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Stressless Holidays

Yikes! Thanksgiving is just a few days away! Where did the time go?

I assume anyone reading this is as short on time as I am, so I will cut to the chase. Here are a few quick things you can do to reduce your holiday stress:

1. Limit time obligations: I know it may sound like bad social behavior, but we truly don’t have to go to everything we are invited to. There are certainly some non-negotiables like our kids concerts, immediate-family gatherings, and the personal invitation from our boss, but there are a number of invites that our lack of attendance will probably not even be noticed. Do we really need to attend our condo association holiday gathering? How about the open house at the gym? Or the mass invite from your bank or Chamber of Commerce? These type of invites can be handled with a swift “thank you for inviting me, but I will be unable to attend this year.” End of conversation. Benefit: More time to spend on the things we really enjoy.

2. Reduce gift-giving: Our family did this years ago and it has been a life-saver ever since. Here’s how my shopping would have gone just for my side of the family if we hadn’t made this significant change: Parents: 1; Husband, son, and daughter-in-law: 3; Siblings and their spouses: 8; Nieces/Nephews and significant others: 23. Total: 35 Years ago, we decided as a family to draw names by generation and by couple. For example: I only purchase for one of my siblings and their significant other and my nieces/nephews draw names and they purchase for only one person/couple. My mom gets a gift from all of us . . . as it should be. Of course, I still purchase for my husband, son and daughter-in-law. Total: 5 This change has reduced our family gift-giving by 85%. Not only has no one complained, everyone has embraced the modification and appreciates the new-found gains. Benefit: More time, Less Stress, Financial Relief.

3. Make a gift-giving list and budget: This is one of the hardest things to do, but will pay off many times over in reduced stress and guilt. Budget an hour so for this process.

Write down the amount of money you would feel comfortable spending for all your gift-giving. For some it’s $100, for others, it could be thousands. Acknowledging that there is a financial cap will start the process.
Make a list of everyone you feel you need to purchase gifts for (refer to the above “Reduce gift-giving” and reduce the list if possible). If a gift suggestion pops into your head as you are making this list, write that down too.
Once your list is complete, allocate funds based on your relationship with them. In some relationships, the spouse may get a larger percentage than your siblings; in other relationships, the spouse gets a thoughtful token gift and the bulk of the resources go to other people. Make this a very personal and thoughtful process.
Once you are comfortable with the list, put together a shopping plan. This could be one large trip to the mall, or several small stops after work. Whatever works for you is what’s important.
Always get a gift receipt! Chances are, every gift is not going to be perfect for every person on your list. Providing a gift receipt will both tell them it’s okay to exchange it, but will give them the means to do so without having to involve you in the “where did you get this?” conversation.

There are many, many additional ways to reduce your stress over the holidays including getting enough rest, eating right, and making sure to exercise. Take care of yourself, and you can take care of others.

Although is may sound quaint, remember the spirit of the holidays as a time to enjoy our friends and family.

Happy Holidays!

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Image courtesy of: FreeDigitalImages.com; Apolonia

The Real Costs of Procrastination: Installment #2

Procrastination is a tricky thing. Frankly, I procrastinated writing this post for 6 days. When I was working on The Real Costs of Procrastination: Installment #1 I thought “I’ll just dive right into Installment #2.” Did I? No. Why? Because I had a whole week to do it. Now, here I am at the 11th hour trying to get in done in time for the deadline.

What was the cost to me of that decision? Significant stress.

Last week I published The Real Costs of Procrastination: Installment #1 that dealt with the tangible and intangible costs of procrastinating on Relationships, Health, Household Chores, Home/Car Repairs, and Organization (my personal favorite). Installment #2 will tackle Wills, Financial Planning, Taxes, Business Costs, and Insurance.

