Tag Archives: ORGANIZE

Important vs Urgent

I feel fortunate and blessed to have created a work-style and life-style that supports a flexible schedule, but the past couple of months have been a whirlwind of guests and travel that has my head spinning . . . and my “to do” list expanding by the day.

The past couple of weeks I’ve been feeling pretty darn guilty about all the stuff I’m not getting done. Some of it is personal, but much of it involves things I really, really want to accomplish to support my business and clients. After beating myself up a bit, I revisited the Urgent vs Important grid (thank you Stephen Covey!) to help me through the “what to do now” decision process.

Important & Urgent: Things that really, really need to be dealt with right now (house on fire, etc.).

Important & Not Urgent: Things that need to be done, but don’t need to be done right now (long-term planning, etc.).

Urgent & Not Important: Things that probably never need to be dealt with, but take up our precious time (telemarketer calls, etc.)

Not Urgent & Not Important: Not only do these things not have to be done right now, chances are they don’t need to be done at all (watching videos of dancing cats on Youtube, etc.)

With the limited amount of time I’ve had in my home and office the past couple of weeks, here’s how I broke down a few of the outstanding items on my “to do” list:

Pay bills: Important & Urgent
Complete coaching homework required for certification: Important & Urgent
Listen to teleclass before it expires: Important & Urgent
Ironing: Important & Not Urgent
Office Filing: Important & Not Urgent
Unsubscribe from unwanted e-mails: Important & Not Urgent

I generally don’t put Not Important stuff on my “to do” list, so two of the categories were easy to eliminate.

Granted, there were a lot of other things on my list, but these represented hours worth of things I wanted (not needed) to do. The result: #1-#3 got done; #4-#6 will be saved for another day.

Suffice to say, with my list prioritized, I’m feeling much better about getting the important stuff done, leaving the other “not urgent” things to be tackled at another time and focusing on being thankful that I have the ability to spend time and energy traveling and enjoying our guests.

How do you prioritize your “to do” list?

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

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www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

Professional Resource Member

Coach Approach for Organizers

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.

It’s National Clean Out Your Closets Week!

This past Monday marked the official first day of Spring, and for those of you in Washington state (especially the Puget Sound area), some absolutely beautiful weather days followed.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to put the parkas and snow boots away and pull out some t-shirts and golf shorts!

For many of us, deciding what to wear is our first big decision of the day. It sets the tone. It puts us in a certain frame of mind. It prepares us for what lies ahead. Is there a better way to start the day than with a clean, organized closet filled with just those items you love and feel great in? I think not.

Here are five tips to quickly and painlessly clear some closet clutter:

Schedule time. If you haven’t done it in a while, an entire closet purge could take several hours. Schedule at least 3-4 hours to get the process started (hopefully even completed). Trust me, it’s a great use of time.
Set yourself up for success. Get in the mood for some tough decision-making. Grab a friend to help. Turn on some tunes. Schedule a significant reward for project completion.
Have plenty of supplies ready.
- If you are planning on changing your hanger style, buy twice as many as you think you need. Same goes for shoe boxes, underbed storage, belt hangers, etc. It’s always better to have supplies to return than not be able to finish the project because you came up short on supplies.
- Set up a system for removing what doesn’t deserve valuable closet space: resale, storage, donation, discard, gifting, etc.. Whatever you decided doesn’t deserve a home in your closet, needs to go somewhere. Immediately put donations in your car. Move storage items to their new home. Schedule a drop off/pick up date/time for items you are gifting.
Touch everything and ask yourself the following:
- Do I love it and feel great when I wear it? (good color, style, fit, etc.)
- Did I use it this season or can I see myself using it next season? (is skiing really still your thing?)
- Am I keeping this because of guilt? (impulse purchase, spent too much, it was a gift, etc.)
Put items away efficiently. Anything that goes back in the closet should be grouped in an organizational system that works best for how you make decisions.
- Do you select items by color (black vs yellow)?
- Do you select items by purpose (work vs play)?
- Do you store outfits together within the closet?

A functional closet can reduce stress (I’m certain most of us have felt the frustration of being late because we “can’t find anything to wear!”); save time (no more time wasted searching for that one black turtleneck you absolutely love!); and save money (how many times have we repurchased items we already own?).

Spring is here . . . are you and your closet ready?

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

It Is Clutter Awareness Week: Can you identify clutter?

“Clutter is postponed decisions.”
— Barbara Hemphill

This is National Clutter Awareness Week. Most of us think we can identify clutter when we see it, but can we?

Let’s take a look at some of the items we can identify in the picture above and determine:

Clutter or Correct Place?

