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©Dan D'Addario

It’s interesting for me to be writing for Managing Modern Life^®, because I spend a lot of time thinking about how we organize our lives, or not, in relation to procrastination. You see, my area of expertise as a psychologist is the study of procrastination. In my everyday life, I would say that one of my areas of expertise is managing my life, particularly organizing things. For example, I’m a big fan of the community that advocates how to live in small spaces. In short, I have a place for everything, and I like everything it its place. I also know that an enemy to that intention is procrastination. We intend to put things away, but “we’ll do it later.” This tension I just described plays itself out in interesting ways in my marriage too, but that’s another story!

Needless delay, otherwise known as procrastination, is the voluntary delay of an intended action, even when we realize that this delay will harm us in the end. In other words, we know it’s the right time to act, that we ought to act, but we choose not to at our expense. The cost of this needless delay is typically performance (we do more poorly overall), but research has revealed other costs as well including poorer health and negative effects on our relationships. Chronic procrastinators show poorer health due to more stress, fewer wellness behaviors (delay on intended diet and exercise, for example) and more treatment delay (“I’ll make that appointment, tomorrow”). As well, the second-hand effects of procrastination are seen in our relationships with broken promises as we rush to make up time wasted earlier, as well as the overall negative effects of the stress noted above.

The thing is, I’ve learned through research that we can do things, simple things, to beat this procrastination habit.

Here are 5 key tips to gain more volitional control over your life. I know that these will be foundational to becoming more organized. They work for me.

1. Recognize procrastination for what it is. It’s self-regulation failure. We fail to regulate ourselves because we’d prefer more immediate mood repair. We want to feel good now. The task ahead of us, no matter how small (even something as mundane as making a bed or putting away dishes) is aversive. We “give in to feel good” by avoiding the task, or at least we think we do. We may feel some sense of short-term mood repair, but it’s specious to our overall goals in life, and we feel guilty for this delay. When we recognize that procrastination is self-regulation failure like over-eating or compulsive shopping, we’re more likely to take it seriously and take the steps below towards change.

2. We often know what the next thing to do is. In the morning, as my kids are getting out of bed, my “next thing” is to get breakfast ready, dishes put away, coffee on . . . the routine. Yeah, the routine, and we can tire of routines, and not feel like it. The trick here is not to attend to the feelings. The trick is to “just get started.” Both our research and my lived experience has proven to me that we make tasks seem much worse than they actually are. Those feelings were having are a result of thinking about the task ahead, not the actual task. As we think about tasks, we see them as much more difficult, stressful and boring, and we think they will take much longer and take more effort than they actually do. When we actually get down to the task, our perceptions change. “This wasn’t so bad,” we realize. Why did I put it off?

Just get started. Most tasks are done before we know it, and getting started “primes the pump” for action. It’s a precipitous moment when we stop thinking and just get started.

3. Make your intention concrete and clear. Thinking things like, “I’ll clean that up today” is just another form of procrastination. We’re procrastinating on making a serious intention. Make it concrete. Set out when and how you’ll do it.

Research based on temporal construal theory has shown that when we think about (construe) our tasks concretely as opposed to abstractly, the task belongs to the present and even has a sense of urgency. When we think about things abstractly, they belong to tomorrow. So, instead of vaguely stated goal intentions, make specific implementation intentions.

Psychologist, Peter Gollwitzer, has shown that implementation intentions in the form of “in situation X, I will do behavior Y to achieve subgoal Z” make it much more likely that we’ll act as we intend. Making this pre-decision along with a situational cue for our action helps a lot. We don’t have to think so much. When the situation arises, we’re cued to act.

For me, it’s all part of a series of implementation intentions that has now become a morning habit. When the coffee is on, get out the vitamins. When the vitamins are out, put away the dishes from drying rack. When the rack is empty, fill the sink with hot soapy water for the breakfast dishes. When the sink is ready . . . You get the picture. The implementation intentions work, and these positive habits of action that keep things manageable and easy. My mind is freed up to attend to more important things, like my kids, the day ahead and my own goals.

4. Willpower is a limited resource. Use it strategically. Over the past decade, Roy Baumeister and his colleagues have shown us that willpower is like a muscle. When we use it, it tires, and it’s surprising how quickly we can feel like we have no willpower left for the tasks ahead. Yes, we can strengthen willpower too, much like a muscle, but no matter how strong we are, we have to invest our energy and strength strategically. Start with the most challenging tasks when your willpower is fresh.

