Jewelry Organizers for Travelling

     
When our daughter Sara came for Christmas, I was impressed by her jewelry organizer. You know I love my jewelry organizer that hangs on my wall, but it is not conducive to travel at all, as you can see!

     

Sara's on the other hand, fits her traveling lifestyle. It has a hanger at the top so you can hang it in a closet or on a hook. Both sides have small, medium and large containers created by an overlay of plastic. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair accessories and more can be neatly stored and easily found. And it folds up and fits nicely in a suitcase.

Sara said she found hers at Ross Dress for Less. But I looked around and found some similar jewelry organizers that are available consistently. 

 

All of these are portable and inexpensive. And they hardly take up any room! If you do a lot of traveling, one of these might make your life a little simpler!

Do you have a fabulous jewelry organizing system? Please share it with us!

More on jewelry organizing:

Get Organized Month - Organizing Your Jewelry

Get Organized Month - Declutter Your Jewelry

 

I'm Done! All My Organizing and Time Management Books Are Now on Kindle!

   
I'm delighted to say that I have finished putting my time management and organizing books Kindle! The last three titles added are:

Three Steps to Time Management

Three Steps to Time Management for the Single Mom

Three Steps to Planning Your Child's Parties.  


If you have the inclination, I'd welcome a plug or shout out to your friends. Thanks so much!

Prioritizing Your Day

     
If your head is swimming with all the things you need to do today, it's time to prioritize!

Make a list of the things you need to do today. 

You have several options:
- do the hardest thing first
- do the highest priority first
- do the highest/hardest thing during your peak energy time.

Of course, it's nice if all of the above could coincide - doing the hardest and top priority during your peak energy time. For example, my top priority is to exercise. It's also my hardest thing to do. And since my peak energy time is in the morning, I won't let myself come downstairs on the days I exercise until I have done it. 

Prioritize the rest of the list. You may want to assign time amounts to each task, so tasks don't grow to fill the time you have. This helps to keep you focused and sharp.  

I also find it helpful to have a list of several top priority things I want to do every day. By keeping that list in front of me, I'm less likely to get distracted. And I get off to a quick start in the morning instead of floundering for a while.


More help on prioritizing:
Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks
Rethinking Life Coaching Session
1-2-3 ... Get Organized Time Management books

 

Two More 1-2-3 ... Get Organized Series Books on Kindle!

    
Two more of my 1-2-3 ... Get Organized series books are now on Kindle:

Three Steps to  Downsizing to a Smaller Residence

 

Three Steps to Planning Dinner

 

See them here. 


More on my Kindle books:

Three Steps to Decluttering is on Kindle!
Just in Time for Get Organized Month - More of My Books on Kindle!
Four More of My Organizing Books on Kindle!

 

Free Software for Organizing a Wedding

   
When our daughter got married, we spent about a year planning for it. It is such a big job!

If a wedding is in your future, you have a lot of organizing to do! Here are a few free software or online progams that might make your wedding planning less stressful:

Perfect Day: The Wedding Planning Suite 1.04 
My Wedding Workbook
EZ Wedding Planner 
VowDoo 


More on wedding planning:

A Dozen Tips for a Less-Stressed Wedding

 

I'm Quoted in Kitchen Clean-Up Article!

      
Even though I no longer live in Ohio, Lisa Abraham was kind enough to interview me for the following article "Time to Give the Kitchen a Clean Sweep, which appeared in today's Akron Beacon Journal.

Professional organizer Jamie Escola (left) of Calm & Collected Organizing provides helpful tips to homeowner Marcia Cianchetti on ridding her home of clutter. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal) View More Photos 

"Is your post-holiday kitchen decorated with a trail of cookie crumbs and broken candy canes?

Is your refrigerator filled with the aging remains of New Year’s Eve party food, molding cheese and ham that’s well into its second curing?

You aren’t alone in your mess. With cooking, baking and entertaining, our kitchens tend to take a beating over the holidays.

But just like taking down the Christmas tree, making an annual ritual of organizing the kitchen is a good January resolution.

Tallmadge resident Marcia Cianchetti pointed to her kitchen table covered with the remains of the holidays — containers of candied cherries for fruitcakes she never baked, a bread machine her daughter dragged out of storage to take back with her to college, a food-filled basket her husband received as a Christmas gift, an empty tin from cookies a neighbor sent over, newspapers, dishes, presents and more.

Because her family eats in the dining room, the kitchen table and its nook off the back of the room have become a quasi-storage area and dumping ground for her family’s stuff.

'Honestly, I just have too much stuff. Thirty-one years ago, I had half the cupboard space I have now and I had plenty of room. Now, I have twice the space and I still don’t have room for everything,' she said.

The 58-year-old retired baker said the holidays are particularly challenging because of all of the new items that came into the house as gifts, and because her youngest daughter was home from college and she wanted to make sure the refrigerator was well-stocked with her favorites.

Now the amount of food left over was making Cianchetti nervous.

Professional organizer Jamie Escola, of Calm and Collected Organizing of Canton, said Cianchetti’s situation is typical. 'It’s human nature. If we have the space, we will fill it up,' she said.

Escola gave a walk-through of Cianchetti’s kitchen to offer tips on how to get a kitchen organized and keep it that way.

She likes to practice a technique known as SPACE, created by organizer Julie Morgenstern:
S — Sort through your stuff.
P — Purge anything that is expired, broken or unused.
A — Assign everything a home.
C — Containerize your items.
E — Equalize your space.

In Cianchetti’s case, her kitchen offers ample storage — two large pantry cupboards (one for food and one for equipment) and a generous number of cupboards to hold dishes, glasses and other items. All of them are filled.

Escola said to begin by sorting all of it and purging.

For food in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer, get rid of expired packages, stale items or food that you know won’t be eaten. 

Particularly at the holidays, when food gifts are common, we tend to end up with food that we may not actually use. If you know a bottle of exotic vinegar is not something you will open, don’t be afraid to donate it to a food pantry or give it to a friend who will. Otherwise, it will probably get shoved to the back of the cupboard, where it will be forgotten until it expires and eventually is thrown out anyway.

Escola advised Cianchetti to edit out about 25 percent of what was in her pantries. For cookware, that means examining what she has and eliminating items she doesn’t use. For items that are seldom used, like holiday platters, Escola recommended storing them in the basement or somewhere off site, where they aren’t taking up space the whole year.

'Make sure the things in the kitchen are things you are using at least once or twice a week,' she said.

But deciding what to keep and what to get rid of can be difficult.
Cianchetti looked at her husband’s gift basket, and wondered after the food was put away, was the basket something to save or get rid of? The same for the empty cookie tin.

Escola said saving items like baskets or tins isn’t always a bad idea, because it does cost to replace them and most of us may need one from time to time. But you can’t realistically save all of them. She suggested setting a small number to keep — no more than five — to be stored in the basement. 'That way, you’ll have one on hand if you want to make a gift basket for someone else,' Escola said. But when basket No. 6 enters the house, it’s time to get rid of one.

When it comes to storing off site in the basement or garage, Escola said again it is important to set a limit; otherwise you will fill up the basement. Assign three basement shelves for kitchen overflow. When that space is filled, it’s time to purge again, she said.

Sometimes, Escola said, you just have to give yourself permission to get rid of things and donating is always a good option.

'Ask yourself, "Is it something I really need or that adds to the enjoyment of my kitchen?" If it does, you need to create a home for it. It’s basically about weighing the positives and the negatives and about letting go. … If it does not have a purposeful and obvious home, those things are going to become clutter,' Escola said.

Assigning everything a home is the next step, and is crucial to getting and staying organized. If you always put coupons and receipts in the same place, then you’ll always know where to look for them when you need them, Escola said. The space doesn’t have to be a perfectly organized file. It can be just a box, basket or drawer. But as long as you use it for paper and only paper, you’ll always know where to find items and you’ll avoid paper clutter taking over your countertops.

The time to buy plastic bins, containers and other organizers is after you have given everything a home, so that you will buy the right container for the job. 'Resist the temptation to go out and purchase new containers, products and organizing tools, because then you have to organize around them. Take stock of what you have first,' Escola said.

She is a big fan of baskets or plastic bins for holding like items — for example, bags of nuts and baking morsels. They keep supplies together, and can be pulled in and out, essentially creating drawers on shelves.

The final step, equalizing, is about maintaining the new order.
When she examined her cupboards, Cianchetti discovered that she had four bags of marshmallows, and didn’t even remember buying them.

Eliminating the multiples is a great way to create space and will help to stop food waste, too.

Before going grocery shopping, Escola said, 'Shop your pantry first.' If you have three bags of rice, then plan some meals using rice to help pare it down. Knowing that you have three bags at home already also should stop you from bringing home a fourth.

Now that you have a plan, getting started can be the hardest part.

'I was thinking, if I just did an hour a day, then maybe I would get into it and maybe that would turn into two hours and I might actually get somewhere,' Cianchetti said.

