Getting Organized

Time Management Log

2010-03-11T11:24:00.004-05:00

Need to know where you are wasting time at work? Want to get more done but can't find the time?
Use this log to analyze your time habits for one week and you will be amazed!
Find it here:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B89JSa1q6kRTZDE2YjI3MGEtMDk3OC00ZGYyLThhZWEtMWE5ZTZhYzk4YTk0&hl=en

What to do:
Track every task you do - start time and end time. Include smoke breaks, bathroom breaks, browsing the internet, emailing someone, talking to coworkers, etc. as well.
Be honest! The only person who will see this is you - and it is only as helpful as it is truthful.
At the end of each day hilight all of the tasks that you can eliminate to save time.
Create a plan to cut these habits out of your day to add more productivity.

This will be a very long week, a tedious process and you may get frustrated or annoyed and want to give up. Don't. It will only help you if you do it for at least 5 days to see true trends. It will be worth it - I proomise.

Not sure it will be worth it? Consider this:
- We only work 124,800 minutes a year (40 hours a week)
- at $50,000 per year, that's $0.40 per minute - why waste it?
- 1 hour of planning will save 10 hours.
- 80% of what we keep we never use
- The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (That translates into one hour per day.) -The Wall Street Journal
- Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in an average home.
-The average person receives more information on a daily basis now, than the average person in 1900 received in a lifetime.

Spring Cleaning!

2010-03-01T15:22:00.004-05:00

Ah, the cold in Central Florida and Tampa is slowly leaving and we are on our way into Spring. What does that mean? Spring cleaning, of course! And Organizing your home. Although many of us dread it, the welcoming of Spring is a great time to take inventory of what we have an what we can let go of. Starting off fresh for the rest of the year is a great feeling!
Not sure how to begin? Here are some tips to help you out along the way (of course, hiring a Professional Organizer from A Space That Works Organizing is also a great way to make the most of your time and effort!)

- Now is a great time to organize and weed out the closet. Go through your winter clothes as you pack them away. If you didn’t wear it, you don’t need it (no matter how cute it is, there was something cuter you passed it up for.) This is the perfect winter to do this because it got so cold you know what you really needed.
- Next, turn all of your hangers in your closet around backwards. This way as you wear something and put it away you can replace it the right way and see at the end of the season what you never even wore (the hanger will still be backwards.) This is a very easy way to trick yourself into organizing.
- Take advantage of the final cool Central Florida days to organize your garage! Weed out all of the old toys, equipment and unpacked boxes from your move 5 years ago. If you didn’t remember it was there you probably won’t miss it.
- Do a toy purge. Now that you have all of the Christmas toys in addition to the rest of the mess it is time to pare down. The fewer toys a child has the more they can find and play with the toys they really love. Organize toys with your child into ones they love, ones they like and ones they no longer play with. It is also a great learning time and a chance to give to Central Florida children who don’t have as much. Make it a fun time for the kids – have them make a card for the child they will be giving their toys to (even if it doesn’t make it to the child it is a great way for your kids to feel like they are connecting.)

Keep watching our organizing newsletters for more tips each month. If you know a friend who would enjoy our organizing newsletters please forward this to them as well. To sign up for our newsletter write to Suzanna@aspacethatworks.com and write newsletter in the subject line.

Suzanna Letchford
Professional Organizer
A Space That Works Organizing
Central Florida, Tampa
407-416-6118
www.ASpaceThatWorks.com

Tax time - again!

2010-02-26T16:18:00.003-05:00

It's tax time - again. Didn't we just do this last year? I need a Daily Money Manager. Oh - wait. I AM a Daily Money Manager!

I don't know about you, but I hate tax time. Thankfully it is a little easier with a little organization. Especially as a business-owner the paperwork can be overwhelming even for the most organized of people.

In order to make my tax season as stress-free as possible (do those words go together? Tax and stress-free?) I attempt simple organization throughout the year.

For one, since receipts can overwhelm me with the business I keep a box on my desk that any business-related receipts can just be thrown into (I can be lazy sometimes) and at the end of the month I scan them and enter them into my tax spreadsheet. That way I can double-check my accounting program (I just use Mint.com - it is online and easy) against the spreadsheet so I make sure I have all of my receipts and don't miss anything. The IRS accepts scanned receipts now, so this is an easy way to store them for the end of the season as well.

