Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston

Setting your goals for the new year

February 9, 2016/0 Comments/in Time management/by Ellen

Each new year we see the opportunity to refresh, revitalize, resolve and renew. Our goals are the road map we follow for the year. We determine what is most important to us and what we will honor as our priorities. Start the year off spending time strategizing and writing what will be your focus in personal, professional, spiritual, wellness, family and other goals this year.

• Write down your goals, being very specific.

The more detail you have written down, the more you have made the goal a reality. Keep your goals in view each and every day.

• List the benefits and the obstacles.

The big question is why? What will be the worth of this accomplishment? What challenges will you encountered? Write these down so you know your reasons and rationale for your goals as well as your stumbling blocks.

• Make yourself accountable with deadlines.

Set a date you want to complete the goal and each step along the way. It’s the ways we are accountable that help the most.

• Create a team

Write a list of resources, groups and people to contact who will assist if you ask them.

• Plan your work and work your plan

Create a plan with baby steps along the way that include every day actions. Strategize and list activities that take just 15 minutes a day to make your goal a reality. Make a personal commitment to act on your goals, live up to that commitment every day, and visualize yourself succeeding with this goal. Be sure your time and calendar reflect your commitment and advancement to your goal.

You will see with each baby step a move forward! Keep on moving forward and you have accomplished your goal.

Words Matter: Organizing Mantras

February 4, 2016/8 Comments/in Home Organizing/by Ellen

Words matter! When we talk to ourselves and others about organizing, it’s best to keep a positive approach in how we describe our work. It’s in finding words that convey a positive perspective that we can be the most successful.

Start and cultivate a feeling for organizing

How can we approach getting started on organizing? Would you have to be in the mood to start? Would you tell yourself I am ready to get started? Sometimes we have to just start and then we feel more in the mood for organizing. Your organizing mantra can be “put your big girl panties on and get started” or “I envision the serenity of my space.” Get started to get your groove and feel the organizing love.

Tack on one more habit to an existing habit

Research shows that it takes 66 days to create a habit. We can be discouraged when habits don’t happen right away. The positive spin on new habits is to “hook” a new habit on an existing habit. Think of habits you already have as routines and start there.

Who can help me?

Asking for help can be hard. But it’s a lot more fun and much easier when you work with a partner to get stuff done. Look for a partner in someone who has different strengths from you. It’s not that you are any less skilled, strong or resourceful. It’s picking a partner who you work well with together.

Is this good for me?

Letting go of stuff can be hard. Smart strategies for decluttering include asking yourself if your stuff is still good for you. Is your stuff still helping you do your best? Is it still valuable and functional for you? Good stuff is everywhere in our homes and offices. It’s just not still good for you.

What works?

Something works for everyone! Dig deep if you need to but find what works and capitalize on it. You might be surprised at what is really working.

Choose your words with care. Create mantras that feel positive, uplifting and fun.

Join my newsletter for more organizing and productivity mantras.

10 Best Professional Organizers in Houston

January 30, 2016/0 Comments/in Uncategorized/by Ellen

I am honored to be a part of the

Houston Moving Guide as one of the ten

best professional organizers in Houston.

Author Jill Jarvis contacted me to share about my business.

What does a professional organizer do? Isn’t it my job to keep my things in order? If I live in the space and have survived 15 years in my own home, why would I hire someone to help organize it? Well, it turns out that a trained professional organizer can actually provide the one thing I am always searching for–order.

A professional organizer would take these spaces and put them in order. Instead of just shoving towels in the closet, they would implement systems to help us keep things organized on a day-to-day basis.

More than this, a professional organizer can specialize in helping people stage homes, prepare for moves and in interior decorating. Hearing this got me, the very organized person, thinking about hiring a professional organizer. So I asked my community of BigKidSmallCity readers for their favorite organizers in Houston.

I am grateful to be the first on the list! Thank you Jill for honoring me!

