Category: home organizing

Are You Organizing Your Life? Why It Matters.

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

Ask women the hardest part of living a fulfilling life and chances are many answers will include the work life balance.  While we’re told it’s important to separate work and life — because work isn’t life — many times we’re not told why.  Recent shifts in thinking and some timely research along with Kathryn Sollmann’s book, No Regrets: A Reality Check on Work, Motherhood and Long-Term Financial Security, is putting this topic front and center again.  Today we’ll look at the importance of organizing your life so that you can feed yourself, your family and your soul.

Working Matters

In interview with a variety of women, women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, one thing was clear: working is important.  Even if not financially necessary, it’s important to work.  Why?

No matter how well someone’s life is going, there are always going to be challenges and times when growth is necessary.  Having a job that allows for decision-making, independence, creativity, communication and other important skills enables women to approach their life and the storms that come with grace and grit.  Work provides challenges and requires problem-solving — skills that carry over to every other aspect of life.

Even if there is no financial reason to work now, there can be bumps later on in the road.  The loss of a husband’s job, or of a husband, can mean a woman needs to get into the workforce more immediately.  Not having worked for a long time can seriously inhibit the ability to get a job.  Having a part time job already can make it easier to transition to a full time position.  Further, setting an example to daughters that women are capable of working can be incredibly helpful.  Studies find that daughters of working mothers are often far more financially stable later in life.

Organizing Your Life and Work

You don’t have to be a seven day warrior and it’s perfectly fine to take a few or many years off to raise children.  On average, in fact, women take twelve years after the birth of a child.  But staying in the game and keeping your skill set honed, even growing it, can’t hurt.  Freelancing, teaching a course, even covering for a colleague now and again is a good way to keep the door open in the event you need to go back.  It also teaches children that they cannot always be the focus of your attention, a good thing considering recent research showing that women spend too much time with their children.

Organizing Your Life Doesn’t Always Involve Staying On The Same Path

A large part of organizing your life to have a successful work life balance is assessing your happiness.  Just because you graduated from medical school doesn’t mean you have to stay in a practice if you absolutely hate it.  Many women, especially younger women, are changing careers multiple times.  While you should have a savings plan for later in life, it’s fine to bounce and doing so can deepen your skills, and your joy.

Make Your Work Fit Your Life

If you winter and summer in different places, you can choose to maintain employment in both places or you can choose to work one season and not another.  You don’t have to have a 9-5 job that requires a power suit and late nights.  You can work seasonally, consult, or do anything else you’d like whether it’s for a few hours or many times more that per week.

If you’re raising children as your full time job, be sure to make time for yourself every day to pursue your passion.  The belief is that it takes ten thousand hours of something to be an expert — have something to do when the kids are off with friends and, quickly as it comes, college.  Use the time you have during naps, school and other activities to remember that you’re a person who needs nurturing, challenge, and time as much as any of those you care for.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Organizing Your Life

As Sollman discovered through research for her book, women across their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s found that women shared victories as well as things they wish they had done differently.  Learn from their mistakes by avoiding the mistakes they made or catching yourself earlier if you make them.

Organizing vs. Compartmentalizing

When organizing your life to achieve a work life balance it may seem like releasing certain things is a good idea.  And in many cases, especially around organizing, letting go is great.  We’ll cover this in our May 18th blog about the KonMari method.  There are certain things you should never release entirely – but there is liberation in letting go.

Don’t relinquish involvement in household finances.

It may seem like the obvious decision: you’re not working while you raise your kids so why should you be involved in the annoyance of personal finances like bills?  The reason is because you and your husband are partners in your marriage which means you should work together when it comes to how money is managed, spent, invested.  Make sure you are an active part of this.  You’ll need a grasp of your finances should something happen.

Don’t forget the power of “No”

When did “no” become a bad word?  As you’re organizing your life you may realize that it’s time to let go of certain ideas, obligations, routines, habits, commitments — and that’s okay.  Assess your time, involvement, enthusiasm, and decide whether you can realistically handle them.  Some times when this comes up are:

  • Volunteer Work.  If you’ve volunteered a significant amount of time volunteering but feel that you haven’t had enough time for yourself it’s okay to back off, delegate, or give something up completely.  This sets an excellent example to those around you.  You don’t need to feel guilty and helping find a replacement or teach others how you do your part will be greatly appreciated.
  • Social Pressures.  You don’t have to be at every party, every event, or every lunch you’re invited to.  It’s okay to say, “No” to extended invites.  If you’ve developed a habit of meditating at 9 a.m. and you’re suddenly asked for coffee weigh which is more important to organizing your life before answering.  You’ve committed to your habit of meditation and chances are you enjoy it (why else would you do it daily).  it’s okay to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t then.” and leave it be.  Don’t take on the burden of feeling like everything must be done or scheduled for another time.  Especially if it’s a coffee date with someone you can easily see at another time.

