Blog Entries

Blog Content Changing to Focus on my Favorite Productivity Tools

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:00:00 +0100

I have decided to change the content in my blog posts to be about tips and techniques for using 3 productivity tools that I recommend to my clients. If you are not familiar with them now, you will be. Some of these tools have been around for a long time, but are under-utilized, and some of these tools are brand new. While I do not work for the companies that make these tools...I highly recommend them to all of my clients. I have evaluated a lot of personal productivity tools, and these are t [...]

"What to do when I die..." iPEP Workspace Idea

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Over the last few months I have been exploring the new iPEP web-based information management tool. The more I use it, the more I find new uses for it. I have the Project edition which allows me to create multiple workspaces and invite unlimited guests to collaborate with me. I am not going to go into all of the details on the tool in this article, but I am going to share an interesting use for iPEP that I just discovered.

My newest workspace is called "What to do when I die". I am n [...]

Imagine The Possibilities

maggie@anewviewforyou.com — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Have you been feeling stuck around your organizing projects? When you walk by the project-or the door that's hiding the project-do you feel a little twinge? Then a moment later in pops the vision of you in a heap on the floor surrounded by paper piles, old magazines, books and unwanted stuff, tearing your hair out! You have quite an imagination!

So here's an idea-instead of imagining that awful scene, use the power of your imagination to your advantage because what you imag [...]

Automate Your Day - Clearing Your Mental Clutter

gail@afreshstartorganizing.net — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100

How would you like to clear your mind from all the little distractions that get in your way? These everyday distractions can wreak havoc on your productivity. Wouldn't you love to have a machine that automatically made your life easier? Well, I have a little secret for you. You already own it! It is that thing in your head that weighs about 3 pounds. Your brain!
Wikipedia defines automatic as "Capable of operating without external control or intervention. Done out of habit or withou [...]

Organized for the New School Year

alexandra@decoratingbythesea.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:43:28 +0100

If you have school-aged children, you are probably starting to plan for the coming school year. Maybe you were not happy with the organization of scheduling, homework, equipment, papers, work-spaces, or anything else that, when running smoothly, makes life less hectic. What if you are now working more to try and make ends meet in this difficult economy?

This is the time to plan for creating a more organized environment at home, s [...]

How to Stay Organized

Barbara@bzbeeorganizing.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100

The longer I help clients organize, the more I see that staying organized is not just about setting up a dynamic system, but it is about changing behaviors. I can set up the most wonderful system for a client, but if they don't work it, they will not see the desired results. I often encounter clients who have tried in vain to keep themselves organized. Usually that is when they hire me. My approach, after a few years of organizing, has changed. I now focus on the client's behavior in a [...]

Time flies...do you know where it is going?

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Do you seem busier than ever, but feel like you can't get anything accomplished?

This problem seems exaggerated by all of these high tech communication tools we use every day. Personally, I struggle with getting my "real work" accomplished while I respond to emails, phone calls, Internet research, and now social media. Even though I know how to manage it, I find it hard to have the discipline needed to spend time working on the "real work" instead of spending time on the &q [...]

My Life is Like a Country Song

gail@afreshstartorganizing.net — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100

My Life is Like a Country Song

There is no doubt I am a Country Music Fanatic. I love the concept of a country life, plain and simple. Now, in saying My Life is Like a Country Song (to give credit where credit is due, this is a play on Chris Cagel's My Life's Been a Country Song), I don't mean the country song about how the wif [...]

Meet the Godess of O

contact@OrganizingBySOS.com — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Organizing is my passion - I've been doing it all my life. I think that may be true of many of my professional organizer colleagues - I know it's definately true about me. I was always the child held up as an example by my friends mothers as the one they would like their little girl to emulate. This didn't really cause a problem for me because my friends seemed to agree with the wisdom of their mom's desires. Also I was pretty affable and I actually seemed to enjoy&nb [...]

"Why Hire an Organizer When I Can Do It Myself?"

alexandra@decoratingbythesea.com — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Is this the first question on your mind when you hear about professional organizers? Hiring a professional organizer does not mean that you are necessarily totally lost about strategizing a clean-up project or de-cluttering job. You might have the greatest organizational skills, but your major project might be easier to start, or more realistic to complete, if you have the help of an unbiased person who is not a relative or friend.

&nb [...]

Organized Summer Travel

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Well here it is, summer again. If you are travelling this summer, do you have your travel plans organized? I use a desktop filing system (called a SwiftFile) that contains individual folders for the 12 months and 31 days of the month.

As I make reservations and receive confirmations, I place all of the documentation into my filing system in the folder for my departure date. If you don't use a system like this, make a hanging folder and label it " [...]

Looking for More Together Time with Organization

gail@afreshstartorganizing.net — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

What image comes to mind when you think of spending time with family? Is it interaction and conversation? Is it fun activities or relaxing vacations? What we think of and what actually takes place can be so very different. We are so busy with technology, work, school and activities that we actually could be in the same house, yet we don't spend any time together. No wonder families feel so disconnected!

Decorative Swapping

gail@afreshstartorganizing.net — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

The other day I was watching Oprah and she had the adorable Nate Berkus and the clutter cutter Peter Walsh on. They were showing neighbors swapping furniture in order to recreate new looks in their homes. The point behind the show was to open our eyes to how, in hard times with limited budgets, we can be creative in our design to get the best out of our space. Now of course having a fabulous designer makes a huge difference when you are decoratively challenged (I think I just created [...]

How to Decide Whether to Get Rid of Something

alexandra@decoratingbythesea.com — Tue, 05 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Getting rid of clutter – by the time you finally have had enough of things collecting around you, these things probably have been accumulating for many years. Deciding to rid yourself of too many possessions is one thing, but actually going through the process can be a very traumatic some other thing.

There are many reasons we hold on to things: they bring back good memories, we might need them, we might miss them, they’re still good…

In getting rid of things, you do [...]

What to Keep, What to Throw Away: Decision Making as You Organize

Barbara@bzbeeorganizing.com — Tue, 05 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

I was working with a client in her home office. We were surveying what we had already accomplished and deciding what to do next when I picked up an object from the top shelf of her bookcase. I said, "What are you going to do with this?" She looked at me and smiled, knowing that her answer was important to our organizing tasks. She said, "I really like the colors, they are so bright and cheery." "But do you use it?" I asked. I knew the answer before she did.

That conversation prompt [...]

Why Hiring a Professional Organizer is a Necessity Rather Than a Luxury

gail@afreshstartorganizing.net — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Last week I attended the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Organizers! If you can imagine a conference that is run more smoothly and organized, let me know!!! We had a blast in Orlando discovering new products, new services, new books, new ideas (yes, I am rambling) and rekindling friendships from all over the world. Who knew there is a need for organizing in areas like Bermuda, Japan, New Zealand and France? It just goes to show how everyone is looking for [...]

Day 3 (the final day) of the NAPO Conference

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Greetings from Santa Cruz! I'm back in the office and my head is spinning with all of the new ideas I have from attending the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) annual conference. I was sad to have the conference end, but it is exciting to be back to work on building and improving my consulting business.

Here is the recap of my final day at conference...

My day started with a break out session on creating a lifestyle business. The concepts were bas [...]

Day 2 of the NAPO Conference

tamara@meyerorganizing.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Greetings from Orlando! Today was the 2nd day of the National Association of Professional Organizers annual conference. It is so exciting to be with 700 other professional organizers! This is the largest organizing conference in the world and all types of organizers come from all over the world.

After the morning general session on how veteran organizers turned their business dreams into reality, I attended 2 technical sessions. The first was on time management and the present [...]