I also have my tax files set up by category -
Scanned receipts (in envelopes by month after they are scanned)
Advertising
Utilities
Travel
Health
Donations
Tax paperwork
Other

This way, as I enter everything into TurboTax each file goes in order with the categories they will ask me about.

I store my personal information in the same way - organized by category in the order TurboTax asks for it.

The last helpful thing I use is Itsdeductible.com
This website is where I list all of my donations and it lets me know the value of each item. The great thing - it also imports directly into Turbotax!

Tax season can be a breeze if everything is kept organized throughout the year - and it doesn't have to be time-consuming if you keep it simple.

New Services and Sites to help you Organize!

2010-02-10T12:06:00.001-05:00

Newest Tips, Tricks and Services to Help You Organize!

What's the newest way to save time and money? Daily Money Managers! This field has recently come to the forefront due to our increasingly busy lives and time-consuming personal finance and management needs.

So, what does a Daily Money Manager do?
They will:
- Balance your checkbook
- Manage your bill payments
- File your financial, health and other vital paperwork
- Maintain vital records
- Work with your CPA, Lawyers, Insurances and more to ensure they receive what they need
- Much more

How do you find a Daily Money Manager?
You can visit the American Association of Daily Money Managers (http://www.aadmm.com/) for more information and listings.
A Space That Works also offers this service. Suzanna Letchford has a background with Finance including studies at UCF in Finance & Accounting, years as Managing Director and Director of Finance . Call 407-416-6118 to find out more.

What is the latest link to de-stress your life?
www.JackCards.com

JackCards.com is a FANTASTIC service that allows you to:

- Add people to an address book and get event reminders
- Pick out an actual card (NOT an eCard) from a great selection of high-quality cards
- Schedule the card to arrive at either their house or yours. (You can add a personal message in your own handwriting before dropping the card back in the mail again)
- They can either pre-print the address and return address and pre-stamp or send you the address information with the card so you can hand-address it without needing to look anything up.

Never forget a birthday or event again - and toss all of those greeting cards floating around your home that you have forgotten to send!

(*Note: ASTW never receives any payment for promoting any businesses besides itself on its media. Any promotion is based solely on ASTW's personal opinion of the product.)

Who do you know?

2008-11-22T16:38:00.001-05:00

Who Do You Know?
We love referrals! Do you know someone who could benefit from our services? Someone who is looking for a unique teacher gift? Please let us know - we would love to talk to them!
Some great referrals for us:

Newspapers or newsletters looking to add a tip column to attract more readers
Small groups who would like a speaker at their meeting
Anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with clutter or too much to do
A new mom, a teacher or an elderly parent
Someone who has inherited a passed relative's belongings

...and many more.

Call or email us with any referrals and help someone find peace again.

(All our work is 100% confidential - we will never discuss anyone's information or situation without prior approval.)

Organized closets for moving

2008-11-12T11:00:00.002-05:00

Good morning!

Yesterday I spent the day in Tampa. I was helping a wonderful lady and her mother as we went through her closet and her house. She is preparing for a move to a smaller location. We had a great time going through all of her clothes shoes and purses in all of her closets.we laughed a lot and they were such great people.

After cleaning out her closet and meeting with another woman to pick up her donations today I get to go to drop off clothes at dress for success. I usually take donations for my clients to local charities and sends them a tax receipt.there is somebody great charities around town that I use such as the mustard seed, dress for success, churches, and schools. That is the fun part of my job, I get to help as many people as possible each time I work.

This morning also went to my networking group. I get to partner with the number of businesses that complement mine and help their businesses succeed also. Now that the elections are over business is finally picking up again and I get to do what I enjoy most -- work with people.

now it's time to organize my own paperwork. When it's your own paperwork it's not as much fun. I guess I should get to it and not procrastinate like I tell my clients. Do as I say and as I do I guess!

I'll talk to you later!

