Things to Organize in the Spring

What kind of thing MUST you organize in the Spring?


1) Schedule an appointment for an AC checkup for your car and home!

2) When you do the seasonal clothing switch, here are a few organizing suggestions.
Closet structure – Check to see if any part of the closet needs adjusting or improvements?
Purge – Before you start the switch and possible purging, check out some of the spring and summer clothing trends.
Storage Protection – It’s very important to pack away wintery items so they are safe and protected. Whether you need to protect from bugs, dust, heat or humidity, take the extra care to protect the clothing for 6 months.

3) Make a commitment to your health and physical well being. Set up a program, make a chart or calendar to track your plan and your progress, turn up the heat and set a goal!
Diet – What type of eating lifestyle will best support your physical and mental health?
Exercise - Whether it’s for the shorts and short sleeves or for the extra activities that require better fitness, start now so you have a couple of months to get your body into shape!

4) Summer Activity Preparation
Summer Equipment – Maybe it’s a boat, a bike, camping gear or any other piece of equipment. It’s time to clean up, restock supplies, refresh the emergency kits, do a safety check and schedule repairs. Even if you have been using it all year, an annual review is a good, organized practice.
Travel – Research options now for summer travel. Then make reservations, schedule time off, and make any other arrangements necessary for fun summer adventures.
Register for Activities – Research and register for summer programs. They fill up fast!

5) ENJOY Spring Weather
Get outside before the heat, or bugs and humidity keep us indoors.
Plan a picnic, schedule a hike, or even enjoy dinner on the patio!

5 Keys to Organized First Aid Kits

In the middle of the night, when someone becomes sick or you have an emergency, that's not the time to realize your medications are expired and you used the last band-aid!

We don't plan for an injury or accident, so being prepared is important because there's no warning and you don't exactly set an appointment for accident Make sure your First Aid Kits are up to date and well stocked.

Products expire, life changes, preferences change and so do your needs. Here are 5 quick tips to help you Be Organized, Be Prepared! My goal is to help you catch the things in life that need attention, even though they are not screaming at you this very moment!

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/18909748/

5 Keys for Making an Organized First Aid Kit

This is not intended to replace medical advice from a registered physician. Please check with your doctor about special needs you may have or items you may need to avoid.
1) Basic First Aid Kit
The minimum is to have a basic First Aid Kit and to either know the basics of First Aid or have a quick reference guide. You can either purchase a prepackaged one or go to one of the websites below to get a list and put together your own kit.
Basic First Aid Kit Websites
Ready. gov Website
http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/firstaidkit.html

FEMA.gov website
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/firstaid.shtm

2) Preferences
Next is to look at preferences for what you want to include in a First Aid Kit. Look into preferences such as holistic options and how those preferences will change what you add to your First Aid Kit.
Holistic Basic First Aid Websites
Basic Holistic Site
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_12025.cfm
Holistic for Toddlers and Kids
http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/essential_oils_for_kids_parents

3) Special Needs
Now it's time to individualize even further for special and lifestyle needs. There might be someone in the family with special medical needs, you might need items for pet emergencies and then there are many activity related needs. The list below might trigger areas of your life you had not included.
Supplies For Toddlers and Kids
http://www.mypreciouskid.com/first-aid-kit.html

For Pet Owners
Pet Owners Site 1
http://www.prepare.org/animal/petaid.htm
Pet Owners Site 2
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/fstaidk.html

First Aid Kits locations:
Medicine Cabinets
Hall ClosetsOffice
Diaper bag
PurseKitchen
Travel Bags
cars
camping gear
emergency kits
hiking gear
pool areas
boats

4) Location
There are two factors related to the location; make it assessable, yet don't make it assessable. Make sure a First Aid Kit is assessable and easy to identify. If you have packed your own variation of supplies and it doesn't say FIRST AID KIT in big bold letters, then make sure you label it so others can identify it. The flip side is to make sure it's not too assessable for children and pets.
There are over 100,000 Over The Counter medications available today. To read about OTC medicine safety visit http://www.otcsafety.org

5) Regular Review of Supplies
It is always surprising when you pull out First Aid Kits and Medicines that they expired so long ago. Yes, time flies between times you use these items so have a regular review of the supplies in your kits.
There are three main things you're looking for on your annual or semi-annual check in:
Need to restock after items are used
Update on needs
Expiration Dates

Suggestion about expiration dates
If you have, for example, an antibiotic cream that will expire in 8 months. Put that one in the place that you would likely use it first. Put the new tube in the place that you would likely use it last.

Buying in bulk
If you purchased some items in bulk and are going to divide it among several kits, be cautious of items that have expiration dates. If you refill a little bottle of ibuprofen from a big new bottle of ibuprofen, watch for expiration dates because you don't want to resort in the future and toss good medicine, but you also don't want to think something is OK and have it actually expired. An item that will be handy to have when you restock is various sizes of ziploc bags.

© Balanced Organizing Solutions, LLC

The 5 C’s of Discipline for a Project

When you decide to take on a marketing project, or any project for that matter, incorporating any of the 5 C’s will help you with the discipline of staying on task.

