Back-to-School Giveaway, August 4-18

To help you get organized for school, I'm sponsoring a Back-to-School Giveaway of 1-2-3 ... Get Organized books (over $45 in value):

Three Steps to Clever Cleaning
Three Steps to Decluttering
Three Steps to Organizing Your Child's Room
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen
Three Steps to Planning Dinner (ebook)
Hassle Free Dinners (ebook)
Your choice:

• Three Steps to Time Management for the Stay-at-Home Mom
• Three Steps to Time Management for the Single Mom (ebook)
• Three Steps to Time Management for the Working Mom (ebook)

So that's seven books, each one on a different topic. I wrote the 1-2-3 ... Get Organized series for the organizationally overwhelmed. Tackle one area at a time, and move on to the next!

The books are small, colorful, and glossy. Since they are spirals, you can open your book, lay it flat while you're following one tip, and come back to it for the next item.
Even though they're small, they're packed with helpful information to get the job done.

How to enter (11 possible entries in all):

1. Email your list about the giveaway (include me - Bev@1-2-3GetOrganized.com). Come back and leave three comments to that effect. (3 entries)
2. Blog about the 1-2-3 ... Get Organized Back-to-School giveaway, leaving a comment below including the link to your post. (1 entry)
3. Put our 1-2-3 ... Get Organized Blog button on your blog or site, come back and leave a comment to that effect, with the link to that page. (1 entry)
4. Tell your friends on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., and leave a comment saying so. (1 entry)
5. Subscribe to 1-2-3 ... Get Organized blog. Comment that you've subscribed or that you already subscribe. (1 entry)
   
6. Subscribe to receive notices of special offers or sales of 1-2-3 ... Get Organized books. Come back and leave your comment. (1 entry)
7. Subscribe to Mom Audience - my marketplace for moms. Comment here saying you've done so. (1 entry)
8. Put a Mom Audience button on your site. Leave your comment here. (1 entry)
   
9. Leave a comment below about why you might like to have these books. (1 entry)

The deadline is midnight (eastern) Tuesday, August 18, 2009. The winner will be randomly chosen by one of my foster daughters and announced here on Thursday, August 20, 2009.

Subscribers, click here to enter the giveaway.

5-Minute Stress Relievers - Being Generous

Hope you had a nice weekend! Ours was relaxed. We get two girls today for two days, then three girls on Thursday for eight days. On to our blog ...

In our continuing series on 5-Minute Stress Relievers, we're looking at various ways to relieve stress. Just as we have different personalities, our stress is relieved in different ways. Today we're going to look at generosity. Here are a few ideas:

• Do a random act of kindness - bring someone a cup of tea, do someone else's chore, let someone else go in front of you in the check-out line, etc.
  
• Give to someone in need.
• Write a note to someone who has made a difference in your life, being specific about what you have gained from the relationship.
• Gather up your change and drop it in a red kettle.
• Twitter, Facebook or email a friend or family member, describing how important he/she is to you.
• Pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru.
• Send a card.
• Buy flowers for a friend while you're doing your grocery shopping.
• Call a shut-in.
• Call a mom of a preschooler and offer to babysit.
• Give someone you love a pat, hug or kiss.
• Pick up a gift for someone while you're shopping.
  

Generosity renews your soul - it's restorative when you give to someone else. It doesn't need to be expensive - just thoughtful!

Do you have some more ideas? Please share them! Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.


More on Stress Relievers:
5-Minute Stress Relievers - Organizing and Cleaning
5-Minute Stress Relievers - Physical Activity
Five Health Benefits of Laughter
Foods that Relieve Stress

Conducting Time-Worthy Meetings

I dread meetings. How many times have you sat in a meeting, frustrated because one participant held the group hostage with incessant blathering? Or there was no clear agenda and the meeting wandered all over the place? What a waste of time!

Don’t subject those in your meeting to such misery! Rather, conduct a clear, crisp meeting that is efficient and productive. Here are a few non-negotiables:

- Have a clear grasp of the objectives of the meeting. If you conduct a regularly scheduled meeting and there is no business, cancel the meeting rather than waste people’s time.