Escola recommends starting with all flat surfaces first — counters, islands and tabletops. Eliminating the visual clutter will immediately transform the kitchen’s appearance, and it will give you space to work when you want to tackle what’s inside the cupboards and drawers.

Countertops are a constant trouble spot, but they also can be an indication of what a kitchen is lacking. If your counter is cluttered with keys, mail, sunglasses and everyone’s cell-phone charger, it’s probably because there isn’t an assigned spot for those items.

Professional organizer Beverly Coggins, who ran her business, 1-2-3 … Get Organized, from her home in Cuyahoga Falls before recently relocating to Montana, said it is important to create functional areas within a kitchen.

Hooks by the door for keys work well, and so does a basket for important items like school papers that need to be signed and party invitations that need replies. 'If you keep it all in one place, then you aren’t screaming around the place to try and find things,' she said.

In a similar manner, store baking equipment near the oven, knives and cutting boards near the sink, and dishes, glassware and silverware near the table or dishwasher, Coggins said. 'Mostly, you want to put those things together that make sense. The coffee maker, coffee, sugar and tea, store all of that in one area,' she said.

The idea is to create spaces where everything you need for a particular task is organized in a single space.

Coggins said one of the best ways to deal with maintenance is to make it a part of your daily routine.

'At the end of the day, make sure things are cleared off kitchen counters,' she said."

Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.

More on organizing your kitchen:
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen (on Kindle)
Some of My Favorite Organizing Products - Cabinet Expanders
 

Organizing for a Power Failure - Are You Prepared?

       
This is the season for power outages (if winter ever shows up!!) - snow and ice and high winds. We had high winds recently with a forecast of power failure. So I decided to make sure we were ready. My brother first told me about power failure lights - lights plugged in throughout your home that activate if the power goes out. 

Yes, flashlights are good. But these lights illuminate a whole room for up to six hours. It makes a scary situation not so scary.

These are not night lights and do not shine unless the power goes out. I put one in the living room and one in the upstairs hallway, so we'll be able to navigate safely. 

 I found my Brinks Emergency Power Failure Lights at Walmart for about $10 each. My brother found his at Sam's. I'm not sure of the brand he bought.

Just one more thing to put your mind at ease in an emergency.

More on emergency preparedness:

National Preparedness Month - Emergency Supplies

National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #1: NOAA Radio

National Preparedness Month - Emergency Supplies

 

Finding the Perfect Storage Containers for Get Organized Month!

    
I put the last of our Christmas stuff away yesterday. I use Sterilite clear plastic containers so I can see what's inside. I also put a piece of paper down the side of the containers with the contents listed.

This morning when I looked at my email, I received one from Amazon about their best selling storage containers. So I decided to search Amazon to check out all their storage containers, since it is, after all, Get Organized Month. Included were several Sterilite containers at a good price - cheaper than at the local big box stores. And shipping is free if you spend more than $25.

In addition there are over 2000 other fun storage containers in a plethora of colors and materials. Containers to organize batteries, scrapbooking and craft supplies, shoes, pantry items and more! So if you're in the mood to organize during Get Organized Month, it's a simple and time-saving way to find the containers you need.



More on storage:

Storage and Moving Boxes - Think Outside the Box

Shoe Storage Options

Color-Coding Your Storage

A Delicious Way to Use Up Your Extra Fresh Herbs - So Efficient!!

     
Doesn't it kill you to throw away those expensive fresh herbs? I often have used them in a recipe, and then forget about them until they're soggy and nasty.

I found a delicious pesto recipe that uses a combination of herbs and fresh spinach. You can mix and match what you have on hand. 

I'm not a super fan of regular pesto because of the strong basil taste. But I fell in love with the following recipe, which I adapted from another recipe. We had it over pasta and garlic chicken. Strawberries rounded out the meal. Here's the recipe:

Herb Pesto

2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used curly, and it was fine)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup pistachios
1 pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice from one lime
1/2 cup olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Four generous servings over both meat and pasta. To store, cover with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation. 

I'm never going to let fresh herbs go to waste again! And it's perfect for your summer herb garden. 


More on efficient cooking:

Double or Triple a Recipe

Piggy-Back Dinners

Cook a turkey!

 

Four More of My Organizing Books on Kindle!

      
Just wanted to update you on my Kindle adventure. I have published four more of my 1-2-3 ... Get Organized books on Kindle:

Three Steps to Time Management at the Office
Three Steps to Time Management for the Stay-at-Home Mom
Three Steps to Time Management for the Working Mom
Three Steps to Time Management for the College Student

It's a great time of year to rethink your passions, priorities, schedule, and the legacy you want to leave. I hope these help!

