http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogList.asp?sort=organizer&schedule=57 Life management is time management, therefore, you might learn a new tip about almost anything from your clutter, closet, car, career, cat, kids...you name it, I'll probably discuss it! Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:45:02 EST en-us http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3796 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3796 Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST When it's time for the appointment with yourself, get ready for "The Test". The test is to walk around your home and analyze everything that's displayed. It should have a valid reason for taking up space and collecting dust, such as function or looks. Is it actually useful or is it simply decorative? You may be surprised when you go through this process at how much is for no purpose and only makes the room look more cluttered. A big offender is trinket gifts from friends. ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3795 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3795 Tue, 9 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST Can you put your hands on any paper requested of you within five minutes? If not, take time to get a file cabinet. One of the best clutter busters is "ye ole" file cabinet. They been solving office paper management problems for years and they can do the same on the home front. I believe they are so vital that every home, apartment, condo, dorm room, etc. needs one. I can't think of a better place for storing bills, important paper, warranty cards, instruction booklets, stamps, report ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3794 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3794 Tue, 2 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST Are you one of the many people who keeps glass containers because you believe that mayonnaise or pickle jars are "just right" for storing something else? Jeff Campbell, in his book, Clutter Control, suggests time for recycling to free up your space. A better way to put those empties to good use is: recycle them and free up space for yourself. The same is true of clothes and shoes you no longer wear. Recycle them into the hands of someone who need them and will wear them. Give books ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3793 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3793 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST In Jeff Campbell's book, Clutter Control, he offers some rules to control the clutter in your life. One of them is: Use it or lose it. If you're not using something on a regular basis, get rid of it. Sounds simple, huh? If you haven't put up strawberry preserves since 1962, despite your conviction that you will do so next year, you can safely give away or sell your Mason jars. Another rule: Find the best place for everything. This, too, is simple: reduce clutter by storing ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3786 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3786 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST Is your basement bulging from the pieces of lumber and whatnot of an unfinished project? Is your garage overflowing with lawn furniture and tires to cars from bygone days? If so, you have a household clutter problem. Don't despair, you're not alone! It doesn't matter if the problem is too much stuff or just that what you have is in a state of chaos, the outcome is the same: stress from uncomfortable living quarters. You end up wasting time looking for things and you can't ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3768 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3768 Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST One of the hardest time management rules to follow is the one that tells us to be prepared to say "no" when asked to do something that will impose on our time and tranquility. It need not seem harsh or unkind to say no, it's really every person's prerogative. The next time you're asked to do something and you're about to say yes, but you really want to say no, try one of the following strategies: 1. Begin with a soft refusal by saying, "I'm so glad you asked. I ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3765 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3765 Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST Ray Hutchins of Austin, Texas wanted his son to do well in highschool, he began quizzing him with questions. When Glen wasn't sure with his answers it sparked an idea in Hutchins to write a book for his son. He set up an adult-style calendar so he could organize his time and keep track of assignments, test dates and his grades. Thus began the prototype of Hutchin's Time Tracker. Some of Hutchins suggestions include: paying attention to your child by asking questions about what is ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3721 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3721 Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST Caring for your lawn and ornamentals makes good aesthetic, economic, environmental, and human sense. Regarding aesthetics and economics: not only is thick, green grass attractive, but a healthy home landscape promotes social pride and neighborliness. A healthy yard gives children a place to play. Controlling turf-destroying pests helps provide a soft, resilient surface to play on. Well maintained landscape can increase the value and selling price of a home. In the areas of environment: ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3720 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3720 Tue, 7 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST Your pet will love the warmer weather as much as you, but it's a time when they have the greatest risk of injury and heat-related health problems. Here are some summer care tips from my Veterinarian: Watch for signs of heatstroke. If you see rapid panting, hot skin, twitching muscles, and a dazed look quickly wrap your pet in a towel soaked with cool, not cold, water. In severe cases, place them in a bathtub. Heatstroke can be fatal, so take your dog to the Vet as soon as possible if ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3719 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3719 Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST To help keep your season full