However, beyond the obvious, there is something to be said for the added aesthetic component to organizing. We have never tracked this and have no scientific basis; however, we generally find that those who choose their space to be both functional and visually appealing tend to maintain the space longer.  The reasons could be varied. Maybe it’s about the personality of someone who prefers function and beauty or maybe they’re wired to maintain the space? Maybe the simplicity of the space inspires maintenance or the space is just too lovely not to maintain? My guess is that it’s a combination of all the above. Whatever the reason, it might be worth considering adding a little beauty to your function and see what happens.

Getting and staying organized is a process that changes as our lives change. You will have to adjust and adapt as you go through life. The more stuff you have the more expensive it is mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. And, one fact to bear in mind is that you can’t organize yourself out of too much stuff. If you have too much stuff for the space, maintenance is next to impossible. The good news is that there is help and you don’t have to organize alone. If you are local, give us a call or schedule a free consult. Otherwise, look up your local NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Professional Organizer) chapter to find an organizer in your area.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks Our Time, LLC

The post Function vs Beauty appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

January is the perfect time to evaluate the coming year and determine how we want to move forward; so, in honor of GO Month, I would like to propose that we try a different perspective toward goal setting. I work with many clients who spend too much time in a cycle that I call the “negativity loop”. The negativity loop is what happens when we set a goal, start working toward that goal, falter, then mentally and emotionally batter ourselves for being less than perfect.  Not the best strategy for goal attainment.

I want to be clear that I believe goal setting and attainment are important and necessary; however, there are many ways to achieve a goal.  Sometimes a goal can be thought of as more of a journey and less of a destination. With all goals, there will be some roadblocks, setbacks and we might even stumble along the way. These barriers are where we often get stuck, lose our way and abandon our goals. There will always be obstacles and setbacks; however, we can choose how we interpret the obstacles we encounter.

Goal attainment can often require lifestyle changes or the formation of new habits. Learning how to get and stay organized, or choosing to become vegetarian, are examples of goals that are more journey verses destination-based. These are goals that often require a lot of practice to attain. We think of practice when it comes to learning how to play an instrument or learning a sport, but not when it comes to lifestyle changes. We set our goal in January to get organized, and the first time our schedule gets hectic and our system falters, we become discouraged, berate ourselves and give up. Stumbling along the path of goal attainment, does not make us bad or lesser people. It only makes us human.

The key is to stay the course. Show ourselves some kindness. Understand that we do make mistakes and continue toward our goal. We may even need to make adjustments as we go along to determine what is and is not working, with an emphasis on what IS working. By putting the focus on what works, we can build a path to a lifestyle change that will endure. For those who can’t help but to focus on what isn’t working, ask yourself WHY it’s not working. Then use the answer to that question to overcome the roadblock and turn it into a positive.  This path may take a little longer and require more patience, but the more we practice, the closer we will get to living our best life.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time, LLC

The post How to Set Achievable Goals appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Start at the Root

Determine where you want your file system to live on your computer. Having all your files and documents under one “root” folder on your computer will make it easy to locate your files. Many single Windows users have all their folders, files and documents stored haphazardly in the “Documents” or “My Documents” folder on their PC. If this sounds like your system, then you might want to consider starting from scratch. The easiest way to do this is to save all your current folders, files and documents to a new folder and name it something like 2021 Archive or any appropriate name that’s easy to remember. Now, you can start to create a new file structure with broad categories without losing any of your current information. After your new filing system is created you can move previously created files and documents to the newly created system on an as needed basis.

Create a File Structure

File structure is the backbone of your filing system and it begins with using folders for general categories. Think big when creating filing categories and limit the number of folders to a critical few. Describe the contents of the folders with short commonly used, meaningful terms. Start broad and get more specific as you add files and documents to those broad category folders.

Examples for business folder names:

Administration

Clients

Financial

Insurance

Legal

Marketing

Organizations

Sales

Vendors

Projects

Examples for personal folder names:

Financial

Medical

Health & Wellness

Housing

Insurance

Taxes

Use Sub-Categories

After you have created your folders using broad categories you will want to create files with sub-categories. Sub-categories are used to organized those files and documents within your folders. You may have a folder called “Projects” and within that folder are several files or sub-categories called Project-A, Project-B and Project–C.

