Latest Blog Posts

New Years resolution; the best time to declutter

By Julie Stobbe / December 28, 2021 /

Every year you set yourself resolutions, some you keep some you might not but if there is one resolution that should be attainable for everyone is the January de-clutter. In fact, there really is no better time to sort through, organize, and de-clutter than the post-Christmas holidays. You and your family have no doubt accumulated an awful lot of new stuff and you need to make room for it. Don’t let your new belongings sit on top of the old ones, use this time to donate the stuff you no longer use or need and make room for your appreciatively received new goodies. 

 

Donation box

How to start your New Year declutter

To successfully undertake a declutter you need to be organized with a plan and agenda, and you need to stick to it. Here are some ways to help you organize your decluttering.

  1. List your areas for decluttering; do not just wander aimlessly around your house opening random cupboard doors looking for inspiration. List where you want to declutter and start with the easiest area first or the area that bothers you the most. 
  2. Have a deadline; decide on a time that you want each area decluttered by and give yourself sufficient time to do the work. It could be an hour, 10 minutes a day, or a full afternoon dedicated to one space. Whatever works for you.
  3. Develop a system; when it comes to going through all of your stuff put in place a system of what you are going to do with your items. A good place to start is by having four stations, donate/recycle, sell, trash, keep. Everything should go into one of these piles but your keep pile should be dramatically reduced. Remember if you haven’t used it in a year – donate it.
  4. Make sure everything has a place; if you are keeping it make sure it has a place to live and it stays there without causing mess or clutter. If it doesn’t have a place then make a place that is easily accessible and close to where you use it or don’t keep it. 

Benefits of decluttering

If you still are not tempted to declutter, consider some of these benefits to help persuade you.

  1. Reduce stress and anxiety. Mess, clutter, and chaos in your home can have a negative impact on your stress and comfort levels. It can cause a sensory overload, you might feel embarrassed or stressed at the prospect of not knowing where things are.
  2. Easier to clean and tidy. With so much less stuff in the way, it will be easier to keep your home in order and keep things clean and tidy, which will inevitably make life easier when hosting and entertaining.
  3. Positive impact on selling your home. Having a clean, tidy,  decluttered home will make selling your home easier. If listing your home is something you are considering doing a declutter is essential as all top realtors such as https://jenjewell.ca/ will conclude.
  4. Help to remove allergens. Dust, pet hair, and pollen can gather in all kinds of places and there is no better place than on tops of items sitting around taking up space and gathering dust. Getting rid of clutter should help to improve the airflow of your home and remove gathering dust and allergens.

If you need help with decluttering and organizing your home, purchase my online course, Create an organized home. 

A blue and white striped tunnel in the background with Julie Stobbe in the foreground wearing a white blouse.teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

 

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Clutter free Christmas gift of organizing

By Julie Stobbe / December 7, 2021 /

Looking for a Gift of Time to give this Holiday Season?

Mind over Clutter.ca has 3-hour packages designed to help with any number of tasks in the home and office.  Consider purchasing an:

  • Income tax receipt organizing package
  • Holiday cleanup package
  • Streamlining your office package
  • Organizing for the New Year

New this year a virtual organizing package consisting of:

  • An initial meeting to discuss the project and make a schedule
  • Followed by 3 guided work sessions to coach and mentor you through the work

Value 

Packages can be designed to fit the individual needs of the recipient.  This gift helps remove stress and clutter without creating more clutter.  Working with a professional will help them to meet their goals successfully. Purchase your introductory package in 2021 for $150.00.

Contact julie@mindoverclutter.ca  to purchase your clutter-free gift of time.

What is the best holiday gift you received this year? 

A blue and white striped tunnel in the background with Julie Stobbe in the foreground wearing a white blouse.Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

 

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Is multitasking productive?

By Julie Stobbe / November 2, 2021 /

Reading time 10 minutes

Multitasking is a myth. The brain can’t complete 2 high-level tasks at the same time states Chris Adams, in  “Can People Really Multitask?”  So what are we really doing when we work on 2 things at the same time?

