Declutter Your Home

Ideas for Organising Reception / Living Rooms

2012-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Living rooms are some of the most used and frequented rooms in your home – they are your social rooms, and as such loads of people will come into them over the course of the year, and they need be organised so that they are able to cope with everything.

Lets face it -

Having a sense of calm, clutter free living for GUESTS will make the whole room feel more comfortable and welcoming to them.

and

Having a sense of calm, clutter free living for YOU will make relaxing in the evening much easier to do (no more toys strewn around, magazines / DVDs / CDs everywhere etc….)

So, to get your started, here are my top tips on organising living rooms – hope you enjoy!

Think about both the overall purpose of the room, and then what you want to do in that room. Don’t necessarily be guided by the “normal” uses for rooms – if you want a space for exercising, or for a hobby, then utilise your room as such. Maximise your space and make it work for you, after all, you are paying for every square inch! Don’t leave a room anywhere in your home unused if at all possible.

For example -

Lounge – Relaxing, TV watching, Book reading, Socialising, doing fitness DVDs

Dining Room – Dinner Parties, Daily eating for tea, Homework on the dining table

Playroom – Playing games with the children, computer space, storing all toys, reading, a place for them to watch TV and socialise with friends

Once you know what you want to do in each room – ensure that there is the space and necessary furniture/items in that space, otherwise it will just frustrate you by having to get up and down every time you need something.

Basically you want to make every activity you do in the space as easy as possible to do.

For example, if you read in the room – have a seat with a light close by (or by a window for natural light, and ensure you are seated so that the sun won’t get into your eyes as this will annoy very quickly!), bookcases or a magazine rack to hand etc..

TIP – In my business I stage homes for sale as well as do interior design, and I always have to ensure that a home has all the “ticks” for potential buyers. Most want a kitchen/diner, living room, family room if at all possible, and usually say they want a dining room so I stage homes to show these spaces are there – however, actually living in the space is so different – as long as you have a reason for each room then you will be utilising it right for your specific family needs – have a bit of fun with it!

Given my post of a week or so ago, I fully believe that one way of really maximising the organisation and storage in a room while minimising visual clutter is to have furniture that does more than one thing.

For example, a storage footstool to hide away magazines and remotes.. find out more great ideas in the blog itself.

Also – think about not only storage functionality, but extra functionality that may help your circumstances. Only have 2 bedrooms but need a third for frequent guests? Why not have a sofa bed in a living room so that you can easily convert that space to a bedroom when needed.

Just think outside the box a little and you’ll be amazed at the results!

As familys grow, needs change. You may need a nursery and playroom now, but when your children are older you may want to think about having a second lounge for them and their friends to have a little space (and also for you to get some peace!)

Giving children a little independence works really well – and you will still be able to keep a watchful eye on whats going on if necessary!

Its also important to give all members of the family some space as well – my husband and I decided to have 2 TVs in the house – one in each reception room. He is an avid football watcher, and I’m not (!) so when the season is in full swing, its easy to have separate evenings even if we both want to watch TV. It also means that the family room has a TV for my daughter to watch as and when as well.

Remotes – seriously – how many do we all need!

I have just been around my house and counted up – apparently we need 10! For stereos, TVs, DVD players etc… ARRRGGGHH!!! and you can be guaranteed that you won’t be able to find the right one when needed, or its in the wrong room, or has run out of batteries….

If you simply designate an area in the room for them, and get into the habit of returning them there after use (this works for any items in the room, and especially keys), then this will save you lots of time. I like using a drawer or a space within the TV unit itself, or inside a storage footstool. Just maintain where it is and you should be safe!

Also – I spoke briefly about batteries – a real pain when they run out. Why not think about having a supply of remote specific batteries close to hand as well? (just keep out of childrens way)

It may seem a silly thing to ask, as you will want to answer “as many as there are living in the house of course!” – but stop and think for a moment. How many times do just the members of the house sit down together at any one time in the same room?

Its much more likely to be with friends / for parties / evenings together / kids friends etc…. – and as such you want to be able to sit them all down relatively comfortably. Imagine a dinner party for 6 and you all decide to sit in the living room, only to find 5 seats – not great! (and people could get too cosy than they really want!)

Now – I’m not saying go out and buy as many chairs as possible just to be on the safe side – as you won’t need those 6 chairs every day and the room could look cluttered – but do you have access to chairs in another space that can be easily moved for the evening? Its just about thinking ahead and trying to ensure that you are prepared!

As a minimum though, have enough for your family to sit down! We are trying to encourage this after all!

If you have a family, consider loose covered furniture and get two sets so that you can 1. change them over when spills happen and 2. get a new look easily.

Think about special occasions when placing furniture i.e. where will your Christmas tree go? will it be easy or hard to fit in – try and make everything as easy as possible.

And lastly – if a room doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to move furniture around - you may be surprised at what set up works best for you.

When decorating, consider having neutral colours for the main items (walls, furniture, flooring) and add colour in soft furnishings and accessories – when you want a change it will be easier and cheaper to just change these things.

Another great and very organised idea is having a summer set and a winter set (lighter curtains vs. lined thicker curtains for example) and swapping them over with the seasons. It gives a different feel to the room without breaking the bank.

(I had to add in some interior design advice in here now, didn’t I?!)

Are they accessible? Are they out of the way? Here are some good ways to store things:-

A basket can be used to hold remotes, videos or DVDs in a living room.A bin can be used to hold cards and board games which can be stored in a coffee table, shelving, end tables, or ottomans. Put the small pieces into plastic storage bags so they will not get lost.Have a sideboard style piece of furniture in each room and then you have drawers and a cupboard for all items in that space.IKEA do some great large wicker trunks/baskets that look good in the room but can hide a multitude of things!If you have open shelving, what about adding small boxes and baskets to them so that you can store things but it still looks goodFor young children, a basket can be used to hold books and toys such as rattles. – Use labels to make it easy to know whats in what container (pictures rather than works for smaller children works well)Have only items out that are necessary or that you love, it will feel more like YOUR home then

Clean the room regularly, and keep on top of the larger jobs too so that it doesn’t get overwhelming i.e. carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, chimney sweeping, curtain cleaning etc…

We will talk about this in future posts – but for now just ensure that you know what jobs are needed to keep the room looking good – and keep doing them!

So, you should now have a better idea of what space you have, what you need to use the space for, and what can be done in each room.

You will have decluttered and organised the items that you need in each room, and be on top of maintaining it as well.

Well done! Let me know how it goes!

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How to Organise your Memories – Creating a Memory Box

2012-07-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

We all lead busy lives, packing so much into them its sometimes difficult to catch your breath! But in the midst of all this busy-ness your life is literally passing you by.

Blink and you’ll miss it! I can’t believe my daughter, Jenna, has just turned 4 – doesn’t seem possible! Although I have been making the most of the time we spend together, I am very aware that some things will be forgotten as life takes over.

I want to remember what we did together when she was little, any funny things that happened, any developmental steps – and its the same for my life – Its so nice to be able to look back over what has happened over the past years and reminisce.

However – I forget things – very quickly! – we all do really. Its a case of whats happening in the here and now has to take priority in your mind and therefore all other bits that aren’t critical are lost – sometimes forever.

Think of your head as a filing cabinet where all your information is filed as you get it each day – pushing the previous information further and further back. Just as with a filing cabinet that isn’t organised well, whats the likelihood that you will be able to access all this information again? Pretty low.

Now, with important information you will be starting to get into the habit of keeping it in your Home File or Diary – for easy access when you need it, but with the other bits and pieces – memories, funny sayings, special moments etc… – that’s a whole other story.

So whats the answer? How can you make sure that key moments in your life are not forgotten, and the little things that mean so much are kept alive?

The answer is a memory box – and I am a HUGE advocate of them – having kept one since I was a teenager. I am quite a sentimentalist at heart you know!

A memory box is a place where specific, sentimental items can be put that you want to keep, but not display or have to hand daily.

Its something that you can take out every now and again to reminisce, and also something to pass on to family (great for children when they are leaving home – as its their life story so far!)

I advocate having a memory box for every member of your household – as then they have something special and unique to them.

The list really is endless – and can be very specific to you – but here are a few ideas to get you started:-

Cards from special occasion from specific important people in your lifeFirst tooth / First haircut lock of hairPhotographsCertificates and TrophiesDVDs of eventsSpecial clothes (I have my first ballet outfit! – so cute!)Toys that mean somethingLettersSchool reportsDiaries (these are great to look back over when you are older!)Photographs of larger items that you had to get rid of but wanted a memory of (wedding dress, your homes / cars etc…)

Setting a limit to the amount of “stuff” you keep is vital to making a memory box a worthwhile possession for you. If you end up with something that’s too big then you’ll never want to take it out and look at it – and it will become one of the clutter hot spots in your home – the LAST thing we want to achieve!

I advise getting a largeish box – whatever style you prefer (I actually use a plastic box with a lid as my memory box is kept in the garage so then everything is protected from water, damp, mice etc..!) and, as with everything else in your home – start a one in one out policy.

TIP – If you want a more stylish box – but still have the waterproofing of a plastic box – why not line with wallpaper inside – then you have a gorgeous and very personal box for everyone in your house!

Lets face it – as we go through life, some things from our past are going to become more important, and some will be less important. As we look back in our memory box, then we can naturally get rid of some items that were once really important, and make room for others. This method will ensure that your memory box always contains those things that really mean something to you, and also that tell your life story.

I like to gather memory items as I go, and just keep them in a drawer for now – quick and easy. Then once a year or maybe more, sort through them and decide what to keep and how you want to update your memory box.

This is also a great excuse to look through the box and share some memories!

It only takes about an hour to keep on top of it in this way – and means so much.

TIP – Write a note on the back of items so you know exactly when and what they relate to. It may be obvious now what something is – but do you think it will be in 10 years time!

(Also – I keep a photo album each year for any bits that we as a family want to keep – that way they are in date order as well – this is great for my daughters art, writing etc… and cards we have received)

A memory box can be a fantastic way of keeping your past with you – without becoming too overwhelming. It can give you a link to your memories, and ensure that things are not forgotten.

Keeping it safe and out of the way should ensure your precious items will stay safe – and give you access to your memories when you want them.

Its a relatively easy thing to start, and makes real sense to start when you have a child, as all their special things can be added so that one day you can go through the box together and reminisce.

I hope you have fun creating yours – let me know how it goes!

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July 2012 Organised!

2012-07-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

The kids are going to start their summer holidays this month, along with hopefully the warmest month of the year (statistically at least!) it should be the real start of summer for most people.

This month is a great time to start thinking about days out as a family – when the kids are off – and also getting away as a couple or by yourself for some well deserved relaxation.

The days are so long at the moment, with it not getting dark until after half 9 – which is just perfect for getting the most out of every minute. You can do loads during the day and still feel like you have an evening by the end of it! And what could be nicer than sitting outside with a drink in hand watching the sun go down – a great end to the day.

What plans for days out have you got? Tell me more at www.facebook.com/organisemyhouse)

Make this month really count for you…..

Here is a print out diary which I use – works well as theres space for reminders, TO DOs and a diary with times in so you can see at a glance where you have free time (if any!)

JULY 2012 DIARY PAGES

Also there is a handy checklist to get you in the habits of setting monthly goals, creating new habits, and basically being your backup for a more organised start to the month (I suggest printing it out and working through at the end of the previous month so that you are ready to go).

JULY 2012

Get some days out in the diary – if you work then book a few random days off if you can – theres nothing nicer than having a day off in the middle of the week to really refresh you!Get outdoors – enjoy the weather (I’m an optimist!) – have a few picnics, take a trip to the beach or a local river. Theres lots of time to be indoors on the colder months so make the most of it now!BBQs are a great way of socialising in groups (see my post on quick wins to make more of your social life) – ask people who you think will get on together and who have similar aged children. They are also a lovely way to feed just your family,or to have a quiet evening with your partner, and a great excuse for eating outdoors and getting fresh air. What about BBQ night once a week?!Get outside even if its just for a 15 minute walk each day (I walk in my FitFlops as I get a workout at the same time!) – you’ll feel so much better for it. I am currently making sure I walk my daughter to preschool and back every day and I feel more energised and fit.

Finalise childcare for over the summer holidays if required – if you can’t get any for any reason consider sharing childcare with another family – that way you still get some work time!I know its early to think about it – but have you ensured that you are all prepared for back to school in September? Ensure you have all you need from the school, as it will soon be shut for 6 weeks!Finalise any holiday plans and start to look at what you need to take – do you need to start a shopping list?Get some “me time”. I like to listen to podcasts or audio books when out walking – its time that I can switch off, get fit, and enjoy myself (talk about multi tasking!)Keep on top of the garden – with the hot weather being punctuated with rain at the moment everything is growing at a rate of knots – so do a little lowing and weeding each week so that you are always guest ready outside as well as inside!If you work for yourself, are you ready for yours and your childrens holidays? Ensure your clients are aware of any, and try and manage your diary so you don’t come back to a mess. Always try and give yourself a couple of days after getting back to sort out the admin side of things before you start client work again.Birthstone = RubyZodiac Signs – Cancer and LeoOn average its the warmest of the months (lets hope so!)

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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May - the month of May Day, Bank Holidays, Half Term, and (fingers crossed!) ...

June - this year its a time for two bank holidays, the diamond jubilee, warm ...

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Don’t Put It Off! – (The Answers to Procrastination)

2012-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

How come some people seem to be able to get everything done and still have time to play?!

I have lost count of the number of times over the years I have looked at my TO DO list and sighed. It just seems overwhelming at best and totally impossible at worst.

There are days I simply want to bury my head in the sand and make it go away. But thats really not going to help in the long run, is it!

Some of us have simply created the right habits to getting things done, and not overthinking things too much. They realise that most jobs will still be there tomorrow, along with a set of new ones that have cropped up, and so its better to stay on top of things as much as possible.

I have already talked about the reasons why people put things off in a previous post, but here I want to give some realistic ways that will help you to break out of overwhelm, take control again, and get things done.

If you can start to do things now rather than put them off, trust me, it helps in so many ways. You have more head space to think about your goals, you have more time to do what you want, and you have more energy (theres nothing worse than sitting on the sofa getting more and more bogged down by the thoughts of all the things you should be doing)

Its time to get off that sofa and reclaim your life! You will thank me for it in the end…….

We all live our lives in our way. We have set up habits that most of the time we don’t even realise we are doing, and procrastinating can be one of them all too easily.

We can think it normal to put things off, run out of time each day, move our TO DOs constantly to the following day – and basically not being in control of our lives at all.

We blame time, committments, family, friends, workload and much more – but the truth a lot of the time is simply that we are spending too much of our time procrastinating and not just getting on with things. Those things are usually the ones we think of as boring, overwhelming, or complicated.

This habit can easily be retrained though, and you’ll be amazed at the results!

Its far too easy to fill up your diary with scheduled things that don’t actually leave any time for your TO DOs. If you use your diary in conjunction with your TO DO list then you’ll be much more likely to get things done.

Make sure that you don’t have too much in your diary for any one day. Leaving some gaps will enable you to add in a few things from your TO DO list. Once TO DOs are scheduled then they are much more likely to happen!

Add in the TO DOs that are the highest priority at that time, and then you will feel accomplishment. If you only ever add in the easy stuff, the quick wins, then you will find yourself still left with the stuff you procrastinate over by the end! Doing things as they are needed to be done will pay dividends.

However, you must get yourself into the main habit of following your diary! Theres no point in scheduling perfectly if you only roughly do whats written down. Think of it as a favour to yourself in that once you have done the jobs for the day, you’ll be able to relax or do the more interesting things in the evening, or for the following day.

If you waste just an hour each weekday by overthinking what to do next, then that adds up to a full day of catchup by the weekend – and who wants to waste their time off!

Its just as important to schedule some rewards and breaks as well – all work and no play……..!

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Getting your Social life sorted! (S.M.I.L.E 1 of 5)

2012-07-15T03:32:00.000-07:00

Back in December 2011 I wrote a post entitled “How to Live a Balanced Life“.

It was about an acronym that I came up with many moons ago as an attempt to always consider all the different parts of my life each day, and to not let any one thing dominate too much. Basically an easy way to ensure a balanced life.

This acronym was S.M.I.L.E – standing for Social Life, Managing the Home, Income, Leisure and Energy – and I wanted to go through each of these in more detail over the coming weeks – to give you more of an idea of what falls under it, and to get you thinking (as I have over the years) about each section really carefully.

I hope that this helps you to think about what your priorities are, what your goals are for each section, and enables you to lead a more balanced life! I know that having a balance has really helped me over the years.

So – first off in this 5 part series of posts is a look into your Social life – let me know your thoughts!

Part of living a balanced life is gaining a network around you of family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc… – your role in the world is not one, but many – think about it:-

e.g. Are you a mother, wife, partner, daughter, granddaughter, sister, auntie, neice, cousin, friend, colleague, neighbour, businesswoman, volunteer, group member, I could go on and on…..!

You have so much going on in your life that its no wonder life can be so full.

