Ethics in Business by Leigh MacCready
Top Ten Killers of Women Over Forty
Women Over Forty Most Common Health Issues
Women over the age of forty have an increased risk of a number of health problems. At the age of forty, most women are at the height of their lives at home and in their careers. A woman over the age of forty is by no means old, but that doesn’t mean she can completely ignore her health concerns like she may have when she was younger. If you are a woman over the age of forty, you should start to pay special attention to the following top ten health problems for women.
Mother of Six Shares 10 Tips for Coping with Stress in Stressful Times
10 Best Mom’s Tips for Coping with Stress by Charlotte Mengel
1. Become more educated! Knowledge is power and you can be an active participant and gain some control when things around you seem out of control. I have become much better educated about the medical world and Audrey’s diagnosis; many people mistake me for a nurse!
2. Get organized! Having written records regarding your issues and challenges will become essential when you find medical people who can help you. Medical records, bank statements, wills, bills, are vital.
3. Laugh! Stress can really take a toll on your health, relationships and outlook on life. Know that it’s OK to step away mentally from your trials.
4. Seek help. Never go it alone. There is always someone who can and will help you be it a friend just taking time to listen or a professional {help in the form of therapists and physicians} And if offered help, just accept the offer and say, “Thank You!”
5. Trust your instincts. In my case, I know my daughter. I know every inch of her, each cry….it’s instinctual. I have been correct about her medical care each and every time; it shocks doctors. Audrey is a very medically complex child. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and now has Cerebral Palsy. She’s fed through a tube in her stomach. Her pulmonary edema requires a constant oxygen support system. Her numerous hospitalizations require me to be an expert on many topics. My instincts as her mother trump any medical degree. See #1!
Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Mengel
6. Your friends mean well, but their online medical searches to solve your problem can be overwhelming. It’s OK to say “Thanks” but hitting delete and ignore.
7. Talk! Keeping emotions bottled up inside is a heavy burden. Share your heart with those you trust.
8. Cry! It is cathartic. It is NOT a sign of weakness.
9. Count your blessings. It will help you gain perspective.
10. Take care of yourself. You are valuable. You have limits each day and you need to recharge yourself to gain the strength to go again the next day. For me, sleep is the most important thing I do regarding practicing good self-care. It helps me to stay focused and be the best wife/mom/nurse I can be.
Charlotte Mengel is married to David, an air traffic controller. She and David have 6 children; twin 5-year-old boys Caed & Daniel, and 11-month-old quadruplets Gabriel, Audrey, Braden and Emily. They lives in South Carolina and do some professional public speaking about Audrey’s disabilities. Charlotte hasn’t slept for more than 4 hours at a time in 2 years. When she has time, she enjoys Pinterest.
Business Planning For the Very Small Business
Business Planning For The Very Small Business by Margaret Lukens
Recently I heard something from a struggling new business owner. She didn’t have a business plan because, she said, “I thought I wasn’t big enough for that.”
I can understand exactly why she would get that idea. Most business plans are designed for companies that hire numerous employees, rent large spaces (or buy them), and invest in manufacturing equipment. But individuals working from a spare room in their home can also start businesses – let’s call them “very small businesses” or VSBs.
Professional Organizer Shares Tips for Organizing the Office
All the Benefits of Organizing the Office
The conversation invariably begins the same way and goes something like this, “I don’t think my office is that bad, but my boss told me to call you.”
As an in-house professional organizer at a major Houston hospital, most of my clients call me because they want help clearing their desks, their emails, and their minds. About 20 percent of them call because their managers “suggested” it.
Out of that 20 percent, half of my clients do have a problem with disorganization in their spaces. The other half of my clients have a hyper-organized boss, the one who has nothing on their desk and would consider even my desk to be a hoarding situation.
Professional Organizing Services in the Raleigh Area
Hi readers! Lately I’m receiving oodles of emails [like this one below] and thought I’d share my response via blog post.
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Dear Geralin,
Do you or your team of organizers still offer professional organizing services in the Raleigh area or are you only working on TV with Hoarders?
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A few weeks ago Lifetime TV started airing episodes of Hoarders and suddenly a lot of folks started emailing and calling the office asking if Metropolitan Organizing provides professional organizing services on TV (only) or if we are still available, “in real life.”
These inquiries are typically from people who need help organizing their home offices, closets, garages, filing systems, wardrobes, digital data and countless other areas of their homes and home-based businesses.
Some of these calls I return myself which means I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying lots of lively conversations and some of the calls my team members have returned.
In the event that YOU are wondering if I am only doing TV-organizing or if Metropolitan Organizing still does hands-on organizing, here’s the short answer: YES! We are doing hands-on work in North Carolina. I have a team of organizers and depending on what your specific organizing challenges are, I’ll determine who is a good fit for your particular project and an organizing session is booked depending on your schedule, budget and preferences. If someone from team is unable to help you I’ll cheerfully give you names of other local professional organizers who might be a better fit for the job. If you live in NC, I encourage you to visit www.naponc.org and explore the websites and credentials of my wonderful local colleagues.
