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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/atom10full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" gd:etag="W/&quot;C04CSHsyeip7ImA9WhdTEEQ.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049</id><updated>2011-07-07T22:26:09.592-04:00</updated><category term="house" /><category term="green" /><category term="time saving tips" /><category term="non-toxic home-made products" /><category term="kitchen" /><category term="spring cleaning" /><category term="Strategies for organizing" /><title>Simply Change - Pro Organizers in Asheville</title><subtitle type="html">ORGANIZING, DECLUTTERING, DOWNSIZING, STAGING, MOVING</subtitle><link rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><generator version="7.00" uri="http://www.blogger.com">Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>9</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/SimplyChange-ProfessionalOrganizers" /><feedburner:info xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" uri="simplychange-professionalorganizers" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><feedburner:emailServiceId xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0">SimplyChange-ProfessionalOrganizers</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0">http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;C0cNRng9cCp7ImA9Wx5TEU0.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-5938371219329536702</id><published>2010-07-25T19:38:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2010-07-25T19:38:17.668-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2010-07-25T19:38:17.668-04:00</app:edited><title>Know someone suffering from A.D.H.D?</title><content type="html">&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;i style="color: blue;"&gt;The following  article was published in the NY Times on July 19, 2010 and forwarded to  me by Coach Rudy in Asheville, NC who specializes in helping people with ADHD. The toll of ADHD on marriage and  relationships can be overwhelming. Does this sound familiar? Another reason to have a professional organizer who understand ADHD help you in the home and office!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;i style="color: blue;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: medium;"&gt;Attention Disorders Can Take a Toll on Marriage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
by Tara Parker-Pope&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;Does your husband  or wife constantly forget chores and lose track of the calendar? Do you  sometimes feel that instead of living with a spouse, you’re raising  another child?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;Your marriage may be suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;An A.D.H.D.  marriage? It may sound like a punch line, but the idea that attention  problems can take a toll on adult relationships is getting more  attention from mental health experts. In a marriage, the common symptoms  of the disorder — distraction, disorganization, forgetfulness — can  easily be misinterpreted as laziness, selfishness, and a lack of love  and concern.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;Experts suggest  that at least 4 percent of adults have the disorder, that as many as  half of all children with A.D.H.D. do not fully outgrow it and continue  to struggle with symptoms as adults, and that many adults with the  disorder never received the diagnosis as children.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;Adults with  attention disorders often learn coping skills to help them stay  organized and focused at work, but experts say many of them struggle at  home, where their tendency to become distracted is a constant source of  conflict. Some research suggests that these adults are twice as likely  to be divorced; another study found high levels of distress in 60  percent of marriages where one spouse had the disorder.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="color: blue;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;The main thing to remember is there is help available. There are many ways to address ADHD and improve your situation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-5938371219329536702?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/5938371219329536702/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/07/know-someone-suffering-from-adhd.html#comment-form" title="10 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/5938371219329536702?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/5938371219329536702?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/07/know-someone-suffering-from-adhd.html" title="Know someone suffering from A.D.H.D?" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><thr:total>10</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;DkIAQ388cSp7ImA9WxFQEEU.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-4501569468465660836</id><published>2010-05-05T14:35:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2010-05-05T14:35:42.179-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2010-05-05T14:35:42.179-04:00</app:edited><title>How Cool is That?</title><content type="html">Between her husband and herself they had 8 children.&amp;nbsp; Every child had been part of the packing, hauling, tossing, and moving process to get their parents out of the three-bedroom house into the two-bedroom apartment. And still there was a whole garage full of stuff to get rid of.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That’s where we came in. We took a look at the garage and said “sure”.&amp;nbsp; The truth is we never know what we are saying “sure” to. Robert and I arrived wearing our I-don’t-care-if-they-get-trashed-clothes expecting lumber and paint. There was plenty of that.