour (or 3) to focus on it’s completion. Turn off distractions and commit to it’s completion during this time frame.

4. Time Inventory: If you find chunks of your day frequently going missing, take a few days to note and inventory where your time is being spent, down to the minute. Following the inventory process, evaluate what areas could be used more efficiently and make the necessary changes.

5. Calendar with Buffers: If you are often late, consider building in travel time to your calendar. For example, if an appointment is from 3-4pm and it takes 20 minutes to get there, schedule the appointment on your calendar from 2:40pm-4:20pm. This way you won’t over-extend yourself before or after the obligation.

5. Block-Off Email Time: Email is one of the biggest time-consumers of our day. Instead of checking emails as they come in, schedule specific times during the day to review and respond to emails. And remember, being the person who responds immediately to emails doesn’t always mean you are the most productive.

6. Eliminate the Unnecessary: Sometimes companies and individuals schedule meetings out of routine and not necessarily out of need. Review the meetings, calls, and regular appointments in your life and decide what is adding value. If the meeting is mandatory yet adds little value to your day, consider discussing how to improve or eliminate it with your management.

7. Focus, Focus, Focus: Many people have multiple roles (entrepreneur, employee, mother, wife, etc.) that each have different responsibilities. While multi-tasking can sometimes be effective, most of the time it hurts the overall output quality in one or more areas. Instead of juggling multiple roles, commit to focusing on just one role at a time, as much as possible.

What is your favorite time management trick?

TWOW

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How to Organize Your Fridge

February 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Do your berries get moldy a few days after purchase? Does your lettuce wilt shortly after you open the bag? For many Americans the battle against food self life is constant. However, did you know that you can extend the life of certain fruits, veggies, and other items simply by storing them in the correct fridge location? We’ve compiled the best fridge organization strategies right here.

General Strategies:

  • An overly packed fridge leads to poor circulation and an increase in temperature. Do not store too much at one time if you like your foods to stay fresh.
  • The ideal temperature for your fridge is 40°F.
  • Use bins, containers and labels to organize the space.
  • Larger items (juice cartons, etc.) go towards the back and smaller items are towards the front.
  • Review fridge contents daily and remove rotten food as soon as possible. This will help keep the other items fresher longer.

What Goes Where: 

  • Crisper: Store fruits here, but keep in mind the preferred separation of certain items. A full list is below in the ‘Specific Foods’ section.
  • Bottom Drawer: This is the warmest place in the fridge, so it is best suited for veggies.
  • Skinny Top Drawer: Store deli meats and cheeses here.
  • Door: Do not store foods that are sensitive to temperature changes (ex. eggs) in the door. Items like condiments and glass jars are best suited for this location.
  • Top Shelf: Dairy, including milk and eggs is best stored here.
  • Bottom Shelf: Raw meat, poultry and fish should be stored here.
  • Freezer: Items that you’ll have long term should be sealed tightly and stored with like-items here.

Food Specifics:

  • Ethylene-Releasing Foods:  Certain foods release a gas that causes other fruits to spoil more quickly. Store these separately and or in a sealed container. Examples include: Melons (except watermelon),  Apples, Figs,  Avocados,  Nectarines,  Pears,  Plums,  Peaches,  Tomatoes,  and Unripe Bananas.
  • Ethylene-Effected Foods: These fruits are especially effected by the gas, so store them as far apart as possible: Ripe Bananas, Cucumbers, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, Lettuce (& other leafy greens),  Squash,  Parsley,  Peas, Watermelon, Peppers, Cabbage, Sweet Potatoes, and Cauliflower.
  • Berries: Keep in their original containers and do not wrap tightly.
  • Cheese: Wrap tightly or use sealed bags.
  • Eggs: They are still good for 3-5 weeks after the ‘sell-by’ date. Keep them in their original container for the longest shelf life.
  • Lettuce: Seal in a glass jar for a longer shelf life.
  • For a full list of specific fruit and veggie storage tips check out this post by My Thirty Spot.

Helpful Products:

Good luck!

TWOW

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9 Things to Review & Do in 2013

January 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

A New Year means that certain items in your life may require attention. We’ve put together a list of the most common tasks to complete or review as soon as possible.

1) Prescriptions: Review prescriptions and toss any that have expired. Make note of the ones that are in need of refill and contact your doctor to process the order before it becomes urgent.

2) Documents: Take a look at your passport, driver’s license and any other documents that expire to determine if they require a renewal in 2013.

3) Annual Appointments: Schedule annual appointments for doctors, dentists, optometrists, and accountants.

4) Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Change the batteries on the detectors and mark on the calendar when the next change will occur.

5) Pantry & Fridge Contents: Review the food in your pantry and fridge for expired goods. Purge anything that’s expired and make note of the items that have upcoming expirations so that you can use them soon.

6) Filters: Change the filters in your HVAC unit and mark on your calendar the next swap out date.

7) Credit Report: Get a free annual copy of your credit report and review the past year’s changes.

8) Policies: Review any policies that may require updates or renewal in the new year, such as insurance and product warranties.

9) Taxes: Take a look at your income tax withholding from last year and determine if your personal situation has changed in a way that affects your number (i.e. marriage, divorce, children, etc.)

Good luck!

TWOW

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5 Steps to Help You Actually Start & Complete that Project

January 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

We all have projects and tasks that we’ve been meaning to get to for a while. Those items at the bottom of our to-do lists that for one reason or another we’ve procrastinated getting done. Perhaps it’s an organizing project or maybe it’s finally getting to that filing from last year. No matter the task, we’ve outlined some basic steps to help get you started.

1) Review the Project: Although you may have a general idea of what needs to be done, it helps to get a fresh look at the scope of the project. Determine how long it will take, what you need to complete it, and how you will work.

2) Make a Plan: Once you have a basic idea of what needs to be done, it helps to have a specific agenda or outline of how you will work. For example, if the project is to organize your filing cabinets, decide ahead of time, how many years of documents you will keep, what types of docs will be trashed vs. kept vs. shredded, and if you will need input from others during the process.

3)  Schedule the Time: Putting an allotment of time on the calendar is one of the easiest things you can do to ensure completion of a project. If the task will require several chunks of time, schedule the entire process. Don’t forget to leave yourself enough time before and after to keep distractions from creeping in.

4) Gather What You Need: Before you start the project, gather the necessary tools, supplies, and information. This will keep you from using the excuse of not having what you need to put the project on hold mid-process.

5) Focus on Completion: Once you finally get into the actual work, commit to seeing it through to the end, or the pre-determined stopping point. It’s easy to get distracted or frustrated with things, but if you mentally commit to a goal you’ll find it easier to see it through. We also find that a timer set in brief, but effective time intervals can help.

We hope this 5 step process helps to inspire you to get some of those bigger projects started this year. As always, if you need a little extra help, The Well-Organized Woman is happy to assist.

TWOW

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Last-Minute Holiday Preparations List

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With Christmas just a few days away, many of us are rushing to make last-minute preparations. While it’s unlikely we’ll forget to purchase wrapping paper, there are other tasks that may fall through the cracks. To mitigate this potential problem, we’ve created the following list of overlooked holiday to-do’s.

  • Surprise Guests: Purchase a few extra gift cards or bottles of wine for unexpected holiday guests
  • Holiday Tips: Prepare and deliver your holiday gratuities/gifts for service personnel (baby sitters, maids, teachers, postal service person, etc.)
  • Stockings: Buy stocking stuffers
  • Thanks: Purchase thank-you cards for holiday gifts received
  • Overnight Guests: Clean and prepare your home for out-of-town guests, you can get a maid, you can Hire from Savoir Vivre
  • Charity: Send all charitable donations before the end of the year for inclusion in 2012 taxes
  • New Years Eve: Make reservations for NYE events or meals
  • Batteries: Purchase a few packs of batteries in varying sizes
  • Groceries: Review your holiday meal menus and determine what still needs to be gotten off of the grocery list
  • Receipts: Organize all holiday gift purchase receipts before the gift-exchange in case someone needs to return something. A new app called Topanga is also a great tool for keeping track of your holiday (and other) purchase information, returns, price details, coordinating products, and warranties.
We also encourage you to check out our downloadable and printable Holiday Planner eBook for more tips of preparing for the holidays in an organized fashion. The ebook is available for purchase ($2.99) via Lulu.com:  http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/HolidayPlanner

We wish you a very happy and organized holiday season!

TWOW

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Guest Post: Harmonize Your Home for the Holidays in a Hurry

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As the holidays draw near, it seems we’re all getting busier by the day and more stressed by the hour.

Still need to rearrange furniture to make room for the tree?

Maybe you’ve worn grooves into the linoleum from pacing around the kitchen in anticipation of that dinner party you’re going to host?

Whatever your situation, you might think it’s too late to get your home into Santa-style shape.

If you have consider traveling for the holidays I recommend visiting G1 Property Holidays.

