|
"The help, support, guidance, tips and reassurance you provided when we worked together on my office was invaluable. Thank you for helping me understand that filing and organization can be easy and fun."
-- J.H., Office Organizing client, June 2014
|
|
|
November 2014
It's here...the season to be thankful for our family, friends, homes, clients and businesses, as well as our country and our veterans. (Thank you veterans!)
During the holidays, if you are home more and/or your work calms down, it's a great time to make thoughtful changes about how you are organized to live and work.
Keep reading for home and work tips, including a manly closet makeover, managing e-mail and a perspective piece on keeping up with the Joneses.
|
|
Manly Closet Makeover: When the Right Tools Mask a Problem
 |
1) Casual attire - After Laura Ray Organizing
|
The Situation
This business executive's closet was far from being "squared away" and to his liking. I don't have BEFORE photos, but the handsome built-in closet system made it look deceptively organized. Unfortunately, there was a lot of clothing in the corners that made it difficult to see, items were out of place and hard to find, and there were even items that had fallen off hangers and onto the floor. In addition, he needed a place for his travel accessories, receipts, international currency and work from his briefcase.
 | |
2) Business attire - After Laura Ray Organizing
|
The Solution
We created zones for the clothing. Casual wear is now on one side (photo 1) and business dress (photo 2) is on the other. Travel items, work and outerwear is on the back wall (photo 3), with receipts and currency in the top drawer. A large bin for dry cleaning and a medium bin for trash were also added.
 | |
3) Back wall - After Laura Ray Organizing
|
Tip for your closet
If anything is on the floor of your closet, such as dry cleaning, belts, sports equipment or trash, it needs a better home. Even shoes are easier to manage when they are off the floor.
|
|
Laura Ray Organizing in the Media
Laura Ray had the distinct privilege of appearing on the pages of the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution when her 2014-15 election as President of the National Association of Professional Organizers - Georgia Chapter was announced this summer.
 | | Atlanta Business Chronicle: Laura and other board appointees |
Laura also had the honor of being a guest on local radio station WSB where she discussed closet organizing, and on a web series about office organizing. For offices, she discussed conquering paper clutter, taming e-mail, and organizing your office for productivity. You can find links to these videos and any other past media appearances on Laura's YouTube Channel.
|
Productivity Corner:
Get Through E-mail Faster by
Protecting Your Inbox
You're about to start a big project, but first you want to give e-mail a quick check. One hour later, you close e-mail and wonder where the time went. Your whole schedule's thrown off. You vow not to let that happen again.
Usually the problem is your e-mail inbox. You want to get it under control with a few minutes answering e-mail here, and a few minutes sending and forwarding there. If the types of e-mails in your inbox don't change and the way you handle them doesn't either, then it's likely time will continue to disappear from your schedule.
There are two things you can do:
1) Protect your inbox. Route e-mails away from your inbox by:
- Unsubscribing from e-publications and other mailing lists that you are not interested in or never make time to read.
- Creating filters or "rules" that will automatically route e-mails from the publications or companies you choose into an e-mail folder you've created, or even the Trash folder. This means they won't even appear in your inbox, which is perfect for non-urgent, non-essential e-mails. Set a time to review non-urgent e-mails.
- Setting up e-mail folders for categories of e-mails you need to keep (from clients, ongoing projects, events or family). You may even want to create a "read later" file. Just put "later" on your calender to ensure you do it.
- Using a separate e-mail address for companies who ask for your e-mail address (from Internet purchases, catalogs, your favorite store, a personal e-zine you read occasionally).
2) Use the two-minute rule when checking e-mail.
- If you can act on the e-mail you opened in two minutes or less, do it then. Maybe it's a quick response or info you need to forward or print out. This will save you time from re-opening and re-reading the e-mail at another time.
- Schedule time to "work on" e-mails that require more than two minutes. Be realistic: eg. 6 e-mails that take 10 minutes each will require 1 hour.
Other great e-mail resources:
* "Getting Things Done" by David Allen
* "Never Check E-mail in the Morning" by Julie Morgenstern
* "The Hamster Revolution"
by Song, Halsey and Burress
|
Perspectives: Keeping up with the Joneses
It's difficult in today's society to not feel the pressure to buy more, be more, and have more. In 1950, the average American home measured about 1,200 square feet. Today, it's doubled in size to about 2,400 square feet, with many homes measuring twice that (or more) in some communities.
Deluxe cars, designer clothes and shoes, and all the latest smart phones tempt us to try to keep up with those we admire or aspire to be. But, the more we have, the more we have to maintain. Even in our bigger houses, there is still a finite amount of space, which can be a good reality check.
Where do you want to spend your time, money, and resources? Take some time this season to figure out what truly makes you happy, and you'll likely find that it's not the stuff, but the experiences and people that you love.
"And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luke 12:15
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to read this month's issue of Organize Atlanta. I hope you've found some tips and ideas that will help you save time, reduce clutter and simplify your life.
Sincerely,
|
|
Laura Ray
Laura Ray Organizing, LLC
404.630.7212
Helping busy people organize their homes and offices
President, National Association of Professional Organizers -
Georgia Chapter
�2014 Laura Ray Organizing, LLC
|
|
|
|
