Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston

How to set up an Organized Home: Your Landing Strip

February 14, 2019/4 Comments/in Home Organizing/by Ellen

An organized home has 4 important components for living an easy, organized life. These areas are zones that help you accomplish the basics: being on time, feeling in control by knowing where things are and working together as a family team. These components will make life better! The first step is having an organized landing strip where you leave and arrive home.

Coming and going, if it’s only you or you and your family, happens every day all day. Why not make it easy to get in your home and get out? Take the stress out of daily life by organizing this area that can be congested and chaotic. Here’s the parts you need for an organized landing strip.

Set up by the entry
Drop spot for backpacks
Key holder
Shoe organizer
Hooks for your and your kids bags

Set up your landing strip by the location you come and go most frequently. It’s can be the hallway right inside the garage door, by the front door or by an area adjacent to your entry. This follows the concept of placing items at point of use.

Drop spot for bags and backpacks

Life includes bags of all types. Your kids have school backpacks and bags for sports, dance or other activities. Hooks or slots fo all these bags give each of these an organized, specific spot for each. Keeping these off the floor creates better traffic flow. This is also the spot for your purse or manbag. That way you always know where it is and where your credit cards and wallet are.

Key holder

A key holder is a happy place to keep your keys. There’s nothing more frustrating and emotional than losing the expensive keys to your vehicle. A key holder is the organized spot for these. What’s even more fun is choosing a key holder you love that makes you smile as you see it. Here’s what else is on this organizer: neighbor’s keys and mailbox keys. Place this key holder near the door again for best access.

Shoe organizer

Many of us come into our home and remove our shoes. Our shoes carry lots of dirt and bacteria so it’s what we want to do to keep our homes clean. A shoe drop area is perfect to keep your shoes organized. It’s especially important for families for shoe organization. The shoe drop area can be a basket, vertical grid with openings, a drawer or any product. Your shoe organizer can be just organized enough or highly organized. Shoe organizing requires maintenance too! Once a month review what’s here and what needs to make it back to the closet.

Hooks

Because the landing strip is often in a hallway, decorative hooks make organizing happen. The hooks should be sturdy enough to hold the weight of the bags or your purse.

Pull your landing strip together with color and design. Choose coordinating items that work together for an attractive combination.

Help the kids get ready for school with a bag packing and unpacking station.

Photo courtesy of IKEA

More ideas on landing strips and home organizing here on my blog!

How to Prioritize the Most Important Task

February 7, 2019/2 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Productivity/by Ellen

Prioritizing. It’s one of the hardest aspects of time management. You set aside time to get important work done, and now what to do? Here are 5 ways of determining what to do first when you are ready to get to work.

One thing

If you could choose just one thing that makes the biggest difference in your day at home or work, what would that be? That’s the essence of prioritizing and knowing the one thing that you can do each day. On the opposite hand, what is the one thing that if you did NOT do it, that your day would go awry? Either perspective helps you prioritize what to choose that is the most important part of your work.

Getting Things Done (GTD) lists

GTD starts with a mind sweep and writing everything down. You divide the list into current projects and someday/maybe projects. Then your list is grouped by the places you work will be accomplished. That can be at the computer, at a meeting, anywhere and errands. Finally you add the single next step to each of these actions. GTD helps you prioritize by knowing where you do your work and knowing the one next step to accomplish that task or project.

Mindmapping

For non-linear thinkers, here’s a way to find your priority. There’s not always a start or end, it’s a context within the work itself. A mind map helps you write down ideas, link tasks that support that goal and then prioritize. By creating a context of what work needs to be accomplished and knowing the many different directions that are possible, you can focus on where you are in the task and project.

The Painted Picture

Getting things done is not the same as getting the right things done. To do this, Brian Scudamore uses his “Painted Picture” strategy. Keep the big picture in mind with the top third of your capture tool, then below add quadrants for quarterly, monthly and weekly. Select just 3 tactics that align with this goal and your projects are outlined for completion.

Choose the one thing you never get started

Intuitively you know what to do and you never get to it. That’s the priority for you. It’s when you have procrastinated and let tasks lapse, you know it’s time to get started.

How to accomplish prioritizing also depends on setting up your weekly routines to follow through. Set up a weekly planning time to establish a big picture view that allows you to establish priorities. That weekly planning time also gives you the opportunity to match your weekly tactics with your calendar.

More tips here for productivity! Join my newsletter!

Marie Kondo, Tidying up, Decluttering and Organizing

January 31, 2019/5 Comments/in Home Organizing/by Ellen

Before the Netflix hit, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, there was Clean Sweep and Mission Organization. Television has been showing the process, emotions and benefits of organizing since 2003. It’s not surprising that we have a fascination with getting organized.

