Solution:  Memorabilia Boxes

This is a great solution because it allows items like old stuff animals, yearbooks, travel memorabilia, things like that to have a home.

You can organize the memorabilia boxes by each person in the family.  Depending on the age of the person will determine how many boxes or bins you may have.

I have a bin that is more designated towards my high school and college years.  I also have a bin designated to my husband and I which contains wedding memorabilia, old cards, pictures etc.

I have a bin for each of my children.  This is a great place to store items from when they were babies and young children.  You can organize it by year of age or by grade in school.

The options are endless when it comes to how to categorize your memorabilia bins, the point is to have a place for these items to go.  No longer the days of wondering what and where the ticket stubs from your favorite concert should go!

You can use any kind of organizing bin, clear or solid, depending on preference.  I do recommend labeling the bins, so you are not wasting time opening them up and figuring out who’s who.  You could even color code the bins to recognize which one belongs to whom.

Knowing you have a system will make organizing a lot easier!

Happy Organizing!

I have put together a few ADD Friendly Tips to conquer your clutter…. You may not be able to implement all of them at once, and you may find some ideas work better for you than others.  That is OK… this is a work in progress… all I ask is you try!  If you want to change to happen, you have to be willing to try!

A few tips to consider when conquering your clutter:

Less is More – First thing’s first, when you are trying to clear clutter, you must first eliminate!  When you have less, it’s much easier to stay organized.  You don’t want to try and get organized without taking the time to go through your home and office and really evaluate what you need.  Keep only the things that have value to you. I suggest you tackle one small area at a time. You will see faster progress, which will motivate you to keep going.  It also takes away the overwhelm when you know you are only working one small space and not the whole house.

Purchase with Purpose – Think before you buy, and when you do buy, decide where the item will go in your home.  Every item needs to have a permanent home.  Place a note in your wallet as a reminder, place it in front of your debit or credit card.  Think before you buy. When bringing something new in the home, take something out.  This is often called the “In and Out” rule.  It will help eliminate accumulating too much stuff.

Make the Homes Convenient and Easy – If you make your filing system too complicated, you will never file. If your kitchen is set up in a way that it is inconvenient to put pots and pans away, it won’t happen, and if it does happen it will not have any order to it.  It’s important to organize your belongings the way you use them and in the easiest way.  Even if doesn’t make sense to the rest of the world, it needs to make sense to you.

Organize Just Enough – This is so important for the ADDer…. Don’t strive for perfection.  Set up a system that works good enough for you.  The goal is to be able to find what you need when you need it.  This can be in the form of a pile, it does not have to be in a perfect labeled box or bin.  When things get lost, which they will, take note of it, and build a system around it.  Awareness is the first step towards change!

Happy Organizing!

“I feel so overwhelmed!

This is by far one of the most common statements I hear when working with the clients.  Sometimes the clutter around us feels so suffocating it just stops us, stops us from doing anything.  Mainly because people don’t really know what to do.

In our podcast this week we talk about how to make organizing a goal.  There are some great tips on how to turn an idea into action!  If you are dealing with overwhelm and want to make a change, I highly suggest you listen to this podcast.  It will give you the guidance you need to get started.

For this post, I want to focus on just getting around the overwhelming feelings you may have and how to break down theses barriers.

Tips on Dealing with the Overwhelm:

Look Forward – We all have different reasons why clutter accumulates.  Often times, there are circumstances in our lives and organization just simply got placed on the back burner.  You can’t change yesterday, but you do have control of your present and what you do today.  You allow yourself to move forward by setting goals and visualizing what the future has in store for you.

One Day at a Time – As much as we want to set timelines and visualize our future, I understand that this can also be overwhelming. It’s important to set goals but there is a fine line in not getting to carried away with the future.  Once your goals our in place, now think, one day at a time.  What can you do today to get you closer to your goals?  

Have a Support System in Place –  Getting organized and living an organized lifestyle is not easy.  It comes natural for some, but for others it is a constant struggle.  Having a support system in place makes a difference in getting through the bad days.  Sometimes all you need is a cheerleader and someone to help you through the process.  This support system can come from family, friends, a professional organizer, or an ADD Coach.  TCO’s mission is to offer this service to our clients who need extra help.