Wills: Not that any of us want to think about it, but at some point, our earthly possessions will need to be passed on to someone else. It’s true, as cool as our stuff is, we can’t take it with us. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had some say in where our cool stuff went? Well, that’s what wills are for. A 2008 study found that 58% of Americans did not have a will. That number doesn’t surprise me at all. It should, but it doesn’t. None of us want to think about death and dying, but it is irresponsible to our loved ones not to take care of this important process. When someone passes without a will, the state gets to decide what happens to your stuff. In most situations it could be pretty straight forward: the inheritance goes to the spouse, the kids, etc. But what about our businesses? What about our stepchildren or non-marital significant other? What if we didn’t want everything divided equally? What if we wanted all our money and possessions to go to a favorite charity? Without a valid will, none of these situations would probably be resolved to our desired expectation. Cost of procrastination: Money, Relationships.

(Phew, glad to have that one out of the way.)

Financial Planning: Detailed and thorough financial planning is critical to our long-term well being. When we are in our twenties and thirties, we can’t see past a new pair of jeans to even think about planning for our retirement. Those days just seem too far away. It is never too early to start planning for our retirement; but lots of times it can be too late. What’s the benefit of starting early? Using the compound interest calculator, I wanted to see how much a relatively small investment could grow over time. I started with $1,000 and estimated that I’d put in an additional $50 per month (about 10 lattes with a generous tip), and calculated the growth over 10 years at a 5% interest rate. What would I have at the end of that time period? $9,175.63. Change it to 20 years and the number becomes a staggering $22,492.87. Amazing what a little planning and discipline could do for our long-term financial well being. Cost of procrastination: Limited Retirement Savings, Reduced Retirement Enjoyment.

Taxes: According to a CBS News post, the cost of waiting until the last minute to file income taxes costs on average an additional $400. It’s not that we can just choose to not pay our taxes by April 15. (Well, some folks may, but I’m guessing the cost of that decision is much greater than $400.) We are just delaying the inevitable. If we thought we were getting money back on our taxes, we’d be Johnny-On-The-Spot when it came to filing our taxes, right? Not necessarily. Procrastinators are procrastinators, and whether we think we are getting money back or having to give Uncle Sam money, we generally wait until the last minute to do it anyway. In addition the the extra $400, the stress of not knowing takes a tremendous toll. Cost of procrastination: Money, stress.

Business Costs: A 2012 CNBC post identified the cost of procrastination in business as being a staggering $10,396 . . . . per employee . . . per year. Wow! The article referred to procrastination as “the most invisible cost in business today.” I don’t doubt it. When I worked in Corporate America, I surely procrastinated a bit on projects that I knew needed to get done, but I just didn’t feel motivated to do. Mostly the procrastinated projects had open-ended completion dates, but they were necessary, and the benefit to the company had I completed them in a timely manner would have been significant. Why did I procrastinate? Generally, I felt I didn’t know enough about the project to get started; didn’t feel I had the appropriate resources to get the project completed; or just found other stuff that was more fun to do. Cost of procrastination: Money, Credibility, Possible Promotion

Insurance: I just updated my business insurance a few months ago. Before I renewed in 2013 I committed to shopping my insurance needs around a bit. Well, I procrastinated that project and didn’t do it, letting my carrier renew me for the next 12 months without a second thought. This year I received five proposals covering my current business insurance needs. The result? A 40% reduction in cost for the same coverage. It sickens me to think of what I might have been able to do with that money had I gone through the process in 2013. I should have taken the time to ensure that my coverage was complete and the best value available. The same goes for renewing any kind of insurance: auto, home, personal liability, health, etc. I worked with a client several years ago that hadn’t done a detailed review of their business auto insurance in several years. After my analysis of their coverage, it was determined that two of their vehicles hadn’t been included in the policy. Can you image the cost had there been an accident with one of those vehicles? Frightening. Cost of procrastination: Money, Peace of Mind, Liability

Well, that concludes my top 10 list of areas where we shouldn’t procrastinate and the costs if we do. I hope some of them resonate with you, as they did with me as I was preparing to write about them. We all have so much to do that sometimes things just have to be put aside for a while. And that’s okay. As long as “a while” doesn’t turn into “forever” and we cost ourselves and our loved ones undue financial hardship and stress.

“Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the “last minute” before the deadline. (Wikipedia)”

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

The Real Costs of Procrastination: Installment #1

Most of us do it every day. Procrastinate. We tell ourselves “I’ll get to that later” and most of the time we do. But what happens if we don’t? What if we procrastinate too long? What are the costs? We try to convince ourselves that there’s little-to-no cost of procrastination, but there are many costs, some very tangible, others more subtle.