67% of people say they would save 30 minutes a day if they were organized
When people organized, they feel accomplished, in control, confident and relaxed.
The top 2 reasons people don’t organize is that they feel overwhelmed and don’t have the time.

What is most fascinating about th buzz created by this new series.

Donations have skyrocked, up to 60% more donations to Goodwill stores.
From the Washington Post: Millennials texted friends photos of their newly neat sock drawers and makeup trays, and posted them on Instagram. Furloughed government workers spent their time off sifting through closets and lugging shopping bags of clothes to consignment shops. Auction houses got calls from consumers desperate to get unwanted furniture out of their living rooms; consignment shops filled up appointment slots weeks into the future.
Couples are watching together and decluttering their homes together. That’s a powerful moment for connections and family goals.

It’s what we call what we do “tidying up”

It’s not decluttering, editing, or purging. It’s called tidying up. That gentle description of what we do when we let go brings meaning to our work. Our national buzz about tidying empowers us with a positive, approachable, strategy. Rather than being overwhelmed, we have hope to make positive, joyful changes in our environments. There is not shame or judgement with this zen approach. Marie Kondo’s “spark joy” approach gives us a big reason to make changes in our nests.

Inspiration, motivation, and actionable decluttering are the best reasons and benefits.

The series has been a cheerleader for many people in many ways. It is bringing together groups who serve as encouragers for each other to spur on decluttering using social media group texts, instagram and hashtags. Families have conversations and support each other’s efforts in letting go of stuff in their home. There is a gentle encouragement, outward support and strong conviction in getting started, dropping off and organizing stuff that remains.

Thank you Marie Kondo for making tidying up a great start to the new year! Let’s hope the series continues to inspire us to make positive changes in our homes and lives all year long.

Decluttering and tidying is a journey. It’s a routine that we incorporate. How do we keep our inspiration and motivation going? Be sure you have time each week to do the work. Be sure you keep inspired with the benefits of your new lifestyle. And be sure you bring into your home and keep only what brings you joy.

How to Create More Work Life Integration

January 24, 2019/0 Comments/in Productivity, Wellness and self care/by Ellen

It’s often said no one wished they had worked more. Living the life you imagine is about working smarter, playing harder and being with those who are most important. As we assess just how to accomplish this, we seek solutions to creating more work life integration on a consistent basis.

Dig deep: prioritize what is a part of work and life

To start with, you have to cull priorities. Everything just can’t be equally important. We can have times where priorities alternate, what I call “seasons”. For each part of the year these priorities can change. Most likely fall is about getting back to work and routines. Spring is about lightening up your work schedule. Summer is about having fun. As we seek out priorities for our lives, keep these to your top 3. That sounds small and insignificant, however it’s what can be accomplished.

Engage in weekly planning time

That endless list running in your head? It’s time to capture it and calendar it. Your list and your calendar are your best friends for truly engaging productively. Meet with yourself on Sunday afternoon to Integrate all the work and life activities for the week. It’s a well spent hour to assign realistically what you can accomplish.

Set boundaries into motion

Wow, it’s hard to set boundaries and keep them! These intentional boundaries include non-negotiable times that keep your work life in balance. It’s getting to the gym routinely, setting times to gather with your family, and getting a good night’s rest regularly.

Here’s where interference plays a roll. Set up boundaries for technology. That’s no tech in the bedroom, after 10 pm or at the dinner table. That rule applies to us all including parents.

Set aside time for fun

Fun is not going to happen accidentally in our busy lives. Setting aside time for fun, game night with your kids, a Sunday bike ride, or knitting a scarf, are all what we can use weekly. Laughing brings out some of our best qualities and feelings.

Repeat

Work life integration is far from a one and done activity. It’s a daily pursuit. Give yourself the opportunity to feel good and do well at keeping important personal priorities aligned. It’s always a work in progress. That’s when you know that you are achieving work life integration.

How to Create and Maintain Small Business Routines

January 17, 2019/2 Comments/in Small Business Organizing/by Ellen

No matter how small your small business, routines are what are your best return on investment. Routines permeate your small business, whether it is how you track clients, take payments, or thank your clients. Its worth an investment in your time to be sure your small business routines are working well.

Client routines

Client intake is your first steps in business success. You have done your marketing and your clients are contacting you. Clients call, send text, email and meet you at an event. I have seen client contacts on back of paper plates too.