Sub-category example:

Projects

Project-A

Project-B

Project-C

Determine a Naming Convention

It’s important to name your folders and files consistently and logically. Storing multiple drafts of the same document can get confusing and a naming convention is one way to avoid that confusion.

Adding a date at the beginning of the file name is a great way to keep track of multiple documents and the addition of initials at the end of the file name will add clarity if more than one person is working on the same document.

Naming convention examples:

Sample File

2022.01.01 Sample File

2022.01.01 Sample File JD

“Save As” You Go

File your documents in the proper location by using the “Save As” feature. “Save As” allows you to save and file your documents as you go, so they will be placed in the correct file or folder from the start.

Clean Up Your Desk Top

Evaluate what you really use and delete those icons or shortcuts that are outdated or infrequently used.  Note: deleting a shortcut is not the same as deleting a file, folder or program from your computer. Deleting the shortcut will simply remove it from your desktop.

A program like Fences is a great way to automatically sort out all those remaining icons into organized, easy to see boxes and categories. The program can sort the categories for you or you can create your own categories.

Backup Your Files

Have a regiment in place to regularly back up your files. If your hard drive fails, is damaged or is maliciously attacked, then you risk losing all of your personal documents, photos, business transactions and correspondence. Backing up your files to a separate location, such as the cloud or an external hard drive creates an archive that will enable you to restore your data quickly and having all your files saved to a “root” will make that process easy.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time, LLC

The post Seven Steps to Organizing Your Electronic Files appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Layering
The layering or bundling method, layers the clothes in alternating directions in the suitcase and then has you fold each article of clothing onto the last piece to create one intertwined bundle of clothing. This is a great method to reduce wrinkles and we were easily able to pack as many as 25 items of medium-sized women’s clothing in one 22” carry-on. The downside is that the entire bundle would have to be removed and unwrapped to retrieve your clothing. Therefore, this method is best if you plan to hang your clothing once you get to your destination.

Rolling
Rolling the clothing is another popular method. You can roll each item individually or group like items together and roll as a bundle. For example, with shirts, you want to fold the sleeves in and then roll from the bottom of the shirt up to the neck. For pants, you want to roll from the waist down to the ankle. If you have wrinkle-prone clothing, we suggest using plastic (e.g., dry cleaning bag). Lay the clothing on the plastic bag and then roll the item up with the plastic as you go. We found that grouping like items together did save some extra space and reduced some of the wrinkling that can occur with various fabrics when rolled.

Folding
And finally, the folding method.  This method does take up more space than layering or rolling. However, for some fabrics, it’s a better way to reduce wrinkling. Folding the clothing with a piece of tissue paper or plastic in the middle will reduce friction and, therefore, the wrinkles.

In the end, we found that a combination of methods often works best. Rolling items that don’t wrinkle easily and folding others with tissue paper were the easiest techniques to combine. Once the larger, bulkier items were placed in the suitcase, we filled in all the gaps (including the shoes) with smaller items like underwear, tank tops, bathing suits and belts, so that every nook and cranny was filled.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time

The post How to Pack for Traveling During the Holidays appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

The costs of clutter are both tangible and intangible.  The tangible costs include financial loss from over spending, late fees on bills and diminished work productivity that can lead to depression and illness.  The intangible costs of clutter may include social embarrassment resulting from a cluttered home, distressed personal relationships and even loss of momentum and direction in pursuit of our goals. Detaching from clutter may be difficult, but it’s worth the time and effort if you truly wish to live a simplified and more fulfilling life.

Let’s begin this journey by asking some questions about the items you own:

• Do you need the items?  If not, let them go.
• Do you love the item? If not, let them go.
• Do you use the items on a regular basis or recently? If so, maintain those items but keep them at a minimum.
• How do you use these items? How you use an item can shed light on whether the item should be kept.
• Are the items in good working order? Items that work improperly or are difficult to use can cause frustration and should not be kept.
• What is your relationship to the item? If you feel emotionally attached to an item, ask yourself the following questions.
  • Does the item bring value to your current life style? If not, let them go.
  • Is the item contributing to the life you wish to lead? If not, let them go.
• Are you keeping the item because you think you should or because you want to? It’s okay to let go of those items that you have kept out of obligation and it’s fine to keep family items that you treasure.