Here’s the first 5 of my top 10 list of areas we shouldn’t procrastinate on and the cost if we do. Look for installment #2 next week.

Relationship support: How many times have we heard (in real life and movies) people bemoaning the fact that they didn’t tell their loved ones how much they meant to them and now it’s too late. Certainly, this is the worst-case scenario of procrastination. But what about the every day costs to our relationships that procrastinating causes: the partner that agreed to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home and procrastinates until the cleaner is closed; the parent who agreed to bake for the school event and procrastinates until it’s too late and disappoints their child by providing store-bought treats instead of the home-made they’d promised their classmates; the friend that promises to make a dinner reservation for a special event and procrastinates until the restaurant can’t accommodate the request. Yes, these are all small things, but significant in relationship-building. Cost of procrastination: Trust

Health: As a breast cancer survivor, I am keenly aware of the cost of putting off health-related appointments. I’m lucky I didn’t procrastinate too long, but without repeated, significant nagging from my doctor, I very well could have. Regular health screenings and preventative maintenance like flu and pneumonia shots are critical to our well-being so they shouldn’t be put off until we think there will be a more convenient time. I’ve heard that some people attempt to schedule all their medical check-ups on their birthday. What better gift could we give ourselves than the gift of good health? Cost of procrastination: Poor health.

Household Chores: I don’t know anyone that likes to clean the gutters. Cleaning gutters involves a ladder, dragging it around the house, possibly getting on the roof (I recommend hiring an expert if your gutters need to be cleaned from the roof), and smelly, wet leaves. And, as gutter-cleaning procrastinators, we generally end up doing it in the dark and in the rain because that’s when we notice that the rainwater is overflowing the drain pipes. Wouldn’t it have been much easier to have cleaned the gutters on a nice, sunny Saturday before the rain starts? From personal experience, I can tell you it is. It’s not just gutters we need to worry about. Not cleaning furnace filters will result in reduced productivity and higher energy bills. Not cleaning the dryer vents may results in a lint fire. Not checking the water softener will results in spotty glasses. The list goes on and on. Cost of procrastination: Stress, money and safety

Home/Car Repairs: Things break. It’s a fact of life. Whether it’s the toaster, the sink, or the car, stuff just happens and we have to deal with it. The cost of not fixing or replacing a faulty toaster could be everything from just not having toast in the morning to getting shocked while trying to retrieve the toast with a kitchen fork (strongly NOT recommended!). The costs of not fixing a leaky sink could be just a minor annoyance to extensive damage caused by the leak damaging cabinetry or walls. The cost of not repairing squeaky brakes could be devastating to the health and safety of ourselves and our loved ones should the brakes fail. Cost of procrastination: Money, major home/car repairs, and safety.

Organization (my personal favorite): According to a study conducted by a Boston marketing firm, the average American burns 55 minutes per day – roughly 12 weeks a year – looking for things they know they own but can’t find. (Newsweek, 6/7/04). As a professional organizer, my job is to help people get their home and business lives organized and under control. Disorganization manifests itself in many ways: wasted time because we can’t find things; finance charges because we didn’t pay our bills on time; late fees for not returning a library book or DVD; money wasted replacing things we already own because we couldn’t find them when we needed them; and trust because we didn’t finish a project on time due to dysfunctional time management. Being organized means we can find things when we need them; we can do the things we need to do when they need to be done; and we can get the places we need to get on time. Cost of procrastination: Time, money, and trust

The costs of procrastination can be everything from minor annoyances to the devastating loss of trust. Fortunately, procrastination can be managed. It requires scheduling, initiative, and a drive to do better, but it can be done.

The best way to stop procrastinating? Just get started. Getting started will provide the momentum to finish. Unfinished tasks are uncomfortable for us. Once we get started, we have the drive to finish.

Look for The Real Costs of Procrastination: Installment #2 next week.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Looking for more profit? Be more effective with customer billing.

