Do you have old cell phones sitting around that you no longer use?
Drop them off at your local Staples store or go online to www.redjellyfish.com/cellphonerecyc
ing.html, fill out a form, and they will send you a postage-paid mailing label for you to return your phone (or PDA or i-pod) to them. They ship used cell phones to developing nations, keeping toxic waste out of landfills and reducing the need for more phones, and they make a donation to save 75 square feet of rainforest for each phone donated.
An alternative? Go to cellphonesforsoldiers.com
to find local spots where you can drop off phones, or get a label to mail your phone in. The cell phones are sold to a company that recycles them, and the money that they get for the phones is then used to purchase calling cards that they send to our soldiers serving.
Either way gets the phones out of your junk drawer, puts them back in use, and keeps them out of our landfills. An earth-friendly and simple fix! |
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Upcoming Classes
Upcoming classes I will be teaching on time management in the next month are:
OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION NOW!
Wednesday, April 28
12:45 - 1:30 pm
WIND Boston at
The Paulist Center, Boston
OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION
3 sessions
Thursdays, 5/6-5/20
6:30 - 8:30 pm
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| Dear ,
 Now that taxes are filed (I hope!) and the Boston Marathon has been run (but not by me), it's time to turn our attention to Earth Day (today) and Mother's Day (2 weeks from Sunday)!
With the beautiful weather of spring starting, many of us are noticing the clutter as we try to do our spring cleaning, and we want it gone! There are multiple ways to get rid of clutter in an environmentally-friendly way. See this month's Recycling Resources section for another way to to re-use and re-cycle your clutter. As usual, we also have some time management tips, and an easy-to-use organizing tool. Finally, see the bottom of the page for a great idea for Mother's Day!
Enjoy this beautiful weather, and let me know if I can help you find more time to enjoy it!
- Maryann Murphy
Your Professional Organizer |
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Time Management Lessons from Tax Time
 Did you file your taxes on time? Just barely, or with plenty of time to re-check your results and get the maximum legal deductions? If you're getting a refund, did you file early so you could get that money back instead of the government keeping it longer? Tax filing is a difficult chore for many of us, so we often put it off as long as we can. But now is the perfect time to make the process easier for nextyear.
- Programs like Quicken (R) or Quickbooks (R) help you track and categorize your receipts as you go instead of trying to do it all at the last minute when it's hard to remember what that trip to Staples was for a year ago!
- Making a simple spreadsheet of your own in MS Excel (R) or another spreadsheet software can work too, although it takes a little more work to set up and doesn't have as much functionality as a dedicated money-management software.
- Filing your receipts by vendor in an accordion folder is one of the simplest ways to manage them - one year per folder. At the end of the year, your receipts are already sorted for you.
- Scanning your receipts with the proper kind of scanner can make your records easier to manage and much less bulky. Just be sure to back-up regularly to a safe place.
Like most Time Management strategies, managing your money and being ready for tax time is all about planning ahead and managing as you go. Doing a little bit each week can save you a lot of time and aggravation next year when tax time comes around again! Take the time now while it's fresh in your mind to create a better system for managing your money and your time! |
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A Simple Tool that Does So Much!
One of my favorite organizing tools is a simple turntable from the housewares department. They come in several sizes, from 8" to 10" in diameter, and make your cosmetics, cans of food, toiletries, vases or almost any household items easier to access and looking better organized. Instead of having to move a bunch of items to get access to the ones in back, a turntable allows you to spin the items around and grab the one you want from any part of the circle.
Using a turntable also helps set limits on how many of a given type of item you are going to keep in your active areas. I tend to accuulate vases in my house, but having this turntable forced me to reduce the number of vases to what would fit. I cheated a little (notice the tall white one inside the clear glass one), but it all looks much neater than it used to when they were randomly out on the shelf. Plus it's fun to twirl!
To use a turntable effectively in your kitchen or bathroom:
- Measure the shelf or counter space you have available
- Measure the size of the items you are organizing
- Note the color of the surrounding space (turntables are generally available in white, beige, black, or silver).
- Purchase a turntable to fit your measurements and your color scheme.
- Use the turntable to keep your items corralled in one spot, limited in quantity, and easy to access!
I'd love to see how you use your turntables. Send me your before-and-after turntable photos and how they changed your spaces. And have fun twirling! |
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The Perfect Gift for Mother's Day
Does your mother ever watch those TV shows on getting organized and say "I wish they'd come to my house!"? Give her the gift of organization by purchasing a gift certificate for my professional organizing services this Mother's Day.
One of my clients purchased a gift certificate like this for her mother at Christmas time. Her mother's response?
"The best gift that anybody ever gave me!"
Make your mother's day this Mother's Day!
For just $125* she will receive
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a 1/2 hour consultation by phone,
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2 hours at her home or office helping her get organized,
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and a custom-written organizing plan for her to follow after I leave.
Email me at mmdwk@peoplepc.com or call 508 292-6706 to arrange your mother's special gift.
* Purchase by Friday, May 7, 2010 to receive this special price. Additional charge for travel more than 50 miles from Mashpee.
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Please call me if you need additional help organizing your home, your office, or your schedule. I can come to your home or office and help you there, or do coaching by phone.
I also conduct trainings and do public speaking for corporations and community groups on Organizing, Time Management and Public Speaking.
My business relies on referrals, so please forward this to anyone you think might benefit from it. Thanks! |
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Sincerely,
Maryann Murphy, MSW
Professional Organizer, Speaker, Trainer
(508) 292-6706
Director of Professional Development, NAPO-NE
Chronic Disorganization Specialist, NSGCD
Area Governor,Toastmasters International Area F2, District 31
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