Monday, February 6, 2012
Free Shredding!
Staples is offering free shredding this month only! You can just drop off up to 5lbs. of documents at any Staples and they will have your items shredded by Iron Mountain.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Organizing your email inbox
I have had many people tell me lately that they have hundreds of emails in their inbox. Does this sound familiar? If so, here are some ways to organize your email inbox quickly and easily. Your inbox should only contain emails that haven’t been read or require immediate action and response. All other emails should be either deleted or saved in a folder.
Like your filing cabinet, you should have 5-6 broad category folders in your inbox. If you make too many, you will forget where you put things, so keep them general like household, vacation, school, soccer, etc. Once you have these folders set up, you need to store emails accordingly. When I say store, I don’t mean every email you get. Only keep that which has pertinent info. And if you have a series of emails going back and forth with someone, only keep the last one since you can just scroll down to read the entire conversation.
Once you have your inbox cleared out, get in the practice of keeping it that way. When new email comes through, read it and delete what you can. Respond to the rest and move what you can to the appropriate folder. If the email requires something immediate like an RSVP or information returned, let the email sit in the inbox until you can get it done.
Keeping your inbox cleaned out will help you to avoid losing emails, forgetting to respond to emails and keep you from having to search through hundreds to emails to find what you are looking for.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Like your filing cabinet, you should have 5-6 broad category folders in your inbox. If you make too many, you will forget where you put things, so keep them general like household, vacation, school, soccer, etc. Once you have these folders set up, you need to store emails accordingly. When I say store, I don’t mean every email you get. Only keep that which has pertinent info. And if you have a series of emails going back and forth with someone, only keep the last one since you can just scroll down to read the entire conversation.
Once you have your inbox cleared out, get in the practice of keeping it that way. When new email comes through, read it and delete what you can. Respond to the rest and move what you can to the appropriate folder. If the email requires something immediate like an RSVP or information returned, let the email sit in the inbox until you can get it done.
Keeping your inbox cleaned out will help you to avoid losing emails, forgetting to respond to emails and keep you from having to search through hundreds to emails to find what you are looking for.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Weather the storm in your pantry
I keep hearing about snow storms blanketing the country at this time of year, followed by news of packed stores full of people trying to stock up before the storm hits. The truth is that 90% of Americans (okay, I made that number up, but I am sure it is close) have enough food in their pantry to feed them for a good week without missing a calorie. So here is my advice: avoid the crowds at the store and just take inventory of your pantry. Get creative and put together some meal ideas using what you already own. Save money, time and stress by simply shopping in your own home's inventory. Enjoy the season!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Guard the Castle Gates....even through the holidays.
The holidays are a wonderful time to give and receive, but don’t let your guard down. Remember to guard the castle gates, even during this wonderful time of year. Guard the gates against what and whose castle are you talking about, you ask? Your home is your castle and you must remember to guard it against unwanted clutter. Unfortunately the holidays are a time when things tend to find their way in.
Yes, gifts should be appreciated no matter what they are as we all know they come from the heart. But if it is something you really can’t use, already have or flat out don’t like, this does not mean you need to keep it. After the gifts are open, don’t hesitate to make a pile of that which you can’t use or don’t need. If you can return it or exchange it, put it right in the car so you can take care of that next time you are close to the store in question. If you can’t do that, add it to your donation pile. Doing this immediately keeps these items from finding a comfortable place in your home where you forget about it until it is part of a larger clutter problem.
Feeling bad about doing this? Consider that you are paying the gift forward. By donating the item or giving it to someone who can really use it, you are sharing the love. In these difficult economic times, donations can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. Unclutter your life while adding light to someone else’s.