 

Looking for the Perfect Paper Planner?

        

Here's an article I found in the January 4 Washington Post by Terri Sapienza about her search for the perfect paper planner. If you're a paper lover, this might help your search:


"For longer than I care to remember, the following items have occupied the top spots on my New Year’s resolutions list: exercise every day, organize the basement and find the perfect daily planner.

While I can almost guarantee the first two items will make a repeat appearance in 2013, I have made it my mission to scratch the last one off my list for good.

But deciding on a personal calendar system is more difficult than it sounds.

I want a month-at-a-glance calendar with boxes big enough to write in; something that can sit open on my desk, can be easily tossed into my bag and is stylish. (No cutesy covers, please.)

Simple, right? Apparently not, because every year I find myself flailing planner-lessly well into March before settling on something out of sheer necessity.

Yes, I know: There’s this thing called technology, and it can make my life easier.

But I’m a paper person. And nothing, not even my arsenal of Apple products, is going to sway me to the other side.

There is something supremely satisfying and reassuring about scheduling an appointment or writing a to-do list by hand. And getting to cross one of those items off when completed? For a task-oriented person, there are few things better.

Another clear advantage of paper? Permanence. Once I write something down, I know it will not suddenly, and without warning, disappear. As paper company Graphic Image says on its Web site, its products are “crash proof.”

Like me, Sarah Pinto searched for years for a paper planner that worked for her. She eventually gave up and decided to create her own. In 2007, the San Francisco resident launched www.sarahpinto.com, an online company that sells planners, notebooks and postcards.

“I’m a visual person,” she says. “Even if I make a grocery list on my iPhone, I write a paper list, too.”

Also like me, she has no plans to become paperless.

“I worry about my phone dying,” she says, “or things being accidentally deleted by my kids.”

Because creating my own planner isn’t going to happen (see: exercise and basement organization, above), I went to some of my go-to sources to find a 2012 calendar.

I browsed the Paper Source, Kate’s Paperie, Graphic Image, Moleskine and See Jane Work and found lovely options, but none that met my exact needs. They were too big, too small, too bulky or too trendy or included too many for pages for extraneous things, such as expenses, anniversaries, addresses and maps. Some appeared perfect until I looked inside and realized the calender format was wrong for me.

Finally, I went to one of my favorite Web sites for office supplies, Russell & Hazel,and found a potential winner. (Caution to discerning paper people: Visiting this site can be hazardous to your bank account. You’ll want one of everything.)

Its 10 3/4-by-12 SmartDate planner is a build-it-yourself system that allows me to choose everything according to my needs and my style. I could opt for daily, weekly or monthly calendar views, or all three, and add things such as ruled sheets, index dividers and address pages. Or not. There is a 7-by-9 mini version, still big enough to easily write in, which would allow me to keep the planner open on my desk or easily toss it into my bag.

And there are accessories such as rubber bands and pretty, pink to-do pads, that I would probably find impossible to pass up on. (Because, really, besides the perfect planner, they are essential to keeping my life running smoothly.)

Customization comes at a cost, however. When I was finished building my system, my shopping cart totaled $73. But, if this system works for me, I should have to shell out only for the calendar ($18) and filler paper refills ($10) in the future.

Overall, it sounded like a great fit, but I wanted to find out more. So I called Chris Plantan, founder and owner of Russell & Hazel, to get her thoughts.

Plantan started her high-end stationery and office supply company as an e-commerce site in 2003. Since then, Russell & Hazel has blossomed into a thriving business that has seen double-digit growth five years in a row, says Plantan.

“While we are all tech dependent . . . there is a big segment that still loves paper,” she says. “We still make lists, we still print out information, and we still file and keep important documents. It is difficult to do everything we need to do in a day on a screen, whether mobile or desktop.”

Plantan says the binder-based system is one of the company’s best-selling items, with sales growing 20 to 30 percent every year.
She uses a mini system herself: a silver binder filled with month tabs, daily sheets and a mini notebook.

“I have things written down, I have things clipped to it. . . . My personal and professional things are all in one place, and I can take it with me,” she says. “It ends up being a journal of sorts, and it’s fun looking back. I keep mine every year.”

Simple, smart and stylish.

Sold."

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More on planners:

Product Review of Organizers - Daily Home Planner

Product Review of Organizers - The Planner Pad

Review - AgendaWorks Planner