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Confessions Of A Professional Organizer – Part 5

Every year without fail the magazine companies feature articles on getting organized. It is one of the top New Year’s resolutions.

Most of the information isn’t anything new.

Why is it that the magazine companies keep repeating the same message?

Please leave your thoughts in the comment box below.

In the meantime, check out this short video on Confessions Of A Professional Organizer, part 5

Stay safe, healthy and calm.

To your success,

Rowena

PS: Do you have a stash of magazines? Not sure what to do with them? Contact rowena@gettingittogether.ca for your free over the phone consultation

By organize|2021-02-23T19:21:21+00:00February 23rd, 2021|Home Organization, Organization Tips|0 Comments

Confessions Of A Professional Organizer: Part Three

The average home has over 350,000 things in it.

How many are in your home?

How many of the things are you really using?

Check out this short video on Confessions of a Professional Organizer: Part 3

I don’t know how many items are in my home. But I know that moving from Minimalism to Essentialism is liberating and empowering.

Minimalism is all about keeping the things around you that you use, need and love. If you take it one step further you go to essentialism. Essentialism is where you pick up the item and simply say “hell yes, I want this in my life.” If it is serving a purpose for you, then that’s all that matters.

For example; how many vases do you use, need and want?

Pick up a vase and ask yourself “is this a hell yes vase, I absolutely love it and I’d be sad if it broke?” If so, keep it. If not, then it is time to donate it.

Who do you know who would benefit from downsizing?

Please share the love by sharing this link with them and while you’re at it, please add to your social media.

PS: One of the top three New Years Resolutions is to get organized. What’s yours? Share below

By organize|2020-12-15T23:16:12+00:00December 15th, 2020|Home Organization, Organizer|2 Comments

A Covid-19 Christmas – How Will You Make This Holiday Season Special?

Wouldn’t we all love it if we could have a “normal” Christmas?

Do you dream of having your family around you?

Do you dream of your traditions?

I do and I’m sure you do as well. Unfortunately this year 2020 will look different for all of us.

Check out this short video on “A Covid-19 Christmas” then read on for some fun ideas.

Rather than dwelling on all the things we can’t have or do, let’s take a look at some creative new ideas and traditions. This could be the perfect year to create a calm Christmas/Holiday Season. A stress-free Christmas. A debt free Christmas. This could be the perfect year to make colossal changes and step out of the box.

What could be some of these new traditions?

Sponsoring a family. We will all be spending a lot less on entertainment and gifts so possibly we could sponsor two or three families this year.

Could this be the year to focus on handmade gifts? To get creative and crafty.
Could this be the year to give the gift of time. This is the most precious gift that you can give people.

Could this be the season to get organized and set up lasting systems that work for you and the whole family?

What about doing zoom cook offs amongst family members. Who makes the best stuffing for an example or the best pies? It would all be in good fun.

This could be the season to get active. Instead of sitting around all day with your family, like the past, you could get active within your bubble. That might be snowshoeing, a walk around the seawall, hike, or shoveling snow for your neighbours.

Maybe Christmas this year could be spent away in a cabin with a good book and a cozy fire.

After all, this is the year of the big pause.

However you plan on spending your Holiday Season, I wish you and your family all the best of health and happiness.

PS: Needing help planning for your Holiday Season? Check out www.gettingittogether.ca and get your free over the phone session.

By organize|2020-11-24T17:22:05+00:00November 24th, 2020|Home Organization, Organizer|0 Comments

Confessions Of A Professional Organizer: Part 1

Do you find it hard to believe that a professional organizer has anything to toss out?

Do you struggle with tossing things out?

Do you struggle with what to do with your photos?

Check out this short video on Confessions of a Professional Organizer then check out the following tips from Getting It Together:

Tip 1: It’s important to know your limit. I have one Rubbermaid container that holds all my photos/photo albums. If the lid doesn’t shut then it’s time to downsize some of the photos. This is what happened recently when I brought a photo album home from my mom’s place.

Tip 2: Like me, you might have pictures of people from your past that are no longer in your life. If you look at a picture and it brings you joy keep it. If you look at a picture and it doesn’t bring you joy then it’s time to toss it. Also keep in mind, how many pictures do you need to tell the story?

Are you wondering why I wouldn’t digitalize all my photos?

I enjoy holding the actual photo album or the pictures and flipping through them. I find that I hardly ever look at pictures that are on my computer. We have so much time on our computers that it’s important to step away from them. My photo albums help with that.