&amp;nbsp; But underneath that there was the box of Victorian paintings, the beautiful art books, the “Hitler Invades Poland” newspaper, the old license&amp;nbsp; plates, the silver spoons, many nice tools, and the beautiful old dresser. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We sat knee-to-knee eating our lunchtime sandwiches surveying the lumber and treasures and talked about finding the best outlet for all we had uncovered.&amp;nbsp; After lunch we made a series of calls.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By ten o’clock the next morning the garage was spick and span. The auctioneer had arrived and taken half the items, an old buddy of the owner took all the wood and all the paint. Habitat had come and gone; we made three visits to the dump and a final stop at Goodwill. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Everyone was happy. The friend was grateful. Habitat wrote a receipt with a smile.&amp;nbsp; The auctioneer shook our hands vigorously. We felt pride in our job. The owners were relieved and it is likely they will make enough from the auction to pay our fee. How cool is that?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-4501569468465660836?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/4501569468465660836/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-cool-is-that.html#comment-form" title="20 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/4501569468465660836?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/4501569468465660836?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-cool-is-that.html" title="How Cool is That?" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><thr:total>20</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;C08HQ3s4eCp7ImA9WxFRE00.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-3197580400692054834</id><published>2010-04-26T13:10:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2010-04-26T13:10:32.530-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2010-04-26T13:10:32.530-04:00</app:edited><title>Mother's Day</title><content type="html">&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/S9XI1Mqv59I/AAAAAAAAABM/TPtmbJM2GWM/s1600/Moms+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/S9XI1Mqv59I/AAAAAAAAABM/TPtmbJM2GWM/s320/Moms+Day.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Great gift for Mother's Day is a Gift Certificate for a closet, kitchen, garage or home makeover!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-3197580400692054834?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/3197580400692054834/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/04/mothers-day.html#comment-form" title="0 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/3197580400692054834?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/3197580400692054834?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/04/mothers-day.html" title="Mother's Day" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/S9XI1Mqv59I/AAAAAAAAABM/TPtmbJM2GWM/s72-c/Moms+Day.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;DkMGRXg7fCp7ImA9WxBaEkU.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-919392959200294744</id><published>2010-03-22T14:49:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2010-03-22T15:00:24.604-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2010-03-22T15:00:24.604-04:00</app:edited><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="house" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="kitchen" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="spring cleaning" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="non-toxic home-made products" /><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="green" /><title>GREEN SPRING CLEANING</title><content type="html">&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;GOOD Instructions: How to Spring Clean With Nontoxic Home-made Products&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    Tackling spring-cleaning this month? Us too. But there's no sense in doing it if you're going to create a big mess for the planet (and your body) in the process. Cleaning up your act isn't as straightforward as running to the pharmacy and picking out a bottle covered in claims of eco-friendliness and biodegradability, however. When it comes to home cleaning products a lot of eco claims are unverified and—worse—unverifiable, with rare exceptions like Seventh Generation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    Instead of wondering what kinds of toxic chemicals you're flushing down the toilet or dumping down the drain every time you decide your apartment's gotten a little grungy, stock up on a few things listed below, and keep these easy recipes handy. You'll probably notice you already have a lot of these ingredients in your house, and the ones you don't are way cheaper than any pre-made, environmentally unsound cleaner you can buy at the store.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    What you'll need: White vinegar (kills most mold, bacteria, and germs); baking soda (deodorizes, scours surfaces, and is a natural cleaning agent); lemon juice (it has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, is a natural bleach, and it controls odors); olive oil (polishes); salt (scours, cleans, and deodorizes); tea tree oil (kills germs); hydrogen peroxide (kills bacteria and mold); pure castile soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s (cleanses); empty spray bottles and reusable rags; essential oils you like the smell of.