- Create an agenda for the meeting, with the most important and urgent topics listed first.

- Determine the amount of time to be allotted for each item on the agenda and list it next to the agenda item.

- Note on the agenda the work that should be completed by participants by the time of the meeting.

- A week (or longer, depending on the needs of your participants) before the meeting, send a reminder and the agenda to participants. The agenda should include the allotted times and expected work to be done. This allows people time to gather their thoughts about the agenda items.

- Ask for an RSVP so you know who will be attending. If a key player with key information will not be attending, for example, it will have a significant impact on your meeting.

- Start your meeting on time regardless of the number of participants present. This respects the time of those already present. It also sends a message that you will start on time and will run an efficient meeting.

- Move through each agenda item, making sure the discussion is not dominated by one or more persons. If necessary, limit the time each person may speak. In addition, specifically ask quiet participants to share their ideas.

- If necessary, speak privately with the person who is dominating and ask him/her to help you out by encouraging the quieter participants to enter in the discussion.

- When decisions are made, determine action points to carry out those decisions. Schedule follow up on the action points.

- End the meeting on time. If there were agenda items not covered, add them to the agenda for the next meeting.

- If there are consistently too many agenda items to be covered at the meeting, consider adding additional meetings. If too few, meet less frequently.

- Utilize conference calls or virtual meetings, even if your members are local, saving travel time and expense.

- Try stand-up meetings. People are not sitting in comfortable chairs and will want to expedite business.

When your participants know that your meetings are worthy of their time, their attendance will be consistent and productive. Your business will be accomplished in short order. And you will rescue yourself and others from boring, ineffective, and time-wasting meetings.

Comments? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.


Similar Topics:
Why Meetings Can be So Unbearable
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
A Dozen Tips for Efficient Appointments

Getting Organized for School - Family Calendar

It's nice to be home after taking a couple of days to visit my husband's parents. Even a two-day trip is disrupting to routine, I find. We listened to books on tape which made the five-hours-each-way fly by, even during the pouring rain. And we learned a lot!

Here's another episode of getting organized for school to give you a head start. :)

Getting Organized for School - Family Calendar

I'm taking another look at getting ready for school - if you start now and get yourself organized, life will not be so chaotic when school starts. The following is a revamp from last year's post on the same subject.

A major aspect of getting ready for school (or life) is having a family calendar in a location where everyone can check in to see what's going on. It's best if it is located at your hub (see my post on this subject, listed below).

Your calendar can be an organizing software program on your computer/laptop or a wall calendar.

There are a number of great software programs that track several family members (some are free!). And there are several personal spiral/notebook type organizers - my favorite being the Planner Pad. I've done reviews of both software programs and notebook type organizers and will link the related posts below.

When my children were home, we used a huge calendar on the side of our refrigerator. My friend Carole, hangs hers inside one of her kitchen cabinets so it's not so unsightly.

Now, with different foster children coming each week, it makes more sense for me to just post a weekly calendar from my Palm Centro (Palm's version of the Blackberry) software.

But if I still had kids at home, I would use something like Mom's Plan It Calendar. It's a 17-month calendar which can track up to 5 family members, with stickers, and more.


You can use a different color pen or marker for each person, and a separate color for family activities. Then it's a breeze to decipher your daily activities!

Do you have a favorite family calendar or software program you use to organize your family? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

More on Calendars/Organizers:

Getting Organized for School - Creating a Hub

Product Review of Organizers - Daily Home Planner

Product Review of Organizers - The Planner Pad

Product Review of Organizers - PDAs

The Final Review of Organizers

Cozi 2.0, Oops

Getting Exposure for Your Garage Sale

There's still time to have that garage sale this summer! A great way to get some extra back-to-school or vacation cash. And a motivation to get rid of some of that clutter.