Don’t Give Up – As with any new habit or change in your life, there will be times where it won’t seem so worth it anymore.  I see many projects which get started but never get completed. Take the time you need to reflect and get your energy back, but I encourage you to keep trying.  Start again tomorrow.  Start in small steps, believe in yourself and never give up.

Happy Organizing!

Take Control Organizing has seen some changes this year, most notably a new look on the web and a new service, ADD Coaching.  I feel so blessed and honored to help others. Whether I worked with you personally or maybe you received a tip from the blog or a podcast which motivated you to get started, my hope is it makes a difference.

Thank you for being a part of this community!

I look forward to everything 2012 has to offer!

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the year: 

Top 5 Reasons to Clear Your Clutter

Three Essential Steps to Stay Organized 

5 Tips to Make Sure You’re Never Late

5 Secrets of Organized People 

The Top 2 Things You Need to Get Organized

Why Getting Organized is Not Enough

Clear the Paper

Paper Piles That Work

Weekly Menu Planning

Ask These Questions Before You Organize

Beating Procrastination 

Setting Your Priorities 

Gratitude

Deciding To Let Go

Financial Papers – What to Keep!

Happy New Year and of course Happy Organizing! 

For many of us baking is a tradition for the holidays.  Whether you are just baking one batch of cookies or several, a little planning and organization can go a long way!

Here are a few tips and suggestions to help simplify your baking:

Decide Recipes – Go through cookbooks and old recipes and decide what you want to bake this year.  Many of us have staple recipes but you may want to experiment and try something new. One of my favorite websites to visit for new ideas is allrecipes.com.  When deciding on recipes, read through the instructions and think about how complicated the recipes are and how much time you have to put towards your baking. Some recipes are much more complicated than others, keep things simple.

Make a List – Once you have the recipes, it’s time to decide how many batches of cookies and candy you need to make.  Make a list of the people you will be sharing with and think about party’s and other get togethers.  Determine how much is enough.

Check your current inventory – With recipes in hand, check out what ingredients you already have.  It’s helpful to lay everything out on a table.  Look at expiration dates and quantities of items.  After you look at your current inventory, make your grocery list.  Use the TCO Meal Planning worksheets to help you!

Use Coupons – Save money this season and use your coupons.  Dig out the Sunday’s paper , go online and do a little comparison shopping, .50 doesn’t seem like much of a savings until you start adding all the coupons up and realize what a difference it really can make.

Plan Your Day – If you are cooking several recipes, do a little planning before and figure out what order you will baking what recipes.  This is a good thing to keep in mind, especially if you are fighting over one oven or if certain ingredients need refrigerated and so forth.

Lay it out -  On a table, lay out all of your ingredients and measuring / cooking tools.  Get everything out at once.  This will save time and frustration shuffling through drawers when the oven timer is going off.  Have everything ready to go.  There will be a lot of the same ingredients used in different recipes, however, on the table I recommend separating the recipes with its own special ingredients.  Just to keep the organization and flow going.

Clean up as you go – On of the best cooking tips I received was from Rachel Ray, she has a garbage bowl she places on the counter when she is cooking.  Egg shells, wrappers, paper etc, go into this bowl, when it’s full, empty.  This really does save time from having to make several trips to the garbage can.

Music / Entertainment – I always do my baking with either Christmas music in the background or I will put on one of my favorite holiday movies.  It makes the process fun and festive!

Enjoy the Holidays!

Happy Organizing!

Preparing For Holiday Guests!

The holidays are filled with joy and memories and for many of us it includes overnight guests.  We want to prevent any added stress this may cause.  By planning and being prepared, you will have the time to focus on what’s most important, celebrating and enjoying the moment!

Here are some tips to help prepare you and your home:

Plan Your Meals – Be aware of any special diet needs or preferences.  Get all of your grocery shopping done a day or two ahead of time.  Having a meal plan will eliminate the stress of wondering what’s for dinner and running to the store at the last minute.

(Check out the Free Meal Planning worksheets in our Resource Page!)

Deep Clean Ahead of Time – Plan your deep/heavy cleaning a couple of days prior to your guests arrival.  The day of the arrival, you will only need to do the light cleaning and pick up.

Prepare Spare Room and Bathroom- Have the room ready to go with fresh sheets and room in the closet for their clothes and suitcase. Show them where to find extra blankets. For the bathroom, have a decorative basket on the counter with extras like Q-tips, cotton balls, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and washcloths. Have the towels out in the open or show your guests where they are located.

