July 2012 - Getting it Together

Storing Chargers-How to Keep Track of Yours by Rowena List, Professioanl Organizer

How many phone chargers do you have? Phone chargers for your phone, your spouse, your kids, the phone you owned three years back?

Do you have a way of storing chargers?

Do you have chargers but no phone? I see this a lot in homes. Bags and boxes of electronic chargers. None of them labeled so we do not know what they belong to.

If you have not needed the charger in the last week my guess is you will not need it. Open that drawer of chargers and think about it. Are you storing chargers you haven’t used in weeks, months, will you really use them again?

photo via dave patten

Please take a moment to watch this short video on storing chargers-

Now take a moment to label all of your chargers. I like to use the small plastic bread bag clips. You can write on them and attach to the cord of the chargers

Did you know that the number one item people leave behind in a hotel room is their phone charger? You can go to any front desk and ask for one as they have boxes of them. Some what like your local swimming pool with swim goggles.

Do you have a great story about “storing chargers?” Please leave it in the comment box below.

If you like this video, click the “like” button and then share it with your friends. And if you’re not in the “Getting it Together” community, head on over to gettingittogether.ca and get on the list. You’ll get instant access to a free ebook that outlines a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your home in 15 minutes or less.
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By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00July 24th, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing to Move, Travel Organization|0 Comments

The Best Way to Wash and Store Berries by Rowena List Professional Organizer of Getting it Together

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Just a few of the fabulous berries we can get fresh in the summer time. Which ones are your favorite? photo via Sharon Mollerus

I love blueberries.I’ll go to our local farm and buy pounds of them. You never want your berries to go bad.Why not watch this short video on-

The best way to wash and store Berries

I love to freeze berries. It is so handy to have them for my protien shakes in the winter. It makes the work of discovering the best way to wash and store berries worth it! How about you? What things do you do with your berries? Are you a jam maker? A pie maker? Do you like to can?

A great berry bush can produce a prolific harvest, it’s a good thing the list of uses is so long! I knew a woman whose raspberry bushes but out so many raspberries they stored them in gallon ice cream containers and handed them out to everyone who visited. She was in need of advice on the best way to wash and store berries for certain.

What is the best way to wash and store berries that you have found?

Please leave your comments below.

If you like this video, click the “like” button and then share it with your friends. And if you’re not in the “Getting it Together” community, head on over to gettingittogether.ca and get on the list. You’ll get instant access to a free ebook that outlines a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your home in 15 minutes or less.
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By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00July 24th, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer|2 Comments

Laundry Room Must Haves: How to Organize Yours

How do you feel about doing laundry?

Do you wish there was a magic fairy that came to your home once a week and did yours?

Do you long for a nice organized laundry room?

Is your laundry room a dumping ground for all of the family backpacks, shoes, coats, recycling and more?

There are certain laundry room must haves.

In this short video I will show you some of them.

One area I forgot to film was under my laundry room sink. I have included a photo so you can see how I store my laundry detergent etc. I installed the functional pull out shelf- a definite laundry room must haves. These are so great to have not only in your laundry room but in your pantry or cookware cupboards. More on that in another blog.

Recently I found a really cool drying rack that I added to my laundry room must haves. Check it out in the photo. It is perfect for small spaces. IKEA had it hung in the small shower area.

It is a good idea to have a place in your laundry room or home where you can hang your delicates to dry. The less we use our dryer the better it is on our environment and our clothes.

So why not take some time this weekend and get your laundry room back in order.Make sure you include your laundry room must haves.

1. Take out all non related items.

2. Get some hooks or shelves if need be.

3. Toss out all the detergents bleaches etc that you do not use.

4. Give your washer and dryer a wipe down.

5. Toss in a load of laundry.

Still having challenges with getting organized? Call today for a FREE phone consultation.

I’ll give you a few tips to getting started right away.

What is number one on your laundry room must haves list? Tell us in the comments!

If you like this video, click the “like” button and then share it with your friends. And if you’re not in the “Getting it Together” community, head on over to gettingittogether.ca and get on the list. You’ll get instant access to a free ebook that outlines a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your homein 15 minutes or less.

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By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00July 23rd, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer|2 Comments

Organizing Your Inbox: 15 Minutes to Freedom

How do you feel when you look at your email inbox?

Are you overwhelmed by the number of emails you receive every day?

Do you wish you could tame your inbox?

Become a pro at organizing your inbox?

Would you like to be more productive?

I use to pride myself on getting my inbox to zero by the end of each day. As time went on and life got busier, I began to feel comfortable with having 20 unread emails still in my inbox. Then it went up to 40. After writing this article I am committed to getting it back down to zero.

Every day I get calls or requests for organizing emails. I think many of you, like me, have a love/hate relationship with our inbox. What was life like before email? It is so hard to remember. Email can be a real time buster however, it can also be a real time saver if used properly.

I think of how I used to “snail” mail my newsletters and now with a click of a button I can send out thousands. Since the computer is here to stay why not try these-

Simple tips on organizing your inbox

Please let me know how you do with these tips on organizing your inbox. Write your comments in the box below.

Tip#1 Exercise control. This is a tough one for me. I am so use to checking emails first thing in the morning. The more I learn about productivity the more I can see how this is a BIG time buster. Do you catch yourself checking emails and then wondering off to social media or the internet? Before you know it an hour or 2 has gone by. To be the most productive, check emails 2-3 times per day at most unless your job requires otherwise. I am committed to doing this. Please join me. Most importantly turn off email notifications!

Tip#2 Unsubscribe. Take a close look at all the newsletters you subscribe to. Are they of importance in your life right now? For example, you might have subscribed to “child care” newsletters when your children were first born. Now that they are older, is that information relevant? When your organizing your inbox set up a “to read” folder for all other newsletters you enjoy and find helpful. Immediately move them from your inbox to your folder. Or you can set up a RRS feed in Google Reader. Put a filter to go straight “to read”. Once a week or on your lunch break go through the folder. If you find your “to read” folder gets overloaded then it is time to reassess.

Tip#3 Action Folder. Create an action folder. Store all emails that you need to take action on. These are not important or urgent emails. Take 15 minutes a day and deal with each email one by one. Can you delegate any of the “actions” or can you delete them?

Tip#4 Important Folder. Pick the top 10-15 most important emails and move them to this folder. Deal with these right away. Because they are in this folder you will not get side tracked. Once you have dealt with those 10- 15 then move another 10-15 over and deal with those.

Tip#5 New Policy. Every new email that comes in will follow this new policy of being filed. Say goodbye to inbox overflow and hello to 15 minutes of freedom. Let people know you will only be checking emails 2 – 3 times per day and that you will get back to them in a timely manner unless your job/personal life requires different. Ask friends and family to take you off their “joke” list. Yes it is fun to get them and funny to read however it is not productive and again it is so easy to get sidetracked. If you absolutely love getting jokes then set up a folder for them. Read them at the end of the day or on weekends.

80% of what we file never gets looked at again!!

Try to keep your outgoing emails short and to the point. One subject per email. Be mindful to change the subject line if you have changed subjects in a reply. I like to give as much information in the subject line as I can. For example: “Birthday Party for Sue on Friday night 7 pm-please confirm.” This is so helpful for filing purposes and quick references. When necessary pick up the phone. Things can get lost in email translation.

Are you still feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails? Pick up the phone and get your FREE consultation.

I will support you in moving forward with organizing your inbox

We will discuss strategies that will be best for you and your inbox situation. You will be so much more productive and stress free.

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By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00July 9th, 2012|Organizer, Time Management|0 Comments