Holiday Organizing: Keep It Simple Santa

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holiday organizing

Lots of us have heard of the KISS principle. You may know it as “keep it simple sweetie” but I like to apply this mantra to the holidays.  Keep it simple Santa keeps us from overdoing, over committing and over thinking the holidays.  Holiday organizing is best when it’s simple.

  • Keep it simple with holiday gifts.  Finding the perfect gift, finding gifts for a large number of family, and finding a way to finance gift giving can be stressful.  We are saturated with the idea that bigger, brighter and more bling are the way to go with holiday gifts.  Keep your gifts simple and clutter free.
  • Keep it simple with holiday decorating.  Adding to your collection of Santas each year? Think about donating some less loved Santas to local charities to sell or give.
  • Keep it simple with homemade goodies.  Cookie swaps are a great way to share the fun of baking.  Choose a signature recipe you make each year to share with family and friends.  Set aside a time to share the fun of baking with your family and friends.  (I am sharing my signature cookies below!)
  • Keep it simple with commitments.  It’s easy to over commit to holiday gatherings.  Write in your calendar what is most important to you and your family during the holidays. With these dates guarded, you are ready to enjoy the season in a meaningful way.

holly cookies

Holly Cookies

Ingredients:
 35 marshmallows
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons green food coloring
4 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
1 (2.25 ounce) package cinnamon red hot
candies
Directions:
1. In microwave, melt together the marshmallows and butter.  Add in food coloring when melted. Mix in the cornflakes cereal.
2. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper, and decorate with red hots. Set aside, and allow to cool in the refrigerator.

 

Holiday organizing at it’s best!

 

holly cookies easy to make and share

Meet the ADHD Expert Laura Rolands

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Laura Rolands

 

Throughout the month of December, I am honored and grateful to share posts by ADHD experts.  In this series of  Meet the ADHD Expert, our experts are sharing their thoughts about ADHD.  Let me introduce guest blogger Laura Rolands.

 

 

Laura Rolands of MyAttentionCoach.com is an ADHD Coach who helps adults with ADHD/ADD pay attention, improve their time management skills and increase productivity.  Her clients include students, adult and organizations looking for help with time management, productivity, organization, procrastination and other challenges related to ADD or ADHD.  Register for Laura’s free time management guide on her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com and listen to her radio show archives at www.PracticalADHDStrategies.com. 

 

What was your first experience with ADHD?

I first learned about ADHD when talking with teachers at my child’s schools about attention challenges that we didn’t know how to resolve at the time.  It was a frustrating experience in the beginning, but we worked together to develop strategies that have helped my child succeed.  In reality, I saw ADHD, however for years in my work as a Human Resources professional.  I just didn’t know how to recognize it at the time.

 

What was is one thing you want everyone to know about ADHD?

While it can happen, ADHD challenges do not typically go away with age. New challenges can present themselves later in life after the structure provided by parents is no longer applicable.  Being aware of this can help the adults with ADHD to identify and develop strategies to assist them personally and professionally.  Taking proactive action can also help build self-confidence.

 

What is your best tip for ADHD?

Be on the lookout for overcommitment and learn how to say no.  ADHD can cause impulsivity that can lead to a calendar and to do list that is literally overflowing. Learn to say “no” to gain positive control over your commitments and schedule.  Follow these skill-building steps:

  • Identify situations where you make impulsive decisions to accept new projects or tasks..
  • Rehearse saying “no” before entering the situation.  For example, saying, “No thanks, I just can’t add anything new to my plate right now.”  Avoid long explanations; they leave too much open to debate with the requestor.
  • Practice your statement five times before entering the situation.
  • Evaluate your progress and praise yourself to celebrate success.

It takes daily practice to build this skill.  Start practicing today to “no” into a positive!

 

What is your morning like?

Mornings are relatively long at my house with the first alarm sounding at 5:10am and the last person leaving the house around 7:45am.  There are 4 of us who wake up, get ready and head to work and school at various times.  Mornings are rarely hectic though and I am thankful that my kids get out of bed without too much prodding.