The key is to acknowledge these various roles, and plan out how you can feasibly spend time cultivating each and every relationship you have, without getting stressed along the way (or doing what we have all be known to do in the past and not seeing people for months or even years at a time….)

However, firstly we must get to grips with our good and bad relationships – as we will want to spend more time with the good, and less time with the bad (or more time making the bad the good! bear with me and I will explain!)

You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family

Now, while this is mostly true, there are so many exceptions to the rule that I can’t help but think that we are in the midst of a huge social change in our lives.

In days gone by we used to rely on our family so much more, they always lived close by, helped with childcare, and were more often than not dropping by daily. Our partner was usually someone that we grew up with, that lived close as well.

Nowadays we are much more likely to live away from our family (having left for Uni and never come back, or relocated due to a job move or a new partner etc…), and as such we tend to rely much more on our friends to be our family.

As such, I am considering ALL relationships together – as it really depends on your own circumstances as to who you class as your family!

I want to be quite analytical in looking at our relationships, as this is how I work – but I really think that its the easiest way to do it – and if you take the emotion out of things fo a while you will be able to see things much more clearly than ever before.

So – first things first – get some paper and a pen and split the paper into 4 columns. In the left hand column, write down a list of ALL your relationships – anyone that you spend time with at present. This could take a while!

In the next column along, write down how often you see that person and how you spend time with them.

i.e.

MARK – Every Week at the pub

HANNAH – Once a month for coffee

CHLOE – Every 2 months we email

Then in the third column add a tick or a cross. This represents how you feel after you have contacted/seen that person. A tick means you are energised and happy, and a cross means you are worn out/stressed and generally not happy.

The last column is your “Going Forward” plan for that person.

You may want to continue as is – as this works well for you and you feel like you see them the right amount of time. You may want to see more of them or change how you see each other (i.e. you and your best friend may be used to a call every fortnight to catch up, but maybe you want to change it so you see each other once a month). Or lastly, you may decide that you don’t want to cultivate this relationship anymore, as its doing you more harm than good (can be just a friend who asks for favours all the time and doesn’t ever return them, or someone that always talks about themselves with no interest into your life etc…))

Being this analytical really does help you to see who is the most important in your life, who shouldn’t really be using up your time anymore, and also really highlights how often (or not!) you get to spend time with those that matter.

It simply shows you where your good and bad relationships are.

Like most people you will find that you have so many people in your life its pretty much impossible to keep regular contact with everyone – but here are a few tricks to help you get more out of your time while still having loads of great relationships:-

Whether it be friends of family – why not socialise in groups? Have a BBQ for your whole family, or a night out with a group of friends. This makes catching up all the more easy, and probably means you get to spend more time more often with those you care about.

You have already identified people that are basically wasting your time – in that they make you feel low after you have seen them. Now’s the time to declutter them from your lives.

This is much easier to do with friends than family members, but is possible in any relationship.

Try to be less proactive for a while with sending out invites for meeting up – and at least lessen the number of meetings you have. Also, when you do socialise with them, try and make it for less time than usual, or mix with a group of friends so that you see others as well. For family members, only see them at family occasions for example.

This is hard, and quite cold, I know that and I understand that. But the fact is that these are people who you ar letting have a negative effect on your life, however small that may be. You need to do something about it. Think of it another way if this helps – what are you now able to do if you spend time with this person? Who else are you having to postpone?

In this day and age, everyone is pretty much on Facebook or twitter.

I am not saying that this should take the place of talking and meeting up – BUT if you are really struggling for time, why not ensure that all your friends are following you on one of these sorts of sites. That way they can see what you are up to, and you can keep in touch with whats going on in their lives as well.

You only have to update once, and everyone can see what you are up to.

Its worth thinking about as a quick fix while you get yourself more organised. (Word of caution – you can spend MANY hours on social media if you let yourself – just use it quickly for a few minutes a day and it can work well for you)

I tend to use my driving time or when I go for a walk in the evening to make phone calls (hand free of course!). Its a great way to keep in contact with people, and you can even get a sort of schedule going so that you always speak to certain people on certain days of the week (I have recently noticed that after my Tennis Cardio class on a Tuesday I tend to always have a chat with my sis on the way home, the journey is about 25 mins which is a good amount of time – and we keep up to date with whats going on. If I had to find time when I was at home then I doubt that this would happen so regularly, as there is always something to be done at home that distracts…)

I mentioned a schedule in point 4 briefly. And although this seems to be an analytical way of doing things (welcome to my world!), it makes sense really.

When I am checking in at the end of the day and working through my S.M.I.L.E acronym, or checking my diary for upcoming plans, I find that it helps to have my list of people close to hand.

I can then quickly run down the list and ensure that:-

1. I have seen/spoke to them recently – or within our usual time frame

2. I have made plans to see them and they are in the diary already

This simply means I can maintain relationships, no matter how infrequent – and hopefully it stops me from neglecting anyone!

Over the course of life, you will meet new people, move house, join new clubs/groups etc… and people will naturally come and go from your life. This is the nature of relationships.

And its exciting!

However, I would like to think that now you are more aware of what relationships you have, what time you have, and what you need/want out of relationships, you will find it much easier to make new relationships.

You will also be a lot more aware of what you need from relationships.

For example, over the years I have come to term some people as “Fair Weather Friends” – people who want to be around you when the going is good, but are notably absent when times are tough. This is no problem if you are aware that they shouldn’t be the people you ring in a crisis, as you will only be disappointed. But knowing that they will be the life and soul of the party when you organise a night out means that the relationship is more geared towards having fun – and sometimes that can be just what you need!

I find that having a balance of people in my life always works well. People I can lean on, people that can lean on me, and people I have fun with – all work so well, and makes life much more interesting!

So – hopefully you will have completed the actions we have talked about, and got much more to grips with your network of family and friends etc….

You will know what you want and what you need from your relationships, and also be much more aware of any relationships that you should let go, any that you aren’t spending enough time on, and any that are just right!

You will be more open to new relationships, and much less likely to be disappointed as you will be more aware of what kind of relationships you have with people.

And hopefully, you should be able to more clearly keep up to date with catching up with people – not letting friendships drift, and making your social life part of your balanced life!

Heres to a happier, more balanced you!

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The “Why, Who, When, Where, What and How” of Getting Organised!

2012-07-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Whether you are single, a stay at home mum, working, wealthy, poor (the list is endless!) it makes no difference to the fact that being more organised WILL benefit you to some extent.

Do you find yourself saying any of the following throughout the day:- “I want to get organised”, “I need more time”, “Where did I put my…”, “Where do I start!”, “I am so sorry, I forgot…” etc….?

I challenge anyone to not say yes to at least one of those!

The best way to get started is to understand what questions to ask, and get an overview of how it will help you and what you need to do. Being aware of the overall picture will help you to stay focused and motivate you to get to the final destination.

Of course, the “What / How / Why / Where / When and Who questions and answers that I will look at in more detail below will be different for each of you, but its the asking (and answering) that will lead you on your organised way.

I hope that the following helps you to focus on what you want, how to get there more quickly, and how to stay organised for life. It should at the very least make you think about things more closely!

Organising will help you to live life to the full, whoever you are!

Look at the list below and see if you relate to any of them:-

I am constantly losing things and wasting time trying to find themI am late for meetings regularlyMy house is only ready for guests after I spend a day cleaning and tidyingI seem to do everything around the houseI can’t remember the last time I simply had chance to relaxI am always sending belated cards to peopleMy mind is constantly full of information of TO DOs etc…My children leave it to me to tidy up after themI constantly double book myselfPlanning for Christmas / birthdays / holidays is always done at the last minuteI am always chasing my tail and never seem to get ahead

If you have ticked even just one of these, then your life would benefit from being more organised (and you’ve probably identified a good place to start as well!)

“Getting Organised” is such a wide reaching phrase, and can mean different things to different people. The key is to define what it means to you, and to work towards that (this reason will be your motivation)

For example:-

Do you want a clutter free home?So you want to set a good example for your children?Do you want more time?Do you want all the above, and more!?

Define your reason – the “Why” – and you will be able to more clearly see how to get there. Sort out the “Why” first.

You may think that it will only be you that will benefit from you getting more organised (and indeed you should only do it if you are totally invested in it, or its not likely to work), and this is not so.

The butterfly effect (from Chaos theory) states that every small event creates large events (if a butterfly flaps its wings, then a few weeks later a hurricane is formed.

As such what you do everyday can affect your whole life. The little things add up to form large things. Small bad habits, small amounts of wasted time looking for things – all create large amounts of time and effort and energy that you have simply lost – just by being disorganised.

What you do everyday also affects so many other people as well. It stands to reason that therefore everyone benefits from you getting more organised.

You become a better partner, parent, friend, sibling and child all by developing more organised habits:-

You will feel more able to have people over as your home will be guest readyPeople will be able to rely and depend on you moreYou will be on time for thingsYou will remember important eventsYou will appear more relaxed, and therefore be someone easy to be around

Basically, you benefit so much from getting more organised and so does everyone you interact with.

There are some people who are really organised at work, and not so much at home – whereas some people have everything in its place in the home but their car looks like a bomb site (see a previous post as this is me!)

If you can easily see where needs your attention the most, then it will serve you well to pick an area within this to start with.

This could be your home, your office, your hobby, your car, an organisation you belong to, your garden, your social life etc….

This is purely your high level overview of your life – and will give you a good insight as to how balanced it is as well.

Of course, you may be disorganised in the majority of your life areas, as such you will need to look a little more closely……

This links very well to the “where” and is the next stage of working out your organising plan.

You need to be specific with what you want to get organised, as then you will know exactly what to focus on the most, and you will start to see your goals more clearly.

Your “What” should be something that makes your life run more easily, and that has a positive effect on you (and others as well most probably).

Things to consider would be:-

paperwork / finances / daily habits / clutter / time / systems and routines….

And there are lots of theories to consider on exactly how to choose what to get organised:-

Start where it hurts the most – what do you get frustrated by on a daily basis? The positive of this method is that you can see results quickly.Start in the most disorganised space – do you have a really cluttered room, or simply too busy a social life to keep up? Again the positive of this method is that you will make a difference very quickly to your life, and be more motivated to continueStart small and build up slowly – there is a train of thought that suggests that starting with something small like a drawer or a cupboard will give you enough to get started, but not overwhelm. While this is correct, it may be too insignificant for you to feel a big difference and your enthusiasm may wane over time.Start and finish one room / area before going on to the next – The problem with this is in how you define “finished” – nothing is ever perfect, and so you may find yourself stuck in one area trying to reach perfection.

All these methods are good, mainly for the reason that they all get you started – and thats the main goal here – to simply START.

I always go for starting somehere where I feel really needs sorting fast, as long as its something I will see everyday. This way I will see the results and build momentum to keep going. I also make sure I split it into manageable chunks – which means that I can start with a big project but not get overwhelmed. This method covers the majority of the ways to start listed above, and works well!

For example – this past weekend I really got stuck into sorting out the families paperwork.

I have had a lot going on in recent weeks, including an influx of work projects, family changes, and general busy-ness. As such the paperwork has ended up being neglected and piled up (only that which isn’t too important of course).

I also have in the back of my mind that I am writing an ebook soon to be available on this site – all about the perfect way to organise all the paperwork that comes into your home (WATCH THIS SPACE!). As a result I want to be able to go through the process from start to finish to ensure that I think of all the possible niggles in my system so I can sort them out and ensure the system you get is great. Thats the aim! However, this project takes time to do, and as such things had been building up.

ENOUGH!

I simply got started, and felt so much better!

I took everything out of the corner where I intend to set up my system, and then sorted everything out into specific piles – allocating a file or a space in a drawer for each part. Then I put everything where it should go.

The results? I can now find everything I need, I have the beginnings of the system I want to create, and can now see it working properly before I invest more time into getting each part of it sorted. Its enough for now, and it the first step.

I now feel more relaxed when I deal with my paperwork , as I know the system is in place and working for me – even with some tweaks to make. I also know where to find everything quickly and easily.

Its all too easy to fall behind in your organising when you’re busy or waiting for other things to happen, but just getting started will help so much!

So, we have now looked at the “why”, the “who”, the “where” and the “what”.

We have a plan of action but we don’t as yet have the tools to do the job.

The reason you have chosen the area of your life to get organised that you have is because you are to some extent disorganised and need to change what you are currently doing – because thats the only way you know how to do it.

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got…

You now need to find new systems, strategies and habits to ensure getting organised is sustainable and will work specifically for you.

My key to getting organised is as follows:-

View the original article here

Top 10 Hidden Storage Ideas

2012-07-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how you look at a room in a magazine or a show home and want to recreate it – but no matter how hard you try it never quite looks the same? That’s because those pictures are done for the camera to accentuate space – and are not how we all live.

They don’t have any real life “stuff” lying about, which can be thought of as visual clutter and is in every home in the country I’m sure!

A great way to decrease the look of this clutter in your home (after actually decluttering that is!) is to make smart buying decisions when it comes to the furniture and items you have around the home.

Multi-functional furniture is a great way of doing this, and having hidden storage in some of your most used peices can create a very calm feel to your home instantly – and its a quick win too because you get to keep everything you need to hand in the right place, but you don’t have to see it every time you walk into a room (which as we all know can make you feel really low).

Think about it, no more magazines lying around the living room, they are in there but hidden away – no more bulky bedding for occasional guests, it is in the sofa bed already! I could go on – but heres my top 10 list of favourite hidden storage solutions. Some of them are well known solutions, and some are a little more obscure.

Hope you enjoy looking through, and that it gives you some inspiration when you next come to buy something for around your home! I would also love to hear from you about any great ideas you have for storage in your home…

I like using a footstool as an alternative for a coffee table in the middle of the room.

This has so many functions – you can pull it towards the seating to use as a footstool when you are relaxing, you can use it as a coffee table in the middle of the room (adding a tray on top gives you a sturdy surface), and if it has built in storage too then thats just a bonus! (its also great if you have kids as there are no sharp corners to hurt themselves on!)

This is just such a gorgeous one I had to include it as the picture – its pricey but there are loads to choose from out there (a search for “storage footstool” in google will bring back loads!)

A great place to hide all those remotes (who has only one nowadays!) and magazines.

Note: There are also loads of coffee table options and I would always go for one with storage rather than without, as the coffee table tends to always be in the middle of the room, and if you can limit the look of clutter on that then the room will automatically feel tidier – just an idea!

If you have a bay window (or it can even work along one wall of a room if its big enough), you can maximise the space by having a window seat. Added seating, and hidden storage – what could be better!

Here are a couple of pictures of what I mean – and a local joiner/carpenter could make one to fit your space as well.

(pictures from www.woodworkinstallations.com)

Now – I have already written a post about the merits of storage beds, and I really can’t say enough about them. SO useful and SO much storage! Take a look at the post for my favourites.

I love items that have two purposes, and as such when I came across this one from Dwell I had to share!

Not only does it look great, but it also keeps all your hair products, makeup and/or jewellery to hand but out of the way – it simply rotates on the base so you can also use it as shelving on show if you want to as well!

Ingenious!

This is a lovely traditional bedside table (could also be used as a lamp table).

The beauty of it is that even though there are drawers that are obviously visible, there is also a hidden drawer right at the top of the table which can hide away things that you don’t want people to see, for example, jewellery when you are away – less easy for burglars to find.

Hidden storage isn’t just for hiding more of the visual clutter in your home, but is also really good for hiding your valuables so you feel safer.

(NB. This picture is linked to my own online store, but a quick search for La Roque Bedside table will bring back lots of other places in google to buy it if you prefer!)

Now, a sofa bed is a multi functional peice of furniture anyway, but this one goes one step further, and the storage that it has is an ideal place to keep all the bedding a guest would need ready to go at a moments notice.

Great for unexpected guests – and if its late when they come round you don’t have to wake anyone by rummaging around to look for blankets, pillows etc…..!

I particularly like this one as you can’t tell its anything other than a sofa when you look at it – so feels very sleek and streamlined.

NB – Ikea do a good storage bed as well that is a single and pulls out to become a kingsize – with drawers underneath, but this is more obvious storage.

This is a fantastic item, as it tackles a lot of peoples difficulties in finding something suitable for a home office (with enough storage for everything) but that can also be hidden away when the room is being used for a different reason (dining room is a common one!).

A lot of desks look like desks when not in use, and can make you feel like you are still working even when relaxing. This would look great as a sideboard in a dining room as well.

(Again, one from my shop – just so you know!)

Came across this one when looking for some more funky hidden storage out there!

This would work really well for magazines or remotes – easy to get to when needed but not visible when not! – the drawer closes shut when not needed and has hidden storage.

I specifically like this one as it looks very streamlined as an item of furniture as well – so feels quite calming to the eye!

Another great one for storage with security in mind.

This is a lovely looking clock that would sit well on a lot of peoples mantelpeices, but has the added benefit of having storage in the back.

I would use this for hiding credit cards, or even some spare cash in case of emergencies!

Its out of the way, but accessible when needed – and not many people would find what you have hidden there!

