Whether you have very little or a whole lot–time is precious. We don’t want to waste it on doing things that don’t make us happy or enhance our life.

On my Facebook Page this month, I’ve been talking about Time Management. For my last Facebook December/Time Management tip, I wrote about a little word that takes one second to say but can save you hours/days/weeks of time.

That word is ‘No.’

In doing a bit of research, I came across a great article that summed up the importance of using the word, ‘No.’ It’s called:

The Gentle Art of Saying No by Leo Babauta

In the article, Mr. Babauta discusses his top ten tips for learning the ‘Gentle Art of Saying No.’ It was so comprehensive that I felt the need to share. Read it to learn how to value your time, know and acknowledge your priorities and practice saying the word ‘No.’

So, if you find yourself constantly telling people ‘Yes’ when you really want to say, ‘No,’ read The ‘Gentle Art of Saying No.’ It will add precious hours back into your already busy life.

October is Kitchen Organizing month at Organized Artistry’s Facebook Page. Every Friday I post a tip based on the monthly theme. My first tip was…

“Got deep cabinets? Make your kitchen items easier to see, access, and organize by installing pull-out drawers. No more surprises in the back of your cabinets! (This comes from personal experience–I love my wire pull-outs!)”

I really believe that up there with the label maker, pull-out drawers for cabinets are one of the greatest inventions designed for getting and staying organized.

Here’s how I came to love my pull-out drawers…

Our kitchen was built in the 1950’s. It’s about 10’x10′ and didn’t have much cabinets and countertop area. Hubby and I had a piece designed by Home Depot that doubled our counter and cabinet space–hooray! In configuring the cabinets to hold our kitchen items, I realized that the bottom shelves of these cabinet were going to be a challenge to access. I didn’t want to waste that valuable new space. But how was I going to make the most of it?

I decided to look in my local Home Depot and there they were–wire pull out drawers. I knew they would do the job–and they were the perfect size, too! I brought them home and installed them myself in a few hours with the help of a pencil and an electric screwdriver.

I use one pull-out drawer for frying pans…

And one for storage containers…

Why are pull out drawers so great?

• They increase your storage space
• No getting on your hands and knees to look for what you need
• Never lose items in the back of your cabinets again

Hubby and I have talked about redoing our kitchen one day. Mark my word–if that ever happens, there’s going to be a large amount of money in the budget for pull-out drawers!

I mentioned last week that I would be revealing October’s topic for my Facebook Tip-of-the-Week. Here it is: It’s all about the kitchen in the month of October!

Why the kitchen? Well, I thought it would be a good idea to offer kitchen organizing tips this month because the holidays are coming. And what do holidays revolve around? Food! And where do we prepare food? In the kitchen. And what room do many of our guests gravitate to when they come to visit? The kitchen.

My first Facebook Tip-of-the-Week for the month of October has to do with cabinets. Read about it and check back for a blog post on my own experiences with this week’s tip.

Have any kitchen organizing tips that have worked for you? I’d love to hear them!

Now, it’s time to select the theme for October…

You have my word–it will not have anything to do with ghosts and goblins or falling leaves. This Friday I’ll be posting my last tip on decluttering. After that, stay tuned for some subtle (and maybe not-so-subtle) ‘what-could-the-next-theme-be?’ hints. Here’s the first one–

I’ll be talking about a particular room in the home…

Keep checking my Facebook Page for more hints or drop by Friday, October 7th when I reveal the first tip of the new month. Looking forward to reading your comments!

Every Friday on my Facebook Fan Page I offer my fans an organizing tip based on a monthly theme. September’s theme is Decluttering.

Decluttering is about sorting and purging your belongings, creating a logical home for them and letting go of the items that you no longer want. Sometimes those items will go in the trash. Sometimes they’ll end up in the loving arms of a friend or family member.

Sometimes, they’ll end up in the loving arms of a stranger. A stranger who has been looking for that item you are giving away. A stranger who cannot otherwise afford to buy that item new.

