The Electronics Diet

According to The New York Times, we spend approximately 8 hours a day on electronics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/business/media/27adco.html?_r=0

Think about this for a moment.....EIGHT hours of your day is devoted to either your phone, computer, video games, or television.

Here's another thing the study finds...we often LIE about how much time we actually spend on electronics.

Have you ever looked around your house and said to yourself, "If only I had more time I could get organized?" I have! I was busy. I was busy with time killers like television and the Internet.

I realized I can lie to others but it's tough to lie to myself.

I now make it a point to turn off electronics and get myself and my family involved in more productive activities and spending time together.

It's not easy. In fact as I type out this post my teenage son just turned on the TV to a rerun of "Full House" while playing a game on his cell phone at the same time. (Yes I told him what I'm blogging about right now.....despite his protests the TV will be off once Uncle Jessie and crew wrap up their latest adventure and hug it out.)

So think about this in your own life. How much more time do you really have in your day once you turn off and away from the electronics?

Food for thought.

-Janel
One Organized Mama
www.oneorganizedmama.net
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com
702-498-1636

Sell Your Stuff!

Last night my husband and I saw Dave Ramsey in person at a local church. We are graduates of his Financial Peace University and have followed his program for the past two years.

His "Building Your Legacy" presentation was inspiring and incredibly motivating!

There are five steps to as he calls it, "Stopping the Insanity".

1. GET ON A BUDGET
2. GET OUT OF DEBT
3. BUILD QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS
4. SAVE AND INVEST
5. BUILD WEALTH AND GIVE

I would like to talk about step #2 which affects many of us.

Dave states that in order to get out of debt you must take the following steps:

• Quit borrowing money
• Save money
• SELL SOMETHING
• Take a part time job
• Prayer
• Utilize the debt snowball (www.daveramsey.com)

I've italicized, bolded, and capitalized the step of selling something for a reason. As an organizer, I see and hear stories of people who are stuck and lost spiritually, financially, emotionally, and the cause is the clutter. It's tax time and they cannot find forms. There is chaos in their home because there is stuff everywhere and that stuff causes tension among family members. Finances are a a mess because the spending continues with the hope that stuff will bring happiness into homes and lives.

Stuff solves nothing, brings nothing, and too much of it causes overwhelming stress.

That is why "sell something" struck me last night. If you are having financial issues STOP spending money on STUFF, sell the stuff you have, and use the money to begin paying off your debt.

I can attest to the fact that Dave Ramsey's program works! It's a lot of hard work and is not a quick fix but it works!

Check out www.daveramsey.com for information on his financial program and contact me for tips and assistance with organizing. Consider my eOrganize option for an affordable professional organizer help or if you live outside the Las Vegas area.

So start gathering items that are cluttering up your space and SELL them! Use the money to pay off a debt. You may start to see that living a clutter-free, debt-free life brings more joy, peace, and happiness to your life than you could have ever imagined.

Happy Organizing!
-Janel
www.oneorganizedmama.net
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com
702-498-1636

Out Of Sight Out Of Mind

One thing to remember when organizing is to place items that you need to take some action on: bills, paperwork, projects, fix-it items, etc in a place where you will be reminded.

Many of us forget tasks that need to be handled because they're stuffed in a drawer or closet and forgotten about.

Here are a few tips:

• Outgoing mail next to your mailbox keys, car keys, or purse
• Bills next to your computer if you pay online
• Household fix-it items next to the television remote
• Errands and grocery list's next to your car keys or memo in your smart phone
• Exercise shoes and clothes next to your bed so they're the first thing you see in the morning

In your organizing routine begin placing items that need immediate attention in conspicuous places and you may start to see your old habit of procrastinating turn into a new habit of staying on top of things!

Happy Organizing!
-Janel
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com
702-498-1636
www.oneorganizedmama.net

The Glass Of Water...

I came across one of those emails people forward that mentioned if you hold an 8 oz. glass of water in your hand for a few minutes you hardly notice. Continue to hold that same glass of water for longer and your arm becomes uncomfortable. If you continue to hold the glass of water for hours then you have an issue. Your hand and arm become fatigued and in pain. The point of the email was to compare the glass of water to stress. The longer you hold onto stress the more fatigued you become and the pain it can inflict on your body.

That message stuck with me. As a former non-organized person I remember the stress of having stuff and no place for it.

The glass of water reminds me of the stuff we sometimes fill our lives with. When that stuff gets to be too much or we hold on to it for too long it can cause a tremendous amount of stress for us.

My job as a professional organizer is to help people face the stuff they've collected, make decisions on what to keep and what to get rid of, and create an environment where they can enjoy their space in a stress-free productive way.

So if you have an issue with holding on to "stuff" and it is causing you stress then it may be time to call for some professional organizing assistance.

My personal organizing sessions provide you with compassion, honesty, hard work, and someone who has been in your shoes.


Call me to get started!
-Janel
www.oneorganizedmama.net
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com
702-498-1636

Kids Linen Closets

My three children share one linen closet and it can get out of control quickly. I had to think "easy and functional" as opposed to "Martha Stewart pretty" when organizing it.

As with any organizing project the first question I had to ask was, "What is the purpose/need for this space?"

The purpose and need for these particular closet is for the kids to quickly grab their bedding or towels without messing the rest of the closet's contents. For instance, instead of culling through piles of sheets looking for the pair for their bed, I needed to make each kid their own space for their bedding.

Once the purpose and need are determined remember my four steps to organize anything:
DECLUTTER
MAKE A HOME
LABEL
MAINTAIN

The first two steps are DECLUTTER and MAKE A HOME.

I took all the items out that did not relate to their bedding and bathrooms.

Extra pillows on top, sleeping bags for sleepovers at easy reach, and bathroom essentials on the bottom.

The third step is to LABEL.

I took card stock and sticky labels, wrote down what belonged in that space , and stuck to shelves with a double-sided sticky dot. (Note: Make sure the adhesive you use does not damage your shelves or walls!!) 

Label even the most obvious items. The hope is to avoid having to say, "It's right in front of you!!" over and over again....(you can hope). 

Once the items are in their place and labeled it will be easier for all to MAINTAIN. Kids can help put away and keep items in their place as well as help themselves to the items they need for their bedroom and bathroom.

For assistance with organizing your linen closets consider One Organized Mama. I offer personal organizing services as well as eOrganize for my clients outside of the Las Vegas area.

Happy Organizing!

-Janel

www.oneorganizedmama.net

702-498-1636

oneorganizedmama@gmail.com

More "Make Your Bed Theory" Techniques

The "Make Your Bed Theory" is a technique to begin adding good habits into your daily routine.

By adding one good habit, such as making your bed every day, you can begin to build a routine that keeps you organized.

Once you've been making your bed for a few weeks it's time to add another habit into your daily routine. Here are a few suggestions:

• Clean kitchen immediately after dinner
• Do one load of laundry (wash, fold, put away)
• Exercise
• Read to your children
• Update budget (pay bills, balance checking account...)

 So, add one more good habit to your daily routine to keep you organized and maintain order in your home and life!

Happy Organizing!
-Janel
One Organized Mama
www.oneorganizedmama.net
702-498-1636
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com

Check Out My Website!

I'm happy to announce the launch of my website www.oneorganizedmama.net

The site details my services, rates, special discounts, before and after photos, and MORE!

Check it out and as always contact me with any questions!

Happy Organizing!
-Janel
One Organized Mama
oneorganizedmama@gmail.com
702-498-1636