As with the window seat, Under stairs storage will help to utilise wasted space. I have seen this space be used as a storage room, as a downstairs toilet, and also as hidden storage panels which is my favourite!

Take a look at this picture for more ideas and again a joiner can help you to come up with the best solution for your specific space.

This shows panels that can be pushed to open, with plenty of storage behind. Great place for the hoover, cleaning products, coats and shoes.

(Picture courtesy of www.custombuiltcabinets.co.uk)

I was at the Northern Home Show at the Trafford Centre this weekend (Exibiting with the House Doctor Network - part of my business!) and saw the most amazing peice of furniture there.

I have added it into this post as, although its not necessarily storage, it does hide things away, and makes great use of space! Couldn’t resist adding it!

Its called the STUDY BED and basically you can pull it down to be a bed, or up to be a large desk – but the difference between this and other similar items on the market is that you don’t have to tidy away everything or unplug computers etc.. before you make the switch – as everything stays in place! Perfect for teenagers rooms where they need lots of working space but don’t want it to take over, or in a guest bedroom that doubles up as an office. Take a look and see what you think!

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A.D.O.R.E – Getting Your Car Organised

2012-06-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

I love that new car smell.

To me it smells of the expectation of the journeys that I will take in it, like a new house or a new outfit give you a buzz of excitement when you first buy them.

Sitting in the drivers seat – the plastic looking all shiny, black and gleaming, the seats totally mark free, and no mass of toys and clutter lurking wherever you look.

There is simply a sense of peace.

BUT – Lets face it – a few days into real living and for most people this scene fades and in its place is the car that we all know and love. That trusted friend to get you from A to B – along with the clutter, mess, dirt and toys!

I get that “new car” feeling every time my car has been cleaned – and always, ALWAYS vow to keep it that way. But life takes over every time.

My car is my organising Achilles heel. Whatever I do, I don’t seem to be able to stay on top of it. If you’ve ever seen FRIENDS then you’ll relate that its like Monicas cupboard – the queen of being organised still had to have one space that held her mess – my car is mine.

Its not that I don’t try -

I have a rubbish bag to collect litter, but you can be guaranteed that children in the back of the car will drop things, or that you are eating/drinking on the run and things get dropped by you too.I have a handheld hoover – bought with the express intention that it would be so much more handy to quickly nip out and get the car clean each week – but even that rarely makes it out there – preferring to stay and be a source of fun for my inquisitive daughter!I have tried to put everything in the right compartments, but as I often go to clients homes and have lots of paperwork, samples and catalogues with me, things get left behind for the next journey just to add to it….

I have the best intentions in the world – after all – when I pull up to clients homes I want to show a professional side, which my home definitely does – but my car is my downfall completely.

I am sure you have somewhere in your home that isn’t working at its best for you at the moment – one place where it seems to be OK for you to leave messy occasionally. My aim from now on (I can’t say for next week, or next month as these timeframes never seem to come round – better to start from now!) is to keep on top of my car.

I have collected all the tips from various books, online, magazines etc… on this topic over the years, and hopefully these will make all the difference….. well, we’ll see!

Good luck with whatever you choose to organise from now on…. !

So – here goes!

Heres whats my car looks like today – OH THE EMBARRASSMENT!

All areas look like a bin bag has been emptied inside!. My daughter has lots of toys and has eaten when we’ve been driving so loads of crumbs and food have found a way into all the nooks and crannies of the seating and floor – my life seems to take over the front seat – and as for the boot – well thats just anything that makes its way there, usually never to be seen again. Not great when I open the boot ready to put the monthly food shop into it! ARRRRGGGHHHH…..

I will use my A.D.O.R.E method to try and make things easier….

I need my car to be clean and tidy at all times so that I look professional when at clients homes.

I also need to have space for suitcases regularly in the boot (as I use these to store catalogues and samples which I take to clients homes etc…)

I need to have all the usual items in the car at all times, but have systems in place to declutter regularly.

My daughter is often in the car with me for longer trips to family and friends, so I need to ensure she has everything she needs to hand.

I also listen to lots of CDs about time management, business, self help etc…, and my daughter has several CDs to listen to in the car also – so CD storage is key for us.

Right – So I need to take EVERYTHING out of the car and see exactly what I have – deciding what I need to keep in the car, what I need to keep but not in the car, and what is genuine rubbish.

Throw away all the rubbish, and reallocate the other things to their rightful places in the home – then I am left with just that which actually belongs in the car.

While the car is empty, this is the best time to give it a thorough clean inside and out (and a good chance to delegate this if you prefer! Valeting is always a good idea as a once off to really get the car thoroughly clean).

My main gripe is rubbish that accumulates – so

Keep a bag/box or whatever suits you best to keep rubbish in one place. Drinks bottles, food wrappers, car parking tickets, receipts etc…. then create a habit of emptying this everytime you get out of the car at home (this should be easy for me as I get out almost next to the bin!)

Then, storage (what and where) is second:-

Keep only what you need in your car. I am forever storing everything but the kitchen sink in my boot – it just adds up slowly – but I didn’t realise how much effect this has on your petrol useage, and with todays prices, we can’t fritter our money away like that anymore. Decluttering the car is the answer. You should only have the necessities (and also have them in the correct place in the car – its no good keeping a car park pass in the boot if you need to get our of the car every time you need it – better to keep it in the glove box). This is what I think is required in my car, and where I would like to put it:-Car Park PassesSunglasses for drivingMaps or Sat NavVehicle PaperworkHands Free ItemsCDs – One way of organising them would be a Sun Visor Organisor For Car Interior – which utilises the wasted space perfectly!)Breakdown company detailsPhone Charger (theres usually a cigarette lighter inside which you can use to charge it)Spare Change (for car park fees, toll roads etc…)Tissues / WipesPens and Small NotepadUmbrellaBlanketFirst Aid KitChange of ClothesBottles of water and snacks in case of breakdownOilWindscreen WashSpare TyreJackSnow Scraper (If winter then this will probably be in the glove box)TorchRaincoatSmall Spade (if winter – to move snow from road)Shopping bags (bags for life work well as they are sturdy enough for most shopping)

I have tried to keep enough space in my boot for a large food shop, or to buy larger items, or for suitcases for my work – that way I won’t get stressed when I have to cram things in!, I like the idea of having a small storage facility in the boot for items as well

Even her car seat has two drinks holders that pull out which are useful for drinks (!), and for small pots of snacks etc…

I chose a back of seat organiser as this would work best for our needs, we also regularly have more sitting in the back seat than just her, so a “middle of seats” organiser would get in the way a lot.

I chose an organiser that could house magazines and books easily as this would be what it was most used for (lots of organisers have different arrays of storage compartments so worth considering exactly what you want it for.

I have tried wherever possible to ensure that the items I am going to store in my car are hidden from view – so as not to attract thieves.

SO – this is what I am now left with…..

Better – I hope you agree!!! (and yes – got it valeted a bit!). I have added a small car bin under the drivers seat which will be handy to add any rubbish to as I go – and easy to empty into the bins in my drive when I get back (you can see them outside the drivers door if you look hard enough – no excuse!). In the centre picture you can see the CD storage in the car visor -handy and out of the way, and in the back seat my daughters toys are now off the floor and in storage that she can reach. All in all a great change that I am hoping I can keep up!

Schedule in your diary time when you will clean your car inside and out. Make it at least once a month, whether you do it yourself, delegate, or pay someone , it doesn’t matter – what matters is that it gets done. I love the fact that at my gym there is a valeting service right outside. This leaves no excuses and I started a couple of weeks ago to leave it with them while I went inside. Time management and multi tasking to perfection! The best thing is that they gave me a 50% off voucher for next time as well! No longer will a dirty and untidy car get me down.Keep your car well maintained. Services should be kept up to date (reminder in diary a couple of weeks before its due is a good idea), check lights are working, tyre pressure etc…. regularly. If you leave things until the last minute you may have to delay a long journey unnecessarily. Some garages offer service packs for MOTs and Servicing, and will pick your car up for you to save you hassle and time. These are worth considering. I started using mine when I had my daughter as it spread the cost over the year, there was no worries about waiting around the car when I needed to feed her, and I could pick a day when I didn’t need to use my car anyway so it really wasn’t noticed that it was gone.TIP – I also always try and tell someone where I am going, what route I am taking and when I am due to get back – so they don’t worry, and so that they can be more informed should I have any troubles or don’t return. Better to be safe.

Evaluating whether this system works should be easy – as it will stay clean and tidy the majority of the time. If it doesn’t then I need to ensure I stick to the 3 main habits I need to stick to (rubbish taken away often, car cleaned inside and out every month, storage space for everything).

I will report back!

Hope this method helps you to stay on top of your car. If you have any great storage ideas, or anything to add to my list of things to keep in the car, I would love to hear about them!

View the original article here

Do You Think Too Much? – Organising Your Thoughts and Ideas

2012-06-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

Are you always thinking? Do you find it hard to switch off at the end of the day, and always find things to worry about?

My husband, a few years ago, bought me this book. Which was a sort of joke purchase, as I am definately a serial thinker in our family, but it is a good read!

I seem to always be starting up new conversations that seem totally unrelated to what we were talking about a moment before, and regularly have to reread paragraphs in books or relisten to a TV programme because my mind hasn’t switched off from the day.

I usually do at least 2 things at a time – and although this helps with managing my time and getting the most out of it, it leaves less and less space for relaxing with my thoughts and giving them some space too.

Very frustrating – but I am used to it now, and am beginning to take steps to try and minimise it so that I do get relaxing time as well (did I mention that massages are the best place to brainstorm your business – dear me – SWITCH OFF I SAID!!)

I am sure that a huge amount of you reading this will empathise with this.

Are you regularly:-

Waking up in the night because something has just come into your mind?Finding it hard to get off to sleep because your mind is racing?Always coming up with new ideas of things that need doing around the house, with the family, at work etc…?Always looking for the next challenge?

If any (or all!) of these sound like you, read on…

Theres nothing wrong with thinking lots, but there is something wrong if you aren’t able to utilise those thoughts into something tangible that will progress you towards your goals in life, or if they are making your life more stressful than necessary (who wants lack of sleep!?)

Thoughts and ideas are really important in life as they define you as a person, and are often the way you motivate yourself or challenge yourself.

If you have ever heard a successful person talking, you will realise that they are usually no different to yourself – the only difference is possibly that they have acted on their thoughts and not let them slip away. They have used the momentum to get them somewhere in life, and have worked out ways to harness their enthusiasm and drive.

EVERYONE has ideas. EVERYONE has a business idea that they would do “If only…..”, and everyone has thoughts racing round their heads – but most people don’t act on them.

I suggest a two fold attack!

Start with writing down all your ideas – as a sort of line in the sand – a place to start and a way to release some of the headspace currently being taken up. Once they are all written down then at least you know that they aren’t going to go anywhere, and you can come back to them when you have more time. They have freed up space in your head!

Then ensure that you always have a notepad and pen with you wherever you go. This is such a small change, but makes the world of difference when used correctly.

Write down any ideas, thoughts, details, notes etc… down as and when you think of them during the day (or night! – keep it beside your bed as well and then you can write it down and go back to sleep rather than be wary of forgetting in the morning), and then transfer them to the proper place either daily or weekly dependant on how busy you are and what your schedule allows.

For general Ideas, life thoughts, and wishes – add these to your NICE TO DO list. This way you can look into it more when you have time, but it isn’t clogging up your brain in the meantime, and you won’t forget about it going forward.For numbers and contacts – simply add to your address book and / or phoneFor items that really do need actioning (i.e. something that has woken you in the night because you have forgotten it needs doing by the next week) – they should be added to your TO DO list – or scheduled into your diary in the appropriate time frame.For items such as recipes, ideas for home decorating, family days out etc… add these to your Home File in the right sections – ready to pick up as and when you need to.

Which means that now all of your random thoughts are more organised immediately, and you can feel more free to concentrate on the here and now.

Every month get into the habit of looking over your NICE TO DOs – as some of these will start to become more urgent, and some will become redundant as time goes on. Its always good to do a declutter of these so you can see whats what, and are able to focus (just as you would your TO DO list).

And of course, as time goes on, there will be less and less coming into your head that is a panic thought, as you should be becoming more and more organised. What you will find is that your thoughts become more about what you want to do, what would be nice to achieve in life, and ideas for family/friends etc… which is altogether a nicer place to be don’t you think!

You are thinking that it would be amazing to start your own business one day. You aren’t ready to make that drastic change as yet, and aren’t even sure that it is a goal you want to pursue, but it does keep coming into your thoughts so you need to write it down and acknowledge it.

I suggest keeping these notes in your NICE TO DO lists – under – IDEAS! – One day you may find that you do want owning your own business to be a goal, and therefore you can look at your NICE TO DO list, see what thoughts you have had already, and then start adding steps to get there on your TO DO list (i.e. take a course, look into finances etc…)

At least then you have a head start and can see what you have been thinking down on paper.

Your friend or a family member has done something thats making you stressed. You have this on your mind a lot, and its causing you to lose sleep. Writing it down in your notepad will help to focus your mind on exactly what the issue is, and may give you clarity just doing that – it may also help you to realise a solution.

The next step would be to look at how you can resolve this issue as you have now identified it is taking up headspace – possibly talking to that person is required. Ask yourself what would be the worst that could happen, and if you are OK with that (its usually not as bad as your subconscious is making you think it is), then go for it.

You constantly have chatter in your head about everything and anything. Theres things you don’t want to forget, decisions about the family holiday this year, items to add to the shopping list, someone you need to get back to about an appointment change.

All of these are weighing you down. When you do a braindump and add these things to the proper places as shown above, you will feel much more able to move on and actually get things done.

I also try and focus my thoughts each night before bed, thinking about the day and whats gone well or not so well. Just being in touch more with how I am feeling does help to rationalise my thinking and paves the way for a better nights sleep.

Try using the acronym i have talked about before to see whether you have had a balanced day as well – as this can really help in terms of feeling more content.

The key is to identify what your thoughts are.

The action of writing them down can help you clarify them, and eventually action them – but whatever you end up doing with them, they won’t be taking up valuable head space any longer!

This will free you up to do more, and the more organised you get, the more organised your thoughts will become anyway!

View the original article here

Organising Makeup and Toiletries – Top 10 Tips

2012-06-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Open most bathroom cabinets and you will be forgiven for thinking you have entered your local pharmacy or supermarket – there are just so many products available to us now that it isn’t surprising to have more than you can use at any one time!

Whether it be a 3 for 2 offer, or a birthday/Christmas present – the ways we receive and bring makeup and toiletries into our home is never ending! So how do you go about organising everything, and indeed, using it all as well!

Here are my top 10 tips to get you started:-

I have lost count of the number of toiletry based gifts I have received over the years. It is a favourite gift for a woman definitely!

However, a lot of these products are either things I can’t use due to being for the wrong skin type, or things I won’t use as I just don’t have it as part of my skincare regime (anyone have time for foot scrub!?)

Break up the box sets and keep only the items that you will truly use. Anything else that you really think someone else would love, then pass it on to them – better that someone gets the benefit than it just to sit in your cupboard for months longer….

TIP – why not create your own set for a friend by wrapping up suitable products in thick see through cellophane, and tying with a beautiful ribbon – can make a great gift! (if you don’t want to see inside the package, then add a layer of coloured tissue on the inside – get creative!

Arrange your storage so you can easily see how many of each product you have, and therefore you will know when you are running low. I try and group like with like, so that I can see exactly how much shower gel (for example) I have. Its quite amazing how much you have of some things when you go through it like this!

Anything else – just get rid of it – its just clutter otherwise.

If you go to the gym or travel regularly, why not consider having a set of toiletries and makeup ready in your bags. This will save loads of time not having to transfer them over each time you need them, and also saves worrying about forgetting them (its bound to happen!)

Most chemists and places such as Boots sell travel sized bottles, and you can get quite a few samples of makeup if you shop around (or just buy 2 – makeup isn’t that large or heavy and you will no doubt use then up anyway!). Alternatively you would buy small bottles and pots and dispense small amounts of the products into them for a truly personalised set.

TIP – for the gym you may want to consider a chlorine specific shampoo for when you swim – as it will protect your hair. Having different products with you often comes in useful!

Why not have a makeup bag that has your daily makeup in, and your evening makeup in another bag – then you won’t have to keep rifling through EVERYTHING every morning to find what you need.

Of course – if you have loads of makeup, you may have to change the bag idea to drawers…….!

Your skin changes over the year – it can be quite dry over winter when heating is on, and a lot paler than in the summer. Therefore colours and possibly the products you use will change over the course of the seasons.

You may well also change your hair colour over the year too – a lot of women add more highlights in the summer months and tend to go a little darker in the winter. As such look at your makeup colours AND your hair products. Always make sure you are using the right products.

Also – as you grow older your natural colouring will also change – so colours that were right for you in your late teens / twenties may not work in your thirties for example.