In fact, in addition to being strategic with our willpower use, a key thing is simple health habits. Get adequate rest (7-8 hours of sleep is really important). Make sure that you stay hydrated and nourished, as research also shows that glucose depletion affects willpower. And, when all else fails, remind yourself of your values – a process known as value reaffirmation – because we never, or rarely, have an empty “willpower tank.” There are reserves we can draw on if we remind ourselves of the importance of acting now.

5. Forgive yourself when it doesn’t go as planned. Yes, it’s that old story of two steps forward, one step back. Our research has shown that self-forgiveness makes it more likely that we’ll try again when we fail due to procrastination on our first attempt.

Why isn’t it just forgive and forget? Our motivation changes when we offer forgiveness. Imagine you had a transgression against a friend. Because of this, the motivation is avoidance.  You don’t want to see that person because of the relational offense. If forgiveness is offered, however, the motivation changes to approach again. Whereas you had avoided your friend because of the guilt of the transgression, forgiveness makes it possible to approach. The same is true with procrastination, but this time the transgression is against the self. When we forgive ourselves for not being perfect and needlessly delaying an intention, we’re more likely to try again. Of course, anyone who knows about habit change knows that it takes multiple attempts to change habits, so this forgiveness is a necessary part of the whole process.

Overall, even with just these five tips or techniques, you will find that you need to be strategic. At one moment, you may be reminding yourself just to get started. A moment later, you may have to recognize that you feel like stopping, you want to give in to feel good. At that point, you may have to reaffirm your values to muster the willpower to stay on task a little longer. Then you’ll be looking at what’s next, and you’ll need to think about a concrete implementation intention.

It’s a dance, a wonderful dance in our lives that allows us to successfully self-regulate and live the lives we want and achieve our dreams. Like all dances, it requires that we learn a few steps and that we’re in tune to the music. In this case, my final point is: make sure that this music is your music – the music of your life, your goals, your hopes and ideal self in the making. If that’s the case, you’ll enjoy the dance and all that it has to offer.

Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl is the Director of the Procrastination Research Group in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. To learn more about his work, visit his website, procrastination.ca,  read his Don’t Delay blog on Psychology Today, or listen to his iProcrastinate Podcast on iTunes.

For me, this is such an interesting topic to ponder. It’s the ultimate rebuild-your-wardrobe-fantasy question. Think about saying, ‘buh-bye’ to all of your mistakes; the unworn, the too small, too boring, too comfortable, too expensive-to-get-rid-of, too wrong-fitting, or too whatever would be GONE! As in, only a naked, lonely closet remains.

I reached out to a few of the folks in my network to ask them how they would handle this situation, and here are a couple of the responses I received:

Lorie Marrero, an organizing expert, media spokesperson, author, beekeeper, and mom to two human sons and 30,000 bee daughters. She resides in Austin, Texas, but her Clutter Diet® team helps thousands of people in 18 countries to “get their houses in shape” online.

There is a book I read called, “The One Hundred” by Nina Garcia, which is the 100 classic items that every woman should have in her wardrobe. I would start with this book and purchase my way through it, and simultaneously I would also think about what I missed most and replace those pieces very deliberately and intentionally.  I would also keep shopping at Goodwill because that has brought me so many of my favorite items anyway! Also I highly recommend working with an image consultant. I have learned so much about shopping smarter and what works for me in terms of colors and cuts and styles, so I make fewer mistakes, confidently buy higher quality, classic pieces, and save money in the long run.

Alex F. Fayle, a Past President of Professional Organizers in Canada and former Someday-hating coach, currently residing in northern Spain where he pursues his own Someday-dream of becoming an author of young adult, fantasy and mystery books.

The big question, of course, would be how much money would I have to rebuild it. If I didn’t have a budget, then I’d go to three of my favorite stores and buy a basic wardrobe of good quality stuff that would mix and match well.

I wouldn’t change my current style of relaxed semi-casual to casual, but I would upgrade it a bit, making it more stylish and classic. Now that I’m heading into middle-age, printed t-shirts aren’t really my thing anymore, but I’m not yet into the Dad-wear yet.

And despite no budget constraints, I’d be a minimalist. I’d buy probably 4 or 5 pairs of trousers/jeans, 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, a dozen t-shirts, 4 or 5 sweaters/cardigans, a half dozen shirts of various levels of formality, one suit, a blazer of some sort, 2 jackets, a coat, and a whole bunch of foulards/scarves. Within that, I’d have some clothes that I’d wear maybe once a month or less and some things that I’d wear on nearly a daily basis.