After you've decluttered and sorted, you need to get some traffic to your sale. I've come across some helpful sources of free advertising that will expand your exposure:

Garage Sales Tracker

Oodle

Craig's List

Do you have garage sale tips? Please share! Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.


More on garage sales:
Garage/Yard Sale Tips
Garage sale time!

5-Minute Stress Relievers - Organizing and Cleaning

You might think that as a professional organizer, my stress is relieved by organizing or cleaning. Not so. If life is chaotic, and things have gotten messy, organizing is necessary for me to even function.

As a Myers-Briggs personality profile facilitator, I have learned that stress relievers are not generated from the areas of your natural giftedness, but the opposite. Can you see that moving out of the area where you spend most of your time is a break from the usual - a relief?

For some, cleaning and organizing provides that break. Here are a few 5-minute stress relievers in this area:

1. Clean out a drawer.

2. Clean out a drawer or shelf in the fridge.

3. Make a list of your favorite things to do, and plan when you will do one.

4. Declutter a room or surface.

5. Make a to-do list or prioritize the one you have.

6. Clean a bathroom sink or counter.

7. Dust.

8. Go through a magazine rack and toss old magazines.

9. Declutter your car.

10. Empty one shelf of the dishwasher.

11. Clean your kitchen sink.

12. Fold a basket of clothes.

13. Clean out your purse or wallet.

14. Take out the trash.

15. Organize a shelf in your pantry.

16. Organize a closet.

17. Sit in a room that is irritating you and think about what is not working.

18. Make list of possible options for your dinner menu next week.

19. Remove and hang clothes from the dryer.

20. Set the table for your next meal.

Got some more ideas? Please share! Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.


More on Organizing and Cleaning:
National Clutter Awareness Week - Give it 5 or 10
Decluttering Tips
Decluttering in 5 - 20 Decluttering Tasks You Can Do In Five Minutes or Less

Organizing for College - Guest Blogger Sarah Scrafford

Today we're taking our college-bound foster daughter down to her school so we can see her dorm and to help her apply for a job. I thought this would be an ideal time to repost a great guest blog by Sarah Scrafford:

Sort out your Organization Problems

My dad is a profound thinker who excels in converting his ideas into intelligent and profitable ventures. But there’s one thing I don’t get – his perpetually disorganized and cluttered desk. Woe betide his secretary or anyone else who attempts to restore some form of order to the chaotic mess of papers and other office paraphernalia; he argues that if the desk is cleaned, he’s bound to forget where he left stuff, little bothering to even listen to my take on the value of a clean and orderly desk with a place for everything and everything in its place.

I guess tidiness and order are characteristics that we acquire as we grow up, because I certainly didn’t inherit them from my dad. Besides saving an enormous amount of time when you’re searching for something, being organized is one way of letting others know that you are disciplined, in how you take care of your belongings and in how you deal with any aspect of life.

College is a time for higher learning, not just from the pages of a book, but in the art of self-discipline too. It’s time students took the effort to change the stereotype that college dorms are messy places that stink to high glory. By turning around one minor aspect like the cleanliness and order of your room, you’ll find that the same attitude spills over into the more important things in your life. Here’s how students can maintain order in their rooms, the easy way:

· When you move in to your residence (either on or off campus), don’t just dump your belongings anywhere; make an effort to identify the right place for each of your things, and put them away neatly.

· If you have stuff that’s left over after you unpack, take what you don’t absolutely need back home to your parents.

· Your books and study materials need to be kept separately from your other belongings.

· Make sure your papers are filed neatly and pinned so they don’t end up flying out the window or being swept away in the trash can.

· If you eat in your room, throw out the leftovers and empty containers immediately instead of waiting for a week to clear up the mess. The sooner you tidy up, the less stains and spills you’ll have to deal with.

· Put your dirty laundry in a designated basket so that the smell of sweat isn’t overpowering when you enter the room.

· Set aside time every week to do your laundry and take care of other personal errands.

· Tack up a list to a cupboard where you can add items that you’ve run out of and need to replenish. This not only simplifies your shopping process, but also makes sure that you’re not left high and dry when you need stationery or other personal provisions.