Now, I’m not talking about whether you are still sporting a look from the 1980's (although lets hope not!), but instead, whether your makeup needs throwing away due to being out of date (just like food products)

You can usually find a little symbol on makeup that shows how many months a product should be OK for – with something like 12M or 18M inside it. I find that a permanent pen is a great asset to a makeup bag as you can write on the packaging for each product the date you opened the product and then it will be easy to keep track of when it needs changing.

For now – heres a quick checklist that shows the average times to keep items:-

Cream of compact foundation or blusher: 18 monthsConcealer and cream eyeshadows: 12-18 monthsPowder – Blusher, Eyeshadow and Bronzer: 2 yearsEyeliner: 2 years (liquid eye liner 3-6 months)Mascara: 3 monthsLipstick, Lip Liner and Lip Gloss: 2 yearsNail Varnish: 1 year

Try not to have loads of toiletries out in the bathroom – as you will end up using little bits of everything, it will look messy, and you will more often than not not use all that you have before you find you have to throw it away.

Have one bottle of each item you use daily on show (or in the cupboard!) – and make a pact with yourself not to start a new one until that ones all gone. This works really well for shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel etc….)

The only multiples that should be out are if you or your family members have different product needs.

Get your family into the habit of having a basket each for their toiletries – that they keep in their bedrooms.

The basket can be brought into the bathroom when required. This makes tidying up easy, and all family members can have their own sets which stops a lot of arguments!

For children a great idea is to use multi use products – such as shampoo and conditioner in one. It saves time, hassle and space!

Wipe your makeup containers with antibacterial wipes regularly to avoid any transfer of germs. you are likely to have brought out your makup bag and put it down in many different areas, and therefore it won’t hurt to keep it clean!

Keep makeup away from heat sources, and direct sunlight (perfume as well)

Don’t share makeup. Ever!

This really goes without saying for an organising post, but you are only saving money with product offers if you were going to buy it anyway.

If you use certain products regularly and then when you go shopping you find that they are on offer – then BUY! Buying in bulk in this way saves lots of time and money (see my stockpiling post for more details on this concept).

BUT – don’t buy just because an item is on sale. If you are not going to use it, or your family don’t like the product, then its a complete waste of time and money.

Products such as perfumes, branded items etc… are all really worth buying in the sale. I always try and save vouchers for bigger purchases so that they aren’t so much of a hit when they need to be bought! (OR I ask for perfume as a birthday/Christmas gift as its a lovely gift to buy for someone, and can be seen by the giver to be very personal, while it is still a very easy thing to buy when you are told what you like!)

Its a fine line, but worth it!

When organising your makeup and toiletries, think about what products you use and what suits you – and stick to buying those!. Store items together so you can see at a glance what you are running low of, and make everyone in the family responsible for their own items.

This way you will be able to enjoy the products you own, and get the most out of each one! Hopefully getting this part of your life organised will save you money AND time!

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The Top 12 Time Wasters and How to Avoid Them!

2012-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have spent time writing about ways to make the most of your time, and therefore it makes sense to focus this post on ways that can waste your time.

If you can clearly see where you are wasting your time, you can actually do something about it – rather than just carry on as you are and wonder where the days go.

Here are my Top 12 time wasters, I have known myself to lose hours to most of them, and its a weekly struggle to keep on track and try and avoid these pitfalls usingthe ideas I have talked about below – but I’m only human……..

I have really lost count of the number of hours I spend (yes, still now if I don’t watch myself!) trying to work out what would be best to do with that day, how to make the most of my time etc… – only to find that the day has passed and I’ve still got nothing done.

SO FRUSTRATING!

Your diary really should be your best friend when it comes to managing your time. I really get the most out of my day now that I use mine religiously.

Add in any unmovable appointments along with travel and prep time for each, then add in any errands or jobs you have to do that day. In any spare time you have you can then look at your TO DO list and work out the top priority for that day, and add it in.

If you do this simple task each evening ready for the following day then you should know exacly what you need to do and when.

These should all come with a warning – once you have signed into facebook, twitter, linkedin, your email, etc… then time will pass by double quick.

People often say to me that they hadn’t realised how long they spent on these things until they were asked to time how much of a day they spent on it – and most were horrified!

This is a YouTube video that has some amazing stats about social media – it really does blow your mind at how much its taking over – but is also a warning abot how much time you can spend daily on it!

Its impossible to not spend time on social media and email nowadays, but its important not to let it take over.

Spending a set time 2 or three times a day works best – usually first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, and last thing at night. Its also worth remembering that everyone can wait – and a few hours won’t hurt!

Your goals are what you will look back on and feel a sense of pride in if you have achieved them, but feel deflated it not. Therefore it makes sense that anything that takes you directly away from your goals are wasting your time.

Things such as hobbies that you don’t really enjoy anymore, groups that you area member of that have a lot of time comittment but don’t relate to your goals, friends who make you feel low when you are with them, and workingall the hours you have in a dead end job when you would rather start your own business.

Really look at how you spend your time, and what proportion of what you do is helping your towards your goals in life. You may be surprised at the results.

With those things that you really should drop, get out of them confidently and learn to say NO more to things that don’t help you.

There will of course be some things that you can’t avoid in life – but if you can manage things better then you will have more time to get to where you want to be in life, and ultimately this will make you happier.

I have clarified in the title that its not just TV thats a time waster. On the contrary there are some TV programmes that can be useful, relaxing, and entertaining.

What I am talking about is watching things just for the sake of it, flicking through the endless channels available and not really watching much of anything – or simply the hait of watching TV every night and not doing something else that would make you happier. All of the above are a complete waste of time.

One very easy way to do this is to invest in something like Sky Plus or a Virgin Media box. You can record programmes and series and watch them when you want to and not be dictated to by the schedule.

Another big bonus is that you can fast forward through the breaks, and you can watch more of what you want to watch at a time that suits you.

The other option is of course to simply limit how much TV you allow yourself each day, and see how much more you get done!

My biggest gripe of all are phones. They are about the only thing in this world that ring out and expect you answer it there and then, dropping whatever else you are doing, and sometimes waking you – often for no good reason other than someone trying to sell you something.

I simply have answer phones on my mobile and my landline – and only answer if I know who is calling, and I genuinely have the time – which is rare. Instead they will always leave a message, and I can get back to them when its a more suitable time.

This sounds quite cold, but I have been amazed at how much more productive I am. I run a business from home and am often called throughout the day by sales people, who are sometimes difficult to shake! Actual customers tend to email rather than phone, and those that do phone always leave a message as they assume I am busy with another client – so it does nobody any harm – and it does me a lot of good as I can focus on my work and then make calls at the end of the day when I am ready and in that mode.

Doorbells, children, friends, family, deliveries, phone calls, emails, etc… can all eat into your day and before you know it you haven’t got anything done AGAIN.

Now I’m not saying that you should ignore your children (unless its a tantrum of course!), and I am not saying your can avoid interruptions altogether (emergencies will crop up that need your undivided attention) – but you should be able to limit them as much as possible so you get what you need to done.

Try and keep yourself behind closed doors when you have work to do at home, and get someone to look after the children (can you get your partner to share childcare in the evenings for example).

What about doing your important tasks at times of the day when you are less likely to be interrupted?

Also, if you really can’t avoid interruptions, know this and schedule in time for them in your day – which means you won’t get so stressed and should hopefully still be able to get everything done that you wanted.

Have you ever been getting ready for an event and realised that you or your partner haven’t sorted a present/card/babysitter/taxi etc…? Lack of planning not only wastes time, but can really stress you out.

Simply getting more organised will help you stay on top of planning. Knowing where you are going and how to get there, knowing that you have the right clothing, whether you need to have a present etc…. – all these things take a lot less time when done on the right day along with everything else – rather than at the last minute in a rush

Keys are the most common thing that are lost in peoples homes – taking forever to find, and usually when you need to be out of the door and on your way somewhere.

Whether it be your wallet, an important letter, chequebook or a price of jewellery – its so frustrating and stressful when it can’t be found.

A place for everything and everything in its place

This can’t be said enough when you are organising yourself and your home. If you and all your family members are aware of where to put things, and then create new habits that ensure that they are put back each and every time they are used, then you WILL eliminate this time waster once and for all.

View the original article here

Why a MASTER TO DO LIST works best!

2012-06-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Most people tend to write a daily TO DO list – writing into it what is their top priority at the time of writing.

They write EVERYTHING they can think of to it – not prioritising or scheduling it at all.

Its usually a long list thats intimidating at best, and impossible at worst. It is basically setting people up for a fall as usually there will be loads left on it by the end of the day, and more added to the bottom.

The phrase “never ending TO DO list” springs to mind!

But there must be a better way of working, right?

Well – I am not here to say that this way is totally wrong, far from it. If it works for you, genuinely, then carry on. Getting organised is what works for you best to save you time and effort – so don’t fix it if it ain’t broke!

For the rest of you (and I’m betting there are a fair few who are still reading this with curiosity!) heres what I think is a better way of making sure you utilise your TO DO list so that you are running IT and not the other way round.

A daily TO DO list tends to be a reactive list – based on what has come up and is in your immediate area of concern for that time. It tends to forget about the tasks you need to do to reach your goals in life as they are not ones that absolutely need your attention at that minute, and as such you can feel very deflated at the end of the day.

You have worked hard, done lots, but achieved very little.

Sound familiar?

It makes for a “busy” person – but not necessarily an effective person. Its like always chasing your tail!

Being proactive rather than reactive is the name of the game when it comes to getting more organised.

You need to be fully aware of your time, and how much you need for the tasks that you already have scheduled for that day. Being realistic about how much “spare” time you have, and how long tasks really take is half of the battle.

Much better to get 2-3 crucial things done well each day than several insignificant tasks.

You also don’t want to be so busy that theres no room for manouvre (think of those unexpected things that ALWAYS crop up that suck your time from you each day)

The key is getting the balance right between not wasting your time and not getting stressed about things along the way.

What I use, and what serves me very well from both a homemaker and a “working for myself from home mum” view point is my MASTER TO DO list.

A master TO DO list is basically an ongoing list that is upkept daily, but not written out daily – that is kept inside your diary and works in tandem with it.

It has on it EVERYTHING you need to do, in every part of your life – on ONE list.

It tells you what priority things have, how long estimated time it will take to complete, and is broken down into manageable peices of work.

It is where you add anything that crops up on a daily basis TO DO, and where you go to fill in any time gaps in your day.

It will keep you focused, give you a great overview of where you are in all apsects of your life, and will really help manage your way towards your goals.

We all have different roles and responsibilities in life, and its important to understand what yours are. It will help you to see your life as a whole, and determine what you want and need to do in each area. They are very top level headings for now – which will be more detailed at a later stage – but its important to think general first so that you don’t miss anything!

Examples of such headings are as follows:-

HomeEach person in your home can have their own heading with things you need to do for each of themBusiness / WorkHobbiesClub MembershipsSocial

Each of these headings can be split up into projects- just as you would have several projects as an employee, so too you have projects within your home, and business. This helps to define areas of attention, and works just as well inside the home as inside work.

Some such projects would be as follows (taking the above list as the example):-

HomeMaintenanceDecorationCarGardenEach person in the householdSchool / Work things that need something done or made forLetters/ Cheques to sendUpcoming things to start researching (childrens schools, nurseries etc..)Business / WorkDifferent projects that you are working on – specific clients etc…Different services that you provide and what you need to do to drive each one forwardAdmin tasksNetworking and Marketing tasksAdvertising tasksFinancial tasksSocialHobbiesClub MembershipsCharity / Volunteer workAnything to research such as specific holidays, time away, new ideas etc…

Sound a lot doesn’t it?! But believe me that once you have your Master TO DO list sorted, then adding one at a time as you go through your weeks is quick and easy, and will actually save you time in the long run.

Add in each item in priority order, within each project. That way you will know the order in which to do things, and will be able to clearly see if things rely on other things to be done first if they are set out like this.

The other thing to note here is that when you put your TO DOs on the list, try and be as specific as possible – break tasks down into easy to achieve mini tasks – so that you can do that smaller thing in any spare time you have. This will make getting towards your goals a lot easier.

i.e. If you have a task such as “Book family holiday” on the list – then you should add mini tasks like – research locations, determine budget, book accomodation, look at things to do, write what we need to take, book time off work etc….. – each of these things in order are easy to progress, and less intimidating than that of “booking family holiday” – which you may leave until the last minute because of the time you think it will take. Its the same with most things – when you break them down they are more likely to get done. Once you have done each mini task in a project then you can take that whole project off the list – how satisfying!

So – you should have something that looks like this now:-

MASTER TO DO LIST

HomeDecorate Living roomChoose Living room curtains (3 hours)Choose Living room Paint colour (1 hour)Get decorator booked (10 mins)Clear room ready for decorating (2 hours)Buy TV unit (2 hours)Buy Rug (1 hour)BusinessCLIENT ONE Finish draft paperwork (1/2 day)Arrange meeting to discuss (5 mins)FinancesDo end of year books (1 day)Send through to Accountant when ready (5 mins)Marketing and AdvertisingResearch Google Adwords (2 hours)Look into getting leaflets printed (2 hours)

Etc………

If you also get into the habit of writing out your tasks and projects in priority order as well, then you always know what needs doing first when you have time

i.e. for the above example – on a day where I am working and I have no scheduled tasks for the day in my diary, then I can simply look at my master TO DO list and see that my first priority is CLIENT ONE – so I will work on my paperwork for that client first, get that done and move onto the next task. I can also see if I can make some quick wins on other items that only need a couple of minutes to complete – thus ticking off as much as possible during this time, and really making progress.

Anything that has a specific due date should be scheduled into your diary so that you ensure it gets done in time – but anything else that isn’t time specific can be added to your TO DO list ready for those times when you have a gap in the day.

Having everything in one place will make it so much easier to progress tasks, whatever you are doing.

As a “working for myself from home mum” I have several differents roles, and on certain days I work, other days I look after my daughter, so its handy to know that on a working day I can clearly see what needs to be done, and how urgent it is – so I can prioritise easily – with the knowledge that I will get to the goal if I work through the TO DO list properly.

All scheduled tasks in my diary take precedence of course, and then you can refer back to your TO DO list when you have gaps in your day – ticking them off as you do them.

Having one list, split into every project in each main part of your life, will help you stay in control of what you want to achieve. Whether you have this list electronically or on paper, you can easily see where you are heading – and one huge benefit is that as your priorities change, so too will your TO DO list – and you can update as you go – so you are always heading for the right thing! (some things over time will naturally become obsolete).

I like to keep my list in a Word document on my laptop, and print it off weekly so I can add it to the front of my diary and write on it, tick things off and add things on the go (I still use a paper diary as I prefer it – but you could have everything on your smart phone if you prefer!)

You should now have a one stop shop to add in your TO DOs, and have them in an organised fashion, so you can easily see what needs doing next in any part of your life when you have some time to fill in your diary.

You don’t have to write out a TO DO list every day – as you will have scheduled tasks written in your diary as you go, and can therefore simply schedule your TO DOs from your TO DO list each day into that.

You now have control back over your never ending TO DO list – and it can feel much more manageable – and you will be able to easily see when things become redundant and be able to take them off the list.

Now what could be better than that!

View the original article here

Why you SHOULD build up stockpiles!

2012-06-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

You may be asking why a blog that is all about organising and decluttering your home and life should now write a post about building up stockpiles – what could possibly be achieved by adding more to your home!

Well, the term stockpiling tends to have a very negative association for anyone wanting to get more streamlined and organised – and rightly so in some cases.

Stockpiling brings up a vision of hoarding – piles upon piles of items that you have to tread carefully through whenever you move around your home.

But the reality can be VERY different.

Building up stockpiles is actually one of the key steps to getting organised – specifically in these areas:-

KitchenUtilityPaperwork and OfficeBathroomFinancesPresents/Cards

This post takes you through each of the key areas (mentioned above) in turn, and show how you can really make a huge difference by creating stockpiles in these areas, and lastly keep reading for my cautionary words near the end of the post – as with a lot of things in life, stockpiling has to be done with care!

The most important thing to remember here is that we are talking about systems that help you get and stay organised – and not simply building up more piles of clutter around the home. Theres a BIG difference! I can’t stress this enough.

If you tend to collect things and hoard, then you must be careful of using stockpiles as part of your organised life, but if you can set up the right systems and use stockpiles in carefully selected areas of your home, then you will really reap the benefits.

Lets go through each of the areas already listed above, and show you ways that each can benefit from stockpiling. My one golden rule for stockpiling is as follows:-

ONLY STOCKPILE THINGS THAT YOU USE REGULARLY AND THAT ARE BOUGHT WHEN ON SALE

The great thing about this method of stockpiling is that you know you have an ongoing need for all the items that you buy – you only buy them in bulk when they are on sale so you are saving money, and you have a good stock of them in your home so will never (with the best will in the world!) run out.

Example – I always need washing machine tablets and toilet rolls – and always will! – and these are expensive items that soon add up to hefty shopping bills each month. However, the brands I tend to use are regularly on sale in the supermarket so at this time I buy 2 or 3 (dependant on the deal and how much space I have in my storage areas for these things as I want them to not add any clutter to the house). If I always have a need for them then they won’t go to waste, and I am happy in the knowledge that they have cost me less overall then if I went out and did a standard shop for the same amount each week/month. Not only that, but it also saves me time at the shops trying to find a good deal at each and every visit!