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• All-purpose cleaner. Equal parts vinegar and water. The vinegar smell dissipates as soon as it dries, but if it bothers you add a few drops of lemon juice. Put into a spray bottle and use for almost all of your cleaning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Windows and mirror cleaner. Pour a quarter of a cup of vinegar in a spray bottle, and fill the rest with with warm water. A bit of Eucalyptus oil rubbed on the mirrors will prevent them from fogging up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Floor soap. Fill a bucket with warm or hot water, add a quarter of a cup of vinegar and a dash of castile soap. Dunk your rag in the bucket, ring out, and wipe down the floors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Carpet deodorizer. For general cleaning on light colored rugs, sprinkle baking soda before you vacuum. For stains, mix equal parts borax or baking soda, salt, and white vinegar. Apply the paste to the stain and let dry, then vacuum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Tubs, countertops, and sink scrub. Mix baking soda with a bit of castile soap. You can add an essential oil for fragrance if you’d like. Scrub and rinse.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Oven cleaner. Combone three parts baking soda, one part salt, and one part water. Spread the mixture across the oven surface and let sit for eight hours. Scrape and wipe clean.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Natural drain cleaner. Take a half a cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain, followed by half a cup of vinegar. Let it fizz, then flush with hot water.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Wood cleaner. Mix two parts olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub the mixture into the furniture with a soft cloth and wipe away excess.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Moldy grout remover. Mix a half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water. Spray it on the moldy area, let it sit for 1 hour, and rinse.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Shower spray. Fill a spray bottle with water and five to 10 drops of tea tree oil. Keep this in your shower. Shake up and spray after each shower. This will keep mold and mildew at bay. Replace it biweekly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Toilet. Mix a quarter of a cup of baking soda with one cup of vinegar. Pour the liquid into the basin and let sit for a few minutes. Scrub and flush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Stainless steel polish. Rub a little olive oil on the surface to remove streaks and prints.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Marble, granite, or stone countertop cleaner. These materials require a different cleanser because the acidity of vinegar can etch the surface. Instead, substitute rubbing alcohol or vodka for vinegar in your all-purpose cleaner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Air freshener. Simmer a pot of water with cinnamon sticks and cloves or and a few drops of an essential oil you like on the stove.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• Read more: http://www.good.is/post/good-instructions-how-to-spring-clean-with-nontoxic-home-made-products/#ixzz0ivtsgRNv&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;credit: Millissa Skoro   http://www.nrdc.org/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-919392959200294744?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/919392959200294744/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/03/green-spring-cleaning.html#comment-form" title="4 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/919392959200294744?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/919392959200294744?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/03/green-spring-cleaning.html" title="GREEN SPRING CLEANING" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;DUIHQX4zfip7ImA9WxBQFkg.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-7606599655968214204</id><published>2010-01-16T10:53:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2010-01-16T10:58:50.086-05:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2010-01-16T10:58:50.086-05:00</app:edited><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Strategies for organizing" /><title>A four-step guide for organizing any room, plus strategies to prevent procrastination.</title><content type="html">Are you overwhelmed thinking about how to get your entire house in order? First, put away the notion that it will happen overnight, or even in a week. And keep in mind the goal isn't to end up with a sparkling space where everything is always in its place. The key to a more organized home isn't just about tossing most of your stuff and stashing the rest in cute containers (although they do help when the time is right) – it's more about recognizing and replacing bad practices with better habits that'll help you dig out from the mess on a daily basis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best part about the organizing process is that no matter what room you're wanting to straighten up, the rules are essentially the same — here's a four-step guide to get started, which also includes 13 strategies to prevent you from procrastinating along the way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;1. Define Your Space&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For each room you want to organize, organizing expert Charlotte Steill says to take a notebook and sit down in each space, making notes on the following questions:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;   * How will the room be used by your family? A shared family space for games, toys and movies? An office for one or all? Be sure to account for all of the various activities because it will dictate what stays and what will get the boot when it comes time to sort the room's contents.&lt;br /&gt;   * What storage is available in the room? Built-in shelves, drawers, cabinets, a closet, baskets and bins? An ottoman with storage? A coffee table with drawers?&lt;br /&gt;   * What needs to be stored in the room to support its use? Toys, video games? Books, magazines? Computer equipment?&lt;br /&gt;   * What is your goal for the room?