Coach
Calendar
Chart
Checklist
Confidence

There are many components to a project and the ones that get the most attention are the ones in the preparation area. They are important; however, once the project has moved from the preparation period into the implementation or the use phase, there are 5 C’s that are critical to the ongoing success of the project and the results.

Coach
Telling someone what you are going to do and asking them to hold you accountable for it will have a direct impact on your actions. Coaching comes in many forms and at many prices, so if you are going to gain the support from a coach, it must match your needs.

Calendar
This is the time you spend on the project to keep it progressing and generating great results. From how often to how long you spend touching the project components will need to fit into your days and weeks. Putting those actions on your calendar increases the likelihood it will happen.

Chart
Having a visual representation of how things are progressing provides you with honest results. Whether you have full metrics or a thermometer on the wall, seeing what is occurring is a great motivator for staying the course.

Checklist
Again, once the preparation is complete, now the real work begins. Many times the preparation of a project is to set up for a repeated action or a system to do its work. Having a checklist to verify the system process or repeated action will help ensure that the project is working as planned no matter who is managing the various parts of the system.

Confidence
If you have confidence that the project you are implementing will create incredible results, then the discipline you need to stick to the tasks will be much easier. Success is a given!

Check out the partnership of a Marketing Expert and my Organizing expertise at www.marketingorganized.com

#31 Congrats and Final Task

CONGRATULATIONS!
... and thank you for participating in the
31 Ways to Get Organized in 31 Days 2009!


I hope this month gave you the opportunity to take on various organizing tasks that have made a difference in your life. While some of them might not move mountains, if you are less stressed, less frustrated and have more time, then you are free to get out there and move mountains!

There's one final task below, so don't leave just yet! I will also be sending you a quick survey and your reply is apprecaited!

Joyfully,
Brenda

Welcome to Way #31!

After a month of doing various organizing tasks, notice what made the biggest difference for you. Which task do you want to finish? or start? Which task will you repeat?

You also learned a bit more about yourself and your organizing style. Did a certain task make you the most energized? Did one save you the most time? Was there a task that you totally avoided because you didn't know how to tackle the hurdles associated with that task?

Day Way # 31 Make an organizing plan for February

* Look at the next month and determine what days you will do organizing tasks. Is Monday the big organizing day for you? Did you like doing one little thing each day?
* Schedule or target tasks you would like to repeat or complete.

* Make sure you are signed up for other Balanced Organizing Solutions eTips and Seminar annoucements.

#30 Less Housework

Who likes housework? Dusting, washing, vacuuming, and putting things away. Cutting down the time to do it or the amount you pay someone else to do it are easily within reach. Here are the staggering numbers: Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of the housework in an average household. That means 40% less time!
Significant enough that it's worth your time to eliminate some clutter!
Joyfully,
Brenda

Day Way # 30 Pick one area in your environment and reduce the clutter in that space.

You know the space you need to pick. It's the one you dread cleaning, the one that takes you the longest or the one that never gets done because it seems like too much! Suggestions

* If the items in a space simply need to return to their home, first return them. Then determine why they tend to collect in that space and create a different solution for those items.

* It might be time to assess how many knickknacks you have around your environment. If you have a lot, it likely takes time to dust each one. It goes something like this; first move them all off the surface. Clean the surface. Then, one by one, dust them and return them to the location. Imagine if that surface only had 3 items on it and how much LESS time it would take.

* The above can also apply if you are a collections person. See if you can still have the collection, but spend less time cleaning it.

* The extra clutter can come from casually laying down a coat, a book, a flier from the store, or the item you need to return to the store. Be more purposeful in where you place things. It saves in two ways; first is that you don't have to touch it a second time to put it in its proper home and second is that you don't have to move it to clean.

Wishing you 40% less time cleaning or paying someone to clean! You have more important and fun things to do with your time and your money!

Response to Comment on #29

Great Comment/Question from Rubbermaid about #29! How to get kids to not leave toothpaste all over the counter. http://blog.rubbermaid.com/

Here are a couple of ideas!

Let's get Rubbermaid to make a toothpaste slide for the front side of the sink. Place it over the edge of the sink and the goal for the "brusher" is to have the toothpaste and (sorry) spit go down the slide into the sink. Then rinse the slide and set it aside.

Another choice is to have a special "toothpaste towel" to wipe down the counter. That clean up is all it is ever used for and it could have a cute tooth or something on it. It could have been left by the tooth fairy at the last tooth under the pillow night with a note about not wasting precious toothpaste.

One last one, get them in the habit of using a kleenex to wipe their face and then use it to wipe off the counter as well. Not as green as the towel, but just tossing out ideas!

#29 - Bathroom Counter Clearing

Today's task is in a room everyone visits many times in a day, but one or two visits are more important than the others. So, I ask you, if there is a place that you visit every day and do virtually the exact same thing every day, shouldn't it be one of the most organized places in your world?

I think so!

