Self Care: The Holidays are Coming!

I live in a town where I hear the words "self-care" a lot! I mean A LOT!  Not that it was ever a foreign  concept to me, but when I lived in a big city I never really had time to give it much thought. I must admit, I am still not very good at it, but with the holidays coming up (and my stress level about to be elevated), I figured now was as good a time as any, so......

I started thinking about what I could do to take care of me, myself and I, so that I could be better equipped for the fun, family, excitement, over stimulation and mayhem the holiday season entails! I know that if I feel this way that others must too so I thought of 4 EASY WAYS to take care of yourself in preparation for the holidays (or even to recoup after)!

1. MEDITATE: O.K., I can't really do that either! How about just sitting quietly by yourself with your eyes closed, listening to your favorite music, blocking out the outside world? CLOSE ENOUGH Right?!  
2. JOURNAL: If this sounds too daunting....just call it writing! Take the time to express your feelings, worries, frustrations etc on paper. No one ever needs to read it. Just let all your thoughts out and your mind settle down.
3. ESCAPE: I mean, just go DO SOMETHING that you have always wanted to do or never make time to do! Dye your hair, Get a french manicure. Pierce your belly button. Ride a roller coaster. Eat oysters......you get what I mean.

LUXURIATE: Pamper yourself! If you can afford it, go for a Spa Day! If you can't pick your favorite body treatment and enjoy OR simply add some oils to your long hot bath!

It doesn't matter what you do as long as the priority is YOU! 

Do You Want a New Closet for Christmas (or Chanuka)?

What would be the best gift ever? In my opinion it would be a brand new organized closet! Who doesn't want one?

So now what? There are SO MANY  options out there how do you decide?  I hope this will help:

1) Go Custom:  There are many large closet franchise companies (and little independents like me) that can make this process fun and easy for you.  Measurements will be taken, clothing will be assessed and designs will be created. You just sit back and relax and get a quality product like this:

2) DIY Melamine: You can go into any Lowe's or Home Depot and buy ready to build kits. There are many choices available. Be aware that these are all made in good quality material so take the time to check material thickness, system  adjustability and measurements before you buy. Here are some examples of what you will find in the stores:

3) DIY Wire Racking: This is the most inexpensive choice but also the least functional. You do not get any choice of heights of shelves, hangers often don't move freely, sweaters have marks left on them....and I can go on.  But....it can help you create a more organized space then just the simple shelf and rod. This may take you some time to figure out..and it has a tendency to fall off the wall if not perfectly installed.

Are you now more confused then ever? 

I don't blame you. If I walked into a store and saw all the DIY pieces, I would just wonder what to do with them.  How do I know what to design for my closet? How do I know I am getting the right pieces? Will everything work the way I think it will?

Here is my Holiday Gift to you. VIRTUAL CLOSET DESIGN: It's the best of both worlds! I will do the professional plans and you can buy and install the closet yourself! If you mention this Blog Post I will give you 15% OFF this service.  Check it out here:   http://www.organizeatoz.com/virtual-closet/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Motivation Please!

Do you ever find yourself saying IF ONLY I...........

If only I had the time. If only it were more worthwhile. If only someone noticed......you get the picture!  If only these things happened you would be motivated to DO something right?

Well, what would it take to motivate you to get & stay more organized?

Take the time to think about it.  Being more organized helps make your life easier! Who wouldn't want that? Would you find motivation in any of the following:

MONEY: It's a fact that being organized will help save you money.  Your bills will be paid on time. Your tickets etc would be bought before prices went up. You would know what coupons you have to use at all times.

REWARD: What if you decided to reward yourself for every month you stayed organized! Treat yourself to a facial. Take yourself out for dinner to your favorite restaurant. Buy yourself your favorite bottle of wine! You deserve it for making your life easier!

APPROVAL OR APPRECIATION: Your family will notice when things get more organized in your life....because it will naturally flow over into theirs as well! They will approve and your efforts and hard work will be appreciated more and more over time.

