Your Life. Organized.

Someone Nabbed My Credit Card

Part of your organizing plan for your life should include taking steps to keep your identity safe. According to statistics, more than ten million people PER YEAR are affected by some form of identity theft. I just came back from my annual NAPO conference and during my travels, I discovered that one of my credit cards had been used fraudulently. While this incident isn't full blown identity theft, it is a hassle for me. Thankfully my bank discovered the charge before I did, they blocked the card against further charges, cancelled the account and sent out a new card immediately.

If your identity is successfully stolen, you could spend from five to five thousand hours of time, and potentially thousands of dollars clearing your name and fixing the damage. Sounds like just what you need to add to your already busy life, right? Ummmm NOPE!

Here are five simple steps to protect your identity, and one thing you can do to proactively ASSESS YOUR RISK of being a victim, before it ever happens...

1. Protect Your Social Security Number

Most companies and organizations who routinely ask for your Social Security Number don't really need it. I never provide mine without finding out if it's an absolute necessity. Most will say you don't need to. Always question the information-gathering and handling practices of merchants, creditors, government agencies, employers, educational institutions, and others. Don't automatically fill out every blank on every application. If you say you prefer not to give out your Social Security Number, typically they will use some other identifier for you. For extra security, commit your Social Security Number to memory so you don't have to carry the card in your wallet.

2. Check Security on Websites. When you're shopping online, funding a crowdsourced project or otherwise entering financial information, be sure the page where you're entering personal data is secure. Look for the little padlock icon in your browser window.

 

The first image shows where the icon appears in Internet Explorer. (Click the image to enlarge it)

 

The second image shows where the icon appears in Firefox. (Click the image to enlarge it)

Also, double check to be sure the URL begins with https rather than just http. The addition of the letter S means "secure".

 

3. Freeze or Monitor Your Credit. You can proactively put a freeze on your credit which will prevent any unauthorized persons from opening credit in your name without your knowledge. In addition, you're entitled to receive one free credit report per year from EACH of the three reporting agencies. (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) To check your credit more frequently, simply request one report every four months, each time from a different reporting agency. Request a report by calling 1-877-322-8228 or visiting www.AnnualCreditReport.com, which is by the way, the only authorized source to fill these requests.

 

4. Sign up for LifeLock. Unlike after-the-fact monitoring that lets you know AFTER your identity has been compromised, LifeLock is a proactive service that alerts you when someone APPLIES for credit in your name. It basically heads off identity theft before it happens, saving you all kinds of time and money. 

 

5. Check Out Your Risk. If you want to know how vulnerable you are and the likelihood of you BECOMING a victim of identity theft, check out www.MyIDScore.com -- I went there and found out that my ID Score is just over 400, which is a pretty low risk. Christmas Boy's was even lower. It's a free service and you don't have to give your Social Security Number.

 

Identity theft happens far too frequently for you to take it lightly. For more detailed information, visit Alarms.org, which is the official website of the National Council for Home Safety and Security. Build an identity-protection strategy today so you can sleep easier at night and know that you've taken proactive steps to protect yourself.

 

 

 

Part of your organizing plan for your life should include taking steps to keep your identity safe. According to statistics, more than ten million people PER YEAR are affected by some form of identity theft. I just came back from my annual NAPO conference and during my travels, I discovered that one of my credit cards had been used fraudulently. While this incident isn't full blown identity theft, it is a hassle for me. Thankfully my bank discovered the charge before I did, they blocked the card against further charges, cancelled the account and sent out a new card immediately.

If your identity is successfully stolen, you could spend from five to five thousand hours of time, and potentially thousands of dollars clearing your name and fixing the damage. Sounds like just what you need to add to your already busy life, right? Ummmm NOPE!

Here are five simple steps to protect your identity, and one thing you can do to proactively ASSESS YOUR RISK of being a victim, before it ever happens...