When it comes to organizing your life it’s about taking stock.  What is important to you.  What will enable you to take care of yourself, your family, your finances.  Do you have things in your life that don’t serve a purpose or you do out of a sense of obligation or because you don’t want to say no?  Work on learning to feel alright with letting go.

What are your biggest accomplishments when it comes to your work life balance?  Have you started the process of organizing your life?  Share your tips in the comments or let’s continue the conversation on social media. In Order to Succeed is here to help you organize your life, contact us to learn more.


4 Tips & Tools to Help Better Organize Your Kitchen

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

In most homes, the kitchen is the true soul of the home. From preparing birthday and holiday celebrations to hanging out at the kitchen table gabbing with family over late-night bowls of ice cream, the kitchen is more than a place to prepare food — it is a nurturing and relaxing space where memories are created.

To honor the kitchen for its role as heart of the home, make sure it is functioning as efficiently as possible. In addition to staying on top of the dishes and cleaning out the science experiments from the back of the fridge, make sure the kitchen and its tools and appliances are well organized. With that in mind, check out these tips:

Use space to the fullest

Many kitchens have at least one cupboard devoted to pots and pans. As Good Housekeeping notes, instead of constantly schlepping to the cupboard to drag heavy utensils over to the stove, consider storing them in the often blank area above your stovetop. You can either hang them from heavy duty hooks or place them on open shelving.

This way, you are not only taking advantage of unused space—and possibly freeing up a cupboard in the process—you are also placing your most-used tools right where you actually use them.

Tame those plastic grocery bags

Every time you go shopping, you probably come home with a small mountain of plastic grocery bags. While they are handy as lunch carriers or small trash bags, they are unsightly and hard to store.

The next time you empty a box of tissues, don’t toss the box in the recycle can. Instead, stuff as many plastic bags as you can into the box. You can easily pull out the bags as you need them, but they will be stored in a much more compact and organized way.

Rethink the way you load your dishwasher

Most of us simply load the plates, spoons and coffee mugs into our dishwashers, add some detergent and let the appliance do its thing. But according to an article on Martha Stewart’s website, the way we load our dishes can really affect how well they are cleaned and how long our stuff will last.

First, note where the water supply comes from and if there are one or two distributors. This will prevent you from unwittingly blocking water flow by placing a cookie sheet in front of the distributor.

Also, place heavy items such as pots and pans and sturdy dishes on the bottom rack, where the water pressure and heat are more intense, and put the glasses and mugs on the top rack in between the prongs. When loading silverware, try to keep silver and stainless steel separate, as the metals can interact and stain the pieces during the cycle.

It is also important to make sure your dishwasher is in good working order; the last thing you want is to have it conk out mid-cycle. It’s worth looking into a comprehensive home warranty from a reputable company such as TotalProtect. The warranty will cover inevitable repair and replacement costs of not only the dishwasher, but also the fridge, range and other important appliances and home systems that keep the kitchen running smoothly.

Related: How to Declutter Your Home in 20 Steps 

Organize your spices

If you do a lot of cooking, you probably spend a lot of time searching for the garlic powder and oregano. While some people love organizing their spice bottles on a lazy Susan, another idea is to use a free-standing spice drawer that can hang out on your counter.

For example, Jet.com sells nifty three-drawer spice organizer that will hold 30 full size or 60 half-size spice bottles. When you need parsley, simply pull down the tilt-down shelf and easily spot the bottle you need. You might find that it’s easier to read labels when the bottles are lying flat than when they are spinning on a lazy Susan.

Relax and let our experts do the work for you. You can have a professional organizer in Sarasota, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,  or Minnesota come to you and organize your kitchen for you. Contact us to learn more.

The Best To Do Lists

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team
No matter how advanced we become, we will always need to do lists.  Whether on paper, a smartphone, or the web – the best to do lists enhance productivity, give us a sense of accomplishment and push us closer to our goals whether they be big or small.  Effective to do lists go beyond remembering what you need to do during the day. The effective ones serve as tools for setting intentions, forging through large projects and planning long term life changes. Here are three types of to do list we recommend, as well as some tips and tricks for handling them.