Organizing Homes in Orlando, Tampa, Palm Coast, Spring Hill

2008-11-09T12:43:00.002-05:00

Today I get the pleasure of organizing a home in Tampa instead of my home area of Orlando. I love my drives out to Tampa because I can listen to my podcasts and audiobooks (entertain myself or learn new skills) and enjoy the quiet sometimes. My house is rarely quiet with my fiancee around. You know how guys are! I love it, though.

I am also excited that I will be working on the family room of their home. They have 2 kids and I love that type of environment. Organizing for kids can get really creative and make such a huge difference in their lives. I constantly hear feedback from parents saying their kids are more relaxed, confident, focused and proud of themselves after they get organized. Feedback like that makes my job worthwhile.

One of my favorite kid organization tricks is to use baskets on shelves instead of drawers. This makes it easier to put things away and also makes it impossible to hide things that are put away incorrectly. (Kids will always test their boundaries!)

I am off to Tampa now - talk to ya later!

-Suzie

New speech to text software!

2008-11-06T12:41:00.002-05:00

Today is an exciting day for me - I can finally update my blog more often because I got a new software that turns my speech into text. This means that I can talk while I'm on the road driving to my clients, to my meetings and anywhere else I need to go. Talk about saving time!

What this means to you? You'll be hearing from me more often!

I'm looking forward to sharing the interesting things that go on with my organizing and time management business.

To start off, tonight I am going to an event that I am helping participate in called wine, women and wardrobe. This event is going to support Dress for Success, which is a nonprofit organization that helps women get clothes to wear to job interviews. I bring many of my donations of professional women's clothing to this organization, so I'm so excited I can participate in this event tonight! I am going to be speaking about how time management can change your appearance, attitude, professionalism and the way people see you. The event is going to have food, fashion, beauty and tips and is in Maitland, FL.

Other than that, I'm spending the day on the computer answering e-mails doing my blog, planning my schedule and otherwise doing productive things -- mostly. We all have our moments.

I'm also excited that I booked a client today who I used to work with. I'm going to be organizing her closet and absolute love hanging out with her. I used to work with her at my old job as Director of Finance - she was in sales. I'm looking forward to catching up with her as we go through her closet and getting her organized because she loves her clothes.

I should probably get back to work -- I look forward to seeing you again soon! Please let me know if there's any subject you want me to talk about that would be interesting to you. I love comments and feedback.

Now, back to organizing and computer work. See you tomorrow!

List of Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts

2008-10-13T13:41:00.000-04:00

Clutter-Free Holiday Gift Ideas

As an organizer, I deal with people's clutter year-round. Among this clutter is usually a pile of gifts my client has received from a loved one that isn't their style or they do not really have a use or space for, but they feel obligated to hold on to it so as not to offend anyone. The last thing we want to do when we give a gift is place pressure on that person and create guilt and negative emotions. This year I challenge all of us to make a resolution early - to make our holiday gift-giving clutter (and guilt) free.
Here is a list I have compiled of clutter-free gift ideas for the holidays. If you have any additional ideas please feel free to add to this list.
Give the gift of Art:
Live performances, such as theatre (Orlando Theatre Project : www.otp.cc)
music (Orlando Opera : www.orlandoopera.org)
comedy (SAK Improv Comedy : www.sak.com)
art (Orlando Museum of Art : www.omart.org )
dance (Orlando Ballet : www.orlandoballet.org)
or more (Central Florida Performing Arts Alliance : www.orlandoperforms.com )

Give the gift of service:
Professional Organizing (www.aspacethatworks.com)
Home services (www.ndhomeservices.com)
Redesign (www.redesign-concepts.com )
Custom storage (www.store-iteasy.com )
Car Wash
Maid service (www.redscleaning.net )

Growth and Education:
The Knowledge Shop (www.theknowledgeshop.us )
SCC Continuing Education (http://www.scc-fl.edu/communityeducation/ )
Dance (www.flyinfootwork.com)
Life Coaching (www.cyscoaching.com)
Business Development (www.womnetworking.com )

Memberships:
Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org )
Netflix (www.netflix.com )
Gyms
Keep Seminole Beautiful (www.keepseminolebeautiful.org )

Create your own coupons:
A chore-free day
# hours of service or fun
Dinner
Babysitting
Massage
Fun day (beach, picnic, etc.)
Their hobby

