Organizing Life

January 2013 a Fresh New Start!

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procrastination-fortune-cookie-500x300The month of January is symbolic of new beginnings with its clean, unscarred calendar pages. The word January dates back to Roman   mythology. The god Janus was believed to be “the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings,” according to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. How appropriate then, as we open to the new calendar page, that we are filled with expectation as we walk through the doorway leading to a happier, healthier and more organized new year.

January is the perfect month to tie up loose ends. Just like the leftovers that pull at us to eat them, the unfinished, loose ends pull at us and drain our energy. Cheryl Richardson, author of Take Time for Your Life, believes that each unfinished, incomplete or unresolved “to do” is connected to our life energy by invisible cords. The more cords, that is, the more “leftovers,” the less life energy we have for the present. Do you have a phone call you have been putting off, a relationship to mend or end, piles of unread magazines or errands to do? Each of these tasks, whether you consciously think about them or not, continues to drain your energy. Once you systematically start cleaning up and taking care of these “drains” you will feel your energy increase. Start with a blank planner page and list the “to do’s” you have been avoiding. Think about those things that pop into your head when you are trying to get to sleep or that are on scraps of paper covering your desk and write them down. Are there any that you could take care of today, tomorrow or this week? Write the task on the dated planner page and be sure to cross it off once it is completed. As you make progress tying up loose ends you will feel your energy being restored as you juggle less and less of 2012 and gain energy for 2013.

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” A.A. Milne

Would your student benefit from organizing help for their academics? Then check out our End Homework Hassle email program that sends daily “lessons” to teach them the skills they need to succeed. January’s Special Pricing is $50 off.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and organized 2013. Thanks for reading.

Tomorrow I'll Do It

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Tame your time
Tame your time

The word procrastinate is defined by Webster as, “to put off doing something usually out of habitual carelessness or laziness or to postpone or delay needlessly.” I am not so sure I agree with that definition. Sometimes we have to procrastinate because there simply is not enough time in the day to do it all. If the task is really important it will get done but only when its priority is increased. For example, a student who needs to study for a test, will eventually sit down and study or will have to accept the consequences of a low grade. For the ADHD brain, the pressure of a task that HAS TO get done is often enough of an adrenaline rush to push you to get it done. Sometimes though, you may have to trick yourself by setting false deadlines as if they were real.

First step in eliminating procrastination is deciding what is in it for you and what will happen if you don’t do it? This should help you determine if you are really committed to it. Then determine what is preventing you from completing it. Is it a fear of failure or lack of information? Or are you afraid you cannot do a “perfect” job so you don’t start?

Next, decide to get started. Break the task into manageable pieces or set a time limit and work until the time is up. You may realize it isn’t as difficult as you thought and you can keep going.  Cheryl Richardson starts her day asking herself, “What action do I most want to avoid doing today?” Then she begins with that and notes that things quickly change for the better after that. Remember to reduce distractions before you begin working and reward yourself when you complete the task. Overcoming the procrastination habit leads to healthy feeling of being in control of your life. Want to feel competent and capable? Then do it today!

The Past Does Not Equal The Future

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I am not sure who said “the past does not equal the future” (maybe Tony Robbins) but I think it is an important reminder as we start the new school year.  Just because “x, y and z” happened last year, does not mean it will happen again this year. Each new school year is a chance to start over…a bit like new years. It does have some of the same problems though….we start off fresh and then fall back into our old habits just like those resolutions that last a day or a week.

This year, why not focus on the positive. Acknowledge your child every day they sit down and get to their homework on their own. Rather than “that’s great!” try something that shows how responsible they are being or mentions the new habits they are developing that can lead to improved grades. This encourages them to put the specifics together with their feelings about what you said. This ignites a little intrinsic motivation fire that hopefully they will want to continue to fuel. When kids feel good about themselves and what they can do…there is no stopping them.

