Math....It Really Is Important

 

The other day it hit me.....a lot of the things I do are based on basic math principles. 

Here are several examples:

• If you want to weigh less you have to eat less junk food and exercise/move more.  

• If you want to have less clutter, you have to bring in less and get rid of more.

•  If you have only so much square footage, you can't fit more than that amount of stuff  into it.

•  If you want to have a successful marriage, you have to spend more time working on it  and less time fussing about it.   

•  If you want to increase the odds of raising responsible kids into responsible adults,  you have to take more time to nurture, teach, discipline and love them and less time  yelling at them, berating them, buying them stuff and expecting someone else to raise  them for you.

• If you want to have financial peace, you have to spend less and save more.

• If you want to be happier, you have to spend less time worrying, fretting and complaining and more time figuring out what you can do to change your situation, changing what you can and developing an attitude of gratitude. 

•  If you want to feel better, you have to spend less time indulging what you know you shouldn't be indulging in and more time on things that are good for you.

• If you want to make a difference, you spend less time on yourself and more time on helping others.

• If you want to live purposefully, spend more time doing the things you are created to do and less time comparing yourself to others.  

More and Less......basic math principles that equal some great results. See, you should have paid attention to that math class in school!  It really is important. 

How good is your math? 

Confessions of an Organizer

I am a Certified Professional Organizer....sounds impressive right???  Well, here is the truth about me:

1.  I can still be a messy Millie.  Check out this photo of my current work area.  Yes, it all makes sense to me, therefore, I am organized but it is still, nonetheless, messy. 

2.  I do not have my underwear folded or my t-shirts folded and stacked like a Banana Republic Store.   

3.  I do not have matching file folders with matching printed labels.  I have file folders (whatever was available in my home or on sale) some have printed labels and some have written labels....whatever was going to get the job done the fastest. 

4.  I do not have my sheets and towels folded in ways that make them stack beautifully and neatly on the shelf.  They are folded but not precisely.

5.  I do not have all my photos in albums with beautiful trim, borders, and extra accouterments to make the photo explode off the page.....nope, many of my photos are still in boxes (by year!) but in boxes.

6.  I do not have my filing done.....much of it is stacked on top of the filing cabinet. 

7.  My laundry room looks like a laundry room.....with dirty clothes and clean clothes commingled, staying enough apart for me to know what's what! 

8.  Sometimes at night, I leave dirty dishes in the sink.

9.  I haven't been able to let go of my kid's rock collection. 

10. I have a basket of shoes, overflowing, by my back door.  I hate wearing shoes and taking them off, the minute I walk in the door immediately relieves some of my stress.  

So, what makes me organized? 

1.  I can find what I need when I need it because I do not have too much stuff and I know where everything is. 

2.   My underwear does not need to be folded because no one else is going to see whether it is wrinkled or not and my t-shirts are folded well enough.

3.  I can find my paperwork when I need it.....again because I don't keep too much and because it is labeled in a way that makes sense to me for retrieval.  Matching folders are not magic....you still have to have a system that makes sense. 

4.  My sheets and towels have worked just fine not being folded perfectly. 

5.  My photos are in boxes, sorted by year and many of my kids' pictures are in an album for them but I still have a long way to go.  I will never be a scrapbooker, the tediousness of that makes me sweat thinking about it!

6.  My filing is not done...one small stack, on top of a filing cabinet is not killing anyone.  Remember it is small because I don't keep much paper!

7.  My laundry room is a place of function, not beauty.  I can get done what I need done very well, which is evident by everyone in my home having something clean to wear. 

8.  Yes, I am just plum tired some days and I leave the dishes in the sink.  The FlyLady would not approve, however, I do take care of it as soon as I wake up.  

9.  I love my kid's rock collection....I have it in the bottom of a vase with beautiful flora coming out the top.  A beautiful decoration for me.....a great way to keep memorabilia merging it with  with my decorating style.  There is nothing wrong with keeping sentimental stuff, there is only something wrong with keeping too much of it. 

10.  My shoe basket is overflowing but at least I have a basket, right?? 

All this to say, I am not perfect, I am not what many would call "organized" because I think they have the wrong idea about being organized.  As Julie Morgenstern (the organizer guru) says:  "Being organized has less to do with how something looks as how something functions".  My house functions great but does not look like I live in a magazine.  Life is busy and life is sometimes very overwhelming.  I work....all the time, I get tired, I get frustrated, I don't have time to focus on my house looking like a magazine.  I do have time to get systems in place, that work for me and my family and I have time to tweak those systems until organizing is just a side note in my life.  

None of this means that I can't organize to make a house look like a magazine because I can. It's just I know what works for me and I know how I think and my house is organized accordingly. 