Daily Top Priorities And To Do List

Each morning make sure to list your top priorities for the day. What has to get done, no matter what? Starting your day with this will put them front and center in your mind and remind you as you go through your day that there is something, or some things, that should be done first.  Remember that a priority is not your entire to do list! You’ll end up frustrated if you try to set a daily goal that consists of seven big things. Instead focus on what must get done and try to limit it to 1-2 things in your professional life and  1-2 things in your personal life.
After these, make a simple two columned list of professional and personal tasks that include things like, “Grocery store on the way home” and “Help Jack study spelling words.”  As you go throughout your day, cross these off.  If you realize you have too many, circle those that can be moved to another day. Embrace that it’s okay to move things around. At the end of the day take note of what didn’t get done and keep it until you make your new list in the morning so that you don’t forget anything.
Pro-Tip: If you have a big project on your list that is a top priority don’t put the full result on your list.  Eventually it will lose its sense of urgency.  Instead, plan for it backwards!  Say it’s revamping your garden.  Don’t just write “Garden Redux”.  Instead, decide when you want it done and break it down into tasks, backwards.  Smaller, more manageable pieces of the task on your to do list will help you prioritize and get it done while also giving you an encouraging boost of accomplishment as you go.

List of Annual Goals

Whether you set it in January, February, or the middle of April, take time to think about where you want to be in a year. Do you want to get a promotion at work?  Start a garden? Learn how to code?  Setting an annual goal or two reminds you that we can all continue improving and the best to do lists are ones that foster personal growth, so think about areas in your life where you could improve. It can be as grand as “train for a marathon” or as simple as “read every day.” Keep this list someplace where you’re likely to see it each day to remind you to continue working on whatever it is.
Label the top with your annual goal (one is more than enough for a year long goal) and use the rest of the sheet of paper (virtual or not) to track how you’re doing.

Grocery Lists

Believe it or not, one of the most important to do lists in your life is your grocery list. Grocery lists keep you from wandering aimlessly, purchasing unnecessary items, and force you to focus on health and wellness. The best to do list for the grocery store is two pronged. First, plan meals for the week which include meals out, leftovers, or evenings when no one is home to eat.  Build your grocery list around this so that you’re not buying to cook for three meals when you’re only going to cook one.

Things The Best To Do Lists Have In Common

No matter where it is, to do lists that are effective share some things in common. The list can be as simple as a pad of paper on the counter, a post it on your monitor, an iPhone calendar entry, or a beautiful planner.

Simple Codes

Whether you use color-coding or the box system, the best to do lists include visual shortcuts.

Color

If your kids are coded blue and you see a blue entry at 4 pm you’ll likely be triggered to remember to call to check to make sure the kids got home from school okay.  Or maybe you have a client you code in purple. And she hasn’t stopped raving about the macarons she tried in France. You see that purple entry in your office at 2 pm and realize that you should pick up a few of the confections while you’re out at lunch.
Color coding makes all of your to do lists far more efficient. And don’t get fancy — don’t try to change colors seasonally or use several shades of the same color.  Just get a pack of pens that come in a variety of colors and assign them.  Don’t want to carry around colored pens?  Assign a different shape to the big things in your calendar: a star, square, triangle, asterisk, circle, plus sign… it works!

An Intuitive Process

There are many to do list systems but the best one is that which comes naturally to you.  We’ll get into this more in our next post on this subject (watch for it in May), but you should think about what comes to you naturally.  Do you use a calendar or do you like to just list things on scratch paper.  Are you visual?  Do you color code?  If you’ve never color-coded, starting now doesn’t make sense.  Do you write things down or put everything in your phone?  Assessing how you generally handle your to do lists will be a good starting off point.
Get in the habit of keeping these three lists and see what feels right to you.  We’ll be back soon with information on various paper and technology options to document to do lists. And don’t forget, one of our professional organizers can help you figure out the best system for you and set you on a path for success.

Moving & Pinterest Go Together

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

There is probably no better visual communication tool when planning a move than Pinterest. The free online site is far more than a place to collect recipes. By sharing your Pinterest boards with those involved in your move, everyone can be on the same page. From showing your builder a built-in you like, your designer a fabric that appeals, or your organizer systems that work with your lifestyle – Pinterest leaves nothing to the imagination and keeps all ideas in one place.

