Get Organized Now! Weblog

Getting Thank You Notes Out in a Timely Manner

Most people will agree that a Thank You note is a must after someone has given you a gift. It's a rule of etiquette that has been around forever, and it's a lovely and gracious way of expressing how grateful you are that someone thought of you.

But, with all the To Do's on your list, how do make the time to get those thank you notes out in a timely manner? Here are 5 things that I do...

1) Always have Thank You cards (or nice stationery) on hand. This is a must! If you actually have to go to the store or make a card, chances are the card is going to be sent out very late, if at all. Buy generic thank you cards and always have a batch on hand. Even if you enjoy making your own cards, unless you always have 10 or more on hand, having some generic standbys will ensure your Thank You's go out immediately. By the way, same goes for having postage on hand.

2) Send it out the same day you get the gift. While the gift and the occasion for which you were given the gift is fresh in your mind, this is the perfect time to jot a few words of appreciation and get the card done, stamped and mailed right then and there.

3) In some cases, like for wedding gifts or funeral thank you's, you won't be able to get your cards out that day. In those cases, you do have some extra time. When you're ready, determine how many need to go out, and how many you can-- realistically--get out each day. For example, 20 cards divided by 5 days equals 4 cards per day. Once you're at this point, just write them out a few at a time--each day-- until you're done. To give yourself some assistance with large batches of thank you cards, print out mailing labels so you don't have to hand address each envelope.

4) Get a book that gives you ideas on how to say thank you gracefully. This way, you won't be staring at a blank thank you card forever, at a loss for words.

5) When opening gifts from lots of different people, like at a birthday party, be sure to ask someone to log the gifts and who gave them as they're being opened. You'll then be about to easily personalize your thank you's and be specific to your giver, rather than the more general and less appreciative, 'thanks for the gift' (whatever it was) card. This also reduces the chances of your thank you card going out late because you're still trying to remember what that person gave you.

Do you have any time to breathe?

"Maria, after reading your biography, I was discouraged.
You're just one of those super women always running from one activity to the next with no time to breathe. I mean, you don't even have a second to do absolutely nothing. You don't take any time to smell the roses."

This is just a brief--and nicer--summary of a comment I received recently. Wow, this person doesn't know how far off base she is! How unfortunate that she doesn't really get what it means to be organized.

Twiddling my thumbs?
I'm not even sure what this woman means by "doing nothing." Does she mean meditating? Staring at a wall? Sleeping the morning away? Twiddling my thumbs?

As a matter of fact, you wouldn't believe how much free time I have for my family, my friends and myself BECAUSE I'm organized. If I wasn't, I would just have stress and frustration. There would be no time for peace and enjoyment at all.

Yesterday, I sat outside on the deck just enjoying the sunshine (YES, we're getting unusually warm weather in Wisconsin for November), and the day before I smiled as I watched my daughter running around in the fallen fall leaves. Is that doing nothing? If so, I do a lot of it.

What does it mean to be organized?
Contrary to this person's thinking, being organized doesn't mean your entire day is jam-packed with tasks, appointments, errands and activities.

It doesn't mean you're running from one activity to the next--I never run for anything, as my husband will attest. He is always ten paces ahead waiting for me!

It doesn't mean you don't have time to breathe--I breathe all the time...without any problem. Being organized is not about living on a never-ending treadmill of things to do.

We all have tasks to do each day in our home life as well as our work life. We can't just blow these off, without serious consequences.

The bottom line . . .
Being organized is "finding everything you need when you need it, and getting everything done when it's due." Why is that so important? Because being organized allows you to cut the clutter, clear your mind of stress and chaos, and free your schedule so you have plenty of available time to enjoy your life, whether you choose to spend that time doing "something" or "nothing at all." It's your choice.

For hundreds of free organizing tips,
visit Get Organized Now!

15 Minutes Earlier Per Night

My 6-year old daughter, Amanda, has been having the time of her life this summer--going to bed around 10 at night, and sleeping in until around 9 in the morning. But, as they say, all good things must end. School is starting on September 1st, and her bed times and wake times need to be adjusted.

Now that we're one week prior to the first day of school, we'll be getting her to bed 15 minutes earlier, each night, until bedtime is back at 8:00.

