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7 Inspirational Quotes to Start 2022

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Calendars, Holidays, Motivation, Quotes

7 Inspirational Quotes to Start 2022

When we begin a new year, we love to think of starting off life with a clean slate. We think of goals we would like to accomplish in the new year. With that in mind, I want to share seven inspirational quotes to start 2022 … and to perhaps inspire you toward your clean slate.

“Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.” Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“Each New Year, we have before us a brand-new book containing 365 blank pages. Let us fill them with all the forgotten things from last year—the words we forgot to say, the love we forgot to show, and the charity we forgot to offer.” Peggy Toney Horton

“Plant seeds every single day that you know who you are, you know what you’re about, and you know what goals you’ve set for yourself.” Stephen Curry

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” Melody Beattie

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Gloria Steinem

“Don’t make plans. Make options.” Jennifer Aniston

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” Ellen Goodman

Is there an inspirational quote that resonates with you? Are you thinking how you can use that quote as the framework for your 2022? Share your quote for 2022 with me on Facebook.

Photo: PicJumbo

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New Year’s Resolutions from Resolutions

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals, Holidays, Motivation

New Year’s Resolutions from Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions…

Let’s face it, the last two years have ranged from horrible to horrendous. With 2022 looming, many of us are dreading making resolutions we know that we will break and then feel guilty about, possibly leading to worse behavior, as in “My New Year’s resolution was to lose 10 lb. Well … only 20 more to go.”

Let’s focus on the lighter side of resolutions. First, though, please know that I take solutions so seriously it’s my business’s name: as in Re: solutions. I can help you achieve your solutions, whether it’s organizing your home, your work, your activities, and/or your finances. When you think about making your New Year’s “resolutions” remember “Resolutions” where solutions are an integral part of our name and how we help you.

I also want to stress that, given all we have been through the last nearly two years, rather than call them resolutions, let us try to think of them as goals. To be successful, those goals need to be specific to be terrific, manageable, and ultimately followed through on. To be specific, instead of resolving to “lose some weight”, which all of us tend to want to do after weeks of holiday eating, focus on losing 15 pounds or perhaps 5% of your current weight. Many times, quantifying tasks keep their completion within reach, especially when you can see your progress

To keep this topic light and to still enjoy our holidays, let us launch 2022 with some fun. Best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy, and successful 2022!

15 Funny New Year’s Resolutions

Funny New Year’s Resolutions

30 Funny New Year’s Resolutions

Photo: Pixabay

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Putting Off Cooking for the Holidays?

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Cooking, Food, Goals, Holidays, Home, Kitchen, Procrastination, Time Management

Cooking for the holidays

My previous blog was about getting organized to fight procrastinating on a household chore. Did you ever consider applying the same technique to cooking? Face it, we all tend to put off cooking for the holidays. It is just one more chore that needs to be done during a hectic season. However, the rewards of having it done ahead of time are priceless!

If you find that you are not in the mood to cook, but you have a deadline of an approaching holiday or even just tonight’s dinner, try breaking down the big steps.

Early in the day, pull out the cooking utensils—whatever pots, pans, spatulas, bowls, and other tools you will need. It takes just a minute but will get the ball rolling.

Later you can spend a few minutes measuring ingredients and chopping. Set those aside, refrigerating the ingredients that will spoil. By the way, I do find that taking the time up front to measure all the ingredients not only ensures you have the quantity of an item needed for the recipe, but it really does speed up the time you are spend on cooking your dish.

Since you have already done the heavy lifting, now all that is left is the cooking itself, which will be more enjoyable—or at least less taxing.

The most rewarding outcome is that when the holidays do roll in, you will have a large portion of prepared recipes that you can pull out of the freezer. You will be so happy you did not procrastinate!

Photo: Pixabay

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Coming soon: the 2015 Procrastinators’ Convention (They Keep Putting It Off)

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals, Procrastination, Time Management

procrastination

I was going to blog about procrastination, but I have not gotten around to it. Until now.

Dear friend: You can postpone reading this blog by checking out these 71 procrastination jokes.