Then every few months I’d buy something new and once a year I’d review what I had to get rid of things that no longer fit, gone out of style or lost shape/color.

In actual fact, I’ve recently decided to replace my current wardrobe over the next couple of years doing just that, buying good quality pieces that aren’t too fashion-sensitive that will last me a few years and can mix and match with other things. I’m tired of buying cheaper clothing that doesn’t last or goes out of style quickly.

You don’t need a disaster to wipe out your wardrobe, just a change in attitude, and a willingness to get rid of what no longer suits.

Did you notice what Lorie and Alex have in common?

Both recognize that higher quality clothing costs more up front, but because it will last longer, you end up spending less in the long run.

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Are you looking for ways to save money? A few simple tips about your very own kitchen can help!

First up, the fridge. Don’t overbuy. Be sure to keep like items together and try to keep things in the same place all the time so that you can see what you have and what you don’t have. Keep produce fresh by storing it properly. All food should be in containers or wrapped in plastic or foil to avoid absorption of odors. My favorites are clear Pyrex type containers. You can see what you have and you can reheat in the microwave without fear of BPA and other nasty chemicals leaching into the food.

Don’t forget to use what’s in the fridge once you buy it. I like to keep a small dry erase board on the front of my fridge (even though I’m not a fan of fridge decorations!) and I can jot down what leftovers I put in the fridge so I don’t forget to eat them.

Next, your cabinets.  Make use of cabinet organizers such as lazy susans and risers. Double stacked lazy susans are great for canned goods. Risers placed in the back of deep cabinets will help avoid losing stuff to the depths.

For dry goods such as rice, beans, oats, sugar, flour, etc, I recommend investing in a set of clear containers in varying sizes. Square or rectangular shaped will fit more efficiently into most spaces. The OXO pop containers are favorites of many professional organizers for their shape, quality of product and air-tight lids. Not only will you be able to see what you have but it will stay fresh longer.

©Depositphotos / Brad Calkins

Keep your dried herbs and spices in a spice rack, drawer or shelf all together so you know what you have. This way you can eliminate duplicate purchases, use what you see, and keep things fresh. Don’t buy large quantities unless you will use them within a year. Protect your investments; keep them out of sunlight and away from heat and humidity.

Keep a freezer inventory, especially if you have a large separate freezer in your garage or basement.  Since my husband is an executive chef, we cook a lot and in large quantities. Before we started keeping an inventory, we’d end up throwing away a lot of food since it would get lost in the freezer and we wouldn’t find it until it was no longer edible.  On my inventory, I note the item, the quantity in the package and number of packages.  I use a simple excel based spreadsheet to keep my inventory but there are plenty of high tech app solutions as well.

Without a doubt, my number one money-saving tool in my kitchen is my vacuum sealer. There are many different brands out there and honestly, I couldn’t tell you which one I have. I got it on a clearance sale many, many years ago and it’s still working great. I order the bags for it online.  If you do any sort of bulk buying or quantity cooking, there is a huge difference in the quality of frozen food that is vacuum sealed versus just stored in a Ziploc bag or saran wrapped. Your food will last much longer and taste much better. You can also vacuum seal items like chocolate or nuts which you may not be freezing but that are very sensitive to air.

As you can see, a few easy things can really make a difference and will help save you money right in your own kitchen!

Kimberly Purcell is the owner of Amethyst Organizing, a Northern California based Professional Organizing Company. As the wife of an executive chef, Kimberly is a lover of all things food and entertaining.

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Once we reach a certain age, we begin to have to deal with some new arrivals in our lives. They appear seemingly out of nowhere; where the day before we had stretches of unoccupied space, now we have these surprise visitors. We know we’ve earned them, but we’re still not completely sure how to deal with them.

No, I’m not talking about wrinkles; I’m talking about inherited photos!

Seriously, some bell must have rung on some celestial timer somewhere. In the past few months, I’ve become the proud owner of shoeboxes, albums, and manila envelopes full of photos, some decades old, most unlabeled. I’m sure that if you don’t already have a few of these stashes of your own, it won’t be long before your Great Aunt Gladys or your Second Cousin Thrice Removed Albert bestows a few boxes on you.

So when we get these unexpected gifts, we have a choice: Do we treat them as the treasure they are, or do we stick them in a cupboard or closet somewhere and wait until we can pass them on, like an unwanted holiday fruitcake we’re anxious to regift to someone else?