Prepare a Coffee Station / Morning Plan – If guests are comfortable they will help themselves in the kitchen, however it’s always a nice touch to have everything ready beforehand.  Have the coffee ready to go with coffee cups, creamers, and sugars, on the counter for easy access.  Let them know the plan for breakfast; it doesn’t matter if you are making it for them or it’s buffet style with cereal.  You want them to feel comfortable and at home.

Plan Activities Ahead of Time – Especially if you have children or children are visiting your home.  Get a schedule of the current movies, know the hours of local malls, and play areas.  Make time for “downtime” by having your puzzles ready, games out, and seating available to everyone to just catch up!

Last but not least… Enjoy your visit and make memories with the ones you love!

Happy Organizing!

I’m tired, I have no time, I don’t feel like it, I will….. do this later! 

If you catch yourself putting an item down in your home and thinking you will take care of it later…. Beware… You are starting to accumulate clutter!

What is clutter?  

Typically it’s an unmade decision.  It’s item that doesn’t have a home and you are not sure what to do with it, so you do nothing and think.. I will take care of this later!  However, later never comes and before you know it, you have a pile of “stuff” in the corner!

We are all guilty of procrastinating from time to time.  It becomes a problem when later becomes never!  It becomes a problem when we lose time looking for items we know have but can not find. It becomes a problem when the clutter starts to take over our space!

Here are some strategies to eliminate the “I’ll do it later” scenario:

1) Make Decisions – Clutter is typically an unmade decision, it’s now time to start making some!  For everything, there is a place.  Every item in your home needs to have a designated place to live. A place for you to retrieve and return the item when you are done!  If the decision has already been made, it will be much easier to maintain your organization!

2) Touch it Once Rule – The touch it once rule is basically touching the item only once, you pick it up and put it right away. This is not easy, believe me I know from experience how hard it is, but it can be very effective!  Even if you don’t do it with everything, every time it does work, you have just prevented clutter from building up!

3) Set a limit - If you can’t break the habit of putting clutter away immediately, consider setting a limit.  Have a basket or bin for these “later” items and when the bin is full, you must take care of it, start making those decisions and contain your clutter!

Happy Organizing!

Taking Advantage of the Organizing Bug! 

Deciding when to organize can be a struggle for many.  It’s not a lack of what needs to get done as much as when and how!  Even though finding the time can be a struggle it is not uncommon to actually be in the mood to organize! Some of you may think this is crazy, but others know exactly what I am talking about!

Have you ever been looking in a drawer for something, can not find it, and decide to do a quick sort and before you know it you have a clean drawer… Maybe you are waiting at the Doctors office and you decide to clean out your purse.  There was no plan to do these things, you just decided to do them because you were in the mood and the opportunity was there!

These are great moments, take full advantage of them!

For my ADD Clients, this is a great time to use hyper-focusing to your full advantage!  If you find yourself in the mood to organize, do it.. just make sure it’s the right time and set the timer to remind you when to stop!

There is great value to structure and scheduling the time when you are going to organize, however there is also great value in organizing when you feel like it. Maybe even more.  You can surprise yourself, which can turn into motivation to keep going!

We are not talking about re-organzizing an entire room, we are talking about those small bits of time where we can make a difference.  These small bits of time turn into living an organized lifestyle!

Happy Organizing! 

A New Perspective!

I would like to share with you a new perspective about your children’s toys… Next time you walk into the bedroom or playroom, I want you to get down on their level and see what they see.  The first time I did this, it was a real wake up call!

The room is most likely filled with color, shapes, sounds, and toys!  

Could you find your favorite toy if you wanted too?  Would you know what to play with?  Are you happy or a little stressed because there is just too much?

We often forget our children can feel the same anxiety and stress we feel when we walk into a cluttered office or kitchen.

Less is more.. especially when it comes to kids toys. Don’t get me wrong, I want my kids to have fun but I also want them to be creative and appreciate what they have and sometimes that is difficult if they have too much.

The holidays are just around the corner and this is a great time to start reducing.  Reduce the stress and make room for the new! Go through the toys with your children and find out what they would like to give to charity, doing it now will allow another child to enjoy for Christmas. What a great lesson you can teach your child.