&lt;br /&gt;   * Does the furniture suit the room, or should it be rearranged or cleared out?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;2. Sort Your Stuff&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you have a plan, tackle only one room at a time and if you're still overwhelmed, narrow it down to one corner at a time. Then, says organizing expert Liz Witts, begin the organizing process by sorting the items into the following categories:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keep: Items used on a regular basis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Donate/Sell: Items that are no longer used or are duplicates — things that you can do without and would rather give it to someone else for them to benefit from.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Store: These are sentimental things that you want to hold on to but don't need to have cluttering up your daily living space.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trash/Recyle: Things that are no longer usable. Worried about how to decide what gets tossed? Follow Liz's suggestion, "If you need to spend more than 15 seconds thinking about what something is, or when you last used it, or why you even have it, then you probably don't need it."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One caveat before you rid yourself of excess: Consider a secondary use for things you're thinking of pitching. Plastic ware can be turned into storage in drawers and cabinets and even old towels can be used for cushioning in a dog bed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;3. Set Up Storage Systems&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that you're left with only the items you intend to keep, it's essential to set up "homes" or "zones" to maintain organization. "If you are forever misplacing your car keys, create a home for them," says organizing expert Pam Socolow. "Hang hooks near the door, or put an attractive box in a convenient place — whatever works for you. Try to establish a routine of always placing the keys in the designated spot."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Use well-labeled containers to create a storage system, and let your family know where things are located. If space is at a premium, add shelves inside closets to make use of the vertical wall space, says Liz Witts. If you have small children, attach hooks at lower heights so they can hang up their jackets and bags. Adjustable shelving, such as a closet system, is ideal because it can be moved to accommodate various storage needs. Use plastic shoeboxes — or again, even extra plastic ware normally used for food storage — to create kits for things such as sewing items, shoe repair and extension cords.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;4. Stay Focused&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Procrastination can have a snowball effect — the little things you put off each day can pile up to the point where you're at a loss as to how you'll ever whittle down your perpetually growing to-do list. To help you avoid the inevitable moment when your organizing efforts begin to slide, take note of these 13 strategies from organizing expert Monica Ricci:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Mental Strategies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  1. Vividly imagine the way you'll feel inside after the task or project is complete.&lt;br /&gt;  2. Focus on your desired result, not your fear or inaction.&lt;br /&gt;  3. Imagine yourself completing the task or project easily, quickly and with no setbacks.&lt;br /&gt;  4. Tune into your procrastination language in your head and derail it with positive thoughts of "I want to," "I can," and "I enjoy" instead.&lt;br /&gt;  5. Let go of perfectionism. Many things aren't worth doing perfectly, so just start and do your best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Physical Strategies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  1. Get an accountability buddy to keep you on task along the way.&lt;br /&gt;  2. Work out the steps to the project on paper in advance to clarify your thoughts and eliminate all the emotional whirlwind around why you don't want to begin the task or project.&lt;br /&gt;  3. Master the art of starting. Over and over again.&lt;br /&gt;  4. Do the hard parts first. Or...&lt;br /&gt;  5. Do the easy parts first. Whichever motivates you more is the one you should choose.&lt;br /&gt;  6. Keep a progress log so you don't lose sight of how much you've accomplished.&lt;br /&gt;  7. Break your project into small, manageable chunks and create interim deadlines for yourself along the way.&lt;br /&gt;  8. Build in rewards for yourself as you finish each step or as you complete the project.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Source: HGTV.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-7606599655968214204?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/7606599655968214204/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/01/four-step-guide-for-organizing-any-room.html#comment-form" title="3 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/7606599655968214204?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/7606599655968214204?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2010/01/four-step-guide-for-organizing-any-room.html" title="A four-step guide for organizing any room, plus strategies to prevent procrastination." /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;AkMDQ30zfip7ImA9WxNSE0U.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-5691591591157252030</id><published>2009-08-27T11:52:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2009-08-27T11:54:32.386-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2009-08-27T11:54:32.386-04:00</app:edited><title>A list of 10 ways excessive clutter can affect you and control your life:</title><content type="html">1. Emotionally&lt;br /&gt;Excessive clutter often causes feelings of guilt, anger, shame and embarrassment that create an inner feeling of burden and heaviness.