Staying with the theme of the positive this year, ask “what” questions rather than “why” questions. Can you hear the difference between: “What homework will you work on next?” And “Why isn’t your math done yet?” It’s all a matter of how you phrase things. Asking “why” questions has an implied judgment in it, don’t you think?

Parents, the new school year isn’t just a fresh start for your child, it is for you too. What can you do to make “x”, “y” and “z” better for yourself and your family this year?

Wishing all my clients and their families (and students and families everywhere) an organized, calm, and successful school year.

For more helpful tips and strategies, sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Easy Steps to Going Green

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Go green save earthMaking simple changes/choices towards a more “greener” lifestyle is good for your health, your family, your environment and the planet. Today’s article talks about three areas to help you navigate along the green path. First up is food. There is a lot of press about organic vs. conventionally grown produce and the amount of pesticides and other chemicals in our foods. Knowing where your food comes from can tell you about how it has been grown. With Farmer’s Markets beginning, you have the opportunity to ask the farmer how it has been grown. Buying local also cuts down on energy used and pollution created from shipping from the other side of the globe. The closer it is, the fresher it is too.

Going 100% organic can be expensive however, and so a consumer health group called the Environmental Working Group, has created a list of the “dirty dozen” – those 12 fruits and veggies that have been shown to have the highest amounts of pesticide residue. They recommend buying organic for these. They also created a “clean 15” list, which lists the 15 cleanest fruits and veggies that you can feel safe buying conventionally. For processed products check the ingredient lists – the shorter the list, the more likely you can pronounce the ingredients. That could mean fewer chemicals and preservatives in the food and in your body. Keep BPAs (giant name I won’t even try to spell, that has been shown to affect hormones) out of your food by not microwaving anything in plastic. Use glass for storage whenever possible too.

You can also reduce your exposure to chemicals by opting for the more “natural” choice when possible. I’m no expert but I have tried to switch from popular brands of cleaning products to those made by Method and 7th Generation or I just use vinegar and water. I have been happy with the results and feel that they are no more expensive than the other brands (I get them at Target). I’ve also found that my husband’s allergies seem to bother him less. So, I’ll continue to watch for new products and to replace what I can with a more earth friendly and “Laine” friendly product.

Some other simple actions you can take along the way: Reuse or repurpose things rather than buying new. Recycle as much as possible. Many towns now have single stream recycling which makes it so easy. Everything plastic (numbers 1-7); paper, metal and glass can all go in the same container. Use the reusable “shopping” bags at the grocery store and also other stores. Use less plastic and more glass containers. Open the windows when possible to change the air inside your home. Put lights on timers, heat and AC on timers and of course buy local and buy organic when you can. Baby steps down the road to “green” may improve your health and the health of your family too. I’m sure you can think of other ideas, let’s share on Facebook.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Papers, Papers, Everywhere – But Not the One I Need!

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papersFamilies are bombarded with papers and mail every day. It never really stops and at this time of the year, there is also the added burden of finding the papers necessary to prepare the taxes. So, how do you keep up with the papers, handle them and find the important ones when you need them? This newsletter offers several solutions based on your paper personality. Which of the three paper personalities are you?

The “pilers” are the ones that make piles of this and that but leave them in the busy zones of the home and so they get relocated and re-piled over and over. The kitchen table and counter are two of the most popular landing zones for the mail and incoming school papers. Problem is when the table or counter is needed the pile is moved to another spot, or several piles are combined. With this method, all the papers need to be looked at to find the one you need. Are you a “piler?”

The “collectors” have a spot for papers and put all papers whether important or unimportant in that place. It may be a desk, small table or the corner of a counter, but all papers are dropped there. To find a specific paper they need to go through the entire pile – but at least all the papers are in one place. Are you a “collector?”

The “filers” separate their papers and put them in different places depending on their function. Bills go in one place, action items in another, magazines in another etc. Based on what they are looking for they know where to look. The problem with this system is that although the papers are in their “spot” there is no designated time to take care of the papers, bills, or action items.

