1. Folding Cargo Trunk Bag Organizer
We adore the Folding Cargo Bag Trunk Organizer from Case Logic because it’s so convenient! This fabulous top-zip collapsible cargo bag rids your trunk of clutter. It’s also a fantastic way to get your groceries home without spilling a single bag – who hasn’t suffered the frustration of produce scattered across your trunk? It attaches to the floor of your trunk with hook attachment strips, has three oversized mesh pockets for easy access and collapses for under seat or side cargo pocket storage. Order yours online at www.caselogic.com (@caselogic)

2. Frog Box
Planning to move your home or office this year? Hate searching for the traditional cardboard boxes to pack up all your belongings? Want to minimize your environmental impact during your move? We are so excited to introduce you to FROGBOX. This innovative company rents out reusable, environmentally plastic boxes and moving supplies for you to use – they’ll even drop off the boxes and pick them up from your new location! Need to know more? Visit www.frogbox.com to find all the details. (@FROGBOX)

3. Travel Pill Pal with Alarm
Whether you’re taking a new medication, on-the-go, traveling to a different time zone or simply want to ensure you never miss a dose, the Pill Pal with an Alarm from Austin House is a great gadget! You can program four individual alarms and it uses an easy-to-replace button watch battery. We love how simple it is to use and that it stands up to the hustle-and-bustle of your busy life. Find it online at www.austinhouse.com.

4. Garbini
When you’re constantly on the go it can be difficult to keep your car clean, which is why we’re big fans of the Umbra Garbini. This desktop container fits in the cup holder of your car and is the perfect garbage can! Perfect for grab-and-go cleaning, you can always bring it in the house, rinse it out and use it in the kitchen, bathroom or office as an organizer. You can order these mini-garbage cans online at www.urbaneonline.ca or pick one up from your local DeSerres Art Store. (@umbra_ltd)

5. Kangaroo Keeper
Are you one of the many women who suffer from “purse disaster-itis?” We put the Kangaroo Keeper on our list this year because it transforms the inside of your purse from a disorganized mess into a tidy, functional, useable bag. . We love that once you organize the contents, you can quickly move the Kangaroo Keeper between bags so you’re always ready to go. You can order it online at www.kangarookeeper.ca or find it in your local “As Seen On Tv” outlet store.

6. Pinterest.com
Pride yourself on being on the cutting edge of style? Want to keep up with the latest DIY projects? Love to share your favourite products like we do? Check out Pinterest – an online pin board where you can showcase things you love and discover new favourites.  Join the discussion at www.pinterest.com,and be sure to visit our boards at www.pinterest.com/organizeanything. (@pinterest)

7. Grid It
We were first introduced to the Grid It by Cocoon at the National Association of Professional Organizer’s Annual Conference in San Diego, and we fell in love with it. It comes in several sizes but we love the smallest size because it fits perfectly into a shoulder bag or laptop case. Storing small, loose objects within the woven bands means you won’t lose your cords or thumb drives again! Order it online at www.cocooninnovations.com (@cocoonbags)

8. Digging Out
We get so many calls from frustrated loved ones concerned about family members who they believe to be hoarders. Hoarding is a complex problem, and this wonderful book by Michael A. Tompkins and Tamara L. Hartl, will help concerned friends and family members navigate the relationship issues that arise when someone you care about has a hoarding problem.  It’s full of tips and guides to help you identify hoarding patterns, create a harm reduction plan, and how to help your loved one seek the professional treatment they need. A must-read for anyone who thinks that they have a hoarder in their life, you can find this book at all major book stores both online and in person. We use Amazon.ca – www.amazon.ca/Digging-Out-Hoarding-Compulsive-Acquiring. (@NewHarbinger)

9. Sterilite 5.7L Clear Containers
Simple, affordable and sturdy are three reasons we’ve listed Sterilite Clear Containers in 2012. Fantastic for storing everything from craft supplies to your seasonal clothes, you can see what’s in the box without having to open it and riffle through it. Stack them in your garage or storage closet for easy access. You can purchase Sterilite anywhere storage containers are sold. (@SteriliteCorp)