I think a lot of us are natural stockpilers and will usually go for the items that are on offer, but sticking to the rule that you should only buy what you use regularly will also stop the sales minded among you buying up all the 2 for 1 offers on the shelf!

Remember – its only a bargain if you were going to be spending money on it anyway!!!!

The utility, if you are lucky enough to have one, is a great place to really maximise the storage and get your homes stock organised (I think of it like an offices stationery cupboard! – its the go to place when you run out of anything!)

Depending on how big the space is, you can simply stockpile utility types items (see list below) or you could start to use this room for stockpiling kitchen and bathroom items as well. Its really up to you as to how you set out your home – what works fo you is the right system in the end!

I will always advise people to have as much storage as possible in this room – floor to ceiling works really well – and can house everything!

Washing powder and Fabric ConditionerCleaning ProductsWipes, Dusters, SpongesBin Bags (and any other plastic bags!)BatteriesLight Bulbs

This stockpile could be anywhere – ideally I would have at least one of everything to hand in the room you need it, but in line with the organising staple “keep like with like” you may prefer to keep everything together.

I have a large built in cupboard in my bathroom for this purpose – everything is to hand and you can easily see when you are running low. Note – if you have small children just ensure that cleaning products are out of reach)

How many times have you gone to write a note to someone only to not be able to find a pen and paper to hand – REALLY frustrating! Keeping plenty of the following will help to alleviate that annoyance!

This is a less tangible thing in some ways, but equally valuable.

I fully am on board with having a present/wrapping area set up somewhere in the home as it really does make life so easy!

In its most basic form, this can be a drawer or a cupboard anywhere in your home. Its contents will have spare occasion cards, wrapping paper, notelets, sellotape, tags, stamps, brown paper, parcel tape and pens – and in its larger form will also have a selection of pre-bought presents for those instances that you need a present QUICKLY!

It is the GO TO place when you need to send a card, when someone unexpectedly turns up with a christmas gift etc…. – and its also the place that can save you many hours of errands to the shops to get presents and cards each time you need them.

And the best reason of all to have one is that it saves money as well – as you can easily stockpile items in this area.

January is the best time to stock up on Christmas items – as they are all in the sale. Make sure you buy what you will use, and get a great deal! Same goes for after easter, and regularly shops have sales on cards etc… so I find stocking up when this happens will pay itself in the long run!

Presents can be bought when there are deals on too – think 3 for 2 offers in Boots for example!, or again after christmas or an occasion of some kind. If you have a budget for you presents then doing it like this often means you get more for your money as well which is a bonus!

or two! – Firstly – don’t stockpile unless you have the storage for it – otherwise its just clutter!

Secondly – I don’t know whether you have seen a programme recently on TV about extreme couponing. Its a US based programme about people who make collecting and using coupons to pay for pretty much everything they need.

How great to be able to walk into a supermarket abd be so organised that you can fill 2 or 3 trolleys full of shopping and when its all totalled up at the till and your vouchers are taken off, you end up owing NOTHING!

Now – I said this was a word of caution – as, for these stockpiles to really add value to your home you need to be able to manage them easily and not let them take over – otherwise you may just find its ruling your life.

Keep this in mind and stockpiling I am sure will work well for you – I’d love to hear from you if you have any extra ideas, or have been able to put this into practise!

View the original article here

Top 10 Motivational Quotes

2012-06-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

Getting organised can be a long and sometimes difficult process – but really is so worth it! I have added a post here of some of my favourite motivational quotes to keep you going.

Find one that really resonates with you and write it somewhere you can see it every day. It will really help give you that motivation to continue with what you are doing – and I hope that you end up with the organised house/life that you wanted!

What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.

- Ralph Marston

You are only as successful as you let yourself be

- Unknown

– Norman Vincent Peale

Set your goals high and don’t stop til you get there

- Bo Jackson

If you can dream it you can do it

- Walt Disney

If you don’t design you own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone elses plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much

– Jim Rohn

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.

- Og Mandino

If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

- Dale Carnegie

Either you run the day or the day runs you.

- Jim Rohn

Here are a few motivational books! I always find that reading about things helps me to focus on what, why AND how I want to do things

View the original article here

June 2012 Organised!

2012-06-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

June – this year its a time for two bank holidays, the diamond jubilee, warm days, and the start of summer!.

This month is a great time for socialising – from Barbeques to days spent outdoors with friends and family – what could be better!

I love the longest day which falls on the 21st June. It evokes a real feel good factor that the sun is out for the longest time – it makes you feel that you have more time in the day to get things done – and then theres still time to relax when its light!

Theres nothing nicer than being woken up by the sun feeling refreshed – being energised enough to get loads done, and then sitting outside at the end of the day enjoying the evening sun. Lets just hope that the gorgeous weather will continue from May! we’ve been a bit spoilt so far with temperatures up to 30 in some parts of the UK!

And don’t forget we have 2 bank holidays – a wonderful 4 day weekend where we can really relax and get ready for the summer – and just think, even if you spend 2 days doing chores that weekend you still have another 2 days – a full weekend in time – to spend enjoying yourself! I know I’ll be trying to get the most out of the days – what about you? (Tell me about your plans at www.facebook.com/organisemyhouse)

Make this month really count for you…..

Here is a print out diary which I use – works well as theres space for reminders, TO DOs and a diary with times in so you can see at a glance where you have free time (if any!)

JUNE 2012 DIARY PAGES

Also there is a handy checklist to get you in the habits of setting monthly goals, creating new habits, and basically being your backup for a more organised start to the month (I suggest printing it out and working through at the end of the previous month so that you are ready to go).

JUNE 2012

Summer has really started now – have you booked your holidays and days out yet? A handy hint is to check out some local hotels websites, they usually have local attractions on them and you’ll be surprised at how many you may not have been to as yet!Organise a BBQ with friends you haven’t seen for a whileMake the most of the sun and try and have at least 10 mins to yourself in it every day – make sure you have applied suncream first though!

If you work for yourself, ensure that you have worked out your working days over the school holidays – have you arranged for childcare as yet? Can you postpone some clients until September?Make the most of the warmer nights and days by trying some outdoor sports – tennis, bodyboarding, even just walking will all be fantastic at this time of year! It will also help you to stay in shape if you change your fitness routines at least every 6 weeks.LOVE the idea of a proper afternoon tea to celebrate the Jubilee – Emma Bridgewater have a fantastic array of memorabilia items that will be a great memory of the day – and this afternoon tea selection would work perfectly! EnjoyEat more salads and fruit – at this time of year its so easy – and quick to prepare gorgeous meals. A favourite with myself and my hubby is a salad with marinated meat – you can have such a variety that you could eat every evening meal like this! What about Cajun Chicken with Green Salad, Minted Lamb Steaks with couscous and roasted veg, or Salmon with spinach salad – I can go on but its actually dinner time when I’m writing this so I’ve been inspired and my tummys rumbling! Kitchen here I come…….

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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May - the month of May Day, Bank Holidays, Half Term, and (fingers crossed!) ...

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11 Ideas for Organising Kids Bedrooms

2012-05-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Childrens bedrooms are well known for being messy spaces where they can be themselves. And all this is great and good apart from the messy bit!

I am so passionate about instilling good organising habits into children that will serve them well in later life, and think that we are never too little to do something – in fact, the smaller the child, the more like a game the actual tidying and sorting out can be.

My little girl is now 3, and really enjoys the fact that her room is quite tidy – she loves to show it off to people who come (it is a new room after we had an extension last year!), and not in a horrid precocious way, but in a genuinely proud way.

Not everything is in its place, and she has the freedom to play, read etc… – but she also knows that its her space, and is already quite house proud!

Here are my favorite tips for organising your childrens bedrooms – and I really hope that they help!

Get your children to take responsibility for their own rooms – dependant on their age. Even small children can keep things tidy!

Set up small rewards if they keep them tidy for a week, a month etc…

Children LOVE to have some independence and being in charge of their own room (to whatever extent you feel they are able) will really help with giving them this.

Have areas for toys, books, sleeping, changing (for babies), sitting (for them and for you!), clothes and anything else specific to you and your needs.

Ensure that everything stays in these areas and then it will be easier to find things.

It also helps to relax children as they work best with routine, and if they know where their things are in their room they will feel calmer.

If you have zones at their height then this will also make it easier for them to start to dress themselves, make their bed, choose a story etc…. (and it can also help to keep things away from them – although I highly advise taking medicine and other potentially harmful items completely out of their room – as they will always find something to stand on to get at it when you aren’t watching)

I suggest having very few toys in the bedroom, as this will encourage children to play there rather than sleep. If you keep the bedroom as a restful area then that usually will work better for you.

I find that having this split between their toys is really beneficial – and if you do use their bedroom as a punishment when they are naughty (I don’t advise this as it puts a negative feel to bedtime too), then you don’t want them to have fun in there while they are meant to be thinking about what they have done wrong!

Keep books in the room that are good for bedtime reading – my daughter loves her book about monsters – but its downstairs as she doesn’t like to read it at night!

Short books are best for bedtime for younger children, and activity books are better for playing rather than bedtime. It seems logical when you think about it – the last thing you want your child to pick out for his/her bedtime story is something that involves loads of interaction – you want them to start to wind down and simply listening to a story will be perfect for this.

Children grow out of their clothes quickly – as such keep a bag to hand that you can fill with small clothes (under the bed or at the bottom of a wardrobe are good places).

If you have younger children you may want to keep them for them, if not, give them to charity or sell them – but as soon as the bag is full get rid of the clothes.

Get your children to make their own bed as soon as they are capable.

To make this easy try and keep the majority of toys off the bed – hanging a toy hammock above the bed slightly works well as they are to hand, but allow the bed to be made easily.

To get more space out of a smaller bedroom, consider having a bed thats raised and allows for a desk/drawers, sofa etc… below. This is also really good fun for a child!

Multi functional furniture works well in childrens bedrooms – I also love this bookcase/dolls house from Laura Ashley - expensive but will work for years! (and currently on sale!)

Keep any toys in baskets so that they are off the floor – this makes hoovering much easier, and also gives your child a place to put everything at the end of the day.

Get your older children in the habit of getting their clothing for the following day ready the night before – stops any last minute searching around for a PE kit or a clean school shirt.

Younger children can do a tidy up at the end of the day, and make their bed when they get a little bigger.

Teenagers can also be in charge of cleaning their rooms too! (good luck with this one!)

Display childrens artwork on noticeboards in their room – this will make it more their own, and also prevents some damage to the walls from blu tack etc….

Giving lots of shelving will also help them to add their own individual character to the room – and children thrive on developing their own personalities.

If you label boxes, small children will be able to understand them if you label with pictures rather than words. This helps them to be able to tidy up and know where things go more easily.

Older children can have more of a say in decor, storage and style – and this could be a great incentive for them to get things tidy each day – why not use it as a reward!

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So, hopefully this has given you some ideas for how you can make your childrens rooms work for them, and you – whatever age they are currently. It may also give you ideas of how to make it work ongoing (white furniture is better than pink in a little girls room as it will age with them and will go with any colour room for example).

I hope that you have fun and that your child becomes enthusiastic about their own space – and proud of it! Thats the goal! – after all, one day they will have a whole house to look after hopefully…..

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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May 2012 Organised!

2012-05-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

May – the month of May Day, Bank Holidays, Half Term, and (fingers crossed!) the weather really starts to warm up.

This month is a great time to start getting outside – the garden will need looking after now in preparation for the summer, and all those outside jobs will be so much easier to do once its a little warmer!

I love May – my daughter was born at the end of the month and I am very grateful and aware that the warm days mean lots of walks and being able to be outside loads, but also of how nice being at home is when the sun is shining – it makes everything seems more manageable somehow and I always seem to get loads done which is a bonus!

Make this month really count for you…..

Here is a print out diary which I use – works well as theres space for reminders, TO DOs and a diary with times in so you can see at a glance where you have free time (if any!)

MAY 2012 DIARY PAGES

MAY 2012

Make the most of the bank holiday this month – theres only one for a change (our second May Bank holiday has this year been moved to June with an extra one added for the Queens Jubilee!What about looking at a BBQ for the end of the month? Get people invited, dust off the garden furniture – and really mark the start of summer (we can but hope! we are due a good one this year for a change….)Organise a babysitter for a few nights out over the coming weeks – now the nights are lighter and getting warmer its lovely to be able to wander into town and have a drink or meal – you will feel refreshed!

Although getting outside is fantastic – when the suns shining it makes everyone more enthusiastic about getting things done – I find that getting rooms decorated works well now so that they are ready for the summer – and you can open the windows to let paint fumes out etc…. – the brighter days means that changes you make will really make an impact which is an added bonus!Don’t let days out either not get planned in, or get ruined by bad weather (it is changeable!) – car picnics can be just as fun! think outside the box and don’t let things out of your control ruin having funIf you have children, they will no doubt have half term off at the end of the month – start looking at places to go that everyone will enjoy. If you work are there places that will look after your children for some of the week? Our gym does great days where they get to take part in loads of sports and crafts – and my daughters ballet class does a special week long course – you only have to look to find loads of interesting ideas that will make the week something special!If you are one of those people who can’t get motivated to exercise in the winter months, now is a great time to get outside walking – think of your swimsuit for motivation!Ensure all plans are made and finalised for summer holidays – and start to make a list for whats needed. Getting a little each week from now until you go will make things so much easier.

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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Do you know your Organising Personality?

2012-05-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate how important you are as an individual when it comes to organising your home and your life.

Your personality is totally unique to you.

I stress on this site that systems should be made that suit you as a person and your way of life – and that getting organised should involve creating new habits and systems that suit you and enhance your life without making it too much of a huge effort in the process.

If getting organised is too much like hard work, the chances are you won’t keep at it.

So you need to understand yourself and look within to realise your potential.

You have to understand how you work as a person and then organise your home accordingly.

This will ensure that you will have a fully functioning and calm household where everyone knows whats what – making it easier for you to have time and energy for the more important things in your life – your goals!

Getting organised isn’t just for the naturally organised, anyone can get more organised than they currently are, its just working out how to get there that people find difficult.

Most people would love to get organised – its at the top of many new years resolutions lists in fact!.

If you ask most people you know, they will say that they are more disorganised than organised. Why is this? Its mostly due to the fact that there is a mystery surrounding being an organised person, and it seems to be a goal that only a lucky naturally organised few get to achieve in life.

Its true that some people are more naturally organised than others, but it isn’t true that everyone can’t be organised – to a level that suits them.

Most people would love to get organised, both in their homes and personal lives – as it will ultimately give them more time and money and less stress. However, its easier said than done, and the key to being successful is to know what your organising personality really is.

Have you ever been to someones office or home and seen them using and praising what seems to be a fail safe system, only to take the idea home with you and it to fail within days?

A good example of this would be a post system, where they have drawers for each persons post, and then a drawer for post to go out of the office / house. This is great IF all people use it, and you don’t mind your outgoing post waiting until there is enough to take it to the postbox. If you are the type of person who is very spontaneous and works better knowing that everything has been done immediately then this method will drive you mad (so will watching other peoples post build up without then doing anything about it – grr!) and would therefore fail if you installed it in your space

“Failures” like this are simply the way that we perceive things – and are not at all the reality of the situation.

If you had taken the time to work out how YOU work best, and created a system that works for you, and not copied one that works for someone who isn’t like you, then it will be much more likely to be a success.

I like to break it down simply by working out what type of brain you have, and how you function in your day to day life at the moment. There are lots of derivatives and different ways to do this, but keeping it relatively simple is often a lot easier!

As a very basic guide, people who use their left brain more easily are more logical thinkers, and things tend to be very black and white (right or wrong), whereas people who use their right sides more tend to be more creative and things are various shades of grey.

LEFT SIDE CHARACTERISTICS

Logical

List makers

Planners

Rational

Detail Oriented

RIGHT SIDE CHARACTERISTICS

Creative

Visually Driven

Uses images more than words

Focus on the whole

Go with the flow

So – which are you? Take this simple test and see for yourself – just tick each of the following THAT YOU AGREE WITH:-

When I’m finished with an item, I put it away immediately

Whether I’m looking at a work of art or a room, I tend to prefer symmetrical design

My friends and family can rely on me to know whats going on at any given time

I love having a designated spot for each item in my wardrobe or drawers

I have a specific morning routine that never fails me

I often wear the same jewellery everyday

When I find a great meal at a restaurant, I order it every time I go there

I always bring a shopping list to the supermarket

My books and CDs are in alphabetical order or by genre

I feel guilty if I don’t follow the rules while playing board games

I work best when I have a plan or a schedule to work with

I HATE wasting time

I love having all my possessions on show and around the house

I like to move around my furniture a few times a year rather than stick with the same arrangement

Keeping current projects where I can see them is a must

On my computer I often am working on several things at once

When making purchases I usually go with my gut

If I have to explain directions to someone, I’ll draw a map rather than writing it down (and I would use landmarks rather than street names)

I often get in the car to go out and finds its low on petrol

I have a lot of objects and ornaments around my house

My desk is always filled with piles of papers, sticky notes and business cards

I am fine with people making last minute changes to plans

Now – look at how which column you have the most ticks in – if its the left then you are a LOGICAL thinker, and if you have more on the right then you are a CREATIVE thinker. If you have roughly the same amount on each side then you are a mix and can look at all organising methods to find which is right for each situation – lucky you!

