Paper Clutter Organizing Tools

Are you always scrambling to find a pen and paper when you need to take a message while on the phone? Do you have a place to put those messages so you or a family member can find them? Or do those messages end up getting lost and someone, maybe even you, gets mad because the important message didn’t get the person on time?

If the above happens too often in your home it’s time set up an organizing system that is easy enough for the whole family to following.

I have been going through my “Cut Out The Paper Clutter” free e-course on the Facebook Page by the same name. Lesson 3 is about how to control and organize all those little scrapes of paper we use to write messages on. Since I suggest several kinds of products I thought I would show you examples of what I’m talking about.

The products listed below can be purchased through Amazon. The links will take you directly to those products. You may also find similar products at your local office supply store and some discount stores. None are very expensive and would be well worth it if they work for your household.

The time, money, arguments, and embarrassments that will be saved when you are organized are priceless.

 

This phone message organizer is great if you have family members or even yourself who have a tendency to lose those messages. They are inexpensive enough that you can keep one by most phones. The top copy pulls off and can be posted (see bulletin board below) in one central area. They create a carbonless copy so you always have a back-up. I used to use this tool when my boys were living at home.

 

This bulletin board is the size of two standard pieces of copy paper put together. That makes it small enough to hang on a wall in the kitchen or near the main phone. If you have a large family or take a lot of phone or other messages than you might consider using a larger board. One side of my refrigerator is exposed in a good area so we always used that spot for messages when my son’s where growing up. Now that it’s just my husband and me, I use the top of the stove vent near the main phone.

If you are always looking for a piece of paper and a pen or pencil to write a note then a desk organizer can help a lot. I have one that is similar to this one near my main phone in the kitchen. It makes it easy to take phone messages or grab a piece of paper to make out a shopping list. Since I have a lousy memory and tend to forget things I write notes to myself a lot. I’ll put these reminders up on top of the stove vent so I see them.

 

These are just a few tools that can help you and your family stay organized. They are inexpensive enough that if they don’t work well for your household you haven’t spent too much money. Organizing tools can make a world of difference but one size doesn’t fit all. Think carefully about any these or other tools before you buy them. You don’t want to add to your clutter. If you feel these tools will work then give them a try. If not then research other tools to see if something else will work.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Join the Free e-course, Cut Out The Paper Clutter

This past week I decided to start a Facebook page devoted to paper clutter.  I wrote an e-course last year that gives one short lesson from each chapter in the eBook, “Cut Out The Paper Clutter”.  I figured the Facebook page would be a great place to discuss these lessons plus give even more tips on decluttering those paper piles.

I’m in the process of updating many of the links in the e-course.  The first 3 lessons are already done and the rest should be completed in the next day or two.  Since each lesson is sent every three days you can go ahead and sign up today and get the updated lessons.

I’m going to start discussing Lesson 1 (Junk mail) on Friday, January 20th (tomorrow). Since it will be on a Facebook page you can jump in anytime you want to. Here is a link to sign up for the e-course and to “like” the Facebook page.

3Debook_Clutter8

Cut Out The Paper Clutter e-course.

Cut Out The Paper Clutter Facebook Page.

Cut Out The Paper Clutter eBook

Since I started setting up the Facebook page and editing the e-course lessons I’ve found myself motivated to work on some of my own paper clutter. Yesterday I went through some file folders that contained a lot of instructional articles about setting up a blog and website.  Since mine has been set up for a few years now there was no reason to keep these printed articles. If I need help with some technical problem I can always look it up online again. A nice thick stack of papers went into the recycling bin!

Join me on theFacebook page and hopefully you too will get motivated to get rid of some of your paper clutter. Then once the clutter is gone it will be much easier to organize the important papers that are left.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.  ~Hans Hofmann

The e-course is free. TheFacebook page is free. What have you got to lose except some paper clutter.

Take the e-course first and if you still need more tips and help with decluttering and organizing your papers then invest in the eBook for only $9.99.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

 

Learn How To Say “No” To Clutter

Girl_-_Pouting

January is a good month to evaluate our lives and plan out what we want to change in the coming year.  Change is not always easy but it can help us clear the clutter from our lives. We have to learn how to say “no” to clutter and “yes” to living.

