Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston

5 Basic Rules of Organizing

November 6, 2014/2 Comments/in Organizing Skills/by Ellen

Wouldn’t it be nice to know the rules when you start a new project? When you put together that new bookshelf, it would be great if there were big bold letters that tell you to double check the front and back of the segments? Or when you are making a new dish, would you love to know that no matter what it will be delicious? When I think about organizing, I think there are some basic concepts that will lead to your success. Here are my favorite 5 basic rules of organizing.

Eliminate what you don’t love or use.

It seems simple enough this rule. Eliminating and editing are the first steps to organizing. What interferes are the “what if’s” in life. What if I need it in a year? What if I lose 5, 10 or 15 pounds? We can “what if” ourselves into keeping everything. If you truly love an item, but have not used it, keep it in a less accessible spot. It’s possible to eliminate what you don’t use or love using the 4 box method. Get clarity with this rule and your organizing will yield great results.

Store items at their point of use

The concept of keeping items where they are used frequently is nothing new. A little creative storage can be a good thing. Keeping items at their point of use means you can easily find what you need and easily put it away. You can create zones in a room to help you stay organized too. The kitchen is a great area to keep zones in mind. The breakfast zone is where the bowls and cereal are stored together. The coffee zone is where the Kcups, mugs and sweetener are. You get the idea that storing what you use together makes life easier.

Create limits and boundaries

When there are no limits, stuff becomes chaotic and stuff is everwhere. Having natural limits and boundaries for your stuff makes it easier to be organized. Your clothes limits include your dresser and closet. Keeping within these limits helps you with maintenance too. There’s less laundry to put away. Create natural boundaries with storage for items in your home or office. Have one drawer for extra office supplies, one location to keep school supplies and one shelf for extra pantry items.

Get rid of paper. You know you want to.

Paper has us all overwhelmed! It’s the number one organizing project in almost everyone’s home. Our goal is not to store paper, but to get rid of as much as possible. Seek out other options for the information on paper. Can you find that information somewhere else? Can you make a note in Evernote instead? How long do you need to keep that paper? Use this chart to help you eliminate more paper.

Keep it simple sweetie

By far my favorite mantra to share! Keep it all simple, whether it is stuff you are doing, stuff you are organizing, relationships you are in, and ways to live your best life. How do we keep it simple? By shedding the excess stuff, by eliminating toxic relationships, and finding ways to live life simply.

Check out how these organizing rules come together on my Pinterest board Home Sweet Organized Home.

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Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

November 2, 2014/0 Comments/in Organizing Quotes and Inspiration/by Ellen

Holiday Time Line

October 30, 2014/2 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen

Why re-invent the wheel this holiday season? Here are 5 check lists ready to make your holiday season less stress and more fun. These professionals offer ideas for the most elaborate to the simplest of holiday preparations and festivities. These holiday time line ideas space out your work to keep you on track and organized throughout the holidays.

Martha Stewart Organizing Checklists

Martha’s list for holiday preparations.

Geralin Thomas Metropolitan Organizing

Geralin shares how to prepare for a stress less Thanksgiving.

Seana Turner Help the Holidays are Coming!

Seana shares her big holiday list.

Professional-Organizer.com Ellen’s Blog Holiday Time Line

This time line started in October, but jump right in whenever you start.

Houzz To Do: Your Holiday Organizing Checklist

A pre-party check list to be ready for fun.

Real Simple Holiday Party Timeline

Get ready for your holiday party.

Share your ideas for having your most organized holiday ever!

Happiest of holidays with my Pinterest board

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4 Tips for Family Organizing

October 23, 2014/2 Comments/in Family Organizing/by Ellen

Each fall families get back to the business of running their families. School and activities start, family’s get back into routines and there’s lots of information to keep together. It can be overwhelming with lots of information in different formats and different locations. There are many ways to pull this information together for communication and cohesiveness. Check out these 4 tips for family organizing.

Family meetings and Family calendar

The Family meeting, with everyone sitting together with their calendars and the monthly family calendar, makes for great communication. It’s a once a week get together where everyone shares.

One of my family clients has two extra large dry erase peel and stick boards on a big wall adjacent to the kitchen. Everyone adds information all the time. Each person has a different color. It’s the one thing this family consistently keeps up to date. These calendars make up one piece of a command center.
Another family client has a very large paper calendar and all dates are written in pencil.
Google calendar is a great option for families on the go! It helps you color code, consolidate and keep everyone up to date all the time.

Family dinner

I recently saw a parody of the family dinner. It had been so long since the family ate together at the dinner table that there was no seat for the third child! If that’s true at your home, you might be interested in The Family Dinner project. Family dinner is an important time for laughter, chatter and fun. Spending time together this way nurtures us all. We know time can be a troubling challenge for dinner prep. It can be a little bumpy getting everyone on the same time line. But even if dinner together is just once a week, that is a great first step.

Plan on big breakfast, big lunch or early dinner on a Sunday to get everyone together. There may be fewer activities going on.
Create a dinner grid with your family. It’s easy meals that family member’s can partner to prepare. No one should be left in the kitchen alone. Everyone shares getting dishes done and lunches ready in the evening.
Share the responsibility of grocery shopping. Write the list on a pad on the refrigerator, snap a picture with your smart phone and text it to whoever is driving home from work.