How Pinterest Works

From inspirational quotes and gym workouts to ideas for vacations, Pinterest has evolved into a multi-faceted tool for planning, communicating and execution.

Members on Pinterest can search a term, starting generally and browsing or using filters to hone in on exact “pins.” A pin is an image and small blurb that represents a webpage. Hairstyles, gardening ideas, recipes—each has a picture and few words and can be saved to a member’s own “board”. Consider it a virtual corkboard or vision board.

It’s easy to use and easy to share, which makes it perfect for every aspect of your move.

Create A Collection

You’ll want to have a collection called “Move” exclusively reserved for all items related to your move. This is a place that will keep all of your move-related items together and will help you later when you share. You can’t just create a collection, though. You need a series of boards. We recommend creating the following boards:

  • Make one board for each room in your house, including the garage and any outbuildings. Each closet should be considered a “room” as should hallways, patio/pool areas, tennis courts, and any live-in help quarters. Walk in pantries are also their own board.
  • Group these “room” boards in a collection. This will start your collection and allow you to add further boards—imagine this as a folder with files in it, like your computer is organized.
  • Create other boards that will help with moving. Moving isn’t only about packing and transporting, there’s quite a bit more. Pinterest is a great resource for finding lists, top 10, top 100 – you name it. Why reinvent the wheel when there are already resources for:
    • International moving and shipping regulations.
    • Best local contractors, gardeners, construction companies, home furnishing boutiques, painters.
    • Tipping standards for industries, expertise, and geographical area.
    • Packing tips.
    • Commonly overlooked steps during moving the moving process.
  • Have an “inspirations” or “ideas” board for items you love but have no clue where they might go. Sharing these boards with various professionals involved in your move will help get your new space looking perfect quickly. It’s far easier to show a window expert what you’re thinking rather than trying to explain it. Many professionals use Pinterest themselves so you can share right online.
  • Add and modify as you go. You’ll figure out how to make your pins and boards work for you. It is easy to delete and share your pins.

Make It Work for You

You can set up and use Pinterest to be as specific or general as possible. If you are a detail person, keep every color and accent that catches your eye. Or create a board for packing lists and related items to keep track of on the big day.

Discover Rare and Unique Items

Moving houses often means a change in the overall aesthetic in a home. When you’re on Pinterest if you see an idea you love, pin it—but don’t stop there! Once you pin it you will be shown other members’ boards where the same pin appears. You never know if you’ll see something else that would work, or give you a new idea. It is addictive!

Search Whatever Strikes You

Don’t limit yourself to searching generic terms like “living room”. The beauty of Pinterest is that people use lots of words and try to be specific—so do the same in your searches. If you once saw a teal and silver room and loved it, do a search on teal and silver dining room (or whatever room you think these colors would work in) and see what you find. Scrolling through will give you a visual sense of what is out there that people have done. You’ll see things that work for you and things that won’t – honing your exact tastes and desires for your new space and sharing that with those that need to know.

There are lots of apps out there, but keeping all if your information organized and accessible to others with Pinterest will be the best thing to happen to your move.

The Importance of SMART Goals

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

At In Order To Succeed® we help clients succeed. Whether it’s achieving a more organized lifestyle, accomplishing a difficult move, using technology to keep our households on track or editing a wardrobe—it gives us sublime pleasure to help others embrace and achieve an organized life. One of the ways we do this is by working with clients to set themselves up for success rather than failure using measurable goals that meet the benchmarks of appropriate goal setting. We use the metric of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound. Today we’ll take a look at how to set goals in a way that makes sense and so that clients achieve success over failure every time.

SMART Goals

Acronyms are popular for a reason: they give people a way to remember a more complex idea by giving them a device by which to remember it. This is more than a hip buzzword, though, they are a practice that when applied help businesses, other organizations, and individuals progress at a new pace.

What are SMART goals? A way to check to see if goals are realistic. Let’s say you want to use technology to make your life easier, you might set a New Year’s Resolution of “Use technology more.” Sounds like a great idea for most people, right? The scraps of paper, notes scrawled hither and thither, texts and emails and other electronic communications sent over various platforms easily missed and not close to being efficient—what could be better than streamlining through technology? But how does “use technology more” measure up as a goal when we use a metric like SMART? What does it mean? What can you tell from the goal? SMART is a way to look at your goal to decide whether or not it can help you achieve.

