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Our newsletters are published quarterly in April, August, October and December.
We are happy to provide the past few newsletters below, just in case you wish to
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Newsletter - October 2006
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Welcome to the Fall edition of the Pea Organizing Services Newsletter! This information will be helpful as you organize your home, office and life.
If you have an organizing question that is not answered in this newsletter, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks for subscribing and have a peaceful and organized autumn!
Kristin White del Rosso
The Cost of Clutter
Unopened mail, old clothes, unwanted gifts. Unless you stay on top of it, clutter will eventually take over. Even if you have lots of “great stuff,” once you have too many things, it’s hard to notice or enjoy them. Not to mention the many ways that excess can get in the way of living a simple and satisfying life. Have you ever considered what clutter is costing you?
Cost One: Money
Is your house larger than it needs to be or do you have to rent storage space to hold all your items? How often have you purchased items and then found you already have them at home? What about making lots of impulse purchases? People often regret purchases after they realize they didn’t really need or use the items. In the end you are simply spending money to clutter your home, which also means spending more time and energy to dispose of or clean and care for those items.
Next time you start to buy something on impulse, walk away. Think about it for a few days before buying it. Do you do most of your buying Online or watching Home Shopping Network? Keep a notebook handy to write down the items you may want and wait a week to order them. At least half the time, after a week, you will no longer feel the “need” to buy these items, saving you lots of money and keeping your home from becoming quickly cluttered. You may even be able to downsize your space and save money currently being spent on a higher mortgage or renting a larger home.
Cost Two: Time
Do you waste a lot of time looking for items or papers you need on a daily basis? The more cluttered your space, the harder it is to see things, even if they are right in front of you. Or if you know where something is, do you have to keep rearranging a dozen other items to get to it? If so, then that means it also cannot be put away when you are done with it. By getting rid of the items that are not being used, you can easily find and put away the items you do need.
Also remember that every item you bring into your home will require time to put away, clean, maintain and eventually get rid of it. If you find yourself complaining how long it takes to clean your home, simplifying your surroundings will certainly reduce that time. Surfaces that are clear are easily and quickly wiped clean. Surfaces with lots of clutter atop them have to be cleared off first and each item dusted as well.
Cost Three: Satisfaction
If you have items in your home or office that you do not like and are not useful, let them go. Your happiness and satisfaction depends on it. There truly is something liberating when you take actions to get your space back. Enjoy your clear space. Take time to find something you truly enjoy to put into your newly created space.
If you are keeping items that remind you of unhappy times or circumstances, letting those go will add to your happiness as well.
Cost Four: Self-Respect
Are you ashamed to have people in your home or office? Imagine having the ability to ask people to drop by at a moment’s notice or not having to run around to tidy up when your child says his friends are coming by. Feeling embarrassed by your home is an unfortunate way to live your life. Eliminate the clutter and enjoy having friends and family back in your home and life.
You can have more money, more time, more satisfaction in your life and more self-respect. Start by reducing the amount of stuff in your home. Donate it to those in need. Keep only what adds to the function and happiness of your home. With every item you let go, enjoy the freedom and the increase in clarity and purpose it brings.
Paper Management Solution – The Paper Tiger
In honor of National Clean Out Your Files Month in October, consider streamlining your file system.
The average worker wastes 150 hours per year looking for lost, misplaced or misfiled documents. Imagine
what it would be worth if you could spend that time writing articles, making calls and coming up with new ideas.
There are three components to an effective filing system: file mechanics, file management and file maintenance.
If any of these are weak, your filing system will frustrate you rather than help you stay ahead.
Whether you need to keep from getting buried in a mound of papers or you need to manage papers
that have already been filed, a great technology tool is The Paper Tiger software, which organizes documents and information in a numeric retrieval system. The Paper Tiger helps users easily find documents and items and tame the clutter. Whatever paper filing system you use, the following tips will help you better manage your papers.
File Mechanics – Tips for quick and easy filing:
· Be sure there is adequate room in each file drawer to add more information to the existing system.
· File papers directly into a hanging file. Avoid using folders unless you must separate topics in the hanging folder.
· Place plastic labeled tabs in the front of each file rather than behind. You can use the tabs to easily open the files.
· Avoid elaborate color-coded systems – keep it simple.
· Use staples when needed rather than paper clips on papers in the files.
File Management – Tips for quick and easy retrieval:
· Problem: the biggest source of frustration is what to call the file and remember where it is.
· Solution: Create a File Index. Before creating a new file, you can check the file index to see if an appropriate file already exists. The Paper Tiger system creates these for you. If you create your own filing systems, create an index in Word or Excel.
File Maintenance – Tips for keeping your files up- to-date:
· Keep your file index up-to-date by adding and deleting file names as you add and delete files in the system.
· Review and purge your filing systems once a year (during your slowest point of your work season) and transfer items to archive files or trash.
Interested in ordering or learning more about the Paper Tiger software solution?
Call us at 704-344-0210.
Use the End of Daylight-Saving Time to Organize Home and Office
Get ready to turn your clocks back. October 29 marks the end of daylight-saving time, which means fewer daylight hours and less time to play outside. So now is the time to whip your home and office into shape since you will be spending a lot more time inside over the next few months.
The following organizing tips will give you a head start on transitioning from fall to winter:
Prepare for Indoor Fun
Be sure your indoor recreational supplies such as board games, videos and books are organized and easy to access once outdoor play becomes more limited. Organize your books and donate what you no longer want or perhaps books that your children have outgrown to a school or charity. Designate a space to easily store board games, puzzles and videos.