It is the place that everyone takes morning time to whisk away the nighttime slumber and prepare for the day. And equally in the evening to wash away the day's residue.
Joyfully,
Brenda

Day Way # 29 Clear off your bathroom counter and organize the products you use everyday.

While I could request that you take on the whole bathroom, we are going to focus on the bathroom counter and you can take it as far as you would like from there. Suggestions

* Your bathroom counter should be 90% clear. Keep basic items like hand soap, ring holder, and a decorative item or two on the counter.
* Have quick access to products with a specific task. For example, I have a basket with my brushes, combs, hair dryer and clips. I pull out the whole basket, put it on the counter, do my task, then put the whole basket away. I also have all my make up in one plastic drawer from an organizer under the sink. I pull out the whole drawer, set it on the counter, do my task, then put the whole drawer away. Gives access without the constant clutter for the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of the day.

*An important aspect of having a clutter free and organized bathroom counter is that you spend less time doing the daily routinues. You get out what you need, use it and put it away. No hunting and searching through the mass of products that are on the counter. You also don't have to shift things around on the counter to make space for the items for the next task.

* When it is cleaning time, you don't have 14 splattered bottles on the counter to move before you can wipe down the counter. AND you don't have 14 bottles that look horrible because they've been splattered with toothpaste and various personal care products.

* For those that use heating elements on your hair, fewer melted bottle edges from a curling iron!

#28 Technology, Love/Hate

Do you love it? Do you hate it?

Now hate is a pretty strong word, but I'm likely not alone in my occasional use of nasty words directed toward my technology or electronics. Yes, we love what technology can do for us and yet we all can have a moment when we get frustrated by it.

After my 4 years of working with educational software I made a pact with myself that I would never let technology get the best of me. It does brink on the edge of getting the best of me at times, but I learned that there is always a solution.... you just have to find it!

Let's find a solution for you that doesn't involve electrocution, a trip to the store to buy a new computer or heavy drinking. Joyfully,
Brenda

Day Way # 28 Find the "how to" for one electronic challenge or the next step of use.

*If there is one glitch that has been bugging you about an electronic in your life, it's time to take care of it.

*If there is a process that you know a piece of software can do for you, but you don't know how, learn it.

*If you have a new piece of software or hardware that you have not installed, plugged in or downloaded, do it.

Where can you find the answers?
*Manuals - paper
*Manuals - digital
*Technology Consultants & Trainers
*Online support from corporation
*Online support from question boards, chat rooms
*Ask a teenager!

#27 Tiny Slips of Paper

Tiny slips of paper. Yes, we all have them and some have them more than others. It's the phone number, the reminder on the little phone memo sheet to pick up TP on the way home, the short to do list of the "really" important tasks for the day and the notes you took about flight times for your next trip.

Here's the problem with tiny slips of paper:
*one of them can get easily lost
*you have to look through the whole stack again and again to find the one you need
*they are different sizes, shapes, color and various stages of "stickiness" if it was a post-it
*most important - they don't send the message of, "I am organized!"

Joyfully,
Brenda

Day Way # 27 Find a different solution for all those tiny slips of paper.
Everyone is different, so here are a couple of suggestions that might spark the right answer for you.
One criteria is that it must be able to travel with you. While there are great desktop and office space solutions using paper, white boards or technology, in the long run you'd likely still make tiny slips of notes.
* Technology - if you have a PDA, do you use it for your tasks and reminders? If not, maybe it's time to increase the use of a tool to incorporate one more function.
* Small Notebook - A little spiral notebook can hold all those "tiny slips" together. You must be disciplined to use it; carry it in your purse, your briefcase, your pocket, etc. The rule is to only write one task on each sheet, which is why it's small. Then you can tear out the one you've finished.
The tiny slips of paper not being effective is one of the reasons Gina Robison-Billups and I created The Accomplishment Journal. It supports more aspects of being effective and organized than just fixing the tiny slips of paper situation.
Check it out at The Accomplishment Journal
If the link is not active for you, copy and paste this link http://www.theaccomplishmentjournal.com * Make your own To Do Chart. It's easy to make a To Do Chart on the computer because you can customize it to your specific needs. It can cover one day, a week, or the span of time you need. Then you can break down the sections to match your common tasks and how many you tend to have for each area.

#26 Nightstand Refresh

What's the last thing you see before you go to sleep and what's the first thing you see when you wake up? There is a correlation between what we see and the message that gets planted in our brain.

Does that message send you off to slumberland with positive thoughts, ready to dream about your goals and joys? When you wake up, does that message start your day with empowerment, joy and the confidence we all need to take on these challenging days?

Joyfully,
Brenda

Day Way # 26 Organize your nightstand/bedside table.

Create the space to be not only functional, but one that gives you a positive message.

Make sure that if you wake up in the middle of the night, you can easily reach what you need.
I also find it interesting that many times when someone is being interviewed or profiled, they ask, "What's on your nightstand right now?" They are generally referring to what reading material, but since it's a popular question, there tends to be some meaning in what IS on your nightstand.