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Chaos Eradicated! Aggravation Abolished! Overwhelm Obliterated!
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Greetings!
If you feel guilty about taking vacation time from work, you are not alone. According to Forbes magazine more than 65% of Americans leave some vacation time unused. The reasons range from being afraid of not getting ahead if they take time off to having too much to catch up on when they get back. Here are some tips to making a success of the time of you do take so you enjoy every moment you have earned! - Plan Ahead: Leave work at work by taking care of as many projects before you leave as possible. Clear your desk...literally. Return phone calls and emails. Make appointments. Get everything done that needs doing and RELAX! This is your time now.
- Leave written instructions for anything that may happen so your team will know what to do in your absence, and how to reach you in a true emergency, then you can really relax!
- Draw a clear boundary of what is a true emergency for staff and co-workers.
- Pull the Plug: Your FaceBook friends and Twitter followers will live without you while you are on vacation. Tune into what is going on around you and be in the moment as you experience all the things you planned. Everyone needs a break. If you can't disconnect completely, then just use your SmartPhone or Laptop for 15 minutes at a time or limit yourself to a battery only vacation and only use the device as long as the battery lasts on your vacation.
- Upon your return: Clear your desk again. This time, go through all emails, phone calls, and messages and delete anything that no longer requires your attention. Make a list of everything you have to do and prioritize it with completion dates.
- If you can schedule your first day to be a quiet day, where you can review what went on during the week and meetings with your staff, that will be helpful.
- In my last position in corporate America I worked at Tiffany & Co. I was lucky to be a member of an amazing management team, we all took care of everything for each other while we were on vacation, so things were reasonably manageable when we returned from vacation. I have to admit that when I got back, I would review all of my emails the night before I went back to work, so that I had at least that much knowledge before I walked in the door.
I was at my National Association of Professional Organizers conference in San Diego, two weeks later I went on vacation to Florida, now I am getting ready to go to the shore...that's a lot of prep to leave town and a lot to deal with when I get back, all small tips really do make things more manageable. If you have any good tips to share, please do.
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Power Tip from Anna
Get your family together- create a list of things that you want to do this summer. Fun stuff, crazy stuff, Post it somewhere where everyone can see it. Check off everything as you do it. Some thoughts: clean out a closet, cook something special together, making popsicles, going to the zoo, taking a bike ride, hiking, learning a new sport. It will be fun to see how many of the things you get to during the summer.
Use your cell phone camera to snap a photo of the locations sign where you park your car at the airport, that way when you get back, you'll be able to find your car!*
You are in a foreign country, staying a hotel whose name you cannot pronounce. Photograph the hotel sign, so that you can show it to your taxi driver!*
Photograph the people that you are traveling with so that if you get separated you can show the person's photo to people in the area, so that they can help you find your travel partner!*
When packing for your vacation, get all of your clothes ready...THEN...take 1/3 of the clothes and put them away. Think back to every time you come home and unpack all the clothes you didn't wear!
Please send us your best vacation tips!
*Tip fromSync or Swim
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News:
I have been involved in another writing project put together by some of my favorite organizing peers. It is an e-book called Sync or Swim , loaded with tips to use with  technology, they are simple tips that are easily understood by most users of technology.
You will also see my monthly articles in the RadnorPatch.com. This is a local news site loaded with great information. It is really great to have all of these opportunities to share information with the community.
Social Media is a new tool that I am using to get the word out about events, organizing tips and fun stuff that comes my way. It is really a lot of fun! Please Friend and Follow us on Facebook, The Organizing Consultant on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.
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Donation Station
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes and More Shoes
 The National Association of Professional Organizers has teamed up with Soles4Souls an amazing charity providing shoes all around the world! They have organized a challenge to see who can collect the most shoes. Sooo...being the competitive person that I am, I need all of you to go through your closets and collect all the shoes you no longer want, condition does not matter. One shoe..no problem, I'll collect that too! Email or call me at 484.432.8692 and we can make arrangements!
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New Tools!
Cool Tools from NAPO Conference 2011
 For those of you who need your files on the go, here is a great bag to carry them and keep them (and you) organized and looking good! I recommend one bag for each committee you serve on. The colors are so much fun! If you are a committee member, you must Check it out!
Find Things Fast Application for iPhone
Dump everything from a bin and photograph it with your phone to create lists of where everything is. This is great for organizing your basement or attic, or out of season items. More Info
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Recent and Ongoing Projects
Some of the fun projects I have been doing lately are helping a business streamline their processes and filing. The goal being that the owners will have a better structure in place and more time to market their business.
A current client is moving form a 5 bedroom house here to a 2 bedroom condo on the beach in sunny CA, we are working on downsizing furniture, art and other things that will not be needed in her new life. We're also planning for the move, hiring a professional organizer on CA to be on the scene there for support during this process and making sure the move goes well on that end too.
Working with my teacher client again. This year she is getting a new floor in her classroom so once again the room has to get disassembled. Funny enough each year this happens it is easier and easier because of the work we are doing to prepare and continue to organize all of the materials!
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A summer to you all,
Anna Sicalides
The Organizing Consultant LLC Back To Top
Please forward this newsletter to anyone you know who may appreciate it.
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