You know what my answer is… these photos are GOLD! So please follow these steps for giving your inherited photos the respect and love they deserve:

1. ASSESS. See exactly what you have: photos only, old-style scrapbooks with photos and memorabilia, magnetic photo albums, etc. Just knowing that there is an end to the seemingly endless piles of photos makes the task seem less daunting.

2. PROTECT. The absolute worst thing for your old photos is the magnetic photo albums that were so popular in the 1970s and ’80s. They destroy photos! If you have photos in these albums, get them out immediately. Use dental floss to remove the photos (slide it underneath a loose edge and gently work it back and forth in a “sawing” motion to lift the photo from the adhesive).

Unfortunately, the old-school scrapbooks with photo-tab corners aren’t much better for precious memories. The high acid content of the paper will eat away at photos and other souvenirs, so get those goodies out!

You can store the photos in photo boxes or acid-free flat memorabilia boxes.

3. SORT. One of the most challenging issues with inherited photos is sorting them out. We tend to think that we need to know exactly when the photo was taken, to the exact hour and day. Not so! When reviewing your photos, it will be sufficient to know the general timeframe, within a year or two, or even a decade. So your first step in sorting is to divide the photos by decade, or more precisely by year if you can get that information. Don’t get too caught up in the precise year; knowing that the photo was taken “circa 1935” is much better than having a basket of photos you haven’t even begun to sort!

This may take a few separate sittings to accomplish, depending on how many photos you have. If you don’t have a weekend to devote to this task, set aside a few minutes each evening while your family is watching TV – grab a handful and sort while watching ”Hoarders.”

You may want to place your sorted photos in plastic tubs or shoeboxes for temporary storage. Of course, label the outside of these boxes or bins so you know at a glance what’s where!

4. START. After you’ve sorted, choose a starting point – present day or the oldest photo. It doesn’t matter, as long as you have a concrete place to start. Then you’re going to grab a stack of post-it notes and a pen, and a bunch of manila envelopes or a photo box with dividers.

Starting at your preferred “end,” start writing what you DO know about the photos on a sticky note. Aim for the who-what-when-where for start. Work through your photos a bit at a time. Based on the number of photos you’ve inherited, this could take some time. Don’t get discouraged! Just keep chipping away at it, making progress. If you have access to someone who can help you with the unknowns, hand them a pen and put them to work!

5. STORE. After you label the photos, you can store them in photo or memorabilia boxes, or you may want to display them in a manner that others can appreciate and enjoy them. Use acid-free photo albums that are readily available online or at discount stores. If you’re a scrapbooker, you can pull favorite photo and the accompanying stories and scrapbook the original photo, or scan and reprint it, scrapbooking the copy.

6. RELAX! It may take you a weekend, a month, or a year. But by following these steps you can chip away at what seemed at first like an interminable project.

Lain Ehmann inspires others to document and share their personal stories through her blog, http://www.layoutaday.com, her podcast, and her online classes. She just inherited a huge tub full of photos from her father-in-law and is putting these suggestions to work!

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The pollution of the environment outside is a growing concern, but so too is the air we breathe inside our homes. On average we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, and statistics from the National Safety Council state that indoor air pollution can be 10 times worse than outside.

A few statistics worth sharing:

• Since 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented. Only a fraction has been tested for human toxicity.
• 150 chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer & psychological disorders.
• Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in home for kids under 6 (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings yearly). Most brands contain Formaldehyde & ammonia.
• Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now it is extremely common; the rate has tripled in the last 20 years and nearly 30 million Americans are afflicted.
• One of biggest culprits of ocean pollution: phosphates which are common in laundry detergents. High phosphate levels can kill life in rivers, streams & oceans by causing “algae blooms.”

(http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-eating-article/household-toxins-facts-and-statistics/1084323)

After de-cluttering and getting organized consider going green with your cleaners this spring!  Besides health and environmental benefits, there are other reasons to go green!  It’s very easy to use olive oil; it’s a lot less expensive than products you would buy in the store; it’s less harmful – see all the stats above; it smells better! I prefer natural scents over the “clean” smell of chemicals; and you save resources by not purchasing and reusing bottles.

Many common household items can help you make cleaning green.  For Glass use 2 tsp. white vinegar & one quart of warm water. Stir. Use crumpled newspaper to wipe. To avoid streaks don’t clean if sun is on the windows or the windows are warm. For Furniture: Mix 1 c. of olive oil & 1/4 c. white vinegar. Spray onto soft cotton cloth & polish, rubbing with grain of wood. (Test small, unnoticeable area first).  Mold & Mildew use white vinegar or lemon juice full strength with sponge!