1. Protect Your Social Security Number

Most companies and organizations who routinely ask for your Social Security Number don't really need it. I never provide mine without finding out if it's an absolute necessity. Most will say you don't need to. Always question the information-gathering and handling practices of merchants, creditors, government agencies, employers, educational institutions, and others. Don't automatically fill out every blank on every application. If you say you prefer not to give out your Social Security Number, typically they will use some other identifier for you. For extra security, commit your Social Security Number to memory so you don't have to carry the card in your wallet.

2. Check Security on Websites. When you're shopping online, funding a crowdsourced project or otherwise entering financial information, be sure the page where you're entering personal data is secure. Look for the little padlock icon in your browser window.

 

The first image shows where the icon appears in Internet Explorer. (Click the image to enlarge it)

 

The second image shows where the icon appears in Firefox. (Click the image to enlarge it)

Also, double check to be sure the URL begins with https rather than just http. The addition of the letter S means "secure".

 

3. Freeze or Monitor Your Credit. You can proactively put a freeze on your credit which will prevent any unauthorized persons from opening credit in your name without your knowledge. In addition, you're entitled to receive one free credit report per year from EACH of the three reporting agencies. (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) To check your credit more frequently, simply request one report every four months, each time from a different reporting agency. Request a report by calling 1-877-322-8228 or visiting www.AnnualCreditReport.com, which is by the way, the only authorized source to fill these requests.

 

4. Sign up for LifeLock. Unlike after-the-fact monitoring that lets you know AFTER your identity has been compromised, LifeLock is a proactive service that alerts you when someone APPLIES for credit in your name. It basically heads off identity theft before it happens, saving you all kinds of time and money. 

 

5. Check Out Your Risk. If you want to know how vulnerable you are and the likelihood of you BECOMING a victim of identity theft, check out www.MyIDScore.com -- I went there and found out that my ID Score is just over 400, which is a pretty low risk. Christmas Boy's was even lower. It's a free service and you don't have to give your Social Security Number.

 

Identity theft happens far too frequently for you to take it lightly. For more detailed information, visit Alarms.org, which is the official website of the National Council for Home Safety and Security. Build an identity-protection strategy today so you can sleep easier at night and know that you've taken proactive steps to protect yourself.

 

 

 

The Magic of High Density Filing

 

Video: Hand Blender Cage Match: Cuisinart vs Sencor

I'm all about finding ways to make life simpler, more organized and happier. Making life easier is NOT always about buying a new gadget or product but sometimes having the right product is key! It's helpful to thoughtfully consider products to see if they fit the bill and really do serve a valuable purpose, or whether they're just another gadget. (And y'all know I'm not about gadgets for the sake of having them.)

Because I love to cook and I have seen immersion blenders for a long time on television, I thought I'd see if I might like one for my own kitchen. So hey I bought two! Why not? Here is my side-by-side review of them.

One is a Cuisinart Smart Stick (model CSB75) and the other is a Sencor (model SHB3326.) I cooked up two pounds of carrots in chicken stock and I used them as my test medium because I LOOOOOVE carrot soup! If you like carrot soup too, I've shared my recipe below the video. What are your favorite ways to use an immersion blender? I'd love to get your best tips and ideas, so share in the comments section below!

 

 

Carrot Soup Recipe

Disclaimer: This is the style of carrot soup I like, which is on the sweeter side. Because carrot is a lot like pumpkin, I like to use classic baking spices in it. In the past, I've made a savory version with herbs such as sage, thyme, and basil but I prefer the sweet one. The great thing about it is that it can go in either direction, sweet or savory, according to whatever mood you're in!
 
1.5 to 2 pounds of carrots, cut into similar sized chunks
32 ounces of your favorite chicken stock
1 bay leaf
A few shakes of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
A few shakes of nutmeg (not too  many - it can overpower)
Optional spices to shake in (carefully!): Chinese five-spice, clove, allspice

Combine chopped carrots and chicken stock in a large pot.

Add the bay leaf (ALWAYS keep bay leaf whole and remove it at the end of your cooking time)

Bring the stock to a low boil and then turn it down to simmer. 

Add your baking spices, cover and let it simmer for about a half-hour or until the carrots are cooked soft all the way through.