&lt;br /&gt;Clutter can drain your energy - and you may not even notice it until the clutter is gone. Every item in your home has an energy to it.  When items go a long time unused, unloved and uncared for, they become stuck, stagnant energy that actually physically drains you of your energy. Energetically too many items in a house can cause a sense of overwhelm or disturbance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Mental Health&lt;br /&gt;Clutter decreases your ability to enjoy life causing stress, confusion, inability to focus, and often leads to depression. Sometimes clutter is initially caused by depression, but clutter also makes it nearly impossible to recover from depression.  Most often once people start releasing their clutter, their energy comes back and their depression gets better, sometimes it may go away for good.  There are some people who are extremely sensitive to their environments and just never realized what a difference it could make.&lt;br /&gt;Even in people who don't have ADD, clutter causes ADD like symptoms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Relationships&lt;br /&gt;Clutter and chaos causes conflicts in relationships often due to chronic lateness and disorganization.&lt;br /&gt;Cutter can keep you from socializing because you don't have the energy or can't find clothes to go out. It can keep you from getting close to people because you don't entertain or want to have people visit you in your home. Again, bringing up shame or embarrassment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Time&lt;br /&gt;Every thing you own requires some amount of care and organization. Simply having too much stuff eats up your time like crazy. If you have too much stuff, it's much more difficult, time consuming, and expensive to get organized.&lt;br /&gt;Having too much stuff often leads to procrastination and lateness which wastes yours and other people's time and causes a whole host of other problems.&lt;br /&gt;Not being able to find things is a huge time cost of clutter.  In extreme it can waste several hours every day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Loss of Self-Esteem&lt;br /&gt;Clutter can cause you to feel like you aren't capable or are missing some basic skill that everyone else "seems" to have so you feel bad about yourself - the truth is you are not alone, many people have issues dealing with clutter. It is actually way more common than one thinks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. Physical Health &amp;amp; Stress&lt;br /&gt;The stress caused by clutter is enormous.  Every time you can't find something, or an argument flares up with a loved one, or you can't relax because you worry about all the things you need to do, but can't till you get the clutter cleared, your stress levels increase. Stress will then lower your immunity and resistance and so you may have frequent, persistent colds or other physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, sinus problems and allergies and more. It also results in not eating healthy meals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. Family&lt;br /&gt;Clutter causes irritability, resentment and stress that leads to temper tantrums, outbursts, and overall disharmony (especially, if people are having to deal with "other people's clutter". You may start to feel like you aren't a good parent or aren't a good example for your kids&lt;br /&gt;Excessive clutter can cause depression, acting out, bad behavior in children due to their inability to focus caused by the clutter. Self-judgments are a source for many forms of separation and disturbance within a family. Then of course, judgments on others create the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. Financial&lt;br /&gt;All things need a place to be – a home. Whether that home is an extra room, a piece of furniture, or a container, you continue to pay for things long after you initially acquire them. Clutter directly costs money in the following ways:&lt;br /&gt;          o Credit card debt - often for unused stuff&lt;br /&gt;          o Late fees for bills paid late&lt;br /&gt;          o Renting storage facilities&lt;br /&gt;          o Duplicates purchased because you can't find things – this happens a lot!&lt;br /&gt;          o Some people move to larger home to accomodate the stuff&lt;br /&gt;Clutter affects people's careers.  Studies have shown that people with cluttered desks and offices are less likely to be promoted.  This of course affects how much money you can make. And if you own your own business –then productivity directly affects your bottom-line.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. Safety &amp;amp; Hygiene&lt;br /&gt;In extreme clutter, people have a hard time walking without tripping or bumping into things. Often there are things hidden in the clutter that are very unsafe for children.  There are cases where a young child is pretty much confined to a playpen all the time because it just isn't safe to be out of the playpen.&lt;br /&gt;Inability to clean cluttered areas can lead to extreme dust and even mold and mildew that can create even more potential health problems in yourself and your children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. Your Future&lt;br /&gt;Holding on to clutter often grounds you in the past at the cost of your present life and your future.&lt;br /&gt;Clutter distracts you from being able to think about your goals, projects, hobbies and get things done.&lt;br /&gt;Learning to let go of items is a way of learning to let go of the past so that you can move on. This is often seen after divorce, death of a loved one or even with inheritance of items people actually don’t want or have space for but feel obligated to keep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of us experience some of these areas. Some of us may experience many of these. If you are, it may be too difficult to dig out alone.  