source: Ali Nassiri

My monthly column is up at Simple Mom, and I’m talking about task- versus people-oriented personalities. Come on over and share your thoughts about your personality and how you find balance between your to-do list and the people you love!

While personality tests and reading about personality types have been regarded by some as self-indulgent navel gazing, there is real value that comes from identifying your natural tendencies. Every personality has strengths and weaknesses, and understanding what yours are allows you take advantage of the strengths and create a plan to overcome the weaknesses.

The most popular personality test is the Myers-Briggs typology, but I’ve always been fascinated by the task-oriented versus people-oriented personality spectrum. Perhaps it’s because I am so strongly task-oriented, and I appreciate having a name for the focus I tend to place on my to-do list and getting things done.

Read more at Simple Mom…

source: AlanCleaver_2000

With just a little over a month to go until Tax Day on April 15th (also the 11th anniversary of when my hubby and I started dating, back before Tax Day really meant anything to either of us!), I’m embarrassed to admit that I have barely even started my tax preparation. I’m hoping to make some headway soon, as I don’t want to be stuck trying to sort out a mess at the last minute.

If you’re still working on your taxes, here are some posts from last year to help you get organized:

:: Preparing Your Taxes: Thinking Through Your Needs

:: Preparing Your Taxes: Make a List

:: Preparing Your Taxes: Planning for Next Year

So today’s question of the day is…

Have you started your taxes? Have you filed already?

Where are you in the process?

What’s the hardest part about filing your taxes?

Support our sponsors:
:: Simplify 101 helps you discover quick & easy ways to Organize Your Closet (workshop starts 3/11).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Make peace with your email and achieve Inbox Zen with these tips from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

Congratulations, Keilah, you won the Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop giveaway! I’ve emailed you with information on how to claim your prize.

The workshop starts tomorrow, so if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to do that today so you don’t miss a thing.

Simplify 101 also has some more great workshops coming up, including:

:: Organize Your Closet, March 11th — April 1, $24

:: Help! I don’t know where to begin!, March 25 — April 1, $7

:: Quick & Simple Clutter Control, April 8 — April 29, $24 (special early bird price!)

Aby has offered to answer any questions you all may have about the workshops, so please feel free to leave a comment with your questions and she’ll answer them this evening and tomorrow!

Support our sponsors:
:: Reduce your piles (and your stress!) with Simplify 101’s Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop (starts 3/9).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Restore harmony and order to your home with the Ultimate To-Do List Pack: Home & Family from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

source: jek in the box

This week, Marci from Overcoming Busy is celebrating the relaunch of her wonderful blog, and she invited me to participate with a post on The Time Cost of Our Stuff.

You’ve probably thought about the cost of various knickknacks, doodads and gadgets around your home — at least for a minute or two — but have you ever stopped to think about the time cost of these same items?

How much time do you spend moving things? Cleaning them? Thinking about them?

Read more at Overcoming Busy…

Support our sponsors:
:: Jumpstart your organizing efforts with the “Help, I don’t know where to begin!” workshop from Simplify 101 (starts 3/25).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Make peace with your email and achieve Inbox Zen with these tips from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

Our birthday girl and her baby sister!

The forecast says 50 degrees or more all weekend, and while there’s still snow covering most of the ground, I don’t think it’s going to be around long. As we usher in spring, we’ve got some pretty big changes coming for our family too (I’ll tell you more about those this week!), and life is busy and full of possibilities and promises.

I’m going to add a new feature to my weekend links posts where I share just a little bit about one of our current sponsors each week so you can hear a little bit about my perspective on each company and why I support their business. This week, let’s talk about Mabel’s Labels!

If you’ve been an Organizing Your Way reader for very long, you know that I tend to focus more on the function of an item than on its form. Thankfully, my husband is a very creative guy, and he combines my ideas with his design talents to make our home practical and beautiful. What I love about Mabel’s Labels is they’re extremely practical — iron-on clothing labels, allergy alerts and “my 411″ wristbands, labels for cups, bottles, toys and more. But that’s not all. They go a step further than your everyday label maker to combine practicality with fun & style in personalized labels that everyone in your family will love!

Before we head out for a fun family day, I’ve also got some great finds to share from the week. Be sure to check out my Tumblr account for even more (and I actually made it through most of Google Reader this week, so there’s quite a few if you’re looking for thought-provoking, practical and engaging posts!).

Home Management

:: Check out this adorable DIY earring holder that Tatiana found on YouTube.

:: List of Steps for Preparing Your Spring Garden, ListPlanIt

:: Get to Your Mess Before It Gets to You, Zen Family Habits

:: Organizing Tips for Bathrooms, A Fresh Start

:: Best Ways to Store Board Games, The Confident Mom
Welcome to the newest Life Skills Network member! Susan and her team of contributors have put together an amazing resource with practical tips and encouragement for moms.