Another trick we do in our home is we rotate toys.  We have bins of toys in our attic space that the kids can trade in and out.  Children will have an easier time keeping their spaces organized if there is less to organize!  They also appreciate their toys more because they are not being used or seen on a daily basis.

Sometimes looking at a space in a new perspective can make all the difference in the world!

Happy Organizing!

Here are a few tips if you decide to venture out on Black Friday:

1) Make Your List / Stick to Your Budget - I am all about being smart this Christmas and sticking to a budget!  Make the list of people you need to buy for and figure out the budget before you shop on Friday Morning.  Nothing will break the budget faster if you do not plan prior to shopping.  Next to each person, put down a couple of gift ideas you have in mind.  This will help narrow down where you need to go.

2) Plan ahead – Study your newspaper ads and go online to look for more coupons and deals.  Get an idea of the good deals and where they are. Figure out what stores you want to visit and set up a plan on where to go first, second, and so on.

3) Leave the kids at home- If at all possible leave the kiddos at home.  Your experience will be much less stressful if you do not have to worry about your kids.

4)  Patience -  This is a great day to practice your patience and flexibility skills.  Not everyone is going to be nice and helpful as they shop the day after Thanksgiving, there are going to be crowds and people will have to wait in line.  Your plan may not exactly go as planned!  Being flexible and positive will certainly help ease the stress.

5) Shop online- Is it all really worth it?  If not, consider shopping online, now they call it Cyber Monday!  You may not get as great of deals, but you can still get some good ones!  Do some comparison shopping the day before and see what your favorite stores are offering online.  You may be surprised!

Happy Organizing!

Take Control of The School Paper!

As we settle into the school year, one of the biggest clutter complaints I see is how to organize all the daily paper.  School paper ranges from homework to art projects and everything in between like lunch menus, permission slips, newsletters, the list goes on.

If you are starting to see the pile up, do not fear… there are solutions to take back control!

The key to success is developing a solid paper management system!

Use the following steps to start building your own paper management system:

Collect – Children come home with stuffed backpacks everyday, get them in the habit of emptying their backpacks in the same place.  Have your children take out their homework and other important papers from the school and place it all in one central location.   Think of it as an inbox, you could use a basket or a bin.

Sort – It’s important to separate what paper is homework, what is reference material and what paper needs to have some action around it.  Separate the homework from the rest and give this to your children to complete.  Next you want to separate the action from the reference paper.

*Note: Because of time sensitivity for homework and other important papers, I recommend you go through your inbox DAILY.

Action Paper – It’s best to have the action paper taken care of right away or be placed in a spot where you will not forget it.  You could use a bulletin board or a designated file that is only used for this kind of paper.  If it’s something you need to sign, do it right then, and place it back in your child’s backpack.  If it’s a date you must remember, put it in the calendar right away.

Reference Paper – Reference papers do not have any kind of action needed. Reference paper is the class list, yearly school calendars, student handbook, progress reports, etc.  One recommendation for storing reference paper is storing it in it’s own binder.  This binder is specific to school information and you could separate the tabs by each child in the family.  If the binder is big enough, you could use extra tabs for information on sports and other after school activities.  Another option is having a specific file labeled as School or by the child’s name.  There are actually many ways to do this; the point is to have one place for the paper to go, so when you need it, you know where to find it.

Completed Homework / Artwork – The younger the child, the more artwork comes home!  For some of us, it’s really difficult to decide what to keep and what to recycle.  For the really special assignments and artwork, pick a place in your home where you can display it.  Give the displayed work some time to enjoy the spot light, and then rotate it out with more recent work.  Only keep the very best and most sentimental pieces of work.  Take a picture of the work with your child instead of feeling like you actually have to keep the paper itself.  For those really special pieces have a memorabilia box available for each child.  Again, the point is to have a place for the paper to go and not on countertops and desks!

Happy Organizing!

Top 5 Organizing Mistakes!

Your intention is to live a more organized lifestyle, however something happens and it doesn’t work exactly the way you envisioned it!  There are certain roadblocks that get in the way…

Here are the top 5 organizing mistakes and how to avoid them:

1) Waiting for the time – If you wait for it, it will never come.  There will always be something to get in the way.  If getting organized is a priority, you have to make it one.  Set up organizing sessions on your calendar and get started!  They do not have to be all day events, even 10-15 minutes a day will move you forward.