Of course, all the pictures that I take with my digital camera or phone are on my computer and I don’t print them. The photos that are in my Rubbermaid go back from pre-digital pictures. Maybe one day I might digitize them all.

What are your thoughts on that? Leave them in the comment box below.

Please share the love by sharing this link with your family and friends and also posting it on social media.

And check out www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-09-22T20:11:37+00:00September 22nd, 2020|Home Organization, Organization Tips|12 Comments

How To Organize Your Music?

Do you have more than one place to play music?

Are you keeping CD’s just in case? Just in case are the three deadliest words.

Would you like to streamline your music once and for all?

I did just that while we were in quarantine.

I personally have all my Cd’s downloaded on my computer which are also on my iPod.

I have a Google Home. And I have free music on my phone.

Way too much!!

All the cd’s went to donate.

The iPod is in the closet for travel and may find its way to donate before long as I can use my phone. What are your thoughts on that?

Check out this short video by Getting It Together on How To Organize Your music

https://youtu.be/34TFNWgsld8?t=6

And for fun, check out this short video from 10 years ago on How To Organize Your Cd’s

https://youtu.be/YQmnUsOZt2w

By organize|2020-07-21T19:14:08+00:00July 21st, 2020|Home Organization, Organization Tips|0 Comments

How To Organize While in Quarantine – Part 4

Are you wondering when life will get back to the way it was?

Are you trying to adjust to our new normal? I know I am.

I had a couple of areas in my condo that needed addressing. My school yearbooks. I’ve moved them three times over the years. Never again! They take up valuable real estate and I don’t look at them. What’s the point of keeping them?

Check out this short video on How To Organize a While in Quarantine part-4

And then let me know your thoughts by commenting below.

PS. If you need help organizing your home or have any questions for me, feel free to email me directly at rowena@gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-07-06T19:08:13+00:00June 23rd, 2020|Home Organization, Organization Tips, Organizer|0 Comments

How To Organize In A Quarantine – Part 3

We have been in self-isolation/quarantine for three months now. For many of you, this has been a very long and hard road with not only trying to home school your children, work from home and prepare meals every single day.

Check out this short video by Getting It Together on How To Organize For A Quarantine Part 3. Then read on for the TOP 3 helpful tips.

Tip 1: Always cook in bulk. Even if you’re making a roast dinner, prepare extra vegetables and potentially turn the leftovers into a stew which can be frozen in single servings.

Tip 2: Have a menu plan for two weeks at a time. Rotate that menu plan for the first two weeks of every month followed by a different menu plan for the last two weeks of every month.

Tip 3: Keep things simple and healthy.

PS: Are you still finding it a challenge to cook? Check out my new services where I will come right to your kitchen and prepare healthy freezer meals for you and your family. Contact rowena@gettingittogether.ca for rates and bookings.

PPS: Check out these two exciting podcasts where I was a guest on Heart Sells Podcast based in Germany.

231 Getting IT Together with Rowena List

232 Making Space For Magic with Rowena List

And when you are done with all this insight, please check out

https://www.facebook.com/HeartSellsPodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOk7tVeHsgaoyJnV9iJfRTg

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By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:25+00:00May 25th, 2020|Home Organization, Self Care Organization|0 Comments

How To Organize In A Quarantine – Part 2

Check out this short video on How To Organize In A Quarantine. Part 2 then read my talented Toastmasters friends Poem.

Staying at home, being quiet can bring out some of your talents and creativity. It sure did for this person, don’t you think?

Corona virus poem

As I sits here in self isolation away from my friends

I think of what I can do until the quarantine ends.

I look all around me there’s plenty to clean

I could scrub and disinfect until all is a gleam

Or I could go out to shop buy things that we need

But the shelves are all empty so unlikely to succeed.

Its funny how toilet paper is so popular these days

There must be some people using it in unimaginable ways.

People are staying at home and learning to cook

Using an internet recipe or an old recipe book

I look out of the window thinking what should I do

And that’s when I see sky in a beautiful blue hue

Outside is so sunny , so warm and so bright

I decide to go out and enjoy all the light.

I sit on the front porch in my adorondack chair

Looking out on the street I see something quite rare.

The neighbor is out with his kids all in tow

Other families are biking all in a row

There are joggers and skaters and kids towed in a cart

Of course they are all keeping 6 feet apart

Another neighbor I haven’t seen for some time

Walks by, gives a wave and hopes all is just fine.

There’s gardeners outside pulling up weeds

Others are mowing , pruning and planting some seeds.

