The Well-Organized Woman | Claire Kurtz is The Well-Organized Woman

Sleep Routines & Environment

September 21, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Sleep is an essential human function. We all need roughly 8 hours a night, and yet many of us cannot seem to get enough. Experts agree that consistency, along with the right environment, can assist in making this process easier. To an organizing and time management professional, this says to me that the way we organize our our bedrooms and daily routines can drastically affect the quality and quantity of our sleep. For optimal sleep, try implementing the following suggestions into your life.

1) Routine: The most important thing you can do to encourage sleep is to develop a daily sleep routine. In this routine, you’ll want to perform the same activities, in the same order, each day to let your body know you’re getting prepared for sleep. This may include brushing your teeth, setting the alarm, or taking a few meditative breaths. Whatever the activities are, do them right before getting into bed each day. The same is true in the morning, have a waking up and getting up routine that is the same each day.

2) Atmosphere: Ideally, your bedroom should be cool, dark, and quiet. The darkness stimulates natural melatonin production, the temperature encourages the body’s natural tendency to cool down while sleeping, and the silence helps to eliminate obvious interruptions. If necessary, consider purchasing ear plugs or a sleep mask to help achieve this environment. A bath can also raise your body temp enough to simulate the ideal cooling effect. Finally, the room should also be free from all stress-inducing items, such as bills, work materials, or chore items.

3) Timing: Just like with any routine, you’ll want to maintain consistency by keeping your bed and rise times stable. Although the weekends can sometimes throw off our sleep schedule, it is important to maintain similar timing as much as possible. David B. Agnus, author of ‘The End of Illness‘ says this will help to train your body to start shutting down around the same time each day and lead to improved sleep and health.

4) Distractions: Although technology is an important part of our lives, it can also be a hindrance to our sleep. Consider turning your phone on silent or leaving it in another room during sleeping hours. This will help reduce the urge to check it when you see a new message come in while you should be getting some shut eye. TVs, computers, and tablets can also delay sleep as the light can trick the body into thinking it should be awake. As a general rule of thumb, attempt to leave all technology out of the bedroom.

When you start to think about sleep in the same way you would for other routines or responsibilities you can start to understand the importance of basic things like establishing a bedtime. We hope these will help you get the restful night’s sleep you deserve.

TWOW

20 Ways to Get Organized in 10 Minutes or Less

September 18, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Most people would love to be more organized, but have a tough time executing the steps needed to get there. Fortunately, there are quick fixes that overtime can lead to a more organized life. Check out our ideas below and add your own via comments.

Put away the stacks of folded laundry currently living on a chair/floor/dresser top, etc.
Remove wire dry cleaning hangers and put them in your car to return with the next dry cleaning drop off
Throw out expired food
Review a stack of mail and trash, shred, or file the contents
Gather excess travel size personal care products and put them in a bag for donation
Toss single socks whose mates have long been lost
Delete 25 emails from your inbox
Pick one surface to clean, remove all unnecessary items, and return them to their homes
Clean out your purse or wallet
Make a To-Do list
Recycle magazines that are 4 months old or older. If you would like to keep it for specific info, tear out the article and place it in a dedicated magazine binder with plastic sleeves
While at the gas pump, do a sweep of the car and throw out any trash
Add yourself to a ‘do not mail’ list, such as 41Pounds.org
Create 3 file folders on your computer and add appropriate documents from your desktop
Review your kitchen gadget drawer and pick out any duplicates. Place dupes in a bag in your car for donation
Look through your coupon file and recycle anything that’s expired
Select 1-3 pairs of shoes that haven’t been worn in the past year and ready them for donation
Pick 3 file folders that you haven’t touched in a couple of years and review the contents. Try to throw out as much as possible
Throw out expired medications
Add 10 minute blocks to your calendar for future organizing sessions

Good luck!

TWOW

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Internet Time-Suck: How to Avoid the Temptation

September 14, 2012 By Mandi Leave a Comment

The distractions of the internet are never-ending. Between social media, online articles, email, and instant messaging, one can waste hours of potentially productive time on essentially useless browsing. The graphic provided from Nielson research shows the average ways in which we use the internet. We are all guilty of the internet time-such, but some have more trouble with it than others. In order to curb this potentially detrimental habit, we have a few strategies:

1) Determine Why: There is usually a reason why you are drawn into the distraction of internet surfing. Perhaps its boredom, perhaps attention-deficit, or maybe it’s a stress reliever. However, if you understand the why, you can more easily shift the habit into something productive. For example, if you are distracted by internet surfing due to boredom, consider instead switching to a new work task that will re-engage your interest. If you’re looking for mindless stress-relief, perhaps a quick walk outside the building would provide a healthy release.