Stack of Ziploc bags. Although we use Ziploc bags in the kitchen, the extra boxes probably would be better stored in the pantry. Clutter.

Sleeping bag. Does a sleeping bag belong in the kitchen? No. Clutter.

Small filing system: The filing system may very well belong in the kitchen even though our first instinct would be that it belongs in an office. If the kitchen is where the homeowner pays bills and does their filing, then it makes perfect sense. Correct Place.

Pest control product: There may very well be pests in the kitchen, but the pest control product more appropriately should be stored away from food. Clutter.

Large slow cooker: If this appliance is used on a regular basis, then this is the perfect place for it. If it is only used occasionally, then it should be placed in a more out-of-the-way place. Correct Place.

Lots and lots of plastic storage containers: Plastic containers are certainly used in the kitchen, however, the sheer quantity of containers we see in this picture pushes them into the clutter category. Clutter and Correct Place

There were lots and lots of decisions to be made while working with this homeowner, but she was motivated and determined to take back her kitchen. Here’s how we left it at the end of our work together. She’s happy to report to me (on a regular basis) that her counters are still clear and her kitchen functions more as a kitchen and less as a storage area. I’m so proud when my clients can maintain and improve upon the work we do together!

Cindy Jobs

cindy@organizetosimplify.com

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Urgent vs Important

This morning as I was getting ready to head out on vacation I realized, yet again, that my “to do” list was longer than the hours I had left to do get everything done. What’s a girl to do?

Many times in both my career and personal life I’ve fallen back on the Urgent vs Important grid (thank you Stephen Covey!) to help me through the “what to do now” decision process.

Important & Urgent: Things that really, really need to be dealt with right now (house on fire, etc.)

Important & Not Urgent: Things that need to be done, but don’t need to be done right now (long-term planning, etc.)

Urgent & Not Important: Things that probably never need to be dealt with, but take up our precious time (telemarketers, etc.)

Not Urgent & Not Important: Not only do these things not have to be done right now, chances are they don’t need to be done at all (watching videos of dancing cats on Youtube, etc.)

Here’s some of what was left on my “to do” list as of this morning and how they ended up getting categorized:

Prepare house/pet information for sitter: Important & Urgent
Homework assignments for Coaching Class: Important & Urgent
Listen to tele-class before it expires: Important & Urgent
Ironing: Important & Not Urgent
Office Filing: Important & Not Urgent
Yard work: Important & Not Urgent

I generally don’t put Not Important stuff on my “to do” list, so two of the categories were easy to eliminate.

Granted, there were a lot of other things on my list, but these represented hours worth of things I needed to do, in addition to my regular job. The result: #1-#3 got done; #4-#6 will be saved for another day.

Suffice to say, with my list prioritized, I’m feeling much better about my preparation for the trip and possibly may have just a couple minutes to watch dancing cat videos!

How do you prioritize your “to do” list?

3 Quick Tips When It’s Time To Pack It Up

The holidays are nearly behind us, but there’s possibly one more thing most of us need to do . . . . pack it up!

Tackling this task can either be liberating or daunting, depending on how organized and prepared we are. Here are some thoughts on making it easier, if not this year, certainly in years to come.

Reduce, reduce, reduce: It’s always easier to pack away less stuff, so I suggest my clients take a good, long look at what they are planning to pack away. A couple questions to ask yourself:
- Do you or someone in your home love it? If it holds great memories and you decorate with it every year, pack it up.
- Has it been trapped in a storage container year-after-year-after-year? Chances are, it’s not your style and doesn’t hold great memories. Give it away.
Give it away:
- Has someone you know admired the decoration? Ask them if they want it. Gifting items to someone who has admired them is an easy way to release things no longer serving us.
- Is there a local charity, church, etc. that cold use the item? Gifting things to those that can’t afford them brings extra honor to the decorations. (NOTE: Most charities will gladly accept Christmas decorations even at the end of the season, but it’s best to check before you try to drop them off.)
Store it: There are nearly as many ways to store decorations as there are decorations themselves!
- Specialty containers like these from the Container Store can be extremely functional, but not very cost effective.
- Other simple solutions:
  - Wrap lights around cardboard, use a extension cord holder, or for larger quantities, utilize a hose reel.
  - Liter-size water bottles work well to hold beaded garland.
  - Plastic produce clam-shell containers from warehouse stores are fantastic for glass ornaments.
  - Egg cartons work well for small, breakable ornaments.