Whether you pile, collect or file your papers, you need to ask yourself if it is working for you. Can you find what you need quickly and easily? Do the action items get handled in a timely manner or do some things fall through the cracks? If you answered “no” to either question, keep reading to find three solutions to get those papers under control.

desktop-fileA Desktop File can serve as a command center and is easily adapted to suit individual needs. It is easy to carry, keeps all papers contained and has hanging file folders labeled to fit your family’s needs. Some typical file categories are: bills, action or to do, to file, project title, tax info, and/or family member names. For example, when the mail comes in, it is sorted into the bills and action folders. What is left is usually to read or junk mail. With folders for each family member you can keep important information handy. Sports schedules, class lists, current sizes, the information on the upcoming field trip, whatever you need to be able to access for your child, spouse or self all contained in one place.

A Family Notebook is a three ring binder outfitted with plastic dividers with pockets and page protector pockets designed for your family’s needs. Use the dividers to categorize things such as family members, dining, town information, sports schedules, etc. Put your favorite take out menus in page protectors, put your child’s sports practice schedule in a page protector, put that upcoming field trip information in the front pocket of the divider with your child’s name on it so it is easily accessible. This works well for school and town information and those sheets of information you have to hold onto for a season or a school year. This won’t handle all your papers though so I suggest using “in” boxes or bins for each family member and two extras bins; one for bills and one for the rest of the mail. In case you can’t sort through all the mail or incoming paper at that moment, place it all in one “in” box and it will stay contained until you have the time to deal with it.

There are also various types of Mail sorters that can be used for papers. Find one you like with enough slots or dividers for what you need. Label the dividers so that anyone can sort the mail into the right category. The main thing is to separate the bills and action items from the rest of the mail. Each family member can also have a slot for their important papers.

Remember to go through each of these systems weekly to pay the bills and handle the action items. Then there is the question of what to do with your child’s papers. Check out my blog for tips on handling the three types of papers your child brings home.

Tip for the Week: Dinner Plans

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Time saver tipMake a menu plan for this upcoming week. Whether you put it into your electronic or paper calendar or post a note on the refrigerator, it doesn’t matter as long as for the week you don’t have to think about what’s for dinner.  Remember to look at the afterschool activities to get an idea of how much time you really have to prepare something. Pick only those meals that you have everything for. Look at the plan the night before so you know what you are making the next day. Is there anything you can do to speed up the process – like take the meat out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw or cut up the vegetables?

With the time you save, help your child organize the papers in their backpack. It may be the fourth term but it is not too late to pull up those grades and it starts by organizing their papers so they can find what they need when they need it. See our blog on Organizing Children’s Papers.

Next meeting of the POCWA (Parents of Children with ADHD/ADD) group meets May 3rd at the Hingham Library at 7pm. If you’ve got kids with ADHD, we’ve got strategies to help.

What's for Dinner?

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What's for dinner?Arsenic hour – that’s what I used to call it. It’s that late afternoon hour when you are trying to coordinate sports pick up, homework help and cooking dinner. Everyone seems to need something at the time you need to be thinking about dinner.

The “Leave it to Beaver” era of having two parents and the children all home at the same time for a sit down dinner, is long gone. Parents are travelling for work, others are working two jobs, or working late hours, or spend hours in traffic – and it all impacts the stress level at home.

At the end of a busy day, the last thing you want to do is think about what’s for dinner, so stopping on the way home is an enticing option. Down deep though, you know it may not be the healthiest choice to make. Having a meal plan ready can save you the time and frustration of having to think about creating a dinner out of what is on hand. You can use a simple calendar (create a blank one in word or publisher) and pencil in dinners for the week. There are apps for your phone that can help with planning, recipe ideas and even websites that will send you the menu each week (based on the sales at your local store (http://www.foodonthetable.com/). Armed with a plan for the week, grocery shopping becomes quick and easy and weekly rather than daily.