Do You Have Specific Goals?

“I want to use technology more” While it is a goal that specifies an area where you want to accomplish something, it’s vague. Why do you want to use technology more? Are you learning a new program related to your philanthropic ventures? Have your kids gotten frustrated with a voicemail, text, Facebook Messenger AND email reminding them to walk the dog? Be specific in your goal and you’re likely to be more successful. “I want to use technology to run a more efficient household.” Giving your goal a specific reason, even if it seems obvious to you, makes it more than just an item on a to do list. It helps you to set a powerful intention.

Do You Have Measurable Goals?

So, you want to start using apps and other technology. And you want to do it to be more efficient in how you run your household. That’s a good start to your goal. But, technically, you could simply just start using one mode of communication, like texting, and have met your goal. Or, on the other side of the coin, you could start using seven apps that all do the same thing, wasting lots time. People like to see progress and chart changes—think about the popularity of apps that track everything from water intake to steps taken and stairs climbed. By making your goal measurable you accomplish a few things:

  • You put more thought and time into setting the goal, which makes you more invested.
  • You can track your progress which helps you feel successful along the journey rather than just at the end.
  • You are more likely to hold yourself accountable.

Your goal might now look like, “I want to use technology to find one app that will help me run a more efficient household and use only that app for 90 days.”

Are Your Goals Achievable?

An important part of setting better goals is assessing whether or not they are achievable. Like the investment of time in making measurable goals, taking time to assess whether or not goals are achievable is an important step. If you are in the midst of a life-changing event, don’t know how to download apps and sync them across users, or have not spent any time researching good ideas for apps, you’re not going to achieve your goal. If members of your family don’t use smartphones you’re also not going to achieve it. While your SMART goal doesn’t need to change in wording ask yourself if it’s doable — is it possible for every member of your household? Have you built time into your schedule to research apps?

Are Your Goals Realistic?

There’s a difference between “Achievable” and “Realistic” albeit subtle. Anyone can use technology to help their household be more efficient. But should anyone? If your household is attempting to communicate through more “face time” this might not be a realistic goal that helps you overall. When looking at goals make sure they are doable (achievable) and that the outcome meets the needs of your motivation.

What’s Your Time Frame?

Attaching time to a goal might seem like it would only serve to make you nervous but it actually helps empower you along the way. You can’t get efficient in a week using technology. You might, though, be able to get a grasp of whether a particular app works for you and learn its intricacies over 90 days. Using this type of thinking forces you to mindful of many aspects of the SMART goals process including asking if you have measurable goals.

“I want to use technology to find one app that will help me run a more efficient household and use only that app for 90 days.” Does it pass the test? We already know that this goal is specific and measurable. It’s achievable and completely realistic. It has a time frame, too, meaning it meets the criteria.

SMART Goals For All Of Your Goals

This is just one example of how to set measurable goals but let’s look at other areas of our lives.

Traditional Goal: I want a more organized kitchen.

SMART Goal: I’d like to organize my kitchen this weekend so that I have more room to keep it looking its best and so that I can find things I need instead of wasting time going through everything.

Does It Meet The Benchmarks of SMART goals? You’ve been specific that you’re targeting a kitchen in order to live more efficiently and not waste time. You’re going to get it done this weekend. This goal meets the criteria. How will you measure it? When you cook at the end of the weekend!

 

Traditional Goal: I want to use my smartphone more.

SMART GOAL: In the next thirty days I would like to use my phone to help me stay organized instead of scraps of paper that can get lost and look messy.

Does It Meet The Benchmarks of SMART goals? Add this to your list of measurable goals. It is one that sets a specific time limit to achieve something that is possible and for the reason of de cluttering your life. Maybe it’s your first step to going paperless?

By redesigning your goals as SMART and focusing on what can be measured you will achieve your desired results. The consultants of In Order to Succeed® are available to help you develop your plan and set you on the right track, whatever your goals might be, personal or professional!

Surprisingly Easy Ways To Save Money

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

At In Order To Succeed®, we believe that you get what you pay for but there are times when assessing expenditures can show that there are efficiencies to be realized. We would like to share some easy ways to save money so that you can account for that in your budget or simply put more into savings.

When to Assess Spending

One of the best and easiest times to assess your spending and see if there are unnecessary costs is when you move. You’ll have to change utilities anyway, so this is a great time to seek out easy ways to save money.

