We Organize U Ezine
June 2006
Monthly Tips on Organizing Your Home, Your Office & Your Life

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Brought to you by Hellen Buttigieg, Professional Organizer, TV Host, and Life Coach.

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Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter. In this issue, you'll find quick tips to organize your home, office and your life.

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BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE:

There's still time to visit your local Wal-Mart store in Canada and obtain a home organization booklet featuring tips from me (available with the purchase of Tide, Downy, Charmin, Bounty, and Puffs products while quantities last). There are 3 books in the series, each focusing on organizing different areas of the home.

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QUICK TIPS ON ORGANIZING YOUR HOME:

* Bring accessories out in the open.

Scarves and ties stored in boxes or drawers, no matter how stunning, are quickly forgotten. Hang them over a towel rack on the inside of your closet door and you'll have a visual reminder and easy access to your accessories.

* Instant pantry.

If your kitchen cupboards are crammed, create a pantry in your basement for bulk-food storage. Use unfinished wood shelving units, which are inexpensive and allow you to adjust shelf heights to suit your needs. Place the units against the wall nearest to the stairs for quick access.

* Picture this.

Before putting framed artwork in storage, take a picture of it. Then wrap it in kraft paper and tape the photo to the front so you can easily see what's inside. Use acid-free tissue paper under the kraft paper for valuable pieces. Stack the frames on their side (not flat) and store in a safe corner.

QUICK TIPS ON ORGANIZING YOUR OFFICE:

* Keep important documents safe.

With all the natural disasters happening in the world lately, it's become even more crucial to protect important documents that would be difficult to replace. These include birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance policies, real-estate deeds and wills. The best place to keep them is in a safety deposit box. Keep copies in an accordion file in your home for easy access. You may also want to photocopy the cards you keep in your wallet, like your health card and credit cards, and file the copies in case your wallet is lost or stolen.

* Encourage filing - discourage piling.

Keep extra file folders in the back of your filing drawer and a label-maker handy. Having these supplies ready to go will encourage you to quickly create new files as you need them rather than pile papers on top of your filing cabinet 'just for now'.

* Clipping can lead to clutter.

Do you automatically clip articles of interest for yourself, your friends, and your family? If the newspapers are piling up and the mailing-outs are backlogged, consider whether the time and effort you spend is really worth it. Do your friends and family really want those clippings? Do you really need them or can you find the information quickly if and when you require it? We all have more information available to us than we'll every need.

QUICK TIPS ON ORGANIZING YOUR LIFE:

* Late again?

If you find you are chronically late, it could be that you have an unrealistic sense of how long things take. Keep a time log, even for a few days, and note the start and stop time of each group of tasks. You may be surprised that the 10 minutes you think it takes to answer your email in the morning is actually 30 minutes. The next time you try to squeeze in just one more thing before you leave for an appointment, you'll know how long it will actually end up taking and whether or not you'll have enough time to finish it.

* Combat procrastination.

When you find yourself putting off certain tasks over and over again, take a closer look at why. Some common causes are that the task is too big (break it down), there are too many decisions to make (take it one at a time), or simply that you work better under pressure (set false deadlines). Identifying the reasons behind our hesitation often helps us find the solution.

* Bad-mood busters.

Everyone gets into a bad mood sometimes, but why wallow in it longer than you have to? The best time to figure out what to do to help yourself feel better is when you are in a good mood. Identify the things that elevate your mood and remember to use those strategies when the bad mood strikes. Consider going for a walk, taking a shower, listening to music, or talking with a friend. Your outlook will shift and you'll feel better sooner.

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HIRE AN ORGANZER:

To hire the services of a We Organize U organizer, please send an inquiry email to:
mailto:hellen@weorganizeu.com

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If you found the information in this newsletter to be of value to you, please feel free to forward it to your friends and colleagues; you'll be helping them simplify their lives.

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We Organize U Ezine is written and produced by Hellen Buttigieg. Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears in full:

(c) Copyright 2006 by Hellen Buttigieg, We Organize U. Reprinted with permission from the We Organize U Newsletter. Visit http://www.weorganizeu.com

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