2) Setting the standard too high -  Organization is not about perfection!  It’s about finding what you need, when you need it.  Don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting too much!  This is a point I stress when working with my ADD clients.  It’s not about bins and labels, it’s about making things simple and easy for you to maintain.  Organize to the point where it’s good enough for you!

3) Buying Product Too Soon - Don’t waste your time or money with buying organizing product first!  It’s not the product that organizes you, it’s the process in which you develop.  By making sure everything has a home and you return items to the home.  Only buy product after you have done sorting and you know what you need.

4) Starting but not finishing – It can become so overwhelming, people stop in the middle of the process. This is the time to break large projects into small spaces, taking just a little bit at a time.  Take a break if you need too, but remember what is motivating you to go through this process and get back on track.  Ask for help if you need too, either by a Professional Organizer or a trusted friend/family member.

5) Not sharing the new system – Nothing will ruin your organizing efforts faster than by not sharing what you have done!  You can’t expect your family members to help maintain your new systems, if you don’t show them what to do.  Take the time to give a tour of a new space, and get their opinions too… If they take ownership, they will more likely help maintain.

Happy Organizing!

Dealing with those pesky interruptions! 

We all get interrupted, no matter if we are working in our offices or homes…. people are constantly demanding our attention.  Throw in a couple of children or a new co-worker and those interruptions will double!

How is a person suppose to get any work done!

Good question… Here are a few strategies to try:

1)  Stand up – When someone enters your office to speak with you, stand up.  This small gesture will signal to the person you do not have much time.

2)  Say it- Be more direct if you like and let the person know you only have a couple of minutes, this is true for a phone call too.

3)  Close your door – Let your colleagues know when the door is closed, please do not interrupt unless it’s an emergency.

4)  Turn off Technology – Nothing is more distracting than hearing your phone ringing or seeing you have a new email.  If you need to focus, turn it all off until your done.

5)  Set boundaries – This is especially true for when you are at home.  If you are working on a project, let your children and spouse know you need this specific amount of time without any interruptions.  Sometimes all they need is to know!

Happy Organizing!

Do you want to live with less clutter in your home …. then stop it at the door!

One the best strategies in preventing clutter build up in your home is to think twice before buying!

Recently, I got the chance to celebrate a huge milestone with one my clients, which was about this very subject. She was traveling and stopped herself from buying a sweater.  She took a few minutes to really ask herself …is this worth taking home?  Did she really love it, did she really need it. Her answer was no, and she walked away.

Walking away with a smile, she thought of me… knowing how proud I would be!  And I was.  

Two years ago, she would have bought the sweater. Later down the road we would have gone through her closet and the sweater would have been donated with tags and all.  But this is no longer her reality, instead of impulse buying or thinking I might use it someday, she is only bringing in what matters most, things that have actual purpose, right now… not for someday.

This is what organized people do, they make decisions on what matters most!

Happy Organizing!

Organization means different things to different people.

There is no right or wrong way to organize.

In fact, I discourage my clients to have images in their minds of how their space “should” look.  Many times this is just not realistic and somehow we have to figure out what is right for them…. not what a magazine or a book says is the right way.  I give a lot of advice and tips about organizing on my blog and podcast, these are only suggestions.  What I love about organizing, is there are so many options, so many ways where it can work.

In my experience working with your natural preferences is the first step towards defining what organization means for you.

For example:  If you find that no matter what you always drop your mail in the same place all the time, don’t fight it.  Build a mail system around where you drop your mail, trying to move that natural habit may actually do more harm than good.  A lot of people will recommend you open your mail daily, I do not, I never have.  So I built my mail system on opening my mail once a week.  This works for me, it may not for others.

If your natural habit is to pile paper, then pile paper…. just build a system around the piles, so they have meaning.

TCO’s definition of organization is finding what you need, when you need it.  It has nothing to do with the bin or basket it may be in.

When organizing, analyze your behavior first and set up your systems around this.  This approach will increase your productivity and most importantly the maintenance of your systems! 

Happy Organizing!

Before and After!

There are some great shows on TV about Organizing…  You see these wonderful transformations of the Before & After.  The stories are emotional and it’s great to see these folks make such a change in their lives.  Many times I will take pictures for my clients so they can see their own transformations.  There is definitely value in this exercise.