A significant driver of business profitability is the successful management of cash flow. An integral part of cash flow is a functional Invoicing and Accounts Receivable structure. Without an efficient and effective way to invoice clients and receive payments from them, a businesses’ cash flow system can fall by the wayside.

Not surprisingly, one of the biggest complaints I hear when analyzing workflow and efficiencies is that businesses find it difficult collect from their customers. Certainly, there are some customers that (through no fault of our own) make it really, really hard to collect for services or products we’ve provided. However, what I’ve found is that, more times than not, there are some minor changes that we can put in place that will help us be more successful at managing that critical Accounts Receivable function.

Based on multiple client experiences, here are some things you may want to check within your business workflow that will make collecting revenue more efficient and effective:

1. When you receive a request for a product or service, are you collecting all necessary information you need to invoice that client effectively? For example, I had a client in the building industry that struggled with collecting from their clients. What we found was a disconnect in their customer intake form. When they took a call for services, they collected the work site information, but didn’t collect the “bill to” information. Consequently, when they sent invoices to the only address they had on file (the work site address), the mail came back as undeliverable. This same situation comes up with “bill to” and “ship to” address disconnects.

2. Do you have a regular cycle for creating invoices? Whether it’s once a week, once a month, or whenever a project is completed, it’s important to have an invoicing schedule and stick to it. The last thing most of my clients want to do is sit at a computer and create invoices, but it is a necessary and critical part of our business. Creating invoices “when I get around to it,” “when I’m not so busy,” or “when I need money” does not provide consistent cash flow.

3. Do you have a process for creating and sending invoices? Whether you use hand-written invoices or a Quickbooks-type program, make sure you have a form or process that captures all the information you need to create the invoice so when you do sit down, you will have everything you need to get the job done. Some items to include on an invoicing form may be: date ordered, date delivered, quantity, stock number, description, cost, discounts, etc.

4. Are your invoices clear and concise? There is a vendor that I pay once a month and nearly every month I have to call about my invoice because something doesn’t look right. It’s generally little things like the date they say I received the service was a date I was out of town; the description of the product is vague and/or inaccurate; they charged a different account within our family plan than they should have; etc. As a general rule I have received the goods or services they charged for, they just did it inaccurately. After a week of unraveling the errors and receiving a new bill, not only am I frustrated, I’m a bit distrustful. Make sure when you are creating invoices, they are accurate. This will save you and your customers a ton of time.

5. Have you clearly communicated a reasonable “Due By” date? No matter what your terms are, spell them out clearly and be fair. Do not have “Net 7 Days From Invoice” on an invoice you put in the mail. There’s no way a customer can pay within that timeframe. If your terms are “Net 30,” clearly show that. If they are “Due Upon Receipt,” that’s fair too, just make sure you give sufficient time for the customer to receive the invoice and get a check in the mail before harassing them for payment. Whatever you do, don’t leave the “Due By” date blank. This automatically creates a disconnect on payment expectations.

6. Have you given the customer appropriate “how to pay” information? For example, have you clearly highlighted your mailing address for them to send a check to? I’ll share a personal experience. When I first started using Quickbooks, my new invoice form didn’t have my zip code. Imagine my embarrassment when a client had to call me for that information so they could mail payment. We shouldn’t make it hard for our customers to pay us.

7. Do you accept electronic payments? Sometimes you can set links within your electronic invoices that will allow customers to deposit funds directly into your bank account. Some clients use a PayPal account for similar purposes. Square is a great option for collecting payment on-site when work has been completed. If receiving electronic payments is an opportunity for you, do research the various options, including processing fees, etc.

8. Do you have a manageable and accurate Accounts Receivable aging report that quickly tells you which clients are current or overdue by 30-60-90 days? Even though we expect our customers to pay their bills on time, situations arise when they don’t. There could be any number of reasons: they didn’t receive the first invoice, they thought the price was unfair and have been meaning to call, they have fallen on unexpected hard times, etc. Whatever the reason, the earlier you determine what the situation is and take the necessary steps to resolve the issue, the better the relationship will be between you and your clients.

According to Sutherland Global, as of May 2013 the average past due rate in the United States was 18.29%.