As the saying goes, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”

Before you begin the decluttering process in your home, think about where you would like to take your donations to. This prevents the donated items from lingering in your home too long. Either…

Bag ’em up. Put them in your trunk.  Drive to a donation center.

or

Bag ’em up. Call for a pickup. Place bags in front of your door.

Below is a short list of organizations that accept donations. Some have freestanding stores and some will pick up at your home. All will give you a tax deduction form for your records.

Vietnam Veterans
Goodwill
Lupus
The Salvation Army

These are the biggies, but don’t forget your local thrift shops and donation centers, too!

Where do you usually donate your unwanted items?

During the month of August I’ve been posting weekly organizing tips to my Organized Artistry Facebook page. The topic: back-to-school organizing.

This past week I talked about how to avoid the age old question, ‘What should I make my kids for lunch?’  But, lunch is not the only thing that can go in a lunch box. How about including a note or surprise in that lunchbox that shows your kid that you’re thinking of them during the day? Need some good note/surprise ideas? How about 51 of them? Read…

51 Smile-Inducing Lunch Box Notes and Surprises

Keep it organized by determining when you’ll include a note or surprise with your child’s lunch–every Monday, the day of a big test, or when you want to give them a little extra lovin’ are a few good ideas. Mark it on your calendar as an extra reminder.

My son starts kindergarten this Fall–I’ve bookmarked the site so I can refer to it during the year. He’s going to love some of these notes and surprises. I like #19 and #25 best.

Which one will your child like?

If it’s August, it must be Back-to-School shopping time!

In honor of the tradition, I’ll be posting weekly organizing tips on Organized Artistry’s Facebook Fan Page on the topic of Back-to-School organizing. Check back every week in August for a new way to get your kids (and yourself) organized for the upcoming school year.

Until then, I leave you with one of my favorite commercials…

I’d better practice my singing–my five year old starts kindergarten this year and he needs supplies!

I just posted the second of my four travel/organizing tips at my Organized Artistry Facebook page.

If you’re going away for more than a night, you’ll appreciate this week’s tip. Hint: it has to do with footwear…

Wishing you safe and organized travel!

People are always asking me for organizing tips. I enjoy being able to provide helpful advice and strategies so starting this week, I’m going to be offering a ‘Tip of the Week’ on my Facebook Fan Page.

Every month I will cover a different topic. July’s tips will be all about Getting Organized for Travel. Are you going away this summer? Be sure to check my Facebook Fan Page for tips to help you get where you want to go in an organized fashion…

According to Mashable, a popular social media and technology blog, Thursday, June 30th is Social Media Day.

From their website:

“The global event is a celebration of the technological advancements that enable everyone to connect with real-time information, communicate from miles apart and have their voices be heard. It is a way to recognize and celebrate the huge impact that social media has made on all of our lives”

Tweet and ‘Like’ to your heart’s content. Check in on FourSquare and link up on Linkedin. After that, watch The Social Network with a bunch of your Facebook friends. Don’t know much about social media? Then Thursday is the perfect day to start thinking about joining the social media revolution.

I joined Linkedin first–I have a small business. It made sense to me to join as a small business owner and wouldn’t require a ton of my time. I didn’t want to join Facebook at first. As a mom of a then four year old and newborn baby, I barely had time to devote to our basic needs, let alone a new pastime. But, my colleagues (and friends) advised me that it would be a smart move to have a social media presence for my business and my book. So, as soon as the baby (and I) started sleeping better, I set up my personal and business profile. Although I post as often as I can, (still working on the lack-of-sleep issue) I also enjoy reading what friends, relatives, colleagues and business owners are up to.

This week I added social media buttons to my blog posts for easy sharing of information. Tomorrow, I’m going to make sure my profiles on Linkedin and Facebook are up-to-date and research how to create a Welcome page for my Organized Artistry Facebook Fan Page.

How will YOU celebrate Social Media Day?