Extract the carrots from the stock using a slotted spoon and set aside. 

Remove bay leaf and discard. 

Add a enough stock back into the carrots to make it easy to puree them. 

Puree the carrots, adding back stock a little at a time until your soup is the thickness you like it.

Add sea salt to taste. 

Woot! Enjoy! 

 

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PPS: Links contained in the body of this post are affiliate links which means I'll make a few nickels if you decide to click through and make a purchase. 

Finally! One Of My Peeves SOLVED!

It's funny. As I get older I find I'm getting more fussy about some things and less fussy about other things. For example, if you're new at your job and trying hard, I'll be the first to cut you some slack and give you encouragement! But if you're NOT new at your job and you just don't give a crap, you're on my list.

I'm the same way with the physical things in my life. Some I care less about now, while some I care more about. In my younger days I was ALL about function over form. If something got the job done, that's all that mattered. I'm still that way in some areas today. But I notice that as I get older, my appreciation and desire for a higher aesthetic is showing itself. Take trash cans for example. I used to not care at all what a trash can looked like. As long as it worked and was the right size I was fine with it.

However, lately I purchased a Simple Human stainless steel butterfly can for my kitchen. Isn't it pretty?

 

Yes it cost a bit more than the last one I bought, but it has performed like a champ for over a year now! I'm okay with spending a little more because this can is way better than the cheaper stainless steel can I used to have, which rusted out in the same amount of time. Blergh.

Speaking of trash, one of my other peeves about trash cans is when you buy a cute trash can but then the white liner pokes out the top and comes partially down the outside of the can, obscuring the cuteness of the can! Plus all your trash is visible too. I mean, what's the point in getting an attractive can if all you can see is the liner and the trash?? Double blergh.

This morning I got an email from The Container Store announcing a new product and it solves my very first-world problem trash can pet peeve! 

Check out these fab rosewood trash cans! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love its clever design! The outer rosewood "shell" covers an inner container, so your liner and your trash become invisible and you can actually SEE the beautiful wood grain on the can. (see photo below for how it works)

The design is lovely isn't it? And so smart! Now I can have bathroom and powder room trash cans that aren't ugly to look at. The rosewood version comes in both a round and rectangular shape and for those who prefer a more sleek and modern look, the rectangular can is also available in white. Are these cans more expensive than a regular open-top bathroom trash can? Absolutely. This may be one of those times when you really do get what you pay for, especially if you're an old curmudgeon like me with a trash can peeve. 

What are YOUR peeves and how have you solved them? I'd love to know in the comments section! 

 

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Can You SEE How This Makes a Difference?

Do you sometimes wonder what small and scary things might be lurking at the back of your cabinets where your eyes haven't been in years? Are some of your pantry shelves a mystery? How old ARE those canned beans anyway? It's easy to forget about items when you can't see them, which is why I'm sharing my favorite kitchen organizing tips to make the things in your cabinets visible again.




 

Visibility Tip #1: Containerize small, similar items. In the photo above, you can see I have all my tea (and a few coffee items) in three containers in an upper cabinet. The large container is a Container Store tall shoe box and the two smaller ones are both Container Store small accessory boxes. They are the perfect thing to keep all my boxes of tea, loose tea leaves, tea infusers, sweeteners, and other tea/coffee accoutrements together. The other important benefit is that because small items like these get pushed back and become invisible, keeping them in a container means they all move AS A FAMILY every time I pull down the container. Nothing can hide from me anymore. 

 

Visibility Tip #2: My pantry shelves are 16 inches deep, which on one hand is great because that means they hold a LOT of food. The downside to deep pantry shelves however,is that because they're so deep, it's hard to see what's at the back half of the shelves, so tons of food expires and goes to waste. Blergh. That's not good on the wallet either. The solution? Turntables and can risers!

Again, I got these products at The Container Store and they make me so happy! The 18-inch turntable is one of my favorite tools in the world -- everything that used to be invisible and unreachable is now not only visible and at the FRONT of the shelf with just a spin, but I can put my hands on it without using a ladder! Whaaaaat? Yep! 

