This is my first official blog post on WordPress. I think it took me longer to format it than to write it! I’m getting used to living in my new WordPress home but I’m still bumping into walls and I haven’t unpacked all the boxes yet…

It’s been a while since I’ve written for my blog. I’ve been a little busy moving my business forward in some exciting ways.

1) My new logo. Since you’re reading this you’ve probably already seen my new logo designed by the talented Kate McMillan of Outbox Online Design. Look up–it’s at the top of the page. I just love that squiggle…

2) My new business cards. If you have a new logo, you have to have new business cards!

3) My first promotional item. Shortly after my logo was designed, I was asked to sit on a panel made up of women who had started their own business. I was going to have a table and answer participants’ questions about being in and starting their own business. I felt like I needed some kind of product as a giveaway but in twelve years of business, I had never created one! I thought about what people would use most and thought the pen was a perfect first promotional item

Here’s my Organized Artistry pen!

4) My new website. Also designed by Kate McMillan of Outbox Online Design. My old website was first designed in 2002 and boy did it need a makeover! Now it is a beautiful and modern showcase of my writing and how I help people get and stay organized. I’m thrilled that my blog is now part of the site.

Speaking of writing, this is BIG news…

5) My book. Long story short, I’ve been writing this book on and off since 2002. The manuscript went in and out of the file cabinet many times over almost a decade until I decided one day, ‘Publish or Bust.’ Here is a sneak peek of the cover, designed by the talented Peri Poloni-Gabriel of Knockout Design (she’ll be designing the interior, too). I love it–and no, I didn’t ask the designer to make the background purple to match my website–total coincidence…

Coming Summer 2014 in e-book and paperback:

The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized

If you know anyone who just got engaged or is about to walk down the aisle, please ‘Pin’ or share this photo with them!

It has been a VERY busy 2013-14 for Organized Artistry. I’ve met many of the goals I set for my business–still a few more to go. Nothing happened overnight. Each step took time and sometimes the steps took a few wrong turns. But, I am grateful for the journey and all the people who have helped me get this far.

Got kids?

Me, too.

Ever feel like you are constantly trying to pick up after them and maintain their stuff?

Hey, guess what–me, too. It’s kind of like shoveling snow during a blizzard.

At my first NAPO Conference in 2004 (a few years before I started having children) I took a workshop called ‘Organizing the Family.’ In that terrific workshop, I learned something that I still remember years later. I’m sharing this with you in the hopes that you will use it to make your life as a parent a little easier.

In the workshop, I learned the five steps to follow to teach your kids mastery of almost any task.

Woo-hoo! Hallelujah!

Write these five steps on a post-it and stick it where you can see it. Or, write them in an app on your smartphone. Jot them down somewhere you can access them easily. You’re going to want to refer to these steps often. Remember, they’re going to make your life as a parent easier (If you’re reading this and you’re not a parent, pass them on to someone who is!). Here they are…

To Get Your Kids to Master  ______________ …

Step 1. Demonstrate the task you’d like your child to master
Step 2. Do the task with them
Step 3. Supervise your child doing the task
Step 4. Let them do the task alone
Step 5. Supervise your child occasionally

What are some skills your kids can master using these five steps?
• Putting away their toys
• Doing/folding their own laundry
• Setting the table for a family meal
• Using a knife
• Sorting and purging their school papers
• Household cleaning/gardening chores

Each step you teach your kids will take some time, effort and patience on your part but in the end, the investment of time will be worth it. And believe me–your future sons and daughters-in-law will thank you.

I should have titled this post,

Whoa! A Professional Organizer who is also a hoarder? Whaaaaat?

OK–I wasn’t really a true hoarder in the physical sense–but it makes for a great title, doesn’t it?

I didn’t hoard animals or newspapers or magazines.

I hoarded tabs.

Tabs?

If you own a Mac and use Safari to browse the web, you’re familiar with ‘Tabs.’ They enable you to open several web pages at once and you can easily switch back and forth between them.

The arrow is pointing to the ‘Tabs’ in Safari.

I am an information hound. As a small business owner and mom, I am always interested in reading articles that could help my business grow and my family flourish. The only thing I was missing was: TIME.