Task layering 

People believe they can multi-task because the body can do a physical activity and a cognitive activity at the same time.  So people are able to walk and talk, run and listen to a book etc.   The new term I have heard for this is task layering.  We certainly can do task layering, don’t get it confused with multitasking. Task “layering” is defined as strategically deciding to do tasks that require different “channels” of mental functioning such as visual, auditory, manual or language.  Read more about task laying that actually works in this article

Multitasking 

The brain does not do two cognitive tasks at the same time.  The brain switches between tasks, very quickly.  Every time the brain switches tasks it must determine how much of the task has been completed and what the next step would be and then continue with the task.  This time contributes to the slowing down of completing the two tasks.  If the brain works on one task at a time it completes it without delay.  Try it, put an article in front of you and something to write.  Do them both at the same time and record how long it takes you to get the two tasks done. You will notice that you will keep going over the material to see where you left off as your concentration shifts between the tasks.   Next, do each task separately and time how long it takes to complete both tasks.

How to stop multitasking

In order to stop multitasking, plan your work schedule and remove the distraction of other work, e-mails, tweeting, phone calls, television, music etc.  Your work schedule may have lots of shifts in tasks.  Some people like to schedule a 60 -90 minute work session and then change tasks.  Other people may schedule 30-minute sessions and change tasks.  What works for you? Some people need to have music or white noise on to help them concentrate and block out distractions.  Other people find music distracting.  What helps you to keep your focus on one task at a time?

What do you think? Is multitasking productive? 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

 

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3 Work Life Balance Tips

By Julie Stobbe / October 26, 2021 /

Reading time – 3 minutes

Work-life balance is a big catchphrase right now.  At times, it seems impossible when you are working from home.  Work is always there and home is now a workplace, a relaxing space, and an entertaining center.

Schedule everything

1. The best way to gain/have/maintain work-life balance is to schedule everything.  It will seem daunting at first because you need to schedule exercise, work, your children’s activities, beauty appointments, laundry, grocery, shopping, time off, cleaning, yard work, sports, entertainment etc.  Once you have completed this activity you have a better understanding of what your day is like, how your week will function and what is going on in the month.

Follow the plan

2. In order to be successful you must be ridge with yourself and stick to your schedule.  If you allow yourself to give up “life ” time for work you will probably never get it back.  Some people say they can’t be creative if they are scheduled.  Think closely about that argument. Perhaps you don’t know how to schedule your time or maybe you don’t want to have enough time to get everything done.  Remember scheduling allows you to be creative within each block of time and activity. Scheduling helps you to set up routines for getting tasks completed.  This helps you to spend less mental energy worrying.  Use that time and energy on more important things.

Create happiness in your life

3. Work-life balance is important because it allows you to be functioning at your best.   Your stress is reduced if you can accomplish the things that are important to you, have the relationships you want, and are accountable to those who are depending on you. Happiness and contentment can be yours for the taking.

women isting on a chair with her knees up to her chest with a cup of coffee

What would be your 4th tip to create a better work-life balance?  Post it in the comments. 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

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Organizing Your Mind (6 Steps)

By Julie Stobbe / October 19, 2021 /

 Reading time – 3 minutes

In Harold Taylor’s newsletter www.taylorintime.com , May 2014,  he talked about Organizing your Mind to create the life you want.  His advice is still true today.  Getting your mind in the right place so you can concentrate on the things that bring you joy, fulfillment and contentment will help you create that life that brings out the best part of you.

By Harold Taylor

Organize your mind than your desk or house

It’s more important to organize your mind than your desk or house. You can always walk away from your desk or house, but you can never walk away from your mind. We must first accept the fact that time is not life, as many of us in the past may have suggested; it is merely the medium through which life passes. And life, as you experience it, is not something that happens to you, but something that happens because of you. You create the life you will experience – good, bad or indifferent – by what you believe, how you think, and what you do.

Mind-clearing session

To create the life that you want, you must first organize your mind. And you do this by clearing it of all the worldly clutter that keeps it preoccupied and constantly distracted. One way of doing this is to engage in a 15 or 20-minute mind-clearing session each morning after you get up and are fully dressed. Don’t do it while you are still in bed and half asleep. This is too important. It will determine how the rest of the day goes. And life takes place in a series of days.

Complete your morning ritual of breakfast, getting the kids off to school, putting out the garbage or whatever your morning routine entails. Then sit comfortably in your favourite chair, and without trying to rid your mind of the random thoughts that will invariably invade it, do the following six things in succession.

