Before I get into this week’s topic, I have TWO very exciting announcements for you!

First, this is your LAST chance to register for the Organize 365 National Convention! That’s right, tickets are almost sold out, and registration for the event closes at midnight on May 29th – so make sure to click here to learn more and sign up!

The second announcement is for all the teachers out there and anyone who feels like once the school year starts, their head starts spinning! If this sounds like you, the 100 Day Home Organization Double Time is EXACTLY what you’ve been looking for. It cuts the time of the 100 Day Program in half, which means you can get it done TWICE as fast!

Don’t miss out on this one time offer! There are just 120 slots available! So, if you miss out this time, you’ll have to wait until August to sign up. If you manage to get your hands on one of these treasures, you’ll receive the current planner AND the brand-new planner that we’re launching in August – now that’s what I call a real VIP experience!

Registration for the 100 Day Home Organization Double Time opens Friday May 25th and ends on May 29th at midnight or until the 120 slots have been claimed. Once they are gone, they are gone!

If you want to be one of the first people to try the 100 Day Home Organization Double Time Program, click here to sign up!

Now, onto setting your summer goals!

Summer Is Coming!

Summer is just around the corner and most of you are probably busy packing your suitcases and planning your summer vacation. It’s an exciting time of the year. I know I’m really looking forward to planning my summer and spending more time with my family.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like summer is the dreamiest season of the year? Do you know what I mean? Things just seem to merge together and before you know it, you’re right back at the start of the school year again and you’ve no idea where the time went. Weird, right?

Well, I think I’ve gotten to the bottom of it. Let me share how you can reach your summer goals without fail – I promise.

Try Not To Have Too Many Goals This Summer

When you think ahead to the summer, it’s tempting to overestimate just how much you can get done. I’ve always thought of July as the “Bermuda Triangle” of months. Nothing happens in July. It’s almost impossible to get any work done and I can’t explain why.

Instead of giving yourself a hard time because you “failed” to reach all of your summer goals, take a step back and realize that it’s okay! It’s okay that you didn’t get the kitchen painted this summer or that you didn’t have time to declutter your closet – give yourself a break, it’s summer after all!

I think one of the main issues we all run into over the summer is the mistake of setting too many goals for ourselves in such a short space of time.

Summer is very short, and it’s very spontaneous. One minute you could be focused on organizing your kitchen and the next thing you know, you’re running down the street in your flip-flops trying to sniff out where that delicious smell of BBQ'd ribs is coming from – unplanned things just happen.

Give yourself the grace from the beginning and know that you’re not going to get a ton of goals accomplished in the summer – and learn to be okay with it.

Set Yourself One Or Two Goals MAX

I always try and focus on one specific area of my life over the summer. Sometimes, I might go as far as assigning myself two goals for the entire summer, but it’s okay to have just the one.

Here is a glimpse into a few of my previous summer goals throughout the years:

In 2015, I decided to focus my summer on improving my personal health and working on my marriage. I walked 10,000 steps per day and invested in having more one-on-one time with my husband. We spent summer nights talking outside on the patio, and that was the same summer we discovered (and binge-watched) the TV show “24.” It was an easy-going summer and one that I really enjoyed.

In 2016, I redesigned my websites because we had just launched the 100 Day Home Organization Program. A lot of my free time was spent in front of my computer screen. I decluttered my desktop, posts, and Pinterest boards, which helped me to have a real work-focused year with limited distractions and clutter.

In 2017, I focused on decluttering the house and began to work on redoing different spaces, such as the kid's bedrooms and our landscaping. This summer project grew more momentum and ran into the beginning of 2018 – we recently had our windows and doors replaced!

So now that you’ve heard all about my previous summer goals, I bet you’re thinking, “Great Lisa, but what are you focusing on this summer?”

Well, this summer, I’m going to focus on my kids.

My son is preparing to leave for college and will be moving into his own apartment, so we have to help him get ready and prepare his living quarters before he begins his studies.

My daughter also got her temporary license, so I’ll spend a lot of time driving with her and taking a few road trips to help her gain more confidence as a new driver.

What Is Your ‘BIG Summer Win?’

You’ve heard all about my summer goals, but now it’s time to start thinking about what YOU want to accomplish this summer. What “BIG WIN” do you want to achieve over the next few months?

