The Best Time of Day to Take a Nap

According to Real Simple Magazine, the best time of day to take a nap is between 1 p.m. and 2:30 pm. The reason? Our body temperatures drop in early afternoon which makes us sleepy. And we always thought lunch was the culprit! Those countries that have afternoon siestas are getting it right!

15-20 minutes is the ideal amount of sleep, as 30 minutes or more may leave you sleepier than before your nap. Dr. Richard Schwab, codirector of the University of Pennsylvania Penn Sleep Center in Philadelphia says that we wouldn't need naps if we weren't so sleep deprived!

Sleep is my most non-negotiable non-negotiable! I have found that I just can't function without adequate sleep. I don't often need to take a nap, but when I do, I try to listen to my body and take one if at all possible. If I have to cut something out of my day, I try to make it anything else but sleep!

Can you tell I feel strongly about sleep? We'll do more on sleep in future blogs. I've researched it extensively and am convinced we can't neglect it!

Do you get enough sleep?


Related posts: The Best Time of Day to Go to the Post Office, The Best Time of Day to Do Your Cardio Workout, The Best Time of Day to Take the Dog for a Walk, When Should You Take Your Vitamins?

If you need help managing your life in order to get enough sleep, see our Time Management books in the 1-2-3...Get Organized series.

ADHD Organization - Time and Energy

When Joyce Rubik, an ADHD coach who has ADHD herself, spoke to NAPO Northcoast last month, she suggested several action points to help people with ADHD:

- Having a calendar is non-negotiable! One that involves writing. As I said in the previous post on this subject, a person with ADHD remembers what he/she writes down. That person MUST get into the habit of consulting the calendar continuously.

- If something must be brought to an appointment, she suggested writing a note next to the appointment describing where that "something" is located, so it will be easy to find. Joyce told us that she wrote a "T" with a circle around it next to the entry in her calendar for her speaking engagement with NAPO Northcoast. That was a signal to her where she had placed her notes and directions to our location.

- The best time of day for clear focus is 10 or 11 am. When activities are scheduled earlier than that, it's difficult for the ADHD mind to be focused.

- In addition to medication, bevhavior modification is essential. Exercise increases dopamine levels. Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise provides the equivalent effect as 1 1/2 hours of medication.

Back in the day, when I was a volunteer for our church youth group, I distinctly remember that one of our guys hadn't taken his ADHD meds. He compensated by running every chance he could while we were doing a service project of tree planting.

- Joyce told us several things NOT to say to a person with ADHD: "You're not trying hard enough." "Do your best." "I know it's hard, but you can do it."

I hope these blogs have been helpful for those of you who have ADHD or have a family member or friend who does. Please share some of the things that have worked for you!


Related posts: ADHD Organization - Decision-Making, Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized

Everything You Need to Know to Pull Off Thanksgiving Without a Hitch

Don't think I've ever done this before, but I'm going to copy an email I got from Centr'd (remember I did a review about their online scheduling program?). They have teamed up with Real Simple and have every kind of resource you could possibly imagine for having a fabulous Thanksgiving - from making gravy to planning menus to scheduling. Here it is:

"Center'd has teamed up with Real Simple to create a collection of ready-made plans and easy-to-follow tips designed to help you transform Thanksgiving from a stressful conglomeration of late guests, redundant ambrosia salad, and dry turkey to a holiday you can remember for all the right reasons: Friends and family taking a moment from the busy worlds we inhabit to gather together and enjoy each other's company.

> 40 Ways to Simplify Thanksgiving: Whether you want to introduce new traditions or perfect old ones, make this Thanksgiving the happiest yet. Read full article:<http://www.centerd.com/t/40ways>

> Tips & Advice for a Successful Holiday: Find recipes and pointers from Real Simple, and a collection of ready-made plans from Center'd at our Thanksgiving planning center. Check it out:<http://www.centerd.com/t/thanksgiving>

> Invite People to a Thanksgiving Event: From hosting the big meal to coordinating a Black Friday shopping spree, our ready-made plans will help you out. Check out these sample plans:

Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner http://www.centerd.com/t/thanksgivingpotluck
Thanksgiving Dinner Invites<http://www.centerd.com/t/thanksgivingfeast>
Black Friday Shopping Spree<http://www.centerd.com/t/blackfridayspree>
Weekend Football Get-Together<http://www.centerd.com/t/footballpotluck>

> Reliable Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Potluck: Not sure what will travel well or please a crowd? Here are 13 sturdy dishes. Read full article:<http://www.centerd.com/t/thanksgivingrecipes>

We hope you enjoy our Thanksgiving planning center and have a special and memorable holiday. From our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving.

Cheers,

The Center'd Team"

Do you have some tried-and-true recipes or hints for making Thanksgiving a wonderful celebration?