Time Management

:: Healthy Sleep Habits, The Finer Things in Life (by Catherine at The Shoe Box Daily)

:: 5 Tips for Creating Family Routines and Establishing Rhythm in Your Home, Simple Kids

Money Management

:: 101 Common Money Myths, The Wisdom Journal

:: Do Something You Love Before You Have to Do Something for the Money, Frugal Dad

Have a wonderful weekend!

Support our sponsors:
:: Reduce your piles (and your stress!) with Simplify 101’s Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop (starts 3/9).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Achieve your goals with the Life & Goal Organizer from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

I’m sorry this wasn’t up yesterday. We moved servers in the morning and then the day got away from me! We’ll finish up our bathroom series next week.

I’ve been reviewing the Palm Pre Plus over at Deal Seeking Mom for the past couple of weeks, and it’s got me thinking…

How do you use technology to get organized?

Do you use online tools such as Evernote, Google Calendar or Springpad?

Do you have a smartphone or PDA?

Do you ever feel scattered by having your calendar here, your budget there, your address book way over this way and your your notes and reminders someplace else?

What are the benefits of technology you see in your own life? The drawbacks?

Support our sponsors:
:: Jumpstart your organizing efforts with the “Help, I don’t know where to begin!” workshop from Simplify 101 (starts 3/25).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Achieve your goals with the Life & Goal Organizer from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

Bathroom Storage Solutions

1. 6 Drawer Organizer Tower – Frost & Chrome, $29.79
2. Better Living Classic Three Chamber Dispenser, $24.99
3. Organize It All White Hair Care Rack, $16
4. Large, Customizable Under Sink Storage Shelf, $18.95
5. Umbra Capelli Organizer, Clear, $22.49
6. Mesh Shower Organizer, $6.99

Toothbrush Holders

1. Umbra Rubber Grassy Organizer, $8.81
2. Umbra Poke Storage Organizer, $13.08
3. Steeltek Pewter Veil Toothbrush Holder, $9.99
4. Drip & Dry ResidueFREE Toothbrush Organizer, $19.95

Jewelry Organizers

Okay, maybe most people don’t keep their jewelry in their bathroom, but I do, and I’ve been looking for a new jewelry box/organizer lately, so I wanted to include some of my finds!

1. Umbra Julia Layered Jewelry Boxes, $35.99
2. Hand Display for Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings, $22.60
3. Jewelry Display Stand/Rack, $17 (available in different colors)
4. Copper Delta Earring Display, $22
5. Red Leather Jewelry Box Organizer w/ Travel Case, $69.95
   (this is the one I think I’m going to add to my birthday wishlist)
6. Ultra 80-Pocket Hanging Jewelry Organizer, $10.99

Support our sponsors:
:: Simplify 101 helps you discover quick & easy ways to Organize Your Closet (workshop starts 3/11).
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Make peace with your email and achieve Inbox Zen with these tips from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

This month, Amazon.com is running three different magazine promotions with dozens of magazines on sale:

Food & Health

:: Fitness, $8.97 (after $5 instant discount)
:: Self, $10
:: Cooking Light (2-year), $24 (receive $10 gift card w/ purchase)
:: Health (2-year), $19.97 (receive $10 gift card w/ purchase)

Home Management

:: Good Housekeeping, $7
:: Better Homes & Gardens, $9.97 (after $5 instant discount)
:: Ladies Home Journal, $11.97
:: O, The Oprah Magazine, $15
:: Sunset (2-year), $30 (receive $10 gift card w/ purchase)

Decorating & Landscaping

:: House Beautiful, $10
:: Country Living, $10
:: Do It Yourself, $14.97
:: Garden Design, $15
:: Veranda (2-year), $15
:: This Old House (2-year), $19.97 (receive $10 gift card w/ purchase)

Business & Finance

:: Smart Money, $7
:: Wired, $10
:: American Photo, $10
:: Forbes, $29.99 (receive $10 gift card w/ purchase)

Find more discounted magazines here!

Support our sponsors:
:: Reduce your piles (and your stress!) with Simplify 101’s Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop.
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Achieve your goals with the Life & Goal Organizer from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

source: Nathan T. Baker

This post was first written as part of Simple Mom’s Spring Cleaning Party last spring. I think it’s worth repeating as we talk about bathroom organization this week:

I think each room we tackle presents its own unique challenges, and the bathroom is no exception. Bathroom cabinets and drawers are often filled with duplicate or half-used products, and linen closets become overstocked with all the things we might use one day. Because many of these things are expensive, it’s easy to justify the space they take up and then forget they’re there until long after they’ve expired.

