Make your house guest friendly

With Christmas around the corner now is a great time to scrutinize your home with the eyes of a guest. Here are a few rooms that may not come to the forefront of your mind but can play a large role in the hospitality of your home:

1) The entry- Make sure it is clear and easy for people to move through. You do not want your guests to feel as though clutter is leaning in over them as they enter your house. Create a home for all your jackets and shoes and set up an area where you can quickly hang visitors’ jackets.

2) The bathroom- People who visit you during a large gathering can spend a lot of time in this room. Besides hiding your toiletry items so they are not in plain view, consider setting out a basket with replacement toilet paper, soap and the air freshener. This way your guests do not have to awkwardly hunt around your bathroom.

3) The guest room- If your family stay the night or for a few days, be sure the guest room dresser and closet have ample space to comfortably accommodate a visitor’s clothes. It is also pleasant for a guest to come into a room with bed linens and towels laid out for them so they do not need to ask you where to find them.

Purchasing a good file cabinet

So you need a place to put all those papers. A filing cabinet is the obvious solution. But you want to get one that will last and fit your needs adequately. Take these points into consideration when you shop for a filing cabinet, whether it is for home or business use.

1) Do you want legal or regular width drawers? If you prefer legal size papers, buy a cabinet specifically meant for legal size files. Trying to transform a typical filing cabinet into a legal size one wastes a lot of valuable space.

2) Be sure the drawers run on tracks. If the drawers are free and simply slide out they will be difficult to move once they are fully loaded. Invest in a cabinet with drawers that run on sturdy tracks.

3) Be sure the drawers have high sides so you can use hanging files. If that is not possible, purchase an inexpensive rack to insert in the drawer. A filing cabinet becomes a black hole if manila folders are simply lined up in the bottom of the drawer.

4) Consider the material. The rule of thumb is sturdy. I thin metal file cabinet will buckle over time and a file cabinet made of low quality particle board will not last as long. Invest in a cabinet made of high quality materials to get the most life out of it.

Top 8 items for a home command center

Top eight items a home command center needs: Family wall calendar- Every family member should have their activities listed on this calendar. Consider using it to plan meals as well. Message board- Have a dry erase board for phone messages and reminders. Magnet board- Sometimes you can find a magnet/dry erase combo. This is great for holding small papers in transition. Key rack- A simple key rack will keep every driver’s car or house key at the ready. Cell phone storage- There are several products out there that provide a home for cell phones and their charging cables. In/Out bin- You should have a spot for all incoming mail and outgoing mail. Go through the mail everyday to keep it from building up. Bill holder- Use a wall pocket or a basket to keep bills that are waiting to be paid so they do not get lost in the mail shuffle. Make sure you mark the due date on the envelope. Personal spots- Use wall pockets or small corkboards for each family member to put reminders, permission slips and school schedules. A great example of these components is the “Daily System” found at PotteryBarn.com.

Are yard sales worth the effort?

Yard sales are a common way for people to turn unwanted items into a source of one-time income. Whether you have a sale to offset the original cost of a few things you no longer use or you simply want to see your “trash” become another’s “treasure”, yard sales are one of the most popular ways to purge a home.

I often get asked by clients if they should start a yard sale box as we organize together. I usually advise against it. Yard sales require a lot of time and energy to prepare for and their success can be unpredictable. The number one question I ask is if the effort and reward are worth the time invested. Here are two things to think about as you decide whether or not to have a sale:

1) Have a date in mind. Do not save items for an unknown time in the future. It is only worthwhile to save if you have a date picked and know the sale is going to happen. Otherwise you are simply creating another catch-all that takes up space and must be moved again later. 

2) Only save quality items. There are exceptions, but for the most part, if you offer junk and broken items at a yard sale, you are likely to still have them when the sale is over. The best way to get rid of things that are old or broken besides throwing them away is to put them on your lawn with a free sign. 

The bottom line is to determine whether or not the energy and time you spend are worth the reward you will receive.

Control freaks and their stuff

One of the largest obstacles to effectively organizing a room or a stack of information is the decision to let go of something. Whether you decide to throw it away, donate it or send it to the recycling center, the temptation always remains to hold onto that appliance that is gathering dust or the unopened gift from two Christmases ago.

I have thought about this dilemma for a while. The one major objection I get while working with clients is, “I might need this someday”. It took me a little while to understand the reasons behind someone being so uncertain about parting with an item they had neither used nor needed for an extended period of time. I have come to realize that the underlying issue is control.

We naturally are compelled to control our lives. Many individuals feel being prepared for every circumstance that comes their way will put them in full control of their lives and surroundings. However, there is simply no way to predict and plan for every situation that could come up in your life.

Therefore, holding onto “things” is not an effective way to control one’s life. Let them go, and you will be far more fulfilled with a clutter free space rather then a slave to potential circumstances.

Be OK with a shift in focus

Ever feel as if your day is spinning out of your control? In spite of well intentioned plans, your prioritized check list and methodical execution, situations arise that demand immediate attention and cannot be put on low priority. Today was one of those days. We know the rule of priorities: save for later what can wait. Focus on the important tasks that take you to your goals. But today the importance of the curve balls could not be ignored. And it was frustrating. As the day dragged on I cast a mournful eye over my list of tasks for the day and despaired over the fact that every issue under the sun seemed to be keeping me from accomplishing what I had set out to do. I could feel myself growing irritated, becoming more and more agitated every time something came up. Then I remembered no one dies if my checklist goes unmarked. Yes it was inconvenient but I needed to adjust my FOCUS. I took a deep breath. I gave myself permission to accept the fact that unplanned issues had to be attended to. I then looked at my list and identified the few tasks that absolutely could not wait until tomorrow and proceeded to work on them. Satisfaction began to re-emerge. When you are occasionally faced with a last minute, unavoidable amendment to your plans, take a deep breath. Focus on the issue at hand and resolve it as quickly as possible but don’t beat yourself up for having to address it. Then take a step back and reorder your priorities for the day and work to complete that pared down list. Suddenly the day doesn’t seem so lost!

Homework simplified

Homework is as important to your child’s academic success as the class room time. To insure your child has a productive and efficient homework session here are some tips you can put into place: 1. Make sure your child has a folder for all homework papers. He/she can easily grab homework from the teacher and simply slip it into the folder and then in the backpack. That way there is no question about where the papers are when the time comes to work on them! 2. Older kids should always record homework due dates in a planner. However, it can be difficult to keep track of dates in a planner when the page turns. Consider having your child paste a one month print out of the current month in their folder to keep track of due dates for the entire month. 3. Consider where your child prefers to do homework. If he/she prefers to be at the kitchen or dining room table, use a plastic box with a handle to store all their homework supplies. This makes clean up a breeze and homework portable. Be sure that the child returns the box to its proper home after every use. 4. If your child has a desk where homework can be done, be sure it is set up to accommodate their needs. Help them choose appropriate homes for all their supplies and purchase any desk organizers they might need if drawers are at a premium. Check out your local stores for great back to school sales!