Should I Keep An Unwanted Gift?

From a Professional Organizer point of view the answer is plain and simply NO! But since I'm actually human too I realize there are circumstances that could make us react otherwise or could be highly offensive if we don't keep an unwanted gift.

Gift-giving is tricky.  Some people think they are doing us a favor when in reality they are adding to the clutter in our lives because something we won't use or don't like.  

Sometimes all our clients needs is permission to do what they want to do in the first place (get rid of it). In another blog post, Whose House Is It Anyway? I give you that permission.

In this blog post, I'll try to be more gentler for those who would rather be cluttered and "kind" and keep things that have no value to you.

I'll give 4 tips to get rid of or using unwanted gifts in a gracious way:

1. Be Discerning. Often a person who gave you a gift may not care if you want to exchange it or get rid of it altogether. 

Once I bought some cologne for my husband online without sampling it first but only going off reviews. Let me tell you (as you probably already know), that was dumb and stinky decision.  My husband swears he liked it and he wore it from time to time. I tried to nicely convince him he could get rid of it if he didn't like it.  He never did but when it ended up under the bathroom sink and not with his other collection of everyday smell-goods, I knew it was time to throw it away and I did it...for us. Phew! He didn't miss it but if it was up to him, he would still have it... 

2. Make if Useful.  I'm the type of person who doesn't like unnecessary waste.  If I feel something could be useful to someone else, as a gift giver it may sit better with me if I found out or was asked that my gift be given to someone who could really use it, versus being thrown in the trash or atrophied.  So bottom line is re-gifting to someone who could appreciate it more.  The gift giver may think more of that than keeping it as a dusty keepsake. 

3. Risk it. Okay so this will probably sound bad, but risk offending the gift-giver and express your displeasure for the gift with tack and graciousness . Or just simply thank them for the gift and get rid of it and if they ask you about it graciously explain why you didn't keep it. It's not easy but I'm coming from my digging deep lessons from Breneé Brown. Here is a quote from her book The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are : "Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen." What does that have to do with the ugly brown and green sweater Aunt Jules gave you? Well being authentic means that sometimes we just won't like something someone gives us. Don't be mean however. If the person is truly our friend or truly loves us their feelings might be slightly hurt but they'll get over it in time. It's better to be authentic and be forgiven than live a lie and hurt inside and add to our clutter problem in the process. Adding to someone's cluttered life isn't love. "Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely." was written by the Apostle Paul thousands of years ago is something that can benefit our lives today.

4. Re-purpose it. That too-big tee shirt from your parent's vacation could be used to sleep in or used to work around the house.  The mismatched china from your second cousin's estate could be used as decoration. You can always reuse or re purpose something.  That way you keep it and honor it without it turning into regret and a box of "something" in the closet, garage, basement, or corner.

Found on craftgawker.com

So be your authentic self and recognize when you'll never use a gift or be creative to make it fit your style or use.  Perhaps you can give it to someone who can use it more than you. Hoping it has a gift receipt and you can return it for something that will not turn into clutter in your life.

Want to use this blog post in blog or other content? No problem, just let us know and use the below statement verbatim:

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968. 

Confessions of An Organizer: My Organizational Challenges.

I think of being organized much like yoga or Pilates.  It takes practice and consistent effort, realizing that you won’t bend exactly the same way as your gym mate.  Your muscles have to learn how to move and get stronger to support how you twist and turn to achieve your goals.

Just because I’m an organizer doesn’t mean that I don’t have organizational goals and challenges, it means quite the opposite. I realize that no one is perfect (and the ones who have their life all labeled and color-coded make my left eye twitch uncontrollably). But it takes practice, consistent effort and making room for the situations that life brings our way.

I recognize my organizational limits and boundaries. I also know at what level of organization I feel comfortable. I create daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals that stretch my limits and boundaries. Sometimes it's not fun testing your own comfort levels. One day I may reach the all-labeled and color-coded status (sorry in advance for making your eye twitch) but for now I’m mostly labeled and not really color-coded. And for now, things are organized and uncluttered enough for me.