That means...

tonight, bedtime is 9:45P

Wednesday, bedtime is at 9:30P

Thursday, bedtime is at 9:15P

Friday, bedtime is at 9:00P

Saturday, bedtime is at 8:45P

Sunday, bedtime is at 8:30P

Monday, bedtime is at 8:15P

Tuesday, bedtime is at 8:00P

Of course, I'll help her get adjusted to her wake times as well in the same manner, each day getting up 15 minutes earlier.

Even if you don't have school-age children, this system works beautifully for any time adjustment you need, whether it's getting up earlier to get to work earlier, or going to bed at the time that will allow you to get enough restful sleep for a productive day tomorrow.

These incremental adjustments, rather than one that's more severe, help ease the body and the mind. It's a lot less stressful to adjust in baby steps.

Utterly Amazing Organizing Statistics

Wondering if getting organized is worth your time? Here are some utterly amazing statistics. You make the call.

* People spend, on average, 6 minutes looking for their keys in the morning.

* Due to clutter, 25% of people with two-car garages can't park any cars in there and 32% can park only one.

* Women with shoe racks were seven more times likely to be on time for work than women without shoe racks.

* 80% of what we keep we never use.

* We wear 20 per cent of the clothes we own, 80 per cent of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case.

* 80 per cent of what we file never gets looked at again!

* Your four-drawer file cabinet, when full, holds 18,000 pages.

* Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40 per cent of housework in an average home.

* Married men were four times more likely to leave their pajamas on the floor in the morning compared to single men.

* 23% of adults say they pay bills late (and thus incur fees) because they lose them.

* Eighty per cent of the clutter in homes is a result of disorganization, not lack of space.

(Resource: Survey results from Ikea and the National Association of Professional Organizers)

Just Saw Toy Story 3

This past weekend, Joe and I took our daughter Amanda, 6, to see Toy Story 3. Very often, we don't like sequels, but we have to say this was even better than the first two.

If you're unfamiliar with this movie, the gist is that the toys are all 'alive' and have 'feelings', and are concerned about getting forgotton about, given away or trashed as a child grows and matures.

Our daughter is a bit of a pack rat when it comes to stuffed animals. If I had to choose a category of toys that she is overstocked on, it would definitely have to be her stuffed friends. So much so, that we have a current family policy in place that states...with any new stuffed animal that comes in, two have to be donated. They are donated as the rule states, but not without some quiet tears.

It's always sad for Joe and I, but we have to stick to our guns. Otherwise, we'll have to buy a new house just for the stuffed animals.

Anyway, for anyone who has a child who loves toys, this movie is full of heart for both adults and children alike.

A 6 Year Old and Her Artwork--What To Do?

My 6 year old daughter, Amanda, arrives home from Kindergarten every school day with a folder-full of artwork and school papers. She truly enjoys going through each paper with her dad and I and we relish this special show-and-tell time. Of course, when show-and-tell is over, we're left with lots of paper!

The current week's stuff is proudly displayed on the refrigerator. When we get the next week's batch, all the previous art, etc. goes into a box that we've designated for temporary storage of these papers.

At the end of the school year, which is quickly approaching, I plan to go through the box, recycling any 'canned' artwork--like coloring pages and art she accomplished by pasting pre-cut pieces together--and keep only the contents that have lots of meaning to us that showcase what she was capable of at this young age. This will include special pictures she has drawn from scratch, theme papers (these are super cute when your child is just learning how to read and write) and original art creations.

I just purchased a stack of 12 x 12 inch black cardstock. I plan to mount her special drawings and artwork on those pages. Later, I'll hole-punch the cardstock and bind her artwork into a fun 'book' that we can enjoy now and that she will have to show her kids when she grows up.

For the artwork that's too bit or bulky to fit, I plan to have Amanda hold her art and I'll snap a photo of it--the photo will easily fit into the book and we'll get rid of the original piece.

It's very important to be discerning. I plan to limit myself on the art work, themes, etc. that I keep to no more than 25 pages per school year. I look forward to this project and can already envision the fun end result!

The Memory Box

Before my neighbor and good friend moved away, I helped her go through her 4-drawer filing cabinet to determine what to keep and what to toss.

Getting through most of her filing cabinet was a cinch. She had warranties for products that were long expired, bank statements for accounts that were closed years ago and other documents that were well past their purge dates. We shredded and recycled all of these old papers, and ended up with just a handful of files necessary for her to keep.

