August 2012 - Getting it Together

Tips on Effective Time Management

I wish I had a nickel for every time someone said to me “I need more time.”

It is crazy how busy we have become. We have all the modern conveniences and still do not have enough time.

Is it that we are not spending our time wisely?

Are we trying to cram too much in to a day?

Or do we need to be more organized?

Did you know it takes 40% less time to clean an organized home? What will you do with that extra time?

I am going to share with you 5 tips on effective time management that are simple!

By implementing this tips below, you will see your productivity soar.

The more organized you are the more time you will have.

“If you don’t take the time, time will take you.”

Tip#1

Create a list with the top six most important things to do.

Many years ago when I first started off in business I learned this tip. Each night before going to bed write out the six most important things you want to do the next day. The experts say that 6 items on a list are not so overwhelming. Any more than that and a person might become paralyzed by the magnitude of tasks. I like to have a list for work related tasks and one for personal.

Make item number one your least favorite thing to do. Get it over with right away. For example, it might be to call the leads you got from the latest trade show you did. If you do not get all your most important things done in one day then transfer them over to the next day. You might have
overestimated your time.

Tip#2

Focused time.

Take 4 or 5 colour markers and block off time in your datebook/family calendar or computer for work, personal, family, and spiritual. Do this at the beginning of each month. I block off all the times I want to work in green. Family time is in pink, etc. When a client calls to book an appointment
I look for any green spots that are still open. When a family member calls for a dinner date I look at any pink spots that are free. When you see all the coloured squares at a glance you can see how balanced your life is. Do you have too many green squares and not enough pink?

Tip#3

Take 15.

End each work day by taking 15 minutes to clear your desk off and prepare for the next day. Take 15 minutes at the end of the night to prepare your kitchen for the next morning. These 15 minutes will save you hours in the long run. There is nothing worse than walking into your office and
finding a pile of papers left from the day before. Or walking into your kitchen and finding all the dinner dishes from the night before.

Tip#4

Time Busters.

Be mindful of any time busters. Do you use a timer when going on the computer? Have you thought to yourself “oh I’ll just quickly check emails” and 2 hours later you are still sitting there? Do you get interrupted? Do you answer your phone when you are in the middle of a meeting or high priority project? These can be some common time busters. Stay focused to each task and you’ll be amazed at how much more time you have.

Tip#5

Relinquish control.

The need to do it all. Delegate with confidence. Trust that the job will get done. Look at all the things you do in a day. Delegate what you can. For example, your kids can make the beds. They might not look the way you would do it but they are made. Is there a person at your workplace that can help you with some tasks?

By using these 5 simple tips on effective time management, your productivity will skyrocket and you may actually have time to linger over a cup of coffee for once.

Have you taken the time to have your FREE 20 minute session with me?
I will look at your time, how you are spending it and how we can come up with a plan for you to have more time.
Contact me at https://www.gettingittogether.ca to book your FREE session today.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00August 20th, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer, Time Management|0 Comments

Storing Greeting Cards by Rowena List Professional Organizer and Speaker

How many greeting cards do you get in a month, a year?

Have you ever thought of storing greeting cards?

Do you just toss them or do you keep them all?

Take a minute to watch this short video on storing greeting cards.

I have heard of people who have every greeting card they ever received. Can you imagine the amount of space dedicated to them? Think how much storage real estate is given up to storing greeting cards! I even worked with a lady who had them all bundled by year. The elastic bands were so old they fell apart on us.

What is the purpose of storing greeting cards? You need to ask yourself this question until you get a firm solid answer. In the end my client decided to toss all of the cards. She did not have room for “storing greeting cards” she just couldn’t keep them all anymore. They were all dusty. She had even paid to have them shipped from England to Canada. Now that is an expensive greeting card.Do you have a greeting card story to share? Please leave it in the comment box below.

Some people think they will re-read them later on in life. Have you ever done that?

Why not keep the very very special ones in your momento box?

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+00:00August 14th, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing to Move|0 Comments

Mary’s “Before”

Have you ever wondered what a Professional Organizer might do with 5000 pounds of fabric?

The best part of my job is to support my clients in moving forward with clearing their clutter. The next best thing is seeing how they feel and how their lives move forward because they have cleared their clutter.

The most important thing in my job is to not judge. I go into a situation with no attachment to my clients things. I go in with an attachment to the outcome. I am working with a client right now (we will call her “Mary”) who has given me the permission to write a little bit about the journey of her stuff. Thank you Mary for this opportunity. I admire you for stepping out of your comfort zone and tackling your sewing room.

First things first.

It has come to my attention that there are homes which have an over abundance of fabric.

I can see the fascination with the beautiful textures, colours and styles of fabric. The key, as with anything is “nothing takes on value unless it is being used”. I can see how a person could get caught up in a fabric store. They see all the fabrics and their creative mind starts to wonder. I could make this; I could make that and so on. Dreams and goals are being set right then and there. But do you have the time for all of those projects?

It is important to buy only what you need at the moment. I’ll explain why.

Boxes and boxes of fabric sitting in a fabric room are not taking on value. The volume is so large the fabric will never get fully used. A person may tend to get overwhelmed by the volume and may become paralyzed from moving forward.

It is important to have a project in mind when purchasing fabric. Buy what you need and what you will use in a reasonable amount time.

“Mary” had been collecting fabric for over 20 years. Will you ever be able to use all that fabric? Probably not.

So “Mary” and I went about sorting, purging and organizing fabric.

Some of the fabric was outdated because it had been there for so long.

What once looked like a cool piece of fabric now looked “old lady-like” like or too high maintenance. (Only dry clean, etc.)

“Mary” feels she has about ten more years of sewing in her. Sewing is her hobby. With that in mind it was time to seriously downsize.

Each time we worked together she commented on how great it felt to go into her sewing room. The room felt lighter. She felt more creative. It was no longer a fire hazard or trip zone. The rest of the family was happy and thrilled to see the transformation. Her husband was so excited he built shelves for the rubber containers that will hold the fabric she is going to keep. It will all get labeled.

Are you curious as to where all the fabric went?

The Salvation Army took all “blanket” fabric. They make nice thick blankets for our homeless. A friend of hers took 8 bags (at 40-50 lbs per bag). A Halloween costume business took ten bags. A photographer took all the boudoir fabric. A family of sewers took 16 bags and was thrilled to receive the fabric. One of the family members is starting out in a purse making business. This really helped her. 50 plus bags went to the Mennonite ladies. They make blankets and clothes and send them all over the world.

Because all the fabric was going to a good place “Mary” was motivated to really purge. I am so proud of her and all of her efforts. Everyone involved is happy and the fabric is being put to good use.

Do you have an over abundant amount of fabric? Finding it hard to sort, purge, donate or keep it? Please contact me for a FREE 20 minute session.

We will discuss organizing fabric,your sewing room, craft room, or fabric situation and help you move forward.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:46+00:00August 6th, 2012|Home Organization, Organizer|0 Comments