I had a five year old and a one year old and very little time to read, let alone process the information I was reading. So, if I didn’t have time to read a long article, or I was thinking of ordering a product from a web page, or thought I might need certain information someday, I would leave the tab open in Safari. At times, I had 7-10 windows open with 8-10 tabs open in each. Turns out, my tab hoarding was not a very good system. Oh, and I never shut down my computer because that would mean I’d lose all my tabs. Can you tell where this story is heading?

I started getting unusual error messages on my computer. Then one day about a month before my Apple Care Protection Plan expired for my Mac, my computer said, “I’ve had it with all your open tabs!” and crashed.

I made an appointment at the Apple Store and when my Genius Dude heard my story, he told me that in all his years working at the Genius Bar, he had never heard of anyone keeping so many tabs open at once. I was overworking my computer and my tab hoarding tendencies had to change.

Adrian, my Genius Dude, brought my computer back from the dead. I was so grateful for his patience and expertise that I vowed to not return to my tab hoarding ways. I started bookmarking websites I wanted to refer to again. A few weeks later, the App Gods looked down upon me–sleep-deprived, time-starved, information overloaded me and arranged for a productivity app by the name of Pocket (formerly Read It Later) to be placed in an article I was moments away from reading.

I read the article. I checked out Pocket. I couldn’t believe that an app could be such a perfect match for my needs.

What is Pocket and how could it be so life-changing?

According to its website, “Pocket (formerly Read It Later) was founded in 2007 by Nate Weiner to help people who discover an interesting article, video or web page, but don’t have time to view it. Once saved to Pocket, the list of content is visible on any device — phone, tablet or computer. It can be viewed while waiting in line, on the couch or during commutes or travel — even offline.”

When I first read about Pocket, I thought, “Holy moly–this app was MADE for ME! I’m always discovering interesting items on the web but I rarely have time to view them.”

I went to the Pocket website, installed the Pocket bookmarklet into my ‘Bookmarks Bar’ and immediately began putting articles in my ‘pocket.’ Now, when I come across an article I want to save and read at a later time, all I do is click on the bookmarklet.  A sign then appears at the top of the web page that says ‘Pocket – Page Saved!.’ I can read my saved articles on my iPhone as well as on my laptop. Happiness abounds.

Some facts about Pocket:
– The list of articles you accumulate is called a ‘queue.’
– You can view your queue in list form or as a grid with large visuals.
– When you select the article you want to read from your queue, it offers you a stripped-down version of it without ads/visuals as well as a link to the original web page.
– You can type a word in the ‘Search’ box to look for articles you’ve saved on a specific topic
– You can assign Pocket your email address and email a link to Pocket, too!

Best of all–it doesn’t cost a dime!

How has Pocket changed my life?
– My computer has had no problems since it’s major crash in April of 2012.
– I know that if I don’t have time to read an article, it will be ‘in my pocket’ for future retrieval.
– I can retrieve that article/recipe/video over and over again.
– I store often-used recipes in Pocket. When cooking, I bring them up on my laptop which lives on my kitchen counter.
– Pocket is a repository for all the articles I may need in the future on how to grow my business. I know they will be there when I am ready for them.
-Pocket allows me to read, learn and grow on my own time.

Pocket currently has over 4.5 million registered users and is available for major devices and platforms including iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Android.

Want to be the 4.6 millionth user? How would Pocket make your life easier?
 

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Click here to sign up for Organized Artistry’s motivating monthly newsletter.

When I complete an organizing project with my clients, I remind them to give themselves a pat on the back for crossing the ‘finish line.’ My guest blogger, Rashelle Isip of the The Order Expert, believes in celebrating the completion of a successful organizing project. Read below to find out the five things she wants you to do after reaching your organizing goal.

Rashelle Isip is a blogger, time management, and productivity consultant and professional organizer. She is founder of The Order Expert, a site featuring practical and creative organizing, time management, productivity tips, inspiration and much more. For more information, visit http://www.TheOrderExpert.com. You can follow her on Twitter @theorderexpert, on Facebook at facebook.com/theorderexpert, and on Pinterest at pinterest.com/theorderexpert.

Do you watch TV? What’s your favorite television show at the moment?

The Voice?
Big Bang Theory reruns?
Dancing With the Stars?

