Organizing your car (maintenance)

Organizing your car means having handy access for the things you need, when you need them, without having an accident to get to them. What about maintaining your organized car? If your car is “trashed” regularly, here are some hints to help you easily keep it in order.

Empty trash at each stop along the way. As you get gas or run errands at Target, drop your trash in the cans just outside the door there.  Or you can place a large trash can in your garage for you to easily drop in items. Take advantage of these trash cans along the way. 

Up to date registration and safety stickers are easy to renew if you calendar the date on your planner.  It saves the cost of a ticket!  You can enter this as a recurring event on your Outlook calendar too.

Need to keep track of mileage for expenses? Keep a mileage log in your car and write it down during a gas stop. Regular intervals like this weekly stop create a baby step for an often overwhelming task.

Empty the extra stuff out of your car each day.  It is a small step to keep your car from being a dumping ground by distributing items back into your home where these belong each day.  Assign this task to your family team members too to get the job done. 

Is your car your office? Once a week refill the items you use regularly, like business cards or marketing pieces, into well defined spots in the car.  It is like preparing for a quick meeting by having handy these items.

What baby steps are you taking to keep your car organized?

Hurricane Preparedness

Hurricane season begins on June 1 and extends until November 1.  Being ready has different meanings depending on whether you stay or leave your home.  Having been through 2 major hurricanes in 3 years,  Houstonians want to be prepared.  September is National Preparedness Month too!

Important papers

In a small portable safe, organize these documents: copy of passport, copy of drivers’ license, mortgage info, credit card info, banking, social security cards, will, birth certificate, marriage certificate, military records, 2 previous year’s tax returns, insurance info and divorce documents.

Many different websites recommend what to have on hand for remaining in your home.

FOOD
Non-perishable foods (soups, canned food and vegetables, breads and crackers, snacks)
Juice boxes and bottled water

HOME SUPPLIES
Ice chests, water, water jugs
Camping stove; propane; charcoal
Disposable plates, utensils, napkins
Storage bags
Toilet paper, paper towels
Diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, ointments
Prescriptions, copies of prescriptions and over the counter meds
Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, deodorant
Clothing, blankets, pillows, sleeping bags

First aid kit

Bug repellant

Eyeglasses, contact, hearing aids and batteries
Pet supplies, food, litter, pet carrier, medications
Identification
Cash, credit cards
List of phone number of family and friends
Important Documents, insurance policies
Photos, videos, cameras, film, memory cards, batteries
Battery powered radio
Flashlights
Extension cords
Pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers

 

Other sites for preparation checklists

 

www.ready.gov

 

www.redcross.org

www.americanfamilysafety.com

www.texasprepares.org

www.nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm   (Next of Kin Registry)

www.petfinder.com

Start with a baby step on preparedness this week!

About Ellen

 

 

About Ellen and Professional-Organizer.com

For over 20 years, Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Family Manager Coach Ellen Delap has helped her clients make time and space for what’s important to them by organizing their homes, offices and their daily living.  Ellen, owner of Professional-Organizer.com, works one on one with her clients in their home and offices streamlining their environment, creating effective strategies for an organized lifestyle and prioritizing organization in their daily routine.  She is an Organizer Coach who has completed Coach Approach for Organizers, holds ADD, Chronic Disorganization and Workplace Productivity certificates and specializes in working with ADD and ADHD families, adults and students.  Learn more about her and her business at www.professional-organizer.com

About Ellen and her family

Ellen is a mom, wife, and Gigi. Her family is an endless source of pride and joy .  Working as a family manager, she sees that challenges that daily life can be for families.

Education is important to Ellen.  She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.Ed from Boston College. She is a lifelong learner as a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals™ (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization. She is currently taking coach training with Coach Approach.

Where you can find Ellen

Ellen has been featured on Stretch Your Dollar on ABC13 Houston, in articles in the Houston Chronicle, a guest speaker on radio KLOVE, and is a national expert on The Clutter Diet, an online organizing website. She has also been an expert for Smead podcasts and written for Neat.  She loves to connect on social media.

Twitter @TexasOrganizer

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About Ellen’s professional certificates and certifications

Ellen is a certified professional organizer since 2008. She is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals™ (NAPO) and a specialist in chronic disorganization and ADHD with the Institute of Challenging Disorganization. She holds certificates in Residential Organizing, Workplace Productivity, Life Transitions, Household Management and Team Productivity. 

 

10 Things you may not know about Ellen

  1. I love team work and collaboration. Of course I do! I am a twin.
  2. My favorite quote is “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
  3. I was a kindergarten teacher in my first profession.
  4. I love pilates, cupcakes and skittles.  Just ask my NAPO colleagues.
  5. My favorite space to organize is a pantry.
  6. I have only lived three places in my life. I have lived in Houston, New York and New Orleans.
  7. A great Saturday night includes sitting next to my husband on the sofa watching a Hallmark movie.
  8. My FoodTV favorites are Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten. I make an amazing taco dip!
  9. Yes, my home is organized but not perfectly. It’s perfectly organized for me and my husband.
  10. I love organizing but especially I love making a difference for my clients.

 

 

Hello world!

In starting this blog, I want to continue to make a difference for my clients and be a resource for our community.  I am passionate about empowering people, motivating them to live their best lives, and affirming their strengths!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you’ve imagined!  Henry David Thoreau. This is what organizing does for our lives! We have confidence to pursue what is most important and powerful.  We spend our time with people and enriching experiences.  Organizing provides the backdrop for empowering you.

About Ellen’s Blog

Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Family Manager Coach Ellen Delap works in the greater Houston area empowering and affirming people in their quest for organizing! Her blog contains reflections on the organizing process and organizing to create the life you have imagined. Happy organizing!

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