The can risers improve visibility by a gozillion percent. This means I can find what I need quickly and I never buy something I already own, simply because I didn't know it was there. 

What are your favorite tips and products for keeping your home mystery-free and organized?  

 

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Tips To Take the Stress Out of Flying With Children at the Holidays

Guest post by Jennifer Scott

Holiday travel can be an exciting but stressful endeavor for anyone. With all the things you have to worry about before leaving, such as making sure your home is secure, booking a pet sitter, and getting someone to water your plants, there are just a lot of things to keep track of. Sometimes adding a family with children into that equation can equal even more stress. Flying is usually the quickest way to reach your destination, but definitely requires some good pre-planning for a family traveling with children due to increased security and regulations. 

Prepare in Advance

Whenever possible, add a few extra days to your trip to account for illness, airline delays, or inclement weather, and try to travel on off-peak days. You never know when these issues could pop up and cut into a perfectly planned holiday trip. Traveling on off-peak days lowers the risk of overbooking issues and crowded airports. 

Find out about carry-on and checked baggage fees and requirements from your specific airline prior to your trip. These vary from airline to airline.  Also, visit TSA.gov for current items and sizes allowed in your carry-on bags. This is good information to know when packing for kids to make sure you have room for their essentials, while still leaving some space for entertainment and snacks.

If traveling with a baby or toddler, bringing their car seat could be cumbersome, but beneficial.  Most young children are accustomed to riding in their car seat and may actually resign themselves to the plane ride once buckled in. Sitting them on your lap may make them feel the need to want to get down or reposition during the flight. Just be sure to check with your airline about their policy for car seats.

Use your airline’s website to sign up for text and email alerts for flight delays and cancellations.  You can also check in and print boarding passes online to speed up your process when arriving at the airport with children.

Book rental cars and hotels ahead of time. When you arrive at your destination, you don’t want to be scrambling with hungry, tired kids to figure out where you need to go. 

Be prepared for weather at your destination by dressing the kids in layers. Sometimes the plane may be chillier than the airport or it might be a different temperature at your destination than from where you left, and you want to be able to keep kids comfortable during the trip.

 

Make the Flight Easier by Bringing Kid Essentials

Pack some filling but nutritious snacks. Avoid sugary snacks unless you want to unleash a sugar high mid-flight. Also, to lessen the possibility of ear discomfort on takeoff or landing, give infants a bottle or pacifier and give older children gum or something chewy to eat. 

Keep kids busy while they are awake to distract them from boredom or fears of flying. Some quiet activities include coloring books or books to read, drawing or writing in a journal, or hooking up headphones to an iPad to watch movies or play games. Involve older kids in conversations planning what you might do during your trip or have them make a list of places they would like to visit while there. 

Don’t forget to pack a few basic first aid staples. Anti-bacterial wipes, baby wipes, and hand sanitizer come in handy for cleaning up messes. Some medicines such as Tums and Benadryl can help with a quick fix for tummy aches or allergic reactions. Packing a few band-aids is helpful for handling small cuts that could happen during your trip.

Stay flexible and assume there will be some bumps along the way. Preparation and communication with your children on what they should expect and what is expected of them will make your flight a lot less stressful. Your family flight can be fun instead of hectic and be a great start to your holidays.

 

Jennifer Scott shares stories about the ups and downs of her anxiety and depression at SpiritFinder.org.

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Here's To Compostable Holidays!

Bless all you lovely people who have the fortitude to go all out for the holidays. Not just THE holidays, but ANY holiday. You know who you are. 

You're my neighbor that I can count on to have an inflatable turkey, Santa, snowman, or gigantic live-action snow globe on your roof or lawn every winter. You don't shy away from covering your bushes with white spider-webby floss and filling the front yard with headstones and the formerly-dead rising from the earth at Halloween. The Easter bunny hops by your place every year hanging huge colored eggs on fishing line from every tree you own. Oh yes, I know you. 

You and your fabulous seasonal decorating put my house to shame every holiday, but that's okay because when I drive by your house I get a smile from the hard work you've done, but I can't help but smile twice because my lazy butt doesn't have any of that horror to put away later. 