PERSONAL SATISFACTION: How about giving yourself a pat on the back every once in awhile? You should feel good about the habits you have created and the changes your have made!

Are any of the above enough to motivate you?  If so, what are you waiting for? Get started! If not, there are many great professional organizers out there to help keep you motivated!

Find what is right for you and as they say "JUST DO IT!"

 I would love to know what got you going! Please share.

Alphabet Gratitude

We can all get so caught up in our "stuff" that we forget the little things in life. You know the ones that make you smile in the middle of your day. The ones that make you pause in the middle of your daily mad rush. The ones that you will miss if you aren't present.  

Let's play a game: (I have done this on Facebook many times and people have thanked me) For the next 26 days, pick a letter of the alphabet and list the things you are grateful for that starts with the letter. It may sound silly to you......but it's contagious!

Here is my short list:

• A- Aromatherapy
• B- Beauty in all forms
• C- Chocolate
• D- Day Dreams
• E- Earth
• F- Friends and Family
• G- My husband Greg
• H- Happiness
• I- Ice cream
• J- Joyous occasions
• K- Karma
• L- LOVE
• M- Mischief
• N- Normalcy
• O- Oxygen
• P- Pedicures
• Q- Q-tips
• R- Respect  
• S- Sunshine
• T- Tomatoes
• U- Universe
• V- Violets
• W- Water
• X- Xanadu
• Y- The word YES
• Z- The non existence of Zombies

I hope you do it! I hope you share it! And most of all I hope your heart grows with it 

3 Reasons to Treat Yourself to a Custom Closet

I'll bet that at some point you have walked into your closet and immediately became frustrated. Were you looking for a shoe?  Did you misplace a piece of jewelry? Did you just not have time to sift through the messy piles?

We have all been through it!  Here are 3 (and a surprise final one at the end) reasons to TREAT YOURSELF to a custom closet:

1) YOU DESERVE IT!

Don't you believe that you deserve a life that is organized and free of frustration? That's all I have to say here!

2) IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!

Imagine a day that starts off with no struggle to find your stuff. Imagine not fighting with your spouse because you are bumping into each other in the search for your clothes. Imagine putting away your stuff easily at the nd of the day. Imagine a closet that has a place for everything and at heights your child can reach..... they can put their own stuff away! IMAGINE..........   It's all possible and YOU DESERVE IT!

3) INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOUSE! 

Unless you are thinking of moving, the value of your home may not be on your mind. Custom closets is value that you can live with and use every day!  If it feels good to you to open your doors and see and organized space, think about how impressed and excited a potential buyer might be!

And guess what....the final reason is...it's not as expensive as you might think!

There are so many options when it comes to custom closets, including designing and building it yourself! Here's a video to give you some ideas:

Please visit my website for more ideas and design options!

3 Ways to Avoid Distraction While Working

Have you ever felt that you are working  tirelessly but getting nothing done?

Whether you work from home or in an office DISTRACTION can be a problem and suck the time away from you!  We try to prioritize, we try to plan, we try to stay focused but external stimuli get the better of us!

Here are a three suggestions to help avoid distraction while you are working:

PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY:  Not on the desk next to you. AWAY. In a drawer or a bag where you can't see it!  Save checking your texts and personal calls/e-mails for your break time.

SET DO NOT DISTURB:  Put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door (or if you have the technology on your phone). Let people know that you are serious about concentrating and getting work done!

COMMIT to completing one task before starting the next.  There is nothing more easily distracting then a new task.  Finishing a task before starting another will make you feel like you have accomplished more in a day.  Having a bunch of unfinished tasks can leave you feeling dissatisfied at the end of the day.

These are easy things to try.....what can it hurt?

The worst thing that happens is that you get more done! OH MY!