 

Stay connected to Laura

Website:  www.MyAttentionCoach.com

Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/MyAttentionCoach

Twitter:  www.Twitter.com/LauraRolands

 

 

 

Elf on the Shelf ® Organized

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elf on the shelf organized

Each year right when the holidays begin,  families meet their personal scout Elf who joins their family for the holiday season to help Santa with his naughty and nice list.  Each day their Elf moves around their home watching them from different spots to check on the kids.  It is a tradition to locate him.

Throughout the holiday season, I’ve seen dozens of pinterest pages and blogs devoted to Elf on the Shelf ®.  Adding in a little practicality and organization adds to the fun!

  • Set a time each day or night to follow though.  Busy days with wrapping, shopping and cooking can leave you drained.  Set a time each night, such as right after tuck in, or set an alarm on your phone, to remind you to get set up.
  • Be sure everyone is in.  Spouses, partners, grandparents, extended family and friends can all be helpers for you.  Just in case time gets away from you and things did not go as planned, text a family member or friend to help out.
  • Elf antics can be simple or elaborate.  As one mom says, her family purposely kept things simple just to keep the tradition easy to accomplish each evening.  A simple addition can be a short note too.  Whatever you choose, remember to follow through.
  • Store your elf in a remote location and add a reminder to your digital calendar for next year where he is stored.

 

 

Join me on pinterest to enjoy more holiday ideas at Happy Holidays!

Don’t miss out on upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Meet the ADHD Expert Andrea Sharb

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Throughout the month of December, I am honored and grateful to share posts by ADHD experts.  In this series of  Meet the ADHD Expert, our experts are sharing their thoughts about ADHD.  Let me introduce guest blogger Andrea Sharb.

 

Andrea Sharb

 

Andrea Sharb, ACC®, CPO-CD®, COC®, and CPO® is owner of S.O.S.~Sharb Organizing Solutions, LLC and a trainer for the Coach Approach for Organizers.   Since 2006, Andrea has specialized in Helping Others Overcome Overwhelm™.  Her most rewarding work is with chronically disorganized clients, especially Adults with ADHD or those who wonder if they have ADHD. She also works with individuals who want to gain better control over their physical space, time or life.  A certified coach, her approach, is grounded in helping clients raise their awareness around how their challenges are impacting them.  With awareness raised she assists them in creating strategies for a more organized, productive and fulfilling life.  She then supports her clients in the implementation of those strategies.  Her goal is to not only teach her clients techniques for clearing the clutter from their lives, but to empower them to make changes leading to a more organized lifestyle.  In addition to working with organizing clients, she provides mentor-coaching services to professional organizers.

 

What was your first experience with ADHD?

I first became aware of ADHD in my work as a professional organizer.  What I noticed most was how I identified personally with many of the struggles of my ADHD clients.  I had always been good at organizing physical spaces. But, was challenged when it came to managing my time and dealing with overwhelm that resulted from taking on too many shiny, new activities.  As I learned more about ADHD, in order to better serve my ADHD clients, I began to suspect I was dealing with ADHD myself.  I was formally diagnosed with combined type ADHD a few years ago.

 

What was is one thing you want everyone to know about ADHD?

What I most want people to know is that ADHD is not a sentence to a lesser life.  Change is possible, but it takes building awareness about your ADHD and your strengths, designing actions and developing accountability around those actions, and creating supportive systems. An ADHD coach can serve as a guide in all of these areas.

What is your best tip for ADHD?

When you learn something that works for you, it’s important to find a way to remind yourself of it, so you can continue to use it to support you.  Unfortunately ADHD often results in us forgetting what supports us most.  Document what works best for you on a list of best practices, and review it regularly.

 

What is your morning like? 

Great question Ellen!  I’d love to be able to tell you my mornings are well ordered, but they tend to be a little inconsistent depending upon whether I have an early morning appointment.  If I have an early morning appointment, the external accountability makes all the difference in motivating me through what needs to be accomplished before I leave.  If my first appointment isn’t until later in the morning, things get a little more challenging.   Early morning appointment or not, there are some constants:  Before I even get out of bed I review my best practices on my iPad and check my calendar for the day.  If my first appointment is a little later in the morning I also clear the email that filled my inbox over night.