If you need help planning menus, see Three Steps to Planning Dinner, part of our 1-2-3...Get Organized series.

More Environmental Help - Conserving Water

While I'm on the subject of saving our planet (see previous blog post), here are some amazing facts on conserving water. My second cousin Craig (I think that's what we are) is in 8th grade and is working on a robotics project. On his team's site is not only info about his project, but a plethora of water-saving tips - like running the water while washing dishes by hand can use up to 20 gallons of water in a minute!

To see more, go to http://www.members.cox.net/master0630/Robotics/Index.htm. It is quite eye-opening and motivating. By putting these simple suggestions into practice, we can conserve quite a lot of water!

Getting Rid of Stuff While Saving the Environment

Got stuff? Want to give it away for free without someone having to buy it again from a thrift store?

Freecycle is a network that is "made up of 4,619 groups with 6,059,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free."

This is how it works: you sign up and start receiving emails of free stuff being offered in your area. You, too, are able to offer free stuff. There are guidelines on how to post your giveaways and how to arrange pick-up of your stuff.

A down side to this is that the emails can be prolific. You can also choose to view the list by signing in to the site without receiving the emails. And once you've gotten rid of your stuff, you can always discontinue your membership.

A nice way to bless someone else with perfectly good stuff while saving the planet!


If you need help decluttering, see Three Steps to Decluttering, part of our 1-2-3...Get Organized series.

Oh, No! The Industrial-Strength Shower!!

As I was waiting in line for the showers at the gym this morning, I was hoping not to get the industrial-strength shower. Despite efforts to adjust the flow, it resembles a fire hose! But wouldn't you know it, when I was at the front of the line, guess which shower became available? Yep!

As I was being pounded, I did a little thinking about how efficient this shower really is. Its forceful flow provides you with a massage. It eliminates the need for a trip to the chiropractor. Forget the spa, as it exfoliates the top layer of your skin. And you get a shower thrown in for free!

Think how much time and money I saved just by taking an industrial-strength shower!

Never again will I dread the industrial-strength shower. I will pat myself on the back for saving so much time and money! Maybe I should start selling them on my site - the latest time management organizational tool!

Destressing Christmas, Part 8 - An Online Tool to Consolidate Wishlists

Getting tired of buying gift cards because you don't know what someone wants? Wishpot takes the guess and stress out of shopping. According to their website: "Wishpot makes it easy for you to shop anywhere, keep all your finds in one place, connect with friends, and discover the hottest deals."

What you do is shop all over the internet, consolidate your wishlist at Wishpot, and you can share your list with others! Take some stress out of your life and request your family members to join Wishpot (it's free)! Join yourself, so others know what you want. Why not pass the destressing around? :-)

Announcing the Winner of My Five 1-2-3...Get Organized Books!

I have the joy of announcing that Joy is the lucky winner of my five 1-2-3...Get Organized books!

Thanks so much for entering! I'm going to try to get by to your blogs for a visit soon!! Meanwhile, stay in touch and let me know if you have anything you'd like me to blog about.

A Little Halloween Humor

Happy Halloween! My brother Larry sent this to me:

A man is walking home alone late one foggy Halloween night, when behind him he hears:

BUMP BUMP BUMP

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP BUMP BUMP

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER FASTER BUMP BUMP BUMP

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping

clappity BUMP clappity BUMP clappity BUMP

on his heels as the terrified man runs. Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, he locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps. With a loud crash the casket breaks down the door. Bumping and clapping toward him. The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup. Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket. and,


The coffin stops!

:-)

The Best Time of Day to Go to the Post Office

According to Real Simple Magazine, the best of time of day to go to the post office is about half an hour after it opens. This allows for people who are lined up at the door to finish their business. The other times to avoid are lunch hour and just before closing.

I like to find small, less busy post offices where I don't have to wait in line. When we lived in Maryland (where you always have to wait in lines for everything!), I found a little post office just a few minutes farther away than my regular post office, with much less business.

Another wonderful option is to use post offices located in malls, grocery stores, and drugstores. We have one here in our local mall. Last year at Christmas time, I avoided my post office and went to the mall location, where there were no lines!

Another option is to avoid the post office altogether! By setting up an account with the United States Postal Service, you can print postage for packages, order stamps, and order flat rate boxes. The only things you need are a scale (your kitchen scale will work for smaller packages), a printer, and a credit card.

Enter the recipient's address and the weight of the package, and your virtual post office calculates the postage, prints a mailing label with the postage included, and charges your account. Flat-rate packages don't even need to be weighed.

The best thing - you can schedule a pick-up from your house without having to go to the post office! That's what I love! And postage is a bit cheaper when you use this online service.

