An Organizing Insight

Staying organized is not always easy. Even organizers have trouble spots. For me that is clothes. I think as soon as I give that orange blouse away, I will find the perfect suit to go with it. So things hang around longer than they should. One day I was going through the painful task of culling clothes from my crowded closet, when I pulled down a skirt set I loved but had not worn in a while. I discovered that the elastic in the waste band had hardened and stretched. I had to toss it or repair it. Then it hit me! I needed to do what I tell everybody else to do--only keep those things I use and enjoy. Bags of clothes went to charity that day.

The insight I took away from that experience is that not being organized is a real drain on my energy and a waste of good stuff. Everything I keep requires time and energy to take care of it or time and energy to clean it up and haul it away. Clearing clutter and staying organized conserves my time and energy. I am amazed it took me decades for that to hit home.

If you have questions about organizing or want to expose yourself to some insights about the things that keep clutter in your life, take a trip to the Meyera Obendorf Memorial Library in Virginia Beach on the morning of Saturday, January 30th. A panel of professional organizers will be there from 10:30 to 12:00 to answer any questions about organizing. The organizers are members of Hampton Roads Professional Organizers and are offering this service as part of National Get Organized Month activities. I hope to see you there.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Making a Little More Time

Have you noticed that most of the New Year’s Resolutions we make require us to find a little extra time to carry them out? Exercising means finding the time to work out. Eating healthier means shopping for groceries and fixing meals, getting organized means finding the time to get the job done.

Investing the time to do the things that make life better takes effort and a firm resolve. There is one activity, however, that yields quick results in lightening our load and gives us more time in the long run. That is taking measures to stop unwanted solicitation by mail and telephone, including wireless.

A few minutes on the telephone or Internet can stop of lot of mail from hitting the mailbox and a keep a lot of solicitors off the phone lines.

Stop prescreened credit card and insurance offers from lists supplied by Equifax, Experian, Innovis and Transunion by contacting www.optoutprescreen.com or calling
1-888-567-8688

Direct Marketing Association (DMA) charges a nominal fee for stopping mail advertisement from companies using lists from or affiliated with DMA. Contact them at www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.hmtl.

Stop unwanted telephone solicitation by contacting the National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov or 1-888-382-1222. This service excludes calls from charities, political organizations and surveyors, but stops the rest.

Less junk mail to sort and less unwanted telephone calls interrupting the day frees up a little time to do more important things. Who couldn’t use a little more time?

Beverly & Kristen
www.keytransitions.net

An Easy-to-Keep Resolution for Better Health

Researchers tell us that some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions deal with living a healthier lifestyle. Many of us resolve to quit smoking, lose weight, eat a healthier diet, or exercise more. I have made all of those resolutions and kept at least one of them. They are hard to keep on a long-term basis.

There is one health-related resolution that is a little easier and can be just as important in helping achieve better health. It is to put together a personal health record that includes all the medication you take, all the doctors you see and all the tests you have had. This important document can help you get better treatment when you seek health care in routine and emergency situations.

While you are going through last year’s receipts for preparing your tax documents, make copies of medical information for a folder that can serve as the basis of your personal health record. A good resource for determining what documents and information to include in you record is www.MyPHR.com. Be sure to check out my guest blog when you are there.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Real World Resolve

Many of us have made our New Year’s Resolutions. And many of us have already fallen a little short of keeping them. Whether the goal is to eat a healthier diet (that surely excludes leftovers and lattes) or go to church every Sunday (that surely did not include Sundays when the temperature is below freezing), us mortals have to feel the benefit to stay on track.

Psychologists tell us that to change habits we have to be able to identify the benefit to ourselves and change our behavior for at least thirty days. So here are a few things for folks who resolved to be more organized this year to think about.

Some benefits of being organized are:
You have more money in your pocket. You do not have to pay late fees for bills that got lost in the bottom of a pile of mail. You do not buy duplicate products because you cannot locate beauty supplies or toiletries. You do not waste food by letting expiration dates expire. You take better cares of coats and clothes and can locate them when you need to wear them instead of buying something new.

You are not ashamed to have someone in your home. That means less expensive entertainment, richer friendships, better relationships within your family, and a better feeling about yourself.

You have peace of mind because you know where important documents are located and have a plan for emergency preparedness.

You can enjoy the things you have more fully--no small thing in difficult times.

Once you have identified the benefit to yourself, write it down and post it in a spot where you will see it everyday. Then do something to achieve that goal every day for thirty days. It can be hanging up you coat when you come in the door, then putting your clothes away or in the laundry when you undress, then putting laundry away the same day it is done. It might be getting a basket to hold all the mail, then going through the mail nightly, then paying bills every week. The important thing is to do something to reach the goal every day. If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start over the next day, until you have thirty consecutive days and can see the results.

Help reinforce your resolve by telling a friend or calling a professional organizer for support. A little bit of organization can make life a lot easier. That is a good goal for 2010.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net