10. “Give a Goat” Charitable Donations
In 2012, mix things up a little when it comes to your gift giving. We all have too many “things” cluttering up our lives, so instead of adding to the chaos with a material gift, buy a goat – or school supplies, a hand pump, a fruit tree, mosquito netting and more – in someone’s name. We love the idea of including others and building community through charitable giving. There are so many wonderful organizations you can donate to – we’re fans of the options the Christian Children’s Fund gives you. Find out more at www.ccfcanada.ca (@ccfc)

It’s time to audit your office set up.

Is your office set up working for you and your health? Position yourself and your equipment correctly to ensure a quality-working environment.

Get organized for the health of it. And remember if you have specific concerns always check with your practitioners to ensure the set up is right for you.

An improved working environment will elevate one’s overall well-being.

People who take time out of their busy work lives to spend some quality with themselves are more likely to enjoy their work and be more productive. Here are some simple ways to treat yourself right – even when you’re at your busiest.

1) Schedule an hour in your day planner every day that is just for you. Fill it with a hobby,  a class, a nap – whatever you like, as long as it’s just for you. If you look at it like it’s an appointment that you have to keep you are more likely to honour that time.

2) Take an electronic break – see what happens when you turn off your phone, blackberry, iPod, TV, computer and radio. A study of 3000 students by the Kaiser Family Foundation ending in May 2009 revealed that on average they were spending seven and a half hours per day working with electronic devices!

3) If it’s in your budget, schedule yourself a massage once a month. If a massage is a little too pricey, enjoy an
at-home spa day once a month. Taking a break under the warm hands of a masseuse or in tub full of bubbles can help with mental vacation from your stress.

4) Go to your to-do list and see what you can eliminate – maybe you don’t really have to do it anyway. If you have been procrastinating doing something for a long time, ask if it is really important. If it, is make a plan. If it isn’t, get rid of it. No sense in it haunting you from the list. Better yet – see who else could do it.

5) Shut your door – Research suggests the average manager spends three hours a day dealing with interruptions.

6) Take a real lunch break.  Give yourself time to eat in a relaxing atmosphere and read, listen to music, or do nothing.

7) Say no. We are inundated with requests every day to give up our time – and our sanity! Learn to politely refuse when asked to volunteer or donate your time to a cause that you aren’t fully behind. Save your time and energy for causes you truly believe in. Direct your energies in fewer areas where you can be more and fully engaged.

8) Under promise – over deliver.

9) Break out of “The Zone.” It can be really hard to walk away from a project at the end of the day if you’re feeling in the groove, but you need to respect the boundary between work and home. You’ll find your groove again tomorrow, right now you need to walk away and go do something else.

10) Hit the gym, go for a run, practice yoga, take a walk around the block. Beyond the obvious health benefits, the endorphins that are released when you exercise give you a much needed emotional boost to fight through stress and fatigue.

11) Embrace the power of sleep. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do for your emotional well being. Set your DVR to record, so you don’t miss your favourite show, and head to bed an hour earlier – your brain will thank you in the morning!

Make yourself a priority this year. If you take care of yourself physically and emotionally, everything else in your life will fall into place. Now is the time to make yourself a priority – and you will find that your business ventures  will be more successful as a result.

1. Use those gift cards and certificates you received over the past year.  It’s a great way to get what you want or need without spending money.  You can even stretch out their value through end-of-season sales.  Just be sure to check the expiry date before using them.

2. Those decorative candles?  They were meant to be lit and to burn out, so use them before you buy new ones.

3. Check your books and magazines.  There’s always one you haven’t read.  Consider cancelling subscriptions for any magazines you don’t read regularly, and get rid of any items you aren’t going to read.

4. Take an inventory of the food you have and think about ways to use it.  Got pasta and tomato sauce?  Add meat and cheese to your grocery list and make lasagna.  Even your freezer is likely to have several items that you can prepare.  This will save you money and reduce clutter in your cupboards and fridge.