6 Steps 

  1.  Relax, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and just be aware of the miracle that is you.
  2. Give thanks for all that you have and have had in the past. Don’t rack your brain trying to think of everything – just those that come to mind quickly.
  3. Forgive anyone who has hurt or offended you.
  4. Offer up ten-second prayers, blessings or good wishes for at least three other people each day.
  5. Think positive thoughts about all your future plans, opportunities and endeavours,
  6. Decide and confirm how you will spend the next hour of your life. This may already be scheduled in your planner or you may choose something different.

The reason for doing these six things will be explained in the next article in this series on holistic time management. But the reason will probably become clear to you as you progress through each day.

Whether you call this session meditation, mindfulness, or “being in the now” is immaterial. What is important is that you continue to do it each day, modifying it as you go along, until it becomes your unique morning routine. And how you spend the next hour of each day will eventually create the life that you will lead.

Organize your mind than your office or home. Harold Taylor Share on X

I think there are some great suggestions to help you focus on the life you want to create.  Is anything missing?   Let me know in the comments. 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

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How to organize your wardrobe (with a change in the season)

By Julie Stobbe / September 28, 2021 /
Reading Time: 15 minutes

Fall is here, at least on the calendar. It used to be that people would stop wearing lightweight, sleeveless tops and lightweight pants in the fall.  With climate change, more people are wearing most of their clothes year-round.  They add a sweater or a pant liner to lightweight clothes for the fall. There will be some clothes you won’t wear in the colder weather because of the colour or pattern of the clothes.  Besides, it is fun to change up your clothing and feel like you have a new wardrobe without spending time or money shopping. You will learn many ways to declutter your clothing and 4 ways to organize your wardrobe.

Start wearing outfits for the last time this season 

Now is a good time to start wearing those items of clothing that you won’t wear in the colder weather one last time, wash it and put it away until the warmer weather is back.  You can put clothing in a secondary closet, in bins,  towards the back of your primary closet, set aside a drawer in your dresser or put them on a shelf.  Some people don’t like putting away clothing because they forget they did and buy new clothes in the spring.  If this sounds like you put a reminder in your calendar on your phone that tells you where to look for your warmer weather clothing.

Which clothing should I keep?

Whether you put some clothing away or keep all your clothing available year-round it is a good idea to organize your clothes every once and a while.  See if they fit, if they are in good repair, if you feel good wearing them and if you get compliments then you should keep it.  Donate clothes you don’t like wearing before they go out of style or become dusty.  Let someone else enjoy them.

Find a decluttering style 

Find a decluttering style that works for you. Some people like to declutter their clothes by:
  • category,  one category at a time eg. look at all your pants, then shirts etc
  • as they wear them – you put it on, don’t like it,  donate it
  • spending a little time every day and removing a few pieces of clothing
  • having a box in their closet and when they find something they don’t like put it in the donation box
  • spending an afternoon or evening and going through all their clothes at one time
  • one room at a time – you may have clothes in a number of places

Consolidate: only clothing in your closet. 

Sometimes organizing your clothes is more about organizing your closet.
Take everything out of the closet. Use the closet for clothes and not for other things.
Collect all your clothes together. Many people have clothes stored in multiple closets and don’t know what they own.

Organize based on your activities

Group your clothes into categories by activity/lifestyle eg- work, party, pants, tops, sweaters, jackets, skirts, exercise, formal, gardening etc. Decide how much of your week you do these activities and keep a proportional amount of clothing in that category. For example, work 40 hrs/ week, exercise 3 hours/week, formal 4 times/ year, pants/ tops/sweaters 80% of the time, skirts 10% of the time. You can see you need pants tops and sweaters that suit work and casual, not many skirts, a couple of formal outfits with different accessories to change their appearance, 1- 3 exercise outfits ( not 15 because they feel good and are fun).

Organize a colour palette.

Build your wardrobe based on a colour palette, eg, blue, grey, and black then tops sweaters, jackets will be mixed and matched to have a large number of outfits without a large number of clothes. Consider the Pareto Principle you will wear 20% of your clothing 80% of the time.  Reduce the number of items you almost never wear by donating them so someone else can enjoy them before they go out of style, or get mouldy and dusty.
Now you know what types of activities you do, and you have a colour palette in mind.  Sort your clothes by category.  Pull out all your pants and decide how many you need and which colours.  Next look at sweaters, shirts, skirts, dresses, suits etc.