The key here is to get as specific as possible with your big summer win. The more you can narrow it down to just one specific goal, the more likely you are to succeed.

I would love to hear your big goal for the summer so please share it with us in the Organize 365 Facebook Group or go over to Instagram and tag me on what your big summer priority is going to be – I can’t wait to see what you guys will be up to this summer!

Oh and don't forget... if you are ready to jumpstart your home organization journey, I would LOVE for you to join me in 100 Day Home Organization DOUBLE TIME. Registration is only open until Tuesday IF the planner supply lasts that long!

Join Here.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

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Before we get into the main topic of this week’s podcast episode, I have two time-sensitive subjects I want to share with you.

First, the Organize 365 National Convention will be held in Dallas from June 7th to June 9th. Ticket sales end at midnight on May 29th, so make sure you get yours while you still can! The tickets are selling FAST, so click here to get your ticket today!!

The second thing I’d like to discuss is the 100 Day Home Organization Program. Although it can be completed within 100 days, some of you may not be able to complete the program within the recommended time slot, and that’s okay. So, keeping this in mind, I’ve decided to reveal how you can do the 100 Day Home Organization Program in double time on next week’s podcast episode!

Now with that out of the way, let’s get into the meat of this week’s podcast episode!

This one is a little different from my usual podcasts because I’ll be focusing on the seasons of parenthood and how each one brings new changes to our organization routine.

My Mini Epiphany

The other day seemed ordinary enough, nothing that remarkable or exciting happened. I pulled into my driveway with my daughter, and at the same time, my husband Greg arrived home with the dog from daycare. Then, my son pulled up to the house. At that moment, we all arrived home together as a family – and I had an epiphany.

Okay, so it wasn’t like a mind-blowing ordeal where I discovered the true meaning of life or anything. But still, it made me realize something very important.

I’m happy.

It may seem like a throwaway thing to say but if you think about it, how often in our busy lives do we take a moment and appreciate what we have? How many times have you stopped to ask yourself, "Am I happy?"

It’s not as easy as it seems, right? And yet, that’s how I felt. Happy.

Seasons of Parenting

I’m the type of person who enjoys every season of parenting. I live in the moment.

My son Joey is leaving for college soon, and many people have told me that I’m going to be sad when he leaves. But I don’t think I will be that sad. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss him when he goes. But at the same time, I love seeing him grow up and going off to college is just another step in his journey.

If you’re a new parent, you’ll face many obstacles throughout your child’s life, and with each stage that passes, another will take its place. When you overcome these obstacles, your organizational strength will grow, and you’ll have the tools you need to prepare for the next challenge in life.

So, let’s take a look at each season from babyhood all the way through to your child graduating from high school (you may want to grab a tissue!)

The Early Years of Parenting

New parents face a great deal of change in the early years, especially in the baby, toddler, and pre-school stages. Babies are a handful, and they can quickly go from one diaper size to the next. You always need to change your stockpile of diapers and then you need to organize what your kids will eat and drink.

As you continue to expand your family, you’ll also develop your mental bandwidth to include not just yourself, but each additional little human that you’re responsible for.

Grade School: The Game Changer Year

When you have younger kids, your house can suddenly become overloaded with toys, clothes, and apparatus such as strollers and car seats, etc. But as the kids grow up, you can start to move the toys into their bedrooms and put the strollers and things into storage or give them to another family member if you don’t plan on using them yourself.

And once the kids go to all-day school, your home and organizational routine will change drastically.

This is a time that I like to call "The Game Changer Year."

It’s dramatic, I know. But seriously, when the kids are in school for most of the day, you’ll not only have more time for yourself, but you’ll also have more time to organize your home. Everything seems to flow a lot easier, and you can treat yourself to some quiet time now that the kids are off to school.

Even those of you at work while your kids are at school will notice a distinct difference in function of your home and the organizational progress you make will STAY!

FYI - I highly recommend taking a day or 2 off work while your children are at school to reclaim your home. :)

Middle School: Gaining Independence

Oh, middle school – how I’ve missed you!

If you didn’t know, I used to be a 7th and 8th-grade school math and science teacher, so forgive me if I get a little nostalgic thinking back to the good old days.

What I love about this age group is their ability to form their own opinions, and being able to witness their brains process change and develop as they progress through the school year.

Middle school is a time when kids are starting to become more independent in their actions.