My philosophy on holiday decorating, (and pretty much everything else in life except bacon and Bon Jovi), is LESS IS MORE. I have one box of Christmas decorations I pull out every year and once those are in place, I consider myself nearly done, except for the compostables. 

Yep, compostable decor is one of my secrets to simpler holidays.  

Because I'm the "just enough" holiday decorator, I do JUST ENOUGH so my house feels in season, but not so much that it's a pain to take down. But I can go crazy with compostables if I want to, because they don't have to be PUT away. They get THROWN away! Yahoo! Here are my favorite disposable decor ideas for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. 

Greenery
I have a big evergreen tree in my back yard so I can just cut a handful of fresh greenery and lay it on the fireplace mantel or string it around my front door and POOF! It's Christmas! If you don't have your own evergreen tree, ask a friend or take a walk in the woods. If all else fails, nab some at your nearest Home Depot or Lowe's. 

Pumpkins and Gourds
I love the warm variety of colors and textures that pumpkins and gourds offer for fall and winter decorating. Use itty bitty ones as part of your Thanksgiving tablescape by using your fanciest penmanship to write guest's names on them with a Sharpie. Place larger ones outside your front door.

Holly 
I also happen to have a few holly trees in my yard, so holly branches with berries are plentiful and free. Left natural or sprayed gold, holly is sturdy and looks great combined with evergreen branches and ornaments. You can also use holly on your tablescape by tying a small holly branch to a rolled fabric napkin with a piece of velvet ribbon. 

Apples
Nothing says fall like a big vase or bowl of beautiful fresh apples. Spruce it up (ha! get it? spruce?) with fresh greenery or holly for contrast.

Mums
Oh how I love the many gorgeous colors mums come in! A ten dollar pot of these quintessential fall blooms outside your front door or strategically placed indoors definitely says "fall weather has arrived" in a super simple way.

Rosemary
One of my favorite herbs, I love rosemary for its incredible freshness and piney scent, but also because it's evergreen and grows right outside my door for me to use all year. Not only is it great for holiday cooking, it's pretty in arrangements or all on its own. I cut some fresh branches and put them in a vase on the wall of my powder room for guests to enjoy.

Persimmons
Like many of the items on my disposable decor list, persimmons grow in my yard. (I know it sounds as if I have a huge yard, but it's just a regular little suburban yard) These gorgeous bright orange fruit are about as big as a tomato and firm like an apple. A wooden bowl arrangement of persimmons, whole nuts and some greens or rosemary makes a simple and striking centerpiece for any table.

These ideas aren't edgy or glitzy but what I love about them is their simplicity, their affordability and their temporary nature. What are some of your favorite ways to decorate for the holidays using plants, fruits and other compostable items? 

 

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I Just Need A Bigger House!

I can't tell you how many times over the years I've heard a client complain that their organizing woes would be over if they just had a bigger house. Unfortunately a bigger home means more house expense and less disposable income for your day today living and retirement goals. Not only that, but the worst part is that it's almost NEVER the solution. Well drat! If a bigger house isn't the solution to your organizing challenges, then what is?

In my nearly 20 year career organizing homes and offices I've learned that maximizing your space using physical infrastructure, in conjunction with reducing the number of possessions you own is the only true long-term solution to an organizing challenge. This two-pronged approach ensures that you have ample, easy-access places to store things and with less to store, it's easier to find what you need. In our last home, my husband and I shared a small walk-in master closet that was 8 feet deep by 6 feet across.

An EIGHT foot by SIX foot rectangle. For BOTH of us. A few years into this silliness, I finally designed a new closet that doubled the storage capacity and saved our marriage. Whew!

Today I want to share with you some before and after photos. The befores are pictures of closets that didn't work and afters show the difference after quality infrastructure was added to the space.

The top row is a spare bedroom I helped my client turn into a gorgeous master closet! It's still one of my favorites of all time! 