Going through the sort, purge, and store process probably isn’t the most fun thing you will do this holiday season, but it could very well be the best gift you could give yourself come holiday time next year!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Tax Time: How To Get and Stay Ready

Generally speaking, filing taxes is not at the top of the list of “fun things to do today.” Taxes are frustrating, confusing, and sometimes moderately depressing. Therefore, we tend to procrastinate when it comes to filing them. According to TurboTax, there are five general reasons we procrastinate when it comes to filing our taxes:

Laziness:

We just don’t want to do it!
Thrill-Seeking:

We think we work better under pressure (generally we don’t).
Lack of Urgency:

There’s no penalty for dropping them off at the post office at 11:59 PM on April 15. Why hurry?
Availability of Extensions: Extensions don’t mean you have more time to PAY

, just more time to file. If you are expecting money back, why extend?
No Expected Refund:

If you aren’t getting money back, why give Uncle Sam our money a minute earlier than we have to?

Hopefully you’ve already filed your taxes, received your refund, and none of what I’m presenting applies to you. If so, way to go! (Now skip to #3, Create A Reusable File System To Track and Maintain Tax Documents). If you are still waiting to file your taxes, here are your next few steps:

1. Call For A Tax Appointment: Stop reading right now and call for an appointment with your tax preparer. If you don’t have one, now is a good time to do some research. There are, of course, a plethora of tax preparation options if you do an internet search on “tax preparation services,” but now may be a great time to use that social network you’ve been building. Ask your friends and relatives if they have anyone they could recommend. In addition, there may be some free tax preparation services available depending on your age and income, search “free tax preparation services.”

2. Gather Your Documents: By now you should have received all the documents required to prepare your taxes. These documents may include, but are not limited to:

W-2s from your employers,
1099-MISC forms for self-employment income,
1099-INT (interest) and 1099-DIV (dividends) forms,
1099-B forms showing brokerage trades in stocks and bonds,
K-1 forms for income from a partnership, small business, or trust,
1099-SSA form showing Social Security received,
Documentation of charitable donations.

Other great sources for documents you may need to prepare your taxes:
Tax Preparation Documents for Homeowners
Documents To Take To Your Accountant

3. Create A Reusable File System To Track And Maintain Tax Documents: Once you’ve gathered all your documents, create a filing system (it may only be two file folders or envelopes) that will allow you to repeat this process year-after-year. Create two files/envelopes: Current Year Taxes and Previous Year Taxes. That way you will have one to use for the immediate filing and one to start saving documentation for next years filing. Create a checklist of all the documents that are in the Current Year Taxes file/envelope (generally it will be the same for next year, but adjust as necessary) and place it on/in the front of the file/envelope. I suggest using sturdy, plastic folders or envelopes for this purpose, that way you’re not replacing them every year. Plastic File Folders or Plastic Envelopes

Although filing taxes isn’t always fun and rewarding, the consequences of not filing can be expensive and stressful. Don’t procrastinate. Filing your taxes accurately and on time can save you money and unnecessary stress.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

2015 “Top 10” Business Goals

As business owners, we need to constantly be looking forward and figure out what we want our businesses to accomplish in the upcoming weeks, months or years. In addition to constant re-evaluation, most businesses choose one time per year to do long-range planning. Every business has a different time for this process: in January to kick off the new year; at their financial year end; during their annual Board retreats; etc. The best time for this process is whenever it works for you. For me, January is the best time. That’s when I get to thinking about what needs to happen to make 2015 a successful year for me and my business clients.

Here are the top ten items we will be focusing on:

Take care of yourself. For a business to thrive, it needs a healthy leader. Taking care of yourself takes many forms, both physical and mental. Whether it’s hitting the gym a few times a week, participating in leadership forums, or forcing yourself to take a much-needed vacation, take care of yourself so you will be there to take care of your employees.
Realize that sometimes less is more. Focus on doing a few things well versus doing a number of things part way. Having 15 goals may sound like an excellent business strategy, but having five goals that are strategic and attainable will more than likely be a more successful approach.
Learn how to delegate. No matter how fantastic, one person can’t do everything at an expert level. Many things can be delegated: website development, Quickbooks maintenance, cleaning services, marketing, etc. Identify the things you don’t like to do, or don’t feel you do well, and find someone that does. Those people will generally be better and faster at it than you will.
Review office functionality. Annually review job descriptions, processes, and communication patterns and make changes to procedures accordingly. Maybe your Office Manager has changed and they no longer make the mail run or input information in Quickbooks. If so, adjust the job description accordingly. If your business has expanded and you now have two outside sales representatives, review their territory allocations and document it. There are many changes that business should make as they expand, contract, or change. Ensure changes are documented and communicated accordingly.
Go mobile. According to Televox, a global technology provider, 94% of smartphone owners will look up information on their phones, make sure your website is compatible with mobile phones and tablet devices.
Review compliance with Labor and Industries. Nearly every business that employs at least one person needs to comply with Labor and Industry rules and regulations. If you haven’t already, commit to going to a Labor and Industries seminar and educate yourself on requirements for compliance. Do you have an Accident Prevention Program? Do you have a Hazardous Chemical Program? Do you hold and document monthly safety meetings? Figure out what you need to do to be compliant before Labor and Industries pays you a visit.
Refresh your website. Customers look to your website to get a feel for what you do, how you do it, and how professional your organization is. Check your contact information for accuracy. If you have any links from your website, make sure they work. Update photos where applicable. Most importantly, have someone you know and trust use your website. Sometimes we are too close to our own business to ascertain whether the website works for the general public.
Get ready early for tax time. Whether we owe money or are getting money back, there’s a great sigh of relief when we’ve finished our taxes. Check with your accountant as soon as possible to ensure you have what they need to complete your taxes in a timely manner. Ask your accountant about record retention so you can set up filing systems and purge paperwork as you are pulling together paperwork for this year’s filing. Also, review your current business model with your accountant to ensure your business is categorized correctly, possibly an LLC may protect you on a personal level.
Find a new way to engage with your customers. If appropriate for your business, consider developing a Facebook page, Twitter account, or newsletter program. Communicating with your customers the way THEY want to be communicated with will be the most valuable use of marketing dollars and time. If possible, find an expert to help you through this process.
Network your heart out! No matter what your business is, we all know someone who knows someone that could use our services. Be the first person that comes to mind when someone says “do you know anyone that . . . . .”

A theme running through these resolutions is personal engagement. Engage with your employees, customers, and most importantly, yourself. Figure out what has been working, what needs to be done, and who should do it.

Although these goals will take effort and may require a bit of a change in habit and mindset; when they are put into practice, your business will be more successful and you will be a more successful, and happier, leader.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President

Certified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

What’s the best filing system for you?

What’s the best filing system? Short answer . . . “it depends.”

A filing system is just a way to control how paper, or information, is stored so that when you need the document or data, it can easily be retrieved. That sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Easier said than done in most circumstances. If you are looking for the perfect filing system, you need to ask yourself some very important questions:

Who will be using the system? Will is just be you or will others need access and understanding of the system?
Will documents be in paper or electronic format?
How much space will you need for your filing system?
Where will the files be kept?
How do you want to designate personal vs. business files?

1. If you are the only one that will use the filing system, you can do pretty much whatever makes sense to you. If you want to file by color, then file by color. If you want to file by date, then file by date. If you want to “file” in plastic totes, go for it. However, if the filing system will be shared with other people, it’s important to ensure all the stakeholders have input into the system. Taking stakeholder input into the design of the system will ensure understanding and buy-in with all parties.

2. If the documents are going to be stored in paper format, make sure only relevant paper is retained. Much of the time when paper documents (bills, insurance renewals, etc.) are received in the mail, there are inconsequential documents that come along with them. Be sure to discard any non-essential paperwork and don’t jamb up the filing system with things that are not needed to support your home or business.

If you are filing electronically, make sure there is a universally understood naming convention that everyone adheres to. For example, your September Comcast bill may be named “2014.09 Comcast” vs “September Comcast bill.” Using a naming convention that includes the year and month will make document searches much easier.

No matter what format the records are retained in, it’s important that appropriate record retention and purging guidelines be adhered to. It’s best to check with your accountant to ensure understanding of record retention guidelines to support your personal or business tax situation.

3. Make sure you have enough space for your filing system so drawers do not become so packed that they can not be used effectively. Filing drawers should only be 70% – 80% full, allowing for ease of movement within the drawers. Using hanging folders will also make a filing system much easier to use.

4. Ensure that your filing system is located where all stakeholders can easily access it. If it’s too far away from the frequent users, information will not get filed in a timely basis, resulting in lost productivity.

5. If you manage files for both a home and business, make sure the files are not mixed together. For example, even though it may make sense to keep a tax receipts together, when it comes time to do your taxes, you will be glad you didn’t. That holds true for utility bills, car expenses, real estate documents, etc. Your accountant will thank you for keeping your home and business records separate.

I could go on-and-on about filing. What’s the best way? When should it be done? Should files or binders be used? If folders are used, should they be color-coded or plain? Should the tabs be straight-line or staggered? There are lots and lots of ways to file correctly. What it basically boils down to is . . . do what works for you and your team.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

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

Certified Premium Member: Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

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)