My New Project Organizing Tool

I have several different projects going on each year and I finally gave in and realized I am a paper project planner girl.  I have tried to plan projects digitally and it has not worked so I found this gem and I am so happy!  

This is the ARC system from Staples.  It is a notebook you can modify - adding pages, dividers, and other contraptions you might need to keep yourself organized.  It also allows you to buy bigger discs to enlarge the notebook, as your notes and project expand.  There are different colors to choose from but for this particular project I chose this oh so pretty pink! 

These are the pages that come with each notebook.

These are the "add ons" I put in my notebook to organize. 

I have pocket dividers for smaller papers and papers in which I don't want holes punched.  

Tab Dividers are essential for dividing your content into different categories. 

This zip pocket add on will be great for pens and other things that need to be contained. 

I printed out and added this calendar.  How did I add this calendar, you might ask? Well, look below and I will show you my secret!

First, I had to buy one of these specialized paper puncher things.  This is not your standard 3 hole punch.  The ARC system has 12 holes so you need the special 12 hole puncher.  Staples sells these, 

with the ARC system, but the cost of the one they 

sell is around $42.  I did not want to spend that much so I checked around and found this one sold by Levenger for $17!  It doesn't punch as many pieces of paper at one time but that was not an issue for me. 

So, I took my handy dandy new hole punch and punched the holes I needed into my calendar and inserted it into my oh so pretty pink notebook.  

Now I am all ready for my project planning in 2015.  

10 Ways to Use Evernote

Evernote is one of my favorite paper buster tools.  When I use Evernote, I don't have a bunch of sticky notes sitting around.  I don't have notes written on little pieces of paper and best of all, I don't have to remember where I put those pieces of paper!

The information I have stored in Evernote can be seen on my phone, IPAD or computer.  If I am away from home and need the information, it is right at my finger tips!

Here are 10 ways I use Evernote to cut down on my paper clutter:

1.  Evernote Clipper allows me to save information I find on the web and organize it in folders.  I name the folders (just like you do in a paper filing system) based on how I want to retrieve the information.   For example, if I find an article about de-cluttering, I Evernote clip it and "file" it in my folder - De-Clutter Information. 

2.  I love a good quote.  I file quotes in Evernote.

3.  Air Filter sizes, printer cartridges, water filter types....all of those pesky household items that are size specific are filed in Evernote so I have access to them when I am in the store ready to buy them.  

4.  Birthday lists......need to remember when someone's birthday is and you are not at home with your master birthday list....store it in Evernote.

5.  Christmas lists!  Each year I write down who I am giving a gift to and what I gave.  I can easily refer back to the previous years and make sure I am not duplicating gifts!

6.  Writing down your goals is an important step to achieving them.  I keep my personal and business goals housed in Evernote.  

7.  Paint color lists....can't remember the name of that wonderful color you used in the bedroom....keep it in Evernote.  

8.  Evernote is a place I keep ideas.....writing ideas, newsletter ideas, gift ideas....things that come to mind that I don't have a need for right now but will want to refer to later.  

9.  Phone numbers - people I don't need very often....like a carpenter/handyman or closet designer.   If I store that person in my contacts, on my phone, I may not remember his/her name but if I store it in Evernote....I can quickly retrieve the name and number.  

10.  Medication lists.  This is a great thing to have in Evernote when you go to the doctor.  I personally and thankfully don't have any medications I take but for those that do, this is a great way to have that information with you each and every time you have a doctor visit. 

Hope this helps you think outside the box and find new ways to cut down on paper clutter with Evernote!

Click the link below to sign up free for Evernote today!

https://www.evernote.com/referral/Registration.action?uid=3419289&sig=6e5801be47bbde149f93d1a898bfaef2

The Real Truth About Organizing

I am a Certified Professional Organizer.  Here are some truths about me. 

1.   My house is lived in.  Real life people live here so real life needs to happen here.
2.   I have a few stacks.....stacks of books, stacks of paper, and a pile of shoes.
3.   I have mismatched, handwritten file folders
4.   I have dust....more than my fair share
5.   I have a lot of filing that needs to be done
6.   I have too many clothes
7.   My car stays a bit of a mess, not out of control messy but messy
8.   You are likely to find a few dirty dishes in my sink and a counter that needs to be cleaned.
9.   I have unorganized photos
10. I struggle with staying focused.