Now, there are lots of cleaners out there that claim to be green. I take my advice from the experts.  In the Consumer Reports Shop Smart April 2010 issue the following websites were designated as helpful for knowing if something was green:

• http://www.scscertified.com/
• http://www.greenseal.org/
• http://www.energystar.gov/
• http://www.fscus.org/
• http://www.sfiprogram.org/
• Leaping Bunny

The report found these two sites to be “iffy”:

• Greenlist on SC Johnson products. No third party evaluation was done.
• Sierra Club: Clorox paid 500K on sales of Green Works to the Sierra Club.

My favorite book is the oldie but goodie Clean & Green by Annie Berthold-Bond.  With the internet, though, there are lots of resources for you to make your own.  Happy Spring Green Cleaning!

Julie Seibert is a Professional EcoOrganizer and the owner of Healing through Organization.  She is the 2011 NAPO LA Green Award Winner for Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Service and the 2011 Triangle Business Journal’s Honorable Award Winner for Green Entrepreneurial Effort/Innovative Idea of the Year.  Because she believes that de-cluttering and getting organized is a holistic endeavor, she encourages clients to examine what is happening in all areas of their lives and how it influences their current situation.  Because she so passionately believes in this, she created the weekly online/radio show Reawaken Your Brilliance which features body, mind & spirit experts to help people reach their full potential.

Dear Single Dad With Kids, when I named my blog Managing Modern Life, I had you in mind. Life is complicated, and even though we have lots of gadgets, gizmos and technology to assist us, many of us are still struggling with the day-to-day papers like coupons, medical forms, receipts, and reference materials. You’re definitely not alone in desiring guidance in managing all the informational stuff.

Regarding papers, some can be immediately recycled or shredded, while others are essential in the short term for action. The papers that tend to pile up and give us the most trouble are those we maintain for reference – whether for legal or financial reasons or for our personal interest.

The first step is identifying what to keep and for how long. The second is determining how to organize papers for neat storage and easy retrieval.

The traditional way to organize papers is in vertical files; it’s not the only way, but for your purposes, it will require the least amount of effort in getting you up to speed.

So, let’s get started.

Gather your supplies. You’ll want a file box, drawer, cabinet, crate or some other container for about 50 hanging file folders. While some file containers can be set up to accommodate both letter and legal sized files, if yours only fits one or the other, you’ll want to make sure the hanging file size you select matches your file box.

Decide if you want a ready-made kit or if you prefer to DIY. Three popular ready-mades that I like a lot are Filing JOYS, Freedom Filer, and FileSolutions. Each of these systems have pre-created color-coded tabs. You merely have to learn a system’s naming conventions and apply them to your way of thinking.

JOYS is one of my favorites — it’s attractive and comprehensive, and can be used with hanging files of any color.

Freedom Filer is also a notable system. It was designed specifically to enable users to not just set up files, but maintain them in the future.

Another filing system popular with professional organizers is made by FileSolutions.

If you decide to go the Do-It-Yourself route, you’ll need to create your own labels. This is not difficult at all; it’s just a little more time consuming. However, an advantage of taking a little extra time is that you’ll be more directly involved with the creation of your system and even more apt to remember your categories and how your system works.

For your filing system, I encourage you to think in broad terms. My motto is “the simpler, the better” when it comes to naming your files. Don’t think, “Volvo Wagon”; think, “Car” instead.

However, as Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.” That means that you want to create file names that are just specific and clear enough to identify the contents at a glance, but you don’t want to make your categories so narrow that each folder holds only one or two pages.

Although every household has a few unique situations, the basic labels that you will need for categories and subcategories include:

Bank – If you have more than one bank account, clarify which account it is by labeling with the bank name and/or the last few digits of the account number.

Bills – Paid invoices that might need to be saved; not every bill needs to be preserved.

Charity – Receipts from monetary or in-kind donations (like Goodwill drop-offs)

Credit – Credit Scores, Credit Reports, Credit Card Agreements

Expenses

Family

Dad (your name) – General (professional reference and resumes, activities, hobbies)

Dad – Medical

Child 1  (name) – General (school, activities, hobbies)

Child 1 – Medical

Child 2 – (name) – General (school, activities, hobbies)

Child 2 – Medical

(Repeat this folder hierarchy for each additional child.)

Financials – IRA, Social Security, Investments (general, 529s, etc.)