I can find what I need 90% of the time.  The other 10% I call sparkle. Sparkle is like when you get lost going somewhere but you find a wonderful frozen yogurt place that you didn't know was there but if you hadn't gotten lost you would have never known.  You can’t control everything, and for what you can’t control you can let go and let it flow.  Call it sparkle.

This picture was a sparkle moment:

I was supposed to be meeting a woman I met on OfferUp (similar to Craigslist) at the National Harbor who wanted to buy my hair dryer.  She was a no show but the sun was setting and we decided to get out of the car and take pictures.  I snagged this shot.  I would have never gotten it unless this lady didn’t meet me.  I decided to make the best of what could have been a total waste of time and gas. See, sparkle. :)

Anyway, I digress.

So you know my thought process around being organized and you realize that I’m still working on things myself.  Like: I will be paperless by 2015!

But this year I did pretty well in reaching my own organizational goals.  In fact, I did so well that one day I sat on the couch and I went through my brain for something I had to get done and I couldn't think of anything.  My receipts had been filed, my check register was caught up, there was a known tiny pile of paper I wanted to scan but it wasn't imperative.  Then the anxiety set in.  I have be forgetting something.  Something important. I ALWAYS have crap to catch up on.  Always.  That feeling of rushing around, being over-obligated, and time crunched and never having enough time in the day set it.

Could I actually sit here and read a book without a small voice telling me I wasn't being productive enough and I really should be {fill in the blank}?  Alas! The moment had come where I reaped the benefits of an important goal for 2014, that of saying NO to obligations that didn't serve what’s truly important to my life and over all goals and saying yes to all the things that are. Perhaps in that moment I had to acknowledge that all the practice and consistent effort paid off.  Then the anxiety slowly melted away and I enjoyed a few minutes on the sofa.

Recently I re-read/listened to the book The Gifts of Imperfection.  I think so far it’s one of the books I will re-read every so often to remind myself that the reason I get and attempt to stay organized isn't to impress my friends or family.  It isn't to allay the fear that one day my clients will knock on my door and demand to see the state of MY desk at any given moment.  But I realized organization in my life is to support my life and my business.  Sometimes my life gets hectic but when I put the most important things first, that’s all that matters.  I feel better about my day when I have my priorities in order. Filing can wait if it means there is a heart-to-heart to be had with my husband, the pile of business cards from a recent networking event can be done another day if it means I need to cook my family a healthy dinner, and although I agree that owning your own business takes sacrifice and some sleepless nights, I also believe that I can’t stay at 110% if I don’t get a good night’s rest on a regular basis. Exercise…let’s not forget about that (even though I had for almost 4 months).

Organization should support your life and goals, not take away from them.

Here’s my tips on getting to a point in your organizational practice that leaves you feeling supported:

1.  Ask YOURSELF: How organized do I want to be? Does my current way of doing things leave me feeling chaotic and uneasy?  Or do I feel I need to emulate someone in my life that seems to have it together all the time? If you answered yes to the latter question.  It’s time to dig deep as Breneé Brown would say. Be realistic.  You may realize that perfection for you may not look like a magazine cover or a Pinterest page.
2.  Create a plan of action to get as organized as you need to be.
3. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Sometimes if we create or regurgitate too many rules like “I can only touch a piece of paper once.” Or “I have to reach out to these people I met at a networking event within two business days.” Then we might find it paralyzing to ever move forward.  If you have to touch a piece of paper a second time to make a decision on it then DO IT. It surely isn't going to file, shred, or recycle itself sitting on your desk just because you already touched it.  And (my business consultant would probably disagree with me on this one) but if I waited a week and two days later to reach out to someone I met at a networking event, it surely beats the heck of me not doing it at all because I missed the two business day deadline. A little action gets more results then a lot of intention. Here's a Tweet: "A little action gets more results then a lot of intention"
4. Realize your weak spots. There are some things I’m not good at, and no matter how much I WANT to do them, I can’t either because of lack of desire, ability, or time.  I had to let go of my bookkeeping and a few other tasks that were simply holding me back from moving forward.  Figure out what you’re not good at and see if there is someone you can delegate to.  Stop being cheap.  There are tons of services that provide assistance from grocery shopping (Peapod), to cleaning (Homejoy & TaskRabbit) that are effective and affordable. Your return on investment will be tremendous. You can spend time making follow up calls, instead of reconciling your bank statement.
5. Get some accountability. A lot of our clients hire Dexterous Organizing 20% for the fabulous suggestions we give on creating organizing systems and how to store things but 80% for the accountability of actually doing it. Making decisions on what to keep and what not to keep and actually taking the not keep items away, and not going to watch Netflix instead of finishing an organizing project helps get it done and also help you see that it’s usually not as bad as it feels.

Getting organized is a journey. Don’t expect it to happen overnight, get some help if need be, take consistent action and then relax and enjoy a guilt-free moment on the couch when it all comes together.

Want to use this blog post in blog or other content? No problem, just let us know and use the below statement verbatim:

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners to create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also Founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968. 

Four Clever Ways to Contain the Clutter In Your Bathroom

1. Command hooks

from cosmopolitan.com

Pros:  Command hooks allow us to store things on walls, inside of doors, on the sides of cabinets and bookshelves, keeping things handy, off of counters, and sometimes out of sight.


Cons:  Sometimes they stick well sometimes they don't


TIP: Make sure you follow the directions carefully when putting on a command hook and stick to the weight limits.  We'd even suggest being on the safe-side and getting a weight limit beyond what you need to account for the weight from the force of you putting an item on and off.

2. Baskets

Found on shelleyjacobsendesign.blogspot.ca

Pros: Baskets make a great way for you to hide things that could potentially be unsightly.  It keeps things contained and if you're careful it can keep like items together (body care in one basket hair care in another).


Cons: Because most baskets are deep, the tendency could be to throw many things in them that are not categorized.  Eventually you can begin to lose things in plain site because the baskets become a dumping ground.



TIP: Label your baskets.  Although when you are first organizing it may seem obvious but after day 5 and early in the morning you may momentarily get confused what things go in which basket which can lead to frustration and an eventual disconnect from this way of organizing.

3. GlideOuts

Pros: It allows you to gain access to things that are in deep cabinets and use of your cabinets at two levels.


Cons: If you don't think your needs through correctly you could possibly be stuck with a poor design.


TIP: Think of how you use your things and store items in glide outs to a long-lasting benefit.

4. Shelving

Pros: Keeps things off counter tops and at arms reach.

Cons: Have to be installed; takes up wall space.

TIP: In small bathrooms, use shelving to take advantage of vertical space for storing extra toilet paper, hygiene or cleaning products that would otherwise take up space in cabinets or linen closets.


Need more help? Visit our website at www.dexterousorganizing.com

Five Things You Can Do For A More Organized Kitchen

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  We also spend a lot of money in the kitchen.  Think about all the food, appliances, cookware, flatware, and time we spend in the kitchen.

A contractor colleague of mine recently said a kitchen remodel should typically be 8% - 10% of the value of your home.

WOWZAS!

So I would assume that for such an investment, we would want to use our investment wisely.  Here are some tips to keep you from spinning your wheels and wasting a lot of time in the kitchen.

1. Out with the old.

This point may sound quite obvious but if you take out broken or unused cookware, expired food items, unused (especially the super bulky) appliances, you might be surprised how much roomier your drawers, cabinets, refrigerator, and pantry will be.

TIP: Before you go to the grocery store, make a list.  Raid your fridge and pantry and throw out all expired things, clear out and clean out the pantry or fridge.  Make this a habit and you'll buy less duplicates and have room for the items you are going to purchase.

2.  Keep items by category.  

If your pantry is divided by zones, it'll make things a lot easier to find.  Keep snacks together, baking items together, can goods together, and your brain will thank you and so will your stomach.

TIP: Keeping categories in bins or baskets make it easy to group categories. It doesn't have to be super pretty or polished but functional is better than nothin'

from unskinnyboppy.com

3. Keep items where you can see them.

Have you ever looked for something in the fridge and you couldn't find it because it was behind the milk? Well when we put things in the fridge, be mindful of putting short things behind tall things.  The goal when putting something in the fridge or pantry or cabinet is so that you can retrieve it later. 

TIP: Have a family member or roommate that doesn't follow that policy?  You can create sections in the fridge or pantry that make it darn-near impossible (binning everything pictured below) to do it any other way OR label it.  A lot of times putting things away is something we do subconsciously.  If we give our brains a visual cue, it might help.  Or strangling the offender.

from fitsugar.com

Dexterous Organizing does design work with ShelfGenie!

4. Empty that box or bag!! (Consolidate)

Many, many, many times when organizing pantries, we find a big ol' box with one tiny thing left in it. Once we threw away a lot of the excess bags and boxes we find awesome amounts of space for items. If you abide by tip #2 above you'll find that you can contain things by category and not need the bag or box.

TIP: Jars, air-tight plastic containers, freezer bags and snack/sandwich bags are a life saver in helping to consolidate half-empty boxes and bags.  Also use rubber bands to get the air out of snack bags and roll them up tightly for more space.

5. Stacking and Nesting

When you can take advantage of vertical space by all means do so! Many of the containers we buy in the stores are build for stacking and they are also built for nesting.  Usually with the lid is on a container, we can stack something on top of another without it falling off.  Conversely without the lid we can nest things inside one another (like bowls or containers).  This helps to conserve on the space.

TIP: Buy bowls and containers that all stack or nest together.  Trust me, it's worth it.

Stacking Containers

Nesting measuring bowls and cups!

If you repeat these tips constantly and consistently you'll work your way to a more organized kitchen. 

If you need help to make decisions or get stuck in ways to organize, give us a shout! Visit our website at www.dexterousorganizing.com for more information.

Kitchen Organization: Wire Shelving driving you crazy?

Some of us have wire shelves in our pantries and find them hard to use to store things. Those slots on the shelves make it hard for smaller items to be level, and for the use of shelving organizational products.  Try getting shelving wire liner. 

Better yet, replace your wire shelves for beautiful ShelfGenie glideouts.

Organizer Humor: Seinfeld's Kramer vs. Junk Mail!

So I was watching an old Seinfeld episode that was hilarious and something I think many of my clients deal with regularly.



I went on YouTube and found this well-done faux-trailer that made the same episode even more awesome.



Enjoy!

Organizer Humor: Procrastination is an art.

So...even if you're a "get-it-done Donna" or a "put-it-off Paul", you'll appreciate these!  Because at some point or another, we all procrastinate.

I think I'm about 7 of them at different times and depending on what I'm avoiding...like...writing in my blog! *gulp*

Enjoy this funny infographic I found on Pinterest via The Meta Picture.

Guest Blog Post: Garage Organization Made Easy

By Stephanie Hanson of Monkey Bar Storage

Organizing the garage can seem completely overwhelming. In fact, so many people avoid cleaning out their garage because they just don’t know where to start. Use these tips to get your garage organized in a flash!

Pull It All Out: That’s right, the moment that you’ve been fearing for so long is here; it’s time to pull all the junk out of the garage. Do this will make you physically look at all your items and part with the items that you don’t need anymore. Make piles of items that you would like to sale, donate, keep and throw away. Having multiple piles will help you to categories things more effectively. If you can divide your stuff into even more piles, feel free. The more the merrier.

Determine Function: Everyone uses their garage for something different. What is the garage to you? Is it a place where you park your car? Do you use the garage to store old Christmas decorations? Do you use the garage as a craft room? Determine what you want to use the garage for, multiple functions are ok!

Create Spaces For Functions: Divide your remaining items into piles based on their functions. Then create spaces in the garage for those different functions. If you’re looking to use the garage as a storage space, consider utilizing shelving and overhead storage to free up floor space. If you are looking to use the garage as a craft room, then try out a workbench. There are many unique tools made for your unique hobbies and interests.

Decorate: Just because it is the garage, doesn’t mean that you don’t get to decorate it. There are many different colors and patterns of flooring and cabinets to choose from that can help you achieve the look that you want.

No matter the amount of stuff you have in your garage, you can organize it!

Stephanie Hanson is the Director of Community Relations at Monkey Bar Storage. She enjoys DIY projects, and playing with her pet lab, Oakly. 

Saving Space: Tiny Dining Room? No Problem

I was in Costco recently and I saw this beautiful compact dinning room table and chair set. I love that it takes up so little space yet has seating for four.  Most dinette sets (like the one we own) have only 2 chairs.  I love the dark wood stain, it brings a simple elegance to the space and for under $400, I think it's a deal!

Good job Costco!

30 Things You Can Do in 1 Hour Each Week to Stay Organized!

I challenge you to find one day a week, one hour in that day to do something organizing related.  Below are a list of things you can accomplish in one hour.  If you consistently give yourself just this one hour you'll be surprised how much you can "catch up" on. What will 52 hours a year net you? An organized closet? Donation boxes out the door? A cleared space to do crafting, exercise, or a room you can rent for income? A relief from the guilty feeling of "I need to {fill in the blank}" in the pit of your stomach?

I challenge you to put a "Dexterous HOUR" in your week, a time that you feel your best energy wise, that you can consistently do something.  To make it easier you can break it out into 30 minutes in two days or 15 minutes in four days. But do it, be consistent and put yourself back in your life.

1. Sort through mail - putting active items close by on board or on fridge until they are complete, active items on a tabletop file, and archive items in a file cabinet or scan them into your digital system.
2. Going through the pantry and cabinets and throwing out expired food and spices, then planning a menu for items that are near expired to be used.
3. Going through clothes and making repairs and sewing on buttons
4. Switching out seasonal clothing
5. Taking shoes that need repair to the cleaners for repair
6. Taking out worn out hangers and wire hangers from the cleaners out of the closet because they take up space.
7. Going through old files and shredding out dated information
8. Clearing your email inbox
9. Donating unread magazines to waiting rooms or homeless shelters
10. Ripping CD music onto computer making a MP3 file and load up in the cloud, then throwing away CDs
11. Getting rid cleaning product bottles that are almost empty and pouring into like bottles
12. Going through old greeting cards and getting rid of ones that have no sentiment or message inside it. Going through old photos and getting rid of duplicates, filing pictures into categories for scrap booking or photo albums
13. Take electronic cords and match them up with the electronic device; then label the cord and put away neatly to be found again.
14. Get rid of duplicate tools and keep tools in places that are handy (i.e. garage, in car trunk, in utility room, etc.) Go through gardening chemicals and make sure none are leaking or are not expired. 
15. Call bulk trash and schedule a pick up of items that need to be taken away.
16. Go through toys with kids (or make the decision for them) of toys they don't play with or have outgrown to be donated or discarded.
17. Call local charity to schedule a pick up and purge items in all closets.
18. Give not-yet-given gifts to people they were intended for
19. Go through home and look for things that belong to other people and arrange for them to pick it up or get delivered.
20. Get clothes or other items off of surfaces not intended for clothes - chairs, exercise equipment, floor, tabletops, etc.
21. Take inventory and photos/videos of items in your home for insurance purposes
22. Read about a new organizing tip or trick you can inculcate in your life 
23. Go through books on a bookshelf and get rid of books you've outgrown or don't intend on reading again
24. Move your DVDs or CDs from the jewel cases to a compact disc holder (throw out jewel cases)
25. Get rid of boxes of items you purchased (you probably don't need them).
26. Schedule your week and check for double-bookings or things you are over-extending yourself and make calls to reschedule
27. Learn how to use a productivity app like Evernote.
28. Schedule your doctor's appointments for the next two months for the whole family
29. Look at calendar for celebrations coming up and order gifts online to be sent to celebrator directly or put a reminder in your calendar to shop for a gift.
30. Schedule vet visit for your furry friend's yearly shots

Saving Space: High random windows can storage dishes

Often the complaint of clients is they don't have enough cabinet space, and most of the time they are right. In those cases, it takes a lot of ingenuity to create spaces for everyday useful items in the kitchen. I thought this idea was unique and obviously initiated by someone who isn't vertically challenged.  Or these plates are not used often, but too precious or beautiful to toss or donate.  Whatever the case, I like the clear, clean look.  The only con would be dust and dirt from the window.

What do you think? Would you use this storage method?

Pinned from The Kitchn.com

Saving Space: If you don't have a guest room

Most people in the Washington DC area who are young professionals don't have a guest room.  Even if they do have a spare bedroom, it often doubles as an office.  If you are in a studio apartment, or your spare bedroom isn't best used just for the occasional guest, it's usually a waste of space for a day bed to exist in a room that doesn't get used often.  I recently found this wonderful dual-purpose ottoman.  The only thing I question is it's comfort level, but if the only thing you have to offer is the couch or the floor it may be the better alternative.  Better yet, it may keep your house guest's stay just in the range of comfort for you...short and sweet! ;)

Inspiration & Motivation: Keep On Going

'nuff said. Right?

Book I Recommend Often: Organizing From the Inside Out

When I first became an Organizer, I went to my first NAPO meeting in June of 2010.  One of the organizers there mentioned I should read Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgernstern.  It changed my perspective on how to address people's organizing conundrums. It changed my perspective on what being organized really means.  It changed my perspective on how to tackle clutter consistently the same way to get a similar result each time.

I encourage, in fact I require that all of my Organizing Assistants read it before they intend to advance in working with Dexterous Organizing.

Have you read it? What do you think of the book?

Inspiration & Motivation: It's a Lifestyle Change

I often liken "getting organized" to fitness training. The similarities are endless.  Everyone has different goals, "body" types, problem areas, motivations, in-take habits.  But ultimately to see results, you have to put one foot in front of the other and exercise and find a healthy-balanced diet in order to not only lose weight but to keep it off.

So what are you in for? Endurance training and lifestyle change or a quick fix only to "gain" your clutter back because of bad habits and high-intake of stuff in your life?

I say make a lifestyle change.  It's slower, it's longer, but it's lasting!

Pack Your Bags!

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As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat (why are we skinning cats anyway...ew). So there are definitely a few ways to pack a bag.  I've done the rolling thing before (see above).

But by far my favorite is the packing cubes (see below).

Packing cubes keep me in my lane and helps me make choices about what to pack and what will and won't fit. We often pack too much, and packing cubes help us stay in our lane and pack what will fit.  Then once it's packed, you slam them (neatly) into your suitcase.  Even if you buy a few items on your trip they can fit outside of the cubes without causing you to wonder where it will go. 

Inspiration & Motivation: Be Yourself

Have you ever been to a lifestyle blog and thought to yourself  "Man! I wish I was more [fill in the blank] that person has it all together." I call it Martha Stewart envy.  But although this person sets a great example of something to achieve (at least in their own blog-sphere) you have to recognize what you like and dislike and what's really attainable and sustainable for YOUR life.  Having alphabetical spices might work for some people, others it might not (nor do they care) for others.  

Figure out the level of organized you are striving for and be your own kind of organized.

Are you Single & Looking?

Well so are these socks!

What a cool and useful idea to keep socks that get separated back together again.

Inspiration & Motivation: People can change

Have you sworn off ever being organized because you felt like it's just not in your blood? The truth is a lot of "organized" people don't think they are naturally organized.  They actually feel that because of their tendencies to be messy, flighty, forgetful, and lazy (yes I said it), they do all they can to create systems in life to counteract their natural tendencies.  How do I know? I'm one of them.

Confessions of an Organizer: I hated being early!

