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Purge! 5 Things to Purge from Your Command Center

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Calendars, Children, Desk, Family, Kitchen, Office, Paper Management — No Comments ↓

There is one place in the home that is typically the “hub” for the family. This is what I like to call the command center. It can be the desk in your kitchen, a corner in your dining room, or the desk in your home office. While it is essential to have a home base, sometimes these nooks accumulate piles of unnecessary items. It’s time to say “bye” to all of those papers and “stuff” that no longer serves you. Below are a few categories to sort through and PURGE!

  1. Expired coupons – I’m a big fan of saving money, but how many times have you clipped a coupon only to find that it has expired? Whether you save store or restaurant coupons, take a look at the expiration date. If these have expired, say farewell. Additionally, to stay ahead of expiration dates, keep your coupons in a small accordion folder and organize by month, and then create subcategories for categories.
  1. Out-of-Date School Calendars – If you have kids, you know you can collect many different activity calendars. Make sure you just have the most recent schedule of their games and activities, and discard the rest! If you really want to maintain a cleaner command center, keep these dates in your electronic calendar and throw out the paper.
  1. Pens – I just moved and I was amazed at how many pens, highlighters, and markers that had accumulated. I spent time going through them after I moved and got rid of any that were dried out, or those I didn’t like. Oh so liberating!
  1. Odds and Ends – The command center is also the space that reels in all of those random items. You know, the items you put down “just for now” with the intention of moving, but somehow they never move. Take the time to move those items to their intended location, or simply get rid of them. Also, in the future, always take the time to properly store and organize those items NOW. If you truly want to stay organized, there is no room in the day for “I’ll do it later”!
  1. Old Invitations and Calendars – Look around your command center. Chances are you see a few party invitations, holiday cards or baby announcements. If the event has passed, purge those invitations. If there is a holiday card or announcement you want to keep, store those in a keepsake box. As for old calendars, send those straight to the recycle bin!

After you go through this exercise you should see the top of your command center! Hallelujah! What else did you find that didn’t belong in your command center?

Photo: Real Simple

Tip Tuesday – Garage Organization: What to Avoid Storing in the Garage

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Car, Garage, Goals, Groceries, Home Improvement, Paper Management, Storage — No Comments ↓

Tip Tuesday - Garage Organization: What to Avoid Storing in the Garage

Many people find that they are storing everything BUT their cars in the garage. Are you one of these people? Home storage is a commodity, and I completely understand the urge to toss everything in the garage for safekeeping. The first and obvious point I want to make is that you should store everything in an orderly fashion, and maintain some space for your vehicles. (Check out one of my older blog posts on this very topic!).

The next, more important point is that there are things you should absolutely avoid storing in the garage. In most parts of the country, we deal with inclement temperatures during the winter months. Therefore there are some items that should not be stored in our garages.

Paint – Paint is expensive! Extreme cold and hot temperatures are not good for paint, and you risk ruining your paint supply if you store these in the garage. Paint should be stored in a cool place, and believe it or not, stored upside down to create a tight seal around the top of the can.

Propane Tanks – Safety, first! Yes, you can bring your grill inside but leave the propane tank outside. A leak could cause an explosion and the fire code recommends that it be stored at least 5 feet from your home.

Food – Extreme temperatures are not good for canned food. Additionally, dry goods may attract rodents and other pests. It is best to leave food indoors in a cool area of your home.

Books and other paper items – In the summer heat and humidity skyrockets, and these weather conditions can ruin books, photo albums, memorabilia and other paper items. The humidity causes paper fibers to expand and contract, which will make corners curl and ruin bindings on the spines of your books and bound items.

If you do have any of the above items in your garage, it is time to move them out! By clearing out these items, you’ll create more room to walk around your car, and hey, you might be able to park your car in the garage!