Please seriously consider getting help. &lt;br /&gt;There are people and companies such as SIMPLY CHANGE in your community that specialize in helping people improve the quality of their life and the lives of their families.&lt;br /&gt;There is no stigma about this - most everyone can use some help in these areas.&lt;br /&gt;Please reach out if needed. Your life is just too precious and too short to live in a manner that doesn’t support all the areas of your life. Help is available and change can happen quickly!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-5691591591157252030?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/feeds/5691591591157252030/comments/default" title="Post Comments" /><link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2009/08/list-of-10-ways-excessive-clutter-can.html#comment-form" title="1 Comments" /><link rel="edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/5691591591157252030?v=2" /><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2148290998741327049/posts/default/5691591591157252030?v=2" /><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://simplychange.blogspot.com/2009/08/list-of-10-ways-excessive-clutter-can.html" title="A list of 10 ways excessive clutter can affect you and control your life:" /><author><name>Simply Change - Professional Organizers</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/17008489294134655071</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail" width="33" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SxwuEH1UBxY/TA16b2MNJDI/AAAAAAAAAB8/k8_e3O6o8wU/S220/JuliaRobert.jpg" /></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry gd:etag="W/&quot;DkQEQ3Y4eSp7ImA9WxJVFk4.&quot;"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148290998741327049.post-2417224140730368741</id><published>2009-07-03T11:09:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2009-07-03T11:18:22.831-04:00</updated><app:edited xmlns:app="http://www.w3.org/2007/app">2009-07-03T11:18:22.831-04:00</app:edited><title>Making Money from Your Closet</title><content type="html">&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Making money while cleaning out your closets.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most people have hundreds of unclaimed dollars hanging in their closets just taking up space? How about you?&lt;br /&gt;Do you have last year’s purchases that you may still have not worn yet?&lt;br /&gt;Do you have expensive clothing that no longer fits your fit body?&lt;br /&gt;How about clothes that no longer fit your ever-changing personality.&lt;br /&gt;Clothes you wish you never would have bought but did.&lt;br /&gt;Clothes you don’t even remember how they got in your closet!&lt;br /&gt;Sound familiar? We all make shopping mistakes or out grow our style of clothing, but why live with them the rest of your life? Turn past year's bargains into cold hard cash right now by putting them on consignment or selling them in a garage sale. Or exchange them in a local clothing swap. (These are becoming very popular these days in many cities.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consignment stores are popping up everywhere because people know that they can find great bargains on quality used clothing for themselves and their families. Selling on consignment is a great way to clean out your closet, make a little money and create space for new clothes that would better suit who you are today – not who you were 5-10 years ago!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So how do you start? You do it by pulling each item from your closet (don't forget your dressers too) one at a time, and separate into piles based on the following criteria:&lt;br /&gt;• You love it and wear it faithfully, and you like how you feel when you wear it.&lt;br /&gt;• You like it and you wear it fairly often, or it works well with a few of your outfits.&lt;br /&gt;• You hate it and never wear it. In fact you wonder what you were thinking when you bought it, it doesn't fit, or you bought it because it was a bargain.&lt;br /&gt;• This pile is for undecided items--those that don't really fit into the other piles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many people like to have someone with them in this process to have another set of eyes. The same way you should never buy eyeglasses without someone you respect giving you their opinion.  This is why our business of Professional Facilitators of Change is becoming so popular. People desire and need the help of another – it saves money, time and frustration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are five easy steps to complete the job:&lt;br /&gt;1. Once you closet is empty, put all the items from the "Love it" pile back into the closet. This is a great time to sort them by color and type of clothing. Shirts got here, pants go here, and scarves go here…..&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Then put the items in the "fairly often" pile back into the closet. You should be left with two piles of clothing--the "hate it" pile and the "undecided" pile. (This is where the fun begins!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Neatly fold everything in the "hate it" pile and wish it well, for it will be taking a little trip out of your home and your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Go through the "undecided" pile piece by piece, and ask yourself what value each piece currently gives you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;   Warning: Avoid sentimentality - such as, “this was given to me by my mom or sister I can’t let it go.” “The last time I wore this I had such a great time in the Bahamas.” These are not reasons to keep your closet cluttered with items that do not suit you Now!