2. Give gift receipts with your gifts and toss the original receipts.

3. Reduce junk mail by registering with DMAChoice.org.

4. Throw away those small-dollar-amount cash receipts before you even get home.

5. Call the charities you no longer support and request to be removed from their mailing list.

6. Put your magazine subscriptions on a diet.

7. Scan your recipes and get rid of the sheets of paper and recipe cards.

8. Shred your medical explanation of benefit statements after you review them.

9. Throw away those investment prospectus reports if you’ve never read them then request online copies only.

10. Eliminate the other language portions of your product manuals.

While there are many ways to organize, I have found that my clients who feel disorganized handle their “stuff” in one of three ways.  These are names for the kinds of disorganization that I often encounter.

The Pilot

This person loves to “pile it” (that’s why I call them a pilot). In their home or office you will find things stacked vertically. It may be papers, books, or clothes; they may be stacked neatly or haphazardly but they are piles nonetheless. These pilots will often say that they know exactly where everything is and they’re right… it’s in a pile!  How are they comfortable organizing this way? Are they really comfortable organizing this way? The answer is yes.  In Lanna Nakone’ s book, Organizing for your Brain Type, she states that this type of person should embrace their stacking preference but limit the number of piles, save less stuff to begin with, and use clear containers.

The Flight Attendant

Visualize the flight attendant on a plane – you walk onto a plane, they have everything neat as a pin and are smiling brightly. But they have a secret place, a closet of sorts. There, all of the tools for their job are hidden away – the beverage cart, coffee carafes, garbage bins, magazines, coats, and who knows what else.  A person who organizes like a flight attendant has a neat and orderly appearance on the outside but don’t dare look in their closets, laundry room or desk drawers! In fact, many of us have been quasi flight attendants in our lives – company rings the doorbell and with one swoosh we clear the papers off the kitchen counter into a bag and throw it in the pantry. Many people become flight attendants in their attempts to organize because they never get around to actually organizing and use closets, boxes or any close-able area to stash things when they want a sense of [eace in their environment.

Crop Duster

This person has it all spread out.  Just like a little crop duster, making sure to cover every nook and cranny. Every horizontal surface is covered with dishes, papers, projects, etc.  When the crop duster person begins to think about getting organized, they are instantly overwhelmed because they do not know where to start. They are paralyzed and cannot take action. Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper Tiger at Home, says that clutter is postponed decisions.  This person just cannot make a decision about what to do with the “stuff”.

1. Be Safe –Regardless of how you travel, make sure someone else has your itinerary and telephone numbers so they can reach you in an event of an emergency.

By car- make sure your car is road worthy.  Simple things like checking the fluids, tire pressure, and wiper blades can prevent bothersome road side stops. Fill up the tank before you go and refill it when the tank reads less than half full.

By plane/train/bus – keep your valuables on your person rather than in a carry-on or purse.  Always have a change of clothing and a toothbrush in your carry-on for unexpected layovers and delays.

2. Pack Light 

• Dress in layers and pack clothing that will mix and match.  Use packing cubes inside your luggage to keep things neat and accessible.  Only bring one extra pair of shoes.  Be sure to leave room in your luggage to bring things home with you.  

3. Ship Ahead

If you have gifts and things for people you will visit while traveling, ship them out the week before you arrive. It’s less hassle for you at the airport and less to carry. The Post Office’s flat rate boxes are a very economical way to go.

Since I moved over a year ago, I find myself traveling a lot more.  My best friend always admires how I pack so little and said I should write a blog post about that.  Good idea – so here goes!

My motto when traveling is definitely “less is more”.  I am a minimalist when I travel.  I want to spend more time enjoying my trips; therefore, I make sure it takes less time to pack.

Natalie’s 7 Travel Packing Tips

1. Choose one main color scheme for your wardrobe. Black or brown are usually my main color. It’s easy to mix and match other patterns to go with these colors. READ MORE

Day 14.  Went up to the new house today with another load of boxes.  As I mentioned previously, this new place is close enough (90 minutes) to drive to and bring things up a little at time.  I have been loading my car (to the brim) every trip with boxes and then unpacking the boxes once I get there and bringing the boxes back with me.  No, I don’t need more boxes – I am just doing this so that I do not have a mountain of boxes and tons of unpacking to do later.  This strategy does not work with all moves, READ MORE

Day  11.  Oh my aching legs!  Today we took a large load to the new house.  My helpers today were another son, his wife and my best friend.  I was amazed at how quickly we unloaded a 16′ truck.  Luckily, this son used to work for a mover during the summer when he was in high school so he knew what he was doing!  The downside today was that the new place has steps no matter which door to the house you enter so needless to say, READ MORE

Day 9 & 10 – Yesterday was spent watching my dear granddaughter and having my old faithful dog’s portrait done.  A little off the move subject, but life is still happening around me…..  I did manage to pack more boxes and stage things near the door for loading.  I reserved a truck from Budget Rent A Car and hired a 2 man work crew- essentially one of my sons and his friend.  These days with work offerings so slim, I thought I would help them out by giving them a job for a day or two READ MORE

Here’s a video blog of the first weekend of beginning to move.
I’m trying hard not to look tired!

Day 5 – Today was a busy day for me. I was in work mode as well as move mode.  I opened a new business account at a bank that will be local in my new city.  The manager, Nick, was very friendly and I found it a huge relief to be able to not wait in a long time to speak to someone.  Nick was very interested in me and my business and even promised to follow up himself.  I love small community banks (this one took no federal bail out money, by the way).

Next, I went to an eWomen networking event and helped facilitate the monthly Elk Grove luncheon, where I won a gift!  Looks like a great housewarming gift for our new home, doesn’t it?!    I also was lucky enough to READ MORE

Day 4 -  Okay, so what tasks were completed today?  I think I’ll make a quick list:

1. Set date and time for this weekend to do walk thru and get keys
2. Decided which Realtor will list our house
3. Left message for insurance agent to obtain renter’s insurance
4. Assembled and packed 8 boxes (while granddaughter was sleeping)
5. Identified some furnishings with the dot system

Dot system??? – Are you curious? READ MORE