of good times, teach everyone in the family to recognize poison ivy and oak. For poison ivy the old saying is, "Leaves of three, let it be!" This is excellent advice for people who are sensitive to the poison ivy plant. Poison ivy is generally a wood plant with three leaflets. It can be a vine growing up the side of a tree or building. It can also be a self-supported shrub. If someone is exposed, have them wash carefully, launder clothes separately, and ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3718 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3718 Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST Power equipment, such as lawn mowers can make a high-speed projectile out of sticks, stones, and small toys. Be careful to clear the lawn before mowing - and insist that children and pets stay clear. Be especially cautious when cutting slopes, to prevent falling and losing control. Try not to mow when the grass is wet and slippery. If children mow, be sure they understand the importance of safety. Power edger's and weed-eaters should be used with the same care. Safety glasses are ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3717 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3717 Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST Make a truly meaningful summer vacation by checking with churches, chambers of commerce, universities, or tourist bureaus to help you discover fascinating, but often lonely, people who are in our country from another land. Offer them a diner deal - you'll buy the groceries if they'll cook a native dish. To sharpen your family's observation skills, leave the camera at home when you travel and take drawing pads instead. Before hitting the museums, zoos, and landmarks, prepare ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3716 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3716 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST You can turn your child's summer vacation into learning adventures with a few new ideas. Begin by transforming something. For instance, give the family a week to turn the backyard into an ocean floor. Tape the strings on helium balloons sideways and pain them to look like floating fish. Branches stuck into the soil become red coral, and an empty refrigerator box with a hatch and portholes becomes a sunken pirate ship. Send everyone on a hunt for private treasure, using clues calling ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3715 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3715 Tue, 3 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST With the 4th of July upon us, you may be thinking, "Where can we vacation without spending hundreds of dollars?" First of all, refuse to fall prey to the "seven-days-at-the-beach" vacation trap. When God created the world, he rested for one day, not seven. Several single-or-double day vacations can be as refreshing as one long one. (Not to mention that one day vacations don't allow your desk or laundry to pile up so high either.) Secondly, choose activities you enjoy. What will make ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3712 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3712 Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST Let's begin today with some clever ways to wake "sleepyheads". If getting out of bed seems to be a continual morning concern, you might try pulling up the shades in the bedroom and let the sunlight help wake you up. Experts suggest that as soon as each child enters school, they are given their own alarm clock. This not only makes them feel more grown up, it shifts the responsibility on to them where it essentially belongs. If you, the leader of the pack, find yourself turning off the ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3710 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3710 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST Busy schedules make it difficult to take time to eat…especially in the morning. For a high-protein breakfast that is also low in calories, try topping a scoop of cottage cheese with unsweetened applesauce and then sprinkle it with bran cereal for a little crunch. Another "topper" idea is to top toasted English muffin halves with sliced Muenster or Swiss cheese and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. Also, top them with diced ham, cooked vegetables or a spoonful of tomato sauce, ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3707 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3707 Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST It's Father's Day on Sunday. Why does it seem easier to choose a Mother's day gift? For some reason our society has made flowers and candy the gifts for mothers, but advertises socks or ties for Father's day. Have you already thought about what you'll do to honor your Dad? No matter what stereotype society has given males, a gift that's especially meaningful is one that shows Dad you took time to think about him. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3705 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3705 Tue, 5 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST Often time our busy schedules don't allow for bacon and egg breakfasts. Don't despair; you can still take time for some fast, yet nourishing, morning meals. Most youngsters, and oldsters for that matter, love pancakes, French toast, or waffles for breakfast or just about any time of day. You may already be thinking, "Sure they do, but I don't have time to fix them in the morning." You may not have time to make them from scratch, but you could make them ahead and freeze them. ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3686 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3686 Tue, 29 May 2012 12:00:00 EST If you have a timer on your coffee pot you may have a fresh hot cup awaiting you each morning because you routinely set it the night before, however, if you don't have that particular luxury then set everything up the night before and simply push the "on" button in the morning. Or, if you prefer a cup of tea, set up the kettle with water, put out the cup and tea bag, and simply turn on the stove in the morning. Then, while your coffee and tea are brewing you can attend to a few other ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3685 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3685 Tue, 22 May 2012 12:00:00 EST Each night you take time to check the calendar for any appointment, games, meetings, etc. You tune into the weather report so you can help the kids choose appropriate clothing for the next day and to be sure to put umbrellas by the door, if rain is predicted. You do a homework check and a book bag "pack and stack" at the back door. You have a family 5-minute pickup of the house. You count your pennies for lunch money and put it where everyone will see it. If you make lunches, you ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3684 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3684 Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 EST Working at your computer for any length of time can cause visual distress and discomfort, unless you take time for some simple corrections. If you're in the forty-something age group, you may need specialty prescriptions for working at a computer. Studies have found that by age forty, people have only half the tear volume to wet eyes and less than half the focusing strength they had at age thirty. When working at a computer with bifocals, you must tilt your head back and lean in to see ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3683 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3683 Tue, 8 May 2012 12:00:00 EST If you are a computer user you should have near vision skills examined at your working distance. While you are improving your skills at the computer, your eyes are working on aiming, teaming, and focusing-skills needed to see what you're doing. As a result you will use high levels of visual energy and muscle effort. If you are experiencing "tired eyes" or "eyestrain", manifested in double vision, blur or headache, you may need visual therapy, a prescriptions change or specific near ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3676 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3676 Tue, 1 May 2012 12:00:00 EST If you spend a large amount of time in front of a computer screen, you may need to study your computer environment for stress producing problems. With simple corrections unnecessary discomfort may be avoided. A correction that may improve comfort and visual efficiency at computers is to reduce the glare. Characters on a computer screen are ragged and somewhat difficult to read, even under the best of circumstances. You may want to use a glare filter, a variety of which may be available by ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3675 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3675 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST Take time to make time to avoid visual stress while working on your computer. Time invested now will help improve visual efficiency and comfort for computer users. According to two Saginaw, Michigan Doctor's of optometry, James J. Hilligan and C. Steven Kocks, people who use computers often complain of headaches, near blurred vision, eyestrain, glare sensitivity, slowness in focusing, dry or irritates eyes, double vision, and neck, back or shoulder pain. They say that most of these ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3668 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3668 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3666 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3666 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST Here's a quick recap of ideas from the last few weeks: Get to know your spotter : that's the employee who treats spots before cleaning. Make sure they're experienced and up to date on techniques. Don't be fooled by the term "French" dry cleaning : the only difference is cost. Shop for unisex pricing : women's and men's similar items, by law, should be priced the same. Know who's to blame: when something is wrong with your cleaned garment, the cleaner, ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3665 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3665 Tue, 3 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST With today's rising costs a dry cleaning bill can add extra burden to other more pressing needs. Then, not only can it be costly to have lots of dry cleaning, but it can also be extra time and frustration when the items cleaned come back in worse shape than when you took them in. You know, your designer slacks are now designer knickers! Or your black and white polka dot dress has new and unusual brown dots added to the pattern. You squeeze it into your schedule to make another trip ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3647 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3647 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST Many families today are finding that the dry cleaning bill is one of the heaviest and most frustrating in the budget, and they would like to find ways to cut down in this area, if at all possible. Recognizing that dry cleaners need to stay in business and make a profit for their own families, we want to support the good ones and yet be wise with our own funds. Something to consider is: Don't fall for French. Legend has it that the credit for the invention of dry cleaning goes to a ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3646 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3646 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST If you're fed up with the high cost of keeping shirts starched and slacks pressed, maybe you need to take time to avoid being taken to the cleaners! With all due respect to any dry cleaner business owners who may be reading this, I'd like to shed some light on dry cleaning do's and don'ts to keep you from getting hot under the collar. According to a report by the Better Business Bureau, consumer complaints for the dry cleaning industry often end up near the top the list. The ... http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3640 http://www.onlineorganizing.com/BlogEntry.asp?id=3640 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST Last week we left off with a purse search for lip loss and how it takes on an integral role in purse life – the rotation cycle. As you try to get to the bottom to reach the desired object, the item works its way to the top. As your hand moves back toward the top, the item travels in the opposite direction, pushed along by other objects caught up in the process, thus the rotation cycle. Cleaning most often occurs only after an exhaustive search for an item produces no results. The cleaning ...