And even worse:

26% of invoices 3 months old are uncollectable
70% of invoices 6 months old are uncollectable
90% of invoices 12 months old are uncollectable

Finally, remember that you are a goods and service provider, not a lender. Keeping track of your Accounts Receivable will provide better cash flow and contribute to your overall business success.

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you send bad e-mails?

Did you ever send off what you believed to be the most fabulous, informative, and engaging e-mail, yet no one responded to it? Here’s a thought:

Maybe the e-mail wasn’t as effective as you thought it was.

Here are some tips to make e-mails more engaging:

Do you need to send it? This is the biggest decision you will make about an e-mail. Do you really need to send it or would a quick phone call or text suffice? If you need to provide or receive the information for documentation purposes, or it it’s too long or complex for other communication devices, send the e-mail. If you are trying to schedule lunch with a friend, don’t bog down their e-mail, pick up the phone.

Subject Line: The e-mail intent should be very clear in the subject line. Which subject line do you think will elicit a more timely response?

1. Subject: Agenda
2. Subject: Respond by 07/02: July Board Agenda Items

Hopefully you selected the second one which provides adequate information, without even opening the e-mail, to determine what needs to be done and in what time frame.

Conversely, if the e-mail is only intended to be informational, say so. Something like “Info Only,” “Joke,” or “Family Photo” in the subject line will let the receiver know it is something they can look at when they have some down time.

Keep it short and simple: The e-mail should only contain whatever necessary to assist the recipient in processing the information. As much as you may want to set the tone with pleasantries, don’t succumb to the “Hey there! Hope all is well with you. How was your weekend?“ verbiage unless the e-mail is truly intended to be conversational in tone and you actually want to engage in personal banter.

Do, however, provide sufficient background within the e-mail to assist the recipient in processing it effectively. If would like them to review a product or website, provide a hyperlink. If would like them to review a document, make certain you’ve attached it. Providing whatever information necessary to assist in the process will ensure a more timely response.

Make your close mean something: This is a good time to succinctly reiterate the intent of the e-mail and proactively thank the recipient for their anticipated action. “Thank you for submitting your agenda items by Wednesday, July 2nd, at 5:00 PM.”

Review before sending: Always, always review an e-mail before sending it. You can’t take back typos and bad grammar. Check the tone of the e-mail (did you come off as too demanding?). Ensure you provided everything the recipient needs to process the e-mail effectively.

We are continually bombarded with electronic messaging through our e-mail in-box. Make certain your e-mails stand out from the others by being relevant, succinct, and polite. Your recipients will thank you for it.

Cindy Jobs

http://www.organizetosimplify.com

NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) Seattle Area Chapter President

Premium Subscriber, ICD (Institute for the Challenging Disorganization)

How to you honor Earth Day?

People are passionate about the good stewardship of the environment and every spring we celebrate the outdoors with special focus on how to take better care of nature and the world around us. Earth Day is celebrated with fun runs, outdoor art projects, book and clothing swaps, recycle events, environmental clean-up work parties, educational events focused on green living and environmental sustainability, and much, much more.

Earth Day is April 22, but at Organize to Simplify we celebrate the spirit of Earth Day every day!

As a Professional Organizer and proud member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), my goal is to use my experience and training to develop physical and thought processes to re-purpose a client’s home or office to better suit their needs. The true purpose of a Professional Organizer is manifested when a client takes what we learn in our one-on-one organizing sessions and transfers those skills to other areas of their lives. Besides teaching the organization process, we teach clients about recycling, reusing, and overall reducing the impact of de-cluttering on our environment.

One of the most frequent questions during a consultation or organizing session is “what do I do with all this stuff I don’t need any more but is still usable?” The answer is pretty simple . . . “sell, give, recycle, or donate.”

SELL: If you believe someone will pay you for it, give selling it a shot. If it hasn’t been sold in 30 days, move it to a “GIVE” or “DONATE” pile. Note: Caution should be used when selling items to ensure that personal and financial precautions are taken.

GIVE: If you know someone that can use the item, label it with that person’s name and a date (usually 30 days from an organizing session). If in those 30 days, the item hasn’t made it to the new owner, it goes into a “SELL,” “RECYCLE,” or “DONATE” box.