Learning to detach is often a journey that includes creating new habits.  One of the best ways to avoid having to purge, is to ask yourself if it will fit in the space and if you really need or love the item before purchasing it?

Begin by consciously using this method for a month or so, and you will be surprised at how easily you can reduce the clutter in your home and simplify your surroundings.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc

The post The Clutter Free Life – How to Detach appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Each thought floating around in your head is like a mental post-it note.  The more post-it notes, the more mental clutter.  Physical clutter can cause people stress, but mental clutter can as well.  The easiest way to get the clutter out of your head is to jot down all those mental post-it notes so you can release it from your thoughts.  Use whatever format is best for you to organize that information.  You can use the Notes app on your phone to create a To Do List.  You can add action items directly to your calendar, so you have time blocked on your schedule to complete them.  You can use a productivity app, like Evernote, to capture all your notes and action items.  Or, if paper is your preference, use a notebook.  But keep your information to one notebook so there aren’t random pieces of paper all over the house that will get lost or create physical clutter.

Learning to Say No

Capturing your mental post-it notes on paper or your device is helpful to organize your thoughts. But how do you reduce the amount of post-it notes creating that mental clutter in the first place? Learning to say no can help.

Many of us overschedule ourselves. Accepting every party invitation. Volunteering to organize every event. But when you’re constantly exhausted and stressed out, it’s probably time to make some adjustments and dial back the schedule.

Saying no can be difficult.  Saying no can be filled with guilt.  But it can also be so freeing.  Freedom from additional obligations.  Freedom from more items on your To Do List.  And freedom from the mental clutter that comes along with all those obligations.

I came across this quote a few years ago that really stuck with me …

“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.” — Francine Jay

For me, having less to do means having less mental clutter to stress about.  I can focus on the important things.  And most notably, it means I have more time to focus on the things that bring me joy and happiness.

Practicing Mindfulness

When you focus on the important things, it will reduce the number of responsibilities you struggle to balance each day. Many of us attempt multi-tasking to accomplish our action items but sometimes end up with a bunch of tasks half done. The practice of mindfulness encourages you to focus on one thing at a time and give that one thing your full attention.  Mindfulness is not a new concept, yet many of us are not aware of the impact it can have on decluttering our minds and reducing our stress.

For many, mindfulness goes hand-in-hand with meditation.  Meditation teaches you to focus on your breath and stay present in the moment which lends itself very well to mindfulness.  But I realize some people don’t have the time or desire to meditate.  In my opinion, that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate mindfulness into your day.  The key is to focus on one task at a time and try to overcome distractions.  When you’re able to focus on a task, you’re more likely to complete it more efficiently so you can move on to the next task.

Before beginning a task, do what you can to reduce distractions. Turn off the phone.  Close email. Wait until your son’s Zoom lesson begins so you know he will be occupied for the next hour.  Personally, I try to complete tasks that need the most concentration early in the morning before my daughter wakes up.  It allows me to get a burst of work done before the interruptions begin.

When a distraction does occur, try to work through it the best you can.  If your mind wanders off during a task or someone interrupts you, acknowledge it but try to not let it completely derail you.  Try to bring your focus back to what you’re doing.  If you struggle to get back on task, try taking a few deep breaths or do breathing exercises. For others, you may need to step away for a few moments and get a cup of tea or step outside for a breath of fresh air to regain focus.

Maintaining focus and practicing mindfulness isn’t always easy.  But, like most things in life, the more you practice, the more you will improve.

Clutter can come in my many forms and mental clutter is just one.  But learning strategies to tackle that clutter can reduce stress and help simplify your day.  Learning to say no can be empowering and help set the stage for prioritizing what is important to you.  Capturing your thoughts, whether digitally or on paper, can help organize your ideas and information.  And incorporating mindfulness can help accomplish your daily undertakings and set you on the path to … organizing your life one task at a time.

Asking for help is another great way to clear your mind and we are only a click away.