When we are young children we usually start declaring our independence by shouting the word “no” to our parents when they tell us to do something we don’t want to do.  Early on we are taught that it’s okay for parents to say “no” to us but not okay for us to say “no” to them.  We usually outgrow this feeling of unfairness and understand that they were just trying to teach us how to act and behave.

I believe that sometimes when we surround ourselves with so much stuff because we are rebelling against all those adults who said “no” to us when we were young. Even when we recognize that we have a problem it’s hard to get rid of the clutter because that little voice in our head from so long ago is saying they are right and we are wrong. We can’t let that happen so we hold onto our clutter just to prove that voice wrong even if we are miserable.

The word “no” is such a powerful word. When used in the right situation it can give us the freedom to enjoy the true beauty that comes into our lives.  If we are always smothered with clutter it will be hard to even recognize this beauty much less enjoy it.

There are all kinds of clutter that can build up in our homes and our lives.  There is the physical clutter we are all familiar with. These things can easily take over our homes if we don’t control them.

Then there are the kinds of clutter that are not so visible to us. Yet these kinds of clutter can take over our lives and smother us even more than the physical clutter.

These may include all the activities we get involved in with the hope they will enrich our lives. They also may include some of the people in our lives and the relationship we have with them.

Many of the following activities and relationships do enrich our lives. Many may have started out that way but no longer make us feel good.  Only you can decide which ones are clutter. Some will be easy to declutter once you decide you want to do it. Others won’t be so easy. Review the list below. After it I will give you some suggestions on to use this list to start decluttering your life.

Activities:

  1. Organizations you volunteered for.
  2. Groups you joined such as book clubs, garden clubs, etc.
  3. Classes you signed up for such as exercise, craft, self-improvement, or a formal education class.
  4. Activities you signed you children up for that involves your participation; sports, dance, Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, after school activities, etc.
  5. Any hobbies you have.

Relationships:

  1. Family members.
  2. Friends.
  3. Neighbors.
  4. People from your children’s school – teachers, committees, PTA, room mothers, etc.
  5. People from your church or temple.

The best way to start figuring out which activities are clutter is to take a notebook and start listing all of them you and your family are involved with. Sometimes we don’t even realize how many activities we are involved in until we see the list written down. If your list is long it’s no wonder you probably feel overwhelmed and over burdened.

Examine this list carefully and figure out which things you can start saying “no” to. If you can’t say “no” to anything just yet don’t worry. Keep this list available and review often. Eventually you’ll recognize which things can go and how to declutter them.  I’ll talk more about this in future blog posts.

Regarding relationships you’ll want to make a list of all the people you know by the categories above. Again, once you write these down you will recognize some relationships that are clutter in your life. Of course it’s a lot harder to declutter people but there may be a few that aren’t as hard as you think. I’ll talk about some ideas that have worked for me and others in future blog posts.  Right now just review the list and start recognizing those people that cause you stress or bring negativity into your life.

We can go through life on auto-pilot or we can take charge and sit in the driver’s seat.  We can learn to say “yes” to those activities and relationships that make us smile and feel good about our lives. We can also learn to say “no” to those activities and relationships that smother us under a pile of clutter.

Start the year off by taking charge and write down all the activities and people in your life. This will give you a check list from which you can decide what and who can be scratched off of the list. This is just the starting place. Give yourself time to make the decisions.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

Take Care of the Inches in the New Year

I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and productive new year!  This is the time where our hopes and dreams are in full bloom.  Unfortunately our enthusiasm usually dies out when we don’t see results soon enough.

It’s important to have dreams and figure out what steps we have to take to make those dreams come true.  I know…it’s easy to say but hard to do.

I’ve been reading a book called “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.  It talks about how the little things can make a big difference. The problem is we may not see our efforts make much of a difference until they reach a tipping point.  This means that all that exercising may not move the scale very fast but if you keep at it then one day you’ll notice your clothes are fitting a lot better.