RECYCLE: Anything that is no longer usable that can be recycled should be recycled. Many times I’ve carted away old papers, cardboard boxes, old jars, plastic containers, paper and plastic grocery bags, etc. to be recycled instead of being designated “garbage” and sent to the landfill.

DONATE: This is my favorite and I use it with every organizing session. Many of my clients never thought about the social impact of recycling their clothes and household items to an appropriate charity, be it a school, church, thrift store, or many other 501c3 organizations.

As my Mission Statement explains, at Organize To Simplify I “will provide a thoughtful and thorough analysis of a client’s needs, endeavoring to realize their goals of a more organized and peaceful environment. Together we can help others and the environment by reducing, re-purposing, and recycling items you no longer need to lessen the long-term impact on our environment.”

Let’s all do whatever we can to reduce, reuse, recycle, replenish, and restore . . . not just on Earth Day, but every day.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Proud member of:

National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Seattle Area Chapter President

Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

Why Have Job Descriptions?

There isn’t clear consensus on whether or not job descriptions do more harm than good in the business environment, but I firmly believe that giving employees clear direction about what you expect of them is always a good thing. An accurate job description is one of the many to do just that.

Not only are clear and concise job descriptions helpful in the hiring process (how many job descriptions these days have “engineer” as part of the title?), but if managed properly, they are a great communication tool for helping employees understand their current role within the company, have a clear picture of what they will be held accountable for, and gives them a road map for future promotion.

Good job descriptions contain the following information:

Job title/working relationship: What is this job referred to within the organization and where is it within the organization (what position(s) report to it and what position does it report to)?

Working environment and requirements: What are the environmental and physical requirements for this position? Is the work done inside vs. outside; weekdays vs. weekends; day shift vs. night shift; what are the physical requirements (lifting, sitting, walking), full-time vs. part-time, etc.

Qualifications: What are the educational, technical, vocational, or years of experience requirements for this position? Does it require a college degree or several years of hands-on experience? It’s important to be realistic with qualifications. If it truly doesn’t require a college degree, don’t say that it does. If for legal or insurance reasons it requires a certified number of hours performing the task, say so. Many excellent employment opportunities have been lost when required qualifications have been understated or overstated.

Specific tasks: What exactly is the employee expected to do and within what timeframe? This is the most important and tricky part of a job description. Be realistic, and be fair. Be specific, but not too limiting. Failure to be open and clear about job expectations can result in the wrong person getting hired for the job, resulting in high turn-over which can be incredibly expensive.
Although nearly every job description I’ve seen includes the verbiage “Other duties as assigned,” be mindful of how broad that statement is really meant to be. Although most employees come to work wanting to succeed and most employers don’t intend to take advantage of their employees, roles become blurred and frustration mounts when there isn’t clear consensus between an employee and the employer about what tasks are included in the job.

Why have job descriptions?
• Ensuring the right candidates apply to and are hired for specific positions.
• Eliminate redundancy or oversight of tasks within an organization.
• Give employees a clear idea of expectations and working environments.
• Job descriptions, if clearly written, can help with potential legal challenges.

What to avoid with job descriptions:
• Don’t be too rigid; allow some flexibility, where possible, for employees to think and work outside the box, potentially improving productivity and profitability. Think results vs. tasks.
• Make sure job descriptions do not become outdated. Review them at least every two years to ensure they still make sense in this ever-changing business world in which we live.

Who should write the job descriptions?
The best job descriptions are those that are written in concert with the employee performing the function, their immediate supervisor, and a representative from the Human Resources department (if one exists in your organization). This three-prong approach ensures the job function, up-line responsibility, and legal aspects are all covered. It is also helpful to have peer groups review the job descriptions to get an “outsider’s” view for obvious oversights.

When an employer can communicate their needs clearly through excellent job descriptions, finding the right fit for the organization becomes a much easier and productive process.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Proud member of:

National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Seattle Area Chapter President

Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

Organize in 15 Minutes or Less

Top Ten 15 Minute Organizing Options

Organizing doesn’t have to be incredibly time consuming. Little organizing successes can bring great rewards and not take much time at all! Here are my top 10 super-fast organizing tasks, each of which can be done in 15 minutes or less.