However, there was one full drawer of her filing cabinet that was not so easy to go through. It was stuffed with memories, many that reminded her of her husband who had passed away a few years ago, and others that represented the lives of her family members--past and present.

It took a bit longer to go through this drawer, as it was a trip down memory lane.

She knew that she couldn't bring all these papers with her on her move, as she wouldn't have the space to store them all.

The solution we came to was that she would take just enough of these memories to fill one banker's box. The rest would be recycled.

Carefully we went though each letter, each note card, each poem--one by one--only putting the most special ones in her banker's box, and discarding the rest.

This box is now her Memory Box--a perfect place to reminisce whenever she wants to, and a heartwarming collection of her life.

Tricks for Treats

For school today, my daughter, Amanda, needed cookies for her all-school bake sale to benefit a local charity AND a treat for her Kindergarten Halloween Party. I decided to buy the cookies for the bake sale and make homemade pumpkin muffins for the class party. Just making one treat, instead of two, cost me a few extra bucks but saved me an hour last night--an hour that I used enjoying family time and watching old episodes of Flipper with my husband and Amanda.

Instead of bringing in these treats with serving platters or Tupperware containers from home--which 1) tend to get lost in the shuffle or 2) have to be picked up and cleaned-- I instead found some old cardboard. I cut the cardboard down to size, covered it with aluminum foil and then bent the sides up. I now had a nice looking 'tray' that didn't need to be returned home or cleaned afterwards. After the bake sale, the school can just remove the foil and recycle the cardboard.

These are just two little tricks to make life a bit easier when it comes to treats.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Mardi Gras, which in French translates to Fat Tuesday, is officially the day before Ash Wednesday. The day is also commonly referred to as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day and can occur anytime between February 3rd and March 9th, depending on when Easter is held that particular year.

Tonight, our family is attending a pancake dinner. Whether you celebrate Fat Tuesday or not, why not have breakfast for dinner tonight? Whether you have children at home or not, this is a nice change of pace to the typical dinner meals.

You may even opt to eat out at a local diner-type restaurant--they usually serve breakfast all day and all night.

Changing things up once in awhile, keeps dinnertime fresh and fun!

Drop Everything and Fly

Hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend--we're heading right into summer!

We just returned from a 5-day trip to New Jersey. My mother had to have emergency surgery, so it was a 'drop everything and fly' sort of trip.

Here are a few things that made our 'gotta go now' trip just a little bit easier.

1) Our travel packing checklist - What a life saver this was! Even though we were stressed and worried, it was comforting not have to 'think' about what to pack. Everything was on the list, and we were packed and ready to go in a few hours.

2) Projects and tasks on a Master List and Daily To Do list - Yes, we had to move some deadlines around. During an emergency situation, it's imperative to be flexible. But, we were able to pick and choose those items that could be done on the plane and in the hotel during our lull times, so that was a huge help. Plus, we knew exactly what still needed to be done upon our return.

3) Go To My PC - We had remote access to our computers at home, so we didn't have to worry about bringing CDs or other storage devices. The service we used can be found on this link: https://www.gotomypc.com
All you do is leave your computer on at home or at the office, and you can access from anywhere you have an Internet connection. In our case, we had our laptop. But you can also access your computer from a hotel computer or a friend or family member's computer. In essence, we were able to do anything we needed to do on our computer, from New Jersey. Technology can be really great sometimes!

4) Our vacation sheet - We have a one page sheet that has instructions for our neighbors when we go on vacation. The paper includes plant watering instructions, mail and newspaper retrieval (if we don't put it on hold), package delivery information, our contact and emergency contact information, etc. When we need to leave for a trip, we make updates if any and print it out. No more having to remember a bunch of stuff at the last minute, our neighbors have all the information they need and we have the comfort of knowing our house will be as we left it when we return. (It stinks coming home to dead plants, burnt grass and a stuffed mailbox!)

5) Access to our voicemail - We picked up all our messages from the road, and returned our phone calls too.

By the time we returned, we weren't too backlogged, and today we're actually right back on track again. We'll be flying back out again this summer to visit my family again (my mother is recovering from her surgery), and we'll use all of the tips and tools we mentioned above to ensure another organized trip.