Other:
Have family portraits taken
Get their ears pierced
Have a party with their friends for no reason day
Have their memorabilia or flowers professionally preserved or framed (such as baby shoes, jerseys, bride's bouquet, dolls, etc.)
An experience (such as driving a race car, riding a horse)
Attend a concert
A hotel stay out of town
Invest $ (great for babies!)
Gospel breakfast at House of Blues

Ways to give a small gift certificate or coupon:
Give a photo album to put photos of the event in after it is finished
Print the web page of the event
Write details in a greeting card
Give the brochure
Create a scavenger hunt to find the card
Give an example (such as wrapping a Rubbermaid bin with the organizing gift certificate in it)
Write it on the back of a cute photo or picture
Sing it
Put it in a box of chocolates

Walk for the Cure

2008-09-25T13:30:00.001-04:00

Suzanna from A Space That Works and the women of Successful Solutions women's business network will be walking for breast cancer research on October 18th in Orlando. If you would like to support us you can donate through the website ( http://main.acsevents.org/goto/aspacethatworks )

It's time to make a difference!

Email Organizing

2008-09-16T16:15:00.001-04:00

Set up your inbox like a file cabinet. You can create folders and use them in the same way.

Also, some useful folders to keep your inbox from becoming overwhelming and make sure you don't miss anything are:

To Read

To Do

To Attend

To Respond

To Enter (if the info needs to be entered somewhere else)

To Pay

Add other folders as needed - and set aside time each week to go through these folders and take care of business!

Time Management and Organization

2008-09-05T01:24:00.000-04:00

I am now available at The Knowledge Shop!

Two classes covering time management and efficiency are being offered (taught by Suzanna Letchford of A Space That Works Organizing) in September and October.
For more details go to:
http://www.theknowledgeshop.us/class_catalog.aspx

Class: Time Management and Organization
Dates: Sept. 6 10am – 1pm or Oct. 22 7pm – 10pm
Description: Increasing Efficiency and Productivity

During these slower economic times being efficient and maximizing productivity makes all of the difference. When you spend time looking for missing files, inefficient scheduling and failing to set appropriate priorities and task lists can reduce your bottom line. The Time Management and Organizational techniques learned here can increase your effectiveness throughout the day and help you get more done in less time.

Suzanna Letchford is an organizer with a passion! She has served as Managing Director of a non-profit corporation as well as Director of Finance for a national corporation and brings this business knowledge to her work. She has led seminars on Organization and Time Management and is a contributing writer for the book Expanding Circles of Influence. As owner of A Space That Works Professional Organizing she works one on one with corporate clients and individuals to help them achieve their goals.

Suzanna Letchford
A Space That Works
Professional Organizer
407-416-6118
www.ASpaceThatWorks.com

How Long do you Keep Papers?

2008-06-12T15:19:00.001-04:00

How long do you have to keep papers? Well, I now have a list included in my files on my meetup site that you can print up and keep in your office.

Spend a few hours this weekend going through your old file folders and purging (remember to recycle!)

Check out the files here: http://messies.meetup.com/65/files/

New Gallery Photos!

2008-06-12T15:17:00.001-04:00

Hello, all! I have just posted my newest gallery photos in my blog
(I know - I had no clue you could do this - isn't it great?)

Check them out to the right. I will be updating them often and I already have photos of my current project listed.

Talk to you soon!

Organizing Central Florida (Orlando, Tampa and palm coast)

2008-05-28T16:24:00.003-04:00

A Space That Works’ Professional Organizers offer an array of services from advice to one- on-one organizing. Servicing homes, business and training in time management we remove the stress and frustration of disorganization leaving peace and time to do what you love.

Get cords out of the way

2008-05-28T06:53:00.001-04:00

Have a lot of electrical cords jumbled up and on the floor? Wrap them together with an old spiral telephone cord (this allows individual cords to stick out where they need to and contains multiple cords into one bulk cord) then use hooks to hang the cord bundle up and off of the floor so little ones cannot reach it.