What I would love to see with these shows is less about the process on getting there and more on how to stay organized.

Organization is more than just about the after picture.  It’s a lifestyle built around habits, routines and daily decisions.  It’s how you manage things in your home but also how you manage your time and your life.

It takes time to put into place the organizing systems and it takes commitment to maintain them. By paying attention and thinking of your organization as a constant work in progress will only enable you to continue your success.

Getting organized takes longer than the 30 minutes as see on TV and the staying organized takes a lifetime!

Happy Organizing!

The word “Gratitude” came up again for me the same week but in a different conversation.  In this conversation, we were talking about how your brain can not think both positive and negative thoughts at the same time.  It can only focus on one or the other. This wise friend of mine told me, when you notice yourself walking down a negative path, use this as a red flag, and instead think of something you are grateful for. This will immediately shift your brain into the present and into a positive place.

I felt this was such a powerful message to me, I wanted to share it here….

What are you grateful for? 

Happy Organizing!

Do you have a stack of magazines in the corner somewhere, just waiting for you to read?  

Did your friend give you a bag full of books, which have been in sitting in the hall closet for sometime now?

Finding the time to read is not an easy task!  Unfortunately, a lot of the reading material like newspapers, magazines, books, etc. get so piled up it becomes a lot in a hurry!

To get the pile up under control you will want to do a quick purge and evaluate what is worth keeping.

Ask the following questions to get you started: 

• What is your true interest level?
• Is the information now outdated?
• Could you get it somewhere else if you really needed too?
• If you are keeping a magazine for just one article, tear the article out and create its own file, like home decorating ideas, but if you don’t have too, don’t feel the need to keep the entire magazine.
• How much time do you really have to devote to reading?
• How much space do you have to store the reading material?

It’s hard to give up information and there is no right or wrong decision in what you keep. In fact you benefit by keeping the material if it’s of what great value to you, if you let something go, you also benefit from clearing up space in your home.  You just have to decide what is more important.

Once you have decided what is staying, schedule time during your week to get your reading done!  Instead of watching a TV show you really could care less about, grab a magazine and start making the time!

Happy Organizing!

Learning a new skill is challenging! 

Organizing is a skill. For some of us it will come naturally without a lot of thought, for others, it takes practice!  But as with any new skill, the more you practice the better you will be!

We can’t expect to only organize once.  What may seem to work right now, may not work later.  It’s just like cleaning your house, this is not something you only do once you move in, it has be done on a regular basis, so does organizing!

I have talked with many clients in the past who feel frustrated.  They wished they were better at organizing, better at staying organized.

If you look at your new skill as something you are practicing… it can actually take some of the pressure off of trying to get it right the first time!

Next time you decide to take on an organizing project, think about how you will practice to keep it that way! This way if for some reason the space slowly goes back to being something you don’t want it to be…. Don’t be disappointed, just know it’s a work in progress!

Happy Organizing!

Transitioning into Fall! 

It’s been a busy week for many of us!  The transition from a Holiday weekend to the craziness of back to school!  I look forward to the weekend to catch up!

For many of us, transitions and change are not always easy.  My number one tip during this transition is to plan as much as you can the night before!  Whether that is getting clothes ready, lunches pre-made, or packing the backpack….The more you can do the night before … the easier your morning will be!  

For the Friday Review, here are the articles that caught my interest this week!  Enjoy! 

Zen Family Habits – How To Make A Confident Return to the Workforce - If you are returning to the workforce, this will no doubt cause some change and possible chaos to the household.  This is a great time to hire a Professional Organizer to help you establish solid organizing systems to help run your household smoothly and less stress… notice I am not saying the stress goes away, but it can certainly help!

Digitwirl – Recipe Storage and Grocery Shopping Made Easy - This looks like a very helpful app for easy meal planning!

She Knows (Home & Garden) – Stylish Back To School Essentials - Some great ideas on your making your study area organized and stylish!

Have a Great Weekend!

Happy Organizing! 

Planning = Less Stress

Fall in my house means crazy schedules! Between last minute camping trips, work, football practice, ballet and the start of school, there is a lot going on right now!  I have always been an advocate of meal planning but with this years crazy fall schedule, I feel it’s essential!