2) Internet Breaks: If you absolutely need a internet break, determine how much time you can afford to browse and set a timer to keep you to it. The site http://minutes.at/ offers a free timer service that allows you set hard time limits per site. When your time is up, use an app, such as Pocket, to bookmark any pages that you’d like to come back and read later, so that you aren’t tempted to stay a bit longer.

3) Total Browsing Limits: If you are the kind of person who finds themselves lost online for several hours a day, consider setting a weekly internet time allotment. For example, if it’s not for work or school, you will only allow yourself 2 hours per week of browsing time. Keep track of your total on a notepad or phone timer app.

4) Minimize Opportunity: If you are under deadline or need to concentrate on something at work, turn off access to internet distractions. Close down your browser window, turn off instant messaging, and silence your phone from receiving social media notifications. This strategy also works if you need the internet to complete part of the task. The difference is that you do all of your online research first, copy the information to an offline source and then close down the browser to complete the work.

5) Block Access: If you just can’t trust yourself to follow the above suggestions, there is a more serious option available. Services such as, Leech Block for Firefox and Chrome Nanny for Google Chrome allow you to set preferences of which sites will be unavailable for access during which times per day.

Although internet browsing can be a very enjoyable and appropriate activity, there are certainly times that all of us have stayed a bit too long. Hopefully with these tips, we can maximize efficiency and minimize the time-suck.

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Hobby Gear & Supplies: How Much Is Too Much?

September 11, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Hobbies are a valuable addition to our lives. They give us something fun and recreational to focus on that isn’t work or other responsibilities. The problem is that many hobbies require significant amounts of gear or supplies. We often meet clients that while in love with the hobbies they participate in, are overwhelmed by the amount of ‘stuff’ they have collected to facilitate the hobby. In order to help limit the number of hobby items, we have several recommendations:

1) Try Before You Buy: Often the instinct is that you cannot try a sport or hobby without first purchasing the necessary gear and supplies. For example, someone who wants to take up cycling may feel the need to get a bike, helmet, appropriate clothing, and anything else they may need before starting out. If the sport isn’t for them, however, this stuff ends up indefinitely taking up space in their garage. Instead of purchasing first, consider renting or borrowing gear to ensure that the hobby is something you’d like to continue long term.

2) Set Your Limits: Another common hobbyist trend that we see is the personality who seems to enjoy the thrill of the supply acquisition more than the actual hobby. This seems to be particularly true of scrapbookers who often have enormous collections of supplies, with few finished scrapbooks. To keep this from happening, give yourself limits on how much you will buy, how much you will spend, and how often you will shop for hobby supplies. Make the limits firm and stick to them so that you don’t end up with excessive amounts of stuff with little time to use them.

3) Pay it Forward: For those who fall into the category of large amounts of unused hobby supplies, there are many options for culling it from your home. Play It Again Sports will pay you for your used sports equipment. Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the other charities will accept just about anything you’ve got. A final option is to post about the available stuff on your social media accounts. There’s a good chance someone in your network will be interested and you can rest assured that the stuff is going to good use.

In the end, the most important thing about your hobby is that you’re enjoying yourself; so have a great time!

TWOW

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8 Reasons to Hire a Professional Organizer

September 7, 2012 By Mandi Leave a Comment

We often meet clients that are well-versed in the general principles of organizing. They understand what needs to happen to get them on the right track and yet their homes are still disorganized. When they call us they are initially skeptical about the need for an organizer, but end up extremely happy with the service and results. You may wonder why is there such a discrepancy. We’ve put together the top 8 reasons why hiring a professional organizer is better than attempting to do it by yourself or with a friend.

1. Objectivity: We have no attachment to your belongings and thus can help make difficult decisions about parting with said things a bit easier. We come prepared with lots of thoughtful questions about the frequency of use, necessity, and usefulness to assist in determining whether to keep or cull.

2. Calm & Collected: We organize people’s homes for a living, so we’ve pretty much seen it all. No matter the extent to your organizing needs, we will not become overwhelmed. We can help you achieve this peace of mind as well.