Watching television can be a great way to relax, learn a new subject or be entertained. But, I’ll let you in on a little organizing secret:

Watching television can be a great way to get organized.

You’re probably thinking, “What? I can organize my house while watching TV? Hook me up!”

Well, I’m about to…

As I’ve discussed in past posts, in order to reach an organizing goal, one must have a plan in place and mini-goals set to eventually reach that goal. Some of these mini-goals or projects can be accomplished while watching television. Sitting down. In your bunny slippers. With a glass of wine in your hand–if you’d like.

Before you plop down on the couch in your pajamas with or without a glass of liquid inspiration, bring an organizing project with you. Here are 10 organizing projects you can do while watching television, getting you one step closer to the organizing finish line:

1. Empty your wallet and go through receipts, business cards, cash, etc.

2. Put your sock drawer (T-shirts/underwear/you get the idea) on your lap and sort/purge/organize

3. Put your kitchen junk drawer on the floor/coffee table to sort through, purge and reorganize

4.  Sort through, delete or update apps on your smart phone

5. Organize recipes into categories and place in plastic sleeves in a binder

6. Sort/Purge a stack of papers from your file cabinet/dining room table/pile on the floor

7. Group photos by event, person or chronologically and put into albums

8. Sort through old magazines

9. Sort/Purge expired coupons

10. Fold laundry and put away during commercials

SaveSave

Did you make New Year’s resolutions or set goals for yourself this year? I thought I heard you shouting from the rooftop, “This is the year I’m going to get organized!’

Did you create a plan for getting organized?  Have you mapped out some mini-goals for yourself? If yes, then great!

If not, that’s OK. No beating yourself up about it. Maybe you or a family member has been under the weather. Maybe ‘life’ has gotten in the way. Or perhaps, you just don’t know where to begin. You can start at anytime. How about TODAY?

No worries–take ‘baby steps.’

No one expects a baby to stand up one day and walk across the room. There’s a lot that goes on before a child meets that developmental milestone. They sit up, they crawl, they practice standing up in their crib. They take ‘baby steps’ towards mastering their actual baby steps.
You can take baby steps to reach your organizing goals, too.

Here are a few examples:

– Take a few minutes before bedtime to sort through and purge expired medicine.
– Sort and purge your piles of coupons while waiting for pasta water to boil.
– Schedule 15 minutes on your calendar to organize your sock drawer.
– Read a few posts on organizing blogs that pertain to your organizing challenge(s).
– Look at organizing ideas/products on Pinterest (don’t get sucked in, though!).

All of these teeny-tiny organizing projects and tasks are baby steps that will eventually get you to achieve organizing success.

I often tell my clients to visualize their organizing goal as an iceberg. Baby steps are equal to the act of chipping away at that iceberg. Some days you may feel like you’re chipping away with a hammer, other days, with a toothpick. Regardless of your tool, if you keep working at it, you will reach your goal, however challenging it may be.

You CAN get organized–I know you can. Just take a baby step–one little step in the direction of the organizing goals you have set for yourself. In the beginning, it may feel as if you’re not making much progress but let me assure you–every ‘baby step’ you take towards reaching your goal will get you one step closer to the day when you can proudly shout from the rooftop, “I did it!”

What baby steps will you take to achieve organizing success?

If you’re like many people, you recently made one or two New Year’s resolutions.

You’ve made a plan and you’ve set mini-goals for yourself to make those resolutions a reality–that’s great. Maybe that plan includes weekly organizing sessions. Maybe you’ll be organizing your garage in the Spring or you’ll be spending time every day going through your bulging file cabinets.

Whatever plans you have for reaching your organizing goals this year, follow this quick-tip to make reaching your goals easier on your mind and body.

Melting Wall Clock – Photo: coolclockshop.com

Are you a morning person?
A night owl?
Somewhere in between? (I call myself an Afternoon Person…)

If you’re not sure when your most ‘productive’ time of day is, try doing one simple organizing task before breakfast. Try another one on another day in the early/late afternoon. Try another one at 10pm. When did you feel you did your best?

Aim to work at an organizing task when your energy and concentration levels are high. Being alert at ‘task time’ will help you to accomplish your mini-goals faster, more creatively and consciously.