Karen Kabara

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc

The post Declutter Your Mind appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Purge.  The first step in organizing your medication, whether it is prescription or over-the-counter, is to remove any medication that is expired or you no longer need to take.  For proper disposal of unused medications, you can check national sources for an Authorized Drug Collection Location near you where you can drop off the medication.  Some areas like Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the state of  New Jersey have sites that list secure drop box locations.  You can follow the FDA Guidelines for how to dispose of medication if there is no authorized drug collection location near you.

Sort.  The key to organizing any space in your home is sorting.  This also applies to medication.  Think about the categories of medication as you sort through them.  You may want to sort all prescription medication in one group and over-the-counter in another group.  Or you may have several cold medications or multiple medications for a chronic health condition.  Also consider which medication you use daily versus medication that you take occasionally.  Do your best to group similar items together.

Store.  Once your medication is sorted, you need to figure out where and how to store it.  Ideally, it is best to store all your medication in one location so everything is together; however, this may not be the best option for some people.  A logical storage location would be to keep your medication where you typically take it.  Therefore, if you take it each morning after eating breakfast, keeping it in the kitchen may be best.  But, if you are someone who needs to take medication before going to bed, it may be best to keep that medication on your bedside table or in the master bathroom for ease of access.

Another aspect to consider is how frequently you use the medication.  If you use it daily, it should be in a location that is easy to access, like the front section of a shelf or drawer.  The items that are used occasionally can be tucked on a higher shelf or towards the back of the shelf.  And always remember to keep medication in a spot that is out of reach of any children or pets.

Once you decide where you should keep your medication, then you can decide how to store it.  One option is to put it in a bin or basket to corral it neatly within the cabinet or drawer.  You can find great options at your local dollar store.  If you need more than one basket, it is recommended that you label each basket.  If you take multiple medications every day or at different points in a day, you may consider a pill organizer with separate compartments for each day.  Some organizers break the days up into morning, afternoon, evening, and bedtime.  They even have pill organizers now that have alarms to remind you when to take your medication.

If you have an extensive collection of medication and a basket just will not do, you can purchase a plastic drawer unit and put each category of medication in its own drawer.  Again, be sure to label each drawer so you or anyone in your home can clearly identify what is in each drawer.

These simple steps will help to pare down and organize your medication and bring you one step closer to simplifying your space.

Author: Karen Kabara

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc

The post How to Organize Medication appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Prior to Move Day:

Many people concentrate on the actual move day; however, there are steps you can take before that day to minimize anxiety and crises.

• While packing, be sure to clearly mark the contents of each box and which room the movers should put the box in your new home. It’s very helpful to mark a few boxes as “Open First.”  These boxes should contain the items you need on Day 1 (like medication, daily toiletries, linens, cleaning products).
• Be sure to complete a change of address with the post office, your banks and insurance providers. Some companies may ask you to wait until you have actually moved; however, some will allow you to make the request in advanced if you have a firm move day scheduled.
• Call to setup or transfer utilities and services so the electric, gas, cable and internet are turned on for move day.
• Schedule a locksmith to change the locks on move day.
• Get the room dimensions for your new home so you can plan out furniture placement to reduce or eliminate the need to move furniture after the movers have left.
• If you have small children, you may consider making arrangements for childcare on move day so you are not stressing about tending to your child while ensuring the movers are putting items in the correct room.
• Likewise, if you have pets, you may consider boarding them on move day. The movers will likely leave the door open while bringing in your items and you probably don’t want your pet to dart out when you’re not looking.
• Take advantage of online services for feeding your family. Look up restaurants in your new neighborhood that provide delivery service so you don’t have to fret over dinner on move day.  Also, schedule a grocery delivery or an in-store pickup from a nearby grocery store for either move day (or the day after).  This will save a couple critical hours of your time when you want to focus on other important tasks.

Day 1:

There is always the potential for unexpected obstacles to occur on moving day; therefore, planning what key tasks need to be completed will help you get back on track if or when those hiccups pop up.