Family homework and activity grid

It’s hard to consolidate all the information about your kids’ homework and activities. A client shared her solution with me ~ the family homework and activity grid. She visited all the online sites for her kids’ teachers and activities and created a grid with kids’ and parents’ names on top and days of the week on the side. In each square are listed school and after school related activities. Ongoing homework, such as daily reading, weekly vocabulary and online quizzes, is listed in the appropriate day. Posting this chart will help her family keep up on all that teacher’s require.

Family technology

There’s are so many new tech ideas that help us as families!

Cozi helps you manage the chaos of family life with a shared calendar, shopping lists, to do lists and more. Cozi keeps track of everything from school schedules and sports activities to grocery lists, meals and chores — all in one place the whole family can access anytime, anywhere.
Google calendar and Google docs are great online ways to keep up to date in real time. Google docs is a shareable document space.
30Boxes has a family calendar and interactive to do list.
Fircle allows you to share an online calendar with your spouse at work, print shopping lists that will remind you when you’re running low on specific groceries, manage your children’s allowance and household chores and much more.
HomeZada is a home management software. It doesn’t have a family calendar component, but it does have home management, home maintenance, home finances and a home inventory.

Have a strategy that works well for your family organizing? Share it here and help us all get better organized!

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Ellen’s Organizing Quotes

October 20, 2014/2 Comments/in Organizing Quotes and Inspiration/by Ellen

I love sharing my organizing ideas with inspiration. Organizing quotes can help you have a mantra to get or stay organized. It can be what pulls you through when organizing gets tough. Here are a few I share often.

Check out more organizing inspiration on my pinterest board.

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ADHD Tips for Small Business

October 16, 2014/0 Comments/in ADD and ADHD/by Ellen

ADHD strengths are wonderful attributes for being an entrepreneur. There are so many ways ADHD entrepreneurs are successful. It’s the creativity, resourcefulness, and solution based thinking that lead to success. ADHD includes a powerful set of qualities that make for ground breaking new ideas and tools.

There can be a few bumps in the road too. Difficulties with executive function, planning and organizing can get in the way. Here are 3 ADHD tips for business owners to maximize their success.

Planning tools make a difference

Often an ADHD small business owner will only use a planner to write in an appointment. Use your planner as a tools to help you initiate and execute your tasks.

Think creatively about your planner and use color and small post it notes. Write each task separately so you can create baby steps and keep from being overwhelmed. If these are written on small post it or flag notes, you can move them around as needed to work.

Think about options for your planner. It can be 3 dry erase calendars on a prominent wall with difference color markers. It can be a file cabinet adjacent to your desk with post it notes. It can be a wall you paint chalkboard paint.

Set a time once a weekly for reviewing what’s on your planner. As a processing tool use it daily to write a note for your 3 Most Important Tasks. Create a new habit by hooking this habit onto an existing habit. It won’t happen automatically for a while, but it is a powerful change.

Get a grip on paper

Being overrun and overwhelmed by paper can be paralyzing to an entrepreneur. Take back control of your paper by cutting back on it first.

Print as little as possible. Ruthlessly eliminate all paper that will not immediate at to your bottom line with a return on investment. Write notes in an arc spiral or use Evernote. Scan in what comes to you in paper form. Choose what is going to work best considering the amount of paper. As you can see, this takes a diligently and ongoing attack on paper from all directions.

Choose a paper system that works with your strengths. A command center can be placed on your desk or adjacent to it. An accordion file is a tool with 7 or 13 pockets that can travel with you between locations.

Whatever the tool, be sure to label the slots. With a label only what belongs in the slot gets in the slot. It also helps you stay focused and keep you from being overwhelmed. No slot for that paper, it’s off to the shredder or recycle.

Focus on your strengths

No one is good at everything. Entrepreneurs needs to wear many hats. This may sound like a conflict for ADHD entrepreneurs, but it’s a call to action for automation and delegation. There are many small ways to start.

Automation is using technology tools to their best advantage. It can be an autoresponder when a client contacts your website. It can be downloading financial information from the bank to Quickbooks. It can be an app on your smart phone that adds contacts to Outlook. Look for small or large ways to automate processes in your business.

Delegation is sharing a responsibility with a colleague or employee. Know what can only be done by you. The rest can be delegated in small bites. The biggest challenge is often the first step of asking for help. Think of this step as taking on a partnership, rather than giving away the ship. As you share the task, you build in accountability for the actions you will perform, as well as get additional help with technology, marketing skills or organizational tasks.

There’s more you can share about your own tips for business. Share one here!

Learn more about ADHD on my pinterest board.

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Get started scanning!

October 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Paperless, Technology and Organizing/by Ellen

It’s an exciting day! You have decided to start scanning to eliminate your paper clutter and free up time, energy and space. What’s the first step? How do you get started scanning? Check it out here!

Intro to scanning

So how did my own Neat installation go?