5. Why rent when you can catch up on movies you’ve collected, or programs you’ve recorded?  When done, take the movies you don’t need to keep and donate them, or give them to a friend.

6. Built up a lot of points on your merchant loyalty cards for air travel, products or services?  Now is the time to redeem them.

7. You probably have more beauty supplies than you realize.  It’s time to take stock and start using them.  This is also a great way to clear out products that are past their expiry date.  If you have items you don’t plan to use, like shampoo, drop them off at your local women’s shelter.

8. Have a lot of loose change around your house?  Gather it up and use it.  You can roll it up and put it in the bank or divide it up and give it to your kids as lunch money.

9. Instead of a new hobby or craft, revisit one that you set aside. You’ll save money on supplies.

Remember, when it comes to excess or unused items around your home, everything old is new again.  For example, consider cutting up old towels to make new cleaning cloths. And consider giving your extra or unused linen and kitchen supplies to someone who’s just purchased a new home or rented an apartment.   .

But what about the rest of us, with overflowing closets, ready-to-topple piles of magazines or bottles or spices spread over three cupboards?

The key is to tackle your decluttering step-by-step. A woman I know swears by the Wood Theory. It goes like this:

Facing a daunting load of wood that needed to be stored in her basement, she committed herself to toting one — and only one —
piece of wood to the basement every time she had to go to the basement for another reason (to unload her washer, for example).

A whole load of wood is daunting. But one piece of wood isn’t. It’s not even that heavy.

Little by little, and painlessly, the load of wood got smaller. And smaller. Until it was gone from her yard and stacked in her
basement.

Hmmm, she thought, if the Wood Theory works for wood, it can work for other tasks. Dust one slat of the blinds before going to pick up the kids at school, and the blinds are soon dusted, for example. It’s harder to avoid a small task that takes minutes — or even seconds — than it is to carve out the time to finish the entire job in one long, back-breaking session.

Here are five chores that are worth tackling the Wood-Theory way:

1. Never miss a birthday: Write one card per night while you’re watching a post-dinner rerun of your favorite show and you’ll soon have all your birthday cards for the year signed, sealed and ready to be delivered

2. Streamline your closet: Line a cardboard box with a plastic bag and place it in your closet to hold donations. Every morning when you’re getting dressed, choose one item for the box. When the box is full, take the bag and drop it off at a roadside donation bin. Repeat until the job is done.

3. Scour your bathroom: After you brush your teeth, chose one area of the bathroom to clean (wash the tub or change the towels, for example). Once the room’s clean, start all over again.

4. Organize your spices: When you run the dishwasher, choose one spice container to fill, re-shelve (in alphabetical order, of course) or toss. Your spices will be organized in no time! Consider using a drawer insert to keep spices neatly together and easy to grab when you’re cooking

5. End magazine mayhem: While you’re watching TV, keep handy a kit with scissors, a three-ring binder, page protectors, label tabs, a plastic bag and a pile of magazines. Flip through one or two issues at a time, cutting out the pages that have articles you want to keep. Put the pages in the protectors and file them in the binder, using the label tabs to separate them by category. Then bag the leftovers for recycling.

Clutter doesn’t have to seem daunting. By taking small steps and applying the wood-theory, you can accomplish big tasks in no time!

1. Don’t keep it to yourself. “I don’t want my friends to know I am trying to quit my bad habit.” Let others know! This gives you leverage and allows others to encourage you along your journey.

2. Don’t leave it in your head. “I don’t need to write it down, I know what I want to do.” Research has shown that those who write down their goals and track them have an increased chance of success.

3. Don’t be vague. “I’m going to lose weight”.  How much? At what rate? By when? Make your goals SMART- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely and time bound.

4. Don’t be inflexible. “I’m not going to ever do that again” Not all goals happen with the flip of a switch. Sometimes you need to wean yourself off of a bad habit. Sometimes you will backslide or slip up. It’s part of life. Get used to it and get used to being more successful for the long haul by recognizing that people try and try again at their goals before they reach them. Some reports suggest an average of 14 times. Persistence not perfectionism pays.