So destress your life over the coming holiday season and minimize those post office waits!

Do you have ways you avoid lines? Please share!


Related posts: The Best Time of Day to Take the Dog for a Walk, The Best Time of Day to Do Your Cardio Workout, When Should You Take Your Vitamins?

For more help with time management, see the time management books in our 1-2-3...Get Organized series.

Destressing Christmas, Part 7 - Guarding Your Health

It’s very easy to abuse your health during the holiday season – parties, rich food, a busier schedule, and less time for exercise. Here are a few suggestions for maintaining your health:

- Don't go to a party hungry. Eat something before you go so you're not ravenous. Think ahead of time about the amount of food you will eat. Just a taste of those tasty morsels is usually enough to satisfy your palette. No need for excess eating or drinking!

- Don't give up your workout. Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress. As your schedule gets more hectic, make sure to guard your exercise time. Eliminate something less important if you must eliminate something.

- Don’t neglect your sleep – you’ll be irritable and less able than usual to deal with stress. Research shows that your emotions will rollercoaster and your logic powers will suffer without sleep.

- Make sure your family members are getting enough sleep, too. Try to keep normal bedtimes and naptimes.

- Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds after or while you are attending an event to get rid of those germs passed around by shaking hands, hugging and kissing. Carry some hand sanitizer with you, but it’s not as effective as soap and water.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go through the holiday season without gaining weight, getting sick, being stressed-out, and feeling grouchy? It’s possible, but you’ll need to be very intentional in order to do it! But it’s worth the effort!

What do you do to maintain your health during the holidays?


Related posts: Destressing Christmas, Part 1 - Think Through Your Expectations, Destressing Christmas, Part 2 - Thinking Through the Needs of Your Family and Friends, Destressing Christmas, Part 3 - Smart Gift-Giving, Destressing Christmas, Part 4 - Organizing Your Cleaning and Decorating, Destressing Christmas, Part 5 - Mapping Out Your Calendar, Destressing Christmas, Part 6 - Planning Holiday Meals

Posts from 2007: Destressing Christmas, Part 1 - Think through your expectations, Destressing Christmas, Part 2 - Think through your family/friendship needs and commitments, Destressing Christmas, Part 3 - Think through gifts, Destressing Christmas, Part 4 - Think through cleaning/decorating/entertaining, Destressing Christmas, Part 5 - Think through your health, Destressing Christmas, Part 6 - Think through your calendar, Organizing Your Holiday Meals

ADHD Organization - Decision-Making

As I mentioned last week, I attended a seminar for professional organizers dealing with ADHD clients by Joyce Kubik. She gave us some insight on decision-making and the ADHD mind.

She said that those with ADHD will say yes to people requesting their time, their help, their volunteer hours in order to get an "attaboy." She also stated that it is very hard for them to estimate how much time it takes to accomplish a task. This explains why many are over-committed.

A logical application for those of us who have friends, family, or clients with ADHD is to give positive encouragement, even on the smallest things they do. She described a lifetime of experiencing exasperation from others because she forgot something, was late, couldn't find something, etc. How nice for us to be a source of encouragement! In addition, we should be careful not to take advantage of our ADHD friends and family since they are so willing to help.

She encouraged those with ADHD, if unable to make a decision, to write down their thoughts on the decision so it could be revisited without having to do the rethinking. Those with ADHD are more likely to remember something they have written down.

A tool that helps me in decision-making is listing all the positives for that decision and listing all the negatives. For some reason, writing it down helps clear my mind because I can see it on paper. Usually by doing this exercise, I can clearly see both sides of the issue and it becomes obvious to me what decision I should make. This exercise also takes the emotion out of the decision, making it easier to make a logical decision, helping the ADHD person say no to something that does not fit with his priorities.

When a decision is made, if it must be scheduled on the calendar, it should be done immediately.

Do you have suggestions for coping with ADHD?


Related posts: Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized

Capturing Usable Moments

We all have those moments when we're waiting on something - the microwave, the coffee, a person, traffic, while we're on the phone, etc.

Even if it's just a minute while the microwave is heating something up, I try to look around and see what I can do in that minute: clean off a counter, put some dishes in the dishwasher, stack dishes and silverware for setting the table, for example.

Because we need to be in the presence of our foster girls most of the time, I use the time while they are doing homework, finishing breakfast, etc. to chop up something for dinner, clear out the dishwasher, dust and other small chores. Cleaning is not one of my favorite things to do, and if I can accomplish it in little chunks of time rather than having to set aside a big chunk, so much the better!

Investing in a headset for my phone was one of the best few dollars I have spent (around $20)! If I know I'm going to spend a few minutes on the phone, I plug it in and I can use both hands to clean off my desk, file - a multitude of tasks!