The same is true with decluttering and organizing.  You may feel that those few papers you filed or pitched didn’t even make a dent today. But keep at it and before you know it the desk will be cleaned off.

As the weeks and months go by and our hopes of having a great new year start to wane remind yourself that there will be a “tipping point” as long as you take care of the little things. Start each day this year with a list of small steps you can take that will move you closer to reaching your dreams of weight loss (seems to top most lists), organizing, decluttering, or any other dream you have.

There are a couple of quotes I taped up on my desk to remind me focus on the little steps.

Yard by yard, it’s very hard.  But inch by inch, it’s a cinch. ~Anon

I recommend you to take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. ~ Lord Chesterfield

Set your goals but focus on what you can do today to move you just a little closer to that tipping point.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Clutter Free Gift Ideas

We know about our own clutter.  Sometimes we know about a family member or close friend’s clutter.  We want to give them a gift but don’t want to make their clutter problem even worse. Since we know they will probably want to give us a gift we don’t want something that will add to our own clutter.     Christmas presents

So what type of clutter free gifts will be enjoyed and appreciated? Below is a list of ideas for both giving and receiving. Don’t be afraid to ask the person what they would like. Give them some choices from the lists below. Otherwise they will probably say, “I don’t know” or “It doesn’t matter, whatever you want to buy me”. They really do care but are afraid to tell you.

You can also make suggestions for things you would prefer to receive from your family and/or friends. Try to be considerate of the cost of the gifts and the person’s financial situation. You can either set a limit on the cost of the gifts or use the list below for clutter free gifts that cost little or no money.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas – price: various

  1. Gift certificate for the local mall or their favorite store.
  2. Gift certificate for a movie, theater production, or concert.
  3. Gift certificate for a day spa.
  4. Gift certificate for a local attraction or activity such as the zoo, a museum, amusement park, sporting event, bowling, ice skating, etc.
  5. Candles are good gifts if you know they will use them. Otherwise they may become clutter and gather dust.
  6. Special food items they normally would not buy for themselves. This could be high quality chocolates, specialty oils and vinegars for cooking, or even a gift certificate for a fancy restaurant they would enjoy.
  7. Fancy (usually more expensive) shower gels, lotions, hair products, etc. Make sure they use these kinds of products.
  8. Ask them if there is any particular item they really want or need. At least you will know it probably won’t sit in drawer unused.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas – price: mostly your time

  1. Create a gift certificate that can be redeemed for a service. This is a great gift for older grandchildren to give to their grandparents. Examples: cleaning the garage or basement, yard-work, car washing, special household projects.
  2. Create a gift certificate that promises someone that you will treat them to a movie, lunch/dinner, special event, etc.  Although this does involve money on your part more importantly it involves spending time with the person and sharing the activity together. If you don’t want to spend any money look for free local attractions you can visit with them.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 
P.S. Don’t forget to get the free Holiday Tips eBook. If you are already a subscriber to this blog then you should have received an email with the link to download the eBook.

If you aren’t a subscriber then go here to sign up and receive the eBook now.

Ideas for Last Minute Holiday Inspiration

It’s hard to believe Christmas is just a little over a week away.  The first night of Chanukah is next Tuesday, December 20. The greeting cards are arriving in force now. If you haven’t mailed yours yet it’s time to do it.

In my monthly newsletter I included a lot of website links for ideas on Christmas and Chanukah. Here are some of those links to help you with ideas for gifts, organizing your holidays, making homemade decorations with your children, holiday recipes, and lots of other ideas.  Check them out for some last minute inspiration.

If you aren’t signed up for the newsletter you can do so here.

Christmas

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/christmas/

http://browse.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/index.html

 

Chanukah

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Hanukkah.htm

http://holidays.kaboose.com/chanukah/

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 The free Holiday Tips eBook is still available. Get it now  so you can take advantage of all the tips to help the next few weeks be more enjoyable.

If you are already a subscriber to this blog then you should have received an email with the link to download the eBook.

If you aren’t a subscriber then go here to sign up and receive the eBook now.
Please share this blog post with all your friends by using the “Share the Knowledge” links below so they can get this free eBook. Thanks.