The best meals are the ones you already make.  Look at your favorite recipes and pick out the ones that will work the best. Simpler is better for school nights. Using the timer oven, crock pot or microwave, as well as, cooking larger portions to use for two different meals, can save you time and effort. With a plan it only takes a quick check of the menu the night before to remind you of what you need to do to be prepared. This is also very helpful for significant others and teenage children who might not take the initiative to decide on dinner but can follow directions quite well. Asking for help lightens the pressure and makes others feel they are contributing too.

Of course you could do a marathon cooking day and make several meals to freeze or check out the new franchise Dream Dinners where you can make dinners and leave the mess to them. Whatever you decide, having a few things in the freezer already prepared or ready for quick prep can take the struggle out of that dinner hour and leave you with more time to spend with your family.

This is reprinted from our Laine’s Logic Newsletter – Logical Solutions for Today’s Busy Family. Sign up on our website here.

Keeping Your Child's Papers Under Control

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Are you overwhelmed by your child’s papers? The younger they are it seems the more paper they bring home. Depending on the age of your children there are generally three types of children’s papers that come into the home.

LOOK AT: Their school papers that have been corrected and returned, notices

RETURN: The notices and/or items to be signed

KEEP for REFERENCE: The schedules you need to hang onto, contact list for scouts, CCD schedule, etc.

hanging-desk-free-organizerThe LOOK AT group: First you need to decide whether you want to hang it up for a few days, save for posterity or save for now and purge at the end of the term. For this type you can easily use an accordion folder, or a desktop file with fat hanging folders or a hanging file like the one shown. If your child is in middle school or above they should have their own desktop file or a hanging file and should periodically clean out their notebooks and put the papers in a labeled folder for each subject. This way they are all together when it comes time to study for the midterm exams or review for MCAS.

If you just can’t bear to part with some of your child’s art work then leave it displayed for a while and then store in a memory box. At the end of the school year you and your child can enjoy the time going through the papers and picking no more than 10-15 favorites to save.

in boxRETURN: Several clients I have use in/out boxes labeled for each family member. Each child is responsible for emptying their backpack of papers and putting any thing that mom or dad needs to see in their in box. Mom or dad then checks it each day and signs it and puts it in junior’s in box. Then when Junior is getting ready for tomorrow he has to put that signed paper into his backpack and place the backpack near the door.

KEEP for REFERENCE: Sports, Dance and Scout schedules should be entered into your planner and placed on the current month’s family calendar. It is also helpful for your child to enter it into their agenda as well. It helps them plan their long term projects better if they know when they have practice. If there are only a few schedules you may want to make a folder for your desktop file labeled schedules or put each child’s schedule in their folder.

Those Friday papers you get from school often have upcoming event dates. Those should be entered into your planner or electronic calendar as well. You can keep the paper until the event has taken place in a tickler file.

Group contact lists or the season schedule can also be kept in a binder using page protectors. I have created several Family notebooks that hold schedules, the recycle calendar, the library hours, favorite take out restaurant menus and other odds and ends that you need to hold onto but don’t know where to put them. Just make sure that each category is labeled and for a while you might want to put a reminder up that you saved such in such in the family notebook. Keep it easily accessible. You’ll be amazed at how much time it saves you.

If you struggle with your papers, then sign up on our website to receive this month’s Laine’s Logic Newsletter and read, “Paper, Paper Everywhere, but Not the One I Need!”

3 Steps to Solving Your Organizational Challenge

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Happy 7th Anniversary to me! Seven years in business that is. Today starts my eighth year but today is also important for another reason. It is the same day many, many years ago that I decided to get organized. I remember feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and started looking for information. I started devouring anything I could find on getting organized. Back then there was not a lot of information out there. Today, if you Google “get organized” you’ll get 32,800,000 hits in .34 seconds. That’s a lot of information!

The “get organized” business is a lot like the “diet” industry – everyone has their own ideas and they may or may not work for everyone. So how do you decide what to do?

