10 Ways to Get Organized for Summer

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10 tips for summer organizing

 

It’s that time of year when the weather turns our thoughts to summer. Our last day of cooler weather is officially over, so let’s bring on the fun and sun! This list of will help you start your summer organizing!

1. Time to move out the winter wardrobe. Review what you have worn or not worn this year and decide to donate.  Pack away the winter sweaters in a tote, ready to store in the back of your closet or under your bed. Review your coats in the coat closet, and decide if any of them are ready to donate. Then move them to the back of a less accessible closet. Shine up your winter boots and store these away too.

2. Check out the expiration dates of medicines, sunscreen and bug spray. Be prepared with medicines for allergies and bug bites, as well as sunscreen for your lips too.

3. Get your swim bags together for you and your kids. Pack the essentials, like sunscreen, but also some change, tissues, sun hat, and fun fan to keep cool.  Load up your kindle, nook or tablet with a great book you have wanted to read.

4. Go through all the precious artwork and papers from your kids this school year. Keep only the most special, like the first 100 on a spelling test or a hand print turkey, to save in a box marked with that grade.  Place the boxes in the top of your children’s closets.

5. Rinse out your coolers. Handprints and other dirt come off with a Clorox wipe or Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Dry completely before storing in an easy to access spot in the garage.

6. Evenings are great time for outdoor fun, even in the heat. Pick up inexpensive outdoor fun, like bubbles, kick balls, sidewalk chalk, croquet or horseshoes for family fun.

7. Its enticing to drop all routines during the summer.  Being well rested is important all year long!  Be sure to set a bedtime for you and your kids this summer, turning off all electronics 30 minutes before slumber to ensure a great night’s rest.

8. Schedule some pampering with a cool summer haircut and pedicure for you and your kids.

9. Air up your bike tires and plan for summer picnics in the shade. Pick up some fresh new BPA-free waters bottles in different fun colors for everyone in the family and donate your used water bottles.

10. Host a family meeting and ask your kids and spouse about their summer wish list. What is the one most important thing for each person this summer? Be sure to mark your calendar to include everyone’s special activity during summer vacation, as well as block out your vacation, dates for summer camps, and July 4th holiday plans.  Gather up ideas for summer fun from local papers, online or other moms. A little extra planning makes all the difference.

Earth Day: Easy, Convenient Recycling in Kingwood and Houston

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Originally written for  www.keepkingwoodgreen.org  by Jan Zaremba-Smith (April 2011)

 

Kingwood TX recycling

 

 

It is easy to get stuck in an organizing paralysis with recycling.  Getting behind with recycling can lead to lots of organizing challenges.  For Kingwood and Houston residents, there are easy and convenient ways to recycle e-waste and BOPA materials!

  • Goodwill http://www.goodwillhouston.org/ has a special program with Dell called Reconnect http://reconnectpartnership.com/ . Goodwill accepts any brand of used computer equipment in any condition and anything that can be connected to a computer; monitors, printers, scanners, hard drives, keyboards, mice, speakers, cords & cables, software, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Zune, Microsoft-branded Webcams, etc. They will pick these items up from your house along with any other household donations or you can drop them at one of their convenient locations.
  • Best Buy will accept ALL electronic waste (no more than three per visit) including monitors and TVs up to 32″ (they charge $10 for a TV but give you a $10 gift certificate in exchange).
  • Styrofoam chips and even blocks can be brought to most UPS, FedEx or Mailbox stores. They reuse them for their packaging.
  • CFL Bulbs and regular fluorescent bulbs are recycled at Home Depot or Lowes.
  • Rechargeable batteries can be recycled at many hardware, electronic, and department stores (Alspaughs, Sears Hardware, Best Buy, and Radio Shack). You can also recycle your old cell phones at Alspaugh’s Ace Hardware for the benefit of Keep Kingwood Green.
  • Used Motor Oil can be recycled at O’Reilly Auto Parts, 3219 W Lake Houston Pkwy in Kingwood (next to Walgreens).

All items above can also be dropped at the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center (for City residents only) at 5900 Westpark located at Hwy. 59S between Chimney Rock & Fountain View (Galleria Area) : www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/westpark.html or the Harris County facility if you live in Harris County but not in the City of Houston at 6900 Hahl Rd @ 290 & N. Gessner, 281-560-6200281-560-6200 Check for operating times. http://www.eng.hctx.net/watershed/hhw_facility.html

All other Hazardous Waste (fuel, pesticides, chemicals, etc.) can be brought to the North Environmental Service Center (713)837-9137(713)837-9137, located at 5614 Neches, Building C. It is open to Houston residents only, every 2nd Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Harris County residents can take them to the Harris County site listed above.

Want more ideas? Visit earth911.com.

 

When it’s hard staying organized…

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staying organized

 

There are certain times each year when our best organizing efforts get out of control. It is when there are just too many things to do at the same time.  It is when we are about to host a party, but there is clutter on the counter.  It is holiday time and instead of time to get your house in order, you need to purchase holiday gifts.  It is when we need to drive someone in our car, but the paper is everywhere in there and we need to stash it.  There are times the wheels come off the wagon! Is this preventable?  Staying organized can take many different actions.

Keeping your home, car or office in order and preventing the wheels coming off the wagon can happen!