5. Don’t be unrealistic or harsh. “I’m not going to eat any sweets.”  “I will exercise 2 hours everyday.” It is not always realistic to deny yourself. Life is meant to be celebrated. Think moderation and think about small incremental steps that will advance you toward your goal. It is better to be doing a smaller action for the long term than a larger goal that doesn’t have a chance of lasting a week.

6. Don’t take on too much at once. “I’m going to quit smoking, join a gym, meditate 10 minutes every day, lose 20 lbs, and spend more time with my kids.” This is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Focus on a couple of things and the activities that will take you towards your goals.

7. Don’t take the first step TODAY. “I’ll start next week…”  There always seems to be a better time than right now. You may think you need to wait until after a special date or occasion, or once the holidays are over or start on a Monday…the list goes on. The truth is now is always a good time. Start by visualizing where you want to be and eliminating negative self-talk that will keep you from reaching your goals.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

- Anonymous

]]> http://organizeanything.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/7-things-not-to-do-when-making-a-new-years-resolution/feed/ 0 organizeanything http://organizeanything.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/alternative-gift-wrapping-ideas-2/ http://organizeanything.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/alternative-gift-wrapping-ideas-2/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:41:42 +0000 Organize Anything http://organizeanything.wordpress.com/?p=620 ]]> Sometimes wrapping gifts can be equally as stressful as buying — and sometimes equally as expensive. Here are some quick and cost-effective ways to nix the wrapping this year.

1)  Baskets: They come in all sizes and shapes and can make even simple gifts look attractive. Packing your gifts in baskets doubles the pleasure as most will reuse as holders for bread, towels or fruit, or simply as an accessory. Wrap your goody-filled basket in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

2)  Tins: Antique and reproduction tins make useful and decorative additions to any kitchen. They are ideal for packing such food gifts as gourmet coffees and teas, spices, candy, cookies and cakes, and they will most likely continue to be used.

3)  Jars: A Mason jar is the perfect container for homemade condiments, preserves or store-bought candies. Tie a red-and-white cloth napkin around the top and secure with a plaid or gingham taffeta bow.

4)  Cloth bags: You can make these by sewing two colourful pieces of cloth together and inserting a drawstring, or you can purchase bags at a store or online. Small bags can be reused to hold jewellery, while larger bags are great for laundry.

5)  Photo boxes: This saves a lot of time. Simply place a gift in the photo box and add a tag and a bow. Photo boxes come
in an array of colours, patterns and sizes and you can find them for almost any occasion, giving the gift the feeling of being wrapped.

6)  Recyclables: You can use movie posters, newspapers, pieces of fabric, comics, maps or whatever else you have lying around the house! Depending on the occasion or the recipient, you can be as basic or as creative as you like.

7)  Ribbons and Bows: If something is large enough — or too awkward to wrap — avoid the wrapping process all together and stick some curly ribbons or a pretty bow on it. Scraps of coloured yarn can work for those who are trying to be extra thrifty.

8)  Envelopes: For gift cards or gifts of money, place in a card and envelope. Write a letter on the outside of the envelope, roll up and place in a bottle to create a ‘message in a bottle’ effect — or punch a hole through the corner of the envelope and tie a colourful ribbon through it to hang it on a tree.

Being creative and using items around the house can save you time and money. Have fun with these great ideas – the recipient of the gift will enjoy your creative thoughtfulness.

1)  Baskets: They come in all sizes and shapes and can make even simple gifts look attractive. Packing your gifts in baskets doubles the pleasure as most will reuse as holders for bread, towels or fruit, or simply as an accessory. Wrap your goody-filled basket in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

2)  Tins: Antique and reproduction tins make useful and decorative additions to any kitchen. They are ideal for packing such food gifts as gourmet coffees and teas, spices, candy, cookies and cakes, and they will most likely continue to be used.