One kid is up climbing so high up a tree

Reminds me of childhood. Oh I was so free.

The sidewalk and roadway has pictures of chalk

A man and his wife take their dog for a walk,

Its refreshing to see the neighborhood so alive

I guess Covid 19 brought everyone outside.

And that’s when I realize that in this odd Spring

Its teaching us to appreciate some simpler thing

Like being a good neighbor, family member and friend

We’re in this together until this pandemic’s end.

Written by AM of Coquitlam BC Canada

Permission to use was granted.

PS: We are 4-6 weeks in quarantine. Have you checked off several of your “To Dos”?

If not, why not take advantage of a FREE over the phone coaching call with Rowena.

Check out www.gettingittogether.ca to book your time.

In the mean time subscribe to her Facebook and YouTube

https://www.facebook.com/rowenalist?ref=profile

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMcjOCWSWaIBtw9CR3cLxfg?view_as=subscriber

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00April 27th, 2020|Home Organization|0 Comments

How to Reduce Your Fast Fashion Imprint

Do you buy based on price or need?

Fast fashion refers to an unsustainable apparel-making method that produces inexpensive clothing rapidly in response to the latest style trends.

It’s destroying our environment!

Check out this short video on How To Reduce Your Fast Fashion Imprint then read on for Getting It Togethers Top 5 Tips

Tip1. Buy less clothing. How many pairs of black pants does a gal need? How many five-dollar T-shirts does a kid need? Buy what you need not what you want.

Tip 2. By higher quality clothes that will last longer. If you’re creative you could always make some things.

Tip 3. Invest in timeless, core wardrobe pieces that you can build around.

Tip 4. Take the time to research what you are buying, where it’s made and by whom. Companies like forever 21, Walmart, and Joe fresh support slave labour in places like Bangladesh where the worker is only making $68 a month. This is not even a living wage in their country.

Do the math:
$5.00 t-shirt, = 50% goes to the retailer
25% goes to the brand
25% goes to the overhead, manufacturing and then labour

Tip 5. Wash your clothes less often and stay clear of clothes that need to be dry cleaned if it all possible. Washing clothes takes years off it’s life.

Together we can make a difference if we at least all try to do our best to stay away from as much fast fashion as we possibly can.

Share the love by sharing this link.

PS: Is your wardrobe a closet or museum? Needing help getting organized? Contact www.gettingittogether.ca for a FREE over the phone consultation.

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00February 18th, 2020|Home Organization|4 Comments

How To Meal Plan Like A Pro

Are you like most people, too tired at the end of the day to even think about preparing a healthy meal?

Have you lost your creativity in the kitchen?

Would you like some go-to dishes that every family member will gobble up?

Watch this short video on How To Meal Plan Like A Pro and then follow Getting It Togethers’ Top 5 Tips

Tip 1: Organize your kitchen. There’s nothing worse than trying to prepare meals in a disorganized cluttered kitchen. How can you get anyone to help you if they don’t know where the items are and you don’t know where they are? Set aside time to donate all the kitchen items you’re no longer using. Clear out all the expired food items in your pantry and fridge. Put all non-kitchen items in their proper place.

Tip 2: Clean all surfaces. Kitchen counters are not designed to be a dumping zone. Make sure all counters are scrubbed down and your kitchen is ready for food prep. Be sure to also clean as you go. There’s nothing worse than a big mess to clean up after a nice meal.

Tip 3: Select your top 10 favourite meals. Things that the whole family will enjoy. Is it stew, pasta, fajitas or chicken casserole? Most households rotate their top 10 meals throughout the course of the month. Look over the recipes and see what items you need to purchase and make your shopping list.

Tip 4: Prepare in bulk. When you bring home your fresh produce, wash it, cut it up and put it in containers. This saves precious time when it comes to meal prep. Select a two-hour slot in your week where you can cook in bulk and freeze. Maybe you could make a huge pot of pasta sauce and your neighbour could make a big stew and you can share. Cooperative cooking.

Tip 5: Clear the clutter from your mind. Once the clutter is cleared from your mind, it makes room for creativity. This doesn’t mean you have to cook like a French chef, it just means your mind is open to put together a healthy meal for your family. Consider deep breathing on the way home from work or a walk with a friend or spa like music.

PS: Would you rather not cook at all? One of my new services is to come into your home and prepare healthy meals for you and your family. Contact me for all the details. www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00January 14th, 2020|Home Organization, Organizer, Recipes, Time Management|0 Comments