Subscription Services

Before your move, sit down and review all current subscription services: your iTunes subscriptions, television and satellite radio packages, cell phone plans, mail clubs (wine, fruit), gym memberships, country club memberships, and anything else. Be sure to review your bank and credit card statements: often we belong to subscription services for so long that we forget that we do!

Look at how much you pay monthly and how much you actually use the service. For example, are you paying for movie channels but watching mostly news and documentaries? Do you watch everything on Netflix? Many people are finding that they rarely use cable and instead get everything from film to sports to news via Apple TV, Roku or other services. Cutting cable, satellite or other television services (or cutting them down to more basic packages) can free up around $1200/year and is one of several easy ways to save money.

Check for deals between various companies – like AT&T and DirecTV. Often you can take advantage of loyalty programs and reduce monthly payments.

If you’ve stopped using satellite radio in your car because you simply pair your phone using Bluetooth, this is another option to put money toward something else each year.

Check iTunes and manage subscriptions. Children will often purchase a monthly package for access to an app. Later, they may delete the app but forget, or not know how, to cancel the subscription. Review what is currently on their phones and cancel extraneous subscriptions.

Gym memberships. If your athletic club is more of an aspiration than a routine, it’s okay to drop your membership. It could mean that it doesn’t fit your needs. Try walking in your neighborhood, downtown, or in nature. Cycling, swimming, rowing — there are many ways to exercise that work for some people better than a gym. If you belong to a club that has levels and aren’t going much, consider dropping to a lower membership level. Another option people don’t always think of is dropping or suspending their subscription during the warmer months and only going when it’s cold. YMCA and local community centers often offer publicly funded exercise facilities with pools, basketball, tennis, and cardio and weight machines — these are also phenomenal options. Or, put in that home gym you’ve been thinking of!

Mail order clubs are hot right now and a pretty amazing concept. From Bouqs to The Wine Of The Month Club anything can be delivered monthly right to our front door making life simpler. But if you find yourself wondering why you started one, backed up with unopened packages, or rolling your eyes when one arrives, go ahead and cancel it. You can always restart later. Many subscription services offer the option to suspend shipments which is just one of our easy ways to save money while getting caught up on things like drinking all of that wine.

Helpful Habits

Sometimes changing your routine to one that is more mindful is the best way to save. Habits that force you to be present and thoughtful will lead to savings you don’t even have to try for.

Make shopping lists. Not just for groceries, shopping lists are a great way to keep you mindful and focused every time you’re out. Whether it’s for shrubbery and bulbs or clothing, make a list of what you actually want and need to avoid impulse purchases.

Join loyalty programs. Whether you or a staff member handles grocery shopping and other errands, make sure to join the loyalty program at the stores you visit regularly. Coupons, especially electronic ones, are an easy way to save and won’t take up the same precious time as sitting down with a circular. Many simply apply points and then take them off at the checkout at a later time. Some work with gas stations who reduce the per gallon rate. Gas stations and pharmacies are also great places for these types of programs.

Embrace the dark. While having lights on is a good idea, there’s no reason to light an empty room. Be kind to the earth and your electric bill by getting into the habit of shutting off lights and other electrical devices when they are not in use.

Make a habit of asking about savings. Businesses know that it’s a competitive market so be sure to ask if there is are loyalty or incentive programs, specials, or other savings generators that you haven’t discovered.

Change Your Mindset

Consider a family goal of experiences over items for birthdays and holidays. You might be surprised at what your tween wants when given the task of thinking about things to do rather than things to have. This is also a great way to reconnect with a spouse who might want nothing more for his birthday than to curl up in the den with you and watch an entire season of House of Cards over the weekend rather than receive embossed stationary and a beautiful pair of gloves. Many are rethinking what is important and finding that time together is first on the list — and one of our favorite easy ways to save money.

Talk To Your Financial Planner

It’s a good idea to assess your wealth management program every few years. With changing types of accounts and investments there may be new options to better make use of the savings you already have and to build on them. Additionally, it may make sense to move new money into accounts that will perform better based on your new totals.

Preparedness Over Paranoia

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

We at In Order to Succeed pride ourselves on helping our clients be prepared. When you think about protecting your business, you can never be too prepared.

It’s not something we’d like to think about, but it’s important to be prepared for the possibility of a terrorist attack. Like sickness and accidents, terrorism is a harsh reality of the world in which we live and while attacks in the past may have seemed to be something that happened “over there,” we now see them in America: from Oklahoma City and The World Trade Center to the recent standoff in Oregon.

