Tag Archive for: 10 organizing tips by a CPO

Organize a July 4th Summer Celebration

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organize July 4 summer celebration

 

It’s easy to get in the spirit of our nation’s biggest celebration July 4th.  It takes just a little organizing for summer celebrations for us to have a grand ole time!  Organize July 4th summer celebration with these easy to do ideas.

 

Red, white and blue

Easy to pull together, our patriotic colors set the stage for fun.  Coordinate your party goods, food and beverages around these colors.  Strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon are healthy additions to every celebration.  Make homemade ice cream and add red, white and blue sprinkles.  Guests love to be a part of the food preparation and are happy to bring pot luck items to share.

 

Lanterns, twinkling lights, and sparklers bring light to your party after dark.  While waiting for the fireworks, have on hand glow sticks, glowing necklaces and glow in the dark toys.

 

Patriotic music is a must for this holiday celebration.  Pandora has a special patriotic music station.  Create your own playlist with God Bless the USA.  Choose music from all generations to play throughout the day.

 

Decorate your home with small flags at your curb.  Place American flag toothpicks in your edibles.  Share your patriotic spirit.

 

Let’s the fun begin

Old fashioned games are the best!  Think about croquet, frisbee, kick ball and other outdoor games we played as kids.  Serve water infused with strawberries and basil while you are playing to keep hydrated.

 

Bike rides and picnics are a fun way to celebrate the 4th too.  Decorate  your bike the evening before with red,white and blue streamers in your bike spokes and on your handle bars.  Bring a picnic lunch with a red checked tablecloth.

 

Rained out on your party date?  Take the fun indoors with charades, Heads Up app on your smart phone, or a top 10 July 4th movie like Independence Day or National Treasure.  Watch one of the national celebrations on tv from Washington DC or New York.

 

Plan to pick up these items early in the week to stay away from holiday crowds.  Enjoy your day with family and friends as you celebrate our national holiday.

 

Let’s party! Ideas on pinterest.

 

How I do it! 10 Organizing Tips from Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap

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09filessittingforinternet

I love to keep things simple.  I am a born organized person who wants to help others simplify, create order and help people live the life they imagined.  So I wanted to share some tips that I use to make each day a little more organized.

  • I love my planner! It helps me keep the big picture of my activities in a place where I can see them.  I am always going to be a paper type planner person, but I do back up recurring events on a technology calendar.  As soon as I commit to a date, I add it immediately to my planner.  I break tasks into small, baby steps to make sure I can accomplish them and add this to my planner too.
  • I seldom print out anything. If I have a paper, I only handle it once.  I know that I can find anything I need on the internet when I need it especially when I am looking for new information, a recipe, or even financial data.  I find what I need, when I need it.  (I recently made vegan cupcakes!)
  • I add partners or delegate when I need help on a task.  I work best on a team and my team members usually possess strengths I don’t have.
  • I keep my perfectionism under control.  I weigh the “Return On Investment” on whether to keep plugging at a task or know when it is done.
  • My closet is organized by color and I keep a bag to drop donations in regularly. Some people find it more useful to organize by type of clothing, such as work, play,  or party.
  • Lists rock! I use them for every day tasks, shopping, and reminders.
  • I sync my iphone and outlook to keep both my personal and business contacts together.  Having all my connections together and easily accessible makes it easy to stay connected.  Its easy to do this with any email program.
  • My favorite apps are Reminders and Notes.  I set alarms in Reminders and keep lists in Notes.  These apps are free on any smartphone.
  • I am a woman of great consistency. I love having the same bedtime, adhering to my weekly planning and admin time, and knowing that these routines serve me well.
  • I keep in touch with my priorities.  We can have it all, but not all at the same time.  We have seasons in our life and I am enjoying my current season of working as a professional organizer and productivity consultant.

 Learn more on my pinterest board! http://pinterest.com/EllenDelap/how-i-do-it-organizing-tips-and-more/