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Things To Do With Old Magazines

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATwo of our grand daughters have started selling magazines as a school fundraiser. They both want to be TOP sellers. At the beginning of the school year we get a phone call asking us to buy, buy, buy.

We could easily get caught up in the excitement and the very reasonable price of all the magazines. The TOP sellers for the school get a prize. You know my background is in direct selling so I am all for being the TOP seller.

The key is “how many magazines can one person read per month?” I buy what magazines I want and then give them sales ideas. I think it is a win-win situation.

Check out this short video on things to do with your old magazines.



Does it bug you that your Doctor’s office has magazines from ten years ago? After reading these tips I’ll bet it won’t for long.

How many unread magazines do you have sitting on your coffee table?

Would you like to have more time to read all those magazines?

O magazineI just got off the phone with a client (let’s call her Mary) who has EVERY issue of Oprah magazine. I know other people who have the same collection. Are you one of them? This is what I suggested to her.

Tip#1: Donate. The thing is you are not going to go back and reread ALL those issues of Oprah. We are talking at least 100 issues. “Mary” thought she was going to. She even had the best of intentions to cut out the very best articles and file them. Let’s get real. Who has that kind of spare time? If you do have that kind of spare time chances are you are going to be doing something else with it. I challenged “Mary” to take an arms load to her doctor’s appointment that day. She can see a seniors centre from her apartment window. She agreed to take an arm load there this afternoon. “Mary” also has every issue of Chatelaine that her mother has given her. Her intention was to keep them for the recipes.

Guess what? Every time “Mary” needs a recipe she goes to the internet! She must have read my newsletter on “organizing your recipes”!

Tip#2: Re-Gift. If you buy one issue of a magazine and a girlfriend buys a different issue of a magazine you can swap or re-gift once you have both finished reading your magazine. This will also cut your cost in half.

Tip#3: Repurpose. “Mary” has a daughter. I’ll bet most of you have kids as well. Let your kids use the pictures in the magazines for their school projects. Do you do a goal/dream poster each year? Magazines have the best sayings and photos for that poster.

The phone call with “Mary” ended with her feeling very excited about moving forward with her magazines. You might think it is a small step, however it is a step in the right direction to clearing the unwanted clutter. Think before you bring in more magazines. Will you have time to read it? Is it a magazine you still enjoy reading? Can you get it online?

Put down the magazine and contact me for a FREE 30 minute phone consultation. We will discuss your “hotspots” and any magazine challenges you might be having.

By |2020-06-07T20:52:40+00:00September 22nd, 2014|Home Organization, Organizer|0 Comments

How To Slow Down And Savour Your Food

How often do you stand in the kitchen and eat your meals?

How often do you miss a meal? “I’m too busy to eat.”

How often do you get indigestion?

This is all crazy making. The fact that we are too busy, too rushed or maybe to disorganized to eat properly is crazy. Eating is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies next to proper sleep and shelter. Yes it takes time, planning and preparation in order to be prepared for meal time. These ideas take just a little time and a little organization. Your body is worth it. Isn’t it?

Check out this short video on how to slow down and savor your food.

Next time you are getting ready for a meal please try these top Getting it Together’s 5 tips.

Tip#1 Stop. For just a moment and really appreciate what is on your plate. Be grateful for what you are about to eat. (Hopefully it is something really healthy and yummy.)

Tip#2 Breathe. Take a moment and really examine your breath. Are you breathing short shallow breaths or are they long deep ones. If they are short, take a minute and do 3-5 really deep breaths. This will help you to slow down and enjoy your meal.

Tip#3 Chew. Chewing slowly encourages proper digestion. Chewing slowly allows you to really savour the flavours of the food you are eating. If you are a dinner guest chewing slowly shows your host or hostess that you are appreciating the tastes and effort it took them to make the meal.

Tip#4 Sit. Even if you are dinning alone sitting at the table is so very important.

You are important so set a place for yourself. No more eating in the car, eating on the run, eating standing up or worse yet eating in front of the TV. The experts say that sitting down to meals increases your chances of losing weight. (If indeed you need/want to lose weight.)

Tip#5 Set the stage. Get yourself a nice placemat, light the candles, turn on some nice music. Turn OFF the TV. And above all please do not answer the phone unless you are expecting an emergency call.

So often I will call a home and the person claims on the other end of the phone that they are right in the middle of dinner. I have never understood why people answer their phones when they cannot talk. (That is a whole different article). I was in a home the other day and they have a big sign on the fridge: “No phones one hour prior to dinner or during.” What I love about this message is that it was written by the young daughter. Do you think she might have been frustrated by the lack of communication at her family dinner table?

Whether you are dinning with yourself or your whole family these tips are a great way to slow down, connect, savour and enjoy your food and meals.

Give these TIPS a try and let me know some of your most favourite dinning experiences.