You would be wrong.

Here are five steps for de-cluttering your home in time for the holiday festivities.

1. Focus on the main rooms. Pick the rooms where your family and visitors are likely to linger, mingle or dine. Get a few Bar Stools and clean up the entire dining table as people who don’t have a seat on the couch can always sit by the dining table as its clean and not miss out on the family fun.  Concentrate on the dining room, living room, main bathroom and coat closet, for example, before you worry about the kids’ bedrooms, the tool shed out back or the canning cellar under the stairs (shout-out to my family back in Appalachia). Remember — you can always go through other rooms once you’ve handled the main ones, but if you’re pressed for time, don’t set unrealistic goals. Concentrate on the important, the reasonable, the achievable. Once you’ve picked your targets, make sure you take on just one room at a time.

2. Out with the old. It helps to organize and arrange what you want to keep by removing the items you don’t. Gather boxes and label them “donate,” “junk,” and “maybe.” Then, start filling the boxes. Use the “maybe” container for the things you know you should toss – like that decorative “glam rock” rudolph statue you thought was a good idea back in December of ’86 – but don’t have the heart to let go. It’ll help get the ball rolling without causing hesitation or regret since you can make those tough decisions later.

3. Think big. Once you’ve cleared out the clutter that has to go, look at the furniture and larger items in the room. Rearrange before you do anything else. For example, if you need to move the couch to fit the tree into its proper corner, or if you have to slide a random floor cabinet from the dining room to clear space for a kid’s table, do that now.

4. Details matter. Now that you’ve handled the big, space-hogging furniture, take a second look at the room. Notice dirt or dust one the floor where the couch used to be? Are there any stray DVDs, books, papers or other eye-sore-type clutter laying around? If so, sweep the dirt and put the movies back where they belong, you can also improve the lighting of the room with the use of antique lighting from Fireside Antiques so it can really improve the looks of any home in the holidays. If they don’t have a proper place, create one. You can always hide a stack of DVDs under an end table with a floor-length table cloth. Get creative and hide any unsightly clutter that you can’t get rid of. Just resist the urge to bury your husband’s full-size Christmas Story leg lamp in the backyard. Remember, the holidays are supposed to be a peaceful time. Avoid inciting World War III.

5. Teach and preach. This is probably the most important step. If you don’t tell your kids or spouse where things go, they won’t know how to put things back. Stay on top of everyone and let them know that clutter and messy rooms won’t be tolerated (until after the holidays, at the very least).

Bonus Tip: Get your family to help. By “get,” of course, I mean force, threaten, bribe or anything else you can do to get them to chip in. Let them know that you are NOT going to do this alone. The more they help, the more likely they’ll be to stay on top of the upkeep afterward.

Once you’ve finished, sit back and soak it all in. After all, the holidays only come once a year (thank God).

 ——

This post was generously was written by Dan Reidmiller, Creative Director for College Hunks Hauling Junk. College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving is a national junk-removal, labor services and moving company, with franchises serving 45 markets in 25 states, including areas such as Central PA, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Northern NJ, Tampa Bay, Washington DC and now Miami.

 

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10 Strategies for Organized Gift Wrapping

December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The wrapping of holiday gifts is often believed to be one of the more tedious tasks of the season. If you have a lot of wrapping to complete this season and are looking for ways to organize and streamline the process, use one of our simple tips.

1) Wrapping Party: Make wrapping fun, by inviting a friend or two to join you. They can bring over their gifts and as a group you can get the task completed while enjoying some quality time with each other.

2) Enlist Help: If you have older children who are capable of wrapping, consider assigning each family member another member’s gifts to wrap. This way each person is only responsible for one set of gifts to wrap. This will help to lessen the burden on you.

3) Gift Bags: We know they aren’t the prettiest of wrapping options, but gift bags are both quick and reusable, thus saving time and money. These are also helpful when little ones want to assist in the wrapping process.

4) Wrapping Services: If you truly do not have time to wrap, get help from a professional. We wrap many of our client’s gifts each year and even offer a discount on holiday service packages. Contact us for details.

5) Sending Gifts: When purchasing gifts that will be shipped to their final destination, attempt to buy online and select the gift wrapping option. Often times, the cost to ship through the online shop is cheaper than if you were to buy locally and ship yourself, leaving you with extra money for the gift wrap option. You may also order gift baskets in Ottawa which look beautiful and often don’t need wrapping at all.

6) Supplies: Before starting a wrapping session, check your supplies and make sure that you have ample amounts of tape, paper, decorative accessories, and a good pair of scissors.