Getting rid of a gift does not mean that you appreciate it any less. In fact, do not forget to write a nice thank you note even if you don’t plan to keep the gift. But don’t keep something just because your Aunt gave it to you and the guilt is overwhelming. I am sure said Aunt did not intend to add to your guilt and pile of stuff. Givers want to add joy to the recipient’s life. Clutter and stress do not equal joy. So guard your door and keep the clutter out.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Yes, gifts should be appreciated no matter what they are as we all know they come from the heart. But if it is something you really can’t use, already have or flat out don’t like, this does not mean you need to keep it. After the gifts are open, don’t hesitate to make a pile of that which you can’t use or don’t need. If you can return it or exchange it, put it right in the car so you can take care of that next time you are close to the store in question. If you can’t do that, add it to your donation pile. Doing this immediately keeps these items from finding a comfortable place in your home where you forget about it until it is part of a larger clutter problem.
Feeling bad about doing this? Consider that you are paying the gift forward. By donating the item or giving it to someone who can really use it, you are sharing the love. In these difficult economic times, donations can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. Unclutter your life while adding light to someone else’s.
Getting rid of a gift does not mean that you appreciate it any less. In fact, do not forget to write a nice thank you note even if you don’t plan to keep the gift. But don’t keep something just because your Aunt gave it to you and the guilt is overwhelming. I am sure said Aunt did not intend to add to your guilt and pile of stuff. Givers want to add joy to the recipient’s life. Clutter and stress do not equal joy. So guard your door and keep the clutter out.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Friday, December 2, 2011
Last minute holiday shopping tips
Are you starting to stress out about holiday shopping? Wondering how you will get it all done? Here are some tips to help you manage the process.
• Make a list of those you need to shop for. Jot down any ideas you may have for them as well.
• If your list is really long, try to pare it down. Is there anyone you can mutually agree NOT to exchange gifts with? Maybe your family can do a name draw for the adults. Or maybe you can agree to go out for a fun dinner with a friend rather than exchanging gifts.
• Map out your shopping. Start with what you can buy online. The more you can do online the better and right now, most retailers are offering free shipping!! For the stores you need to hit, make a plan of attack. Maybe you need to hit Wal Mart and there is one right by your office. Make a plan to get an early start and go there before work next week. Determine which stores you can stop by during your regular routine and then set aside time to do the rest. Plan your driving route so you aren’t running all over and wasting precious time.
• Consider gift cards. Shipping is really expensive and it requires trips to the post office. Think about who you can buy gift cards for and look for those cards at your grocery store next time you are there. All you have to deal is put them in a card and send them off. Easy! Also consider www.giftcertificates.com where you can email gift certificates to loved one.
• Plan better for next year. Keep your holiday shopping list with you all year. It is much easier to find the perfect gift when you aren’t desperately searching for it. Give yourself all year to find it.
Happy Holidays!
• Make a list of those you need to shop for. Jot down any ideas you may have for them as well.
• If your list is really long, try to pare it down. Is there anyone you can mutually agree NOT to exchange gifts with? Maybe your family can do a name draw for the adults. Or maybe you can agree to go out for a fun dinner with a friend rather than exchanging gifts.
• Map out your shopping. Start with what you can buy online. The more you can do online the better and right now, most retailers are offering free shipping!! For the stores you need to hit, make a plan of attack. Maybe you need to hit Wal Mart and there is one right by your office. Make a plan to get an early start and go there before work next week. Determine which stores you can stop by during your regular routine and then set aside time to do the rest. Plan your driving route so you aren’t running all over and wasting precious time.
• Consider gift cards. Shipping is really expensive and it requires trips to the post office. Think about who you can buy gift cards for and look for those cards at your grocery store next time you are there. All you have to deal is put them in a card and send them off. Easy! Also consider www.giftcertificates.com where you can email gift certificates to loved one.
• Plan better for next year. Keep your holiday shopping list with you all year. It is much easier to find the perfect gift when you aren’t desperately searching for it. Give yourself all year to find it.
Happy Holidays!
Monday, November 21, 2011
More eating, less stress!
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, it seems appropriate to discuss how you can alleviate some of your holiday stress by organizing your meal preparations. Easy solution? Go out. Just kidding. A holiday at home can be low stress and even enjoyable.