I say this with experience!  Last week I did not meal plan and I can honestly say we spent more money going out to eat or take out than we have for the last month!  It was just easier!  But easy doesn’t make it healthy for you or your budget!

TCO has 3 meal planning worksheets available on our Resources Page!  One is a Master List of all the meals your family enjoys. This form is particularly helpful when trying to remember or think of something to make!  The second form is Weekly Meal Planner, a place for you to put what you are having on what day, and the third form is a standard Grocery List.

Once you downloaded the sheets, save them and use them over and over again!  I love having the typed weekly menu posted up on our family bulletin board, everyone can see what we are having and on what nights!

My “normal” routine is to do this meal planning on Sunday and then I visit the grocery store that afternoon with my list.

Bonus Tip:  At the beginning of the summer, we started something new in our home.  When I was planning the meals for the week, I let everyone in the family pick one meal they wanted.  There are 4 people in the family, which left 3 days open, one day is usually a Pizza day and the other two days are left overs or I put together something simple with ingredients we already have.

Our kids love the opportunity to choose.  I love not being responsible for every meal… everyday!

The biggest benefit I see with weekly meal planning, is not only the money you save at the grocery store, but the decrease of stress…wondering what is for dinner!  I dislike the nagging feeling at around 4pm, wondering what to make for dinner and needing to take a trip to the grocery store to get the ingredients…

When you plan, the stress is taken away, the decision has already been made, and the ingredients have been bought!

Recently, I asked on my Facebook page what ideas people had for quick and easy recipes… Especially with football practice right in the middle of the dinner hour, this can be challenging. I received some great ideas!  The Crock Pot seemed to be one that came up often.  As well as cooking extra meat or chicken and then freezing it for later.  I like the idea of making a large amount of food like chili and freezing the leftovers for another night.

If you have any other ideas to share, please do!  I am sure we all could use a little extra help!

Happy Organizing! 

Increase Your Focus!

Knowing you have hours of homework to do is not a good feeling for anyone!  You may want to procrastinate and find something better to do.  It doesn’t matter if it’s more important or not, you want to avoid what is ahead of you.

When you finally sit down to do the homework, you feel overwhelmed and anxiety and stress takes over.  It’s hard to focus and all you can think about is everything you have to do and you find yourself easily distracted by email, the phone, and the other conversations going in the house. It really doesn’t matter what it is, it could just be the fly in the room… It captures your attention but the homework still sits in front of you!

How can we increase our focus while doing important tasks like homework or working on a project for work?  

This is a very important question if you have ADD/ADHD, because the distractions can actually be so overwhelming, you don’t get the project done and it starts to effect not only you but others around you too!

Here is a strategy I recommend with my clients:  15/5  

15/5 means you work for 15 minutes and then you give yourself a break for 5!  It’s a simple strategy breaking your homework or project down into 15 minute intervals.  15 minutes is not a long time but it’s long enough to get started and once you start adding up your 15 minutes they do turn into an hour and progress will be made.  The 5 minutes in between allows you to look at your distractions, check your email, let your brain wander, until it’s time to get back into it.

Tips to make this work:  

1) While you are in your 15 minutes of work time, cut your distractions- turn the email alert off, close your door, work in a quiet area, be in an environment where you focus best.  Set yourself up for success!

2)  Use a timer – Especially for the 5 minute breaks, 5 minutes can easily turn into 30 minutes if you are not careful.  If after the 15 minutes of work you are still motivated and doing well, my recommendation is to keep going until you start to wander, then it’s time to take that 5 minute break, or maybe a little longer depending on how long you have been working and what your particular circumstance is.

As in any strategy, you have to make it work for you….

Please note: This strategy can work on all ages of children, from elementary to college! 

Happy Organizing! 

Happy Friday! 

We are getting close to the end of August….

Ready or not, it is Back to School!!

This Friday Review is dedicated to making the back to school transition a smooth one!  The first recommendation is from TCO ourselves… If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the latest podcast, it’s all about transitioning back to school!  I give my top 3 tips in making the transition as smooth as possible!  We know you don’t have a lot of time, we produce our podcasts to be short, sweet, and to the point!

Here are other articles around the web giving us great tips and tricks to start this school year with an A+! 