When there are so many ways to connect, it’s up to us as a small business to streamline how to track incoming clients. I am a big fan of consolidating this incoming information. Consolidating can come in the form of adding this information to a single sheet of paper or adding this information digitally right away. Give yourself a time each day and each week to consolidate this information from all the incoming spots, create a paper or digital folder, and take next steps with the client information. Is your next step an appointment with your client? If so, be ready with your paper planner, Outlook or Google calendar or your online scheduler.

How to reinforce this routine for yourself? You can start with a checklist to remind you of the steps. Your client checklist can be online or on the front of the client folder.

Financial routines

Taking payments and paying bills are important routines for all businesses. Have an established date for both of these. For payments, determine the frequency of deposits. Again, funds come from many sources such as paypal, square, checks and venmo.

Good financial routines include more than bill paying. It includes setting aside and paying taxes at the set dates, reviewing budget and expenses, and looking at your best return on investment is for marketing. Calendar the dues dates of taxes to be sure you pay timely. Review your budget and expenses monthly with a monthly money date. Your marketing budget is one of your most important expenses. Know where you are getting your clients from in order to budget accordingly. Each of these dates gives you a heads up on your success and also details to know what to keep doing and what to change.

Thanking your clients

One last note about an important routine I practice. My goal is to keep my clients for the duration. We are in a lifelong journey with organizing and productivity. As such I send a thank you note at the end or at a break when we work. I also send an annual thank you for the holidays. Keeping this list updated is a final step of my routines with clients. It’s one small way to keep connected.

There are so many ways to start and maintain routines. There’s no time like now to review these. Think about the steps you have put into place, build on these and reward yourself for your successes! Your business will be all the better for this work.

More tips here on routines. Join my newsletter!

How to End your Work Day Productively

January 10, 2019/2 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Productivity/by Ellen

It’s well past 6 pm and your family is waiting for you. Your paper and digital inboxes are still overflowing. You don’t feel like you have accomplished your goals for the day. It’s time to close down and rejuvenate for the next day. Take the last 30 minutes of your day to successfully end your work day.

End your day with a mind sweep

Be true to your productivity plan with a mind sweep at the end of the day. Much information has come in so capture it. By keeping it in a trust spot like your paper or digital tool, you know you can come back to it with a fresh perspective, place it in a time line, and work with others. With the fatigue of the end of the day, giving ideas a holding spot help you.

End your day with your Most Important Tasks

Jump start and front load tomorrow with your 3 Most Important Tasks. It’s a head start to the work of tomorrow. Not sure what the 3 MITs for tomorrow are you? Write down where you are leaving off in a project you worked on today.

End your work day with by freshening up your environment

Freshen up your desk, computer and work space at the end of the day. Not unlike an artist, even though you are returning to this spot tomorrow to continue, a cleared desk brings you a blank canvas. It’s sort of what our parents always reminded us, to pick up and put away at the end of the day. If doubt this, try it for a week. It’s like making your bed.

Creative ways to end your day

Set an alarm with a special sound or music to herald the end of the work day.
End your day an hour earlier to pack your work into a smaller time frame. Your work expands to fit the time you give it. Give your work less time and give yourself more time.
Travel by public transportation and give yourself a deadline to get on that bus or train.
Give yourself a reward as you return home. Listen to an audio book, podcast or music you love.

More tips on productivity here! Join my newsletter!

How to Start your Work Day

January 3, 2019/2 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Productivity/by Ellen

It’s 9 am and time to get to work! You grab your planner, you sit at your computer and you start your work. Not quite! Not surprisingly it often takes a warm up of sorts to get started. A warm up prepares you to do the work you intend. It’s not only motivation. It’s also at times physical and cognitive acts that prepare us to do our best work. What does that look like to warm up? Here’s some possibilities of how to start your work day.

Self care start to your day

With so many possibilities, perhaps a self care warm up will suit your need to clear your mind and focus on work. There’s several ways the self care focus appears to us. Many of my clients start their days with meditation. Spending time in meditation offers the benefits of lowered stress, greater focus and clarity. Another choice is a spiritual start to your day, including a bible reading or prayer time. Getting in touch with God helps us align our thoughts with our spirituality. A physical self care warm up incudes drinking a glass of water, taking any medications, exercising, and eating protein. Your self care warm up might be also called your routine for starting your day.

List making start to your day

As part of the strategy of Getting Things Done (GTD), there’s always a mind sweep. It’s how we clear our thoughts and capture them. A list is a great way to start your day and clear your mind to prepare to start real work. Simply writing down all your thoughts in a capture tool either paper or digital helps give you clarity.