Household Maintenance

Household – Other (e.g., Décor samples, Improvement plans)

Income

Insurance – Sub-categorize folder labels so that you know immediately what’s in each folder. For example:

Insurance – Car

Insurance – Health

Insurance – Home

Keepsakes/Memorabilia

Pets – Pedigree records, Veterinary records

Photos – School photos, Photos that others give you

Tax Documents – 2011, 2012, 2013 (one file per year)

Vital Documents – Wills, Passports, Certificates, Property Titles

Vital Information – Social Security and ID Numbers, Digital Passwords

Whimsy (or whatever name suits you) – Special interest categories specific to you or your family, like Gardening, Wines or Vacations. These are limited only by your family’s activities and interests. You may group them into manila folders inside of your hanging files, or start a new hanging file for each topic.

To determine how long to keep specific documents, search for “Paper Retention Guidelines” on Google or your favorite search engine, or get a copy of Do I Have To Keep This Piece of Paper, by my colleague, Julie Bestry.

Of course, these guidelines are merely a starting point. Each filing system I create for my clients varies somewhat, depending on several factors specific to the complexities of their financial, medical, and legal situations, as well as their personal interests and activities. Without first-hand knowledge of what’s in your current files, it’s difficult to advise in greater detail. However, hopefully, this outline will give you the confidence to take control of the papers in your household.

Hopefully, this interview will be one in a series of interviews with virtual assistants that will help other small business owners overcome that “I’m on my own” feeling and make them realize we’ve all dealt with the same difficulties, doubts and challenges along the way.  There are various different types of virtual assistants with different areas of expertise. Let’s learn more about Janet and her business.

GT: Janet, you refer to yourself as a “virtual assistant to professional organizers.” How did that come about?

JB: It was really a process that evolved over a number of years. I started an organizing business and joined Professional Organizers of Canada in 2002. About a year later, one of my colleagues offered to pay me to set up and manage her e-newsletter. I agreed, because I thoroughly enjoy that type of work, and it made me realize I should be offering those kinds of services. I gradually went from being a “professional organizer who also offers virtual assistance” to a “virtual assistant who also offers organizing services.” As my regular client base for the VA side of my business grew, I realized it was time to discontinue organizing, but because of my industry knowledge and contacts, it was natural for me to focus on that market.

GT: So, how many professional organizers do you work for?

JB: That’s a really hard question, because there are some I work for every week, some just a few times a year, and some only once in a while. Let’s just say it’s more than I can count on my fingers!

GT: Wow! How do you keep track of what’s going on with all of your different clients?

JB: I have spreadsheets for everything: one that lists all of my clients and when their agreements were signed, one to keep track of how many hours each client has on account, and one for my weekly task list. For my blogging clients, I create a spreadsheet to organize their blog calendar, tweaking the column headings depending on the client’s needs. I use Google Docs for this, so we can both access current information at any time.

GT: What do you do for your blogging clients?

JB: Anything and everything – from technical tasks like installing WordPress and configuring plug-ins to creative work such as customized theme designs. On an ongoing basis, I take my clients’ ideas and flesh them out into blog posts, proofread what they’ve written, select photos to illustrate their posts, and make sure everything gets put on their blog according to schedule. I also help my clients to repurpose other things they’ve written into blog posts (and vice versa).

GT: With so many clients, how do you find the time?

JB: There’s no way I could do it without help! My husband Scott has been working with me for a few years now, and we’ve recently added another VA to our team who is just fabulous.

GT: Since you work with a lot of professional organizers, how can they be confident that you won’t share their business ideas with your other clients?

JB: As a member of the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection and the Canadian Virtual Assistant Network, I’m committed to the Codes of Ethics outlined by both organizations, which forbid the sharing of client information. In addition, my client agreement includes a confidentiality clause.

GT: I know you’re into technology, so I just have to ask – Mac or PC?

JB: PC. I was really tempted to buy a MacBook Air last year, but decided to get a Dell XPS 15z when my tech person (who is a family member and works for food) pointed out that he doesn’t support Macs.

GT: What kind of phone do you have?

JB: I have an iPhone. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it does what I need it to do, for now.

Janet Barclay specializes in blog design and support for professional organizers. She manages and writes for several blogs, including Your Organizing Business, where she shares tips for new and experienced organizers and hosts the monthly Professional Organizers Blog Carnival.

Congratulations!

You’re new to the field of professional organizing. You’re doing your research, clarifying your needs and goals, and now, you’ve purchased my New Organizer Essentials (NOE) forms. Maybe you’ve even practiced using the forms with friends, family and clients.

But perhaps you’re still not feeling confident or comfortable using the forms. Maybe you have questions about adapting them to your organizing practice’s unique circumstances.