High School: Graduation & College

Whether you love it or loathe it, high school is one of the most memorable times of a child’s life. Their independence starts to take shape, and they begin to think about driving and colleges.

I don’t know about you, but I love helping my kids take their beliefs, ideas, and unique talents and figuring out what it is that they want to do with their lives. It’s up to us as parents to launch our kids into adulthood with the tools and strategies they need to make decisions that will help them succeed and live a fulfilling, happy life.

Eventually, my kids will be done with college, and maybe someday they’ll get married, or they’ll travel around the world with their friends – and I’m really excited for all of it. I have enjoyed each season of parenting and the organization that goes along with it and I hope you do, too!

As I am typing this, I just received the final workbook for the Organize 365 National Convention in Dallas from June 7th to June 9th. Oh my goodness, is it chock full of productivity, goal setting, and personal development! It brings tears to my eyes as I envision those of us attending being transformed and connected in ways only a live event can.

I know many of you have immovable plans, but if you are still thinking... maybe I should. You SHOULD! You will not regret it! Come see me!

Register at www.organize365.com/Dallas.

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Spring break isn’t just for kids. Adults need a breath of fresh air every so often to recharge their batteries and diminish work-related stress and anxiety.

Taking a spontaneous break isn’t something I do very often, but the more I live a truly organized life, the clearer I can see the patterns of how to breed more productivity in organization and a large part of this is taking the time to relax, unwind, and de-stress.

My impromptu adult spring break adventure began a few weeks ago without me even realizing it until I was mid-way through the week!

I share my story on this week’s podcast episode and it begins with replacing the windows in my home. I know what you’re thinking, what does something as mundane as windows have to do with spring break? As it turns out, deciding to upgrade my windows kick-started a week of relaxation and organizing because it gave me the opportunity to take some time off work.

Upgrading Our Windows

Greg and I had been thinking about moving for some time, but we finally decided against it and focused on renovating and upgrading our current home instead.

Our old wooden windows were once the envy of the neighborhood back in 1986. But that was over three decades ago and they are no longer functioning.

The entire process took three days. Although this didn’t bother us much, our dog Hunter wasn’t pleased since he had to get shipped to doggy daycare until the workers were done.

Even though all of this work would be going on in the house, I knew I couldn’t take a break from my work schedule. However, I also knew that the workers would be replacing the windows in both of my kid’s bedrooms and trying to walk through the room to reach those windows would be almost impossible!

There was one clear solution – I had to take a break from work (if only for a few hours) and clean my kids' rooms so the workers could cross the threshold to reach the windows.

Cleaning & Organizing The Kids' Rooms

Since both of my kids are teenagers and their rooms are more like mini apartments than bedrooms, let’s just say that I don’t go in there very often!

But on this occasion, I didn’t have a choice. I took the morning off work and assigned myself an hour and a half to clean each room. I stuck to my schedule and finished both rooms on time, but when I finished cleaning, I didn’t feel like working.

If you know me, you’ll know that I always feel like working. However, Monday passed, and then Tuesday came and went, and I still didn’t feel like working.

My Adult Spring Break

By the time Wednesday arrived, it hit me. I had scheduled my own spring break! Granted, most of you probably would prefer to go on a sunny vacation for spring break, and the idea of cleaning your kid’s rooms and organizing the inventory sounds like work. But for me, it’s heaven!

I spent a large part of my spring break creating and organizing my Household Reference, Household Operations, Financial and Medical Binders. I even revealed how I arranged them and I also recorded a podcast series that you can listen to on The Sunday Basket Podcast.

When I wasn’t organizing my binders, I was out shopping with my family and getting things done that I usually didn’t have time to do.

Finding The Time To Organize

We all live such busy lives that it can be challenging to find the time to organize anything. The more I started to think about a week-long adult spring break, the more I was convinced that this is something I’m going to do every year.

My Sunday Basket and 100 Day Home Organization Program with 100 Day Productive Home Planner saves me a minimum of five hours per week. It helps me to organize and plan by season – which is much more practical than planning for the entire year in advance because life always gets in the way of our plans.

By planning your schedule every 100 days, you can carve out pockets of time for yourself so you can spend your time wisely and get more done.

Find out how you can live a more organized and happy life by joining us at the Organize 365 National Convention. It’s going to be an awesome experience and I would love to have you there. Grab your tickets here before they sell out!

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