Now what about all those thoughts and ideas? This is when we must prioritize. We can’t and should not do everything on the list. It’s our priorities that rise to the top for our work. I call these Most Important Tasks (MITs). If you want to start your work quickly the next day, write out your MITs at the close of your work day in preparation for the next day’s work.

Verbal processing to start your day

Team up with a partner for a short conversation to start your day. Many of us are verbal processors, meaning that in talking through a thought we can become clear on next steps. It’s also a great tool to remind us where we are, what our thoughts are, and our current task. A short team meeting can help you start your work day with priorities.

Creative ways to start your day

In my conversations with clients, here’s a list of ways they have decided to start their work day.

Start your day by drawing or writing on a white board. A mind map, a picture or an icon can be the visual start for your work day. Use this big space to be creative and connect your thoughts.
A quick morning shower where ideas percolate. Capture your ideas with a waterproof voice recorder.
Don’t hold back. Start. Then assess after the first hour what you have accomplished from yesterday’s list.
Do the babiest of baby steps to a big goal. Chunk your list into manageable steps over the time of a week.
Create a metric. Determine a measure of what you want to accomplish in a certain amount of time.

Once you know how to start your work day, create a daily routine that empowers this. Write it down, share it with your colleagues, and tweak it as you work.

More ideas here on productivity. Join my newsletter here!

In honor of Get Organized (and Be Productive) Month

January 1, 2019/2 Comments/in Productivity/by Ellen

January is our National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals Get Organized and Be Productive Month! It’s when we as professionals share tips, tricks and tech for you to gain momentum all year long.

This month I am introducing a weekly series to be more productive. Follow along each week as I share routines that make your life easier, smoother, more organized and more productive! Take just one tip and use it consistently to make this your most organized and productive year every!

2019 Word of the Year: Shift

December 27, 2018/1 Comment/in Wellness and self care, Word of the Year/by Ellen

My Word of the Year has served me well! Each year I choose a word that will guide me as I look at new opportunties, face challenges and focus my time and energy. It’s become a tradition for my colleagues to share our Word of the Year.

Here’s what has been on my mind as the year begins.

Shift

1. to (cause something or someone to) move or change from one position or direction to another, especially slightly

2. (of an idea, opinion, etc.) to change

The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgment. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness. As corny as it sounds, we need to make a shift.

~ Ellen DeGeneres

Your best creative assets do not occur unless you do a mental shift. You have to be in a positive frame of mind because inspiration is fleeting. I walk to work for inspiration and to clear my mind.

~Ron Ben-Israel.

It’s been exciting to think of my word this year. It has been something I feel in the air and in the world. I have learned that embracing a shift or change is what helps us thrive in all ways. Shift is a word that shows a slight change and a slight new perspective.

I am looking at all the ways a shift will bring focus to my personal and professional life this year. I am open to the next steps. I intend to shift my practice with more productivity. This year I shift my leadership to NAPO Immediate Past President in May and focus on supporting our new President. I am shifting where I am volunteering and what I am committed to and emphasize.

Knowing what not to shift is important too! I am remaining constant in many ways as my core values as the same each and every year. I continue my practice with ADHD clients, learning more about ADHD and being a part of the ADHD community. It’s always family first for me! And of course I continue prioritize my health with healthy eating, pilates and a great night’s rest.

What’s your word of the year? I am looking forward to you posting it here!

Previous Word of the Year

2018. Possibilities. What’s possible?

2017. Thrive. Thrive in all ways.

2016. Momentum. Keep going.

2015. Fifteen years in professional organizing and productivity

2014. Flourish. Flourish in life.

2013. Fabulous. Fit, fabulous and fun!

Holiday Organizing Gifts

December 20, 2018/2 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

If you are the practical, functional kind of gift giver, this post is for you! Organizing gifts are the most cherished! These gifts give back to your recipient in so many ways. Your gift gives a feeling of order, clarity in life, and an organized space. Here’s five of my favorite holiday organizing gifts!

Chalkboard menu

Every family loves to eat! Plan your weekly menu and share it with your family with a chalkboard menu in your kitchen.

Corkboard Cork board

Families have lots of reminders and invitations. A family corkboard keeps everyone on track.

Decorative hooks

Hooks help everywhere! Decorative hooks can be used in a hall for a landing strip, bathroom for towels, bedroom for bags and more!

Amazon Dot

Amazon Alexa helps you make lists, order groceries and much more!

Tile Tile

Tile’s remote system helps you track the stuff you lose.

And that’s a wrap for the stuff! I always encourage holiday gifts that are experiences instead off stuff. If you decide you must give stuff, make it practical and functional this year!