7) Wrapping Paper Tips: Keep the presents organized by assigning each person in the family a specific wrapping paper design. Using this strategy helps to keep clear which packages are for which person and can also save you money on gift tags.

8) Little-by-Little: While some people prefer to get all wrapping done at once, others do not have a large chunk of time to commit. If you fall into this category, commit to wrapping one to two presents per day until the holiday arrives.

9) Keep It Simple: Martha Stewart-esque packages are lovely to give and receive, but that level of decorative creativity is not for everyone. Make wrapping easy by choosing a single type of decorative element for this year’s gifts. For example, this year you could use only ribbon or printed tape or bows, but not all.

10) Odd-Shaped Items: When you’ve got something with an unusual shape, don’t worry about attempting to wrap it. Simply get an oversized bow and hide the item until the present opening session begins.

For more wrapping tips and other holiday organization strategies, check out our printable ebook, Holiday Planner: A Comprehensive Organizing Guide for the Holiday Season on Lulu.com.

TWOW

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Best Holiday Shopping Apps 2012

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Finding the perfect gift for each person on your list, and within your budget, can be a challenge. Luckily, we’ve got some ideas for managing the process and helping to keep costs down.

Online Shopping: 

  • When shopping online, visit coupon websites, such as retailmenot.com for discount codes and free shipping offers.
  • Google Shopping is a simple way to aggregate all online prices for a particular item, including shipping, into one page. Simply search for what you’re looking for and Google Shopper will list all online availability with pricing totals.
  • Slice App enables you to track and organize all of your online shopping, including receipts, shipping and arrival tracking, and order details.

In-Store Shopping:

  • When shopping in store, use RedLaser to scan the bar code and ensure that you’re getting the best available price on the market.
  • The Coupons App is an excellent tool for locating coupons for nearby brick and mortar stores.
  • SnapTell let’s shoppers compare items on store shelves with Amazon.com prices. If you’re planning on shipping the gift anyways, you may as well buy it online and save the hassel.

Other Great Tools: 

  • Gift Plan is the perfect app for anyone who wants to keep an organized gift list on-the-go. It even syncs with your calendar for future birthday and holiday reminders.

We hope these apps will help keep your organized and within budget this holiday season.

TWOW

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7 Time Management Tips for Thanksgiving

November 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

For some people, the Thanksgiving holiday is a source of stress. Whether it’s the hosting responsibilities, the cooking, the traveling, or dealing with family, it is perfectly normal to feel a bit overwhelmed this time of year, and I am not the exception, I always try mixing h20 with CBD whenever I feel overwhelm, it is what I feel helps me the most . In preparation for the big day, we’ve come up with 7 tips for managing your time and minimizing stress this holiday.

1) Prep Early: Much of the day’s stress comes from preparing such a large meal. Lighten the cooking load, by preparing certain items a day or two ahead. Things that work well for this include, veggie chopping (onions, carrots, etc.), pies, bread doughs, and baked goods.

2) Use a Cooking Timeline: Having a set timeline or schedule for when dishes will be made can assist in keeping you on track. We’ve developed our own version, called The Turkey Timeline, which is available in our printable Holiday Planning ebook.

3) Clean as You Go: In order to minimize the after-dinner cleaning efforts, attempt to clean as you go. You should also aim to have a load of dishes running in the dishwasher before you sit down to eat, so you will have an empty washer to use after the meal.

4) Enlist Help: Just because you are the chef in the family doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself. Enlist help (children, partners, family members) for tasks that are easily handled, such as setting the table, taking out the trash, or organizing the beverage station.

5) It’s Okay to Cut Corners: While we would all love to play Martha Stewart for the day, sometimes it’s unrealistic to think that everything will be made to gourmet standards and from scratch. Cut corners with things like frozen pie crusts, pre-chopped veggies, and pre-purchased Honey Baked Hams. You can also utilize a YouTube video trick for pealing potatoes that cuts the prep time down to practically nothing.

6) Schedule Personal Time: Don’t forget to schedule in time for things like getting dressed and showered, socializing with friends and family, and having fun. Taking a few minutes away from the kitchen can help you relax and make the day more enjoyable.

7) Oven to Table Strategy:  Whenever possible, cook items in the dishes you will serve them on. For example, if you are cooking a side dish, make sure that it’s already in the presentation dish you will later use. This will cut down in time needed for transferring items around.

We hope these tips assist in making your Thanksgiving a happy and efficient one.

TWOW

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