Is it really this simple?  Thanks to the Wall Street Journal!

More from this article! http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204296804577124742529431640.html

I am honored to be a part of an amazing group of presenters, sharing information and more.  Get ready to stop constantly riding the brake on your business and shift into OVERDRIVE!  Listen in for free from your computer, phone or skype!

• Fire up your personal performance.
• Unleash your profit potential™.
• Discover new strategies to manage the demands of running your own business.
• Get a handle on the minutia and details that prevent you from doing the ‘heavy lifting’ to move your business to the next level.
• Quiet the ‘fear voices’ and manifest a larger vision for your company.
• Have a profitable business and time for what’s important to you!
• Live a richer, more fulfilling life
• Have powerful support systems that allow you to free up time and grow your business at the same time.
• And lots more!!  Check out the session descriptions below.

Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life was born from the 1000s of conversations that we have had with business owners just like you about what holds them back from really going where they want to go with their business.

Join us for the fun and learning!  https://war91778.infusionsoft.com/go/FireUp/EDelap

When life’s transitions occur is when your organized papers really matter. Use this list for a reference to get your items in order. Remember, every family and every situation is different.

  Legal

Will, Durable Power of Attorney

Medical Power of Attorney, Living Will/Directive to Physicians/HIPPA release form

Declaration of Guardian and Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains

Revocable Living Trust

Driver’s license

Safe Deposit Keys and Bank address

Social Security Cards

Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificate, Adoption papers, Divorce papers, Military discharge

Passports

Home

Copies of home and auto insurance, with Insurance Agent name and phone number

Home closing documents

Home Title, Car titles and other Vehicle Titles

Utilities phone numbers and account numbers

Medical

Medical and prescription insurance cards

Allergies

Prescription names and amounts

Doctors names and phone numbers

Financial

Bank names and account numbers

Name of financial advisor and phone number

Investment account numbers

Copy of taxes

Original life insurance policies

Loans and outstanding debts

Credit card copies

Credit reports

Royalties, Certificates of Deposit, Stock Certificates, and other investments

Emergency Contacts

Family and Friends

Home helpers and neighbors that have access to your home

“To be contacted” in case of death or illness

 Miscellaneous

Passwords to all online accounts

Burial policies, Pre-paid funeral arrangements

 Be prepared for the difficulties and transitions that occur!  Join Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap and Tamara Hensarling Paul to learn about important papers and vital documents, what you need and how to organize these.  The program is hosted by Kingwood Public Library on Thursday, January 12 at  1pm. 

Tamara will share not only the important papers, but an important story to remind us all of how these papers are crucial when a disaster occurs.

Ellen will share additional papers and way to organize them in case of an emergency.

Whether you are aging, your parents are aging, or you just want to ease your childdren’s minds, join us for this seminar. 

Free and open to the public.

So many people want to get organized for the New Year, but if you are on a budget or don’t otherwise have access to hire a professional organizer, I wanted to share with you a resource to help and let you know about a special deal.  In 2006 organizing expert Lorie Marrero created The Clutter Diet®, an innovative online program that helps you “get your house in shape.” Her program has helped thousands of members in eighteen countries around the world, making organizing expertise affordable and accessible to anyone, anywhere.  As  you know, I am on of the five online Experts too!

When you use the coupon code “2012win”, you will receive 25% off an Annual membership! This discount is the lowest possible price Lorie offers.

Annual memberships are usually $143.40, but with this coupon code your price is 25% off, just $107, good through Monday, January 16 at midnight CDT. In other words, it costs you only $8.92/month to have unlimited access to organizing experts for personal consultations online!

The best part of all– If you are concerned whether this program is right for you, no worries, because your first two weeks are free!  You can sign up for the Annual membership with this coupon code and your card will not be charged until 2 weeks later, and you can cancel at any time. We feel great about recommending Lorie and her team, because there is no risk involved.

 For comparison:
Month-to-month Clutter Diet membership: $17.95/month ($215.40/yr)
Normal price for annual membership: $11.95/month ($143.40/yr prepaid)
Usual price PER HOUR with a professional organizer in person: $75.00+ per HOUR
YOUR PRICE: $8.92/month ($107/yr prepaid)

Get organized with these member resources:

• unlimited access, 7 days a week, to a team of Certified Professional Organizers® for personal consulting in the member area, including photo consultations,  

• easy multimedia tutorials,  
• searchable reference articles, 
• your own customized reminder system, 
• and their exclusive weekly project plans…  

…all for about the price of a box of trash bags or a package of coffee.

Click here 

http://www.clutterdiet.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1403

Choose “ANNUAL” option, and enter the coupon code 2012win to get started with your free two weeks and lock in this very special discount price. After January 16 at midnight, annual memberships will cost $143.40.

Your first week takes you through Lorie’s 7-Day Quickstart [use your affiliate link here] program, a week of focused guidance to help you choose a project, plan it out, and get it DONE! Then you get an additional 7 days of full access and support at no charge before your special discount price is applied.

FTC Disclosure: Occasionally in this newsletter we may have links to other companies’ products which provide us with a commission if you purchase from our link. We want you to know that we feature only products here that we absolutely believe in and getting a commission on them is just a smart bonus if we happen to have a link available to us… We are at all times looking out for what is best for our readers and our reputation. Thank you!