By |2020-06-07T20:52:40+00:00September 1st, 2014|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Time Waster #10: Being a slave to your smart phone

Woman using cell phone at homeA recent UK study found that people on average check their phones 150 times a day. 150! On average, people are checking 23 times a day for messaging, 22 times for voice calls, and 18 times to get the time. Not to mention mindlessly scrolling through emails and social media. It’s almost mind-boggling to consider how much time that wastes, and how automatically we do these things without any real awareness.

Time Saver #10: Get conscious about how you use your phone (and how it uses you). Some people have found a huge improvement in their productivity (and general mental well-being) by choosing to reduce the number of functions they want their phone to serve.

Instead of being the hub of many different activities — phone calls, texts, TV shows, social media, gossip, web surfing, camera, emails, checking weather forecasts — they just pick a few important things and use the phone as an essential tool to complete those things. For example, imagine the relief from obsessive email checking you could experience (and the time you could save) if you only checked email on your computer and not on your phone. How much time could you save if you took a couple of social media apps off your phone today?

When calls come in, only answer your phone when you can talk. Only answer your phone when you can deal with what might be needed to be dealt with on the other end. If it’s urgent, they’ll call back or send a follow-up text. Remember the days of answering machines? People can still do that! They can leave a voicemail and you can get back to them when you’re done doing what matters most to you.

Practice being in charge of your phone instead of having it control you. You don’t have to respond like Pavlov’s dogs to every chime and buzz and ding. Yes, it’s an amazing tool — but we’ve gotten accustomed to thinking that everything is urgent when in reality, very few things really are. Could you dedicate 15 minutes to cultivating awareness around how you use your phone? What could that 15 minutes ultimately get you? Think of it this way: Even if each of those 150 checks only takes 30 seconds (and you know many of them take much longer), that’s still 75 minutes every single day. What could you do with that much liberated time?

By |2020-06-07T20:52:41+00:00August 26th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #9: Not being ready

We’ve all known someone — and we’ve all been someone — who’s always “getting ready to get ready.” They’re in a constant state of preparation but never seem prepared enough to truly take action. In some ways, this can be linked to creative avoidance (see week #8) — but it often wears the disguise of action while not being productively focused. It also is handy excuse when you’re terrified of taking a big leap.

Time Saver #9: Become a creature of habit. The brain thrives on routine. It loves to know what’s coming next. And the more you practice within the boundary of a productive routine that works well with who you are and how your work, the more your brain will be prepped to get right to work when those cues are activated.

For example, if you wake up at the same time each day, shower, eat breakfast, and take a ten-minute walk before you sit down to work, your brain will learn to recognize that when you’re doing those things, it’s time to start working.

Again, the assumption sometimes that structure kills creative thinking is just false. The truth is you have a greater chance of having a flash of insight or stroke of genius if you create an environment that is conducive to free-flowing thought. If you’re always flailing around trying to “get ready,” chances are high you’ll never set get set or get going.

What are three habits you’d like to develop in the coming months around maximizing your time? How can you start setting up a routine that will engrain those habits?

By |2014-08-19T04:30:11+00:00August 19th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #8: Creative avoidance (aka, procrastination)

You know you have important things to get done yet you avoid them. Procrastination is part of being human, but at what cost?

Isn’t it amazing how suddenly “urgent” certain tasks become when you’re trying to get rolling on a certain project?

Time Saver #8: Have a solid plan in place and just go for it. When you are committed to getting a project done, you will not feel the need to procrastinate or creatively avoid. Having excitement and true joy for a project usually results in energy, flow, eager anticipation — and action. The TV will not be calling your name. Social media will not be beckoning. Good productivity also means good habits. If you need to set goalposts for yourself to start as you establish these good habits, go ahead and make a game of it. Set a timer, give yourself rewards, compete with yourself — whatever motivates you to try a new behavior.

Happy woman runner win on mountain road

It’s also important to listen to the voice of procrastination sometimes. Is this a project you’re dreading? Do you wish you really weren’t doing it? Maybe it’s time to consider handing it off or breaking up with a client. Is fear driving your stalling — fear of failure, or (sometimes even stronger and more insidious) a fear of success? Take an honest look at why you’re constantly driven to distracting behaviors, and ask yourself if there’s something deeper that you need to address.

What role does procrastination most often play as it pertains to the things you say you wish you could do more of?

By |2020-06-07T20:52:41+00:00August 12th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #7: Not staying focused to tasks

How often do you catch yourself replying to emails, answering the phone when it rings, and trying to have your lunch? It has been proven that multi-tasking does not work. Our brains are not built for it, and our lives cannot sustain it.

Time Saver #7: Stick to one thing at a time and one thing only. Trust me on this one. I know it’s counter-culture. But I guarantee you will have more time if you do this. You will get the task done properly and more efficiently if you focus on one thing. Each time you get an interruption, it takes up to 20 minutes to get your focus back to where it was prior to the interruption. That is wasted time.

What are some things you can do to minimize distractions? Turn off your phone. Close the door. Turn off the “ding” sound that indicates you have a new email — or just close out your email altogether. Shut off TV or radio if they too easily pull you in.