· As much as possible, do not borrow stuff from others or lend them yours. It’s hard to keep track of what belongs to whom when there’s too much exchanging going on.

· Make notes of things you’re supposed to do for the day. Better still, set up an online calendar of all the events you’re supposed to attend all semester. Check your to-do list each morning before you leave your room.

· If you’re not a morning person and have trouble waking up all fresh and cheery, wake up 10 or 20 minutes before you normally do so you have time to compose yourself, take a shower and be as fresh as a daisy for class.

While there are no hard and fast rules to be followed in your attempt at order, a regular routine helps when you’re a student. An orderly existence is the hallmark of an orderly mind, which in turn makes sure you are successful in anything you do.

Sarah Scrafford is an industry critic, as well as a regular contributor on the subject of top online university. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com

More on college:
Great info for college students, their parents, and college professors
Packing for College
Organizing For College - Dorm Room

Managing Paper

I consider paper to be clutter, especially when it is unsolicited. But we must deal with a certain amount of paper on a daily basis. Here are a few ways to keep from getting overwhelmed:

Filing

- Setting up and maintaining a simple, effective filing system saves an untold amount of time because you know exactly where to find items you need.

- If you are a visual person, consider using different colors of file folders for different categories.

- Prevent eye strain by using the same file tab for one category. For example, use the left tab on orange files containing potential clients and the paperwork associated with each one.

- Don't over-categorize or get too detailed - it's too much to remember. If you must have large quantities of files, make a one-page list of your files and where they are.

- Keep frequently used files within arm's length of your desk chair. Store less-used files farther away. If you must archive files for a certain number of years, consider putting them in storage.

- If reports, statements, etc. can easily be found online, don't keep paper copies.

- File ongoing projects in a hanging file. At the end of the day, deposit work into that file, clearing your desk. Make a list of projects and work to be done the next day, so it is not forgotten or overlooked.

- Keep a "pending" file for those items without closure.

- Set aside specified time to file so it doesn't get out of hand. Multi-task by filing when you are on hold or when having a casual conversation or when your brain needs a mental break.

Mail, Bills and Banking

- Deal with mail when you receive it – RSVP, file it, toss it, pay it, recycle it, shred it, etc. Try to touch it only once.

- Have one place where you keep your unpaid bills in the order in which they need to be paid.

- Do your bill-paying and banking online whenever possible, reducing time and paper clutter.

- It is not necessary to keep bills once they are paid, if they are not needed for taxes. Keep the last one, so you have a handy record of your account number in case you need it.

- Get checks that make a duplicate each time you write a check, so you don't have to record it in the check register.

- Have one place where you keep items that need attention (school papers that need to be signed, invitations, directions, etc.) - a central hub. Consider having a section for each family member to house their important papers.

Reduce the Paper Coming into your Home or Office

- When you receive a new catalog or magazine, recycle or give away the old one. If you don't have time to read the periodicals or newspapers you are receiving, cancel your subscription.

- If there is an article you want to keep, tear it out and slip it into a page protector in a designated binder. Then toss the magazine or newspaper. If you place a piece of paper in the page protector, you'll be able to use both sides. If necessary, create different binders for the categories that interest you. Your material will be nicely categorized and easy to find, rather than leafing through piles of magazines.

- Ask to be removed from mailing lists. The following allow you to opt out of unwanted catalogs, phone books, and credit card offers:
Catalog Choice,
Yellow Pages Goes Green
Opt Out Prescreen

How do you manage the paper in your life? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

More on Paper:
A very simple filing system for email and paper
Your Priorities, Passions, and Gifts Create Context for Your Clutter
National Association of Professional Organizers' Best Product in Technology

Clever Organizing Tips from Woman's Day Magazine

When I went to the gynecologist yesterday, I forgot to take my book - horrors! And then the receptionist came out and told us our appointments were running an hour late!! Double nightmare!