I am definitely a logical thinker, but have a creative side too – however I do identify much more with the logical approach to organising, and because I know this, I tend to work better when I install systems and storage that is in line with the logical mindset.

You like everything out of sight and in order.

You like to plan things in advance and know whats going on

You like to feel in control

You may well be already quite organised, and you find it the most frustrating when you are not.

Because of these traits, you are likely to find that organising will work best for you if you have some of the following things in place:-

Loads of storage in every room with most things out of sightLabels to ensure that everyone knows where things are and what should be whereSystems and Routines for all areas and people in the houseA well organised diary so that everyone knows whats happening at a glanceA specified place for everythingLists, Lists and more Lists!Matching storage that coordinates with the decor

You like everything to be visible

You like to be spontaneous

You always have several things on the go at any one time

You are more easily distracted

You tend to be more emotional and sentimental

Because of these traits, you are likely to find that organising will work best for you if you have some of the following things in place:-

A large noticeboard in a prominent place so you can see invitations, pictures, letters etc…Lots of items displayed and dotted around the houseSpace for all your projects (a craft room, a home office etc…)Routines in place but only for the essentialsSpare time is used how you want to when it comes up – it isn’t plannedAsking others not to distract you would work well – don’t answer the phone, have everything you need for a project at hand rather than having to stop to find something halfway throughTry and finish one thing before you start anotherUse storage thats interesting to look at, or more unusual – even see through!Photos on displayMemorabilia boxes for every member of the familyUse hooks for items that you use often

So – there you have the 2 very basic personality types – and working out which of these you are can help all by itself and I am sure you can now see more easily.

However, if you want to know even more then read on, as we delve a little deeper into who you are and what will work for you….

Take a look at the following descriptions and see which one you fit into best – of course you may find that you fit one or two, and as with creative vs. logical personalities – you can utilise the techniques given in both of these to give you an even more personalised way of organising.

You love ensuring a job is done to its best standard, but don’t necessarily like to be the one in control. You like teamwork, delegating and planning.

What works for you?

Having all surfaces clear at the end of the day helps you feel that you are as organized as possible, and creates a feeling of calm.

You work best with lists and planners – so that you can see at a glance what needs to be done and any upcoming appointments etc…

You will work best when your household/family has their own tasks to complete – delegating chores to each member of the household will be vital to you.

You are good at juggling several different things at once – but try to prioritise and then you will get each job ticked off a little faster – giving you a sense of achievement throughout the day.

You are very able to run a house, but don’t like your day being run by others. You work well by yourself, and tend to get lots done. You are very much a “do it yourself” person.

What works for you?

You need to get the household on board with your organising plans – otherwise this will lead to frustration if they don’t keep the systems in place once you have instigated them.

Work WITH the others in your household and not AGAINST them – try and organise their spaces based on what they want and need, and not what you think will work best necessarily. Labelling works well for you, as this makes it easy for anyone to see what goes where.

Achievement-oriented and focused on details, you can see potential for improvement in any situation but tend to be overly critical of self and others. You like control and orderliness, but may expend useless energy in trying to achieve that goal 100%.

What works for you?

Try and just get a project started, and don’t be too harsh on yourself. You will see that even 80% of a job is better than not starting at all, and it will make all the difference!

Don’t try and be perfect in everything – set goals

Having designated places in your home for tasks will help you feel more in control

Highly ambitious, assertive and very industrious. You tend to have come from or are in a corporate background where results really mattered and gave you recognition.

What will work for you?

You want to feel productive, so working from schedules and TO DO lists will give you a sense of achievment (even ticking things off as you go will drive you forward)

Give yourself rewards as you complete tasks – even little things like a 5 minute break with a magazine and coffee will spur you on!

Don’t waste your time – make as much of every hour as possible in your day so you don’t feel that its wasted.

You are always on the go, and are very impulsive. You tend to base your day on what comes up, without necessarily planning it first. You get bored with lengthy tasks and find that they weigh you down. You want to feel free to do what needs to be done at any given time.

What works for you?

Ensure that when you are planning your day, you plan in only the most crucial items that NEED to be done then – and ensure you have plenty of free time – you know that this will be filled with whatever you decide to do that day – but at least you will be aware that your priorities are being dealt with as well.

Don’t micro manage your time – a weekly plan may work best for you as you can then see what will fit into the day you are in at that time. Just keep yourself focused on the overall picture of getting what you need done – no matter when that is.

Don’t let yourself be REACTIVE when shopping – stick to a meal plan and shopping list – otherwise this personality will be most likely to be drawn to the offers in each shop and spend much more than they set out to.

Helpful, friendly and trustworthy (though easily distracted), you are tuned in to other people.

What will work for you?

Try not to look at social media too often during the day as you are bound to spend too much time on them. Limit to about 2 times each day for 30 minutes (at most!)

Organise with others – have a group that help each other, or get a professional in. Listen to the radio to help you feel more social while you are doing big tasks.

The detail of things really doesn’t interest you. You want to have a little of everything going on at the same time, and feel more alive when this is the case (even though you aren’t really concentrating on anything 100%)

What works for you?

Labelling will work great as once its done you don’t really have to think or worry about whats goes where – as you have your labels to tell you!

Work in 15 minute time periods as then you are more likely to concentrate for a little time knowing that you can finish soon.

I hope that you now have a clearer idea of your organising personality, and have seen why certain things you may have tried already have failed.

I personally am a logical personality at my core, and all the derivitives sound like me (control freak, moi!?) so I am much more likely to have hidden storage, lots of it, and everything in its place – or at least thats my aim! I know that it will make me happier (and the areas that I have already done are testament to that), so thats what keeps me going.

TIP – If you do decide you need help from a professional organiser then please ensure you choose one that takes into account your personality and lifestyle, and doesn’t impose systems that you find uncomfortable to use – otherwise you will very soon slip back into your old habits.

As well as your main personalities, you may like to also think about your inner workings – are you a night owl or an early bird? Knowing this will really help you to do work out how your day would best be laid out.

If you work from home then you may find this a lot easier, and you may decide that you would work better doing your 8 hour day from midday to 8pm, and having the morning off, or waking up at 6am and working through to 2pm. Or even in 2 * 4 hour blocks with a long break in the middle of the day.

Have a play around with this as well, and you may just be surprised at the results in your productivity and motivation!

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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How to Create More Time

2012-05-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Time is the one thing that we all have the same amount of. It makes no difference who we are – whether rich or poor, happy or sad, man or woman.

So – how come some people seem to achieve so much more from each 24 hour day?

The secret is to make every second count – and create more time within your day that can be productive – rather than wasting it on things that really don’t matter.

Its not really a matter of creating more time – just using what time you have to its absolute maximum.

When you think of your life, do you see someone who is proactive – finding opportunities and going for them – or someone who is reactive and finding reasons why they can’t do something. Are you a glass half full or half empty person?

Most people who get things done tend to be proactive people. They strive for achievements, and set themselves goals to get there. In order to do this they need to be organised, and SELECTIVE in what they do with their time.

Here are the top 10 ways I know of that will really make a difference to your everyday life, and to you reaching your goals in life.

People often overlook how fantastic a ime management tool a simple diary can be. They simply use one to track the general outline of the day – and so that they can ensure that they don’t get double booked – but often overlook the fact that its the most valuable thing they own because it manages your time for you and enables you to be proactive everyday.

A diary can be your tool to getting the most out of your day – not getting stressed, and really getting things done – it just has to be used right!

I always do this exercise at the end of the day ready for the following day – as then I know I can wake up with a plan of action – and won’t waste time procrastinating in the morning about what I feel like doing (and this is a weakness of mine – I have wasted DAYS like this!)

Firstly, always have your diary to hand. It will then be easy to make arrangements, and see what you are doing and when. Use a diary system that suits you – whether on your phone, laptop or a diary book and pen (my personal favourite).

As and when you get appointments and unmoveable items – add them into your diary – and – as Dunacn Bannatyne Suggests in his book “How to be smart with your time” (click picture for details) – don’t just add in that it starts at say 10am – actually mark out a block of time that covers the event, travel time both ways, prep time etc…. Add in anything that you will need to have with you, the address and any other bits of information – therefore you will have it all to hand and know whats going on at a glance. You will also be able to clearly see how much of your day this is taking up (and can then also see if its worth that amount of time!)

Then, the night before, add into your spare time for the following day, anything from your TO DO list thats a priority, or anything that needs to be done in the same location or nearby etc…. – maximise your time like this to get more done.

Note – This system works brilliantly – as long as you only have one diary! If you work – use different colours for work and home if that helps – but always keep them together – you are only one person so treat your diary the same way.

For one day, or one week – start to note down how many times you were interrupted, and for how long. You will be surprised at the results!

The time spent per day being interrupted and trying to refocus is 2.1 hours. (2009, Basex)

The main culprit?

In the home, its usually the phone – with recent years the laptop (think email, social media etc….) adding to this. Basically its however people can reach you in your home at any time of the day where you feel that you have to answer their call right there and then.

I have a real issue with this fact – Its SO frustrating at any time when you stop something to pick up a phone and its a sales call or nothing important.

My way of getting round this is to do two things. Get a phone with number recognition – that way you can avoid numbers you don’t know, and answer those that you do (ONLY if you have the time there and then of course!).

Secondly, get an answerphone. If its urgent then you can hear the message and call them back.

Sound harsh? well not really – pretty much everything can wait. I will always pick up if its wherever my daughter is – no matter what – as she is my responsibility and I want her to know I am always there for her, but everyone else won’t mind me getting back to them when I have the time to talk. It is actually a better way of doing things, as then you will call and talk probably more in depth and with no distractions when you have finished whatever you were doing that stopped you picking up initially.

There are stats out there aplenty about how much time is spent getting back into a task once you have been interrupted, so stopping interruptions before they happen will ensure you get your tasks done quickly and more efficiently.

Your phone should be an asset and a tool for you to use rather than an inconvenience (especially if you also get text and email alerts through it! – put those on silent!)

My husband and I have gone one step further with this. We have a deal that if we really can’t talk when the other calls, then we can divert to voicemail. HOWEVER – if its urgent and we really need to talk to them, if we call back immediately then they know its serious and will pick up and drop whatever they are doing. This works brilliantly but we have had to make sure we don’t abuse it!

And as for emails and social media – limit yourself to looking at it once your jobs are done for the day – that way its a bonus to your day, a reward for getting things done, and won’t distract you while trying to work if you know that you have given yourself time later.

One of the best ways to create more time, is to look at what you are doing and see whether any of those things could actually easily be done for you by someone else – and then get them to do it!

Delegation works brilliantly for things like cleaning, ironing, childcare etc…. – can you share workloads with another mother? Can you pick up all children for 2 days a week and swap for the other 2 days? Can you hire a cleaner to do some or all of the household jobs? Can other members of your household do more?

Think how much time you spend doing a job, and if you work then weight up whether your time is better spent earning money, doing something else, or continuing to do the job in question.

I have freed up time in my week now to enable me to get more work done by getting some of the household chores done by others – and it works really well (although I really fought against it – my control freak nature coming out again!)

One fantastic time saver is to get my car washed when I am in the gym – I simply drive up and leave it with them – meaning that I waste none of my own time, and saving valuable hours at the weekend!

Automation is also a great way to claw back some time.

If you still spend time paying bills by going to the bank, post office, writing and posting a cheque etc… see if each supplier can be set up on direct debit. Then you only need to spend a few minutes each month checking that the amounts going out are correct.

What about getting a dishwasher if you haven’t got one? This saves loads of time each day which could be better used elsewhere.

If you work from home, a lot of things can be automated – I write my blogs when I have the time to do them justice – and then schedule them to post on certain days of the week which means that there is a regular stream of posts for my readers rather than a glut on one day and then nothing for a few days / weeks, I have linked my social media so you can see things wherever you are looking for it!, and I have set up various reminder systems that automatically bleep when I need to do something (birthday reminders etc….).

There is so much out there that can make your life easier when you look for it that it simply makes sense to use them!

NB – I intend to search for the best of these during my posts, so keep an eye out for reviews! I feel that its my job to test things out so that it saves you time and you can simply go for the best out there that suits you!

It’s human nature to tend to drag your feet when you have a horrid task to do – and oftentimes it is the thought of the task thats much worse than the task itself.

If you leave the worst tasks of the day until last, chances are you will fill the day with irrelevant other stuff to keep yourself busy rather than getting on with it – and you will not only waste that day, but another day when you will eventually get round to the task. You will also waste headspace having to think about the task that you don’t want to do.

Basically – if you get the nasty task out of the way first you will automatically feel fresher and lighter, and usually end up getting more done.

I always try and do the worst task of the day mid morning – and finished by lunchtime. I check my emails and do any important admin at the start of the day – then grab a coffee and settle into the harder task. By lunchtime I have usually done at least enough to make finishing it off much easier, or will have completed it fully.

Its a lovely feeling then when you come back from lunch to be able to do the nicer tasks – especially if, like me, you get an afternoon slump!

If you had left the harder task until now you will be fighting with yourself to get it done and it will take far longer and probably not be done as well – so just GET IT OUT OF THE WAY!

The 80/20 rule (Paretos Principle) has shown time and time again that 80% of the tasks can be done in 20% of the time – meaning that the last 20% takes 80% of the time! Now thats a waste of time!.

Usually this wastage will come from procrastination, dragging your feet on tasks that you don’t want to do, and simply not being focussed.

Basically its saying that you can very quickly do a near perfect job – and getting it perfect may just be the time waster thats not really required.

There is very little in this world that HAS to be done perfectly – so ask yourself every time you start a task – how perfect does it have to be?

I know from bitter experience that if you try and do a perfect job then you either never start the job for fear of failing, or you spend so much time and get so stressed over it that it wastes time too.

Aim for 80% perfect and then see whether that will be enough. You may be surprised at the results!

Really look at how you are spending your time currently – what are you wasting your time on? What can you say NO to?

Creating a time log for a week will help you to focus on where you can save some time.

Are you making too many trips to the supermarket when you could actually get it done in 1 or 2? Do you spend time taking your children to places that actually could be shared with other parents? – there are so many things that you may be doing simply from habit rather than because they are required. Think smart!

The other stuff to delete from your life is clutter. It takes 40% less time to clean the house when its clutter free! – reason enough to start decluttering today!

Less stuff in your life means less shopping, less cleaning, less upkeep, less of pretty much everything!

Knowing how your body clock works can be a great way to gain more time as you can end up scheduling things in for when you work best.

When we are most awake we get things done more quickly and do a better quality of work usually.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Get in sync with your own natural patterns and work then if you can to get more done

Also – an easy way to create more time is to see whether you can actually get up earlier or stay up later – a very easy win!

In point 1 I said it was imperative to not only schedule appointments in your diary, but to also add in travel time and prep time etc…. Along with this you should also add in a buffer for travel in case of a jam, for errands in case of queues etc…. – and then take something that you can productively do with the time if you end up not needing the buffer.

This has two effects – you are always on time for appointments and are therefore less stressed – and you also get a few extra bits done in the time you have gained!

I like to carry a few articles from magazines that I want to read, or a website on my phone that I need to take a look at – that way I am doing something I may not have the time for otherwise.

Use audio books to get through some of those books you just don’t have the time to read at home – you’ll be amazed at how productive this down time can be (can also do this when exercising, walking somewhere etc…)

It isn’t often that adults have time to simply sit and read – especially if you have children.

Starting to create a habit of listening to audio books rather than the radio may just be key to getting more done for you – I have found it invaluable and have several audio books and courses in my car ready!

Look after yourself and you will be more productive in general – thus creating more time overall.

Exercise, eat well, take frequent breaks – getting energised and healthy will totally improve your energy and get things done much more quickly

What will you look back on in your life and think “that was time well spent?” – thats key to how you should spend more of your time, and following this top 10 list will definitely get you more of the time needed for the more important things in life!

When you create more time for yourself – you can see how others manage to get so much done – and it can be energising! Of course, how you then use that time is totally up to you…….

So – how would you spend an extra hour each day…..?

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Moving House Countdown Checklist and Tips

2012-05-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Spring is one of the favourite times for people to move house.

Its when things seem brighter, the winter and Christmas is over (typically when people simply nest!) and people are now ready for making changes.

It also works well in that you can often be moved and in your new home by the summer – and can then enjoy your new home in the good weather (that is, if we get some!)

Most people get quite overwhelmed by the prospect of moving. It is always said that its one of the most stressful points of your life along with divorce, having children and getting married, but if you get yourself organised, and utilise the help thats out there, then it can be quite painless really!

