Tag Archives: iphone

Are you ready for a trip to the hospital?

Unfortunately, my husband and I had to make an unexpected trip to the hospital recently.  As to be expected when leaving the house under those circumstances, we were not thinking clearly.   Because we assumed we were coming back home within a few hours, we were woefully unprepared for an overnight stay.  Fortunately for us, we have an amazing support structure that stepped in to help, which further clarified how important home organization is, especially when we were not at home.

The launching pad:  Fortunately, my husband and I always put our wallet/handbag and keys in the same place every day.  I refer to this as our daily launching pad area.  Everything you need to take with you when you leave the house should be in this area.  Knowing where his launching pad was kept me from having to run around the house trying to find his wallet to ensure I had his driver’s license and insurance information.

Clothing:  Once it became apparent we were staying for a while, our friends offered to grab some clothes and bring them to the hospital.  Although we didn’t need to have them bring any clothing, having an organized wardrobe system would have allowed me to tell them exactly where everything was that we needed . . . socks in the upper right drawer, t-shirts in the middle right drawer, jeans hanging on the left side of the closet third hanger in, etc.

Personal items:  Again, because we have a system, I would have been able to let our friends know exactly where to find the travel toothbrush/toothpaste kit; my contact care kit; makeup remover pads; etc.  All things we would have needed if our stay had been extended past 24 hours.

Accessories: One of the most important things we can do in these situations is to stay in contact with our loved ones.  I didn’t have the foresight to bring a phone/iPad charger with me when I left the house, so having them bring chargers was a necessary.  It was nice to be able to say “The chargers are in the kitchen, center plug.  Please bring the 4-plug charger, two small Apple chargers, and the one large Apple charger.”  Because things were actually where they were supposed to be, it was much easier for our friends to help us out.

I hope to not have to do this again, but I feel better knowing the effort we put into organizing our home made it much easier for people to help us.

How would your current state of home organization work in a crisis?

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

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National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
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Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
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Going on vacation? Then BE on vacation.

DTS 06.15.14 iPhoneSeveral of us will be heading out for a long weekend or vacation over the next couple of days.  We’ll be in the mountains, at the beach, or possibly just hanging out BBQing and having fun with family and friends.  Wherever you are or whatever you’re doing, take this time to connect with the people around you . . . not your electronic devices.

1.  Limit accessibility.  We truly don’t need to be accessible 24/7.  Unfortunately some of us have trained people that we will respond IMMEDIATELY when we receive an e-mail or text.  Unless it’s a true emergency, our response can wait until after dinner or the fireworks display.

2.  Take it IN; don’t just take pictures.  Sometimes we get so focused on making sure we “get the shot” that we don’t enjoy the experience.  How many times have you watched something from behind your iphone only to never look at the video or picture again?  Leave your iphone in your pocket or handbag and enjoy the experience.

3.  Facebook isn’t always your friend.  “Everything in moderation.”  Never has a quote rung so true.  Although Facebook is  great for sharing really cool and important stuff with our family and friends, every meal and mile of our vacation doesn’t need to go on Facebook.  Be especially cautious of tagging people without their permission, not everyone wants their lives shared with the world.

4.  Don’t, don’t, don’t let your electronic devices distract you when you are driving.  In Washington state it is currently illegal to:

  • Talk on the cell phone without a hand’s free device.
  • Operate a wireless device (including cell phones, tablets, ipads, etc.) while “operating” a motor vehicle.  Not only does this mean while driving, but also includes the time we are stopped in traffic or at a stop sign or stop light.

The cost of ignoring the law:  $124.  Not only is electronic distraction dangerous, I can think of a lot of things I’d prefer to do with $124.  New shoes, anyone?

So, when you take your summer vacation . . . BE on summer vacation.  There will be plenty of time to reconnect with your electronic device, but there may not be a better time connect with the ones you love.

 

Organize to Simplify RGB   www.organizetosimplify.com
Member Color - Web  National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President (NAPO.net)
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