Photo: realsimple.com

We’re Loving: 3 Essentials for Organizing Cords in Your Office

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Computer, Desk, Electronics, Home Improvement, Moving, Office, Products — No Comments ↓

We’re Loving: 3 Essentials for Organizing Cords in Your Office

It’s the new year, and that means your office should be in tip-top shape. Clean, organized and ready for 2017, right? Well, if you’re not quite there with your office, it’s okay! Now is the time to take little steps to make your office your working sanctuary. One way to help tackle this is to tame those pesky cords!

I just moved and dealing with the onslaught of cables is driving me crazy! The good news is that there are ways to manage those ugly cables. Here are a few that may help you.

  1. BlueLounge CableBox – This is a sleek black or white cable organizing system that covers up those cable eyesores! It houses your power strips and contains excess lengths of cable. The cords and cables slip neatly through the opening at the other side, and you can also store your phone or router on top of it.
  1. Cable Twisters – I love these because there are multiple colors in the package. You can use them to color categorize what you are holding in the twister to make it easy to access. By doing this, you won’t go crazy determining what cable to grab if you need to change your devices!
  1. OXO Good Grips Chrome Cable Catch – These are fancy and functional! The opening lets you easily insert and remove cords and prevents them from sliding away when you unplug a device. It’s especially handy for items that are frequently charged and used, such as smart phones, tablets, MP3 players and laptops. How many times a day do we need to plug and unplug our tablets or smart phones and the cord drops to the floor? I just love these!

What are your go-to products or DIY techniques for managing your office cables?

Photo: amazon.com

Book Club: 3 Self Improvement Books to Read Through Winter

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Books, Goals — No Comments ↓

After the holiday rush is over, and goals are set for the year, it is time to decompress a bit (hopefully!). The long winter months of New England tend to incite a longing to curl up with a good book. I don’t know about you but there is nothing like being able to sip a cup of tea, wrapping myself in a blanket and really diving into a book on a snowy day.

I also find that this is the perfect time to embark on reading self-improvement books that align with your 2017 goals. What better way to garner inspiration and motivation!

Here are a few self-improvement books that you may find hard to put down once you start reading.

  1. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. If your primary goal centers on your career, this may be a good book for you. Lean In examines women’s leadership roles, and really empowers women to achieve their full potential. This book came out of a powerful TED talk she gave in 2010. Learning to advocate for yourself is one of the best things you can do to strengthen your career.
  1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. If your goal focuses on finding more happiness in your life, this book is for you. Rubin spent a year digging into scientific research and conventional wisdom to find what truly makes people happy. She found that ‘novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference’. This book will help you find what really matters to you, and uncover that joy missing in your day-to-day life.
  1. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown. “You are enough!” This is one of the great takeaways from this book. Brown encourages us to really dig deep into our minds, hearts, and spirits to discover how to be comfortable in our own skin. In my opinion, once you can be truly yourself, the rest will fall into place.

These are the books on my radar. What books are you cozying up with this winter?

Photo: amazon.com

Do or Don’t – Creating a cleaning schedule

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Bathroom, Bedroom, Home Improvement, Kitchen, Laundry, Time Management — No Comments ↓

Let’s talk about cleaning. Few people love to clean (unless you’re one of those people who find it therapeutic!). And the last thing you want to schedule time for is CLEANING. Scheduling social activities is fun. Scheduling time to clean…not so fun! But in my opinion, it has to be done.

Who remembers their grandmother’s cleaning schedule? My grandmother used to clean various parts of her house on specific days of the week. My own mother picks one day a week to do all her laundry. On that day of the week, she changes her sheets and towels as well.

In theory, it is helpful to have a cleaning schedule. Whether it’s scheduling a day for different rooms, or doing it all at once.

If you can determine what areas of your house need a weekly cleaning – the bathroom and kitchen, for example – then the next step is to pick a day of the week that you know you can commit to cleaning that room or rooms. The other cleaning tasks would need to be put in your schedule for either a weekly or bi-weekly task.