More here on the Houston Moving Guide

How to Rock being an ADHD Parent

January 28, 2016/3 Comments/in ADD and ADHD/by Ellen

Being a mom or dad is a tough job. Being an ADHD parent requires more. Keeping your home organized and beautiful, your children on track with school and well behaved, and prioritizing your own well being are a lot for those with executive function challenges. Here are some tips to rock your parenting job.

Declutter your home

It’s all too much sometimes with all the clothes, toys, electronics and stuff. It’s hard to get control of stuff in your home. Having less to organize makes it easier to find homes for your stuff.

Minimize the clutter by bringing in as little as you can. Be sure it’s something you must acquire before you purchase it.
Assign a function to each room in your home so that you know what belongs in that space. At times the most difficult task in an ADHD home is where does something belong. It belongs in the space it is going to be used.
If you already have too much, set aside an hour once a week to let go of what is unused currently. Declutter decisively by deciding if you have used it in the last 6 months. If not, be brutal and bring it to a donation spot that afternoon. You may have one regret for every 10 bags of donations, but it’s a small price to pay for clarity and organization in your home.

Paper plan

Paper is a major enemy for ADHD parents. There’s too much coming in from the mail and school. Here’s a simple plan that helps.

Open your mail over the recycling bin every day. Keep only what is required not potential papers such as service providers, coupons, or any other just in case papers.
Pay bills online through your bank. Place the bills in a box marked for the year.
Set up a command center for your kids’ papers. Drop in papers regularly and once a month talk about the papers with your kids. Discretely let go of what’s not “precious.” Move these remaining papers to a portfolio or make a photo book.

Post important dates to your family calendar

Our busy families have lots of commitments. Keep track of them with a family calendar.

A paper month at a glance calendar can hang by the refrigerator. Keep a basket or bulletin board for invitations, directions or other date related papers.
Try online calendars like Google or Cozi to keep dates digitally, but print a copy for posting in your home.
Remember to pencil in white space. Back to back commitments make life stressed. Down time gives everyone time to recuperate and refresh. It also gives you time to prioritize and evaluate.

Landing strip at your door

It’s easy to be late because of lost keys, homework, shoes or other last minute stuff. Create a landing strip at your door with hooks, baskets, a bench and a analog clock. It’s a spot to drop items as you come and go from the house.

Photo from FiveInTheHive.com

The most organized and productive ADHD parents recognize the value of a good night’s rest. With all these great tips in place, making sure you get to bed earlier than you think will help you rock being an ADHD parent.

How to Organize Digital Files

January 27, 2016/7 Comments/in Small Business Organizing, Technology and Organizing/by Ellen

Our digital life includes documents, spreadsheets, PDF docs, and photos. Add in items that are saved in the cloud. You may be saving files to your desktop or keep files attached in your email. All of a sudden we are digitally disorganized! Simple, electronic organization is a must when it comes to keeping our digital files organized.

Start with the big picture

Digital organizing is just like physical organizing. Think about the big categories of digital files to organize. The big category of files should reside on your PC, Macbook or cloud based filing system. Why? Because like with all organizing, consolidating is important. You want one spot to look for all these files.

Backing up is a critical safety factor. You can use your cloud based filing system with a strong password, an external hard drive, or a specific back up system like Carbonite. Whichever you choose, be sure you are backing up regularly.

Organize digital files with broad categories

Digital and paper file systems have a lot in common. Starting with broad categories makes it easy to file and easy to know where to find information.

Home digital files include:

House and Auto
Financial
Personal
Work
Photos
Music

Office digital files include:

Clients
Resources
Vendors
Financials 20XX
Expenses

Think about what applies to your business as a big category. You can also sort by year if that’s easier. Choose categories that make sense to you and can be easily remembered. If not, you can also print your folder and file list for reference.

Create files within the folder

Create a file within the folder for more specific categories. In your Home folder, it might be Jeep and Lexus are the file names. In the Financial folder, you can create files for Retirement Merrill Lynch, Utilities 20XX, or Banking Compass. For your photos, you can create files by event like birthday, travel or year.