3. Efficiency & Organization: Instead of just making things fit anywhere they can, we strategize about the bigger organizational picture to ensure that your home and life is left with increased efficiency.

4. Completion: When attempting an organizing project by yourself, you can sometimes get distracted and leave things in a more disorganized state than when you started. When you hire us to organize we promise the job will be finished to your satisfaction.

5. Expertise: We are full of recommendations for products, resources, and information that will help you to achieve the organization that you’re looking for. Be it a storage solution or a way of setting up your desk to maximize productivity, we’re happy to impart our wisdom.

6. Fresh Eyes: When you are living in the disorganization for a long time it can become normal and blind you to new ways of doing things. Professional organizers can walk into your home and see patterns of disorganization, as well as potential solutions that you may overlooked.

7. Maintenance Strategies: While physical organizing is the first step, keeping things that way is the hard part. While we organize we impart strategies for how to correct behavioral habits that are contributing to the long-term disorganization, thus leaving you prepared to maintain things on your own.

8. Donations: Before we leave your home, we take the items that you are donating to charity for you. It may seem insignificant, but often times people never get around to donating the items they cull and then they eventually reintegrate themselves into the home. By removing the items immediately we can guarantee this doesn’t happen.

Obviously we’re partial to hiring a professional to help you with your organizing needs, but if you’re still unsure, feel free to give us a call and we can discuss your particular situation.

TWOW

How To Stay Organized When You Are Moving With Kids

September 4, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

No matter what your situation, staying organized during a move is a daunting task. There is so much to do and to plan, and there are always unexpected problems popping up at the last minute. Parents of young children especially have their work cut out for them. Not only do kids usually have a disproportionate amount of things to pack (especially the tricky to organize toys), parents have to make sure that favorite toys don’t get accidentally packed away and they still have access to the right food, toiletries, and supplies that come with raising a kid. Plus, kids are especially disturbed by a change in their routine, which means they might be in need of some additional time and attention – two things that you will be very short on during a move! In short, staying organized for a move when you have children is challenging, but here are a few tricks to ease the process:

Make A Kid-Friendly Checklist

A checklist can be a great way to stay organized for any task, so why not get started teaching this valuable skill to your kids? Some of the anxiety that children face during a move is a fear that their favorite possessions aren’t going to make it to their new house. Help alleviate this fear by going through their room together and making a checklist of their things. Spend some time helping them pack and checking off the items as you go along. This will help to put them at ease and reassure them that nothing important gets left behind. You can even give them special stickers to decorate the boxes once they are all packed up. This will also give you the chance to make sure their rooms get packed up in an organized way.

Get A Helper

Once your distraction technique has run its course and you can sense your child becoming antsy or bored, it might be time to call in some reinforcements, they can be that assistance you need . This is a challenging time for a child, so why not arrange for their favorite babysitter to take them to the park or to the swimming pool? Even if it is for a short period of time, you will be amazed at how much more you can accomplish when your little one is away – especially if you know that they are out having fun! If you are moving to a new city or state, this is also a great time to arrange play dates with their friends, on this Website you will find some of the best Worldwide Moving Companies for either business and residential situations.

Remember, this is a stressful time for everyone in the family. These tips will help you stay organized and happy throughout your move.

This post was generously written by Logan B. Logan is a guest author and organization expert. When he isn’t writing, he’s helping people find the best moving company for the job.

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Guest Post: Is Your Bed Linen Keeping You Up At Night?

August 31, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

The kind of bedding you use can mean the difference between a good night’s rest and not getting any sleep at all. People spend about a third of their lives in bed, but many don’t take the time to actually understand what kind of sheets and duvets are the best for them. In fact, many people don’t even know how much of a difference a quality duvet and good sheets can make for their sleep. Many people suffer with bedding that is too hot, doesn’t breathe well, is rough on their skin, and doesn’t wick moisture away from their body. This short guide will teach you everything you need to know about sheets and duvets.

Sheets
Sheets are probably the most complicated piece of your bedding to understand. There are so many options to choose from which can make it feel overwhelming. There are three primary things you need to know about when shopping for sheets and they are thread count, fabric types, and weave styles.