The saying may go, ‘The early bird catches the worm,” but if you’re not an early bird, then it’s highly unlikely you’ll be successful at worm-catching (and then organizing them afterward…).

Work with the natural rhythms of your body and brain. Your productivity will soar, your organizing goals will be met, and you’ll embrace the end of the year with an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

Want to stay current and connected to Organized Artistry? Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Goodreads!

In my last post, guest blogger Audrey Cupo of a A Better Space encouraged you to evaluate the past and plan for the future.

Well, the future is here. Did you make any resolutions for the next twelve months?

According to the people at StatisticBrain.com, the top ten New Year’s resolutions for 2013 are:

1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Staying Fit and Healthy
6. Learn Something Exciting
7. Quit Smoking
8. Help Others in Their Dreams
9. Fall in Love
10. Spend More Time with Family

Did you see that? ‘Getting Organized’ is one of the top two resolutions people made in the new year. Looks like my colleagues and I are going to be very busy this year!

All kidding aside, many people say they want to get organized but are not successful at achieving their goal. Unfortunately, only a small percentage are. But why?

A few reasons:
– The goals they set for themselves are too vague.
– People get easily discouraged and give up too soon.
– They don’t have a way of measuring their successes however small.

They don’t have a PLAN.

That’s why I would advise anyone who has made a resolution for themselves this year to do two things first:
– Create a plan for reaching your New Year’s goal
– Set mini-goals within that plan

Planning out the path for reaching a goal can be as easy as doing a ‘brain dump’ on a piece of paper or on your computer. Create a list of all the steps you need to take to reach your goal. They don’t need to be in any order–you can fix that later.

If you’re a visual person like me, you might want to use a graphic organizer to help you with your plan. This is a great way to organize your thoughts. An example of one:

Courtesy of The Writing Bug

If ‘Getting Organized’ is one of your New Year’s resolutions, write ‘Get Organized’ in the big circle. In the next smaller circles write the room/area of your home or life you’d like to get organized. In the smallest circles (attached to the medium sized circles) list the tasks that need to be done to achieve your resolution to get organized. Create as many spokes and circles as needed. These are your mini-goals.

A mini-goal is a tiny step to complete on your way to reaching your ultimate goal. It helps you to break down the process into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Examples of mini-goals for getting your home/life organized:

-Every Tuesday, I will sort/purge/organize one drawer in my dresser until all drawers have been gone through.

-I will label an envelope ‘Receipts’ and once a week, I will empty my wallet of all receipts into that envelope. At the end of the month I will review all receipts.

-At the end of the day, I will spend 15 minutes making sure all items are in the home they belong in.

-I will create a ‘Donations’ bag in my garage and pledge to put all items to be donated in it. When I know I will pass the local thrift shop, I will put the bag in my car, drop off the donations and place the donations bin back in its ‘home.’

-I will inventory my pantry before heading to the supermarket.

Successfully setting mini-goals and reaching them are cause for celebration–don’t over look that. Every mini-goal milestone brings you a step closer to your goal and should be honored and celebrated!

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? What’s your plan?

Resolutions. Goals. Intentions. Call it what you will–this is the time of year many people start fresh and decide what they want to do, try, or experience over the next twelve months of their lives. Today’s guest blogger, Professional Organizer Audrey Cupo of A Better Space offers guidance on reflecting on goals of the past and planning for the future…

With the holiday season in full swing and the New Year right around the corner, many people begin to evaluate the past year and start thinking about the future.  People think about what they had intended to accomplish in the past year and note the things that just did not get done.  Then, they begin to look towards the New Year as a time to reset some goals and plan for the future.

It’s a time for reflection and planning.

For me, I love the prospect of a New Year.  It gives me the opportunity to take a look at what I accomplished (or did not accomplish) in the past year, both personally and professionally.  It gives me a chance to re-evaluate my priorities.  Are there things I wanted to get done but did not?  Are the things I intended to do this past year still important?

The New Year gives me a chance to plan for the coming year.  What do I want to accomplish THIS year?

I have always been an advocate of writing things down.  At this time, especially, I find this true.  I like to take some time and make a comprehensive list of projects and “To Do’s”.

That comprehensive list then gets planned out over the coming year.  I pick my priorities, one by one, and work on them.  When something is completed, I select another.