Baby Clothes

2008-05-23T07:26:00.001-04:00

When preparing for a new baby you will invariably get dozens of cute outfits and hand me downs. If they are too big for your baby right now then separate into bins and label them by size as well as by season. It is common for an infant to grow a size in a season, so if you don’t get to wear the winter coat because they outgrow it before winter, re-gift it or donate it to a charity that specializes in helping children.

Organizing for ADD/ADHD

2008-05-21T18:28:00.002-04:00

(As published in Bright Feats.com, May 2008)

By Suzanna Letchford, Professional Organizer and owner of A Space That Works Organizing. www.ASpaceThatWorks.com

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) pose special challenges when creating and maintaining organizational systems. Though it seems that it is just clutter there are many missing skills that are tied to the issue – the clutter is simply a symptom of a deeper problem. The simple act of organizing has greatly affected many areas of my clients’ lives; I have heard numerous reports of children taking on more responsibility and being more motivated after just one organizing session. Things like getting dressed, getting ready for bed and cleaning up on their own are huge changes that occur after they have a system in place that supports their needs.

Although disorders like ADD and ADHD affect individuals differently there are key strategies that can help – adult or child. There are many options available and techniques that can be tailored to your special need. Many Professional Organizers specialize in working with ADD/ADHD and have a long list of ideas but here are a few of the basics.

Make it Fun. A lack of focus is one of the most noticeable traits of the ADD/ADHD child. This occurs most often when tasks are uninteresting, routine or tedious. Matters like scheduling, organization and maintenance are particularly difficult. Making organizing into a game or challenge is an effective way to keep their interest. Setting a time limit and challenging them to complete a certain task, such as gathering all Lego’s into the Lego bin before the timer goes off offers motivation and excitement to an otherwise boring job. Make sure these time limits are small and you keep the excitement up by announcing time left, using music or some other reminder to point out the time ticking away. Create new challenges frequently to keep them fresh.

Get them on board. When your child has a say in what is happening to their space they are more likely to be involved and interested. This also helps them want to maintain their space. Let them help choose bins and tell you what their most important items are. Display special memories on higher shelves and use bins to keep toys off the floor and out of sight. Limit the number of posters and artwork on the walls and items on surfaces to minimize the busyness in the room – the more serene an atmosphere you can create the more control they will feel they have in their space.

Us e Centers. Create different “centers” in their rooms dedicated to specific activities. Reading centers, art centers, homework centers and more can help define where items belong and give a defined space for activity, creating a sense of structure, order and purpose and making the organizing system more logical.

Label! Using labels or pictures on bins and shelves can help your child remember what goes into bins without having to pull them out and also where to return them when they are finished. Label both the bin itself and the shelf underneath for maximum benefit. Letting the older child create the labels can be a fun project for them, too.

Use the energy. Create small projects that can be done in a short amount of time with high energy if possible. Using the excess energy an ADD person gets is a great way to quickly organize a closet, under a bed or sort a Lego collection. Make sure the project can be completed before energy is completely sapped and be aware and work with, not against, their moods.

Set goals and celebrate. Set goals and celebrate successes – a closet cleaned or a dresser top cleared off is a reason to celebrate! Make noise, sing a song or give a treat when you have accomplished a goal and take time to enjoy it.

Take one bite at a time. For a big project break it down into smaller parts. Decide to do one piece at a time – the bookshelf this weekend and the toy box next weekend. The project will eventually be completed without the burnout.

Create routines. Help your child to create new routines in order to maintain order. Tying a new routine to an old one is a great way to remember the change. Emptying the dishwasher before getting out a breakfast bowl, wiping down the bathroom mirror when brushing their teeth or putting away all of their books when they pull out their nighttime novel are some examples. Placing reminders in hard to ignore areas also works. Leave the garbage bags in front of the bedroom door to remember to take out the trash on the way to the bus or have them place a note on a book-bag so that homework is not forgotten can be especially helpful.

Create support. Many of our distractions can be eliminated simply by being held accountable and having someone pay attention as well. Stay in the room when it is being cleaned to prevent distraction or set a timer to go off every ten minutes so they can check whether they are doing what they should be doing. Hyper-focus (focusing too much time and attention perfecting a small portion of the job while ignoring the larger need) can also be eliminated in this way.