Or is it possible that while you feel you should have questions, you’re not exactly sure what to ask and are anxious that you don’t know what you don’t know?

Relax. I’m here to help you.

I created the NOE [group] teleclass because I understand that even the very best resources need to be coupled with a full understanding of how to use them to your advantage. In a perfect world, you might want to schedule a one-on-one session with me to hear more about using the NOE documents, but I understand that most new professional organizers don’t have the budget for private sessions.

The NOE group teleclass is specifically tailored for you – new professional organizers who want to maximize their use of the New Organizer Essentials forms. During this 1-hour teleclass, I’ll discuss strategies and methods for using the NOE forms and explain some of the most common challenges that new organizers experience. At the end of the teleclass, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and listen to other attendees’ questions (and the answers I supply).

The NOE group teleclass is conducted in a relaxed, comfortable and casual atmosphere. There are no silly questions; in fact, you can be sure that for every question asked, there will be a few other organizers on the teleclass thrilled to hear that someone else has the same concern.

Combining the New Organizer Essentials forms with the NOE group teleclass is a powerful one-two punch to help you confidently optimize your professional organizing business.

Take a deep breath. We’re in this together.

The calling instructions will be emailed once you pay/register.

$20Add to Cart

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March is National Nutrition Month®.  What a great opportunity to re-evaluate your family’s nutrition goals!  And what better place to start than your kitchen! There, you’re in charge so you have the ultimate say about the ingredients in your meals and snacks and the methods used to prepare them.  With an established healthy base at home, you can then determine how restaurants and “sometimes” foods fit into your plan.

Once you determine your family’s meal planning goals, making decisions becomes easy. To make follow-through a snap, you need a kitchen space that supports these goals and takes the guesswork out of meal and snack time. If you stock your kitchen with only items that meet your family’s meal planning goals, you don’t have to worry about your willpower beyond the grocery store. You’ll have confidence that you’re appropriately nourishing yourself and your family.

Create a meal planning center

House all of your meal planning tools and resources in one area: recipes, coupons (if you use them), previous meal plans (for inspiration), and an on-going grocery list. Include a place to display your weekly menu—maybe on the refrigerator or the backside of a cabinet door. It’s easier to commit to a plan when it’s written out—and you can direct any “What’s for dinner?” questions to the board.

Eliminate excuses for calling in for takeout

If you spend the time and money to plan and shop for your healthful meals, you don’t want your efforts and budget to go to waste. Stock your kitchen with the appropriate tools, equipment and ingredients. If your current small cutting board makes it difficult to chop salad ingredients, invest in a larger one. Choose recipes that fit your usual dinnertime time frame and energy level and eliminate those that do not meet your goals.

Strengthen your snacks

Reconsider how you look at snacking.  Snacks are not a mindless supplement to TV time; they’re another opportunity to get the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. To get the biggest bang for your caloric buck, think outside of the chip aisle and focus on the produce department. Fresh produce with a little nut butter or low-fat dressing makes for a satisfying treat. It’s my humble opinion that a kitchen is not complete without a bowl of easy to grab fresh fruit. Make choosing veggies simple by peeling and slicing ahead of time and storing ready-to-eat portions front and center in the refrigerator.

Establish customized zones

With our busy schedules, time spent in the kitchen needs to be efficient. The less complicated a process or task, the more likely we are to follow through on it. Designate a cabinet for all of your breakfast items: coffee filters, coffee, mugs, cereal, bowls, spoons, bread, etc. Encourage your children to help at dinnertime by placing the plates in a lower cabinet with a silverware caddy for setting the table. Assign one shelf in your fridge for leftovers so they don’t end up forgotten and rotten.  Your space doesn’t have to be Martha Stewart approved; it just has to make sense TO YOU!

Keep your food safe

Follow safe food handling practices. It doesn’t matter how nutritious the food is if it’s covered in icky germs that make your entire family sick. You don’t have to be a germaphobe or crazy dietitian (ahem) to stay safe.  Just know the basics: Wash your hands frequently. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold—no thawing meat on the countertop! Use separate utensils for raw meats and ready-to-eat foods like veggies and bread. For more information, check out www.foodsafety.gov

Which steps could you take today to move your family closer to your nutrition goals?