• Safety Features – There are a few safety measures you should tackle right away to make sure your family is protected.
  • Change the locks and garage codes
  • Locate the circuit breaker and water shutoff
  • Ensure the smoke and CO₂ detectors are working
  • Install any childproofing features
• Clean Before Unpacking – If you have the chance to bring in a cleaning crew before your move day that may be extremely helpful. If not, focus on cleaning the essential areas first – the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.  The other rooms can wait.  Be sure to have cleaning products handy.
• Begin Unpacking – There are different strategies when unpacking. Everyone can work on the same room to unpack it quickly.  Or, you can assign a different room to each family member.  Either way, the key rooms to prioritize are the kitchen, the bedrooms, and the bathrooms.  If you have enough time to unpack the entire room, then do it.  If it’s late in the day, then the focus should be on important items.  For example, linens to make the beds; medication and daily toiletries; plates, cups and eating utensils.  You may want to run the dishes through the dishwasher especially if they’ve been stuffed in boxes for some time.  Consider unpacking some toys to keep the little ones occupied while you focus on checking off tasks on your To Do List. After the key rooms are unpacked, all other rooms can be tackled in due time.

Week 1:

After the rush of moving day is behind you, you will still have important things to accomplish.

• With all the shuffling of items that takes place during a move, it’s important to pull all the paperwork for the move together into one location before it gets misplaced or accidentally thrown away. Many people need the documentation for taxes so be sure to pull it together and put it in a spot you will be able to find it at a later date.
• Finish unpacking the remaining rooms. Try to tackle one room at a time and unpack as quickly as possible so boxes don’t continue to clutter your space for an extended period.
• Finally, take time to meet your neighbors. Settling into a new place can be nerve-racking but the transition can be made easier if you have a friendly face waving at you as you walk out the front door.

Author: Karen Kabara

Your Tasks – Our Time

The post Tips for Settling into Your New Space appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Broadly speaking, there are two ways to Rightsize. You can Rightsize to move or Rightsize to stay in place. Either way, the goal is to create a space that lets you live your best life. It’s about determining how your space and belongings are going to serve you in the future and making a mindful decision about how you want to live going forward.

Rightsize to Move
If you want to Rightsize to move, the goal is to create a space that serves your current and future needs. Here are some reasons you may choose to move.

• Costs – Home maintenance, home repairs, utility bills, taxes and home insurance can all be a financial burden on a senior’s income.
• Health – Physical limitations and medical conditions can create challenges in daily home upkeep. One fall or illness can drastically impact your future living condition.
• Lifestyle – A warmer climate, being near the children, being part of an active senior community can be an enticing reason to move.

Rightsize to Stay-in-Place
Rightsizing to stay in place is all about access, safety and stuff. To create a space that allows you live your best and most comfortable life. Let’s talk about some of the reasons you would choose to Rightsize in place.

Freedom from Stuff
One of the benefits is a tremendous sense of freedom from your stuff and surrounding yourself with only those things that you love and need. It can free both your mind and your heart so you can focus on those things that you enjoy and bring you happiness.

Easier to Clean
When you have less stuff, it will be easier to perform daily activities of living and the space will be safer, easier to de-clutter and clean.

No Place Like Home
Many develop an intense connection to the home they may have lived in for 30 plus years. Some preparation to avoid emergencies will be necessary, such as:
• Clearing walkways for canes or wheelchairs
• Adding grab bars in the bathroom
• Removing throw rugs and other trip hazards
• Moving appliances and other items used daily so they can be easily accessible

Rightsizing to Move
Where do you start if you are Rightsizing to move? The most important place to start is with the dimensions of the new space. This will inform your decisions about how many belongings to take. Are you moving to smaller home or a condo? Are you going from five bedrooms to one? Will you have any storage areas available like a garage, attic, basement or storage unit?

Start Small
Our advice is to start small with things you are not attached to, such as, plastic containers or things you have kept out of obligation. Begin the process in smaller spaces and areas you can complete in 1-2 hours, like linen closets or bathroom cabinets.

Group Items
Group similar items together so you can see what you own. This really informs your decision-making process. Create a maybe pile to avoid getting stuck in the purging process.

Measure Twice
Measure the closets in your current AND new space, including linear hanging space, shelves and shoe racks to compare space and determine what to let go and keep.