Decide what percentage of clothing to declutter. 

If you need a simpler way to start organizing your wardrobe, look at how much space you have to store your clothes.  Look at how many clothes you have.  Pick a percentage that you need to reduce your clothing by.  Look at each category of clothing and reduce each category by the percentage you have chosen.  For example, if you choose to reduce your clothing by 25% and you have 16 pairs of pants,  24 sweaters, 32 pairs of shoes, 8 dresses, 40 exercises outfits.  You would let go of 4 pairs of pants, 6 sweaters, 8 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses and 10 exercise outfits.

Capsule Wardrobe

You may have heard of capsule wardrobes. Wikipedia explains a “Capsule wardrobe is a term used in American publications as early as the 1940s to denote a small collection of garments designed to be worn together which harmonized in colour and line. The term capsule wardrobe was revived by Susie Faux, the owner of a London boutique called “Wardrobe” in the 1970s.”  If you want to further reduce the amount of clothing you own, you may want to organize a capsule wardrobe.  Here is an article to help you design it in 5 easy steps.  The less clothing you have the easier it is to care for.

What do I do with the things I don’t need?

Here is an article to help you know what to do with the clothing you no longer want to wear.  Don’t keep it in your closet let others enjoy it.
Take time to clean up your closet while you are removing your clothes.  Wash the walls, vacuum or wash the floor.  You might want to add lighting or paint or a shelf.  Make it a space you can take pride in.

Did I miss anything? Now I’d like to hear from you. 

Which strategy from today’s post are you going to try first?
Or maybe I didn’t mention one of your favourite ways to declutter your clothing.
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.

Need help?

If you need help decluttering and organizing your wardrobe book a virtual organizing appointment. It allows me to support your organizing projects by providing planning, coaching and mentoring while both remaining safely at home. https://mindoverclutter.ca/virtual-organizing-services/

 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

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ONEPWR Cordless Sprayer by Hoover

By Julie Stobbe / August 27, 2021 /

I always enjoy reviewing a product.  I was lucky to be contacted by Hoover and given a ONEPWR sprayer to use. It is an interesting new product, a handheld cordless electric sprayer.

Whenever I tell someone about this product the first question is, “Does it spray paint”? No, it is for keeping your home clean and safe.  Since Covid has become a part of our lives cleaning and disinfecting have become a larger part of our life too.  This lovely sprayer can replace your pump spray bottles.  You know the ones that make your hand cramp when you’re spraying shelving units, showers or any large surface area.

Assembly

It is easy to assemble and use.  Place the battery in the charger.  When it is charged slide it onto the sprayer. Put your favourite clean product in the container, hold the finger trigger and spray the surface you want to clean.

Safety

When you’re using the sprayer protect your eyes and nose by wearing a mask and eye protection.  You don’t want to get any cleaning spray blowing into your face from nearby vents, fans or windows.  It is especially important to wear protection when you’re outside using the sprayer. There are a few products you should not use in the ONEPWR sprayer, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, pine sol and pine-oil based solutions.

So many uses

This product is so versatile. It comes with a bottle of household cleaning solution.  You can use whatever cleaning product you prefer.  You no longer need to buy your favourite product in a spray bottle.  You can buy it in a larger economical size. The sprayer is not limited to cleaning.  You can use it to spray insecticides, fertilizers, fungicides and weed killers.  You can use it with water to mist plants, clean floors and the inside of your vehicle.  It is great to have in the kitchen.  Whenever you need to wipe something off, you spray and then dry the surface.  It is so much easier than running the tap, wringing out the cloth and wiping something down.  You might get more people involved in cleaning when it is this easy and fun. It is great for cleaning large surfaces like walls.  Think about your next move or after a renovation how easily you could clean all the walls. Don’t forget it is cordless.

Good for the environment

Using the ONEPWR sprayer replaces single-use wipes and spray bottles and the packaging it comes in. This reduces what is going into the landfill.  You can reduce the number of chemicals you use in your home by purchasing eco-friendly cleaning solutions.