 

The next step is dealing with what I call my linked activities:  putting in contacts, brushing teeth and getting dressed for exercise.  No matter what the day, these tasks almost always seem tough to tackle.  Putting in the contacts is easiest, because being able to see has the biggest payoff.  From there it is a matter of talking myself into doing just one more thing.  “Ok, contacts are in, all you need to do now is brush your teeth.”  “Alright, all you need to do now is get dressed and put your hair up.”  There is a lot of self-talk going on in my house in the morning.

 

If I have an early morning appointment, I head straight to the treadmill.  Exercise shifts my brain into gear and can make all the difference in how my day goes.  I do a lot of my professional reading while I’m on the treadmill because reading becomes so much easier for me when I’m moving.  (My husband will tell you that if I read while sitting in a chair I tend to fall asleep, which isn’t terribly conducive to learning.)

 

A later morning appointment can result in procrastination around exercise, so I’ll usually end up working backwards from the time I have to leave and calculating the latest time that I can get on the treadmill.  Setting a timer for this time and placing it in another room makes all the difference when it comes to transitioning me to the treadmill.

 

After exercise, breakfast and a shower, it’s time to start the day.

 

Anything else you want to share? 

Just to say thank you for this opportunity to share with your readers and to pass along the following: The way your brain works is not your choice. How you respond to the way your brain works is.  What choices will you make with respect to your ADHD and overcoming your own overwhelm?

 

Stay connected to Andrea

Website: www.sossharborganizingsolutionsllc.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/SharbOrganizing

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasharb

Google+: https://plus.google.com/102698754930689067632/about

Meet the ADHD Expert Ari Tuckman

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Throughout the month of December, I am honored and grateful to share posts by ADHD experts.  In this series of  Meet the ADHD Experts, our experts are sharing their thoughts about ADHD.  Let me introduce guest blogger Ari Tuckman.

 

Ari Tuckman

 

 

 

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA is the author of three books:  “Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions Workbook”, “More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD” and “Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-to-Use Guide for Clinicians”. His “More Attention, Less Deficit” podcast has over one hundred episodes and is approaching one and a half million downloads. He is a psychologist in private practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

 

What was your first experience with ADHD

I fell into working with adults with ADHD when a psychiatrist asked me whether I wanted to help his patients with practical matters of daily life. He found the medication to be helpful with the basic symptoms, but these patients needed help with the skills of time management, organization, prioritization, procrastination, etc. At the time (1998), few clinicians specialized in ADHD in adults, so there was a great unmet need. My joke is that if you knew three things about adult ADHD, then you were the expert in town. Now you have to know four. So it is slowly getting better.

 

What was is one thing you want everyone to know about ADHD

ADHD can be very impairing before it is diagnosed and treated. But the good news is that there is a lot you can do to make someone’s life better once they know that it is ADHD that underlies a lot of their difficulties. ADHD tends to respond well to treatment and we know a lot about which strategies tend to be most effective for people with ADHD. So it can be a very optimistic diagnosis if you use that knowledge effectively and work hard at it.

 

What is your best tip for ADHD

Learn as much as you can about it, whether it’s you who has ADHD or your romantic partner, family member, etc. The more you know, the better off you will be. There is no need to re-invent the wheel when there is already so much that is already known. You obviously need to customize any strategies for your own situation, but there are a lot of good ideas already out there.

I sometimes hear that the romantic partner or family members of the person with ADHD are hesitant to invest the time to educate themselves about ADHD, saying that they already do enough so they shouldn’t have to put in the extra work. While I appreciate that they already feel overloaded, there is great power in understanding ADHD and how your partner operates. While it may not be their responsibility to ensure that the person with ADHD does what they need to, it is their responsibility to ensure their own happiness. If learning about ADHD helps you get your own needs met more effectively, then why wouldn’t you do it? Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own happiness.