I planned on 2 hours, but it did take me more time.
Install your Neat connect and cloud, first, then install with the computer disk.
I wanted to review the tutorials too, which added a little more time.
This is a powerful tool with lots of great technology. Start with a baby step that is not as important but is valuable to you. I suggest scanning a receipt or business card first.
Patience is an important value in starting new technology.

Learn more creative uses for your scanner here. Learn from the Neatologists.

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ADHD and Motivation

October 9, 2014/2 Comments/in ADD and ADHD/by Ellen

You find it hard to get started on a project, hard to finish up and tough to stay on task. ADHD and executive function deficits create challenges for motivation. It can feel discouraging, frustrating and overwhelming. At a recent conference for the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, speakers shared ways to get motivated despite the obstacles. There are lots of small ways ADHD and motivation can make a daily difference for you.

Russell Barkley is author of Taking Charge of Adult ADHD. This speaker suggested using external cues to help you get motivated and stay on track. External cues can include post it notes or check lists with tasks spelled out. Social accountability like a study buddy or coach can help you lower or eliminate distractions as well as keep you positive about your work. These external cues help you become more successful at any task.

Denslow Brown and Karen Boutelle shared the value of coaching for motivation. Denslow is the creator of Coach Approach for Organizers, which I have participated in. Her coach training focuses on the collaborative partnership with the ADHD client and coach. Karen Boutelle from Landmark College demonstrated using coaching to facilitate motivation for students. Both speakers shared coaching strategies in helping a client move forward with their goals.

Struggling with getting started? Here are a few practical ways to get going.

Set a timer for 15 minutes. For 5 minutes, assess what you have accomplished. Reset the timer for another 15 minutes, twice more. You have accomplished a lot!
Find an ADHD coach to work with you.
Clear your space for clarity. Keep your desk clear of extra papers and office supplies in order to keep clear about your work.
Partner with a colleague or family member. Having someone to help with decisions and work together makes the project get off the ground. Your partner also acts as a body double to help lend you energy to get going.
Find a way to add positive accountability to your day. Send a quick email sharing what you accomplished that day. Text someone sharing the news of conquering a difficult task. Make a phone call on your way home to tell someone about an accomplishment.
Add a dash of fun to your work. It can be a quirky element (like writing with a pink marker), some music (your Pandora work station you create) or something silly (perhaps a crazy hat or fluffy boa). No one wants to miss out on fun, right?

What are ways you are getting motivated?

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“A Place for Everything and Everything in its place”

October 7, 2014/0 Comments/in Organizing Quotes and Inspiration/by Ellen

Organizing Business Contacts

October 5, 2014/3 Comments/in Small Business Organizing/by Ellen

At a networking event, during a business meeting, or even in the grocery store, we get business contacts. The contact could be in a text, written on a napkin or copied on a post it. There’s also that stack of business cards from years past too. You want to easily store and access contacts for your business. Organizing business contacts is a priority for your business.

Customer information and vendors are important contacts for all small businesses. When we meet with or receive a call from a potential client, it’s important to capture this information right away. When we receive a recommendation for an outstanding vendor, we want to be able to keep this information until needed.

Quality contacts

There are lots of business cards we receive. Not all are important to keep. Make a note and write the date on your cards so you remember the reason you found this contact valuable. If its a recommended vendor, write the name of the person who recommended this service provider. It will make it much easier to know which cards to keep.

A call or email from a client shows their high level of interest in doing business together. Even if not ready right away to work together, you want to retain their contact information. When a client contacts me, I record their name, cell phone, business phone, email and snail mail address on paper first. As soon as possible I transfer this information to my smart phone and Outlook. If I am contacted by email, I add this information with just a few clicks. To me all clients who have contacted me directly are keepers. It sometimes may require a little phone tag or 2 messages but we connect and set a plan in motion.

Database management

It’s important to choose one consolidated spot for your information. There are lots of options, including Google, Outlook, Yahoo or a CRM (customer relationship management software.) Your decision may depend on your tech savvy-ness and the number of contacts you have.

You can pair gmail and google docs for a CRM system.
You can sync your Outlook contact and email account with your smart phone to have consistent access to your contacts. Remember to back up your Outlook regularly to keep up with your information.
Yahoo offers an online contact manager you can use to store all your contact information about individuals and companies. It’s cloud based so accessible anywhere.
Create an Excel spreadsheet with your contact’s snail mail address, email address, business phone and cell phone.
Download an iphone app or android app on your smart phone.

Start with a good foundation for your contacts, but also use a solution that can expand as your business grows.

Consolidating all the data

You may have realized that you have several different places for contacts. Think of baby steps you can use to consolidate the data.

Add contacts 10 at a time from business cards, other email address books, post it notes or other scraps of paper.
Search your inbox and use signature lines to add contacts.
Add clients and vendors one at a time as you are contacted by email.
Enter vendors at the time you receive their reference from the person recommending.
Use a NeatDesk (sponsored link) to add business cards quickly to your database. It quickly scans and adds information.

Organized business contacts means more money for your business and less stress for you! Take time this week to get started or keep organizing business contacts.

It’s time to think about going paperless!

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