&lt;br /&gt;And do not get sucked in by the clothing trying to convince you of its value and reminding you how good you used to look wearing it. Clothing is sly and it will say anything to get you to keep it around. It will remind you of how expensive it was, or that it was a gift from your mother-in-law, but do not fall for these sneaky tricks! You must be strong and objective. Clothes that aren't serving you need to be purged to make room for valuable, well-suited clothing. Note that the fact that you are undecided on this pile indicates that you don't love it, which means you should be able to get rid of more than half of it if you're fierce in your decision-making process. Once you've culled the pile, you should have a whole bunch of clothes that didn't make the cut back into the closet. This is where your secret cash stash is hiding.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Call a local consignment store and find out what their guidelines are for consigning clothing. Determine if you need to make an appointment or if you can just drop in. Ask how the proceeds are split between you (the consignor) and the store, and you should be able to get at least 50 percent. Ask what happens to your clothes if they don't sell, most consignment stores will donate anything that doesn't sell within a certain period of time to a shelter or another nonprofit organization. You don’t want the clothes showing back up on our doorstep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. It’s clear with some clothes that they are not suited for consignment. They will either be boxed up to go to a shelter or non-profit or, if they are torn or in any other way in bad shape, through them away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. Last step is a trip to the consignment store of your choice. &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;When back at home let yourself feel the difference of a cleaned out closet, what it represent to you in creating new space for a new you and generating money from what was just hanging around.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Simply Change&lt;br /&gt;Professional Facilitators of Change.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-2417224140730368741?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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In short: a lot. Learn how to reclaim the time you spend waiting, whether at home or on the go.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's face it: we all put off organizing our homes, purses, cars and lives because we don't think we have time. "Once you start looking at all the time you spend waiting for this or that, the minutes really add up," says Donna Smallin, the author of The One-Minute Organizer. Put those wasted minutes to work, she says; even just five minutes a day adds up to seven hours a month — plenty of time for organization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While you're playing the waiting game, try out these quick and practical organizing tips:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While popcorn is popping&lt;br /&gt;3 minutes in the kitchen&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize the day's mail — toss the outer envelopes and inserts in bill statements along with junk mail.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize a drawer; if there's not a lid for a container, toss it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Be brave as you open the fridge to play "leftover roulette," popping open mystery containers to see what's still edible, suggests Donna. Also, check out the expiration dates on condiments and half-full jars of spaghetti sauce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Rifle through that overflowing coupon box and toss the expired ones. Then file new ones by category and date.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Take out the trash, and make sure the recyclables are in order.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Empty or load the dishwasher; wipe down a shelf while you're at it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While cookies are baking&lt;br /&gt;12 minutes in the kitchen&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Plan dinners for the week and write a grocery shopping list.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your junk drawer. Toss the stuff that's really garbage, like toys from fast-food restaurants, dusty plastic silverware and wrappers from used packs of batteries. Then use a compartmentalized plastic tray to separate loose stamps, paper clips, coins and things that aren't really junk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your pantry: throw out expired cans, stale bread and cereal boxes with only crumbs left.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Spruce up your spice drawer or cabinet: put the spices you use most toward the front, and throw out "mystery" spices without labels.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * "Chop up some fruit and make a fruit salad for tomorrow," suggests organizing expert Maria Gracia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the tub fills up&lt;br /&gt;3 minutes in the bathroom&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Toss used towels in the laundry bin and hang up some clean ones.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your make-up drawer. A study from the College of Optometrists warns that mascara, lipstick and eye shadow more than three to six months old can be a hotbed for bacteria. Check the expiration dates in tiny print, or just toss whatever looks gunky.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize the space under the vanity: toss crusty bottles of hair product, face wash/cream you haven't used in months, stray cotton balls and cotton swabs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Straighten your linen closet, and make a pile of threadbare washcloths and hand towels you can convert to dust rags.