Here are some other truths:

1.  I can find just about anything I need within a few minutes
2.  My stacks are a bit of my decor.  They are neatly stacked and I know what is in each stack. I      will schedule time to go through the paper stacks at least once a week.  
3.  Mismatched, handwritten file folders don't bother me.....they work.
4.  My house is relatively picked up and I do a quick dust about once a week. 
5.  I file two times a year and because I don't keep so much paper, that works for me
6.  I do have too many clothes....a goal for 2014.
7.  I clean the stuff out of my car once a week.
8.  I always put dishes in the dishwasher before bed or immediately upon waking in the morning
9.  I do have unorganized photos....another goal for 2014.
10.I struggle with focus but work very hard at keeping myself focused, which you can do when 
you talk yourself through and remind yourself to stay on task. 

Organizers are not perfect......we just have tools and systems that will help you get organized and stay more organized.  Real life is going to get us all out of whack, every now and then.  The key is being able to right the ship pretty quickly.    

Getting organized is one thing......staying organized is another but with small, manageable steps you can do both.....albeit not perfectly but excellently!  Now, I have to go wash dishes!

Eating the Elephant - How to De-Clutter Your Space and Your Mind

The thought of de-cluttering leaves many people totally paralyzed and totally overwhelmed. I have many clients, surrounded by clutter, physical clutter and emotional clutter, initially incapable of attacking the piles, stacks, worries and problems.  

One of the first steps I take, when working with a client, is to break things down into smaller sizes.  I take a stack of papers and divide them into categories.  In the closet we look at only the white shirts or black pants and make decisions about just those.  In the box with all the memories, we look at 10 pieces of memorabilia.  When looking at life, worries and problems, we look at next steps.  Breaking the large, gargantuan piles and clutter into small manageable piles, makes it much easier to get through the task. The process seems achievable when you look at a shelf, instead of a room, a cabinet, as opposed to a whole kitchen, a drawer as opposed to a whole chest of drawers, a next step instead of a huge problem, or a 30 day plan instead of the rest of your life.  

What things are overwhelming you that you can break into smaller, more bite sized pieces?  It literally is impossible to eat an elephant any other way than one bite at a time. 

One Main Reason You Can't De-Clutter - Physically or Emotionally

There are few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.

~Andre Gide~

Do you want to know why you can't attack that pile of paper?  Why you can't go through those boxes in the attic?  Why you can't seem to move forward in your life?  Why you can't end that relationship you know you need to end?

All of these actions require several decisions.   The decision to take time to take care of it. The decision to press on through, even when it is difficult.  The decision to see yourself as a person of worth, so you will surround yourself with what you truly value in your life.  However, the biggest decision is to work through the fear.  

The reason, we do not attack or make decisions about many things, is FEAR.  Fear is ever present in the decision making process.  We are afraid of letting go.  We are afraid of getting rid of something we might need.  We are afraid of being alone.  We are afraid of making the wrong decision.  We are afraid of change.  We are afraid of success.  We are afraid of failure. We are afraid of what other people will think of us.  We are afraid we will upset someone. We are afraid we won't do it just right.  

Peel back the layers and at the root of many of your indecision, you will very possibly find fear. When you know what you are fighting, it is much easier to fight back.  

The Smartphone To Do List

(Apple.com)

I have an IPHONE 4 so I do not have the latest and greatest of all things techie.  I do like my IPHONE 4 because it does what I need it to do but I am sure it will do more.

I have used several things on the IPHONE that I love but today I will focus on To Do Lists that are available for most Smartphones since I promised a follow up blog to my To Do List post (declutterbugnc.blogspot.com).
 I am going to admit I am still and paper list girl.  In a survey of all To Do List people, it was found that about 1/2 of the population is still paper To Do List people.  Really, I am a combo, since my calendar is housed on my IPHONE, but essentially, my daily tasks and grocery lists are on paper. 