Have you had a life long struggle with being organized?  Need support from a community of people who are equally overwhelmed?  Don’t know where to start? Looking for accountability and resources to help you live the life that truly want in life? Need an affordable organizing solution?  It’s time to get started and declutter your life!

Join Ellen Delap CPO® in February 2012 for Professional-Organizer.com’s  Clutter Support Group. This membership based group is the starting point for your journey in transforming your life, helping you define, establish and maintain an uncluttered lifestyle. 

Professional-Organizer.com’s Clutter Support Group is a four week, 1 ½ hour program where members support each other every week.  Members will work on individual projects, read along in the book The Other Side Of Organized, and discuss organizing solutions.  Fee is $100 for the sessions, book and related materials.  Register by January 25.  There is a limited membership.  For information and to register, call 281.360.3928 or visit www.professional-organizer.com.

24th Annual Conference

Attention Deficit Disorders Association – Southern Region

Friday and Saturday – February 17 & 18, 2012

Sheraton North Houston Hotel – Houston, TX

This event is designed for parents, educators, adults with ADD and healthcare professionals. The general session speaker will be Thomas Matthews, M.D., with UT San Antonio covering updated trends in ADHD. Author Chris Dendy will present several sessions addressing teen issues. Thirty breakout sessions address wide variety of topics including behavior management, life skills, medication, educational law, related conditions and classroom strategies. Join me at the session Organizing Your ADD Family on Friday.  For further information call 281-897-0982, or visit www.adda-sr.org

Take Back Your Life Now! … by the Sea!
A Weekend of Happiness and Positivity
Empower Women to Lead Healthy, Balanced and Organized Lives
Presented by Deborah Olson, M.A., LPC, Kingwood Counseling and Ellen Delap, CPO, Professional-Organizer.com

• Discover your unique strengths and how these contribute to your happiness and resilience
• Learn your organizing style
• Enjoy sessions on wellness, photography, and fashion
• Relax and rejuvenate at the spa, walking the beach and reflecting
• Share and bond with engaging and energized women

Register Now:
Event: Take Back Your Life … By the Sea
Date: January 27-29, 2012
Location: San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall Blvd, Galveston TX »
Cost: $295.00
Includes: Fees include all workshop materials as well as breakfast and lunch Saturday, and breakfast Sunday.
Hotel Fees: $139 per night, single or double occupancy

REGISTER EARLY »
via email or call 281-360-3928

Registration deadline January 10, 2012

Join us for Address the Mess! 

Join the UH SBDC as they team up with the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) to bring you an exciting and informative session on the latest ideas and solutions for organizing your business.  NAPO is a group of over 4,000 professional organizers dedicated to helping individuals and businesses bring order and efficiency to their lives. January is national GO – Get Organized month so make plans now to attend.  You will receive strategies for email productivity, must-have guidelines for organizing your business finances, and secrets for organizing and preparing your desk and workspace for immediate impact.

NAPO speakers include:

Holly Uverity, CPO®, Office Organizers – The Entrepreneur’s Organizer™

Ellen R. Delap, CPO®, Professional-Organizer.com

Gayle Goddard, The Clutter Fairy

Breakfast included.

Your holiday plans are a big project and what better way to keep this information together than a holiday planner!  Your holiday planner consolidates your gifts, decorations, recipes and agenda to one spot for easy access. 

Holiday binder

Choose a 3 ring binder with a front slip in slot.   Have fun creating a front page for your binder to get you in the mood.  You can cut up old family holiday cards or print a coloring page. Label the spine with your label maker so at a glance you can find your binder.

If you prefer, you can create a virtual holiday binder on your computer. Create a folder in your word processing documents with the same categories as subfolders. You can upload this to your smart phone too using google docs!

Holiday Plans

In your holiday planner you will want to categorize with the most important areas for your family.  Start early with a family meeting so you can chat about the upcoming months and what will be most important to everyone.   Use a month at a glance calendar you can post in the kitchen to record the dates.   Keeping it simple, without over committing, is a great start to holiday celebrations. 

For your own use, post on your own calendar your personal “to do’s” to accomplish holiday related tasks.  Have a weekly time to review the tasks and assign times to get things done.   

Using tabbed, pocket dividers, create these additional categories. 

• Gift Lists
• Christmas Cards
• Budget and receipts
• Holiday Meals and Menus
• Upcoming gatherings (one divider per activity, such as Boy Scout party, Bible Study party)
• Holiday activities (one divider per activity, Nutcracker Ballet, Messiah Sing along)
• Recipes
• Décor (with pictures from previous year’s rooms)
• Traditions
• Church bulletins
• Music (and you can insert CD plastic slots in your notebook too!)

Remember to create personalized categories that work for your family.  This is the spot to collect those loose papers that pertain to the holiday season. 

Here are some additional divider suggestions:

• Thanksgiving
• Advent
• New Years’
• Service projects
• Coupons
• Craft Projects
• Christmas Baking
• Cookie Collection
• Collections
• Christmas Past

A very merry holiday

Keep your planner handy throughout the season. Spend time weekly adding information, using it as a resource, and keeping it up to date.  At the end of the season, gather up and clear out your binder for next year.   This will become a valued resource year in and year out.