 Never use your phone books?
Save some trees by opting out of receiving them by visiting www.yellowpagesoptout.org. Looking for a recycling center near you? Visit www.iwanttoberecycled.org. Remember if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, Metro West and Eastern Massachusetts Contact 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  One of the many benefits of getting organized is that you'll discover more time for yourself. When you're organized, your days go as planned and you get a lot done. That leaves more time to indulge in a little "me" time. (You'll have that extra fifteen minutes to stop by the coffee shop for a latte and a scone!) -Posts on Demand
Remember if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, Metro West and Eastern Massachusetts Contact 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Why do we put off until tomorrow what we can do today? Because it's so darn easy to delay!
Now is a great time to make a list of all your current projects. If you are overwhelmed by the enormity of a task, break it down into small steps. Assign each step to a different day on your calendar and make yourself accountable. -Posts on Demand Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Looking for ways to organize your family's busy life? Cozi is a free online service or available as Cozi Gold without advertisements for $19.99/year.
Cozi helps families keep up with appointments and lists and coordinate work and home schedules. Special Cozi functions include Shared and Color-Coded Family Calendar, Shopping List, To Do List, Recipe Box and Family Journal. Access this neat service from your computer or download the app and use on your cell phone. Check out www.cozi.com. -Posts on Demand Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
-Leonardo daVinci Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Plan for tomorrow at the end of today. Take 15 minutes at the end of every day to create tomorrow's to-do list. This habit of planning will give you the gift of focus, allowing you to get a jump start the next morning. By writing down everything that needs to be accomplished tomorrow, you can prioritize so urgent needs get done.
-Posts on Demand Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  1. Keep the phone numbers for your veterinarian, pet hospital, town animal rescue and local pet shelter in your family command center, on your refrigerator and/or in your phone's contact list.
2. Keep a pet carrier for trips to your veterinarian and/or in the event that your pet needs transport due to an emergency situation (flooding, fire, hurricane ...). 3. Check to see if your pet's medications are current or if they have expired. Take a look at the expiration dates of your pet's grooming and cleaning supplies, too. 4. Check your pet's ID tags and town/state license information. Is everything up-to-date? 5. Excess linens? Be sure to donate them to your local pet shelter and they will be put to very good use caring for the animals and cleaning up after them! Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Proper storage is the most fun part of the organizing process. Once your items are sorted by category, decide on the best location for each group of items. Should they stay in their current space? You may decide that items once kept in the basement might be better off in the garage, or attic treasures should move to the basement, for example. Some ideas for placement:
Basement: crafting, emergency supplies, out-of-season clothing, home improvement materials, durable (non-delicate) memorabilia, sports equipment, seasonal items, tools, toys Attic: baby items you’re saving for the next child or grandchildren, crafting, out-of-season clothing, furniture, luggage, durable (non-delicate) memorabilia, seasonal items, past tax documents Garage: automotive, home improvement, lawn and garden, outdoor toys, seasonal items, sports equipment, tools __________________________________________________________________________________ Once you decide on a location, “containerize” small- to medium-sized similar items in plastic or cardboard boxes. Make sure they are well-labeled on the front and sides (not just the tops) for easy identification. Then, make use of vertical space by investing in some sturdy shelving units. Your local hardware or home improvement store will have a wide selection. Things that you use frequently should be easily accessible. Place the heaviest items on the bottom, the most-used stuff at waist to eye level, and things that you rarely (or never) use high up or in the back. For example, special toys that you are saving for future grandchildren can be placed in the attic or on a top shelf in the basement. Sports equipment that you need daily or weekly might be stashed in the garage near the door. When storing paints and chemicals, use caution. Paints need to be kept out of freezing temperatures, so garage storage is usually not a good idea. However, if you store them in your basement, be sure to keep them at least 10 feet from your hot-water heater and furnace so vapors aren't ignited by the gas flame. Consider a locked cabinet if you have young children in your home. Finally, add a humidifier in mildew-prone areas, add some rodent traps (just in case), and bask in your newly organized storage space. © 2016 Articles on Demand™ Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Do you know how to reduce, by 40%, the average amount of housework? According to a study by the American Cleaning Institute, eliminating excess clutter is your secret to success.
Visit http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/reduce_clutter.aspx for a list of specific recommendations and quick tips to reduce clutter for peace of mind and easier cleaning! Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Late August and early September is a very busy time for kids, teens, parents and educators as they come together to build the foundation for another wonderful, successful school year! Kids Health is an outstanding school and family life organizing resource that you may well enjoy visiting and sharing with loved ones throughout the school year!
Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  If you want to raise successfully organized students, you must give them the tools to succeed. A proper study space — that is both comfortable and fully stocked with school supplies — is essential to get kids motivated for after-school studying.
Start by deciding where your kids will do homework. Involve them — ask where they prefer to study, considering their age and independence level. Do they like the privacy and quiet of a desk in their bedroom? Or do they want to be near you in a centrally located space such as the kitchen or family room? Once you decide, make sure it’s well stocked with supplies. If your child has a desk, you may choose to organize supplies inside the drawers or in containers on top of it or on shelving above it. Make sure to categorize, containerize, and label items (such as writing utensils in one area, paper in another) so the desk drawers don’t become chaotic catch-alls. For those working outside their bedrooms, create a portable office. This will allow them to work anywhere inside (or even outside) your home. A tackle box or any type of small storage box (even a shoebox) will do. Fill it with supplies, such as pens, pencils, sharpeners, crayons, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, tape, stapler, paper clips, ruler, calculator, sticky notes, paper, and any other supplies that your child frequently uses. Keep an age-appropriate dictionary handy. Also consider keeping a small stock of rarely needed but important project accessories, such as report covers and poster board. At the end of each study session, remind your students to pack up the supplies so they’re ready for the next day’s use. Teach them to make a list of items that need replenishing. Maintain consistency but allow for flexibility for guaranteed-happy kids. © 2016 Articles on Demand™ Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Although kids may appear organized at home, a peek into their desks or lockers may surprise you! Even an organized kid can create chaos in those small, often neglected spaces.
ELEMENTARY AGE If you’re concerned about the state of your child’s desk, contact the teacher. Perhaps she could hold an “organize your desk” time once a week or month that would benefit all of her students. If your child needs extra attention, ask the teacher if you could stop by before or after school some day for a brief desk tidy-up. Teach your child to take home food containers daily, toss garbage, purge papers that are no longer needed, and keep important take-home papers in a certain folder. See what type of order makes sense for your child. Perhaps she associates colors with certain subjects, so notebooks and folders could correspond to those. Maybe she likes all the notebooks on one side of the desk and the folders on the other. Or perhaps she prefers the items she uses in the morning on one side and afternoon items on the other. Whatever makes sense for her is okay, as long as she understands and maintains the system. MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL AGE This age can be more challenging for parents to help, because you’ll likely not be invited into the school by your student. But you can assist by providing helpful locker accessories like an extra shelf and a magnetic pencil cup and memo board to make staying organized as easy as possible. Discuss ways to organize your student’s things (see prior paragraph) in a logical order. Encourage frequent clean-outs. If it really gets out of control, give her a large garbage bag and have her bring everything home over the weekend. Spend time helping her to sort, purge, and rearrange. She can return the organized items to her locker on Monday. ALL AGES Inventory students’ school supplies at least twice a year and restock anything broken or used up. Check in frequently to see if their desks or lockers need tune-ups and help as necessary. © 2016 Articles on Demand™ Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com  Most people aren’t born organized. It is a skill that is learned. Just as children are taught how to do long division, hit a baseball, or play a musical instrument, they can be taught how to organize their space, time, and tasks. It’s your important job, as the adult in their lives, to pass along helpful tips for organizing success. Here are a few ideas:
• Help create a habit of doing homework in the same place, at the same time, every day. • Teach time management skills. Encourage younger students to look at the family calendar each day so they know what’s coming up. Middle and high schoolers can use a planner to track assignments, large projects, upcoming tests, extracurricular activities, and appointments. Help them see that some things will take a long time to accomplish, while others take only a few minutes. • Help them prioritize tasks each day, focusing first on assignments with the most urgency or earliest due dates. Teach them to use high-energy times to their advantage: It’s often best to do the hardest thing first, rather than saving it for the end of the evening when they’re tired. Or have them start out on a good note by tackling one quick, simple task first to get momentum going, followed by the hardest assignment. Older students will benefit from creating to-do lists. Teach them to use two task groups: an urgent, “do it today” list and a less timely “do it soon” list. © 2016 Articles on Demand™ Remember, if you need assistance and support with your family life, home and/or office organization, you are cordially invited to contact ... Donna LaRoche, M.Ed., Professional Organizer Serving Cape Cod, MetroWest and Eastern Massachusetts Contact: 617.640.2366 www.energizeandorganize.com |
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