Reduce Stress by Creating New Traditions

December is one of the most hectic, crazy, and hopefully fun months of the year. There are the holiday parties at the work place, schools, friends’ parties, and family gatherings.  Then there is the shopping for gifts plus the shopping for groceries for meals and baking. Don’t forget there are all the decorations to put up to create that festive mood in your home. Plus sending out all those greeting cards!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or both there are a lot of preparations for the holidays.

Along with all these activities comes a lot of stress. The expectations are high. Usually these high expectations come from long standing traditions, many which we don’t even know where they came from.  Maybe it’s time to lower those expectations and create some new traditions that fit our lifestyle of today.

It’s not always easy to change a tradition without feeling guilty, especially if it’s been handed down for several generations. If you enjoy the tradition then go ahead and keep it going.  If you don’t enjoy it you probably experience un-needed stress to keep it going.  Maybe it’s time to question why!

Here is a little story about following traditions and not knowing why.  I’ve heard many times in different ways. Some call it “Grandma’s Cooking Secret”.

A young newlywed was cooking a brisket.  Her husband asked her why she cut off both ends of the brisket before putting it in the roasting pan.  She replied that was the way her mother always did it.  She later asked her mother why and her reply to her daughter was because her mother had always done it that way.  The next time they were over at the newlywed’s grandmother’s house she asked her why she always cut off the ends of the brisket. The grandmother replied, “because my roasting pan was too small”.

Snopes has several variations of this story. They will make you question why you follow some of your traditions.

Start some new traditions this year that fit your current family, not past generations. You’ll be starting new traditions to pass down to your children. And let them know why you are doing things your way.  Be opened minded about your children wanting to create some of their own new traditions.

Change is sometimes hard to accept. If you’re not happy with a new tradition then you can always go back to the old one next year.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

P.S. Don’t forget to get the free Holiday Tips eBook. If you are already a subscriber to this blog then you should have received an email with the link to download the eBook.

If you aren’t a subscriber then go here to sign up and receive the eBook now.

 

Please share this blog post using the “Share the knowledge” links below so all your friends can get this free eBook to help them simplify their holiday’s!

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit

From the news reports about Black Friday and Cyber Monday people really got an early start on the shopping.  The numbers were up from last year. People are in a buying mood and gift giving mood.  That is all part of the holiday spirit.

I was reading an article in my local paper that talked about ways to enjoy happier holidays by spreading that gift giving to help others not so fortunate. It doesn’t mean just buying things for others it also means giving your time, your compassion, and your friendship.

It can also mean giving your unused things that are gathering dust and cluttering up your home to someone who can use them. Many churches and synagogues have coat drives, food drives, and toy drives at this time of year. You’ll feel happier knowing your unused things will make holidays a little brighter for someone else.

Here is a list of many things you can do to make the holidays a little happier for others. Get your family involved and you may find yourself creating some new traditions of giving.

  1. Write a “Letter from Santa” to a child. Check your post office, local church, or charity to see if they sponsor this kind of program.
  2. If you have an elderly neighbor you can offer to help them put their decorations up or help clean up their house for the holidays.
  3. Visit a nursing home with your children. Have your children make ornaments or other small decorations to give the residents. This is a creative way to use up some of those craft supplies. Be sure to call the nursing home first to get permission. This is also a great activity for girl scouts or boy scout troops. I still have fond memories of doing this when I was a girl scout.

There are lots of little things you can do that don’t take any extra time on your part. But they could have a big impact on both the recipient and you.

  1. Smile at someone. It just might change their mood if they are having a bad day.
  2. Hold a door open for someone who’s arms are filled with packages, a child, etc.
  3. Tell a fast food employee or other hard worker that they are doing a good job. They rarely hear this.
  4. If you see someone struggling to get an item off of a high shelf offer to help if you can. They will appreciate it and you’ll feel good helping.

There are lots of other things you can do to help give the holiday spirit to others. If you have any suggests to help brighten someone’s holiday spirit, please share in the comment section. Thanks.