Let’s look at a few common obstacles that keep us from having simple and organized bathrooms and linen closets:

Stockpiling

Tara, THE Deal Seeking Mom, is one of my best friends, so I know a few things about stockpiling great deals and collecting samples. While it’s easy to get caught up in “the thrill of the hunt” and find yourself requesting every free sample that becomes available and stocking up on every product that someone in your family might one day need, I’m going to take a radical approach and tell you that it’s okay to only request the samples and buy the products you know you’ll use.

I’ve stopped playing the drugstore game, despite the fact that “purchasing” more products was actually saving me money through a combination of coupons, store deals and ECBs (for more on what that all means, visit Deal Seeking Mom). I still take advantage of the deals for products we regularly buy and use, but I avoid the rest because I’m unwilling to give up space in my home to house them, even temporarily.

Half-Used Supplies

Another common pitfall we’ve faced in the past is opening a new toothpaste/deodorant/whatever before the first one was completely empty, either because we wanted to switch flavors/scents/brands or because using a new one is easier than trying to squeeze the last bit out of the old one. Having a collection of almost-empty products in our bathrooms was a major contributor to the clutter.

My solution was to pack up all the extras in a storage bin and store it on the shelf in the laundry room. We’re still able to get to them when we need something, but we’re less likely to pull out a new one before we need it. We try to follow the “something in, something out” rule and throw away older products (if we find that we don’t really like them or they’re not really effective) when we get out a new one.

Towels, Towels and More Towels

It’s also easy to keep dozens of extra towels in your linen closet “just in case” you need them one day. If you find that you have way too many for your family’s needs, consider paring back to a number that’s closer to what you really need. Cut up worn towels as rags and pack the rest away in the basement so that you can get to them if you need them without having to deal with them on a daily basis.

The Medicine Cabinet

And finally, the medicine cabinet is another area where it’s easy to become overstocked, but it’s also an area where it’s important to get rid of expired items and keep a list of the basics.

Think about what medicine you use regularly and need to keep on hand and create an inventory list for yourself, similar to the one you keep in your pantry. For us, even though we live in the boonies, the list is pretty basic – children and adult’s Tylenol, children and adult’s Motrin, Sudafed, NyQuil (for my husband), Airborne, Milk of Magnesia, Tums, bandaids, Neosporin, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, a thermometer and a couple packs of Pedialyte. Per the FDA’s newest recommendations, we don’t give our kids (who are all 5 and under) any over-the-counter medicines besides pain relievers/fever reducers, and our inventory reflects this.

Running out of the basics is never fun, especially in the middle of the night with a feverish toddler, so I try to stay aware of what we have and what we might need so that our stock never gets too low. Storing all of our bandaids and bandages organized inside the first aid kit we bought years ago keeps them organized and makes them easy to sort through. The rest of the medicines get sorted every six months or so to get rid of any that have expired.

Maintaining the Bathroom

Because the bathroom, like the kitchen, is used regularly throughout the day, it can be a challenge to keep it sparkling and organized. My advice comes straight from the FlyLady’s playbook. My husband still uses a new towel every day (despite my best efforts to convince him to let it air dry and reuse it for a few days first!), and my morning routine now includes just grabbing his towel and wiping down the sink before taking it to the laundry room. You could also keep a rag and mild cleaning solution under the cabinet for a quick spray and wipe each morning. Because our master bathroom is also the only bathroom on our main level, it’s important to keep it clean, and the simple process of wiping the sink makes a huge difference.

Are you dreading cleaning your bathrooms today? Do you have overflowing cabinets and linen closets full of products you might use one day? What’s one thing you know you should add to the give/sell pile but you really don’t want to?

Support our sponsors:
:: Reduce your piles (and your stress!) with Simplify 101’s Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop.
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Achieve your goals with the Life & Goal Organizer from Get Organized Wizard.
:: Check out the Plan to Eat Online Meal Planner, because eating at home should be easier.

I’m excited to share that I’ve set up an Organizing Your Way Flickr pool for you to share all of your organizing photos!

And because I don’t want it to be full of pictures from my own home and no one else’s, I’ll be offering three giveaways in March to those of you who participate. I’ll draw one random winner, choose my favorite organizational system and choose my favorite “Help, what do I do with this space?” photo. The winners will be able to choose from a stash of organizational supplies and planners!

This week we’ll be talking about bathroom organization, so I’d love to see pictures of your bathrooms. How do you organize your space?

So come on over and share your favorite photos. Be sure to browse through the rest of the pool for ideas and tips as well!

Support our sponsors:
:: Reduce your piles (and your stress!) with Simplify 101’s Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop.
:: Mabel’s Labels: Your number one choice for children’s labels!
:: Achieve your goals with the Life & Goal Organizer from Get Organized Wizard.