 

What is your morning like

We wake up at 6:15, my son gets on the bus at 7:20 and my wife and I head out by 7:45. It sounds like a lot of time when I say it, but it goes pretty quickly, especially if we get behind schedule. At this point in the school year, I have a good sense of what needs to be accomplished by when in order for us to get out on time. I make breakfast and know that we have to start eating by 7:00, so that helps keep us on schedule. It’s easier to break the morning in half—before and after 7:00.

 

Anything else you want to share

There is a lot of good information out there about ADHD. I’m a big fan of getting good ideas wherever I can. So keep educating yourself. The best part is that the strategies that work best for people with ADHD tend to just be plain old good strategies that work well for most people.

 

For more information about Ari:

adultADHDbook.com

Podcast: More Attention, Less Deficit—listed in iTunes

Holiday Technology Tools

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 holiday tech tools

 

 

The holiday buzz starts early! In October and November is the time to get started on our holiday preparations.  Not only do we need the time, it is tons of fun to stretch out the holiday spirit.  Why not add some new tools to your holiday preparations?  Get ahead this year with your holiday planning using holiday technology.  Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, I am surrounded (virtually) by amazing women entrepreneurs and bloggers.  I asked them to share what works best!

 

I use evite to organize all the gatherings for the end of the year holidays.  From guests, who will come or not, what to bring, attire and super cute templates, I just love this online tool year-round. I also love Shutterfly’s shared websites to organize the kids’ classroom parties. Once you create the event you can add a sign-up list of what to bring, and afterwards we all share our favorite pictures.  Having fun just got a lot easier with these tools!

 Helena Alkhas

www.facebook.com/HelenaAPersonalOrganizer

@HelenaAlkhas

www.pinterest.com/helenaalkhas

www.youtube.com/user/HelenaAlkhas

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HelenaAlkhasHA1/posts

 

Think about unplugging for a couple days during the holidays.  Use your technology to plan better, such as google calendar.   Automate as much as you can with holiday cards and automatic payments.    

Laura Rolands

@coachforADHD

www.myattentioncoach.com

www.facebook.com/myattentioncoach

Managing the way I read the news and any other topics I’m interested has changed dramatically thanks to my favorite tool – Flipboard.  It makes every story into a beautiful magazine-like page that can be ‘flipped’ through. Personally,  I love flipping through: news, art, culture, travel, style and lifestyle topics to name a few.  

Geralin Thomas

@metrozing

www.metropolitanorganizing.com

https://www.facebook.com/GeralinThomas

http://www.pinterest.com/Geralin/

 

 

I use a binder designated Holidays and fill it with lists for cards, crafts, gifts, meals and recipes.  These are all printed from ListPlanIt, of course! 

Jen Tankersley

@ListPlanIt

www.listplanit.com

www.facebook.com/ListPlanIt

 

 

My favorite Holiday Tech Tool is SendOutCards. http://www.sendoutcards.com/11788.  I used to spend hours writing personal messages, stuffing, addressing and stamping envelopes for my Christmas cards. Every year, to try to save time, the list would get shorter and shorter. Then I found SendOutCards. I now send over 300 greetings, each with a personal message, in a fraction of the time. It allows me to send my love and well wishes in a big way.  

Stephanie LH Calahan – Business Vision Catalyst

@StephCalahan

http://www.stephaniecalahan.com

 

 

During the holidays, I do much of my shopping online to avoid mall rage. (Closely related to road rage, but without vehicles.) I never shop for anything without first checking www.retailmenot.com to see if there are coupon codes for that site. I’ve saved on everything from ordering pizza to photos. Then I log into www.ebates.com where I get paid cash back to shop! The amount varies per store, per day but when I combine those two, I’ve saved sometimes up to 25% in discounts and getting cash back. Don’t shop online without these tools!

Kirsten Oliphant

@kikimojo (twitter, instagram, Pinterest)

www.kirstenoliphant.com

Managing holiday music has never been easier with Pandora radio. It is an option for the smart phone or computer.  At www.pandora.com, you choose free music to play, choosing by artist or genre.  It creates “stations” with various artists. The most amazing aspect is the “mix” Pandora radio creates with your station.  The variety of artists is unlimited too! 

Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap

@TexasOrganizer

www.professional-organizer.com

www.facebook.com/EllenDelapProfessionalOrganizer

www.pinterest/EllenDelap 

 

Join me for more holiday tips on pinterest  Happy Holidays.

Don’t miss out on upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

 

Company’s Coming! Decluttering your home

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home organizing

 

Company’s coming! What a great way to make sure you are organized! These words strike fear and get you in gear.  It’s time to tackle the guest room and the dining room.  Decluttering your home before company comes creates an inviting and welcoming space for them.  Follow these 5 easy steps to declutter and be ready for visitors.

Guest rooms become storage.  Dining rooms become work areas.  Both are easy spots throughout the year just to drop off bags from the car or other purchases you have not found a home for yet.  Set aside time on your calendar in 2 hour segments for decluttering.  You can get these areas back to their original use easily and efficiently.

 

  • Reset and distribute.  Start by grouping items and then distributing to appropriate spots in your home.  Your kids can help by being runners. You can use a basket or plastic tote to help carry items to where they belong.

 

  • Organize room by room.  Next go room by room and incorporate those items.  This will require some editing and blending of new and already owned items.  Get ready to cast off and donate what you have replaced with newer items.

 

  • Create mobile storage.  If your dining room was used as a craft room, think about storing crafts in 3 drawer sterilite rolling cart. These can be rolled to the garage for storage while your room is being used for holiday dinners.

 

  • Power through paper clutter.  If paper was stashed in your guest room, consolidate it into bags.  Use 15 minute time pockets to power through what you are keeping and what you are discarding.  Once you have culled this down, set up 15 minute periods to file. Powering through paper helps you know what to keep and what to discard.

 

  • Fun and function.  Set your table for your holiday dinner early. It will keep your table from getting cluttered again.

 

  • Freshen up.  Freshen up your guest room with new linens, a small tray of toiletries and mints, and fresh flowers to keep your room ready for guests.

 

Don’t miss out on upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Five Fall Organizing Tips for Your Home

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home organizing
Fall organizing makes ready the transition to autumn.  ›I love Fall!  It’s a time of transitions, back to school, fresh starts, and the gateway to the holidays!  Here are five fall organizing tips for your home.  Focusing on these areas will make your home company ready too!
›
›
›Organizing Your Time
Activities gear up during the fall.  Your kids activities, church activities, fall festivals, and football games are all important dates and time to add to your calendar.  You may be planning to travel as well.
  • ›Add all your dates to your calendar as soon as possible.  You will avoid conflicting activities and feel more in control.
  • ››Set aside time to prepare for big events.  Be sure you add in preparation time.  This includes time to make food, time to pick up an item or time to travel to your activity.
  • Get your family into the swing of things with a family meeting, recording dates on a month at a glance calendar posted in your kitchen.
  • ›Use checklists.  Spend a few minutes the week before an activity writing down all the items you will need to bring.  Having a checklist makes it easy to be sure everything gets to your destination.
›Organizing Your Landing Strip
Happily we need light sweaters and jackets, different shoes, and hopefully an umbrella during fall.
  • Create a spot where things come and go in your home right at your entry.  A basket for shoes or boots corrals them where you can find them later.  Hooks on the wall add a spot to leave a jacket.  A small attractive trash can can hold umbrellas.
  • ›Use baskets or totes to carry items back and forth to the car.  A tote  gives you a spot to place a return or other item that needs to get to the car.  It also is a way to carry it there.
  • ›Storage for keys.  Attach a key spot for dropping your keys as soon as you enter your home.
  • ›As with all spots in your home, remember to declutter regularly.  Too many shoes or jackets at your landing strip makes chaotic clutter.
›Organizing Your Crafts
  • Start by dividing items by craft.  If you know you are no longer doing that craft, send the supplies off to Texas Art Asylum.
  • Divide your space by “centers” where you can use your craft supplies, setting up spaces with a table, chair and storage for your supplies.
  • ›Plan a projects area to store multiple projects in progress.  Often you are working on several projects simultaneously.  Take this into account in our craft space.
›Organizing Your Pantry
Many of our holidays revolve around food.  In the fall we are entertaining more and inviting in company.  Dinner time is back in full swing with the routines of school and work.  Organizing your pantry makes it easy to prepare meals.
  • ›Remove everything from your pantry and toss what is expired.
  • ›Set up your pantry with categories like the grocery store  and additional groups such as veggies, breakfast, and snacks
  • Think about what you want to frequent and easy access to first, then place items accordingly.  Especially for your kids, place items they can reach on the lower shelves.  ›
  • A turn table lazy susan is great for difficult to access corners.
  • Use baskets for snacks and floppy stuff
  • Canisters for flour, sugars, and pastas are important in our climate.
›Organize Outside
Cooler temperatures will start soon.  It’s time to rein in the outside clutter too.
  • ›Bring pool items, cushions and extra toys  in and store in your garage or attic.  Remember to hose down items and clean before storing.
  • ›Add vertical storage to the garage to store tubs.  Label your tubs for easy access.
  • ›Freshen up your entry by sweeping, dusting and cleaning your door and entry way.