For some busy people, doing the entire cleaning from top to bottom or from right to left is much easier to tackle. Personally, it’s more effective for me to clean the entire house at once. The one exception is with laundry. This is a task that I maintain throughout the week.

The bottom line is that you have to form a cleaning schedule that works for you and your home! What works best for you?

Photo: Real Simple

Tip Tuesday: Three Things Organized People Do Every Day

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals, Home Improvement — No Comments ↓

Living an organized life is a daily practice. Trust me. It’s a dedicated lifestyle! Like exercising or eating healthy, being organized requires persistence and a strong mental game. It’s hard at first, but once you get into a routine, it all falls into place. Below are three tips to help you on your way to a more organized new year.

  1. Make downsizing a daily activity. If you open a cupboard or drawer to grab an item, and have to move tons of stuff to get to what you want, it might be time to re-evaluate that space. Do you really need six spatulas? Can 2 suffice? Think of all the time you will save when you can grab it easily and have a home for it upon its return!
  1. Restoring the room to its original look. When you enter an organized room, leave the room in its original condition. For example, take the living room. You grab a blanket from the basket, and pick up the remote from the side table. Instead of leaving the blanket and remote on the couch, put the items back! Restoring order is a maintenance task that few love to do but it can’t be done without you and your commitment.
  1. Forget perfectionism. Life gets busy and sometimes complicated. Even the most organized person can fall off track. However, having systems and established homes in place allow order to be restored faster than you can imagine. Cut yourself a break. Your home doesn’t have to look like a museum or a page out of a design magazine. You need to feel comfortable and ok with whatever your definition of organized means. From my perspective, it’s being able to find what I need, when I need it, and enjoying my home and life without being OCD.

Practicing these three, simple tasks every day can truly lead you on the path to a more organized life. What are some ways that you maintain order in your life?

Photo: Kaboompics.com

Purge! 3 Things to Purge from Your Bedroom

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Bedroom — No Comments ↓

 

Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary, right? Take a look around. Does your room give off that calm feeling when you walk into your room? Is it clutter free and serene? Your room is for sleeping, rest and relaxation, so if you feel stressed by simply looking around your room, it’s time for a change. Below is a list of what to purge to restore a sense of calm in your bedroom.

  1. Technology – Most of us are guilty of having your smart phones next to our bed. You may use it as your alarm; however having that possible interruption of a text message or an alert coming in while you are sleeping in a dark room is anything but restful. If you must have your phone in your bedroom, make sure it is set to silent mode and more than ten feet away from your bed. Also, be sure to turn it upside down in case you do get a text. Better yet, can you put it in your bathroom or out of your room? Best option, buy an alarm clock and leave your phone out of the room! By doing this, you’ll sleep better and wake up rested.
  1. Old books & magazines – Are there books and magazines in your bedroom collecting dust? It’s time to move the books to storage and get rid of the old magazines. It’s best to only keep magazines in your bedroom if you really read them there. If not, move them out to create a less cluttered look. Now, look around for books that you have already read. Donate them to your local library or charity, or store them in your library.
  1. Jewelry – What a great project to tackle this winter! I am sure you have costume jewelry that is just sitting around that you don’t like or wear anymore. Pass it on to your daughter, or donate it. If you have fine jewelry, see about selling it online or at a local pawnshop.
  1. Shoes – Ahh, ALL of those shoes in your closet. Do you really wear them? First, purge the shoes that are heavily worn or ruined. Old flip-flops or shoes with worn soles should be donated or thrown out. If you have professional shoes that you don’t wear, donate them to a charity like Dress for Success. If you do a seasonal swap of clothes, also swap out your shoes to create more space in your closet for boots and winter shoes.
  1. Pillows and blankets – When is the last time you replaced your pillows? According to the Sleep Council, pillows should be replaced every two years and duvets should be thrown away after five years. Dust mites and other yucky things can collect in pillows and duvets so it is important to get rid of them on a regular basis. After all, isn’t our health worth it?

