The biggest lie I tell myself is
“I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.”
Remember when life was so simple we just had to remember one telephone number to chat with a colleague, family or friend. Just 7 simple digits and we chatted directly. Now we have 2 or 3 numbers per person to remember. But we still think we can remember it all!
Write Stuff Down (WSD)
For me it’s always been natural to write stuff down. Ever since I can remember, I had a small notebook to write down details. If it’s not so natural to you, there’s lots of reasons to start. In the book, Write It Down, Make it Happen, author Henriette Klauser notes that when you write down your goals and dreams, these become reality. When my clients find old notes, they see that they have often finished tasks and accomplished goals.
More reasons to Write Stuff Down (WSD)
For many of us, writing helps us embark on our work. It helps clear the fog in your head. It can help you process and break a task into smaller, manageable units. Once written, you can prioritize and filter out the more essential tasks. Michael Hyatt refers to writing stuff down as the “secret to accomplishing what matters most to you”.
Notepads, Apps and More
So now you are ready to start? Or maybe you already write stuff down, but on post its, envelopes and the back of paper plates. Here are some great options for WSD to help you consolidate and organize your notes.
For each of these options, you can create a category and put your note where you will find it again too!
Now’s the time to give your brain a break and get started. What option will work best for you? What other apps or tools help you write stuff down?
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Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School. It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going! The next post is about Back To School routines.
For many families the thought of Back to School routines strikes a negative chord. For some families, they welcome back the thought of getting back into the structure of the school year.
Adding just a few times for routines makes a difference for all families.
Bedtime routines
Starting a week before school starts, inch back bedtime to just 3o minutes before school time bedtime. Creating a consistent bedtime helps everyone get a better night’s sleep. Start extra early to allow for conversation. It may not be dark yet, so adding a soothing sound can help too.
Once school starts, have a routine that includes bath, reading and bed. Eliminate all blue light devices at least an hour before bedtime.
Parents need a bedtime too during the school year. Be realistic about the amount of sleep you need. Sleep procrastination for parents can be a real problem!
Homework routines
Homework should have a start and finish time. Once your kids hit the door, have a snack and start by 4pm. The early start means homework ends before dinner. Use a timer to get your kids started and work in 15 or 20 minute intervals, with 5 minute breaks (known as the Pomodoro Technique) for best focus.
Homework ends when everything is tucked back in the backpack and by the landing strip. This spot can be at the entry where you head to the car. Your purse, laptop and any other items should be ready to go in the morning too.
Other family routines
Family meeting time is an important communication and team building time. It’s when everyone posts to the family calendar, talks about upcoming events and shares time together. Be sure to decide when you will meet and you will truly be amazed at the benefits.
Grocery shopping makes it easier to prepare family meals, healthy snacks and lunches for school. Set a weekly time to shop and decide on how you will create your list. A magnetic list is great and so is the app GroceryIQ.
If your family is struggling, create a check list on a dry erase board to help them keep on top of their responsibilities and routines.
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Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School. It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going! The next post is about Back To School healthy meals and snacks.
Back to school is the time when healthy meals and snacks for our family are most important. We want everyone to feel energized and focused as they get back into the school groove. There are lots of glitches in getting healthy meals on the table, but streamlining and simplifying make dinner time easier.
Snack, dinner, and lunch ideas
Often we get stuck at the first step – that being what to make! We feel overwhelmed by choices, by complicated recipes, too many different tastes in our family and by a lack of prep time.
Preparation
We never seem to have enough time. Planning in prep time and grocery shopping make it easier. Having a day of the week that is grocery day helps you save time and energy all week, rather than running out at the last minute for milk or eating out. Even if you shop twice a week, you are planning better!
Reap the rewards
Over and over I see the value of family dinner. If your schedule does not permit it nightly, plan on one night a week. Your family fun quotient will go sky high!
Not sure what to make for dinner? Ideas for dinner on my Dinner’s Ready pinterest board.
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Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School. It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going! The next post is about Back To School Clothes.
Your kids keep outgrowing their clothes. They’ve been wearing gym shorts and flip flops all summer. Now it’s time for school to start and its time for Back to School clothes.
Weed out clothes
Categorize Back to School clothes
Back to school clothes routines
Back to school clothes can be found inexpensively at consignment shops, during tax free weekend or online at Thredup. Being organized about your shopping list saves you money!
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Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School. It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going! The first post is about Back To School Supplies.
Back to school and it’s all about back to school supplies! Every year your kids bring home unused school supplies at the end of the school year. The sales for supplies start in mid July. Maybe your supplies are in many different spots in your home. Quick Start Back to School by first organizing your school supplies.
Choose a central location for office and back to school supplies.
Gather and sort your supplies.
Itemize your back to school supply needs.
Set up your supplies.
Check the ads and be prepared with your list! Quick Start School Supplies gets you up and running for this school year.
What’s your best tip for school supply organizing?
Check out my pinterest Student Success board.
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You’ve just returned from a vacation, feeling relaxed and looking tanned, only to find a colossal pile of mail and other papers waiting for you at work. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of paper when you return. Even when you are not on vacation, 57% of workers in a recent survey by Neat reported frustration with paper and believed there are better paper management tools. What’s the best way to deal with paper after you return from a vacation?
Get a plan.