Know when to ask for help. Sometimes we simply do not know the best way to help our loved one. If a job is too overwhelming or you are not sure how to help your child to succeed at organizing professionals are available. A Professional Organizer with training in dealing with ADD/ADHD can help teach time management skills, set up systems that will work with your child’s needs and help you to understand the best way to encourage them.

The best way to organize for ADD/ADHD is to work with it, not against it. Use the fantastic moments of energy and focus to your benefit and create routines that are logical to your child’s way of thinking. Once he/she has built up a list of smaller successes you can continue increasing the responsibilities. They will feel better about themselves and you can feel good knowing that you are giving them skills they can use throughout their lives.

For more ideas on organizing, motivating and scheduling for ADD check out my blog at: http://aspacethatworks.blogspot.com/ and www.ASpaceThatWorks.com.

Suzanna is an organizer with a passion! She is owner of A Space That Works Professional Organizing (www.ASpaceThatWorks.com) and works with both businesses and families organizing their homes and lives. She has previously worked with special needs children as an Assistant Teacher in the Autism and Special Education classes of an elementary school and high school. She has also spent years volunteering with special needs children and has training in organizing for disabilities and ADD/ADHD. Passion for the process, creative use of space and a supportive and friendly disposition help her in both home and business organization projects.

Storing outfits together or choosing many easy mix and match items, few different colors of socks and limiting the overwhelming number of clothing and accessory choices can help your child succeed in dressing and putting away laundry.

Acknowledge even the small successes.

Creating Summer Memories

2008-05-13T12:23:00.002-04:00

So, you are going on vacation with the kids – how do you make these memories last? Postcards and magnets are all fun, but to create true and lasting memories you want to go deeper.

The best way to create positive memories that will last through adulthood is to focus on the quality time spent together as a family. Start your vacation when you leave your house – not when you reach your destination. Speed is not a goal, explore exciting discoveries along the way and get to know each other, too. When you see a sign for the world’s largest ball of twine – pull over and check it out! The excitement of discovery and the unknown is half the adventure.

A long car ride can also be the perfect opportunity to get to know your children. Get a book of questions or create your own ahead of time. Questions such as “What is your favorite toy and why?” or “If you could be any animal in the world what would you be? Why?” are great conversation starters – and perfect ways to get to know your kids on a deeper level. Make sure to include the why part of the question – this can lead to some interesting discussions. Make sure everyone answers the question and has time to talk as long as they want to.

How do you record these memories? One great way to keep the memory alive and special is to create a family vacation scrapbook or journal. Before leaving arm each family member with a journal, a fun pen, a digital camera and a large envelope. Throughout the trip have them jot down favorite moments, thoughts, sketches, what they did, funny things other people said or write a narrative of parts of the trip. They can take pictures and collect brochures, leaves and other small, flat objects. When you get home combine everybody’s experiences, pictures, maps and artifacts into one scrapbook or even get them bound at your local office supply store. Captions can be added to photos and drawings can decorate the pages. It is a lot of fun to see how everybody viewed the vacation and remembers different events. It is also a fun way to build a family experience library and look back as the kids grow up to see how they change.

Make sure to focus on the real reason for a vacation – to relax, have fun and spend quality time together. This will make memories that will last a lifetime.

For a list of fun kids’ games and activities to play as well as more travel ideas visit my Central Florida Moms forum at www.centralfloridamoms.com in the forums under Life > Organization.

~Suzanna

Practical gifts

2008-05-09T10:04:00.001-04:00

Looking for a great gift idea for teachers or the person who has everything? Don’t want to add to their clutter? Want something they will remember? Event tickets or service gift certificates for a service will be remembered and appreciated (and won’t take up any space in their closets!)

Cherishing Memories, Clearing Clutter

2008-05-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

Ah, memories. We all have them – and the stuff that comes with them! But do we really need all of that stuff? And how do we teach our kids to cherish the memories but let go of the items?

Teaching kids early how to handle items makes a dramatic difference in their adult lives. One great way to manage all of the things we collect that come with our memories is to create a time capsule. Now, this does not have to be buried and we can use this system even into our adult lives (I still do!)