Now that you have your marching orders for your bedroom purge, schedule some time in your calendar to put this into action! What else have you edited from your bedroom to create a more serene environment?

3 Things to AVOID When Goal Setting

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals — No Comments ↓

3 Things to AVOID When Goal Setting

Hey, folks! I hope you are shaking off that Christmas food coma, and continuing to relish in that Christmas spirit! The new year is a few short days away – wow, I can’t believe 2016 is coming to a close! As the new year approaches, it’s time for a new set of resolutions. That’s right, let’s talk about goals!

In the past, I’ve talked about tips for creating your goals. This year I want to talk about what NOT to do when goal setting. Below is my quick list on what to avoid when goal setting for 2017.

  1. Don’t set unrealistic goals. You need to be able to achieve your goals so don’t set yourself up for failure. For example, don’t say you will make $1 million dollars this year without really breaking it down and seeing if it is even an achievable goal.
  1. Avoid not prioritizing your goals. It’s wonderful to have more than one goal, but it’s important to iron down your main goal and work on this regardless of the other goals.
  1. Avoid having no idea how to achieve the goal. As you jot down each goal, it’s important to ask what steps you will take to reach those goals. If you have no idea how to reach your goal, you will set yourself up for failure.
  1. Don’t forget about your goals. Once you come up with your prioritized list of goals, you need to consistently look at your goals to ensure you’re working towards achieving them. The most successful people look at their goals every day and have goal-oriented tasks planned out to accomplish their goals.
  1. Avoid not setting a timeline. Alongside writing down the steps you need to take to reach your goal, you also need to write down a timeline for each of those steps. You need to know when you want to achieve that goal! Set a date for you to hit your goal and you will be successful.

What are your tips for achieving your annual goals? Please share so that others may learn from you!

Photo: kaboompics

Have a Merry Christmas!

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Christmas, Holidays — No Comments ↓

Have a Merry Christmas!

By this time, I hope the egg nog is flowing, friends and family are laughing, the feast is cooking, and you have a happy heart. Wishing you and yours the happiest of times spent with friends and family this Christmas season! I hope you got a few fabulous organizing products for Christmas so you can start the new year off in an organized way!

Photo: kaboompics

3 Tips for Organizing Baking Sheets and Muffin Tins

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Kitchen, Products — No Comments ↓

3 Tips for Organizing Baking Sheets and Muffin Tins

There is nothing sweeter than homemade cookies, muffins, brownies, cakes…you name it! All baked goods are quite delicious. This time of year, baking goes into overdrive in many homes. Most of the time, cookie sheets, muffin tins and other essentials are buried in the back of the cabinet, and impossible to retrieve without removing half of the other kitchenware. This can be frustrating!

To save your sanity, it’s time to corral your baking essentials! Below are three ideas to give you peace of mind for the next time you bake those delicious treats.

  1. Vertical Sorter – Who says office organizing products have to stay in the office? Using this vertical sorter will allow you to hold your cookie sheets, cupcake tins, and cake pans in a better position to grab what you need and allow for easy retrieval. Most importantly, it is much easier to put them away!
  1. 4 Sort Divider – Have I told you how much I love The Container Store? There is something for every organization problem. Next time you’re in the store, pick up the 4 Sort Divider. It will keep your bakeware vertical, and makes it easier to grab the items you need.
  1. Adjustable Bakeware Organizer – This is another great solution for your bakeware. This product can be mounted either horizontally or vertically depending on your cabinet configuration and what you want to store.

These are just a few ways to organize your bakeware. Remember, sometimes we can get carried away and have too many tins, pans and cookie sheets, so it’s best to evaluate what you actually use, and purge the rest. If you have an old crusty cookie sheet, get rid of it! If you have bakeware you haven’t ever used, perhaps it’s best to put into storage to free your available kitchen storage space.

How do you organize your bakeware, and more importantly, what are you baking this holiday season?

Photo: kaboompics

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