You might have set some goals last year and found you did not complete them as planned.  Why not start fresh?

Do you need to do some home improvement projects?  Do you want to lose weight and be healthier?  Do you want to get your finances in order or get out of debt?  Do you want to improve a relationship with a friend or family member?  The choices are endless.

Do yourself a favor.  Take some time in the next week or so and reflect on where you have been and where you want to go in your life.  Start planning now for the New Year by setting some goals and create a list of the things you want to accomplish.

If getting organized is on your list, seek out the assistance of a professional organizer who can help you to set those goals and get them accomplished.

Enjoy this holiday season and the opportunity for a fresh start in 2013!

Audrey Cupo is a full-time Professional Organizer and sole proprietor of A BETTER SPACE based in Bucks County, PA. She specializes in residential organizing and focuses on helping busy moms and women entrepreneurs with home-based businesses get organized with her in-home services and her “U Can Do It” product line. To sign up for her free newsletter full of great monthly tips, resources and product reviews visit www.4abetterspace.com and for more tips, check out Audrey’s Facebook page.

I was going to write a blog post today about procrastination but then I thought, “I’ll just write it tomorrow…’


Ha, ha, ha. That’s just one of many procrastination jokes we’ve all seen on a magnet or a bumper sticker. But, really–procrastination is no joke. It can get in your way when trying to complete tasks or reach your goals and it can mess with your self-esteem.


If you put the ‘PRO’ in ‘Procrastinator,’ then you’re in luck. Moreen Torpy of De-Clutter Coach in Ontario, Canada has written an eye-opening piece about what might be causing you to procrastinate and how to get past it. Don’t put it off until later–read it NOW…

Have you been raised with the admonition to not put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

Have you ever said to yourself or another person, “I’ll put this here just for now?” Then forget you left it there?

Do you postpone doing something because you think you don’t have time to do it perfectly? Then you begin to doubt if you ever could?

What can you identify in your life that leads you to procrastinate? Here are a few ideas and what you might do to stop:

Doubt: You doubt your ability to put something away where it belongs, or if you really don’t know where it belongs, assign a place for the item and always return it there.

Perfectionism: By putting off doing something because you can’t do it perfectly. Let go of perfectionism—it’s not worth the headaches it causes.

Overwhelmed: There’s just too much to do to, for example, organize your space. Refocus and break the project down into smaller pieces then deal with only one piece at a time.

Not in the mood: When will you really be in the mood?

No visible benefit: Does it fit with your long-term goals? If so, do it. If not, let it go. And don’t tell yourself you “should” do it.

You may have more reasons than these. Make a list and write why you feel you can’t deal with them.

Then forgive yourself for procrastinating. In 2010 a group of researchers at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario determined that by doing this, your negative emotions about organizing in the future will decrease the possibility of continuing this behavior. Basically, they say to get over it and get to work. How to do this?

Set goals: Make a commitment to a project to work toward. You can focus on smaller bits of the project so it’s more do-able.

Banish boredom: Beware of time stealers. If you’re beginning to feel bored, tackle a project so the boredom doesn’t take hold and pull you into procrastination.

Let go of perfectionism: As long as you complete the project, say organizing your bedroom, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be good. Give yourself permission to change your beliefs. Sometimes “good” is “good enough”.

Dismiss fear of failure: If you’re afraid to do something because you believe you’ll fail at it, procrastination will be happy to take over. And failure will move in with procrastination! That’s failure.

Discard fear of success: If you’re worried that if you do something well, you’ll always be asked to do it. Learn to say “no”. There’s no reason for you to have to do the same thing over and over again.

Think Challenge: When you see a problem as a challenge, your whole energy will change. You will feel in charge, encouraged. And procrastination will cower in fear of you.

Refocus: Change the way you look at things. Turn your thoughts from negative to positive and see how different things are.

By implementing these tips, you can eliminate procrastination from your life and vocabulary. You’ll be on your way to living a productive life.

Moreen Torpy is the De-Clutter Coach, a Trained Professional Organizer, Author, and Speaker. Her new book is Going Forward: Downsizing, Moving and Settling In. See goforwarddownsize.com for more about the book, and decluttercoach.ca to learn about her organizing services.