The ONEPWR cordless sprayer is more convenient and eco-friendly than single-use spray bottles or wipes. #ad #Hoover Share on X

Disadvantages

No product is perfect.  It is a little heavy with the battery and the liquid container filled.  It is still very manageable to hold and direct the spray where you want it to go.  Any time you have a product with a rechargeable battery you need to remember to charge the battery and have a place for the charger.  There will be those frustrating occasions when you have forgotten to take the battery off and charge it.    The ONEPWR sprayer needs more space to store it than 1 spray bottle.  But how many spray bottles do you have?

Value

This product costs approximately $240.oo CDN.  You will recover the purchase price quickly.  You will spend less on single use wipes.  You can purchase large size economically priced products. It will make cleaning so easy that you no longer need to pay someone to clean for you.  Perhaps you’ll keep the cleaning person and let them use the sprayer, lol.

I think I covered all the information about the Hoover ONEPWR Sprayer.  Tell me about your experience with this product in the comments.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

 

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Tips for getting organized during a move

By Julie Stobbe / August 10, 2021 /

August is that time of year for people moving to be settled before September when a lot of commitments restart after the summer.  It might be moving into a dorm room, across the country for a new job or a new home. My guest blogger is Sophia Perry from Arizona Moving Professionals.

Moving to a new home might be exciting, but the mere thought of getting ready for the move is seldom so. With a bunch of tasks on top of an already busy schedule, anyone would feel frazzled. Nevertheless, proper organization is a key to a successful household transfer. A sure way to keep on track with your relocation journey is by designing a detailed to-do checklist. Furthermore, there are a few more practical tips for getting organized during a move. These will benefit your effortless and untroubled relocation to your new home.

Make time your ally – prepare early

Once you cast the dice on your household moving, there is no reason to postpone preparations. Getting organized during a move is best with enough time on your hands. It is essential to get ready mindfully, without feeling rushed and pressured by the lack of time. Did you know that moving houses is one of the top 3 most stressful life events? However, allowing yourself sufficient time to arrange the relocation will significantly decrease stress and anxiety levels. And if you want to make the entire process a breeze, consider virtual organizing consultations. It is a cost-effective solution to set up an organizing system in place. Also, it will be helpful if you find yourself struggling with what to keep or don’t even know how to start organizing your items for the move.

Declutter and organize your current home

Regardless of whether you are moving within the greater Toronto area or beyond, you will need to sort out your possessions. With enough time to dedicate to this task, you will streamline the entire moving process. You can always ask for help with organizing your inventory and slash hassle.

Whether you have lived in your current home for over 20 years or less than a year, you probably have items that you rarely use or not at all. Thus, make a point to get rid of these. Moving them to your new abode will only create mess and clutter over time. And relocation is the perfect opportunity to declutter your stuff and keep only those items with real value in your life.

If you feel uneasy about tossing still usable items you don’t need, there are several ways to give them a new life. Your friends or relatives may appreciate a nice surprise gift. Or you can sell or donate things for worthy causes. Setting up an organized move in big part is sorting out your possessions. Hence, get on this task at the earliest, and sail smoothly to your new place come moving day.

Book your moving services with time to spare

Summertime is when most people change locations. And with the moving season in full swing, make sure you lock in your moving date as soon as possible. Finding good movers in Niagara can be challenging at any time, let alone during the summer. Hence, enlist professional movers who know the area well as you sift through your belongings. An expert mover is instrumental in getting organized during a relocation. Thus, rely on professionals, and secure your swift transfer to a new home during the warm summer months.

Neat paperwork is vital for getting organized during a move

Every household move involves a lot of paperwork. To keep organized during the entire process of moving, get your papers in one place. All you need is a practical binder that you can have with you along with other essentials. To be well organized during your move, ensure you have easy access to all important documentation. Keep your moving company paperwork, such as order of services and bill of lading, neatly arranged. Besides, keep all of your personal and financial documents with you at all times.

Ask your mover for moving supplies 

With your inventory sorted, and important paperwork safely set aside, it is time to tackle the packing part. But before you embark on this mission, have your moving supplies ready. Instead of searching for suitable materials across Niagara, rely on the assistance of your mover. It is the easiest way to find all the materials you need. Like so, you will get a supply of quality packing materials that will not compromise the safety of your valued possessions. Besides, you will save lots of energy and effort looking for and gathering pieces from different places. Hence, talk to your mover to ensure your comfort and save yourself from another onerous moving-related task.