  • Spend 15 minutes together as a family every day getting things back to where they belong in  your home or office.
  • Take 5 minutes every day to go through the mail.
  • Write preparation time in your calendar. Plan 2 weeks out from a party, with one week just to prepare your home and one week to prepare for the party.
  • Start decluttering months before a move.
  • Just do it! If it takes under 3 minutes to get any job done, any stuff put away, or any note to write, just do it.
  • Take a few minutes for rest and get in bed early.
  • Say no to just one extra activity, commitment or work project.
  • Get help and delegate. If you can’t do it all, get a great helper to do what they can.

Next time the wheels come off the wagon for you, look back and learn where it all started.

 

Need a boost to stay organized?  Join my newsletter for a monthly dose of productivity.

Kingwood Library Presentation: Organizing Your Garage

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Join me at Kingwood Public Library for Organizing Your Garage on April 19 at 3:30 pm.  Starting with your organizing team, learn ways to declutter and organizing your car, gardening, athletic and more stuff in your garage. You will also learn what NOT to keep in there!

Practical Estate Planning: Organize Your Documents on April 4th at The Veranda, Kingwood.

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Practical Estate Planning: Organize Your Documents on April 4th at The Veranda, Kingwood. 

 Help your family — and make your executor’s job easier — by getting your paperwork in order.  Estate planning isn’t just about legal issues — there are practical ones as well. Join Tamara Paul and myself to learn more about this at  Lunch and Learn at The Veranda, Kingwood.  Fee of $20 includes materials, lunch, tax and tip.   
 
To register, call 281-358-2820 or email info@verandakingwood.com

Clocks and Time management

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clocks and time management

 

For some people, time management is a natural rhythm of the day. For some people, there is no awareness of time, time passing, arriving or leaving on time.  The greatest asset for time awareness is a clock! Placing clocks in various spots in your home or office can make a difference.  Having an analog clock in view helps you keep track of time and be more productive.  Clocks and time management are like peanut butter and jelly.

  • Analog clocks give you a better perspective of time passing.  The face of the clock, markings for each 5 minute period, and the “feel” of how long a task takes come together with an analog clock.
  • Place analog clocks in many different places in your home and office.
  • At a minimum, have a clock in your bathroom, in your kitchen and in your bedroom at home.
  • It seems redundant to have a clock by your computer, but often we lose time perspective during our work. Have a clock where you can see it without getting up from your chair.
  • Set your clocks all at the same time.  Many people want to have 15 “extra” minutes as a measure to prevent tardiness.  If so, set all of your clocks with the extra minutes.
  • Setting alarms on your phone helps you if you rely on auditory cues.  Set the alarm 5 minutes early so you can be sure you are ready to go even after it goes off.

What places and spaces do you needs clocks in your home?

Twelve Organizing Tips, Tricks and Tools

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I am often asked for “my” organizing ideas, including tips, tricks and tools.  Here are the top 12 for me! 

1.  Always shop with a list.

2. Know where an item will be located in your home, before you purchase it.

3.  Set up specific spots for specific items, such as only clothes in your master closet or only paper in your office.

4. Commit to tasks and responsibilities only after checking your calendar.

5. Anything that is really going to happen, has to be listed on a date on your calendar.

6. Go through your paper for 5 minutes every day. Spend one hour once a week paying bills and working on admin tasks.

7. Know what papers to keep, and how long to keep them. Ask your accountant or lawyer for your personal dates and details.

8.  Always keep a list of tasks, not matter how small the task or how short the list. 

9. Use versatile organizing products in many different places, such as the back of the door shoe holder used in the craft room for crafts, toy room for matchbox cars, or back door for bug spray.

10.  Find organizing products that you love, that match the decor of the space they will be used, and that have ways to separate and categorize your items. 

11.  Any big project is best done in baby steps, one hour at a time. 

12.  Keep it simple sweetie! The simpler, the better!

How to Un-do the Over-done

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There are many ways we go over the top!  It may be over purchasing, over eating or over committing.  But there are a few small ways we can un-do the over the top.

1.  Start with an awareness of where we go over the top.  It is when we are sad, mad or lonely. It is when we are bored or just need something new.  With this awareness comes the power to change. It is when we next feel that emotion that we can stop going over board.

2.  Un-doing something needs to start with a baby step.  It can be just knowing that we can have a slice of pie, but not the whole pie. We can order one new blouse online, but not every color.  We don’t have to be on every committee on the PTA, just one what we are really strong.  Paring down and establishing a minimum are ways to move away from over the top.

3.  Creating loving accountability can help us reign in our over the moon behaviours.   Loving accountability is trusting someone to help you stay on track.  It is sharing what your goal is, then having that trusted someone be there for you.

4.  Know what is enough by setting good limits and boundaries for yourself.   Is enough a number? Like a budget? Is it a feeling? Like being full after dinner? Is it an emotion? Like satisfaction?  Start learning what your “enough” is so that you can put it into practice.

Do you know what “enough” is for you? Share your way of knowing!

Collaboration

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I love my new shiny status as Superstar!  It is a collaboration I participate in just about every month, with other organizers throughout the country. But to me it is really a shining star about collaboration in general. I love to find partners that are a great fit for what I don’t do well.  As a member of this collaboration, I am prompted monthly to submit.  The topic is already chosen, so in many ways it is just following up on a great idea. 

How do I use this collaboration process throughout my work and life?  I find having partners who give you enough information to get started on whatever the task, either with a template or not, and then move forward.  It can be when I want to give a speech, add a new aspect to my business, or even make dinner for our family.  It is always more fun when you work together!

How can collaboration help you get started, get finished or get moving on a goal?

Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life

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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.
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  • 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