1. Create a calendar:

Find a calendar that fits your needs: wall calendar, day planner, customized spreadsheet, phone app, etc. Whatever works for YOU! It doesn’t matter what your friend/mother/sister/boyfriend uses. Find the one that fits your lifestyle.
Fill in obligations for the month.
Create an area to document tasks to get done during the month.
Categorize tasks by A/B/C priority.
Check/update calendar on a daily basis.

2. Clean out a drawer (pick a drawer, any drawer):

Take everything out.
Sort items by purpose (do they even belong there?).
Throw away anything that isn’t functional; donate items that are functional that you don’t use.
Thoroughly clean the drawer.
Containerize like items together much as possible.

3. Clean one shelf in the refrigerator/pantry/medicine cabinet:

Take everything out.
Check expiration dates; throw out anything past expiration date. Going forward, write the date on products as you open them.
Categorize items by function: condiments, snacks, salad dressings, etc.
Thoroughly clean the shelf.
Containerize like items together much as possible.

4. Create a mail station:

Mail station should be wherever you are comfortable opening the mail.
Put a recycle bin and shredder as close to the mail station as possible.
Create an area to put items that need further work: bills to pay; invitations to respond to; filing, etc.
Ongoing: Place any important dates on your calendar.
Ongoing: Unsubscribe from unwanted catalogs or direct mail items.

5. Purse:

Take everything out.
Vacuum out the inside; wipe the outside down with appropriate cleaning agent (vinyl can tolerate antiseptic wipes).
Reorganize by function: sunglasses/reading glasses in one section; small cosmetic bag in another; wallet in another. If the purse doesn’t have sections, consider investing in a purse organizer.
Make a list of everything in the purse.
Scan front/back of important cards in case purse is lost/stolen.

6. Car interior:

Remove all the garbage.
Wipe down surfaces with a Swiffer® or soft rag and mild detergent.
Clean windows and vacuum seats.
Create a place for a small garbage can/bag.
Containerize like items: one container for reusable shopping bags; others for emergency kits (see below)

7. Create emergency kits:

Check for dealer supplied items already stored in the vehicle.
Find appropriately sized containers.
Gather the following supplies for the everyday situations kit: paper towels, granola bars, water, blanket, coat, gloves, flashlight/batteries, etc.
Gather the following supplies for emergency situations: first aid kit, flat tire repair kit, flares, jumper cables, etc.
Create a list of items in each kit and check semi-annually.

8. Meal Planning:

Check refrigerator to see what needs to be used within the near future.
Create a meal plan for the week.
Plan at least one day for leftovers.
Post meal plan for the entire family to see.
Create a master shopping list (Linda’s suggestion: Amazon Subscribe and Save).

9. Clean out the linen closet:

Take everything out.
Sort by function: sheets, towels, etc.
Detail sort by sheet/towel size.
Donate any items not.
Designate shelf by function if possible; label if possible.

10. Create a regular household “to do” list:

Make a list of tasks you perform on a regular basis.
Consult with others in the home that perform regular maintenance and include their items on the list also.
Separate them by frequency: weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, etc.
Create a spreadsheet or other document capturing regular tasks.
Review list weekly.

See, organizing doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel, not to mention motivated to do more, after just a few minutes of organizing

Spring De-Cluttering (Before Spring Cleaning)

Spring. The time of year we start thinking about new beginnings. The winter weather is behind us, the flowers are blooming, and the parkas are getting packed away and replaced with shorts and t-shirts. It’s also a great time to start thinking about new beginnings in our homes and offices.

Spring cleaning comes to mind, but before you start your cleaning process, plan on doing some de-cluttering and organizing. No need to clean around things you don’t need to keep.

One of the quickest ways to give our surroundings a breath of fresh air is to reduce clutter and open up our spaces. If you are surrounded by clutter, your will be more stressed, less focused, and less productive. On average, people who are surrounded by clutter and are disorganized lose nearly an hour of productivity every day.