Basements, Attics & Garages
Basements, garages and attics can be overwhelming and are areas where you may need help physically, mentally and emotionally.

Garage Sales and Storage Units
We do not recommend either. Garage sales are a lot of work with very little return. Storage units are often a waste of money because things go in and never come out.

Rightsizing to Stay-in-Place
For those who want to stay in your current home, Rightsizing is not all about getting rid of stuff, but often about changing and moving things around. Rearranging things you need on a daily or weekly basis so things are easier to manage and to better serve your current needs. What’s going to serve you going forward? That means taking a look at what could be access and safety issues. Is your furniture appropriate for future needs? Will you be able to maneuver a cane, walker or wheelchair between rooms smoothly? Will you be able to reach your clothes or do you need to lower the clothing bars?

Who Can Help?
Once you have made the decision to Rightsize, the next step is to determine how you will get the job done and who can help?

Family & Friends
Family and friends will often volunteer to help and that can be a positive or negative experience depending on the relationship. The main thing to bear in mind is that you should have the final say about what items stay and go. Having said that, you do need to strongly consider your space limitations when de-cluttering and Rightsizing.

Movers
Movers do not Rightsize, Downsize or Organize. They do pack everything, sometimes even the garbage. They will occasionally unpack; however, that consists of taking the items out of the box and sitting them down anywhere there’s horizontal space.

Professional Organizers
Professional Organizers will organize your move by helping you sort, categorize, purge and Rightsize. They will also unpack and put away or unpack and organize once you have moved into your new home, but most do not pack prior to a move.

Senior Move Managers®
SMM are your one stop shop for managing the entire Rightsizing process. They will help you sort, categorize, purge, pack, create a floor plan of your new home, provide resources such as movers, handymen or painters and unpack and settle you in your new home. A SMM will save you time, money and reduce your stress.

What Happens to My Stuff?

Setting Expectations
Where will everything go? It’s a tough question because the market is flooded with common household items. Don’t assume that your children will want your furniture, but be sure to ask in case there is something special they would like to keep. Many people feel that their items are worth more than they are. The market for antiques is not as robust as it was in the past, so that prized antique piece that you paid thousands for 20 or 30 years ago, may be worth much less today.

Research
Research is key to finding new homes for your belongings. Start by sorting and categorizing the items you want to donate. This is important, because you need to know what each organization will accept for donations. Those who live in Pennsylvania are fortunate in that there are many thrift shops, donation organizations and houses of worship that will take common household items and some furniture. New Jersey residents have fewer donation resources available, especially for furniture donations.

Selling Items
There are several ways to sell items including auctions, estate sales and online platforms. Auction items will have to be transported to the place they will be sold and most auction houses will only accept items that are hot on the market and in pristine condition. Estate sales are often held in the home. The items are often priced in advance, however, the bidders actually set the price by what they are willing to pay. EBay, Craigslist, Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace are sites where you can post your items for sale. There are fees associated with most of these methods that can substantially cut into your profits, so choose wisely!

Disposing of Items
If you are Rightsizing over time then you may be able to use your regular garbage company for most or all of your disposal needs. Check with your local garbage company to see what and how much they will take, if they have special pick-up days for large items and if they charge a fee. The fee for your local garbage company is often substantially lower than hiring a junk removal company. If you have a significant amount of garbage, then you may want to check into renting a dumpster or hiring a junk removal service.

When Should I Rightsize?
Now, the sooner the better. Again, 30 to 60 years of stuff is no joke. It took you that long to fill up your home, so you are not going to Rightsize it overnight. You can do it over time, but have a set timeline and a plan so that are prepared for the future and you are creating a space that allows you live your best life.

The post Rightsizing – A How To Guide appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Pick Your Battles

Look at your list and determine the cleaning and organizing tasks that make the most sense for this time of year.  For example, closets are a great place to start because this is the time of year we change from winter to spring/summer attire.  Garages are another good area of focus.  Now is the time to put away the snow blower and pull out the lawn mower.  And, let’s be honest, things tend to get piled and tossed into the garage all winter, so it’s time for a garage clean-out.  Your garden shed is another great fit for seasonal organizing.  Inspect and sharpen your garden tools, take stock of your supplies, clean your clay pots and determine your tool storage area based on how often you use the tools. With the onset of warmer weather comes the need to change to lighter blankets and comforters.  Once the bed is striped you can vacuum and turn the mattress to complete the process.