So I picked up the July copy of Woman's Day magazine. Right on the front was a headline for organizing tips on page 104. It seems that these days all women's magazines are not only required to feature the latest diet, the most decadent chocolate dessert, but organizing tips, too!

These were clever and I don't think I've mentioned them before (I'm sorry I didn't remember to note the names of the organizers mentioned in the article!):

- Lost and found. Be it a basket, crate or box, designate a location for items you find around the house and don't know what they are, what they are for or whose they are.

- Fix-it basket. Place those little fix-it jobs in a basket and tackle them while watching TV or on the phone. By having a designated place for such tasks, they are not forgotten, and you can find them easily when you're ready to multi-task.

- Pending file. This is for items you've ordered and haven't received, for example. Print up the relevant information and drop it in the file. Then you don't forget about your order, and have the info if your order gets lost. Great for refunds, rebates and returns, as well.

- Keep extra bank deposit slips (the generic ones without your account number on it) and coupons in your glove box. Then they're available when you need them.

- Keep your fridge smelling fresh by either placing cotton balls soaked in vanilla in an open jar in your fridge or placing unused coffee grounds in an open container in your fridge.

Comments? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

More organizing tips:
Clever Organizing Tips from Better Homes and Gardens
Saving Money by Being Organized
Decluttering in 5 - 20 Decluttering Tasks You Can Do In Five Minutes or Less

Getting Organized for School - Creating a Hub

It's hard to believe that in some parts of the country school will be starting in 2-3 weeks! School here starts August 25. Only about a month left! Prepare now to avoid chaos later.

But before I get to that, I was drooling in Walmart yesterday over fun-colored large Sterilite storage containers for $3.50 - turquoise, purple, orange, lime green, etc. They are not see-through, but you could use different colors for different categories. Or just label them. Great for college, too!

OK, I'll stop hyperventilating and get back to the subject at hand. I am reposting this blog entry from last year ...

Getting Organized for School - Creating a Hub

If you don't have one already, create a hub - a location where you keep papers to be signed for school, library books, invitations, and other important information. The point is to have one location into which you deposit vital information so you know where to look when you need it.

It can be a drawer, a decorative box, a shelf - whatever works for you. And it needs to be in a central location. When my kids were home, I used a basket in my kitchen.

If you want to include backpacks, briefcases, and keys in your hub, you could put up pegs or hooks near the door you normally enter. Or use a coat rack or a coat closet to store these vital necessities. You may also want to create a section in your hub for each person in your family to house their important stuff.

How do you handle the incoming information from school? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

Related Posts:
Getting Organized for School (and life!) - Getting Enough Sleep
Get Organized for School (or life!) - A Family Calendar
Getting Organized for School - Backpack Checklist

Foods that Relieve Stress

Relieve stress by eating - what can get better than that! Here's another in my series on relieving stress.

Foods that Relieve Stress

"Romaine lettuce – It provides tyrosine, an amino acid that is thought to work against depression.

Tomatoes – Tomatoes are full of phenylalanine, an amino acid that prolongs the break-down of endorphins, chemicals which give you a sense of well-being.

Chicken – It contains the amino acid tryptophan, which turns into serotonin, a soothing, calm-inducing brain chemical.

Green beans – They contain folic acid, which increases the level of serotonin.

Green tea – Green tea contains vitamin C, which may cause your body to produce less stress hormones.

Brown rice – It is high in vitamin B-6 and helps change tryptophan to serotonin.

Chocolate ice cream – Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a natural antidepressant. The sugar increases serotonin. The fat raises endorphin levels. Just watch the portion size."

Source: “Eat, Drink and Be Mellow,” by Charlotte Latvala, Redbook as appeared in RD Health, Reader’s Digest , July, 2002.

Comments? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.


Similar topics:
Organizing Your Herb Garden, Part 4 - Using Your Herbs for Healing
Reduce Anxiety with These Foods
Five Health Benefits of Laughter

Disorganized Teens - Symptons of ADHD

Happy Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday our temp at lunchtime was 69 degrees! Lovely lunch outside. :)

I've noticed that school supplies are out already. So my thoughts today will go in that direction ... preparing for school.