Jill Hively is a registered dietitian and meal planning consultant in Apex, North Carolina. In her workbook Jumpstart Your Family’s Meal Plan, she encourages families to head back to the dining room table one grocery list at a time. To learn more about Jill’s meal planning philosophy (and her slight obsession with food safety), visit www.OrderUpOrganizing.com

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Depression is a common but somewhat misunderstood problem in children and adolescents.  When a child or teenager is frequently sad, irritable, withdrawn or isolative it can be extremely disruptive and distressing to the child and the family, and parents may struggle to identify the best ways to address this issue.  When determining how to address a child’s depression, there are several important questions that parents should ask.

QUESTION #1:  What are the warning signs that my child may be depressed?

The first step is to identify that something is wrong.  There are several behaviors that parents should be on the look-out for that could indicate the presence of depression.  Typical warning signs for depression include:  sad or irritable mood (i.e. tearfulness, angry outbursts); loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable; significant weight gain or loss (or inability to gain age-appropriate amounts of weight); difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much; moving slowly; loss of energy; reporting feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt; recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (which can often be expressed in drawings or journals); or problems concentrating.

QUESTION #2:  Is this just normal sadness or “depression?”

As most parents know, even the happiest child will be sad sometimes.  This is perfectly normal.  However, there is a difference between appropriate levels of sadness and depression.  Parents should try and determine whether the sadness is related to environmental factors.  For example, it is very normal for a child to be sad when a pet dies or, for a teenager, after a difficult break-up.  Furthermore, a certain level of irritability is often present during the teenage years.  However, if a parent notices that their child appears to get sad or angry for no reason, is sad all the time, can’t seem to get over his/her sadness, or that the sadness is having a significant negative impact on his/her life (i.e. refusing school; no friends, etc.) then depression may be present.  A child or teenager without diagnosable depression may still benefit from some form of treatment.  And, if a parent is unsure whether or not his/her child has a diagnosable depressive disorder, the best thing for them to do is to reach out to a qualified mental health professional who can evaluate these symptoms and provide an answer.

QUESTION #3:  Who should I talk to if I think my child or teen is depressed?

Many parents don’t know who to turn to when they fear that their child or teen is depressed.  If there is a care provider you trust or have a good relationship with, such as a pediatrician or school counselor, talking to them is a good first step.  They can offer support and point you in the right direction of an appropriate mental health care professional.  Professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists most commonly provide treatment for depression. On-line web searches and databases will provide the names of appropriate professionals and practices that you can contact.  If you talk to a pediatrician, school counselor, etc., ask if they can recommend a professional in the community to help make the search less overwhelming.  Both psychologists and psychiatrists can assess depression.  However, psychologists often provide more extensive therapy for depression, while psychiatrists can prescribe medication if that is indicated for your child.  Your provider should help guide you in determining if your child would benefit from therapy, medication or a combination of the two.

QUESTION #4:  What should I look for in a treatment provider?  What questions should I ask?

When a parent is researching mental health care providers, there are some important questions to ask.  Not all professionals are the same, and you want to find one that is a strong fit for your child’s needs.  First, you want to ask about the professional’s experience.  You will want to ensure that the professional has experience in working with children and adolescents and that they have experience treating depression.  You’re child may or may not have clinical depression, but it may prove helpful to find a professional who has experience, training and expertise in this area so that they can accurately assess the symptoms and provide depression-focused treatment if it is indeed needed.  Second, you want to ask about the kind of treatment that they will provide.  For example, certain therapies have been shown by research to be effective in treating depression in children, and this information is available on-line.  Such evidence-based treatment models include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).  If you are speaking with a psychiatrist, you can ask them about the types of medication they typically use to treat depression in their clients.

QUESTION #5:  How should I talk to my child or teen about their depression?

Many parents struggle with how to best approach their child about depression and the possibility of treatment.  Each parent has their own style and a unique knowledge of their child.  That being said, it is a good idea to express your concern in an empathic, supportive, not-judgmental way.  Many children (especially teenagers) might be hesitant to talk about their feelings, so you want to let them know that many people experience depression and that you understand that it is very difficult for them.  Furthermore, when discussing treatment, you can reiterate that you love and care about them and want them to live a happier life.

Dr. Daniel Sheras is a clinical psychologist at Orenstein Solutions in Cary, NC who focuses on the treatment and evaluation of children, adolescents and young adults.  He has more than 5 years of clinical experience in mental health and school settings and specializes in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and attachment issues.  Dr. Sheras is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA) and has presented at several professional conferences on a variety of topics, including childhood depression, ADHD in college students, and effective teaching strategies. Dr. Sheras can be reached by phone at 919-428-2766 ext. 9 or by email at sheras@orensteinsolutions.com.