The time capsule can be as simple as a shoebox with the year written on it, a fancy basket or a decorative box. Make sure it is small (so we can’t keep too much.) A great way to get kids excited is to have them decorate their box any way they want to. Keep this on the top shelf of a closet, a higher shelf, under a bed or somewhere else out of the way.

What goes in this magic box? Ticket stubs, rocks, figurines, jewelry – whatever artifacts your child keeps to cherish their memories. For larger items, take a picture of it to put in the box (a large science project, the first tree they climbed, etc.) Important memories can be displayed on shelves on the wall and items can be traded out from the box to display or removed when a new item comes in to display. This clears all of the surfaces of memorabilia, displays important items (but with a limit) and still cherishes the item and its memory. Your child can even journal, write a story or draw a picture about the items in the box so they remember the event clearly.

On New Year’s Eve you can start a tradition of everyone in the family going through their boxes and explaining why the item is important to them and what they remember from the event. This is a great way to honor the year that has passed. After you have shared you can decide if the item should be kept in your main memories box (try to limit to 1 Rubbermaid tub or its equivalent if possible) or if you can donate or toss it. Sometimes taking a picture of the item or keeping just the journal entry about it is enough. Trust that you do not need the item in order to remember the event. If you do not remember why you kept it that is a good sign that you can let it go. If it is valuable or very interesting, can you give it as a gift to a friend or relative? A school? A charity? Can it be sold?

On New Year’s Day you can have fun decorating the new year’s box (throw out the old one – take a picture if you have to.) You can then look forward to another amazing year!

Phone Time

2008-05-01T14:54:00.001-04:00

For those of us who have to be on the phone uninterrupted but have small kids this can sometimes be a big challenge! One idea is to have a phone toy box. Put a few fun toys into a box and put it away where the kids can't get it (on top of the fridge or near the phone are two good places.) When you need to talk on the phone uninterrupted you can pull out this box and let the kids play with a toy from inside until you are done, then the toy goes back into the box.

Kids look forward to your phone conversations now and feel like they get a treat when you are on the phone. This also keeps the toys seeming fresh and new to them, ensuring they do not lose interest as quickly!

For more tips and tricks watch my blog at: http://aspacethatworks.blogspot.com/

Or, visit the free organization discussion groups - more info can be found at: http://messies.meetup.com/65/

Suzanna Letchford
Professional Organizer/Owner
A Space That Works
407-416-6118
www.aspacethatworks.com

"There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror
that reflects it." --Edith Wharton

Organizing Incoming Mail

2008-04-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

Hello, all!
I just wanted to share a quick tip with all of you for organizing - I have found it to be EXTREMELY valuable!

To handle incoming mail at the office or at home, create a file box (one that will hold either a few hanging folders or manilla folders - not too large.) This box can sit on the counter or desk and should be located closest to the door and garbage can.

Create files with the following titles:
To Pay
To Act (or To Do)
Pending
To Enter
To Attend
To File
To Read

Then, use the files as follows:

To Pay - all bills and items requiring payment
To Act - Anything that you have to take action on
Pending - anything you are waiting on someone else for (catalog orders waiting to come in, anything you are waiting to talk to someone else about, etc.)
To Enter - anything that needs to be entered (or scanned) into the computer
To Attend - party invitations, meeting announcements, theme park tickets, airline tickets (anything you have to attend - make sure to RSVP and to write it in your calendar before putting it in here)
To File - papers that need to be filed in the filing cabinet (clean this out and file all of them when it gets full)
To Read - magazine articles (rip them out of the magazine,) informational papers, etc.

Also put a bag with your:
checkbook
envelopes
pen
stamps
check register
return address labels calculator

in the front, you can then carry this box to wherever is convenient to pay your bills - and you can always find your things when you need them!

For more information about this system and others feel free to join me for my free discussion groups:
May 1, 5:30pm and May 8, 11:00am at Barnie's Coffee in Lake Mary, FL. For More info go to: http://messies.meetup.com/65

I would love to hear any questions or ideas you all have about organizing as well!
_________________
Suzanna Letchford
Professional Organizer
www.ASpaceThatWorks.com
407-416-6118