Here are the first three things you should do:

1. Find the root cause. What is it that is really bothering you or causing a problem? Keep asking yourself questions until you can get to the root of the problem. For example, paying a bill late – why does that happen? Is it because the bills are mixed in with the pile of mail and aren’t seen? Or is it that it gets moved from table to counter? It could be, but it’s more than that. Is it because there is no plan of when to pay them? Probably.  The system to handle the bills is missing and needs a few things. So, once the problem is narrowed down you can proceed to step 2.

2. Analyze your options. Figure out all the possible things that might solve the challenges that you discovered in finding the root cause above. Then write down anything and everything you think might have a positive impact in resolving the problem. Then go back and pick two or three things you can do to solve the challenge. To continue with our example, let’s find a home for the mail by using a basket or bin or mail sorter bin, but keep the bills separated by putting them in their own basket. Then decide on what a “bill paying” plan or process might look like. (Do you need a chart to list the bills, or to put a reminder on the to do list? You get the idea.) Analyze your options and decide what changes would have the biggest impact.

3. Try it out. It takes three weeks (sometimes longer) to create a new habit but you should know in a few days whether or not your new solutions are working. You may have to “tweak” it to improve it, but don’t quit if it doesn’t work perfectly the first few weeks. Keep asking, “What can I do to make this work better?” Then try that. Keep trying until you solve it – here’s where you can “Google” to get specific ideas related to what you are trying to change. Using our example, maybe we see that adding “pay bills” to the to do list isn’t helping. Continuing to look for solutions, maybe you try deciding to pay bills every Friday and put that in your planner.  Or maybe you set up all your bills to be paid online through your bank. Whatever you decide, go back to question one and see that it has solved the original problem. If so, then move on to the next challenge.

Just remember to keep it simple. Good luck!

 

New Season, New Start: Goal Setting for Autumn

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Happy AutumnHappy Autumn! It is now officially autumn and I can see some of the leaves starting to change color here in the northeast. I love fall but I sometimes feel that it is the shortest season of all. Before you know it the cold temperatures will be here with the excitement (notice I didn’t say stress) of the holiday season.

A new season for me means a new start but also serves as a reminder that the year is coming to an end. In fact there are only 98 days left to the year. Isn’t that scary? The reason I know that is thanks to Gary Ryan Blair who runs a “100 day challenge” program. I love the concept that it is not time to give up but rather time to push harder to get those goals off the list so come January 1st you are proud of what you have accomplished and motivated to keep going.

So, I’m taking a different approach this season. I am not going to go crazy (please hold me to that) by taking on EVERYTHING I want to get done between now and winter. Instead I am going to focus on three goals for October, three for November and maybe one for December. The reason I say three is because you can’t just look at one piece of your life without realizing how everything else is related. For instance, if you have low energy, then you can’t possibly be as effective at work or at home. Coaches may use different names for each category but the basic “parts” of your life can be broken down into categories such as; health, money, career, relationships, fun and recreation, physical environment, family, spiritual and personal growth. So I picked three goals for October in the areas of health, home and business. I know that announcing them publicly is the way to make me more accountable. You will check in on me, won’t you?

Here are my SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time specific) goals:

1. Health: I will work out or be physically active three or more days a week for 30 minutes or more for the month of October.

2. Home: I will redo my son’s room by the end of October.

3. Business: I will keep track of the hours I work and separate “work” from “my time” throughout October.

There! Now I am committed to those three goals. I deliberately made them easy to do so that I could be successful without killing myself. If I had said I will work out 5 or 6 days a week for 45-60 minutes, then once I failed, I wouldn’t want to keep going. So, make your goals not so tough that life events could cause you to fail, but also not so easy that you aren’t stretching yourself.

Now please use the comment box below to share your October goals (I’m giving you the last week of September to get ready) and let’s hold each other accountable.

If you’d like me to hold your son or daughter accountable for staying organized with their homework, then check out my End Homework Hassle E-Learning Course.

Thanks,

Laine