I'm not a very patient waiter, so if I occupy myself with something useful, I'm much happier! Especially in the car. My husband and I have checked out books on tape from the library when we go on long trips, but it works around town, too. If your absorbed in a story, waiting just gives you more time to hear it! Road construction? No problem! We used to travel 11 hours to visit our girls in college during the 7 years one or both of them were there. Books on tape made the trips fly by!

By using little scraps of time, I accumulate more time to do what I like to do - that works for me!

What do you do to capture usable moments?


Related posts: Decluttering in 5 - 20 Decluttering Tasks You Can Do In Five Minutes or Less, Get Organized Month - Declutter Your Catalogs, Organizing your to do list, Decluttering Tips, Wrapping Up Today So Tomorrow Runs Smoothly, 5 things to do with 5 minutes, Sorting Mail, Headsets

Fall Bloggy Giveaway Carnival

Today is the start of the Fall Bloggy Giveaway! I'm giving away Three Steps to Decluttering, Three Steps to Time Management for the Stay at Home Mom, Three Steps to Clever Cleaning, Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen, and Three Steps to Organizing Your Child's Room to one lucky winner.

To register to win, leave a comment below. If you want an extra chance, go to my website and look at my other books not being given away and tell me which one is your favorite. For a third chance, sign up for my blog on organizing tips and come back and leave a comment telling me you did so.

For more giveaways, visit Bloggy Giveaways.

My giveaway will last through midnight Saturday,November 1, and I will announce my winner on Monday, November 3rd. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. :-)

Preventive Organizing - Changing Smoke Alarm Batteries and Other Preventive Measures You Never Knew About

As it nears time to change the batteries in our fire alarms, there are a few more fire safety tips we should be know. How does this relate to organizing? Think of the mess you would have to organize if a fire occurs in your home, big or small.

Last Friday, General Bragg of the Akron Fire Department spent two hours informing Shelter Care house parents of fire safety. Here are some of the tips he passed on, some of which were new to me:

- Never leave ANYTHING on your stove. That includes pans, tea kettles, decorative burner covers, hot pads - nothing! The problem occurs if you forget to turn off a burner and leave the area or the house, whatever is on the stove will over time burn and catch on fire - even pans and tea kettles!

I came home and threw away my decorative burner covers, removed the binder with my favorite recipes which was perched on the back of the stove, and removed my spoon holders.

- The three foot rule: anything that can burn should be three feet from what might cause it to burn.

- While you're changing your smoke alarm battery, you should not only push the button to see that the batteries work, but you should check to see if the alarm itself works. Purchase smoke alarm detector aerosol - one spray should test whether the alarm itself will detect smoke.

When I called my local Lowe's and Home Depot stores, I found that neither carried this aerosol can, but suggested an electrical supply house. The person I talked to at Home Depot suggested taking a wooden match, lighting it, blowing it out, and holding it up to the smoke alarm. I'm not sure general Bragg would embrace this one, but it sounds simple enough.

Also, while you're checking out the smoke alarm, check to find the date it expires. It should be written on the inside of the alarm. Alarms should be replaced every ten years. Alarms should be outside each bedroom door. If bedroom doors are close to each other, one can do the job.

- Sleep with your bedroom doors shut. We watched a video of a real house burning, which took about 4 1/2 minutes to be fully engaged, reaching 1400 degrees F in that short time. The smoke detector didn't go off until about 1 1/2 minutes into the fire, when the temperature was already up to 300 degrees. Our lungs vaporize at 150 degrees. The one bedroom that had the door shut stayed at 76 degrees and didn't sustain fire damage.

If you must have your pets go in and out, cut a pet door at the bottom of the door, the floor being the last place smoke and gasses reach.

- Never leave your dryer on unattended - don't leave the house or go to sleep. Also, vacuum out your dryer vent cavity. When you take out your dryer screen, lint, which is flammable, falls down into that area.

- Practice with your family what to do in case of fire:
1. feel the door to see if it's hot
2. if it's hot, open the window and exit; if you are on a second floor, hang from the window sill and drop down
3. if it's not hot, grab the nearest fire extinguisher (you should have one on each floor and teach family members how to use it)
4. if there is smoke, keep your face about one foot from the floor
5. place yourself with your back toward the nearest exit facing the fire, spraying and sweeping the fire with the extinguisher, if needed
6. meet out in front of your house, or another designated spot so you know who made it out
7. call the fire department
8. report to the fire department if someone is missing and where their room is located - they have the proper equipment to reach that trapped person (most people who go back in to save someone never return).

As house parents for Shelter Care, we have a verbal fire drill every month with each house of girls. It's something I never thought to do with our own children, but it's another way to provide safety and security to your family.