Once upon a time (and not as long ago as I'd like to admit) I was a girl who crammed as much as possible in my schedule as I could. If it could get done in 12 hours then by George, I was doing it! It took it's toll though. I soon found myself unable to keep up. One wrong turn, one misstep in my day, one slip in cat vomit (yes...yuk) and it would mean the house of cards I built for my scheduling would all come crashing down. It was stressful but I prided myself on being on time more but that was it. I was on time, speeding down the street, a horn-honking maniac between appointments with little time to spare. If I were meeting you at 10am, I'd be in your driveway at 9:59:59. Why be early? That few minutes I'd have sitting in your driveway I could be elsewhere scratching something else off my to-do list. But the stress was explosive and sometimes I cut it so close getting to appointments that I ended up being a few minutes late. The more stressed I was the worst the miscalculations got. I would feel awful as a professional organizer, it would feel hypocritical to be late on a regular basis.

One day I heard a fellow organizer and productivity consultant, Andrew Mellen, on one of his videos say: "productivity isn't about doing more, it's about doing less." For a millisecond I was perplexed. Then I got it. Then I had a light-bulb moment of my own. And slowly but surely, through self-interventions and careful thought, I started to set more boundaries. Especially boundaries with my time.  I stopped saying "yes" to a lot of things that before I would dive head first into because it needed to be done/no one else was willing or chomping at the bit/I could do it/I could do it well (or even better). Now, my first reaction to a voluntary duty would be "Let me think about that" or "Let me get back to you after I check my schedule."  Don't get me wrong it was not an overnight change.  I still have to mentally stuff a sock in my mouth sometimes to keep my foolish and impetuous volunteering hand from raising itself and flailing around excitedly in scheduling suicide. 

Priorities that are important to me and my life, started to take more of a front seat in my schedule.  I now do more things like exercise just about 5-6 times a week, I usually go to bed a decent hour. I go out into my Christian volunteer work during the week, and on average, I work less on the weekends then formerly.

I also don't fear being early anymore.  I use any "early" time to read, review my calendar, reply to an email or two, or make a quick phone call to a friend or family member that I hadn't spoken to in a while. I also started to delegate more and tweak systems in my own life that just weren't working as efficiently as I thought they should be.  I also space out my day much better.  Instead of cramming appointments 30 minutes apart, I now allow an hour (that was a huge difference). I'm cognizant of only allowing myself 3-4 to-dos a day and not 10-15.  Those to-dos that I think will only take me 30-60 minutes I budget 90 minutes for.  It allows time to breathe in between tasks, counteract and get back on track after interruptions (they will happen), and give time for being human like bathroom breaks & snack times.

And although my to-do list is actually growing rather than shrinking, I'm taking on projects that really enrich my life, my loved ones' lives, and my livelihood.  I've admittedly been feeling more at peace with my self, my life, and still I'm getting a lot more done.

I have read a ton of information on productivity and time management but it's like reading about how to roller skate and then actually doing it.  One is theory the other is application.  Somethings you have to learn as you do. You have to find your flow, your balance, and get to rolling.

Why is Susan so lazy?

So one of my favorite kitchen organizing tools is the simple lazy Susan.  The kitchen is usually filled with deep shelving, small packages, cans and containers, interesting corners, and usually not a lot of space.  Lazy Susans help keep things in the back...well everywhere.  Here are some other uses I've seen and liked in the pantry.

The items in the corner are reachable and it maximizes the space there.

What do you think of lazy susans? Are they useful in your kitchen? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Inspiration & Motivation: Fall But Get Up

Except for breathing and eating, there is nothing in life we came out the womb knowing. We learn, we grow, we survive.  Not having an "organizing gene" is not an excuse. Try a new system, a new method or get tough with yourself on sticking to the ones you tried before but fell off from.

You can do it.

Just get up.  You will not regret it.  It will be glorious!

Switch to a Single-Serve Coffee Maker? What To Do With Old Coffee Filters.

So you are probably like me and bought a Keurig® coffee maker and you had a gazillion coffee filters before you fully transitioned. If you haven't donated them to a friend and you find they are taking up valuable space in your pantry or cabinets but likewise don't want to them taking up space in the land-fills because they obviously are still useful, then here are some great suggestions from This Old House: 10 Uses for Coffee Filters

Make house plants less messy with coffee filters.

If you want the quick scoop This Old House suggested using coffee filters the following ways:

1. Preventing rust in cast iron skillets
2. Keeping hardware organized
3. Making air freshners
4. Keeping windows clean
5. Fixing wobbly table legs
6. Straining solvents
7. Making houseplants less messy
8. Absorbing spills on upholstery
9. Prepping a stain (as in the kind you use with a paintbrush)
10. Shining shoes.

For the great pictures to go along with the suggestions visit the article by clicking here.

What suggestion did you like best?  Which one did you like least? I'd love to hear about it! Comment in the section below.

Friday's Inspiration and Organization: Sweeten Your Office!

Did you know that Dexterous Organizing now represents Office Candy?  

Office Candy is the place for cute & fun office supplies, desk accessories, decorative and designer office products and cute school supplies for those creative individuals who want to "spice it up" a little. We've got it all: cute file folders, funny sticky notes and pink desk accessories for those that believe that just because it's practical doesn't mean it can't be cute. 

Go to OfficeCandy.com and use discount code: HANCOCK

Dexterous Brides: Keeping on task for after "I do"

So if you're a newlywed, it's kind of hard to get out of the cutesy-newlywed-everything-is-his-and-hers-decoration-mode. That's okay.  You can still live on your bridal bliss even after "I do" with this cute little task-mastering notebook:

Great gift before or after the wedding

Now you have someone to share the best of your life and to help each other keep your house a happy home. I'd suggest being on the same page (pun intended) with knocking out a few things on a weekend morning and then rewarding yourself with a fun date.  I've been married almost 10 years and this format usually still makes us happy. :)


Here are some suggestions for some great summer dates from Bellatheblog.com

ENJOY!

Friday's Inspiration and Motivation: Organization is Beautiful!

Organization is beautiful! I think that  you can also create your version of organized that works for you and helps you be a better person for yourself and those around you.  It takes honesty, it takes guts, it takes work but that's what makes it beautiful.

Confessions of an Organizer: Why I (finally) love audible.com and my Kindle (again)

So I like to read for both personal pleasure and business and personal improvement.  I love, love, love the fact that many of the e-publications I download are with me when I have my mobile device(s) with me. So if I ever find myself with a few minutes to spare or waiting unexpectedly, I can get some reading done and turn otherwise wasted time twiddling my thumb into reading time.

In the last few months, just started getting back into audio books and began subscribing to Audible.com I griped at the monthly fee of $15/month, but realized that I did get through books much faster by adding a new way to digest a book. I found time to listen to books in my vehicle or when I'm doing mindless work like washing dishes or on the treadmill. But I soon noticed a challenge, as some books I have only on audio and some books I have only as a e-book or pdf.  Which means some books only got completed during certain activities.

Then one day I decided a book I was reading was getting left by the wayside so I decided that I would use one of my audible.com credits and finish it off by listening to it.  Then I found out an amazing discovery! Audible.com teamed up with Kindle a few years ago, (so I admit I'm slow on the uptake when it comes to keeping up with technological advances) and introduced a technology called Whispersync for Voice.  This allows you to read on your Kindle device or app, and listen to the same publication on audio and they sync to your current place.  That way you can work on one book whether you're listening to it the car or reading it at the doctor's office you can keep pace and complete the book faster.

Love it!

For a short clip of how the sync works:

Do you like to read? When do you find time to do so? Do you take advantage of technology to keep up on your reading?  What technologies do you use? We want to hear from you! Let us know in the comment section below.

Outdoor Delights: You even get to bring the kitchen sink!

So you like to grill or garden, but you find yourself running in and out of the house to rinse things off.  No need to call a plumber to install a sink, just use your outdoor hose to create this wonderful utility sink for your backyard.

Outdoor Garden Sink by Improvementscatalog.com

This outdoor sink closes off to protect it from dirt, serves as a shelf, has a place for wrapping your hose around it, and is made of heavy-duty plastic.  

What do you think?  Is this sink really delightful?  Tell me below in the comments section!