1) Thread count is often touted as the easiest way to determine the quality of sheets. This is only partially true. A good rule of thumb is the higher the thread count, the softer and smoother a sheet will feel. But the problem is that some manufacturers use smaller threads to increase thread count. Another problem with using thread count as the measure of quality is that higher thread counts may trap more heat and not breathe as well as lower thread counts. That can be good in the winter, but bad in the summer.

2) The type of sheeting fabric used can make a big difference in the quality and softness of a sheet. Usually you’ll see sheets made of standard cotton. It’s a good starting point, but it’s not the only available option. Pima cotton is another popular material that is a little softer and has more sheen than normal cotton. Finally, there is Egyptian cotton, which is known for its exceptional quality, softness, and sheen.

3) Weave styles may arguably be the most important thing when considering sheets. The weave is what is primarily responsible for how a sheet feels and how well it traps heat. Sateen weaves resemble satin and can feel very soft and almost cool to the touch. Flannel weaves are thicker and yield a fluffy and very soft feel. Percale sheets are very lightweight which makes them good for keeping you cool at night. Trying to sleep on a mattress on floor is also a good idea.

Duvets
Duvets are less important than sheets when it comes to bedding, but they can still mean the difference between restless nights and a good night’s rest. Three things to take into consideration are the fabric, fill, and type of construction.

1) Most outer parts of duvets are constructed of cotton. The same rules here apply for thread counts in sheets. Usually a higher thread count means softer and higher quality, but that isn’t always true.

2) The fill is the most important part of a duvet. The way this is measured is in terms of fill power. A high fill power means a fluffier duvet, while a lower fill power means a denser duvet. Higher fill powers usually cost more, but they don’t necessarily equal more comfort. Generally fill powers that are on the low side are a little cooler.

3) Duvet construction is something most people don’t even think about, but there are several ways a duvet can be constructed and the differences can be big. Baffle duvets tend to be the warmest because they keep the down in place, while sewn-through duvets can lead to thin spots in the down. Finally, box construction ensures that the fill remains in place so the warmth is evenly distributed.

About the Author
This post was written by Robin Beaumont co-founder of The Best Bed Lin en in The World. Robin is an avid writer on the subject of fabrics both as a guest and on his own blog andworks with some of the biggest and best 5 start hotels in the world.

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Exercise Routines: How to Create & Maintain One

August 28, 2012 By Mandi 2 Comments

As discussed in the recent post about The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, exercise routines can be one of the most challenging things to adopt and maintain. Although the endorphins produced by exercise can be powerful reinforcers, for many the routine is simply not a top priority among life’s other responsibilities. In order to assist in making exercise a consistent part of your weekly schedule, we’ve got a few tips and tools.

Workout Routine Tips:

Scheduling: Instead of fitting in a workout whenever you have availability, decide on a specific time and days per week that you will commit to exercising. Add the workout to your calendar as if it were an appointment, and make sure that no other consistent obligations are going to interrupt.
Workout Cues: As recommended by Duhigg, creating a cue for exercise will help put you in the mood for the task. He recommends setting out your workout gear the night before a morning workout. This will help to remind you that exercise will be your first task of the day, not checking your email or picking up the house.
Accountability: For those who do not enjoy working out, any excuse will usually be enough to keep it from happening. Ensure you make it to scheduled workouts with an accountability trick. Some popular tricks include, working out with a more motivated friend so that you are not alone, signing up for a scheduled workout, such as a bootcamp, or tracking workouts and progress in a logbook. The last one may seem trivial, but science shows that logs provide a sense of accomplishment and encourage consistency.
Find Your Niche: Not all workouts are created equal. If you are new to exercising, I recommend trying out many different styles of workouts until you find something that you like. The more fun you have while working out, the more likely you are to continue. And remember, whether it’s running, yoga, or Zumba, the more you do it, the better you will get, so don’t worry if at first it’s very challenging.
Reward Yourself: An important part of making anything into a habit is the reward aspect. Create achievable goals for your exercise routine that are tied to non-food rewards. For example, for the first month, set a goal of working out at least 3 times per week for one hour per day. At the end of the month, reward yourself with a new piece of workout gear or clothing. The vital thing to remember is that goals should be reasonable, specific (where, when, what, how long), and measurable.

Tools:

MapMyRun App: This GPS-enabled app allows you to track distance, routes, time, and the pace of your runs. Just like the accountability tip above, this tool will help you to see your progress and share it with friends. A great way to get a little extra encouragement is to allow the app to post your run details to Facebook. You’ll be surprised how much praise and support the posts will garner.
FitnessBuddy App: This is another exercise tool that provides hundreds of exercises and workouts for all fitness levels. It also has a workout journal for tracking what you did and when you did it.

