Organize 365® Podcast

The days I can get both kids to school ALL day and actually be ABLE to work are a mini miracle.

After spending years and years wishing .... there were no snow days.... children didn't get sick.... my home didn't need maintenance... unexpected tasks wouldn't pop up... I gave in and realized that the only thing I can control is ME.

So I set out to streamline, systematize, and proactively take care of anything I needed to do for the week... in advance.

Did you know that for every hour you spend planning, 3-4 hours are saved from redundancy, waiting for information, and not being prepared. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take that trade any day!

In the podcast, I share a few more productivity stats and tricks.

I have set aside my Sundays as the day that I get done everything I possibly can.

Obviously that entails doing the Sunday Basket, but here are 10 more tasks I do each Sunday that save me HOURS and HOURS each week.

Direct download: Org365-089.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Today is all about YOU. Why do we save what we save, and how can we make the decision to get rid of it? 

 
In this podcast I am sharing the 10 items I have help on to for 35-15 years. How I acquired the item, what it means to me and why it is time to let it go.
Direct download: Org365-088.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

This week’s podcast and post is week 2 of a 3 week series dealing with different types of MEMORIES.

This week is all about what you save when a loved one passes... a spouse, a parent, or a child.

Tough stuff. No one is ready. And the decisions sometimes need to be made quickly. The podcast is full of lots of details that get lost in a blog post.

Losing a parent is never easy. Any items that are left in your parents’ house not only have meaning because your parents used them, but they are from your childhood as well. So I’m not going to lie, I filled a 27 foot U-Haul full of stuff and brought it back to my house after my father passed away. 

Direct download: Org365-087-2020.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

For years I just "organized" my piles in cuter containers, better systems and a larger house. But organization is not about containers or beautiful systems. It is about keeping what you want and love so you can enjoy those items now and in the future.

So today I want to talk about the items you are saving for your kids. Specifically - kids artwork, clothing, school papers, old toys, pictures, cards, books, old sporting equipment, etc.

1. What do THEY want?

The first question you need to ask is what does your child want to keep? So often I and other mothers save everything "for our kids". But what I realized is I was having trouble letting go.

Letting go of memories, stages of life and opportunities to do more in their short years at home.

At first we save ALL their clothes in case we have another child. But when no more children come, we just say we are saving the clothes for grandchildren. REALLY?!

I DID like it when I had some of my baby clothes to reminisce with my mom about when I had my children. But none of them fit. The stains you can't see now - we glaring when I looked at those clothes 30 years later.

My kids are pretty good at getting rid of things when they are done with them. WE put them in the basement! :)

So really ask your kids - starting at the age of 4 - what THEY want to keep.

2. What do YOU want?

Honestly your kids do NOT want every. single. spelling test they ever did. But I know a mom who keeps them all. Her child's handwriting is so precious to her.

That is TOTALLY FINE. Just know you are saving the for YOU not them.

Think about it this way. What if your mom showed up today with 18 boxes of every single school paper you ever did?

Nostalgic? Would you like to see them? Sure of course! For a few hours.

Would you want those 18 boxes in your basement?

How about your baby clothes? 5 large tubs full?

Every single toy you played with?

3. WHEN do you each want it?

I'm not totally clueless. I know your storage room is accumulating boxes of things your kids DO want to keep. And those kids want to keep things at YOUR house long after they leave.

It's all about making decisions. While making a scrapbook of pictures, a binder of school papers and a baby blanket {more below} all take TIME - and lots of it. They are a way to:

  1. Process through the piles.
  2. Pick the best.
  3. Experience the memories together.
  4. Enjoy a NEW creation.
  5. Empty out your storage room without emptying out your heart.

I have explained in great detail how to make photo albums and save your kid's school papers in binders. Today let's tackle baby clothes.

Head on over to the blog post to see how I turned our kid's baby clothes into blankets.

Direct download: Org365-086.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

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