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It Feels So Good to Give... and I Don't Mean Money

They say "charity starts at home" and that is true! If we don;t take care of ourselves, we certainly can't help others.

But when we can boy does it feel good!

These thoughts are coming to me now as I am starting to dive into the hard work to create the yearly charity event I created called CANNED SEDONA. As I go through months of stress, anxiety and uncertainty, people ask me WHY I do it.  

I do it because I enjoy helping people. If I am making even a small difference in someone's life it makes me happy.

Everyone can give to people in need. It doesn't take much or mean spending a lot of money to help!

Here are 4 easy ways that you can help another person today:

1-  FOOD: Buy an extra non-perishable every week and make a collection to donate to your local food bank.or shelter

2- CLOTHING/HOUSEWARES: Give your old or unused items to the charity or shelter of your choice.

3- PARTICIPATION:  Do a Walk-A-Thon, volunteer or join a committee to help larger organizations raise money

4- LOVE: Volunteer to walk dogs and play with cats at an animal shelter, read to children in the hospital or spend time with the elderly.

None of the above options will cost you much but they sure will make other people happy!

Let me know how good it feels!!

The Corner Rules

Many of my clients ask me "How do you use the corners in a closet". Well, in my experience there is only one EFFECTIVE way to use corners but there are many options out there. 

Take a look: 

#1 - The Angled Corner Unit: With that small an opening....how will you ever know what is back there..never mind how you get to it! Once you hang clothes on the rods they will cover the opening even further and will make that access even more difficult!  

#2- Curved or Corner Shelves: Are not terrible when there is no hanging beside them but again, you will have items stuck far back in a corner which will probably never get used.

#3- Curved Rods: You can see for yourself in this photo that they are not a great use of space. Items can not hang the full range of the rod.

#4- The Lazy Susan: This works, sure...but again if you have anything hanging next to it, it will rub and hinder the spin of the shelves. Clothing folded in rectangles do not fit easily on a round shelf. This is a decent solution for shoes or purses.  

#5- Rods in 2 Directions: This is the most common use of corners and it does not work at all. It is physically impossible to hang the length of both rods. The shoulders of the clothing just smashes into each other.

#6- The Spiral Rod: Oh Yeah, this one is cool for sure but it takes up a ton of space. You can actually get more pieces of clothing on a regular rod then on this gadget. 

So what is my corner of choice? The Access Space:

The Access Space makes use of one wall completely and then leaves room for the clothes on the opposite wall to hang properly. When the correct amount of space is allowed, not only can you see the clothing in the corner, but you can easily reach it as well. 

I'm not saying the other ideas are wrong, just that in my 20 plus years o experience, this seems to work the best.

Do you have your favorite? Please share your thoughts!  

Short & Sweet Closet Organizing Tips

I know many people are preparing their kids for "back to school". This is another great time of year to get all your their (and YOUR) spaces organized.  

With the hustle and bustle of daily life, wouldn't it be nice to be able to find the clothes and things that you need in your closet in an instant?  

Here are some short videos to get you started! 

Drawers vs Shelves: 

2) Sweater Storage

3) Choosing Hangers

I hope you enjoyed these tips! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Referrals Make the World Go Around

Referrals make the world go around....the business world anyway!

Did you know that:

• 65% of new business comes from referrals – New York Times

• 92% of respondents trusted referrals from people they knew – Nielsen

• People are 4 times more likely to buy when referred by a friend – Nielsen

A lot of  people I know run small businesses and struggle to compete with larger companies, so, when someone does great work for me I am happy to shout to from the rooftops!  

Small business owners and independent contractors, have a harder time spending the required amount of money on advertising or marketing to make their brand or services known. They count on word of mouth to help their business grow!

That is not to say big companies who do a great job do not deserve their kudos! Of course they do.

Good work deserves praise!

What do you say we all help each other out?

Think of 3 really great experiences you have has with any company / person / service and share them here!

I am excited to hear all of them!