No matter how you workout, just remember that the consistency is the key to maintaining the routine.

Good Luck!

Mandi

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A Place for Everything: The Biltmore Estate

August 24, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Earlier in the Summer my family met for a long weekend in Asheville. Despite my general attraction to minimalist spaces I am in love with Biltmore Estate and could probably spend a week or two there touring the house and taking part in all of the amazing outdoor activities offered on the property.

On our trip we took a behind the scenes Architect’s Tour and found ourselves up on the roof and in rooms not typically available to visitors. Combined with the self-guided tour through the rooms open to the public we got a great taste of the design, functionality, and beauty of the house.

Most striking to me, as a person with organization and efficient planning often on her mind, is the care taken by George Vanderbilt and his architect, Richard Morris Hunt, to address every possible need for a home this size used for constant entertaining and with an eye toward complete self-sustainability. Biltmore is the ultimate example of the classic adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place!”

The basement of Biltmore house is one the best examples of a place for everything I’ve ever seen! In the food preparation and storage areas in particular you will find a canned goods storage room, a produce storage room, a rotisserie cooking room(!), cold storage, a pastry preparation and keeping room, and a beautiful general kitchen area with sinks and prep counters with views out to the gorgeous countryside behind the house. The incredible upstairs living spaces include a breathtaking library, great hall for gathering and dining, reception rooms, storage rooms, and a multitude of guest rooms.

Despite the difference in the size and purpose of our homes and this great manor house, we can reflect and take a cue from this well-planned home in designing our own calm retreats.

-Take a look at each room in your house and evaluate, moving from left to right through the room, if each area of the room is serving its purpose well.

- Identify the areas where too much is happening in one place: do you have books overflowing your bookshelves, is your living room overrun by dvds, magazines, toys, or stacks of paper? Analyze what can be culled down and what is truly meaningful or actually used. If you’re looking for the best property deals , check out Siam Real Estate.

- Use the space you have as a guide to what you can keep: We have a tendency to want to find the perfect organizing item to create more space to keep things. We usually cannot make more space so living well in the space we have often requires some intense analyzing and a little creativity.

-Make tough choices: If you have 50-60 hair care products (and we have seen this many and more!) and nowhere to put them, really ask yourself what you are using daily and at this stage of your life. If 30 of the 50 are never touched, give to a friend or donate to a women’s shelter.

- Use Peter Walsh’s best organizing principle and envision the lifestyle you want to be living. Does your physical space and the belongings that reside there support that vision? It can be a joyful existence to live with less, but in an environment that is calm and well-planned!

For inspiration on living well with less check out The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life

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‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg

August 21, 2012 By Mandi Leave a Comment

I’m currently reading a book called ‘The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business’. The book discusses the science behind habits and how we can use this knowledge to alter various routines in our lives. Whether it be poor eating, smoking, or the collecting of excess belongings, much of what we do stems from the process of habits.

If you would like to change a habit in your life, the author suggests you start by figuring out the three things that form what is called a ‘Habit Loop’. First is the ‘Cue’. This is a signal, a feeling, or anything else that triggers the desire for habit action. Second is the ‘Routine’, which refers to the actual act. Finally, there is the ‘Reward’, which is obtained by completing the routine. The reward can come in many forms, but essentially is anything that provides satisfaction. Determining each of these items can be difficult as they are not always obvious. For example, if someone wanted to stop eating a sugary snack in the afternoon, they might realize that the cue is a lull in work and the reward is actually a distraction from boredom, not necessarily the snack itself.

Once you have identified the elements of the Habit Loop, you must then attempt to replace either the routine or the reward with something you feel is more appropriate. To expand on the example, if the sugary snack is causing weight gain, but the real reward is a break from boredom, the person may consider taking a walk with a colleague instead of eating. The cue and reward will remain, but the new routine will provide a healthy alternative.

The reason I mention this book is that the understanding of how habit’s work can help us to change the way we manage organization, time management, and general control in our lives. We often see clients that are overwhelmed by disorganization. I suspect that if they closely examined the habits that form the basis for the problem they could make edits to the loop that result in drastic overall routine changes. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to make changes in how they operate and what they do.

Happy Reading!

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