The middle row of photos is a small shared master closet with pitched ceilings, which is always a challenge. We not only fit everything in but we had room to spare and when this couple sells their home, the new buyers will be ahead of the game in the master closet department!

The bottom row of photos is just one wall of a very large, but poorly designed master. When we were done, it not only held double the items, but it looked much better.

So before you even think about cracking open Zillow to go house hunting, consider that you could stay in your present home longer and save a ton of money simply by evaluating the space you have and using it in a whole new way!

 

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7 Things To Get Out Of Your Closet Right Now

4 Easy Ways to Increase Your Productivity

Guest post by Ebonee

Recently featured on this blog were some tools that help keep your business organized that allow you to stay focused. To further the conversation, let’s discuss a few tried and true techniques that, when used alongside these tools, will increase your productivity.

Have Purposeful Space
Several studies have shown that our surroundings have a huge effect on our work habits and productivity. Try setting aside a specific workspace that is an optimal environment for keeping you focused. You can consider decluttering your desk, surrounding yourself with calming inspiration like art or music, and only having essential items nearby.

Make the Time
Even though our schedules can be full to the brim with daily tasks and errands to run, do yourself a favor and regularly set aside some time where you can focus on one thing. Scheduling time blocks for the most important things is a great way to be proactive and increase your productivity. Be sure to have this time be as focused as possible. For example, rather than blocking an entire afternoon for “writing articles”, schedule a half hour for brainstorming, a half hour for outlining, and two hours for writing. Don’t be afraid to schedule a little time for yourself as well. Perhaps you can finally finish that book you started or go outside and enjoy the weather.

 

Remove Distractions
There’s definitely technology that can boost our productivity, but there’s also technology that causes us to waste hours at a time. Our phones, Internet, and social media are a few of the biggest productivity hindrances out there. People getting distracted by Facebook alone has been attributed to a loss of $28 billion a year in workplace productivity. This is where only having the essential items in your workspace comes into play. Try using “do not disturb” functions for your phone or email, and you could even go all in on blocking certain websites that may distract you. There are even gadgets now, like this surround wifi system, that can do everything from blocking certain sites, to pausing the Internet.

 

Set Boundaries During Work Hours
For any of you that work in a busy office or work from home, it can be incredibly easy to get pulled in different directions, all of which are away from your work. Whether it’s your coworkers asking you to tag along for lunch, or that laundry list of things to get done around the house, it’s important to prioritize work during work hours. Scheduling time blocks, like the ones mentioned earlier, will help immensely. Try setting aside a few hours of work, and then a little bit of time to do something for yourself.

 

Today’s guest blog post is courtesy of Ebonee,a freelance writer committed to researching and helping others increase their own productivity, mainly through the help of new technology.

5 Tools To Keep Your Business Organized

Guest post by Jessica Kane, for FlexCon

When it comes to business, every single second counts. If you want to optimize your productivity to the highest level, then organization is essential. Staying organized allows you to have as much free time as you need to spend with your friends, family, and hobbies away from the business. On the other hand, being disorganized is the quickest way to invite disaster. Without organization, your focus and your strength are sapped away at the speed of light. The following tools can help you attain the level of organization that will ensure that your business is always moving in the right direction on all fronts.

 

Cloud Technology

The ability to store information via cloud is possibly one of the most helpful technological innovations that we have the privilege of using today. Once upon a time, a computer malfunction could potentially mean that a person lost all of their important files with no hope of ever getting them back. Today, with the help of cloud information storage, there is no need to fear that your information hangs in the balance of the sudden crash. Cloud storage allows you to store your information in either a public or a private cloud, instead of just having it locked into a hard drive.

 

Automated Social Media Posting Tools

Social media may not in and of itself be an explicitly business-oriented tool, but there is absolutely no denying that it has gained extreme merit as a business-strengthening resource. Even if keeping up-to- date with social media may seem as if it takes quite a bit of time, there are certain software tools that can automate your social media presence so you can stay connected on the go. You can save yourself tons of stress by investing in a social media software package that does the work for you, such as If This Then That (IFTT).