Organize digital files by consolidating

If you save to your desktop, you can copy/cut and paste into your new document folder you created.
If documents are in your email, open and save as to the new file.
If you are saving a photo, cut and paste into the new file.

Scanning to your files

It’s easiest to create the folder before you scan. Then simply choose PDF and scan to the folder you need.
Remember, not EVERYTHING is scan worthy.
You don’t have to scan in previous documents. Start by going forward with scanning new documents and catch up later.

Remember, keeping it simple makes it easier to file anything!

More tech organizing here!

Snow day

January 23, 2016/2 Comments/in Wellness and self care/by Ellen

It’s a bright sunny day today but I am seeing all sorts of snow day fun in the news. Our last official snow occurred in December 2008. Since the chance of this precipitation rarely occurs here, it makes me think about having a self proclaimed snow day.

Snow day fun

A snow day for kids means a day of fun and no school. How refreshing that would be to be able to have an adult snow day! Things I would love to do on a snow day include staying in jammies all day, treating myself to hot cocoa, watch food tv favorites and reading endless numbers of magazines.

Others might see a snow day as a day for improvised productivity. Yes, you could organize a closet, your email or your desk. Yes, you could get more done on this day.

For me it would be a day filled with rejuvenation, renewal and reflection.

According to The Energy Project, “we are at our best when we alternate between expending energy and intermittently renewing our four core energy needs: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. When you’re intent on supplying fuel in each dimension of energy, you’re creating happier people that will affect your organization’s success.” There’s power in renewal.

When can I plan a snow day?

It’s a day to put on the calendar! It may not be as spontaneous as the weather, but you can arrange it as a day to rejuvenate. We all need a day to be able to wind down, sit quietly and gain back our clarity.

When is your snow day? Let’s plan it together!

ADHD Apps and Tools

January 21, 2016/13 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Technology and Organizing/by Ellen

Technology can make home, work and life easier to manage. There’s happy apps and tools to keep you from being overwhelmed with paper, feeling anxious about time management, and taking care of yourself. It’s especially helpful to have easy ways to keep notes, be financially savvy, keep up with dates, and manage time better. Check out these simple to use apps in different categories.

To keep a note

Evernote is the most popular of all apps to keep information. Create “notebooks” to categorize your information and “tag” it to find it later.

More than a list, Toodledo is the place to write notes, customize lists, and create recurring events.

Love paper? There’s nothing better than the Arc notebook available at Staples. The unusual, customizable design makes this the place to write notes, organize your thoughts, or keep a list. It’s available in sizes and designs that make you smile too.

The most important part of writing stuff down is that you no longer have to take energy from doing a project to remember other stuff.

To keep a budget

Mint helps you pull all your financial information together. It helps you create a budget and know how you are spending your money.

EveryDollar is a free budget tool recommended by Dave Ramsey.

Getting in touch with your money is a very powerful feeling.

To keep dates

BlueSky Week at a glance calendars help you organized your year. A week at a glance view creates a streamlined week to plan and execute what needs to be done.

Planner pad calendar consolidates your lists and your appointments. You can categorize lists, prioritize tasks and pull together details of your life.

Cozi is a simple, effective online tools for calendars and tasks. Manage tasks, keep appointments, and create a calendar that brings everything and everyone together.

Having a trusted tool for dates makes it easy to keep from double booking or feeling stressed to remember dates.

To keep information

Dropbox is a service that keeps your files safe, synced, and easy to share. Bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and never lose a file again. It’s the best way to work on information on different devices at different locations. It’s also a great way to share photos with family and friends or collaborate on a project with colleagues.

Google Docs is an easy way to share documents, spreadsheets and other information on multiple devices and with others. Part of google, it’s powerful enough to keep information backed up too while collaborating with others.

Never feel like you have lost a file again!

To manage time

TimeTimer is for everyone who wants to manage time better. It shows the passage of time and helps you assess how much time you have to complete a task. It helps you get tasks complete.

