 |
Terri Stephens, CPO, CRTS
Certified Professional Organizer®
Certified Relocation & Transition Specialist®
(678) 513-6585
|
|
Did You Know?
The top reasons Professional Organizers are hired:
Source: NAPO 2009 Member Survey
06/30/2009 | |
|
|
Ways We Can Help
You can save money. You'll know what you already own, eliminating the need to buy duplicate items. A professional organizer can help you find the perfect organizing products for your space and lifestyle, so you stop wasting money on things you don't need or won't work.
You can become more productive and efficient. A professional organizer can create order and structure out of chaos. You'll receive systems that work for your dominant learning style, your lifestyle, your needs, your challenges, and your dreams.
You'll have a positive self-image and ditch the shame. Once your home or office is neat and tidy, you won't feel embarrassed to have guests visit. The guilt will fade away as you take pride in your surroundings.
You'll have a healthier environment. Physical and emotional clutter obscures your surroundings. An organized home and office is more easily cleaned. Lose the clutter and cut down on time spent moving piles of paper and stuff around.
Your stress level will decrease dramatically. When you can find what you need, are on top of your to-dos, and arrive on time, you'll feel calmer and have more peace of mind. No more feeling overwhelmed by life -- you'll be the one in control.
You'll discover more time for yourself. When you're organized, your days go as planned, and you get a lot more done. That leaves more time to indulge in a little "me time."
Your energy will shine.
Clutter is a mask and a professional organizer can help you take off that mask. Once the clutter is removed, you can showcase your talents, skills, and personality and have the life you deserve.
|
|
|
| Real Order
Gift Certificates |
Could someone on your list use a gift that can help them de-stress and spend more time doing what they love?
Contact us now to give someone the gift they can benefit from all year long. | |
|
|
October 2010
Real Order e-Newsletter
In Case of Emergency:
Organize for the Unexpected |
|
Dear ,
This month's newsletter deals with issues that, for most of us, fall into the "Important But Not Urgent" category of life. Actually, organizing in general tends to fall into this category, which is why I often get contacted when people are in enough pain or turmoil that it's moved shifted into the "Urgent" category.
My charge to you this month is to give serious consideration to what the consequences would be to your loved ones if something were to happen to you and you were unprepared. Trust me, no one likes to think about this, but the unexpected can happen and it isn't always pretty. When a person takes the time to prepare for life's inevitable twists and turns, it is a loving thing indeed - both for yourself and those you love. It is truly thoughtful and considerate to think about how you would want to be treated under similar circumstances and then take the time to organize your affairs and not a leave a mess for others to figure out.
Terri Stephens, CPO, CRTS
Real Order Professional Organizing, LLC
|
|
The Basics of Advance Directives
What are Advance Directives?
A living will allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life.
A medical power of attorney (or healthcare proxy) allows you to appoint a person you trust as your healthcare agent (or surrogate decision maker), who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf.
Advance directives are legally valid throughout the United States. While you do not need a lawyer to fill out an advance directive, your advance directive becomes legally valid as soon as you sign them in front of the required witnesses. The laws governing advance directives vary from state to state, so it is important to complete and sign advance directives that comply with your state's law. Also, advance directives can have different titles in different states.
One state's advance directive does not always work in another state. Some states do honor advance directives from another state; others will honor out-of-state advance directives as long as they are similar to the state's own law; and some states do not have an answer to this question. The best solution is if you spend a significant amount of time in more than one state, you should complete the advance directives for all the states you spend a significant amount of time in.
You should review your advance directives periodically to ensure that they still reflect your wishes. If you want to change anything in an advance directive once you have completed it, you should complete a new document.
Along with a living will and healthcare power of attorney, you should also consider a financial power of attorney, which will allow for someone else to manage your finances if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. A financial power of attorney can be a great blessing for your family. If you become unable to decide for yourself and you haven't prepared a financial power of attorney, your spouse, closest relatives, or companion will have to ask a court for authority over at least some of your financial affairs.
All of these documents can be prepared with the assistance of an attorney or through several online legal sources, including:
Nolo.com
Source: www.caringinfo.com
The materials contained in this newsletter are for information and educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.
|
|
Your Medical Records & Emergency Care
During a medical emergency, healthcare providers often need information about your health history, chronic conditions, medications and allergies. If you're not able to provide this information, it could impact your care.
With these tools, you can record pertinent medical information and have it readily available for emergency medical providers, physicians and family - even if you can't tell them yourself.
|
|
Everything They Need to Know
We talked a little last month about putting together a family resource binder, which includes important documents, medical information, account details and even calendars and schedules for family activities.  This information is critical if you become incapacitated by illness or injury - and can even be valuable for family caregivers you're vacationing or traveling on business.
Some things you'll want to consider including:
Legal Documents - wills, powers of attorney, trust documents, special bequests, safe combination
Family Documents - birth/adoption/guardian records, social security numbers, citizenship papers, marriage/divorce, military recordsBanking - trusts, loans, list of accounts, online banking passwords, statements/cancelled checks, check/passbooks
Investments - CDs, securities, stock/bond/mutual fund accounts, retirement plan, IRA, annuities
Business - incorporation papers, contracts/agreements, computer back-up
Deeds/titles/registrations - title insurance, property, home inventory, vehicles
Insurance - life, other death benefits, property and casualty, health, homeowners, auto
Funeral instructions - burial instructions, cemetery plot deeds
Contacts - friends/relatives/business, attorney, CPA, insurance, broker, executor
Calendars/Schedules - Activity and school information for all family members, team contacts, login information for school websites
You can put together a binder like this on your own, but if you're looking for resources to get started, here are a few options:
|
|
Share Your Story
 Where were you born? Did you have a nickname when you were child? What was your favorite school subject? Did you play sports? Now when your children or grandchildren plead, "Tell me a story," you can tell them your story. With books to help record your memories, you can share details of your life and family, creating a cherished keepsake for your children and grandchildren.
Share Your Stories Memory Books:
|
Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.
|
|
|
|
|
