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My blog is geared to guide you to become organized in a way that helps you in your life and hopefully inspire organizational ideas that work well for you. January 16, 2011 Andrea 2011 HANDBOOK Drink plenty of water. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy. Make time to pray. Play more games. Read more books than you did in 2010. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Sleep for 7 hours each night. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile. Personality: Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't have negative thoughts about things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. Don't over do. Keep your limits. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. Dream more while you are awake. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. Smile and laugh more. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. Society: Each day give something good to others. Forgive everyone for everything. Spend time with people over the age of seventy & under the age of six Try to make at least three people smile each day. Compliment at least one person each day. What other people think of you is none of your business. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick, your friends will. Stay in touch. Life: Do the right thing! Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. GOD heals everything. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. The best is yet to come. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. Last but not the least-- Please pass this along to those you care about. Fall and winter check lists for your home and vehicles October 16, 2010 Inside the house-- Clean the attic (it's better to tend to this while it's cooler rather than during the summer months while it is hot). Replace any burned out light bulbs Your vehicles-- Andrea Running Errands to Help You Stay Organized September 26, 2010 Often many times we need to bring items to different places. Think about all the things in your home that need to be brought somewhere or need repair. Here are a few examples to help you think about what may need attention in your home. This is a continuation of my previous blog. Film or One Time Use cameras that need to be developed. Try to drop this off first and use the one hour photo developing so you can pick it up when you are finished with your errands. Any items that need to go in for repair—clothing, shoes, jewelry, small appliances, electronics, watches, clocks, etc. Remember my blog from last time? Any items that need to be returned to a store (with the receipt if possible). Dry cleaning that needs to be brought to the cleaners. Any items to donate. Plastic bags that need to be recycled at the store. You could also donate them to a thrift shop or a dog park. Styrofoam packing peanuts to be recycled at a shipping center. They will accept them free of charge and you will be doing something good for the environment. Borrowed items that need to be returned to the proper owner. Think about the tools that were borrowed or dishes that were borrowed or left at your home after a party. Any mail or packages that need to be sent. Alkaline batteries to be recycled. Best Buy accepts them. You can also check your local village or county to see if they accept them for recycling. Bring items that need special batteries on your errands (clock, timer, garage door opener remote) Place the above items in the car the next time you exit the house. While running errands, bring the above items into the proper place. Or plan a map of the places that you need to drop off the above items and start to drop them off. You will feel so much better when all of these items are out of your house or have been repaired. Being Prepared To Avoid Disappointment & Frustration
Happy 2011 Everyone!
A friend of mine sent this along to me today and I thought that it was a very nice thing to share. Life doesn’t come with instructions, but these are good guidelines. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Health:
Call your family often and tell them you love them.
I have come up with a few lists to take care of inside and outside your home. Tending to these items now may save you time and frustration in the coming months.
Clean carpets.
Clean draperies and curtains.
Clean the light fixtures and ceiling fans.
Clean the oven and refrigerator.
Polish your silver so it is ready to use for the holidays.
Move the heavy furniture and clean underneath and behind it.
Clean walls or spot clean them.
Have your furnace checked by a professional before winter.
Have your ducts cleaned by a professional. Don't forget to have the exhaust duct leading from your clothes dryer also cleaned.
Outside your home--
Clean outdoor furniture, toys and decorations and bring them inside.
Clean gutters and downspouts.
Drain hoses and store them inside the garage or shed.
Touch up or repaint areas where paint is flaking.
Remove dead limbs from trees and clear limbs from high wires.
Mow your lawn for a final time.
Drain your lawnmower gas tank. Bring it in for service and blade sharpening if necessary.
If you'd like to plant trees, shrubs and bulbs, now is a good time to do so.
Check your weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows and replace if necessary.
Insulate your windows with plastic to avoid drafts.
Install your storm windows.
Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries.
Make sure your snow blower is running well. Bring it in for service if necessary.
Make sure you have a good snow shovel on hand.
Make sure you have some deicing material for your driveway.
If you have a sprinkler system, have it cleared of any remaining water inside the system to avoid it freezing and ruining the system.
Have your chimney inspected for any potential problems.
Have your roof inspected for any potential leaks or problems.
Have your siding checked.
Drain and clean your pool.
Clear any leaves, branches and twigs from your lawn. Come springtime, you'll be relieved that this has been taken care of.
Wash and wax your car.
Clean & vacuum the interior.
Make sure the windshield solvent filled. Check this often during the winter.
Place emergency supplies in your vehicle i.e., flashlights with fresh batteries, a blanket, a spare set of gloves, jumper cables, first aid kit, energy bars, cat litter for traction and fold-up snow shovel.
Place snow brushes and ice scrapers in your vehicle.
Bring your vehicle in to a trusted service mechanic and have them check your vehicle over for the winter. Make sure they check the tire tread and condition. It is better to find out that something is wrong now than being stranded in the colder winter months.
One nice thing about cleaning or tending to these items at this time of the year is that you will have it completed before any company arrives during the holidays.
Andrea
Hello & Welcome to my first blog post!
Part of organizing is to make sure you are properly prepared. Keeping items in good repair or good condition is one way to be prepared. I’ll mention a few examples and I am sure that you’ll get the idea.
- If your camera is broken, taking pictures at an upcoming special event won’t happen.
- If your batteries in your flashlights are dead, it won’t help you in a power outage. (Isn’t it ironic that our flashlights are the perfect storage place for dead batteries?)
- If your batteries for your drill are not charged, it will cost you time to be able to complete your project.
- If you have a serving dish with a broken or chipped cover (which isn’t safe for cooking or storing food), or it has no cover at all, it won’t be available to you when you need it for that special meal.
- If you have an article of clothing that needs repair (zipper replaced, pants hemmed or a seam sewn, etc.), it won’t be available to you to wear on the occasion or the season that you were planning on wearing it.
Take the time to gather these types of items and bring them in for repair or buy replacements for them. I’ll provide a list on another page for your reference of some of the types of places that you may use to buy replacements of some items.
The above suggestions aren’t limited to clothing, dishes, cameras and tools. Check around your home, garage, car and office to see what needs attention. Check your watches, clocks, jewelry, electronics, shoes and boots. Look in each room, each closet and each drawer. You may be surprised how many items need attention. It is a shame to have items but unable to use them because they are in disrepair.
Gather the items and place them in a box at your front door or place them directly in your car so they are ready for you to drop them off. Depending on your financial situation and how many items need attention, you may want to drop one or two items off a week at the proper places so they can be repaired. Work out a schedule that works best for you and your budget.
Be on the lookout for my next blog. Next time I’ll be discussing errands.
Andrea