Pay attention to what distracts you easily (it might surprise you), and do what you can to decrease the presence of those things in your environment during your work time.

By |2014-08-05T04:30:18+00:00August 5th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #6: Not having a clear “to do” list

secretary with many notesI have seen people with to do lists that are as long as my arm. And I have a long arm! Do you have your to dos on your phone? Do you have them in a book? In your mind? What about on your fridge? Or maybe you have a combination of all of these.

Time Saver #6: Have one system for keeping track of your “to dos.” If you like to have your list on your phone, keep it there. If you are like me and are really visual, have it on one piece of paper.

The most important thing about to-do lists is that they only have 6 things on them. Start by putting the most important thing that you need to do tomorrow at the top. Chances are it is not checking emails. If you do not get all of the items done on your list, you would take the unfinished items and make them your number 1 or 2 priorities for the next day. I would also recommend looking at your list and allotting time frames for each task. I catch myself with having very high expectations of what I can get done in a day and low expectations of how long a task will take, and I suspect I’m not alone there. Budget in some cushion time — usually about 30% — to give you some wiggle room.

What are some ways you can streamline your to-do lists? And what do you notice about how priorities shift when you only have 6 items?

By |2020-06-07T20:52:41+00:00July 29th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #5: Not being able to say NO

What is your time worth to you? $50.00 an hour? More? Once you have spent your 24 hours today, you will never ever get them back.

Do you regard your time as sacred? Do you treat it with the same respect that you treat other people’s time? If someone wants a favor from you during your work or relaxation time, what’s your response?

Time Saver #5: Beautiful boundaries. Here’s the truth: If the time you designate for your “priorities” is in practice up for grabs — doing chores, running errands, doing things for other people whenever they ask, surfing the Net — then the reality is that you do not regard it as sacred time.

Find a time management system that works and stick to it for as long as it works .

Take 15 minutes at the end of each week to plan for the following week. Block off certain times that you will commit to whatever it is that’s a priority for you. Regard this time as non-negotiable. Mark it in your calendar like you would any other important appointment. Learn to say NO and set boundaries.

Where are some areas you can practice saying no this week?

By |2014-07-22T04:30:07+00:00July 22nd, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #4: A chaotic computer

Smiling woman holding the arobase signObviously technology has introduced many incredible things into our lives. But there are times when it is just another distraction in your life. How many emails are in your inbox? When was the last time you cleared out some of your files? Do you have a system set up that allows you to easily breeze through emails as they come in? It’s possible to have your Inbox at zero every single day.

Time Saver# 4: Try giving your Inbox 15 minutes and no more. The trap that the vast majority of people fall into is obsessively checking emails multiple times a day. This is a huge time waster, and it’s not necessary at all. Think about it: if something is truly urgent, you’ll get a text or a phone call, and there’s really no email that can’t sit for a few hours — 99% of emails do not require an immediate reply. Those who are masters of productivity in the business world almost universally have a strict twice-a-day time slot (often only once-a-day!) set aside for going through their Inboxes.

If you’re drowning in junk mail and don’t know where to begin, check out www.unroll.me for a super quick and free service that lassoes all your junk mail for you and allows you to unsubscribe with a quick click of a button. It’s heavenly!

Get your computer running faster by deleting your delete box. If you have dealt with all of the emails in your delete box, then there is no reason to be keeping them. This takes up room on your computer.

Clearing out your computer takes faith — trusting that whatever you recycle you will not need, and if you ever do need it again for some reason, you will be able to find it from a different source.

By |2020-06-07T20:52:41+00:00July 15th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments

Time Waster #3: Paper, paper and more paper

When the PC computer was invented, many people thought we would be paperless — but instead we have 20% more paper. WHY? Many people print things because they are fearful. They fear they might lose it on the computer; fear they might not remember what it is that they need to deal with; fear they might not have a proper trail unless it’s filed somewhere — so better print it off as a safeguard.

Why do you print things off of your computer? Challenge yourself to move more towards going paperless.

Time Saver #3: Have systems for your paper.

If you can’t go completely paperless and have your bills on a preauthorized payment system, here’s a great acronym to help you remember what your relationship to paper should look like: OHIOOnly Handle It Once.

This is the best rule of thumb when it comes to paper. If your credit card bill comes in the mail, file it under the day you will deal with it. Do not even open it until you are going to pay it. This way, you’re not handing the same piece of paper multiple times — opening the envelope, looking it over, putting it in a “for later” pile, forgetting where you put it, searching for it, etc. — when you know you only need to handle it once.

There are some who think that organization kills creativity or spontaneity. I’d challenge you to just try organizing your systems — just try it, for these next several weeks. You might be surprised how clearing clutter actually opens up new ideas and spontaneous energy in unexpected ways.

By |2014-07-08T04:30:14+00:00July 8th, 2014|Time Management|0 Comments
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