3)  Jars: A Mason jar is the perfect container for homemade condiments, preserves or store-bought candies. Tie a red-and-white cloth napkin around the top and secure with a plaid or gingham taffeta bow.

4)  Cloth bags: You can make these by sewing two colourful pieces of cloth together and inserting a drawstring, or you can purchase bags at a store or online. Small bags can be reused to hold jewellery, while larger bags are great for laundry.

5)  Photo boxes: This saves a lot of time. Simply place a gift in the photo box and add a tag and a bow. Photo boxes come
in an array of colours, patterns and sizes and you can find them for almost any occasion, giving the gift the feeling of being wrapped.

6)  Recyclables: You can use movie posters, newspapers, pieces of fabric, comics, maps or whatever else you have lying around the house! Depending on the occasion or the recipient, you can be as basic or as creative as you like.

7)  Ribbons and Bows: If something is large enough — or too awkward to wrap — avoid the wrapping process all together and stick some curly ribbons or a pretty bow on it. Scraps of coloured yarn can work for those who are trying to be extra thrifty.

8)  Envelopes: For gift cards or gifts of money, place in a card and envelope. Write a letter on the outside of the envelope, roll up and place in a bottle to create a ‘message in a bottle’ effect — or punch a hole through the corner of the envelope and tie a colourful ribbon through it to hang it on a tree.

Being creative and using items around the house can save you time and money. Have fun with these great ideas – the recipient of the gift will enjoy your creative thoughtfulness.

Maintain your regular exercise routine.  Don’t slip up simply because you have some extra errands to do.  Don’t schedule your workouts around your other activities; schedule your other activities around your workout routines.  Try to go
to the gym, swim or exercise at home at the same time each day.  Give yourself and loved ones the best gift of all this holiday and take care of your health first.

Feel pulled in a million directions?  If your children need you at school concerts, work has extra holiday hours for you or your friends need you to help plan a big holiday party, keep in mind that you won’t be of use to anyone if you over exhaust yourself.  Take a break each day for yourself.  Plan it in your calendar as you would for meetings with family and friends.  Schedule “you” time for at least 15-30 minutes each day doing something that you enjoy.  Whether it’s reading a good book,
going for a manicure or journal writing, take the time to relax and do things you want to do.

Learn to say no. Don’t take something on assuming you will find the time to get it done.  Practice with your family.  Separate
what really needs to get done from what would be nice if it got done.  Focus on getting things that have to get done and delegate or hold off on the rest.  The holidays should be an enjoyable time for everyone, don’t let yourself become a slave to the season.

Eat properly.  Don’t use the holidays and stress as a reason to over eat.  Although the holidays always seem to bring with them sweet treats and extra appetizers, don’t let them tempt you.  Remember, just because someone offers you something, you do not have to accept.  It is not considered rude to politely pass on a food.  If you start something and know you should stop, pack it up and take it home for a snack or meal later.  There is no rule saying you must eat everything on your plate or everything that is handed to you.  Pick and choose the healthiest foods and indulge on those.  Eat smaller portions of your selected treats.   

Although some people think alcohol decreases your stress, it is only a temporary solution.  Try to stay away from consuming too many cocktails as this will interfere with your diet and overall well-being.  If you are careful with what you drink, you will also eliminate consuming too much at holiday parties which in turn could save you some added stress when you get on the scale.

Cut down your gift giving list.  If you have too many people to buy gifts for this year, make a smaller list. Many people will understand and be relieved of the stress and pressure of time and money just as you will be.  This works for especially well for larger families.  Gather for a cookie or gift exchange where each person is only required to bring one item or send a thoughtful Christmas card instead.

Stick to a budget. Financial woes top of the list of relationship issues.  Don’t put an extra strain on yourself and your relationship by running up big bills this season.  You will decrease your quality of living by increasing stress: wondering how you are going to pay your bills, working extra hours to keep creditors at bay, and doing without things you actually need because you wanted to have the “best Christmas
ever.”

Decide ahead of time how much you are going to spend on each person on your list.  Remember that it really is the thought that counts, and not the size or number of presents.