Having confessed that, I do have good information about Apps for To Do Lists on Smartphones. As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO for short and yes, there is such an organization and it is really big and worldwide), I have access to a lot of different organizers and information that keeps me up to date on many of the APPS on smartphones that are working well.  So, below, I am listing 7 Techie To Do Lists recommended by smart, sharp organizers around the world.  

Some of these Apps are free, some are free but have premium services for an extra fee and others have a monthly or annual fee.  Some are a bit more complicated and detailed than others so look carefully at what your real needs are in a To Do List and stay away from bells and whistles that you don't need or won't use. I have linked each of these to their website; just click on the APP name. 


1.  Todoist.com

2.  Things

3.  Rememberthemilk.com

4.  Priorities

5.  Nozbe.com

6.  Toodledo.com

7.  MiniMaList

Take a few minutes, find out which one might work for you and try it out.  I just might, too! 

The To-Do List

The dreaded "To Do" list never gets "To Done"!  There is always something on that list and there sometimes seems to be the same things on it over and over. 

As I have dealt with clients and myself, over the years, I have found that one of the problems with the "To Do" list is it is oversimplified.  Take for example the item on my list that says - Plan Reception for Dr. Smith. This is an important event for a person running for a political office so it is something that is high on my priority list and requires a lot of my time and attention. However, it is unrealistic for me to think that I am going to be able to just scratch that off my list, until the reception is over.  One of the  problems with that entry is that it requires numerous steps to complete.  It requires getting hosts, getting invitations printed up and sent out, putting together a viable guest list, and it goes on and on and on.  If you are the type that likes to scratch things off a "To Do" list then you need to break your "To Do" list into smaller action items.

Another issue with "To Do" lists are the sheer size of them.  Anyone that just makes a running list of everything they have to do will easily get overwhelmed by looking at it.   It is just too much to take in.  I suggest each night, looking at all you have to do and moving the most important items to the "To Do" list for the next day.  Not everything has the same amount of importance on your list so learn to prioritize, not by what you want to do but by what you need to do.  

Lastly, break your "To Do" lists into categories.  Many times, when I get overwhelmed by my list, I will break it down into categories - Email, Calls, Shopping List and Errands.  You may have other categories that make more sense to you and that is fine......you need to do what works for you!

I hear all of you screaming, what about a SMARTPHONE or ONLINE "To Do" list.  I will admit that I am still mostly a paper girl, not sure why, I just am, but in another blog post, I will give you some of the most popular online and mobile "To Do" lists.  

Well, better run........I have a reception to plan!  

Confessions of an Organizer - Messy Rooms

This post deals with a time in my life from a couple of years ago. 

Enjoy the confessions of this organizer. 

Well, here it is......the truth. Not all organizers are always organized. Many people tell me they would be embarrassed to let me in their homes. They think that my house is constantly organized and put together. I decided it is time for the truth. I decided it was time for me to let my ugly secret out.......my house can sometimes be a mess, too! Here are some pictures of two of my rooms. Now, in my defense, these rooms really got like this in October, November and December. In these rooms are the signs of a busy time, good for me, bad for the rooms.

Let me also say, sadly, these rooms were not staged, this is really what they looked like - really!

 In September, I held a shoes, clothes and purse sale.  I had over 200 pairs of shoes, 60-70 purses and other items that I was selling for my clients, .  In October I had to get ready to go to a festival to sell some products I was promoting.   In November and December, along with working during the week in my de-clutter business, I worked, on the weekends at a kiosk we had in a mall that was located out of town.   All of this goes with trying to keep up with some semblance of house cleaning, washing clothes, cooking, and trying to be a good wife, mother, friend and oh, yeah, Christmas decorating and Christmas shopping.   So, here is the result;  too many things being thrown into two rooms and neglected, for a period of time.  

So, what did this respectable organizer do when the new year hit?  I  attacked those rooms and got them back to order.  I know, these two rooms are never going to be my "beautiful" rooms.  I have too many businesses going on in both of them for them to stay entirely organized all the time,  but, I do know that I need to get the unnecessary out so that I can find the necessary!  How did I de-clutter?  A little at a time and sorting like things together.  As someone said,  I began eating the elephant a bite at a time.   As you can see in the photos below, those rooms are back in working order.   I just wanted to let the world know.....organizers can be messies too, you are not alone.  Life is just life and sometimes it gets in the way of progress but that doesn't mean you give up.  You work on what you can, when you can and eventually, you will get to where you want to be.  

