No time to Get Organised?

Think you have no time to get organised?  I’ll bring you a series of quick tasks that will make a big difference, and they only take 5 minutes or less.  Yes, work your way to organised in just 5 minute increments.

Today’s 5 Minute Organiser Tip is…

Stop Junk Mail Coming in the Door.

Grab your Dymo Labelmaker or a felt tip pen and some masking tape or a sticker.  Create a “No Junk Mail” sticker and put it where it will be seen by the postie.

That’s it, you’re done.

No more junk mail taking up space and time and money.

Someone’s in the Kitchen

Someone’s in the kitchen whipping up a delicious storm… and it isn’t me.

I want to introduce you to a fabulous service, launched by a clever and talented woman.  Vivenda is the brainchild of Sarah Webb, and is the answer to many a prayer.

The hardest work you will do is select from an extensive menu and provide a kitchen for Sarah to work in.  The rest is up to her.

So if meal planning and preparation is just too much, or you want to impress without the stress, this is something for you.

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #3

We’ve talked about how to avoid organising mistakes #1 and #2.  Next on the list of 7 Common Mistakes of DIY Organising Projects is

Have unclear goals for the space or project

What’s so wrong about having no goals?  Can’t you just launch yourself into sorting and tossing and boxing up?

Well, no.  It’s like heading off on a fabulous holiday without first checking the destination.  Would you start packing without knowing the climate there?  What if you packed all sundresses and sandals when in fact you were headed to the snow?  Would you head off in the car without checking the map first?  Without knowing the final destination, you could head off in the wrong direction and be lost for hours or even days.

When organising, it’s easy to start on the wrong foot, and end up spending hours on a task that could have been eliminated entirely.  Or you could completely miss an important step all together.

Instead of wasting time and effort “getting lost”, take a short time up front to decide on your vision for the space or project.  How will it look and feel?  What will success look like?

Ready Set Christmas – Last Minute Shopping

Only a few more days.  Forgotten anything?  Are you sure?

That extra person who got invited to Christmas dinner at the last minute.

The sunscreen so you can take the feast outdoors.

The brandy for the pudding flambe.

The pudding!

It’s likely at some point between now and Christmas morning you will feel the urge to dash out for “one last thing”.  Do yourself a favour, as Molly Meldrum would say (and get well Molly!), and leave the car at home.  Do all you can to fulfill those last minute shopping trips without facing the dreaded carpark battle.

• Call someone else to pick it up on their way home
• Walk to the shops
• Ride your bike
• Wrap something from the pantry or gift hoard
• Make something at home
• Leave it and apologise for the missing ingredient

or not 😉

Ready Set Christmas – Say Yes Please

Are you hosting any meals or parties over the festive season?  Ever heard the phrase, “How can I help?”  And have you ever turned down the offer of help?

Are you crazy???

No seriously, I know it sometimes seems the polite option, or perhaps you’d rather have complete control.

Today I challenge you, when asked if you need help, to say “Yes please”.

And more than that, have a list of things you need doing or foods you’d like brought.

And if people don’t ask, go ahead and ask them!

or not 😉

Ready Set Christmas – Postage

If you’ve decided to send cards this year, at least you can rely on reduced rates if you keep your mail simple.

Did you know you can even buy postage stamps online?  Click here to order stamps.

And if you need to calculate postage on something a little bulkier, you can do that online as well, instead of standing in the never-ending post office queue.  Click here for a postage calculator.

or not 😉

Ready Set Christmas – Gift Wrapping

There are a couple of schools of thought on Christmas gift wrapping.

1. Set up a gift-wrapping station and wrap as you shop
2. Wrap in one session after all the shopping’s done

Here are my thoughts on those options.  Both methods have their pros and cons.

The gift-wrapping station gets the gifts ready for giving as you catch up with friends and family but you need free space and the supplies will be out on display.

Wrapping in one session is more time and space efficient but may not work if you have gifts to give in the weeks before Christmas, before the gift shopping is done.

I propose a compromise…

In fact the title of this post may have been misleading.  I propose ditching the wrapping altogether and settle instead for gift bags.  This is so much quicker and the bags are reusable, which means less waste.  Keep a stash of various sized gift bags in one large gift bag.  (Once the tree’s up, you an even put that bag under the tree where it is disguised as another gift.)  Also in that bag keep some ribbon and gift tags, even a fancy pen or some self-adhesive bows if you like.

With this method you’ll have the convenience of being able to “wrap” as you go but with time savings without setting aside valuable space.

Or not 😉

Ready Set Christmas – Not Gifting

For various reasons, you may choose (or wish you could) not to give gifts this festive season.  Or just reduce the number of gifts you’ll give.

Whether it’s to ease the budget, your stress, others’ expectations, landfill or any other reason, NOT gifting is an option.  But how do you break the news?

Feel free to borrow this line from me –

In lieu of gifts, I’ll be exchanging hugs this year.

or not.  By the way, would love to hear how gifting (or not) it works for you.

Ready Set Christmas – the Gift Hoard

With all the pressure to get the gift shopping done, you could be forgiven for feeling the urge to grab the car keys and head out to the shops, or to spend time at the keyboard checking online gift options.  But before you do…

Shop at home first.

Just like with meal planning or clothes or school supply shopping, it pays to take stock of what you already have on hand before going out to spend more money.

My guess is, if you are in the majority, that you already have a stash of gifts you’ve purchased over the year(s) and kept safe.  And here’s the thing – if you don’t give them this Christmas, ask yourself when will be the right time?  What are you waiting for?

Start by checking in all the places you keep gifts “for later” or “just in case”.  Now make a list of all the inventory.  Against that list, can you make allocations to people you normally give to?

Likely there will be gifts left unallocated.  Unless you have bought them with some person or occasion in particular in mind, consider donating them.  Local shopping centres have giving trees.  You could wrap those unallocated gifts and have the joy of giving, even if you don’t know the recipient.

So today’s message is

1. Shop at home first
2. Donate the gift hoard
3. or not 😉

Christmas Past 2

Last year in the lead up to Christmas I posted a series on Christmas Shortcuts, hoping to make this sometimes stressful time of year a little easier on folk.  Some suggestions were a little too much to bear for some – could you do away with Christmas cards all together?