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Toss expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications; wipe down a shelf in the medicine cabinet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Clean the toilet. Pour in a quick-acting cleaner, then brush and flush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Gracia suggests organizing your hair accessories in an over-the-door shoe organizer. The pockets will help you sort everything beautifully, so you can easily find what you need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During TV commercials&lt;br /&gt;4 minutes in the family room&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize a DVD shelf or book shelf, and make a donation pile of movies your kids have outgrown and books you won't read again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Venture under the couch to hunt dust bunnies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Put all toys (including the dog's) in a toy box or basket in the corner of the room.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Recycle old magazines, and put those you intend to read in the magazine rack.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Do some quick calisthenics so you don't feel like such a couch potato.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While your kids brush their teeth before bedtime&lt;br /&gt;5 minutes in their room&lt;br /&gt;(You may want to wait to do these things with your kids.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize the sock and underwear drawer, tossing anything that no longer fits or just doesn't look wearable anymore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Put all stray stuffed animals into baskets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Turn down the bed, pull down the shade and turn on a lamp. You're all ready for bedtime stories.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Put all stray tapes and CDs into their cases. To get your child involved, buy a colorful plastic carrying case for him to store his lullaby and playtime music in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Donna suggests laying out an outfit for the next day, ready for your child's approval or a quick switch. This will save time during the morning rush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Waiting to pick up your child from school&lt;br /&gt;5 minutes in the car&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Bring a trash bag and pick up all cups, napkins and litter in the car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Pay bills: store statements, envelopes, checkbook, register, envelopes and stamps in an accordion file with handle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Schedule dental and doctor appointments, order prescription refills, confirm appointments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Donna suggests organizing the interior of your car, including the glove compartment and the catch-all netting on the seat backs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Waiting in line at the post office or grocery store&lt;br /&gt;3 minutes on your feet&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Write a to-do list for the next day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Make a quick phone call to schedule an appointment you've been putting off.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * "Look at the supermarket magazines and see if you can find any organizing tips," says organizing expert Maria.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your purse — put stray coupons in the side pocket, check hand lotion bottles to see if they're empty, throw out candy wrappers and old store receipts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Waiting at the doctor's office&lt;br /&gt;10 minutes in a comfy chair&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your social life: make a lunch date with a friend you haven't seen in a while.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Tackle your "should-do" list: write a thank-you note or a card to a friend; call your mother.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Close your eyes, practice deep breathing and organize your thoughts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Check out the health magazines that are mainstays of a doctor's office. Learn something new about your kidneys, or some great exercise tips.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Bring a tote bag with a couple of sewing repair projects.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the phone, on hold&lt;br /&gt;1-3 minutes (we wish!) in your home office&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Organize your e-mail: create file folders that make sense and delete spam.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Go through paper file folders one a time, looking for outdated papers to toss or shred. Mark where you left off for next time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Send a virtual greeting card from your computer to let someone know you care.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Run the virus scan or disk defragmenter on your computer to keep it healthy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    * Go through your file of tax deduction receipts and paper-clip those in the same category to simplify the process next April.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Tips credited to HGTV.com under organizing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2148290998741327049-6227386968194023935?l=simplychange.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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