You may ask yourself what does organizing have to do with procrastination? Getting organized can be the first step in getting something done, and it can be satisfying enough that perhaps you will take the next step.

Let’s say you have a small painting project, such as touching up the baseboards in one room. You have already spent more time thinking about doing it, feeling guilty that you haven’t done it, and rationalizing why you have not done it than it will take you just to do the task in the first place.

First take that tiny step of gathering the tools: the paint, brush, paint stirrer, and place them in the room, next to your baseboard. Every time you walk past those tools, you will be reminded of that painting project. Maybe then you will take the next step, which is cleaning the surface.

At this point, you realize you can just get the whole project out of the way in 15 minutes. You take care of the painting and then can enjoy putting off the next chore, whatever it may be.

Breaking down a task may be the best way of tackling projects, especially those that have been on your to do list for a very long time. You know the ones you have been procrastinating.

Photo: Unsplash

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Thanksgiving

 

Wishing a happy and safe Thanksgiving to all my clients and blog readers. I appreciate your business, and your support. With much gratitude, Dawn

Photo: Oh My Handmade

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5 Photos You Should Keep on Your Phone (and a 6th If You Have a Dog)

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Apps, Electronics, Emergency, Paper Management, Phone, Photos, Safety, Security

5 Photos You Should Keep on Your Phone (and a 6th If You Have a Dog)

Chances are you have your phone with you more often than you carry your wallet. There are five photos that you should keep on your phone, just in case:

  1. Your driver’s license (and passport if traveling internationally)
  2. Your health insurance card(s)
  3. Your COVID-19 vaccination card
  4. Your car’s license plate (and that of any rental car you drive)
  5. Other IDs (work, school, and auto insurance)

And if you have a dog:

  1. Your dog’s rabies certificate

Where on your phone?

  • In Photos. Create an album called Documents so you don’t have to scroll through all your vacation pictures to find these important photos.
  • In Apple Notes. This has the added benefit of letting you lock the note and assign a password to protect it.
  • In the Cloud. Dropbox, iCloud, etc. where you need a password to access. Downside: you will need Internet access
  • In your password manager, in the Notes or Documents section.

Having these critical photos at the ready will be a lifesaver in an emergency. Keeping them up to date is even more important. Create a reminder in your calendar to update the photos as the identification information gets renewed or changes.

Photo: Pixabay

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3 Tips to Reduce the Stress of Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Fall, Family, Food, Groceries, Holidays, Kitchen, Self Care, Shopping, Thanksgiving

3 Tips to Reduce the Stress of Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

We all love gathering around the dining room table with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Did you know that it is truly possible for the host to relax and enjoy the day if these three tips are observed to reduce the stress of hosting Thanksgiving dinner?

  1. Delegate: Have guests bring side dishes. Coordinate so you don’t end up with five bowls of mashed potatoes. When invited, most people naturally ask, “What can I bring?” Don’t be shy; take them up on it! Tell them what you need from your well-prepared list sitting at the ready. The burden should not fall solely on the host.
  2. Cook ahead: Cook dishes that freeze well (soups, relishes, desserts, or breads) weeks ahead and freeze. Plan to cook only the turkey and any sides that need to be prepared fresh (salads, gravy) on Thanksgiving Day.
  3. Set your table: If the table you will be using for Thanksgiving is not your everyday dinner table, set the table a day or two ahead of time. Pull out the good dinnerware, glassware, napkins, and tablecloth as well as serving pieces and utensils. That gives you time to polish any silver, if necessary, to iron any linens, and to configure the layout of the table. Oh, don’t forget to add the extra table leaves first!

Now that all the preparation is done for the big day, sit back and enjoy a nice cup of tea while observing the gorgeous table you have prepared for all.

Photo: Pixabay

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5 Ways to Prepare Your House to Retain Heat This Winter

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Budget, Eco-friendly, Fall, Finances, Home, Winter

5 Ways to Prepare Your House to Retain Heat This Winter

Oil and natural gas prices are expected to significantly rise this winter. While you can’t control prices, you can take some measures to conserve heat. Here are five ways to prepare your house to retain heat this winter.

