Easy Organizing Tips...To Help Around Your Home

Purple Couch

The New "GO" Newsletter

January 2010

Issue No. 16

NAPO National Organizing Month

Greetings ,

It's a new year and our newsletter has a new look. You will notice many more changes both to our site and our newsletter in the coming months. You will also notice that we've changed the name of our newsletter to The "GO" Newsletter.

We found that "GO" means a lot of things such as: Go Get Organized, Get Organized, Go Girl and, of course, the call to action of just the word "GO." The word "go" means to do... and we want to help you go and do whatever will make your life more organized.

In this month's issue, we had more to say than space but we've narrowed down a few great topics that are a must read - from a New Year's check list, to hoarding, to getting help around the home.

Enjoy and may your 2010 be great!

When He Refuses to Help

I'm going to speak more directly about men in this article...sorry, ladies. We see a number of homes that are just packed with clutter. Sometimes the husband is bothered by this mess and other times he could care less.

For the most part these husbands are quality men that seem to fail to see the importance that their bride places on their help in the home. They often see her frustration as unimportant and often get frustrated themselves from the nagging.

If they use tools, they don't put them back; when they eat, they don't put up their dishes; when they change clothes, they throw them on the floor. It sounds like such a little thing but when you have a full house and the husband is only contributing to the mess, many times the wife will start to build up feelings of resentment.

I recently heard of a couple that lived in clutter daily. Their home had a constant odor and clutter was on every surface. The wife had long given up on trying to do anything about the state of their home because the husband did not care. But what the husband did care about was video games...he was addicted to self. If he was not working, he was playing and when he did help out, it was like an act of congress to get it done. Pretty soon resentment built-up.

The wife ended up leaving and you know one of the first things the husband did...he stopped playing video games and started looking for ways to win her back. He woke up to the reality that he had put SELF before his wife; in a relationship that has no room for self.

Oh, of course, the wife was not perfect and I don't want to paint that picture, but the point I am making is that we can all become so self absorbed that we fail to see that the small gestures we make or don't make can have a huge impact on our home and our relationships.

So, what do you do if you find yourself in this type of position with your wife? First, make sure everyone's responsibilities in the home are clear. Who does what and when. Second, come up with a plan together for getting Honey Do's done, and schedule time Sunday evenings for going over the next week's commitments, projects, and expectations. Last, invest your time and energy looking for ways to serve.... each other.

Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It's hard to care for something you are not investing in.
Taken from The Love Dare

NAPO

What Do Organizers Do?

Professional organizers use tested principles and expertise to enhance the lives of clients. By designing custom organizing systems and teaching organizing skills, they help individuals and businesses take control of their surroundings, their time, their paper piles, their lives!

An organizer's services can range from designing an efficient closet to organizing a cross-country move. For homeowners, he or she might offer room-by-room space planning and reorganization, estate organization, improved management of paperwork and computer files, systems for managing personal finances and other records, and/or coaching in time-management and goal-setting.

In business settings, an organizing pro can increase productivity and profitability with improvements in paper-filing and storage, electronic organizing, work-flow systems, employee time-management, space design, and more.

Some professional organizers work with specific populations, such as those with Attention Deficit Disorder, the chronically disorganized, children, seniors or students.

Taken from the NAPO website

Are you a Hoarder?

If you haven't already seen the new show Hoarders on A&E, it's worth seeing. Nearly a million Americans obsessively acquire and save items they really don't need. They develop an emotional attachment to things and these things slowly take over their home. The results are devastating to the home environment and especially to kids.

What parents do in moderation, kids will more often than not do in excess. By leaving trash, clothing and junk in piles on the floor, you're helping your child develop some major issues as they get older.

Signs of compulsive hoarding:

An excessive amount of clutter (that limits living space)
Difficulty categorizing (and organizing items)
Holding onto possessions (that seem of little or no value)
Severe anxiety (when trying to throw out an object)
Trouble making decisions (about possessions)
Feeling anxious (embarrassed or depressed because of clutter)
Fears about needing items (that could be thrown away)

If you're a hoarder, there's no shame in getting help...reach out to a friend that you trust or seek the help of a trained organizing professional to help you regain control of your home and life.

Safe Talk...

Now is the perfect time to clean out your files, organize your important papers, and put your valuable documents in a safe.

If you don't have a safe at home, let me educate you a bit. Most safes for the home are either for protection from fire or theft. I'm going to focus on fire safes. Most fire safes for the home have either a 30, 60, or 90 minute protection before the temperature starts rising to a temperature of 451 degrees which is when papers start to burn. Fire safes release moisture that allows the safe to maintain a temperature of around 350 degrees.

Now that you have been educated a bit, what do you keep in a safe? If you're looking for fire protection some important papers that could be stored in your safe are:

Birth certificates
Copies of wills
Credit card account numbers
Insurance policy names and numbers
Family historical information
Military records
Passports
Stocks and bond certificates
Jewelry
Marriage license
Deeds

You can keep old negatives, printed photos, or photos on CDs in your safe, but chances are they will melt if a fire becomes too hot. However, the main source of the fire may not be where your safe is. By having these items in your safe, it would protect them from water damage even before they started to burn. It's not guaranteed to save them, but it's better than just having them completely unprotected.

Checklist for the New Year

Set up your 2010 Organizing Planner
Update phone/address list/book/computer program
Go through files and throw out what's outdated
Update and set up new files for the new year
Schedule annual doctors' visits
Discuss this year's vacation plans
Do annual cleaning like windows, curtains, etc.
Renew any passports, drivers licenses, car tags, etc.
Redo budget if necessary
Make a project list for around the house and schedule the projects throughout the year.

Introducing Mary Pat

Mary Pat says staging is key to selling your home. She gives you (2) free hours of staging with our organizers with each listing. Staging will give you a head start in selling your home.

Are you looking to buy a home? Let Mary Pat and her team find you your next home. If you choose Mary Pat you will receive a free consultation and (4) free hours with one of our organizers - getting any room in your home organized beautifully.

Call Today at 214-923-3114

Organizing your Move or Move-In

Free Organizing or Staging Hours

Organizing Tip -Make a first aid kit for your car with all the normal first aid items... then add feminine products, a small flash light, and $10 cash for an emergency.

Idea submitted by Denise Thompson of Plano, TX

In This Issue

When He Refuses to Help

What Do Organizers Do?

Hoarders

Safe Talk

2010 Checklist

Featured Article

This month's featured article is speaking directly to husbands and wives. After reading the article, you can click here to be directed to a PDF on our site. There you will find a list of responsibilities where you and your husband can start a clear plan of "Who Does What When".

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