I have tried to give an easy to follow checklist that takes you through the countdown to moving, with lots of tips and tricks thrown in. Let me know if you have any extra tips and tricks, and I hope that if you are moving that you have a stress free time!

Moving comes in stages, from the initial decision to move, right through to sitting in your new home the night you have moved in. Its a long road, but so worth it, and following the steps and advice below will really help to keep you on track.

If its for more space would your money actually be better spent on extending your current property? The cost of moving is considerable and actually can be seen as a waste of money – extending will mean that you could get the property that works for you without wasting your money at all. Get an estate agent to look at your ideas and to value it before and after. It may just be the sensible option! (also, you may want to think about getting plans drawn up anyway as this can be a great selling point to show potential purchasers what the potential is)

Can you use your existing rooms in a different way to make more of them? Even simple changes and redecoration can breath new life in a home that you thought you were tired of. I am an interior designer and home stager by trade, and have often had the situation where I have staged a home ready for selling, only for the seller to decide that they love the changes so much they wanted to stay! Seriously think about why you are moving before you start the journey.

Try and get your property on the market or ideally sold prior to looking for your next property – its a difficult scenario to be in, but if you are in this position you are ready to be able to pounce on the property of your dreams when you see it, and the sellers may well look at you most favourably in a bidding war if you have your property sold already.

You may decide to sell without an agent, which can be a good idea if you are looking to save a bit of money as you save the agents fees, but you also don’t get as much marketing as an agent can provide, or access to a list of people in your area who are actively looking.

To get your property sold as soon as possible, ideally you will want to have it staged for selling by a professional. I am a little biased about this step as I am actually a home stager and interior designer by trade – and I really firmly believe in what staging can do for selling a property faster and for its maximum price.

Staging does not have to cost a lot, but may mean the difference between selling quickly, and the property languishing on the market for weeks/months.This practise in common place in the US, where most homeowners would not consider putting their home on the market without it being staged first – why would you want to try and sell the most expensive asset you own when its not looking the absolute best it can look?Simple tricks and quick fixes can really make a difference to how viewers will perceive your home – you are trying to create the feeling that you had when you moved into your home – not the feeling that you may have now as you want to move and the home no longer fits your needs. You need to get back to the excitement you had when you first moved in.Personally I have moved twice over the past ten years, and both houses have sold for more than the ceiling price of the road, at the asking price, and to the first buyer that has walked through the door (the second one went to sealed bids too!). This is absolute testament that staging works, and really does take the hassle out of selling. We were ready to make a move on the house that we wanted as soon as we put ours on the market, we were in a strong position and therefore negotiated a great price for that house, and we didn’t have to have the stress of having people walking through the property for weeks or months prior to getting an offer. We didn’t even have the hassle of bartering over the selling price as people simply wanted to ensure they were the ones who got it. Quick, simple and stress free – a great way to start the moving house journey I am sure you will agree!

Before and After of a Living Room Home Staging Example from my own home

Ensure you know what your wishlist for a new property is. Why are you moving? Do you need more space, do you want to be local to a good school, do you have family or work that you want to be closer to. Do you need another bedroom, a home office, a larger garden, a kitchen/diner etc… If you can write down everything you want in a new home, and prioritise it, then you will be able to see which homes you want to look at and possibly cut down on your search. It will also help you to focus on your move and what you want to get out of it.

If you are moving to a new area, research the area and surrounding areas carefully. See how far you would comfortably commute and draw a circle around that area on a map. Then look at whats a high priority for you – schools, being close to shops, being rural/urban etc…. and then you can close your search location down even more – saving valuable time when viewing properties.

TIP – When viewing properties, pick one thats not what you want at all – if you see it and it is a definite NO then you can be more sure your wishlist is right – whereas you may be shocked to discover that this may actually be the one for you after all! – Don’t completely narrow what you are looking for, as you may be surprised!

Get on all the local estate agents books – you want to be the first to find out about suitable properties. Show that you are keen and willing to move, and not a time waster. You want them to call you as soon as your ideal property comes on the market, and not someone else

When you have found the home you want to move to, and an offer has been accepted, now is the time to really start managing your move. Don’t expect things to just happen, and don’t assume that this is the case. If you can, look to get a move date in place and agreed down the chain. Then appoint a solicitor with this date in mind. (Keep chasing this date every week so that dates don’t slip – we have had the situation where the chain was talking to each other and had a date in mind, but our solicitor had decided that they would go for a different date as it worked better for them – disaster!)Create a moving folder – and keep everything relating to the move in this – it will then be easy to find all documentation, letters etc…. that can really build up during this time.If you are transferring schools, nurseries, offices etc… then ensure that the new ones have been informed and are ready to take you and your children.Look at removals firms – I strongly suggest for a smooth and easy move to get them to also pack for you – as they can do this in such a short amount of time, and the cost is minimal for the stress saved. Get recommendations from people who have used them before, and get provisional dates booked in as soon as you can so that its one more thing to not have to worry about (it will also get you really thinking about the logistics of the move, in terms of whether you need any items stored if you are doing work on the new property, whether you will want to take everything you have, is there room in the new property etc….)Start to create a floor plan of the new property and work out what you want to put where – this will possibly change in the next few weeks, but having it written down will again force you to think about it, and will make life a lot easier when telling removals people whats going on.Organise mail forwarding – a years duration is best (especially if you work from home) – CLICK HERE to sort this outGet to know your new area – research doctors, dentists, schools, shops etc… and get yourself on their books as soon as possible – it may take a little time to get into each systemIf possible, keep your old phone number in your new house – it will make things easierStart to organise your belongings, it is never too early to start thinking about what you may or may not want to take with you. If you can have a big sort out now it will save time in the long run, and you will be able to see things more clearly. Look at our decluttering pages for more details of how this can be done more easily. If you declutter now you won’t have to pay removals for moving items that are of no value to you, and you won’t have to have them cluttering up your new property – think of this move as a clean slateWith things like Sky / Virgin TV and Broadband, call and arrange for them to switch to your new address on moving day – they will then install it at your new property and you will have no break in your service – especially necessary if you work from home.Now is a good time to research who the cheapest and best suppliers are in your new area for gas, electricity etc…. so that you can inform them of your move and start an account if it is a different company to the one you are currently using. Create a list of everyone thatyou pay any bills to, and update or write beside it if you are going to change supplier once you move. Having everything in one place will make things much easier!

Book pets to be looked after by friends, or put in kennels or a cattery for moving day to make life easier! Also do similar with children, as they will find the move easier if they don’t have to deal with the actual move and the stress around them.Let friends and family know about your move – send cards out the week prior to moving as you will be far busier once you have moved.Ensure all your paperwork / financials are aware of your change of address – go through each section in your filing cabinet and keep a checklist of those that you have contacted and had confirmation fromStart to finish off the food in your freezer so that its easy to clean and you don’t waste things unecessarily.Ensure all your local accounts are settled and know of your move date (milkman, dentist, doctor, newsagent, library books, dry cleaners etc…)Anything that you need to leave for the new owners should be labelled clearly (spare keys, instructions for the cooker, alarm, boiler, etc….) – create a small folder for any paperwork that they may need going forward i.e. warranties etc… Also, check where you are to leave the keys for your old property and where your new keys will be on moving day (especially important if anyone in the chain is moving a long way away as it would be very time consuming if they were to leave and forget to leave the keys!)If possible, get carpets and the house cleaned prior to the removals coming in to your new home – its the easiest time as its empty – then you will be moving into a fresh and clean houseRemovals firms will usually come now to pack up for you if you want this service (I highly recommend it as a time and stress saver!) When packing, label boxes for the next houses’ rooms – colour code if preferred as this is easier to see – give the removals people a plan of the new home with the room names/colours on it and then they will be able to unload accordingly

Have a moving box with essentials that you keep with you on moving day – such as kettle, tea bags, cleaning products, hoover, spare change, food and drink, mobile with essential numbers in it, numbers for your solicitor and estate agent so you can call for any updates – etc…Transport all paperwork / documents / precious items with you when you move – this will help with your calmness as you won’t lose it!After the removals have finished in each room, hoover and clean the property – there is nothing worse for the new owners than having to clean the house as soon as they arrive. It is also a lovely touch to leave a bottle of wine and a note welcoming them to the area and hoping that they will enjoy their new home.Ideally for security get a locksmith to change the locks of your new property as then you will be sure that only you have access.Don’t even think about cooking on your first night – get a takeout and a bottle of wine and just chill in your new home – toast a successful move – tomorrow you can start to really sort everything out.Introduce yourself to your new neighbours – you never know when you may need help, or whether they will become friends!Take your time unpacking - get the essentials right and then live with the house for a short time – you may find that useage changes for each roomI find that if your new home needs decorating it is always a good idea to paint it all in an off white or cream initially – then you can live in the space for a while, see how you live, see what the light is like etc… and then you can make proper decorating decisions over the years. This will ensure you don’t make expensive mistakes and that you get the home of your dreams that really works for you.Give spare keys to a friend or neighbour in case of an emergency – do it now so that you never get caught out!

If you have any questions or comments please reply below and we’ll get back to you always. As ever, we love to hear from you!.

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Being Organised OR NOT Can Affect Your Relationship!

2012-05-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading a magazine article the other day that mentioned how important it was to be in sync with your partner – so that your relationship flourished.

It was an article about how, no matter what your personalities were, you can work together to ensure that your relationhip thrived – and that you both felt that you weren’t being pushed out in terms of your thoughts and feelings.

This made me think about how our organising personalities can also affect our relationships – in fact, it can be a catalyst to the most severe of relationship issues. Underlying resentment, not feeling heard, living in a home that doesn’t echo you as a person – need I go on!

Think about it for a moment – do any of these scenarios sounds familiar?:-

You walk into the bathroom only to find wet towels on the floor crumpled up, and underwear strewn around…. what a welcome!Your partner is a cleanaholic – and you never feel like you can relax totally in your own home for fear of getting something dirty or moving it from its placeYou can never find anything – your partner is constantly tidying up but never into places that you know about – keys could be in a drawer one time and in a coat pocket the next!The other person constantly makes you late for everything – either by losing things like keys or wallet/handbag, or by not having the directions or invitation to hand so you don’t know where you are going and what time you have to be there (I digress, but this leads me to a very funny story of my own disorganisation – we were due at a party for halloween and I was stressed as we were going to be late for the 1pm start. We got there and with no cars outside thought we had actually missed it altogether as it was now 2pm – when we knocked on the door we were greeted by very bemused hosts – the party didn’t start for another 2 hours! – we helped them set up and everything was fine – but I had mixed up in my head the times of two parties over 2 days – NOTE TO SELF – ALWAYS WRITE IT IN YOUR DIARY AND LOOK AT SAID DIARY EACH DAY!)It is always left to you to ensure everything is done – that theres food in the house, that people have the correct clothes clean and ready for what they are doing each day, that there is petrol in the car, that noone is doubled booked, …… the list is endless

It can be SO frustrating to be in any one of these situations.

Whether you are an organised person or a disorganised person, if your home and lifestyle doesn’t work for you, then you can feel out of control and unsettled – and thats no way to live.

Nowadays we have usually lived by ourselves for a while before settling down and living with our partners, and in this time we have developed our own habits and way of life. We have worked out what works for us, and have enjoyed the freedom to express our own personalities.

This may well be in line with how we were brought up, but may well be in rebellion to our childhood (people who grow up in messy and unorganised homes either follow suit and replicate this in their own homes, or decide that they want to live in an organised way now, and vice versa for those who lived in a very organised and possibly too controlled environment)

When we start to live with who will be our partner for life – if our way of life and therefore our organising personalities clash too much then fireworks can occur.

Your usual habits, your way of life, and who you fundamentally are can be thought to be in question when how you live is in direct opposition to your other half.

Its not a nice way to live – for either of you.

There is no right or wrong way to live your life.

Knowing this is half the battle really, as you can then start to really look at what parts of your lifestyle are most important to you, and which to your partner – and see if you can meet somewhere in the middle.

Just the pure fact that you are reading this means that you are probably somewhat organised, or getting more so – so your partner is more likely to be the one who is more disorganised. Lucky lucky you if your partner is also organised like you!

You don’t need to change dramatically to co-exist in peace – its just give and take and understanding thats required.

I suggest living with each other for a few weeks AT LEAST! and getting a feel for each other before you try and tackle any gripes you have. If you start to criticise from the off then you will only get each others backs up and most likely one or both of you will stop listening altogether.

Its about learning to cohabit together so that you both feel heard and respected by the other person – and to allow each others habits to be understood – while trying to change a little each to become more in sync.

Just as with other aspects of a relationship – over time you will naturally change to be more in tune with each other, but by being proactive you may alleviate the constant niggles and frustrations you have, and even possibly the downfall of the whole relationship.

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How to Create a Home File

2012-05-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

In my home I call myself the house manager.

I am the one who knows where people need to be, what they need when they get there, and pretty much run the house.

My husband is great and always helps, but the main running of the house is my domain. This is how we like it and it works really well.

However, being the one who is in charge of making things happen in the house makes me want to do two things:-

Make it as easy as possible for me to do this role without it taking FOREVER!Make it easy for someone else to take over this role if something happened to me (an accident, or being in hospital, or on holiday even), taking away that stress from them? (Now I am not an all doom and gloom person – just practical! Thats why we write wills after all!)

So – having looked at creating systems that work for us in our home, as part of my paperwork system (soon to be available! watch this space) I created a manual for the home.

This is common place in many homes, and has different names – but ultimately the same goal – to ensure that if anyone needs to know anything about the house and the people in it – they know where to look!

I call mine the HOME FILE.

A home file is the secret to a well run home.

Think of it as the manual that guides anyone in your household as to the runnings of your home.

Its the place that has all the information you need on a weekly if not daily basis, and is an invaluable tool that you will wonder how you did without!

I absolutely think that creating a home file as part of a paperwork system in a home is the key to it running successfully on a day to day basis.

The idea is to enable your home to run smoothly without you as and when necessary – and to make your life easier in the process!

Information in it should be specific to you and your family – it is a guide to running your specific home after all – and everyones will be slightly different, depending on what is done in your home and by the people in it.

The Home File should be kept in a place thats easily accessible to the whole family – and can therefore be used by everyone when required.

I find that in my post, filing and paperwork area is best – keeps everything together!

Most families have an area (usually in the kitchen) where paperwork and diaries etc.. collect – where we pile up the post, write notes to each other etc…. so even if you haven’t started to organise this area as yet, you will have a good idea where is best in your home to start creating your paperwork and admin zone.

My home file is simply an A4 Filofax style folder. Theres no big fancy system really – just a little hard work from you to pull everything together.

I have used different sized folders over the years, but have now settled on A4, as I find this the easiest to work with, and a lot of paperwork comes in this size already. Its also a practical size to see everything you need.

I like the filofax folders as they are sturdy, and won’t fit too much in so I have to be organised!, however, a good quality ring binder would work just as well (TIP – always get a 4 ring one as these make the papers stay in much better which will otherwise cause you daily frustration!)

Having it in a folder form rather than a book or a filing system makes it more portable, and its easier to take things out and add to sections etc.. as you need to.

It also give you the ability to put in plastic files which can hold items that haven’t got holes in – such as vouchers, tickets etc…)

To create your own home file you would only need the following items:-

Some sort of folder of your choice (size, colour etc…. to work for you – 4 holed works best for A4)Dividers / Tabs that will enable you to find things easily and manage the file betterPlastic folders for any odd sized items or smaller pieces of paper that need to be kept togetherHole punch for your required sized folder (4 holes ideally)Pens of different colours – you could have a colour for different areas, or each person in your home etc…

You have now got the items needed to create your file – now you need to fill it and make it your own.

I did a lot of thinking around what should and shouldn’t go into this file, and I suggest you do the same. If there is too much then it just becomes an unweildy mess that you don’t really want to keep getting out and trawling through, and if it hasn’t got enough information in it then its simply not that useful! You have to find the happy medium.

I feel that the only things that should be in a Home File are things that you need information about on a daily basis. Any other paperwork can be filed in the required place (hope I’m building anticipation of my forthcoming paperwork system – watch this space!!!). Its really important to distinguish between these.