If you are reading this on Monday you have three days to go. If you haven’t shopped yet, make a list. The first list should be what you plan on serving. Based on that list, create a shopping list with all the ingredients needed. If you have a lot of guests coming, be sure and invite them to bring a dish to share. This cuts down on the work for you and makes it a meal in the true spirit of Thanksgiving. If you can, hit the grocery store early in the morning or late at night. It will be crowded this week, but if you go during off hours, you can avoid much of the crowd.
Figure out what can be made ahead of time. Things like stuffing, pies, and casseroles can usually be made at least a day ahead of time. Get it done early so you have less to do on Thursday. Personally, I think that giving things like stuffing a day to sit makes it taste better too since all the flavors have time to really combine.
Another thing you can do the night before is set the table. If you have kids, put them in charge of either the center piece or the name cards. The kids will enjoy being part of the decorating and it will be one less thing for you to do.
Make sure you know how long your turkey needs to defrost. Usually they need at least a few days in the refrigerator prior to cooking. If you forget, remember you can always soak it in cold water to expedite the defrosting process. There are lots of great websites that will walk you through this process if you aren’t familiar.
Take a minute to plan your cooking schedule. Unless you have a professional kitchen, you probably only have one oven. Plan ahead to determine when things need to go in the oven so everything can be ready around the same time. Consider alternative ways of cooking the turkey like smoking, barbequing or frying (although I don’t recommend this method due to fires and clogged arteries…).
Finally, charge your camera and video camera batteries. Make sure they are ready to capture wonderful holiday memories.
Happy Thanksgiving and I pray that your holiday is full of love, relaxation and happy memories.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
If you are reading this on Monday you have three days to go. If you haven’t shopped yet, make a list. The first list should be what you plan on serving. Based on that list, create a shopping list with all the ingredients needed. If you have a lot of guests coming, be sure and invite them to bring a dish to share. This cuts down on the work for you and makes it a meal in the true spirit of Thanksgiving. If you can, hit the grocery store early in the morning or late at night. It will be crowded this week, but if you go during off hours, you can avoid much of the crowd.
Figure out what can be made ahead of time. Things like stuffing, pies, and casseroles can usually be made at least a day ahead of time. Get it done early so you have less to do on Thursday. Personally, I think that giving things like stuffing a day to sit makes it taste better too since all the flavors have time to really combine.
Another thing you can do the night before is set the table. If you have kids, put them in charge of either the center piece or the name cards. The kids will enjoy being part of the decorating and it will be one less thing for you to do.
Make sure you know how long your turkey needs to defrost. Usually they need at least a few days in the refrigerator prior to cooking. If you forget, remember you can always soak it in cold water to expedite the defrosting process. There are lots of great websites that will walk you through this process if you aren’t familiar.
Take a minute to plan your cooking schedule. Unless you have a professional kitchen, you probably only have one oven. Plan ahead to determine when things need to go in the oven so everything can be ready around the same time. Consider alternative ways of cooking the turkey like smoking, barbequing or frying (although I don’t recommend this method due to fires and clogged arteries…).
Finally, charge your camera and video camera batteries. Make sure they are ready to capture wonderful holiday memories.
Happy Thanksgiving and I pray that your holiday is full of love, relaxation and happy memories.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The many ways to use a lazy susan
Lazy susans or turntables, whatever you choose to call them, can be found at any store like Wal Mart or Target. They are inexpensive and oh-so-handy. Here are 5 uses for them:
• Spice rack
• Hair products
• Medicines
• Vitamins
• Cleaning products
I could go on all day, but you get the point. Go pick a few up now and get those cabinets organized!
Not sure what in the world I am talking about? Follow this link to view the product - http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd100112
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
• Spice rack
• Hair products
• Medicines
• Vitamins
• Cleaning products
I could go on all day, but you get the point. Go pick a few up now and get those cabinets organized!
Not sure what in the world I am talking about? Follow this link to view the product - http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd100112
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
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