After almost 5 years of sharing the “Tip of the Week” email, the time has come to move on.  December will be the last tips you will receive from this email. 

You can still get all of my great organizing tips from my new website: www.gettingorganizedmagazine.com (where you will find videos, tips,       articles and more for free). 

If you use social media you can get the tips from:

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/GettingOrganizedMagazine

Twitter: @GettingOrgMag

Or you can buy a subscription to Getting Organized Magazine.

 

Thank you for all of your support over the years!

 

I am sure many of you have received packing tips:  roll your clothes, stuff your shoes, use tissue paper between the layers to prevent wrinkles.  It really does pay to pack properly– especially with today’s baggage rates and   limits.  Consider taking a packing class from AAA or your local travel agent.  I HIGHLY recommend using packing cubes.  I can’t live without mine.  They not only allow you to pack more in a suitcase, but you can access what you need easier because each cube contains specific items (ex: shirts).  Consider Rick Steve’s Packing Cubes or the Eagle Creek Pack-its.  Make your Holiday travels easier, pack your pack efficiently and enjoy the trip

With Christmas coming up I think it is the perfect time to feature this great product: the Greeting Card Keeper from Card Memories.  It is a binder with acid free sheet protectors that are specially made to hold your greeting cards. Each binder can hold up to 25 cards and starts at only $10.  Not only is this great for Holiday cards, but  for Mom’s and Dad’s who need a fun way to store those  wonderful cards you will be getting them for Mothers and Fathers day.  Or the perfect gift for a bride or new mother looking to save those precious memories.  www.cardmemories.com

 

Part of what causes us to be behind in our filing and organizing is a lack of time.  Learning to say “NO” can help.  There is only so much time in a day; decide what is important to you and stick with that.  You may need to say “no” to make time for what you ‘need’ to do rather than what you ‘want’ to do.  People will respect you more for saying “no”, rather than being late and disorganized on the project they needed help with.

 

When was the last time you cleaned out your freezer or fridge?  I mean pulled out that mysterious package from the very, very back?  The end of the year is a great time to clean out your fridge, freezer and pantry.  Toss anything that is outdated or you can’t identify.  Consider putting things back in groups (meats, breads, soups, vegetables, etc.)  I recommend taking a pen and marking the date on items for both fridge and freezer.  Even though you think it was just a few months ago, you would be surprised at how long it really has been in there.

 

Not quite sure how to solve your organizing dilemma but it is driving you nuts?  Hang a hook or two to get started.   Hooks are a great way to get things off of the floor.  They can be used as a permanent solution, or as a temporary one until you have a chance to figure out what you want in that space.

Great for things like:

 ▪purses                            ▪hats                                       ▪belts

▪clothes                          ▪dry cleaning                         ▪ties

▪kids backpacks             ▪sports equipment             ▪jewelry

Since we just turned our clocks back, I thought it would be a good time to get in touch with our own biological “organizing” clocks! 

Are you the person in the gym at 6am every morning or the person who is typing emails at midnight?  When you work on an organizing project make sure to do it when you are most energized and willing to do a project.  If you work best in the early morning don’t wait until late afternoon to start organizing or you will get tired, frustrated and more apt to give up and feel defeated.

I am proud to announce a project I have been working on for most of the year:  Getting Organized Magazine! 

This is a magazine that will cover everything organizing: home, work, technology, paper, time management, ADD/ADHD, book reviews and much more.  In keeping with the Tip of the Week tradition, the magazine has great information that is simple, effective and easy to implement.    

The first printed edition will be delivered in January 2012 but if you visit the website www.gettingorganizedmagazine.com you can read a sneak peek/sample issue for free.  If you    subscribe to the magazine you will receive a free ebook–   Get Organized: Get Revitalized. 

The website also features articles, videos, a list of experts and  events, so check it out!

 www.gettingorganizedmagazine.com

www.twitter.com/gettingorgmag

www.facebook.com/gettingorganizedmagazine

Here is a fun challenge for you—set a timer for 20 minutes and delete as many emails as you can.  Remember: 

DO it now

DELETE it as soon as you can

UNSUBSCRIBE from what you are not reading

BE HONEST with yourself if you really need to keep it 

You wouldn’t put all of your papers into one file folder and place it on your desk– why are you trying to do that with your email inbox? 

Note:  You should be able to delete emails older than 6 months. (Set your own limits but this is a good guideline)

 

Have you ever dropped a puzzle box or had your kids mix up the pieces to different puzzles?  Sorting that mess can take forever!  When you buy a puzzle, take the time to mark the back of each piece the same number or same letter (ex: your waterfall puzzle has the letter “A” on every piece).  That way, when you are searching for puzzle pieces, the back will all have the same number or letter for easy matching.  If you mix up the pieces you can easily sort by the information on the back of the piece.  This can work for toys with a ton of pieces, too.

 www.twitter.com/staceyorganizes        

www.facebook.com/organizedinnovations

www.youtube.com