I came across an article entitled ADHD: Not Just for Little Kids by George Schulz, Ph.D. I thought this might be helpful to you if you suspect your teen (or anyone else in your family for that matter) may have ADHD.

The article cannot be republished or copied, so I couldn't include it here. Please click the link above to read it - it's very enlightening.

If you suspect ADHD, have your child examined before school starts to get the year off to a good start! ADHD happens when a neuron is not firing properly, which is corrected by appropriate meds.

Even though many parents don't like the idea of ADHD medicine, it is still considered the best solution. If your child is near-sighted, you wouldn't refrain from buying glasses. Your doctor will also instruct you in behavior modification as well - ways in which ADHD symptoms can be reduced: physical exercise, for example.

A friend of our daughters was not diagnosed with ADHD until he was a teenager after suffering scholastically and emotionally for years in school. Another adult friend just started on ADHD meds as she is going back to college and needs to be able to focus. ADHD is hereditary, so if your child has ADHD, it is likely that a parent has it, too. It is not something you outgrow - take it seriously!

Comments? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog.

More on ADHD:
Understanding the ADD Mindset
Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized
More Tips for Helping Your ADD Child Stay Organized

Increasing Efficiency

Ever feel like that hamster in a cage, moving but not going anywhere? Here are a few ways to increase your efficiency and productivity.

- First and foremost, know your priorities, passions, and gifts. Use these as filters for incoming opportunities and requests. If you're not sure what is important to you, you may be controlled, by default, by others' agendas.

- Create a master weekly schedule that includes your priorities, passions, and gifts. Use this as you plan your schedule each week. If your schedule is erratic, create a master list.

- Say no to those activities which do not contribute to your objectives. If that’s difficult, ask for some time to think about it, compare it with your priorities, and then say no. If you're unsure about whether or not to pursue the opportunity, get some advice from your spouse or close friend who is aware of your priorities and commitments.

- Find ways to simplify your life, schedule, etc. Remove activities from your life about which you are no longer passionate. Remove clutter from your life.

- Create systems and routines for handling paperwork, daily/weekly activities, etc.

- Delegate whenever possible. Train your delegees well, whether it is on the job or doing house chores! And plan a time to follow up.

- Make lists. Write down what you need to do, to remember, to buy, etc., rather than waste time later trying to remember them.

- Plan your errands strategically so as to save drive time and gas.

- Avoid people who are time-wasters, unless you feel “called” to that relationship. Use email or texting when you must communicate with them so as not to be trapped by their lack of control. Or call them five minutes before a meeting or similar commitment, thereby limiting your conversation time.

- Determine if an emergency or interruption is urgent and important or just urgent before you change your scheduled activities. Just because it may be an emergency for someone else, doesn’t necessarily mean it must become an emergency for you!

- Don’t check your email first thing in the morning; instead, do your highest priority.

- Prepare the night before so your morning will run smoothly.

- Keep well-stocked on the essentials - milk, bread, toilet paper, etc. Milk and bread can be frozen (use milk with screw on cap and pour out a little milk before freezing to allow for expansion). This prevents costly (both time and money) emergency trips to the grocery store.

- Make a master list of school supplies your children use frequently. When you go to the office supply store, check your list to avoid running out of an essential. At the beginning of the school year buy project supplies as well as school supplies - markers, colored pencils, poster board, report folders, etc. When your child has a last-minute project, you'll be prepared! No more late-night trips to the grocery store hoping they'll have poster board.

- Do the same with office supplies. Make a list of essentials - paper, ink, labels, legal pads, binders, etc. Each time you go to the office supply store, check your list. Many office supply stores will deliver if your purchase is over $50.

- Compare prices between local office supply stores and online stores. I have found quality computer ink, shipping supplies, and other items at cheaper prices than my local stores, many times with a better selection. And I don't have to go anywhere!