De-cluttering and organizing is a great start on the road to a healthier, happier you.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Don’t try to do everything at once. Like any project, being thorough and taking the time to do it right is the best way to go. Do one room at a time, working from the door to the opposite side of the room.
Enlist a buddy. Getting rid of our “stuff” is easier if an honest and objective friend helps us through the process.
Take some “before” pictures. You’ll want these for later to remind you of your incredible progress.
Set up six areas or boxes for each de-cluttering project: KEEP, THROW, GIVE (if you know someone that truly would like the item you are getting rid of), SELL, DONATE, and REVIEW (if you just can’t make a decision, but want to remove it from the space).
Keep a few things in mind as you start this process:
1. Only keep things you use, make you happy, and serve a purpose.
2. If you’ve made a bad purchase, let it go. Keeping a bad purchase doesn’t make it a better purchase.
3. Your “stuff” does not define who you are. Letting go of things you don’t need that others can use, allows you to share your wealth with others. It’s far better to give something away than to let it remain as clutter in your home or office.
With your boxes and a positive mindset in place, go through the room, touching every item and making a decision about what to do with it: KEEP, THROW, GIVE, SELL, DONATE, and REVIEW.
Remove everything that’s not in the KEEP pile from the room. Plan a time to dispense with all other categories.
Thoroughly clean the area that you just de-cluttered and put the KEEP items back in place.
Take an “after” photo to help remind yourself of how far you’ve come.

To ensure that you don’t get back in a cluttered and disorganized state, these two tips will help with ongoing maintenance:

To keep clutter from creeping back, devote an hour a week to staying on top of your newly opened up space. Whether it’s an hour every Saturday, or 15 minutes four times a week, devoting time to keeping your space in order will pay huge dividends.
Keep a DONATE box or bag close at hand. Once you decide you really don’t need something, immediately put it in the box so it no longer takes up valuable space in your everyday life.

Congratulations on taking steps to a calmer and simplified life!

Cindy Jobs

OrganizeToSimplify.com

Cindy@Organizetosimplify.com

206-707-3458 or 509-674-6643

March is National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month

“Clutter is postponed decisions.” Barbara Hemphill

The month of March is National Clean Up Your IRS Act month. My first thought was “Wow, doesn’t the IRS have enough influence in our lives without having an entire month dedicated to us “cleaning up our act” in support of them?” Actually, according to the event’s sponsor, the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers (www.astps.org), this month is designated to focus on resolving problems with the IRS before we file our current year’s taxes. I’m certain Barbara Hemphill would agree that if we’re thinking about times to NOT postpone decisions, filing our taxes would be at the top of the list.

Why do we procrastinate preparing our taxes?

We don’t know how to start or what to do once we get started, so we just don’t start at all.
We think tax preparation is going to be difficult and complicated, so we push the unpleasant task off in favor of something easier or more rewarding.
We tell ourselves that we perform better under pressure, so we wait until the very last minute.
We can’t find the documents we need to prepare them properly.

In most cases, and especially when it comes to filing taxes, procrastinating doesn’t solve the problem, it just postpones the stress.

So what can we do to better prepare for tax season?

If you are enlisting a tax preparation agent, ask them for their suggested record retention schedule. If you are filing the taxes yourself, search on-line for a record retention schedule that fits your needs. This record retention schedule from SMEAD offers some guidance: http://www.smead.com/hot-topics/records-retention-guidelines-1394.aspSet up a simple, usable filing sytem.
Make a checklist of all the items you, or your accountant, will need to file your taxes: W-2s, 1099s, bank/investment statements, work-related expenses, mortgage expenses, charitable donations, etc. Gather documents and have them convenient when tax preparation time is at hand. Update this list on annually to make filing that much easier.
Identify any major events in the previous year that will need special attention: bought/sold property, job-search expenses, new family additions, etc.
If you don’t already have one, set up a filing system that makes it easy to keep track of these documents throughout the year, thus reducing the panic and scramble some tax time.

Although filing taxes isn’t always fun and rewarding, the consequences of not filing can be expensive and stressful. Don’t postpone your decision on filing your taxes. Figure out what time and tools you need to finish your taxes and get the return done on time, potentially saving money, and certainly saving you some unnecessary stress.