 

Things

One of the biggest tools to help businesses stay organized is Things, an Apple program designed to work in conjunction with David Allen's Getting Things Done productivity process. This program operates by taking very large tasks and breaking them down into smaller portions so that they immediately become more manageable. Everything from cleaning a room to managing projects at work can instantly be organized into small, manageable segments. The program can be synced across multiple Apple devices, including Macs, iPads, and iPhones. Users have the ability to establish a time limit so that all tasks and small jobs can be approached with the appropriate priority.

 

Expensify

This service enables the user to instantly import their credit card statements and keep track of all of expenses, including everything from lunch to travel expenses. Expensify allows the user to create reports for any kind of expense and upload the business receipts for viewing at any time. Certain events can be linked to different people for the purpose of accounting. There is a mobile application available for all platforms that allows the user to incorporate their data in an instant. It can be used for 10 receipts a month at no cost, and is just twenty cents for every additional receipt.

 

PressKing

With all the different online platforms that we have today, the potential to share press releases with thousands of people is infinite; on the other hand, reaching every contact all on every different platform can be very tiring. With PressKing, the user will be able to instantly launch any press release to as many as 200,000 people at a time. Press releases can be scheduled for release to email contacts and social network contacts alike. Business owners who are launching new products can instantly alert everyone in their circle and across different platforms with their announcements. 

 

Jessica Kane is a professional writer who has an interest in keeping things organized and in order. She currently writes for FlexCon, a leading vendor of corrugated plastic bins and boxes.

Taming The Shoe Monster

What's that old saying about "If the shoe fits?" 

The trouble with shoes is that once they're off your feet, they often DON'T fit easily into an organized environment. They're relatively small, so they get lost under and behind the cascade of hanging clothing in your master closet. If you're a "no shoes in the house" person, they can end up scattered all over the floor of your coat closet or your living area. Shoes, as much as they're important, can also be a little high maintenance. 

I'm on vacation in California and staying with a friend who lives in a really cool house in the hills around Los Angeles. As with many homes built in the 1940s and 50s, this house oozes charm, but doesn't offer a ton of closet space. When Christmas Boy and I were looking around for a spot to stash our bed linens in the morning, I noticed our friend is using one of my favorite spots to keep his house tidy -- the back of a closet door. 

In this case, our friend's house is a shoe-free zone, so he uses an over-door shoe rack in the coat closet to corral his shoes near the front door. It's an inexpensive and simple way to make an otherwise unused space useful and keep the house organized. My clever friend, realizing he didn't need to store more than a few pairs of shoes here, only installed the top section of the rack on the door, leaving the bottom of the door open for other things (or nothing at all). 

 

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We Will Never Forget You, Kevin Cosgrove

Maybe I'm an optimist but I don't commemorate the anniversary of my mother's death, preferring instead to acknowledge her birthday every August 29th. I don't remember the date my divorce from my first husband became final, but I do remember our September 5th wedding date. For these reasons, it feels out of character for me to post a 9/11 tribute every single year. Yet I do, because the events of that horrible day were different from a family death or a divorce.

Fifteen years ago today, our world changed and it will never be as it was before. Today I share with you two moving reminders. The first is horrible to listen to, so think twice before you listen. I don't post it to sensationalize it, but rather to bring into the light of day how these evil men devastated so many lives. The people in the planes and in the towers were mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. They were living their lives and pursuing their dreams and goals. They were minding their own business, and were busy being the fabric of our society. They were you and me.  

 

 

 

The second reminder I'm sharing today is to honor America's spirit of liberty, freedom and resilience in the face of such evil. 

 

We will never forget 46 year old Kevin Cosgrove or the other thousands of innocents who perished that day. And we will never surrender our American spirit to the forces that create such devastation.