So there you have it, the truth about this organizer........I guess Martha Stewart will not be calling to hire me any time soon :) 

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

Are You Going The Wrong Way?

I was recently traveling on I-95 going South.  I had to exit off I-95 and merge onto I-20.  I saw the signs for I-20, felt like I was paying attention but all of a sudden, something didn't feel right and my gut instinct was telling me I had missed I-20.  I don't have a GPS in my car but I do have a MAP thingy on my phone.  I quickly got on my MAP APP and I was 100% right....I had passed
I-20.  

How do you know when you are going the wrong way....in life, in work, in relationships, in anything? 

I would simply say that most of us know when we are headed the wrong way, we just choose not to listen to our gut instinct or the still small voice in our heads.  Many of know something is wrong but we would rather bury our heads in the sand so we don't have to deal with whatever issues are before us. Many of us know changes need to be made but we are fearful of what those changes will cost us.  Many of us have been given signs and in your face clues things are not as they should be but we refuse to take the steps towards making things better.....we just play pretend...UNTIL, we can't play pretend anymore! 

Eventually, the things that are wrong in our life, our work, our relationships, our anything, are going to catch up with us.  The things that are wrong are just not going to disappear, they will continue to reappear and reappear and reappear and then move into something worse. 

How do you know if you are going the wrong way?  You pay attention.  You look for the signs.  You listen to your gut instinct and the still small voice. When you know you are headed the wrong way, start changing what you can, when you can and do what you can with what you have.  It is always better to face things head on.....face the fear, in the end you will be better for it and stronger.  

10 Ways to Simplify Your Life

My job, as an organizer and a life coach, is to help people simplify and de-clutter physically, mentally and spiritually.  Here are some of the consistent messages I give to my clients.

1.  Buy purposefully.

2.  Shop at home first.

3.  Be willing to let go.

4.  Do what you already know to do.

5.  Just say no.

6.  Be happy with enough

7.  Collect moments not things. 

8.  Surround yourself with what you love and value.

9.  Do the next step

10. Do a little at a time and after a while little by little a little becomes a lot. 

Utter Confusion

The other day I happened to glimpse up and see this news flash on TV: Taking an aspirin a day may not be good for your health.  

Ok, really???  It seems like it was not so long ago all the doctors were telling people to take a baby aspirin every day to prevent heart attack and stroke. Now they are saying only if you have a family history and if you do take an aspirin a day you can develop bleeding in your stomach.  

These are just a few other things I am confused about:

1.  Carbs or no carbs
2.  Yolk or no yolk
3.  Real butter or margarine
4.  6 meals a day or 3 meals a day
5.  Hormone replacement or no hormone replacement
6.  Running or no running 
7.  Real sugar, stevia, honey or nothing 
8.  Organic or not
9.  Dairy or no dairy
10.Red wine or white wine  - cause it is going to be one or the other. 

So, what am I going to do? Live life in moderation.  So far my parents have lived to the ripe ages of 95 and 89 and are still kicking it!  They have tried to take very little medication, have eaten when they felt like it but at least 3 times a day, have exercised on a regular but not rigid basis and have laughed and loved a lot.  

For now, that's my plan.......no matter what the news throws at me.  

Where Can I Recycle/Donate My Old Cell Phones?

                        (photo courtesy of zirconicusso/freedigitalphotos.net)


Cell phones are one of the easiest things in our lives to recycle/donate or trade. Check out all the ways you recycle/donate or trade responsibly along with possibly even helping others at the same time.


1. Staples will take all old electronics (computers, monitors, cell phones, calculators, etc) at no extra charge. Check out their website to see the list of approved items they will take-Staples.com. Several other companies will do the same, such as Best Buy, Office Max, Radio Shack and Office Depot.

2. Donate your gently used cell phone to Cell Phones for Soldiers. This organization is dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans.

3. Most cell phone providers offer a drop box at their locations for cell phone recycle.

4. Many local Domestic Abuse Centers will accept donations of gently used cell phones to be given to victims of domestic abuse. Check with your local women's shelters.

5. American Cell Phone Drive is an organization devoted to the socially responsible reuse of retired cellular telephones and cell phone components, AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org raises funds for charitable organizations which provide scholarships for American children who have lost a parent to enemy or terrorist acts, feed malnourished children in Asia, build low- income housing, donate prepaid calling cards to military personnel, sponsor missionaries in China and support a host of other good works. Simply enter your zip code into their search box and find a drop box close to you.

6. Sell your phone on Craigslist or Ebay.

7. Greendisk.com takes all types of technotrash and recycles or refurbishes it.

So, look around your house today and clean out all those unused cell phones, donate them or recycle them.  You will be less cluttered and you will keep more out of the landfills.