Confident Mom – Successful Homework Strategies

Simply Stated – A Clever Way to Display Kids Artwork 

About.com – Back to School Tips for Children with ADHD

E-mealz - A Meal Planning Resource for Busy Families

FamilyFun.com – Back to School Lunches & Snacks

Have a great weekend!

Happy Organizing!

I had the privilege of watching her speak at the last NAPO Conference and let me say she is very inspiring!  With back to school right around the corner, I wanted to recommend her book, Organizing From The Inside Out For Teens!

It covers everything from organizing your room, study areas, backpack organization, you name it and she covers it!  One aspect of the book that I really enjoyed is her concept of “The essential 7″.  This concept can help anyone whether you are a teen or not, it doesn’t matter, the point of knowing your essential 7 is a crucial part of the organizing process.

So what are the essential 7?

Organizing is not about getting rid of your belongings… it’s about finding out what is most important to you. Your essential 7 are those items that are most valuable!  These are the objects you use on a daily basis, the items you love and never want to lose track of!  Identifying these essential 7 items will allow to start your organizing process, now that you know what’s most important, you will find it easier to sort out the items that are not so important.

Knowing your essential 7 will also help in the placement process of where to put your belongings… Nothing is more frustrating if you can’t find your ipod or the homework assignment that is due the next day!   By assigning a home for these essential items-eliminates the stress!

How can identifying your essential 7 help you in your organizing process?

Are you constantly looking for the same items over and over again?  What do you use on a daily basis?  These are the questions to start asking yourself on how to identify your essential 7!

Now is the time to do something about it!

Happy Organizing! 

About a week ago I had asked for some help on easy meals for camping!  I got a response and I am happy to report the camping trip was a success!

I am not what you call an experienced camper by any means…In fact last summer we only camped one time and this was the first time this summer!  As a family we have decided we want to do more camping in the next few years as my kids love it and they’re at a great age to enjoy it.. I am not a fan of tent camping, which is what we did last year, so to compromise we bought a used tent trailer.  I am sure all of you experienced campers have a lot of great tips to share, please add on to the list.  Today I want to share with you what I learned….the hard way!

A few tips and observations for those beginner campers:

Start packing ahead of time – When my mother retired, my parents bought a motor home, so in the last year they have done a lot of camping and the first thing she said to me was to start packing ahead of time, don’t wait until the day of.  Even in my late 30′s, I should have listened more closely to my mom!  :) I tried to do what I could before the day we left, but going forward I am going to do a lot more… It took so much longer than I ever expected!  By the time we were on the road, I was tired!  Not a great way to start your camping adventure!

Practice backing in if you have a trailer – Enough said, just practice!

Bring a Coffee Maker or Coffee Pot - We thought because we were close to a beach town, we would just run into town in the morning and get a cup of coffee, well apparently everyone else had the same idea, 15 people in line at the local starbucks is not the way to go!  And who really wants to go anywhere first thing in the morning anyway, so next time the coffee maker is going with us!

Bring Salt & Pepper – Ok, I quickly realized when planning your menu, to think about all of the spices too!  Our food was a little bland, it was still good, but next time I will have the salt & pepper!

Pancakes - I did not make the pancakes any different on our camping trip then I do at home but boy were they great!  I still do not know why they were diffferent, but I can tell you for sure, pancakes will always be on our menu!

Make a list as you go along – A friend told me before we left to have a place to list the things you forgot or would like to have next time, she assured me if I did not write it down as I was thinking about it I would forget!  So true!  I used my iphone whenever I thought of something… very handy!

Menu – The meals I had planned were very simple and I am so glad… There is not a lot of room to cook in a tent trailer and who really wants to do a lot of cooking anyway… The more simple the meals, the better!

A twist on the Smore- Have you ever tried a Peanut Butter Cup on a Smore instead of Chocolate?  If not and you like peanut butter, I highly recommend it!  Yummy!

For your first time camping – go with friends who know what they are doing –  We are so thankful for our dear friends who helped us on our first journey!  They helped us back in, connect everything, and helped make the experience a positive one!

Remember each time it will get easier – Our friends kept reminding us it does get easier, we will soon figure out our own system and it won’t be so tiring or take so long…. I believe them!

One last thing, I did find a camping checklist online to start the packing process. Now that I have done it once, I will tweak the list to fit our needs and save it on the computer to use next time!

Again, please remember to practice backing in… Just sayin!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Organizing!