Plan Your Winter Wardrobe
As fall winds down, it is time to plan for cooler weather clothes. Start packing away your warm weather garments and donate any unwanted clothes to charity. Make a list of essentials and sizes needed for you and your family to make shopping easier and less time consuming.
Get Ready for the Holidays
Use this time to sort through your wrapping supplies and make a list of what you will need, such as gift tags and bows. Not only will this help you be prepared ahead of time by avoiding a mad dash for tape or tissue paper during wrapping presents, but it will also save you money from making any impulse purchases of things you don’t really need or already have. If you are planning on using a photographer for a family holiday card photo, book your photographer now. Start making your holiday card list so that you can anticipate the number of cards and/or pictures you will need before buying them. If you are planning a holiday party, set a date and plan to send the invitations out by early November.
Put Your Office in Order
Start with your desk and remove all items. Group together items, such as a phone, computer monitor and Rolodex, that will remain on top of your desk. Then sort items by logistical zones and store them in their new place. Designate a storage area, such as a closet or a tall cabinet with doors for extra supplies. With October being Clean Out Your Files Month, it is a great time to tackle and organize your files. Decide what you’ll keep and toss. Then, organize loose papers by subject (e.g. travel, specific work projects, business expenses, etc.). Then create folders for each pile and file the contents in a file drawer. Keep the hanging file tabs well marked so you can easily find the file and put away future documents.
Clean Up the Yard
If you have annuals or perennials, they very well may be on their last legs. Now is the time to plant winter- friendly flowers and bulbs, aerate and reseed your lawn and add mulch to your plant beds. For flower pots, hanging baskets and other gardening tools you will not be using in the winter months, wash them well and store them in a dry area.
Create a Useful Garage
Give your garage a thorough cleaning and sweep or vacuum away the cobwebs that have been gathering over the summer months. Stow away your gardening supplies, beach chairs, camping gear and other items that will not be used much in the winter. Keep sleds, shovels and other cold-weather gear accessible. Provide shelter for your car by making room to park it in the garage.
Sign Up Today! ~ 2007 Charlotte Office Productivity Makeover Contest
Are you a small business, non-profit organization or home based and in need of an office makeover? Have we got the opportunity for you!
In celebration of National Get Organized Month in January 2007, Pea Organizing Services, Inc. is partnering with
The Charlotte Weekly to offer an opportunity to win one free office organizing session in the 2007 Charlotte Office
Productivity Makeover contest. To be eligible, individuals may nominate themselves or friends (office must be located
in or near the Charlotte area) through Pea Organizing Services’ Web site at www.thepea.com.
The winner of the contest will win an office productivity makeover the week of January 22-26, 2007, which
will include an assessment questionnaire, a consultation and The 8-Hour Miracle service developed by Hemphill
Productivity Institute that guarantees three results: (1) you will know what to do with every piece of information
from that day forward, (2) you will be able to find anything you file in five seconds, and (3) you will have a
game plan for integrating whatever you didn’t handle during the eight hours into the new system.
The winner must also be interested in participating in a “post-makeover” interview with The Charlotte
Weekly and other media outlets that might be interested in covering the contest.
A digital or regular photo of your disorganized office is required. Nomination deadline is Monday,
January 8, 2007. Call 704-344-0210 for more information.
Fall Dates to Remember
October: National Clean Out Your Files Month
October 11: Owner Kristin White del Rosso is presenting a 60-minute teleclass from 8-9 p.m.
EST for ADD Resources. Go to www.addresources.com to sign up or call us for more information.
November: National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Month
November 15: America Recycles Day
ADD/ADHD Information
Find our listing and those of other ADHD service providers in the National ADHD Directory, which is hosted by the national non-profit organization ADD Resources. Their Web site, in addition to the Directory, has numerous articles written by national ADHD authorities as well as adults with ADHD. They also offer membership which include the 138-page ADDult Reader; an 8-page quarterly newsletter, ADDult ADDvice; and access to their lending library with over 450 ADHD titles in books, audiotapes and videotapes.
Visit the ADD Resources website ...
Quotes to Ponder
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.” – Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh
“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.” – Edwin Way Teale
“In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.” – Rose G. Kingsley
Recommended Reading
“Organizing for Your Brain Type: Finding Your Own Solution to Managing Time, Paper, and Stuff” by Lanna Nakone and Arlene Taylor
“Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It” by Cindy Glovinsky
“The Thank You Book for Kids: Hundreds of Creative, Cool, and Clever Ways to Say Thank You!” by Ali L. Spizman
POS News and Notes
[August 14, 2006] CHARLOTTE - Frances D’Amato, Organizing Consultant with Pea Organizing Services Inc. was the featured speaker at the Job Hunters Support Group at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, where she discussed organizing for efficiency when job hunting.
[August 2006] CHARLOTTE – Linda Ward, former Organizing Consultant with Pea Organizing Services Inc. has formed Re-Create Your Home, providing residential design and redesign services. 704-877-4088
[September 5, 2006] CHARLOTTE - Kristin White del Rosso, president of Charlotte-based Pea Organizing Services Inc. served as a panelist at the Association of Food Journalists’ annual meeting, which took place in Charlotte from September 13-16. She discussed “Juggling the One- Ring Circus: How to Manage the Incoming Avalanche with a Small Staff (or No Staff).”
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