Analog clock or watch is easier for our brain to connect to the movement and duration of time.

Time is on your side when you manage time.

To maintain wellness

Fitbit tracks your activities, sleep and weight to help keep you accountable. How much you rest and how much you exercise are contributing factors in wellness. There are wrist and body fitbits for your needs.

Pandora is your personal radio where you set stations. If you are motivated by music to get things done, you will enjoy having different stations for different types of activities including organizing!

Wellness is key to all of our lives.

What apps do you use? I have my own list of favorites, as well as student apps and financial apps. I’d love to learn what works for you! These ADHD apps and tools make the most of using technology wisely and help us all live well.

Choosing Priorities

January 19, 2016/0 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Time management/by Ellen

Life is filled with choices. Here’s a list of the upcoming January events recently shared by Sallie Alefson. There’s so many to celebrate! Is there a way to choose which holidays to celebrate? How will I prioritize?

January is:

Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Organized Month
International Creativity Month
International Quality of Life Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month

Special weeks include:

8 – 14: Home Office Safety and Security Week
22 – 29: Clean Out Your Inbox Week
27 – 31: Tax Identity Theft Week

Noteworthy days:

3: Festival of Sleep Day
6: National Technology Day
8: National English Toffee Day
9: National Clean Off Your Desk Day
10: National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
14: Organize Your Home Day
20: National Cheese Lovers Day
24: Belly Laugh Day
25: Macintosh Computer Day (marks the day it went on sale to the public in 1984)
27: Fun at Work Day
28: Data Privacy Day
30: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

While each and every one of these events has merit, how do we choose which to celebrate?

I could rely on personal or business connections to an event. I focus on organizing and productivity, so I could choose the events related to my work. Or I could choose which I think is most fun. There are lots of celebrations with laughter and joy. Another option is to rely on my priorities for the 2017. Each year I have a word of the year. Last year was Accept, 2015 was 15, 2014 was Thrive. My word for the year could help me prioritize.

Whatever your way of prioritizing, we know there will always be more choices than we can imagine. I can’t celebrate each holiday, but I can prioritize the 3 that best fit my priorities this year.

How do I stay true to those priorities?

First, you may be overwhelmed and instantly think all are equally important. Give yourself a moment to process either with others, by writing, by speaking or just thinking. Each of us has a strength to rely on to make this decision. There are also tools we can use. Use a tournament method to whittle down the possibilities, weighing just one option against just one other option. Give each option a number value of 1,2, or 3. Decide the return on investment with finances. All of these strategies have value.

Make your priorities stick by creating a reminder resource. That’s a way to keep your priorities upper most. A reminder resource can be tucked away on Notes or Evernote in your smartphone, a vision board in your closet, or choosing your word for the year. It’s not easy staying on target with your priorities and reminders help.

Save

5 Essential Tips for Scheduling

January 19, 2016/0 Comments/in Time management/by Ellen

January is the National Association of Professional Organizer’s Get Organized Month! Organizing now ranks as the top new year’s resolution, more important that losing weight. Each year we are challenged to use our time most effectively and efficiently. With so much to get done, a calendar is essential. Your calendar is the visual guide for time management. Effective scheduling and productivity go hand in hand in getting accomplished what is most important.

As with all organizing products, choosing the right calendar is critical.

When you are deciding on a calendar, think of whether your view of your time is a daily, weekly or monthly time frame. Also, decide whether you are a tech person. Would you prefer a personal digital assistant (PDA)? These are especially useful to carry in a small bag, excellent to retain contact information, remind you of recurring events and synchronize with your computer. Or are you a paper person and would prefer a paper calendar? If you prefer writing in your appointments, carrying something a little larger, and enjoy writing in pencil, the paper calendar is good for you. January is the best time to make the transition!

Consistency is the key to your calendar.