For it is in giving that we receive. ~ Francis of Assisi

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ~ Khalil Gibran

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

P.S. Don’t forget to get the free Holiday Tips eBook. If you are already a subscriber to this blog then you should have received an email with the link to download the eBook.

If you aren’t a subscriber then go here to sign up and receive the eBook now.

Time to Get Started With the Holiday Greeting Cards

Like most people I like to send out Holiday Greeting cards every year.  Some years I’m organized early enough to get all the cards on my list sent out. Other years have been more difficult. With the Holiday Greeting Card System I set up 5 or 6 years ago it’s been a lot easier to send out at least some cards, even when things have been a little out of control in my life.

In my November newsletter I talked about getting started with the system so it will be easier and more fun to send out cards this year.  Well, I have to admit I haven’t looked at my list until today.  Each year I update any addresses on the list by writing them in by hand.  Eventually I need to update it on the computer and print out a new copy.  I think this is the year to do it since way too many people on my list have new addresses.

The way I have my list set up it makes it easy to know how many of each kind of card I need to purchase.  I send out Season’s Greeting cards to people I don’t know for sure what their religion is. I send out Chanukah cards to all my Jewish friends and family.  And I send out Christmas cards to all my Christian friends and family.  A few I even send out specialty cards for friends and family that celebrate both Christmas and Chanukah.  Those are harder to find and need to be purchased early.

The post office lists December 20, as the last day to mail cards if you want them to be there by Christmas. That’s only 5 weeks away!

So this week I’m going to update my list and purchase the cards. Then I can spend the evenings addressing a few at a time while watching TV.

Go download the free article, Holiday Greeting Card System and get started today so you too can make it easier and more enjoyable to send out those greeting cards.

Janice

Honoring Veterans on Veterans Day

Note: I want to let you know that I went slightly off my normal topic of decluttering and organizing in the following post. The website links are for info and ideas to help you celebrate Veterans Day. My opinion below is something I just had to write.

This Friday is Veterans Day.  It’s also 11/11/11. I didn’t really know much about the significance of the date (11/11/11) but after looking it up on the internet I found some interesting facts. Here are a few links if you want to find out more.

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/11-11.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45195313/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.TrlajLLZeuI

Maybe because this Veterans Day  is 11/11/11 it seems more special.  It also might be because of the current withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Whether you are for or against the withdrawal is not what we should bring up on Veterans Day. We should honor all of our military, past and present, who have sacrificed some of their own freedoms to protect the rest of us.

It also doesn’t matter whether you are for or against the wars we have been in. What does matter is that we treat these returning soldiers with honor and respect. 

I remember back in the mid 70’s when I was attending a local junior college that many of my classmates where veterans of the Vietnam war. Because the war had been so unpopular the veterans were taking the heat from their fellow citizens. It was hard to understand how people could treat these veterans in such a bad way. Although I never said anything bad I hate to admit that I felt uncomfortable around some of these classmates. I was guilty of being influenced by the media into feeling like these classmates were more like ex-cons instead of United States War Veterans. 

Many of my classmates did not even want to talk about the war. I’m sure the horrors they experienced where bad enough but I also believe they kept the facts private out of fear of criticism from their fellow citizens.

It was a double whammy!  There was no way of knowing whether they had enlisted or were drafted. It didn’t matter to the protesters. They blamed the veterans as much as they blamed the politicians.

Although we didn’t have a draft during the current wars many people enlisted at a time we were at peace. None of us had a clue we would be attacked on our own turf. And those who enlisted after 9/11 did so to protect their fellow citizens.

So let’s celebrate this year’s Veteran’s Day by honoring all veterans. Put the blame and the heat on the politicians who decide whether to go to war or not. Don’t blame the veterans. They are our neighbors, fellow workers, teachers, etc. who have experienced things we ordinary citizens have not.

Here are some sites for you to read more on Veterans Day. Share this information with your family and friends. As the saying goes, “United we stand, Divided we fall”. This is one day we can show our unity.

http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans/

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/veterans-day/teacher-resources/6674.html

http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/veterans.htm

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice