Let me give it to you straight-

If you haven’t read it by now, you are probably never going to read it. So let it go!

It’s time to start fresh and have a plan for all the reading you intend to do this year.

First, set some boundaries. How many articles, books, magazines will you let pile up to read before you actually get to reading them? Determine what is manageable. I have no more than 2 books in line to be read after I finish the book I’m currently reading. There are certainly lots more I want to read but I just keep a book list instead of buying more books and magazines to have stacked by my reading chair. (I am even moving to more ebooks now that I have my iPad.) Boundaries can also be set for the number of magazines you subscribe to. Take a look at the number of subscriptions you have now and if many of those have gone unread last year then cut back your subscriptions by 50% as a starting point.

Decide how you will contain your reading materials. Some ways to do this are with magazine holders, baskets, or dedicating a shelf on a bookcase or side table for things you plan to read next. Having a specific place that contains your reading materials is also another way to set a boundary. If the reading materials start to exceed the designated space, then some need to be purged. No guilt, just follow your own boundaries…

Avoid printing out articles or emails you find on the Internet; it’s a waste of our resources. Bookmark it and come back to it when you do have time to read it. For newsletters and random sheets of paper you have accumulated to read, create a portable ”To Read” folder.  Take it with you and sneak in some reading while waiting at the doctor’s office, while parked and waiting for kids to get out of school, while getting a pedicure or, my favorite, while sitting in the airport waiting for a flight.

If you really want to get some reading done, plan for it. Set aside time daily or weekly to read. If you are not doing this already, you may need to schedule actual time in your calendar until it becomes a habit. It’s perfectly fine to have an appointment with yourself, you know! Speaking of habits, it’s also a good idea to go through and purge your reading piles quarterly. Things that seemed like a “must read” look a whole lot different after 3 months has gone by! Re-evaluate and purge the reading materials regularly, you’ll feel so much better!

Remember kindergarten? Specifically, do you remember the kindergarten routine? I had a chance to visit a kindergarten last year. My client at that time was a kindergarten teacher.  Not much has changed in the kindergarten classroom since my kids were in kindergarten. There’s still the reading/story time area, the activity tables, the colorful bulletin boards and the art area. What also hasn’t changed in kindergarten is the importance of routine. Every kindergartner knows what happens in their classroom when they first arrive, then what happens next and what comes after that – all the way to the end of  their day.

Just like kindergarten, we all have routines. Having a routine helps you get through your day smoothly. It’s predictable and heck, most times it’s downright comfortable.

Do you need to get a handle on your routines? Sometimes our routines need to be re-evaluated, adjusted and/or added to.

Re-evaluate

Is your routine working?  Is there room for improvement? Is the routine an old habit that no longer serves you? Is it time for a change? Our lives are not stagnant so sometimes the routine needs an adjustment. Take a moment and assess what part of your routine is working and what may be missing.

Adjust

The first adjustment that might need to be made is your outlook.  Do you have a good attitude towards this routine or do you do it begrudgingly? If your routine no longer serves you, be realistic- say good-bye and stop doing it. Often a routine simply needs to be tweaked or changed a little depending on the present day situation. Sometimes just shifting the time of do in which you do a routine will make it more effective or work better in your day. Make small adjustments at a time and give yourself time to get used to them.

Add

If you are happy with the routines you have, is there another routine you would like to establish? The best way to create a new routine is to pair it with an existing routine. Plot out the new routine and begin to establish it, but give it time. It takes time to get “in the groove” of a new routine and have it established.

“You have to have consistent effort to win the game, period.” -Chris Smith

Once you have a handle on your routines, don’t forget to periodically revisit these three steps –  reevaluate, adjust, and add – to keep your routines working optimally for you.

This month is National Get Organized Month. Every January the National Association of Professional Organizers and it’s member chapters endeavor to publicize the benefits of organization and the services that are provided by our industry. There are many areas of specialty within the Professional Organizer industry – from home staging to business productivity to move managers. There are specialized training courses for many different populations - seniors, hoarders, people with disabilities, and children.  Getting organized helps people with time management, productivity, family management, and relieves stress and anxiety. Here are some of the reasons why professional organizers are hired and which areas are most often organized. This information is found on the National Association of Professional Organizers website, www.napo.net:
Top reasons professional organizers are hired

1. Too much clutter
2. General disorganization
3. Difficulty determining what to keep and/or discard
4. Difficulty finding things
5. Selling a home or moving

Top areas in a home where organizing services are most often requested

1. Home Office or Den
2. Kitchen
3. Closet
4. Master Bedroom
5. Garage/Attic/Basement

I’m not a huge fan of making resolutions anymore; most people do not take resolutions made on New Year’s Day very seriously.  However, if you are ready to take the first steps to getting organized this year, then download my ebook, Project Simplify. It includes monthly goal sheets to help you plan the first steps to getting your organizing projects done.

Receive your free gift today!  Just go to the top right of this page and submit your name and email.  Then check your email!  You will have the link for your free download!   It’s my gift to you this month as you begin to get organized!

 Linking to:

Today, I’ve decided to do something a little different.  I’ve invited a guest blogger to post on my site.  I think the blog is perfect for this time of year.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Happy Holidays and happy shopping!  Warmly, Natalie

Do you wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping?  Well, with only a few days to go, you need to get moving!

Although this is a fun time of year, it can be stressful especially in today’s economic climate.   A lot of us can feel the shortage of cash these days and most of us need to be aware of what we are spending.  Do you have a Christmas budget?  If not, here are a few tips that can help you control your spending during this festive time of year:

• Leave your debit and credit cards home.  This gives you an instant visual indication of how much you’re spending.
• Shop at outlet malls. Shopping at outlets of your favorite stores and designers can save a bundle.
• Have a game plan.  Set a budget, even a good deal isn’t a deal if you can’t afford it.
• Hang onto your receipts.  Many stores give price adjustments within 14 days.
• Shop with a list.  You can zip through the stores faster and are more apt to avoid impulse buying.

I hope I have given you some good tips and even if you don’t use all of them, just a few will be better than not using any tip at all.

Every year I use a Holiday Planner. It takes a load of my brain and lessens the stress. In October, I start planning the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.  I plan meals and potluck dishes, gift buying and budgeting, and family traditions/party dates.  All I have to do is grab my Holiday Planner when I get a brilliant idea or when I want to know who I have left to buy for.

I have used several planners through the years.  And this year, I using Evernote on my iPad for my holiday planner. It’s my first year of trying to do this 100% electronically so ask me in January how it went…..

To give you an idea of the kinds of planners there are to help you through this busy season, here are a few samples of the kinds of planners I have used:

from The Household Planner

from Organized Christmas

I have made Holiday Planners like these:

from Arizona Families

from Thru My Cottage Door

And I have dressed up and used plain old notebooks like these:

from Kerry's Craft Blog

from Card Sister

If you haven’t got a holiday planner, I encourage you to try one.  Today is not too late to start.   Pick from one of these or make up your own, just do it and get a new level of stress relief going.

Everyone has a different style and a different closet.  How are your shoes organized?  Are you looking for something else?

Here’s a look at some different shoe organizers (and some fun shoe quotes!).

The boring shoe box – that’s what I am using right now and it’s not my favorite!

Mine are labeled though.

“Fashion Law:  If the shoe fits, it’s ugly.”  ~Author Unknown

The over the door shoe organizer – this is great if you have limited mobility and need easy access to shoes .  The clear pockets also make it very easy to see which pair you are looking for.

The under the bed shoe organizer – great for storing seasonal shoes but it’s a pain to use for the shoes you wear all the time. Who wants to get under their bed for shoes everyday?!

“You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.” ~ Publilius Syrus

These next two shoe organizers are carousels.  I took these pictures at Walmart to show a client.  She was looking fo something to hold a certain kind of shoe and one where she would not have to hunt in the bottom of her closet to find a pair.  I like these because they spin!

“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

This is my favorite shoe organizer.  I had this shoe cubbie system in a previous home.  It was great to have my shoes organized yet easy to quickly grab or put away.  Using this system was the most organized my shoe collection ever stayed!

I saved the best for last – a shoe closet!  All on it’s own!  Now that would be a dream come true.  I did have one client who converted a linen closet into her shoe closet.  It looked like this but even had lighting for every shelf!

“I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.” – Imelda Marcos

I’m Linked to Sandy’s Monday Link Party

Hi! I’m Jill and I blog over at Made it on Monday. My blog is all about my creative endeavors: sewing, crafting, decorating, and creating. I am the mom to one-year-old Jace and wife to civil-engineer Nolan. I also work 15 hours a week. My life is full and very scheduled. I have to work so hard to stay away from chaos!

Day 12. My dear husband’s birthday is today and   I managed to convince him that we should spend the night in the new house.  Of course, we took a load of boxes with us – you know, I can’t be unproductive!  While we were gone, 2 couples came with their Realtors to look at our home. READ MORE

Due to technical difficulties, the moving form from ListPlanIt could not be posted. Stay tuned, we hope to bring this to you tomorrow!

Day 8 – So tonight, after packing 14 more boxes with the help of my dear friend, Chriss, I am sitting here thinking… “Wow, that grande iced coffee from Starbucks did nothing for me!” Needless to say, no energy here. Aside from packing the boxes, today it became evident that there are more expenses than anticipated.
Insurance to cover our possessions and property. I called our existing agent and gave them the change of address and all the details. Now I owe 50% of an annual premium for renter’s insurance (this on top of the homeowner’s policy still in place while our home is on the market).
Truck Rental. Compared 2 well known truck rental companies and need to reserve that tomorrow. More on how that goes later.
Muscle for hire. Hiring a few of my son’s friends to help load furnishings on this end of the journey into the rented truck. I am anticipating moving the first 50% of furnishings this weekend. (I am leaving some things at the house for staging purposes).
New washer and dryer. My set is over 15 years old and although not broken, we are giving this to our sons for their new place. Need to purchase a new washer and dryer (like the red ones on my vision board). Also convenient to have them delivered and installed at the new place for us!
Double household bills. We will incur charges for 2 sets of household bills until such time as our home sells. Phone, internet, pest control, and satellite dish will be transferred mid month. At least that’s only a half of a month of additional expense, but expense nonetheless.
Oh and for good measure, let’s throw in a needed car repair too!
Don’t worry, I’m still smilin’…….