If you’ve been browsing http://www.metropolitanorganizing.com website and have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or email. It’s a tough balancing act figuring out what to include or exclude on a website especially when a variety of services and specialties are being offered. This fall I hope to update my website but meanwhile, due to travel, speaking engagements, teaching and advising professional organizers from around the world I’m doing mostly virtual work with new organizers while the Metropolitan Organizing team members are busy working in homes all over the Raleigh-Durham area including: Cary, Holly Springs, Apex, Garner, Chapel Hill, Durham, Fayetteville, Wake Forest and beyond.
Wondering what it’s like to work with a Metropolitan Organizing professional organizer? Well, the first session typically includes a 45 minute walk-thru assessment of your home or office and about 3 hours of roll-up-your-sleeves, dig-in-organizing. This can be done in-person or with a computer that has a camera. Be prepared to show us your environment and please don’t clean up before we meet. It’s important that we see your stuff exactly where you leave it. We may take room measurements, snap photos and ask a lot of questions. We do this to help figure out what the best solutions for your particular organizing challenges are going to be. Clients continually tell us they love how efficient we are and appreciate how quickly we get jobs done for them or with them (depending on their health and availability)
Hopefully, this post helps clarify what’s going on behind the scenes at Metropolitan Organizing. Need help getting organized? Give us a call!
Click here to learn more about Metropolitan Organizing’s Cary and Raleigh-based professional organizing services for homes and offices.
Forms for Professional Organizers: the New Organizers’ Essentials “NOE”
These are the must-have forms for the professional professional organizer.
CLIENT INTAKE, ASSESSMENT, HOMEWORK & ACTIVITY LOG
Client forms for professional organizers! Essential for screening, assessing, and tracking clients. Everything professional organizers need combined into one comprehensive, easy-to-use form. This sixteen-page document is divided into five parts. [format: MS Word]
PART ONE: INSTRUCTIONS
PART TWO: PHONE INTAKE
Save yourself time by using your first phone call to get a clear picture of your potential client’s needs, while simultaneously presenting yourself as an expert in your field. A thorough set of questions and checklists (with plenty of space for notes), will enable you to hone in on exactly what you can do for the client and will help you make that all-important first appointment.
PART THREE: IN-PERSON ASSESSMENT
Clients will be impressed and appreciative when you arrive prepared with assessment questions that help them get to the heart of their organizational issues. This section includes a detailed set of questions, checklists and talking points that you can use to mold your organizational strategy as well as for ongoing reference.
PART FOUR: IN-PERSON ASSESSMENT HOMEWORK
PART FIVE: ACTIVITY LOG
When was the last time you called or e-mailed this client? What did you do at your last organizing session? When you keep track of this important information on the log sheet, it is easy to reference and resides conveniently with the client’s assessment information.
CLIENT INTAKE, ASSESSMENT, HOMEWORK & ACTIVITY LOG
$100Add to Cart
Testimonial from Lasar McCabe, Hawaii Hausfrau Aiea, HI : HawaiiHausfrau.com “Your upbeat and informational classes have been wonderful. My website is up, I’ve designed my cards and stationery, joined my local chapter, and I’m scheduled to give a seminar at a local organization store. Wow! I think I’d still be stuck if it weren’t for you!”
Testimonial from Karen Johnson, New York City: “Ordering the New Office Essentials Kit and taking the NOE group class have turned out to be the missing puzzle pieces for me. Now I feel more confident and competent when talking to potential clients and I have the tools to convey the value I bring. Thank you, Geralin, I feel like I’m really on my way!”
6 Steps for Starting a Professional Organizing Business
MASTER TO-DO LIST FOR STARTING A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZING BUSINESS
Photo courtesy of
Below I’ve created a comprehensive list for new professional organizers starting a professional organizing business. While reading the list please keep in mind that there are no right or wrong ways to tackle all the to-dos. This is your business. You are the boss and the decision maker. Take your time and enjoy this process.
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Pantry Organizing Tips for a Perfect Pantry
A Perfect Pantry Starts with Geralin’s Pantry Organizing Tips
“What are your best pantry organizing tips?” “Where do I start organizing the pantry?” Or, “How do I go about organizing a perfect pantry?”
Those are questions I’m asked over and over again by clients and fans of the TV show, Hoarders who know I love organizing both the fridge and the pantry.
If you’ve seen me on TV, you know that my answers vary depending on the circumstances, but, I think for most people, with or without organizing challenges, the fridge and the pantry are both good excellent starting points for decluttering. Neither the fridge nor the pantry is too large and the “stuff” inside can easily be put into specific categories. Plus, all the keep-or-toss decisions are determined by expiration date which streamlines the process. In short, this means organizing is much less stressful.
The pantry is also one of the easiest, quickest ways to get your family organized, save money, save time, and frees-up valuable real estate space or shelving.
Below you’ll find a few tips for getting your pantry organized.
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