Fall organizing prepares  you for upcoming events.  Have  these areas decluttered and ready for fun!

›Don’t miss a minute of upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Hugs and Happy Organizing Under Stairs Closet

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under stair organizing

 

The dreaded under stairs closet area! It’s usually a dumping ground because not only is it a big open space, but it usually has an angled ceiling and a curved section.  Most families are confused what to store in there other than the vacuum.  Let’s get this space functional for you and make it great storage.

  • This is a space where everything needs to come out and be divided into toss, donate, or keep.  Once you know what is in there you can make better decisions on storage.  
  • Deep under stair storage is a great place to storage a category with large items.  You can store luggage, printed photos,  holiday decorations, or home decor in the back of the closet and use the front for your everyday needs like your vacuum or sweaters.
  • Under stair storage should be divided into front and back storage.  The back is less accessible, so large, infrequently used items can have a permanent home there.
  • Use 66 quart or smaller bins to make best use of the space.  When you group in the bins, be sure to label the categories on 2 sides and the top of the container. This way you will always know what is in the bins.  You can also keep a list on the back of the door too.   Arrange the back bins by height depending on the slope of the ceiling.
  • Use a clear shoe organizer on the back of the door for small items you might need easy access to in the adjacent room.  It creates new space!

Wishing you Hugs and Happy Organizing with your new under stair organizing!

Back to School: Student Organizing

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Student Organizing

 

There are really no classes that teach organizing to your student.  Teachers will assign ways to organize a notebook or keep up with papers in a way they think will work for your student. But organizing styles vary.  Here are some ways to help your middle and high school student get organized for school.

  • Take a trip to a local retailer to talk about the planners that are available. Most students need a week at a glance planner. It can be a medium or large size, preferably spiral bound to fully open, and with an array of spaces to write in assignments.  Have your student talk through how they will use the planner, how it will fit in their backpack, and how quickly they can get it out to write in their assignments.  Writing down each assignment is a critical factor in getting homework done.   If your student is dismisses the idea of a planner, you can start with an open pad of paper or even index cards.  Students need to write stuff down.
  • Start talking about times to start and end homework.  Our students are busy and have a lot on their plate. Talk about how long does it take to do homework.   Most students do best with a short break before starting homework and knowing to finish by a certain time.  Having time on the weekend is important for projects and getting a little ahead each week. 
  • Set up a space for homework that promotes productivity.  The dining room is a great spot to work because there are few distractions.  Stock a caddy with the tools needed, like pens, stapler, scissors, index cards and tape.
  • Establish a homework folder.  This is the one place all homework goes to when assigned and ends up in when completed.  Having a single spot to put any and all homework and notes makes it easy to find and turn in assignments.
  • Kids are overwhelmed by paper too.  Set up one notebook that holds all the subjects.  It’s easier to keep up with one notebook than seven. In the notebook use tabbed slash pockets for each subject. Papers slip in and out easily without needing a hole punch.  Purchase a small file box and label tabbed hanging files with each subject.  Once a marking period, sit with your student while cleaning out from the notebook to the file.

What strategies does your student use to organize?