Write in all you and your family’s tasks, errands, invitations, appointments as well as any other important information in your calendar or planner. Your calendar is also a way to help organize your time to reflect your priorities. Think about your true priorities and then calendar them in. Not only will you be true to yourself on what is important, your planning will make these tasks easy to accomplish. Make appointments with yourself to follow through with specific tasks by a specific time and insure your accountability to yourself. Keeping one calendar makes all the difference in clarifying your activities. Only one calendar makes reviewing, entering and keeping information easy for you!

Unexpected events always occur!

For a paper calendar, using a pencil makes your calendar and list easy to read, less messy, more complete, and easy to change. Choose a pencil you love – either mechanical or with a good thick lead. And rely on a good eraser! For those with the PDA, remember to charge the batteries consistently so it is ready to use at all times. Also, learn the graffiti component to add information readily. Again, “Life Happens!” Be prepared for changes and flex your flexibility!

Plan your time commitments to your best advantage.

Many times our stress is due to time commitments we cannot control! Be prepared by having a little extra time between tasks, appointments and meetings. Take care in scheduling appointments and luncheons, being sure that your commitments have ample time between them. And then, just in case, add 15 minutes between major activities and appointments. A philosophy of adding a few extra minutes adds to your sense of balance throughout the day! With planning, you are ready to schedule activities and events to your advantage! Schedule similar events together to use your time most effectively. Group your errands for groceries, post office, or purchases by proximity, and schedule these sequentially on the same day. Make and return phone calls at a designated time. When you consolidate these activities, you save time and you accomplish the tasks most efficiently.

Most importantly rely on your calendar by referring to it regularly!

Review your calendar the evening before and in the morning to be sure you are keeping on task. Set aside a weekly planning time at the beginning of the week for you to incorporate your “to do list” and your calendar. You can plan best by having a time to do your paper work as well as schedule errands, grocery shopping and other weekly activities this way. Set an “appointment with yourself” to plan your time wisely and schedule paperwork.

Time is our most precious commodity! Let’s honor our priorities by honoring what is most meaningful, affirming our priorities and finding balance in our life by using time wisely. Scheduling can make all the difference in our lives and our family’s lives too!

Free weekly planner here!

How to Make Habits Stick

January 14, 2016/6 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Organizing Skills/by Ellen

Some of us are creatures of great routine and some of us are not. When it’s hard to make habits stick, it’s easy to get discouraged. We label ourselves as unable to create or stick with habits. With ADHD, it’s especially hard to create and stick to habits or routines. Habits are not always about being more disciplined. Habits are about finding ways to incorporate small changes that add up. How do you make habits stick? Here are 5 ways to make habits more consistent in your life.

Find your habit success first

Surprisingly most people don’t know what habits are sticking. Start with that awareness. Do you consistently do any one thing? It can be something so small you don’t recognize it. It can be a personal hygiene routine like brushing your teeth, a family activity like attending church or a time topic like being on time routinely. Once you know one habit is working, it’s a great way to start a new habit.

Start a small actionable habit

Over and over we hear it takes 21 days to create a new habit. Research shows it is actually longer. However, often we are trying to tackle more than one habit at a time. Start with something small and specific that you can accomplish. Find one small part of a new habit you want to create and work just on that small piece.

Hook your habit

Now that you know about a successful habit, it’s time to hook onto this. This means you are doing this new habit just after your existing habit. This way you have the bonus of starting off with success. It’s a powerful way to see change.

Start today

There’s no time like the present. As Nike says, “Just Do It.” Starting today means you are committing to change. End procrastination by saying that today is the day. Start right now.

Hold yourself accountable

There are two sides to creating new habits, both procrastination and perfectionism. We give ourselves the option to just start tomorrow and procrastinate. We give ourselves permission to call it quits because we haven’t done the task perfectly day in and day out. Acknowledge both of these and be committed for a 3 month time. Be accountable with data with apps that help. Announce your intention to your best friend and have them support you in a loving way. Create a chart you check off daily to see progress. If you miss a day, get back on the wagon right away.

How to make habits stick? Try just one of these tricks or tools for at least a month and see what happens!