 

 

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Never Be Nervous About Speaking in Public Again

I'm partnering up with my colleague, Lisa Montanaro, to offer a fabulous online program called Speak Up: Creating and Delivering Killer Presentations to boost Your Business or Career. The program kicks off on September 8th... and you (or your associates) can save $75 by entering the code SPEAKUP75 at checkout. Woohoo! This program will help you learn how to be a dynamic speaker! Whether you've hardly presented at all and need to overcome your fear of public speaking, or if you're a proficient public speaker and you want to up your game and start knocking your presentations out of the park, this program is for you. I began speaking many years ago to help promote my business and I've found that being a good speaker is a huge credibility booster because it positions you as an expert in your field. Lisa has also been speaking for many years. It's done wonders for her career and has become a huge income stream for her as well.  We have taken everything we know about speaking... The art and craft of it, how to create compelling titles, organizing your content so your audience benefits, how to avoid pitfalls, adding humor, storytelling, and authenticity, how to really connect with your audience, and MUCH more. From all our years of knowledge, we've created this powerhouse, info-packed class and we won't be holding anything back! This stellar content is ready to be shared with you! Warmly,

Get Organized, Go Digital

Guest post by Jim McCullen

The amount of information being thrown at us every day is insane and it is coming from so many different sources; social media, email, smartphone apps, and yes we still get the occasional piece of paper mail we need to do something with. 

I like to work in the digital world much the way I do in the physical world. I clearly define places to store my “stuff” so I know where to find it when I need it. For example, you have cabinets in your kitchen where you keep glasses, dishes, pots, and perhaps you have a junk drawer for all that miscellaneous stuff you don’t really know what to do with but you might need at some point. You probably have one spot where you keep the things you need when you leave the house like your wallet and your keys and another spot where new items are placed like mail, notes, etc. Over time even these defined spaces can get overcome with stuff. Yesterday I cleaned out my junk drawer in the kitchen. I threw out a bunch of useless items, realized that some of the items had a better more permanent place to be stored and that some indeed belonged in my junk drawer. 

That is the physical world, and when we move over to the digital world, it is really not that different. You have your email folders, Windows or Mac folders, data organization applications like Evernote or OneNote along with many other places to keep information. Stop and think for a moment: Are these storage locations organized in a similar fashion to your physical world? 

Let me take you through how I organize my digital world. 

I manage all of my email accounts in Microsoft Outlook (Outlook and Gmail accounts). Over the past 10 years I developed a system and published a book that allows me to manage all of my email messages, commitments and to-do items using Microsoft Outlook and the best practices from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. My system and my book are both called Control Your Day and you can find the book on Amazon and more information about my system on my website www.controlyourday.net. 

I use Microsoft OneNote to organize and store information about customers, staff, projects and reference information for work. If I get an email that doesn’t require any action items on my part but it might be needed in the future, I move it into OneNote in a folder for that subject. This way it is no longer creating noise in my daily action system, but it is easy to reference when needed. If we go back to the physical work for a minute, this would be similar to putting glasses back in the cabinet and not leaving them on the counter with your keys and wallet. 

Evernote is my tool of choice for all of my personal reference information, if I find information on a place I would like to visit or perhaps I am researching the purchase of a new mountain bike, I will keep all of that information in Evernote. You could do everything in one platform, Evernote or OneNote and just setup separate accounts for personal and work, I find each product has some unique features that fit well in the way I use them. 

Outlook acts as my inbox and the place where I go to see what I need to work on next. What makes the system work is the ability to quickly process and move information into the correct storage location so you can find it when you need it but at the same time it doesn’t cloud your view to the work you have to focus on. If I am working on a project, I will send emails to myself with the tasks I need to work on so I can continue to move larger initiatives forward. 

Many people choose to treat their email inbox like a junk draw, everything goes in and nothing comes out. When you need something it can be challenging to find it unless you know what you are looking for. Important items tend to get missed due to all the noise around them. Consider if you placed your bills in your junk draw, there would probably be a good chance you would be late to pay them as they would get lost with everything else in there. 

Give some thought to how you manage your digital world today, could you apply some of the basic principles in this post to get a bit more organized? Are you using a tool like Evernote or OneNote? If you are a Microsoft Outlook user be sure to stop by my website and check out Control Your Day, drop me a line with any questions or thoughts. 

  

Thanks to Jim McCullen for today's guest blog post! 

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