Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011 Organize Anything Top 10 Best Organizing Products List

The 2011 Organize Anything Top 10 Organizing Product List is a comprehensive collection of products that allow you to save time and live your life. We’ve spent the year looking at products recommended to us by clients, suppliers and that we’ve run across that just make life simpler. Here are our Organize Anything Top 10.

1. Pendalflex Desk Free Hanging Organizer with Case
Innovative vertical filing system allows you to see all of your important documents at once. Each level in the filing system has an index tab, for easy organization. The system can be removed from its case and carried in a briefcase or stored in a filing cabinet. Each file pocket is colour coded and easily removable for individual use. Great for offices with limited desk and file cabinet space.

2. More Time Moms Family Organizer
It’s the original and best-selling family organizer on the market. This family planner has the biggest squares, 2.1"x 3.5", to give you plenty of room to write, a variety of stickers to remind you of important events, and a pocket for bills and loose paperwork.

3. LUG Life Puddle Jumper Overnight/Gym Bag
Not too big and not too small, with a pocket or pouch for every last thing, it’s easy to see why this bag is a best seller. With so many great features, it’s hard to pick a favourite: Probably the clear-coated bottom for easy cleaning and durability. Or the travel strap that attaches to any standard rolling luggage handle. Or the ventilated compartment that keeps the dirty clothes/shoes away from the clean. Or the … you get the picture. This bag has all the bells and whistles.

4. Wikki Stix Craft Sticks
Not just a kid’s craft, Wikki Stix have a slew of practical uses! They can be used to do everything from colour-coding computer cords to fixing a pair of glasses. These fun, colourful wax strings will add personality to any task.



5. Ziploc XXL Big Bags
Get more out of the space in your home with Ziploc® Brand Big Bags. They’re the biggest, strongest, most versatile Ziploc® Brand Bags ever created. Use them to store clothing, bedding, holiday decorations, sports equipment and more. No more clutter in the garage, the basement or the closet.

6. EverFresh Hamper with Removable Bag
NeatFreak’s line of laundry products with everfresh® is a 100% natural way to keep your home always fresh, always clean. Environmentally friendly enzymes built into the fabric continuously reduce odour, resulting in a fresh and clean laundry bag, basket or hamper.

7. Roux Tween Time Instant Hair Colour Touch-Up Stick
Temporary hair color touch-up stick. Roux Tween Time Instant Hair Color Touch-Up Stick is a one-of-a-kind instant temporary color crayon. Perfect for concealing small areas of gray or covering/blending re-growth area at the scalp. It applies like lipstick and shampoos out. Perfect to throw in your purse or travel bag when you’re going to be on the go.

8. Doodle.com
The world’s leading online scheduling service, Doodle takes the pain out of finding the right date and time for a group of people to meet and makes scheduling virtually effortless. The basic service is a free online coordination tool which requires neither registration nor software installation.

9. Avery Durable Binder with Viewfinder Pocket
This binder comes with a sealable, clear plastic pouch that’s perfect for holding anything from loose papers to a cell phone. Perfect for planning any event.



10. Table Topics Conversation Starters: Original Edition
Conversation is a dying art and these engaging questions inspire the best kinds of conversation - whether over a glass of wine or at dinner party. Table Topics Original makes the perfect dinner party hostess gift! Created for adults, but appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Law of Subtraction

We live in a world where bigger is better and more is all the rage. When we are trying to get the life we want, it often involves adding something new: a new routine to lose weight, exercising more, taking a class or starting a new activity.

Also, we are always looking for more time–most of us want to spend more time with our friends and family. Lately, we have heard many promises that if you just put out the intent, then it will all happen for you. In our business we have found that this simply is not true for most of our clients.

Our clients’ lives are so packed full already that adding just one or two more things in to the mix or the thought of adding anything else is just too overwhelming. Simply willing something you would like to happen is not enough.

We live in a high pressured, busy, success driven, in search of perfection and not excellence type of world. Often you can’t get what you really want because your current lifestyle is so jam-packed with things you don’t want, that there is just no room for anything else.

So before you contemplate adding anything else in your life, practice the law of subtraction. Remember, when you say “yes” to something you have to say “no” to something else. So let’s say “no” to some things, so we have the space to say “yes” to things we want.

You can do this in many ways:

1)If your boss is piling more tasks on an already full plate – ask what could get postponed or handed off to someone else.

2)If you are making impromptu purchases of clothing, furniture and accessories – ask yourself what you are going to let go of that you already own.

3)If you start worrying about a future event – ask yourself what nice things you won’t have time to think about as a result of this worrying. Are you willing to give up those nice thoughts for something that may not happen, alter your mood and cause frustration?

4)You stop spending time with toxic people who don’t make you feel good and find more time to spend with the friends that empower you and make you feel great.

5)You no longer do your children’s laundry or pack their lunches and have more time to do the things you would like to around your home.

6)You spend less time sitting in front of the TV or your computer and you find the time to get moving and do some exercise.