I have tabs to separate each section, and have the following in it – but you could add whatever you need to make it your own of course – this is simply a guide to get you started:-

Per person – school timetables etc…Events lists from organisations such as church, sports groups, playgroups, etc…Master Year Planner with special occasions marked onMaster Monthly / Weekly / Daily PlannersHousehold TO DO list / Master TO DO listMorning and Evening routines / ChecklistsCleaning Schedule (including monthly, seasonal and annual tasks)Personal Information including clothes, shoes sizes, medicines, medical histrorySchool / Work informationPresent IdeasDVDs / Books / CDs etc…. to rentThings to do Lists – such as rainy days activities for little ones, websites to look at when you have a spare few minutes etc…Meal planners incl. whats peoples favourites. Have a 4 week rolling plan to make things easyShopping ListTake Away Menus (with list of favourites for ease!)Recipes to try in the the monthHousehold Decorating information by room (plans, paint, wallpaper, carpet etc…. and where purchased)Home Inventory List (in case of theft)Suppliers Details (gas, water, electricity etc…)List of recommended or previously used tradespeopleCar maintenance and breakdown informationHousehold Budget InformationList of all credit cards and who to contact if stolen (NOT ALL CARD DETAILS THOUGH FOR SECURITY!)Receipts for this month (to be moved to filing system when older than this)Shopping vouchersTO BUY listEmergency Information (Emergency Services contact details, Who to call, Where to find documents, etc…)Babysitters Information sheet incl. where switches are, first aid kit, bedtimes and routines, how to work the TV and remotes etc…Phone numbers and addresses and emails etc…. – copy from your mobile as you never know when you may lose it.Present ideas for people, allergy information, notes on their likes and dislikes etc….Star those that you send Christmas cards to – saves making another list!Party Planning InformationChristmas Checklists and IdeasDay Trip / Outing IdeasPreparing for Holiday ChecklistPacking Checklist incl. things to do around the house i.e. cancel milkMagazine SubscriptionsMemberships (Zoo, Gym etc…

I have also got sheets to print out of all these sections to make things even easier for you – and they will be available as part of my paperwork system ecourse which is currently being written – WATCH THIS SPACE!

Any paperwork thats got more longevity and is only required very occasionally such as birth certificate, insurance certificates, passports etc…. . These are best kept in a fireproof cabinet/box in a more hidden away place in your home.

The home file should purely be a reference for the family and therefore should have checklists and reference to places that the main paperwork is kept. You shouldn’t be having to leaf through several pages of bills before you find a reference number for example – it should be in a simple and easy to read list ready for when you need it.

I like to think of filing in 2 parts – Deep filing for items that are important to keep but are not needed often, and your home file, which can be accessed easily and has more frequently used paperwork.

There are so many scenarios that the Home File really comes into its own for you – heres a few – see if any sound familiar!

Your power / water / utilities fail – finding the contact details of your supplier and your reference number within seconds would be good!Now – where did you get that cake from for that party last year? – Now you will have it all written down and ready to use this yearA friend gives you a name of a great decorator – instead of losing the details you can now add to the home file and have it to hand when you need itPeople are coming over for dinner – now – do any have preferences or even allergies? You will find their info in the home fileYou have a babysitter and need to leave the house asap – turn to the babysitters page in the home file and all the information they need will be there waiting!You have an accident and end up having to stay in hospital for a few days – now anyone can pick up where you left off and the rest of the family need not be too disturbed in their normal day to day lifeYou can quickly pick up the shopping list as you go out of the door – safe in the knowledge that it has everything you need for the meals you have planned.Everyone can see what they should be doing by following the schedulesLast minute holiday? Easily pack in an instant with the list you have made

The list is absolutely endless! Basically you can run your home and save time, energy and effort in doing so!

I LOVE my Home File and wouldn’t be without it. Everyone knows where they are, and it can be updated as regularly as required. It is specific to our needs as a family, and can be updated and altered as we change.

Let me know below how you get on creating your own!

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Frequently Asked Questions about Organising

2012-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

I often get asked questions about getting organised and decluttering – and so decided to set up a Q&A Page to answer the most common ones.

The aim of this page is to give you the answers to the most frequently asked queries, and then as and when questions are added to the comments section below they will be answered and if they are popular questions then I will add them to the main part of the post as well.

This is an interactive post for you – so if you have a query then please add it to the comments and I will answer each one for you. I can’t wait to hear about your issues and even some tips to help other readers!

Always start where it hurts the most.

This means that wherever you are finding you are wasting the most time / energy and/or money by not being organised.

If you immediately feel a benefit then you will be more likely to continue into other areas of your home/life. If you start with something relatively insignificant to you like a linen cupboard – then you will be less likely to feel an motivated to continue.

Common places that people start on are paperwork, creating more time, and organising their hallway (this is the first room you see when you walk into your home, and has lots of items in it that require organising otherwise it can be a very cluttered welcome home!).

Nice idea – but it won’t work!

People commonly assume that an organised house has to look very minimal – but the idea of organisation is about functionality rather than the aesthetics of the space.

Of course, many people naturally want to look organised as well as be organised, so the two often go hand in hand, but please don’t feel that you need to throw anything out – especially if you don’t want to.

The organising process does involve decluttering – but only to the extent of items that are not functional or sentimental in your home.

You may throw everything you own away but still be left with an unorganised house that will build up again over a few months. If you organise now then its a lifestyle and habit change that will continue to work forever.

This is one of the most common things that people say when it comes to getting organised.

Yes, organising takes time and effort to complete – but once it has been done it will only take a few moments each day to stay organised – therefore in the long run you will be saving so much time that you will have more time than ever for the other, more important things in your life.

A little effort and time spent now in getting organised will free up tonnes of time when done –

Time to relax, take up a new hobby, spend quality time with family and friends, start a business – the list is endless!

There is no one answer for this, as everyone is so different. However, having a sense of being organised is really important, and getting everyon in the household involved is equally so.

Something that has both these items within it is the creating of the HOME FILE.

This is a file that will collate the household and family information into your own personal manual for your lives. If everyone knows where to look for information, then life should run more smoothly!

Making the process very visual often helps for smaller children. Labelling using pictures rather than words will enable everyone to see clearly where things go.

Getting children to help and make it into a game will also help – creating habits for them will ensure that they stay organised into adulthood and therefore find it easier to run their own homes eventually.

Start organising areas that help each member of the family the most – then they will be able to clearly see the benefits of what you are doing and are more likely to help you by maintaining it!

Also, by giving small rewards to family members who help with organising and maintaining the organised home will reap its benefits.

Rewards can be simple – maybe a favourite meal, a trip out, a games night etc….. (using your new found time!)

Motivation is different for different people.

Some people are motivated enough when they start to see the results of their organising. When an area is really organised it gives a great sense of satisfaction.

Others are more rewards based – and if you are one of these people, why not treat yourself to a favourite drink or meal at the end of the day, a hot bath, a magazine and cup of tea, a day out etc… something just for you that will relax you and make you feel content will do wonders!

Another great incentive to keep motivation at its peak is to have a goal to aim towards – so organise a party at your house for a couple of months time, by which time you will want to have done lots of the organising so you will be proud to show people into your home and be the host!

Messy houses can be organised, just like minimal houses can be disorganised.

Organisation is the functional side of the house and NOT the aesthetics.

It ensures that everyone knows whats happening, where they should be and where everything is in the house.

If you are happier in a more messy home than this does not necessarily need to change, but you may find that once you start organising then a less messy house will naturally follow.

Organising is about working with your habits and personality and not against them – if you try and work against them too much you will find that you naturally lose the desire to keep the systems in place.

Decluttering is just part of the organising process – you may have loads of stuff that you want to keep – and part of the organising process will be to ensure that you are able to enjoy your stuff, and not let it hinder you.

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Storage Beds Are The Future!

2012-05-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

As many of my readers will know, I have an alter ego! I have an interior design and home staging business too.

My organising passion links in really well with this as decluttering is key to a home looking great – and great storage is a must for a functional and practical home. In fact, storage is the place where my clients really want to look at getting great style and function from everything that we add into their home.

I believe that storage must work hard to be in a home, and that it works best when its making an existing peice of furniture multi functional as this saves space as well. I have talked before about purchasing furniture that has built in storage – and the storage bed is my idea of the best!

I don’t know about you (I can guess though!) – but I used to be so sick of having to be a contortionist and do that funny commando crawl to get to one last lone box from under the bed, only to find when I managed to get out (crawling backwards is HARD!), a layer of dust that had been quite happy to be forgotten about completely over the years had managed to migrate all over my clothes…. yuck!

Lets face it – under the bed is definately one of those areas that doesn’t get a weekly clean from most people! (in my house the beds are lucky to see a hoover annually….. I confess!)

And when we needed to replace our bed (note to self, jumping on a bed that has pine slats under the mattress probably isn’t going to increase the life span of the bed!!!! – even if it is fun!) I started on a mission to find something that looked good, but stopped the frustrating things that I was getting simply tired of.

And thats when I found the storage bed.

Here are the main reasons why I love storage beds so much:-

When I first changed beds to a storage bed, the stuff I had under my old bed (which filled it completely) only filled about a quarter of the new space!

I like to store bedding, out of season clothes etc…. – and guests don’t have to see everything!

Master bedrooms work well as some storage beds can be quite high up which gives the bed more prominence in the room, and also then gives more storage (again great for out of season clothes)

They are a great hidden place when you have small children as you can hide presents etc… from little eyes! Mydaughter has only just found out about our storage bed, and it will be a long while before she can open it herself (shes 3).

They stop you having to have a large cupboard or chest of drawers in the room – thus freeing space and helping you to become more visually clutter free

They are MUCH easier to get hold of things that you have stored there.

A lot of beds have a mechanism that lifts the mattress with minimal effort from you – and you can choose whether you want a bed thats hinged from the side or the headboard.

Stops everything getting dusty as the space is fully sealed when you close it.

Here are some key things to look for when you are buying a storage bed – and worth considering whether you need them or whether you can get a cheaper bed that does what you want instead.

How much storage do you want? Look at the height of the base as some are a lot shallower than others, and if you want to storae suitcases etc… you want to ensure they will fit.Some beds have a base and can be on feet – which I personally prefer – but others have a simple layer of fabric that goes on the floor. The former is more expensive, but gives a better finish.You can get leather finish beds with headboards, which are more common in the cheaper price brackets – but you can also get fabric finished beds which you can match to your decor.Because you have hidden storage, then they are quite secure for your stuff – and some makers take this one step further and give you options like having a safe in the bed. This makes sense to me if you have jewellery that you aren’t taking on holiday – as its less likely to be found here than in many other places. This can go one step further as some have locks so that the mechanism is shut tight until you want to open it (useful for storing presents as well!)Because the bed lifts to allow access to storage, make sure you have the height space in the room – i.e. there are no lights that will get hit.

This is from THE STORAGE BED online company – and I have chosen this as its my own bed – so I can persoanlly vouch for its ease of use, deep storage size, and choice of fabrics. I simply LOVE it! There are so many different options that you can really make the bed exactly what you want and need. Perfect!

This is a great bed – and I have it in my guest bedroom now (a new purchase as I loved our other so much!). Its a cost effective option, and we chose this as we didn’t need as much storage in this room – but its a relatively small room so made sense to create extra storage too. I particularly like the leather finish and the headboard looks really great in both traditional and contemporary designed rooms. (click on pciture for more details)

I have come across this bed on my searches for the best out there, and LOVE it for its multi uses! Not only is it a great storage bed, but it also has a TV mechanism so that can be hidden away when not watching as well – all you need is a fridge and a coffee maker and you wouldn’t have to leave!

This bed from John Lewis is simply stunning. It has a gorgeous feel to it and is available in 3 different colours. I love the fact that it looks good as well as being practical.

This is a Tempur bed and is available from Heals. I particularly love the high headboard as this would be stunning in a master bedroom.

Well, frankly – most bedrooms would benefit from a storage bed. It just makes sense really!

I love to use them in childrens rooms to store clothes and bulky toys that aren’t needed on a daily basis.

As already said, Master bedrooms and guest bedrooms work so well as they can always do with extra storage.

They work really well in flats as they maximise the space and minimise the need for other furniture.

I hope that this post has helped you with deciding on what bed would suit you, and whether a storage bed is the way forward for your bedroom! I think so, and wouldn’t choose another bed now – and I look forward to hearing your perspective on this – feel free to leave your reviews and opinions below….

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Tips to Get your Handbag and Purse Organised

2012-05-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have too many handbags for one person!

I think thats the same for a lot of women out there….

Its not a problem really, apart from when I come to change over bags on a day to day basis. Remembering where everything is, and not forgetting anything is key to this being successful – and therefore I need to get organised about it!

Here are a few tips that have helped me – and I hope they do the same for you!

Firstly, take out everything and lay it out so that you can see exactly what you have.

Do this from ALL your bags so you start afresh with clean, empty bags!

Start by throwing away all obvious rubbish – I’m always amazed at how much collects in my bags during the day – I must stuff things in there without even realising half the time – no wonder my back hurts by the end of the day the amount I am carrying around!

Also throw away (cut up first) any credit or debit cards that are past their expiry dates.

One of the main sources of clutter in my bag and purse is receipts.

I purchase lots of things throughout the week, everything having its own receipt – and this builds up!

What works best for me is to keep all receipts I get in a compartment in my purse, and then on a weekly basis sort through and decide what I need to keep, and then transfer to the relevant place (for expenses for my business these go in my business folder, for clothes and items that I may need to return or have a warranty I put them in my home file, and for genuine rubbish I put in the shredding pile).

If you are a person who keeps all receipts to reconcile against your bank statement monthly, then simply transfer to a folder that you keep all receipts in, and purge monthly once reconciled.

Only keep in both your purse and your handbag whats absolutely vital – the last thing you want is to have to drag around half your possessions!

Be ruthless. If you think you need everything then try this exercise – write down everything in your bag and keep the list in there with a pen. Whenever you use something during a week then tick it off the list. Whatever you don’t use in a week probably isn’t that necessary!

Things can build up, and get heavy.

Loose change is one of the worse culprits. I like to keep a change jar in the kitchen and both myself and my husband empty pockets and purse/wallets of the majority of their change daily.

Its amazing how things build up – and I am constantly amazed that after a few months how much there is in there – perfect for a family treat!

TIP – keep some spare change in your car ready for unexpected car park charges or toll roads.

In your home file keep a record of the cards you have in your purse, and the relevant numbers to ring to cancel them – this will make the whole situation a lot more manageable if it happens.

Just as with your home, having a place for everything in your purse and handbag is vital to ensure that you have everything with you and can find things at a glance.

As I have business cards as well as personal cards, I find that it works really well to have a purse that has two main card sections in it – and I keep the cards in the same place every time – so its really easy to see if one is missing, and know what it is.

I try and buy handbags with small pockets in the lining that are good for keeping spare change, phones, hairbrush, makeup etc… in and keeping them out of the way of the main compartments. I have lost count of the amount of times that I have missed calls because my phone is SOMEWHERE in the main part of the bag – so frustrating!

There are products on the market that can help no end with this problem, and also are a god send in terms of when you swap bags a lot. They are Handbag Organisers (does exactly what it says on the tin in the words of ronseal!).They fit into your bag and have compartments for everything you would need – then you simply transfer the whole thing when you change bags. Pretty much eradicating anything getting missed! I would definitely give these a go – one word of caution is of course to check the size of the bag compared to your actual bag – you need to ensure it will fit inside, and that it will carry everything you need – but apart from that they are amazing! (click on the picture on the left for purchase details – or do your own search on amazon for Handbag Organisers)

So useful to have a small pad of paper and pen in your bag – for jotting down anything that springs to mind during the day including numbers, messages, websites etc….

I like to transfer all this information into the relevant place at the end of each day (or at least weekly) – i.e. diary, home file etc…. so I never lose information (or at least thats the aim!)

I always advise using different PIN numbers for every card you have – much more secure – but unless you have a great memory then this can get complicated, and its a complete NO GO to have a list of them in your purse!

The answer? I find that creating a name in my phone that I know relates to each card is a great way of doing it. The PIN can be part of the telephone number, but is not easy for people to find at all.

For example – a VISA card could be for Vera Isanda 01628 351 862, or a MASTERCARD could be for Mary Stern 01632 786 467. Keep the names and numbers in the same place for each and then it will be easy for you to translate!

Have something in your bag that you can do if you end up waiting in a queue or in a doctors surgery etc…. – articles you want to read, or a magazine that you subscribe to – this will ensure that you use this time to your best ability.

Just don’t weigh your bag down too much!

I find it useful to keep a copy of the TO BUY list from my Home File in my bag at all times, as then if I come across something I think we need, I can check on the list and can make an educated decision there and then rather than having to come back to the shop to purchase it or return it when I get it home and find it doesn’t work.

Include any required dimensions and details against each thing i.e. if you need a piece of furniture for a specific area in your home, write down the maximum dimensions it could be, the style you want etc…

i.e. Hallway Unit – Dark Wood – max height 80cm, max depth 25cm, max width 100cm / A new pair of jeans size 14 blue / artwork for above sofa – max 100cm square with red and gold in it but mostly cream.

These are all be things with no time limit – but are still wanted at some point (things with a time limit should be on your usual shopping list)

Only use handbags that you love and that you love using (same with purses) – otherwise donate them to charity as they take up a lot of space to store.

Your bag should work well for you, be comfortable, and work with your wardrobe and style.

Your handbag should be something that works for you – not against you. If you are constantly rummaging around in the bottom to try and find your phone / spare change / keys etc.. then its time to get it organised once and for all!

Theres nothing nicer than only carrying around what you absolutely need – being able to find it in an instant – and feeling organised as you go about your day. I hope that the tips given have helped you – and would love to hear about any tips you may have.

What do you find most annoying about an unorganised handbag / purse or wallet? …..

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