Confessions of an Organizer - Filing

Since I am laying it all out there, I might as well confess all. 

Filing........I hate filing.  Yep, the organizer said it......she hates filing.  It is just a tedious task that I like putting off!  It is also important to note that I work most days, all day, except for Sundays and I do a lot of computer work at night and try to spend time with my husband  so filing moves to the bottom of the things to do list! 

That being said, you can view the pictures of my "in-between" filing system. The "in-between" filing system consists of two clear shoe boxes (bought at Dollar Tree for $1) and another filing container found at Staples - bought because I liked it and it is bigger.

This first picture is my temporary living space of bills that need to be paid or for information that I need to deal with about the same time I am paying bills

This second picture is my box for my bank statements.  I just need a place to house them until tax season rolls around.  Yes, I should have paperless bank statements just haven't made that last step......maybe 2014 resolution

This last picture is my "to do" filing.  This is when things have reached this place of file purgatory before arriving at the final filing destination.  This stack is about 6-8 months worth of filing so it is not all that much.  One day I take about an hour and do a final sort and get them all in their final labeled folders. 

Speaking of folders, I will do a double confession tonight.  My folders do not all match, are not cute or colorful and they are not all labeled with a printed label.  Many of the labels are handwritten and several used more than once.  Yep, that may do it, I am going really be kicked out of the Association of Professional Organizers now!!

 All this confession really is an attempt to encourage anyone that feels like paper is overtaking their lives.  Perfection is not the goal.  The goal is only keeping the papers you really need and having these papers in a place where you can put your hands on them at a moment's notice.  It obviously doesn't  have to be beautiful, it just needs to make sense to you and it preferably is put in an area where it will not co-mingle with all the other things/papers  in your life.  

So fellow paper shufflers, get to that stack of bills, mail and other papers, throw away, shred and get rid of what you don't need and figure out a system that will work for you! 

Confessions of an Organizer - Paper Stacking

I am a Certified Professional Organizer.  When most people think of that term they  immediately think of Martha Stewart......well Martha Stewart I am not.  Don't get me wrong, I really am organized it's just that I don't live in a magazine. I don't have everything color coded and perfectly labeled.  I don't have all my papers filed immediately and I certainly have not had time to hand make all my Christmas decorations. 

I am a Certified Professional Organizer but I have a confession to make.  I am a bit of a paper stacker!  I am stating publicly that I have papers stacked around my house. 

EXHIBIT A

The above photo shows a stack of miscellaneous papers that I have not had time to take care of or attack.  I am not even sure what is in the stack, I just know that it needs my attention or it would have not made it to the stack. So, see, I am a purposeful stacker!  I don't just throw any kind of paper in the stack, I have to know it needs further attention or follow up.  

Now, many organizers will tell you to put this stack of paper in a file folder with the label TO DO.  I am here to tell you if any of my papers go in any kind of file, they will never get done!!! For me, most filing is for when things are completed or I only need to go back to the file for reference purposes.  I don't know why my brain works this way but it just does and I know many of your brains work the same way. The beautiful thing about this stack is that it is sitting where I can see it, it is all in one neat stack and I will take care of it because I can see it.  

Many of my clients feel like they are less than organized because every single thing in their house is not in place; nothing could be further from the truth.   Sometimes you have to have a little mess to be organized.  Sometimes you need things in your field of vision in order for them to not be totally forgotten.  Sometimes you need a small paper stack to remind you that you have some things that need your attention! 

I am not advocating stacks and stacks and stacks because that means you are not stacking purposefully!  I am merely saying that you can give yourself some grace and have a stack or two of papers.  The key is to not let the stacks continue to stack but schedule some time to actually "attack the stack".  

Exhibit B

So, now I have to quit blogging and go attack my paper stack......and I would suggest you do the same!