7)You say no to extra volunteer activities and have more time for activities with your partner.

You don't always have to say "yes", even if it is something that you feel you are obligated to do. Saying "no" makes room for the things that matter most in life. Practice the Law of Subtraction and less can actually make you happier and healthier.

Colette Robicheau, President of Organize Anything, is a consultant, coach, and speaker who helps people set priorities, stay focused, manage time, and transitions so they can achieve their goals, grow their business and be more successful. Contact her at www.coletterobicheau.com and sign up for her newsletter of useful tips at www.organizeanything.com.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Small Changes, Big Changes

We all deal with clutter, believe it or not. Yes, even that friend with the spotless home. She doesn’t appear to have clutter because she deals with clutter before it takes over her office, home — and life.

But what about the rest of us, with overflowing closets, ready-to-topple piles of magazines or bottles or spices spread over three cupboards?

The key is to tackle your decluttering step-by-step. A woman I know swears by the Wood Theory. It goes like this:
Facing a daunting load of wood that needed to be stored in her basement, she committed herself to toting one — and only one — piece of wood to the basement every time she had to go to the basement for another reason (to unload her washer, for example).

A whole load of wood is daunting. But one piece of wood isn’t. It’s not even that heavy.

Little by little, and painlessly, the load of wood got smaller. And smaller. Until it was gone from her yard and stacked in her basement.

Hmmm, she thought, if the Wood Theory works for wood, it can work for other tasks. Dust one slat of the blinds before going to pick up the kids at school, and the blinds are soon dusted, for example. It’s harder to avoid a small task that takes minutes — or even seconds — than it is to carve out the time to finish the entire job in one long, back-breaking session.

Here are five chores that are worth tackling the Wood-Theory way:

1.Never miss a birthday: Write one card per night while you’re watching a post-dinner rerun of your favorite show and you’ll soon have all your birthday cards for the year signed, sealed and ready to be delivered

2.Streamline your closet: Line a cardboard box with a plastic bag and place it in your closet to hold donations. Every morning when you’re getting dressed, choose one item for the box. When the box is full, take the bag and drop it off at a roadside donation bin. Repeat until the job is done

3.Scour your bathroom: After you brush your teeth, chose one area of the bathroom to clean (wash the tub or change the towels, for example). Once the room’s clean, start all over again.

4.Organize your spices: When you run the dishwasher, choose one spice container to fill, re-shelve (in alphabetical order, of course) or toss. Your spices will be organized in no time! Consider using a drawer insert to keep spices neatly together and easy to grab when you’re cooking.

5.End magazine mayhem: While you’re watching TV, keep handy a kit with scissors, a three-ring binder, page protectors, label tabs, a plastic bag and a pile of magazines. Flip through one or two issues at a time, cutting out the pages that have articles you want to keep. Put the pages in the protectors and file them in the binder, using the label tabs to separate them by category. Then bag the leftovers for recycling

Clutter doesn’t have to seem daunting. By taking small steps and applying the wood-theory, you can accomplish big tasks in no time!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

7 Things NOT To Do When Creating a NY Resolution

Seven Things Not To Do When Creating a New Years Resolution

One in four people will not make it a week with their New Year’s resolution. Here are seven things not to do when creating a New Year’s resolution that will help you go the distance:

1. Don’t keep it to yourself.
“I don’t want my friends to know I am trying to quit my bad habit.” Let others know! This gives you leverage and allows others to encourage you along your journey.

2. Don’t leave it in your head.
“I don’t need to write it down, I know what I want to do.” Research has shown that those who write down their goals and track them have an increased chance of success.

3. Don’t be vague.
“I’m going to lose weight”. How much? At what rate? By when? Make your goals SMART- specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely and time bound.

4. Don’t be inflexible.
“I’m not going to ever do that again” Not all goals happen with the flip of a switch. Sometimes you need to wean yourself off of a bad habit. Sometimes you will backslide or slip up. It’s part of life. Get used to it and get used to being more successful for the long haul by recognizing that people try and try again at their goals before they reach them. Some reports suggest an average of 14 times. Persistence not perfectionism pays.

5. Don’t be unrealistic or harsh.
“I’m not going to eat any sweets.” “I will exercise 2 hours everyday.” It is not always realistic to deny yourself. Life is meant to be celebrated. Think moderation and think about small incremental steps that will advance you toward your goal. It is better to be doing a smaller action for the long term than a larger goal that doesn’t have a chance of lasting a week.

6. Don’t take on too much at once.
“I’m going to quit smoking, join a gym, meditate 10 minutes every day, lose 20 lbs, and spend more time with my kids.” This is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Focus on a couple of things and the activities that will take you towards your goals.

7. Don’t wait.
“I’ll start next week…” There always seems to be a better time than right now. You may think you need to wait until after a special date or occasion, or once the holidays are over or start on a Monday...the list goes on. The truth is now is always a good time. Start by visualizing where you want to be and eliminating negative self-talk that will keep you from reaching your goals.


“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
- Anonymous