  1. Have your boiler/furnace cleaned. You should have this done by a professional every year. Identify problems before they become emergencies. Imagine waking up on a January morning to your home being 60 degrees…or less! Avoid what you can control now. Call your HVAC company pronto!
  2. Remove window air conditioners or cover them and seal the windows. Snow has already fallen in many locations; therefore, do this as soon as you are able.
  3. Seal windows. You can use weather stripping, plastic sheeting, and tape designed for this purpose. There are many products available. I’m not endorsing any specific brand, just offering some examples so you know what I’m referring to. I installed plastic sheeting on my parent’s patio sliding doors and could instantly feel the difference.
  4. Block off drafts under doors: You can get basic functional ones or fun, decorative door blockers.
  5. Install storm doors if you don’t have them. Having that extra layer of glass will decrease the amount of cold air entering your home.

Taking any of these steps will make a difference in sealing your home and preventing your hard-earned money from going out the window…or door.

Photo: Pixabay

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New Tool to Try: A Nifty ‘Scrapbook’ for Saving Your Online Reading

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Apps, Computer, Magazines, Products, Technology

Do you find yourself bookmarking or printing articles you’ve read online, only to have a disorganized collection of information? If so, here’s a free app, Clipparoo, that lets you organize those articles, and even easily share them with others.

Below is an example of someone’s account to give you an idea of the app.

New Tool to Try: A Nifty ‘Scrapbook’ for Saving Your Online Reading

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3 Ways You Can Plan for the Holidays Today

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Budget, Christmas, Family, Finances, Gifts, Holidays

3 Ways You Can Plan for the Holidays Today

It’s not too early to plan for the holidays, especially this year: disruptions in supply chains could mean that items you were hoping to purchase for gifts could be difficult to come by. Even books are affected because of limited supply of paper and because some popular gift books are printed overseas. This includes coffee table books, children’s picture books, books with fancy paper or covers—in other words, gift-y books. Supply chain issues across industries are predicted to hamper holiday shopping, so if you usually wait until after Thanksgiving to shop, you might be out of luck.

An early start also lets you take advantage of sales. Try these lists to begin.

Gift list: One of the first lists to create is the gift list. Who will receive gifts? How much do you want to spend on each person? What gift ideas do you have for each recipient? This list can be done using pen to paper, an Excel spreadsheet, or an app. A client of mine uses Giftser for her family. It’s easy to use and functions not only for the holidays, but for birthdays, and other special events.

Another app creates a wish list maker for Christmas. In 2020, PC Magazine put together a list of 9 apps to help you organize your holiday gift list which you may find helpful if you want to create your list digitally this year.

Alternatively, you may want to try the family “gift suggestion folder”: Each family member has a folder. When someone has an idea for what they’d like as a gift, they should write it on a slip of paper and put it in the folder. Or they can use an ad, rip a page from a catalog, or print a page from a website. Then when it’s time to gift that person, others can choose items from the folder. You’ll give what the person wants, and chances are they’ve forgotten what they put in the folder (if you start it early enough) that it’ll be a surprise. Even if it’s not a surprise, it’ll be a gift that won’t be returned.

Card list: Decide if you will be using ecards, paper cards, or both. Update your mailing list. If you send printed, personalized cards, plan the family photo, and order the cards. Go to the post office now to buy your holiday stamps before the mad rush begins. Did you know you can order your postal stamps online? The holiday stamps are now available online.

Grocery list: I am sure you have family favorites you enjoy eating over the holidays. After all, a lot of the food is a tradition for your family and what many look forward to eating all year long. Since you know what you will be preparing, you can add a few non-perishable items each week to your grocery list. That way, you are not only done with shopping early for those items, but also not putting a crimp in your budget by having to purchase extra things last minute when you are always stretched to the limit from gift buying.

Well, let the countdown begin… But most importantly, enjoy your friends and family over this holiday season!

Photo: Pixabay

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