The best start requires planning and prioritizing. Before heading on vacation, let your team at work know and encourage them to send emails after your return. When you return, get a good night’s rest and head to the office a little earlier than usual. Your head start means you are working before others arrive and interruptions begin. Make a list of all your outstanding and upcoming tasks. Then prioritize what is immediately important and what can wait until the end of the week. Getting clarity is the best first step.
Automate when possible.
There are many ways to automate your work. Set up your auto-responder before you leave to share your absence. Set up a new message for the week of your return to indicate you are back at work, slogging through paper (and email) and will not be available for meetings until later in the week. Arrange for auto pay for bills before you leave so payments are made in a timely fashion.
Plow through your papers.
Triage the important and urgent papers, brutally discarding others. It’s not time for the “maybe, should and what if” papers. Categorize the remaining papers into groups of Action, Pay, Scan and File and place these in your Command Center, your tool for organizing actionable papers. Create a task list for actionable items in addition. Your list will help you stay on top of projects and help you focus.
Scan and digitize paper from your trip.
Often on vacation we take journals and business related reading materials. We gather business cards from contacts and possibly have receipts for tax purposes. After the trip, consolidate the information, amazing brainstorming notes you had, and other scraps of paper in your Scan folder. Using your Neat Connect or Neat mobile, (sponsored post) scan these items in later in the week. Creating a digital version of these articles and papers will make these easier to file and easier to find with searchable PDF files. Scan in receipts to keep track of your expenses while on vacation and budget for your next trip.
As hard as it is to return to work, having a paper plan can help. It’s never easy to get back to routines and deadlines, but having less paper makes work life better.
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The start of a new school year can be empowering and difficult. It brings the promise of a new teacher and a fresh start, as well as the fear of previous challenges. For your ADHD family, back to school is a new beginning each and every year.
Clean slate
Back to school for your ADHD family is a great clean slate. It’s about starting off with fresh energy. There’s excitement in collaborating with a new teacher. Start your year off with a family meeting about the successes from last year. What worked well? What didn’t? Starting off with a successful, solutions oriented perspective will make this the best year for your family.
School supplies
There are many ways to set up binders and accordion files for your child. There are many different school supplies. Rely on your school district supply list and check your own supplies. Coach your child to set up a binder system and school supplies that work for him/her. A homework folder or pocket in the binder where all homework comes and returns makes it easy to keep up with this paper. The best systems are the most simple.
School and Homework routines
One of the hardest parts of school is homework routines. It’s all about consistency. Set a time for homework to start and finish after school. Starting after a snack and short break makes it easier to complete homework. Set up a homework spot with an additional set of supplies for your child. Partner with your child to prioritize the daily assignments, working in small time slots. Using a timer can be a bonus for getting started and working without distractions.
A critical element for all routines is good rest. Set bedtimes for parents and kids. Start early getting to bed, eliminating blue screens at least an hour before bedtime. Have a charging station in a public spot for all electronics in the home. A good night’s rest is a great way to be sure everyone is working at their full potential.
Set up a landing strip where kids backpacks, your purse, and possibly shoes are housed. There’s no scrambling in the morning when there’s only one spot. Clean out backpacks and purses weekly.
Team communication
Parents, teachers and counselors working as a team is the best for everyone. If your child has a 504 plan or IEP, review that early in the year. Frequent communication by email helps everyone work together. Start the year off with an email to your child’s teachers sharing his/her strengths and noting where help is needed most. Establishing a trust relationship takes time, but working as a team is best for your child.
Gathering a team of resources is an asset. Your child can benefit from work with a counselor, professional organizer or homework buddy. In having a team you can learn and share what works with each professional.
Check out my pinterest boards for more ideas for students and ADHD
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Our smart phones and tablets can help us stay organized and be productive. Some of the best family apps help us do things from deposit a check to find out when a flight arrives. Many are free or cost a dollar or two. Taking advantage of an app to expedite a task, get a task done more easily or even make a task more fun is a reason to find your family’s best family apps.
We all have our favorites for different reasons. Here are a few of mine by category.
Family life
Work life
Kids
For kids, I am a big believer in low level technology use. However, there are lots of awesome apps for learning too!
Seniors
Join me on High Tech and Technically Organized for more tech organizing ideas.
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Good financial organizing requires being organized about paying bills. Bill paying is a necessary evil for us. It’s not fun! (It’s not fun ever!) Sometimes it’s scary because we may not have enough money to pay bills. Sometimes it’s complicated because income comes in at a different time than bills come in. Sometimes it’s just so much going on it’s hard to keep up with every thing.
We try to find the easiest way to pay our bills on time. (Paying your bills on time increases your credit score, which is linked to credit extended by banks, mortgage companies and other loans.) There are lots of different ways to pay bills. Choose what’s best for you.
Bill paying starts with a great system and routine. Think of bill paying as a process with steps. Follow these three steps and add in your own personal touches to make bill paying easier and less stressful.
Step 1: Keep all your bills together
Step 2: Establish a system that works for you
Step 3: Establish a routine that works for you
After you have completed bill paying, you can file all the bills in one box labelled with the year. It’s the easiest, fastest way to keep up with these papers. The box can be in your office, easy to access. It’s just that simple!
Have some tricks or tips to your bill paying?
Join me on my Financial Organizing pinterest board.
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We specialize in working with ADD/ADHD clients. Whether in your home or your office, we motivate, empower and affirm our clients in their quest for organizing and productivity! 