- Use small snatches of time to do quick tasks. Save large blocks of time for big projects. If you have projects that require lengthy attention, create "no interruption" times during your day. Schedule times when you are available to field questions, phone calls, etc. Record this information on your answering machine.

By increasing your efficiency, your day will be more productive. And you may be able to find some extra time in the day for yourself!

Comment? Subscribers, click here to comment on the original blog.

More on time management:
The "Do It Now" Mindset
Increasing Your Effectiveness at Work
Six Ways to Save Money on Food by Planning Ahead


To Discover your passions, priorities, and gifts, see any of the time management books in the 1-2-3 ... Get Organized series.

5-Minute Stress Relievers - Physical Activity

Yesterday Melody Warnick interviewed me for an article she is doing for Woman's Day magazine on relieving holiday stress. Her article will appear in the holiday issue in November.

So I have been thinking about 5-minute stress relievers lately. :)

As a Myers-Briggs personality profile facilitator, I am aware that different personalities find stress-relief in different ways. Some need physical activity. Others are soothed by music or wonderful aromas. Gaining spiritual perspective is calming for those whose faith is foundational in their lives. Yet others get an urge to clean (not me, that's for sure!). There are many additional ways to relieve stress, as well.

So, I thought I might address this topic periodically over the next few weeks, each time focusing on one type of stress relief. Today we're going to talk about physical activity.

In general, physical activity is a fabulous release for pent-up emotions, tension and stress. We'll be concentrating on activities you can do in five minutes - whether at work or at home - for a quick break.

1. Take a walk at a moderate pace with your shoulders back. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly. One of the many benefits of deep breathing is that it lowers your blood pressure.

2. Do push ups or sit ups. Feel the tension roll off with each rep. Just a few minutes gets your blood pumping and rejuvenates your energy.

3. Climb up and down a few flights of stairs. When your mind is getting numb, a change of scenery and elevating your heart rate release stress and give you renewed mental energy.

4. Go outside and take a five-minute run. Being outdoors plus exertion provide an outlet for nervous energy as well as a fresh outlook on your task at hand.

5. If your muscles are tense, lie in bed or on the floor and stretch out your muscles - one by one from head to toe.

6. Ask someone to massage your back, neck, shoulders or head. Return the favor.

7. Get down on the floor and play with your child or your pet. Just not right before your child's bedtime!

What are your 5-minute stress relievers? Subscribers click here to comment on the original blog post.

Decluttering Mail and Phone Calls

In my opinion, telemarketing wastes my time. Even though we are on the Do Not Call list, we still get calls from non-profits. I gather that non-profits can only call those who have given to them, but we get calls from others - especially medical and police/fire groups it seems.

Yesterday during lunch, we received two such calls, five minutes apart. Thankfully we have caller ID, but it still interrupted our lunch twice by having to go look at the phone.

I know we've talked about a couple of these lists that reduce these annoying sources of clutter before, but here it is in one place:

1) Opt Out Prescreen is a centralized service to accept and process requests from consumers to "Opt-In" or “Opt-Out” of firm offers of credit or insurance.

This is a joint venture among Equifax Information Services, LLC, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., Innovis Data Solutions, Inc., and TransUnion, LLC (collectively the "Consumer Credit Reporting Companies").

Stop these offers for 5 years via phone by dialing 888-5 OPT-OUT (888-567-8688).

2) Catalog choice allows you to opt out of the catalogs of your choice.

3) Direct Marketing Association provides a variety of opt out options for consumer assistance. You will need to register online or download the form and mail it in.

4) The National Do Not Call List cuts down on telemarketing calls - 1-888.382.1222. You do not need this for cell phones.

5) Yellow Pages Goes Green allows you to opt out of both white page and yellow page phone books that are left at your door.

I use almost all of these (I haven't tried #3.). They have greatly reduced the irritations of unwelcome clutter coming into my house. (source: NAPO chat)

Similar topics:
Get Organized Month 2009 - Opt Out of Phone Books
Life Lock - Protecting Your Identity
The Truth about Cell Phones and the National Do Not Call Registry