Maintenance is Key

Now that you have decided which areas make sense to organize during the spring season; let’s break the rest of that cleaning and organizing list into manageable tasks to be completed throughout the year.  Baseboards, doors and cobwebs can be dusted and cleaned during the winter when you’re stuck inside during a snowstorm.  Lampshades and ceiling fans can be dusted at regular intervals when you dust the rest of your home. Draperies, blinds and carpets can be cleaned in the fall or the end of the summer.  Many people have self cleaning ovens that can be cleaned any time of the year and grease traps and stove filters are easy to replace or clean on an as needed basis.

Consistency is the Name of the Game

Having a consistent, year around routine will help you avoid investing large chunks of time in the spring.  Instead, get out and smell the forsythia, spend time with family and friends or do whatever makes you happier at this wonderful time of year.  Organizing and cleaning are necessary for a functional life, so finding ways to spread it out and make it easier in the long run will save you endless hours each season.

The post A Better Method for Spring Cleaning appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Sports Fan: 

Sporting event tickets

Fashionista:

Tickets to a fashion show or a makeover

Foodie:

Dinner at their favorite restaurant, cooking classes or a culinary tour

Book Lover:

E-book gift card

Music Lover:

iTunes gift card

Fitness Buff:

Personal training sessions, yoga classes or a gym membership

Senior or Shut-in:

Movie night – pick up a movie, bring popcorn or other snacks and share a great movie together or take them out to the movies. Gift of a homemade dinner that is shared with the person or take them out to dinner. Commit to a project that needs completed their home.

Student:

Gift cards to favorite stores, iTunes or iPad apps

Commuter:

Metro or subway passes, coffee shop gift cards

Parents:

Movie tickets or gift card to favorite restaurant

Kids:

iTunes, iPhone and iPad apps, fun park tickets, zoo or museum passes

Philanthropist: 

Donations to their favorite charity or acts of service

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc

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Truth be told, there are as many ways to organize a space as there are people to fill that space.  A system that works for you may not work for your best friend or even your husband.  So what is the solution when it comes to figuring out the best way to get organized?  How do you know what system would be best for the way you live and work?

Take Stock

• The first thing is to take stock of what you actually have.  That means sort it out, purge it and in some situations you may even need to inventory your items.  This is the hard part and usually the most time consuming and it’s a crucial step that you should not skip.
• Next, take a look at the systems or solutions you have tried in the past and ask yourself what did and did not work.  If a system did work then pinpoint why it worked; this will give you some insight into what will work for you going forward.
• Conversely, you will need to determine what systems did not work and ask yourself why.  For example, was it the type of system or maybe the location of the system—what specifically was it about that organizing implement or system that rendered it useless?
• Once you’ve determined what works you can begin to formulate a better fit for the future.

Ask Some Basic Questions

• Do I need to see my files or items in front of me to find what I need?
• Do I prefer to organize my items based on a color system?
• Am I an analytical thinker and need a clear desk to feel organized?
• Once you know a little more about how you think in terms of your organizing style you can begin to work through the process of discovering the organizing solutions that work for you.

The Process

Notice I used the word process above to describe the next step.  Finding, implementing and maintaining any organizational system is most often a process and a journey.  Many people think all will be perfect and life will automatically be easier once they’re organized; however, it doesn’t usually work that way in everyday life.  For most it takes practice actually using the system, and then some trial and error to develop good organizational systems and habits that work over time.  It’s very much like getting back into shape when you have not exercised for a long time.  First you have to actually find an activity that you like or at least prefer, and then you need to develop a schedule that you can stick to on a regular basis. Next you need to actually devote the time and effort into the activity to get results. The act of getting and remaining organized is as varied and individual as you are, so be patient, be flexible and be consistent and you too will find the perfect system that works just for you.

Schedule an In-Home Initial Needs Assessment to determine your organization style today. Call or email Your Tasks – Our Time at 610.847.5422 or contactus@yourtasksourtime.com.

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