Have a sound packing plan

Once you have secured your moving supplies, it is time to start the packing party. Although the filtering of their household items is an arduous task for many, all will agree that packing is a drag. Unless you opt for professional help to see it through quickly, you will need a good packing strategy. First and foremost, do not put off the task for later. And, remember that you do not have to do it all in one day. Hence, motivate yourself to make progress in the course of a few days. Packing an entire household is certainly not easy, but the most important part is to start the job. So, create a timeline and follow it. Getting organized and keeping it up during a move is a challenge within itself. If you feel yourself lagging with the process, you can always reach out for some boost from your professional organizer.

Box in the essentials last

Preparing and packing on time is the safest way to stay on top of your move. However, essentials such as bathroom supplies, bed linen, and kitchen utensils should be packed last. You will need these and various other items until the last moment on your moving day. So, make sure you designate a couple of boxes to pack them last. These should also be your open-first boxes when you move into your new place. All the essentials will make your first couple of days more comfortable until you start unpacking and settling in. Getting organized during a move might seem like a tricky task. But, with the tips mentioned above, it is possible to streamline your project and make it a cinch

How far in advance of your moving day did you start packing? 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

 

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5 tips to help you organize your email

By Julie Stobbe / August 3, 2021 /

Reading time: 10 minutes

In 2020 there were 306 billion emails sent and received each day worldwide. Experts generally agree that a person sends and receives 121 business emails each day. The best time to send an email is between 10-11 am.  The average professional spends 28% of the workday reading and answering emails, according to a McKinsey analysis. For the average full-time worker in America, that amounts to a staggering 2.6 hours spent per day. Jan. 22, 2019

It is no wonder that you are so distracted by e-mail that you can’t get anything done. Here are 5 tips to help you manage your email communications.

1.  Turn off the audio reminder of e-mail arriving in your inbox so you won’t be distracted from the task you are trying to complete.

2. Set aside two or three specific times of the day to check your e-mail and respond to quick items with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Schedule, in your agenda, longer e-mails to be answered when you have more time.

3.  Cut down on those 121 emails by reducing the number of lists and newsletters you subscribe to.  They are just like magazines that lie around waiting to be read and create a feeling of stress in you.

4.  Keep your inbox as empty as possible by creating folders to store receipts, orders, invitations, information etc.  Search functions do work well for finding old emails, leaving them all in your inbox means you spend time re-reading emails.

5.  Don’t respond to e-mails from companies and people you don’t know.  Don’t respond to any e-mail asking for or giving you money.

The average professional spends 2.6 hours each day on approximately 120 emails. Share on X

Share your best tip that helps you use email productively.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

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Manage Technology Before it Manages You

By Julie Stobbe / July 27, 2021 /

Reading Time – 5 minute 

In 2020 technology become a communication lifeline.  It was used for education, business, family communications, school and social events.  It became the most important method of communication and entertainment.  Zoom took over life.  Will this be a difficult habit to change? Do you want to reduce your reliance on technology?  Did technology get you the results you wanted for your life? The ideas and thoughts in this 2014 article by Harold Taylor still hold true for 2021.  How are you going to manage your technology going forward?

 

Who manges what

By Harold Taylor

Harold Taylor is a time management expert.  He has published over 17 books and presented over 2000 seminars.

An online poll of over 1000 Canadian adults released last Saturday by Angus Reid/Vision Critical (Toronto Star, January 26, 2013) revealed that 90% of the respondents believed their smartphones made their lives more convenient. So convenient, evidently, that 30% of them went online before getting out of bed, 31% at the dinner table, 29% in the washroom and 42% before falling asleep at night,

Smartphones may be smart, but they lack intelligence. Why are we so willing to be at the beck and call of an idiot? The Internet leads anywhere, which for the undisciplined means nowhere. Why browse away the hours? Email, computer games and social media are endless, but our time is not. Why do we behave as though we will live forever?

Smartphones may be smart, but lack intelligence. Harold Taylor Share on X

Research shows that the Internet and digital technology can have a negative impact on our ability to learn, focus, pay attention, memorize and relate to others on a personal basis. It also gobbles up our time, encourages busyness and multitasking and stifles creativity.

The futures of our business, personal lives, and our nations do not depend on the development of technology, but on our ability to manage the technology we develop.

Technology is important, it can’t be avoided, you’re reading this blog, lol.

Comment on how will you change your use of technology. 

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

 TwitterFacebook Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space

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