As with any anxiety-causing situation, sometimes the mere process of confronting reality and coming up with a plan can be enough to quiet the mind and allow us to move on to other things. And, at the end of the day, even if it never happens—it is always a good idea to be prepared. While we are not going to focus on building a bunker, we do believe that there are things businesses can do to be ready in the event that an attack.

Main Street Terrorism

The Paris and Sydney attacks have caused us to rethink what terrorism looks like. Not the grand gesture of 9/11 but smaller, coordinated attacks that target citizens going about their day—drinking coffee, meeting for drinks, eating dinner, shopping. Small businesses can take measures to improve their readiness in the unlikely event that an attack like this occurs.

Have A Team

Every small business should have a dedicated group of staff who have volunteered to serve on an emergency committee. This will guarantee that they are invested, interested, and the type of employees who will help make your plan feasible. Be sure to:

  • Include personnel from every department. An understanding of the physical area of an office is tantamount in emergency planning.
  • Include personnel from every demographic. Age, gender, ability—all of these factors must be accounted for during a crisis. Make sure that you are prepared to meet the needs of staff.
  • Include field staff, freelancers, temporary staff. If you have a headquarters and field offices, make sure that you don’t forget to represent your field offices on your team. The worst message you can send to employees is that only the headquarters (where management is likely housed) is on their mind when it comes to preparation. Make sure that you engage temps and even those who work remotely in the plan—even if it’s simply to provide remote staff with a copy of the plan. Who knows, they might have insight into your businesses preparedness.
  • Make this a priority. Many employees feel “committed to death.” Be sure to use time wisely, preparing an agenda for the next meeting at the end of each meeting and only meet if necessary. Consider compensation or a perk for members but only provide this after volunteering. Be sure to recognize and thank the members of your emergency team—this can be one of the most stressful parts of a job.
  • Seek an outside resource to help with a safety assessment. Depending on the municipality many times a city, county or town employee, fire chief, police officer or other civil servant will be willing to help

Make A Plan – Necessary Inclusions and Resources

Let’s face it: this applies to everything. Whether it’s a blizzard that shuts down a city, a massive power outage or a terror attack businesses should have a plan to handle the crisis and then get back to work as soon as possible. A major motivation of Main Street Terrorism is disruption to lives and the economy, thus a plan to get back is a way to thwart these attacks. What should a plan entail? And who should you include outside of your organization?

A good plan includes:

  • How to stay open. As much as your natural instinct might be to send employees to be home with their families, keeping open through a crisis is encouraged by experts. Ready.gov, America’s primary resource on preparedness for natural and manmade disasters ranks this first in its list of how to prepare your small business for a crisis.
  • How to reopen as quickly as possible. Sometimes you can’t stay open during a crisis. Getting your business operating as quickly as possible accomplishes many things that are beneficial to a community in crisis: it establishes a sense of normalcy, boosts the economy, and restores routine. Whether you stay open or reopen quickly, a way to accomplish this is
  • A list of essential staff. Who are the people who are absolutely essential to operations and could keep things running or get them back running as quickly as possible? What it comes down to is staffing with the people who have the core skills to run your business’ general workflow. With a large enough group you can cover the workflow but not require everyone to get to the office. Alternating days or half days, allowing for remote work, and finding other creative ways to schedule can keep things running, if lightly.
  • Adherence to local, state and federal ordinances and directions. Be sure to have contingencies in your emergency plan for things like curfews and restrictions on driving. No employee should ever enter unsafe conditions. Some tried and true contingencies include:
    • If the municipality where the office is located or an employee lives or must drive through is ordered to stay off the road, employees should follow this.
    • If there are plumbing, electrical, heating issues employees should not report.

You don’t have to prepare alone or reinvent the wheel. There are excellent resources online and where you work to help you.

Reach out to:

  • Local police, fire, and government officials. Many will provide training to staff, assess your exits, and help you design your plan.
  • Other businesses in your office. If you have one or more suites in a building, reach out to the building manager and other companies in your building. Review your plans together, see where you can work together in the event of a crisis, see what they caught that you did not.

Don’t forget, these strategies work for a business and In Order to Succeed is here to help you define and execute the suggestions above. Coming next, we will discuss strategies and resources to work with members of your household, including staff members, to make a plan for your residence in the event of a crisis or other emergency.

Eliminate Clutter in Common Hotspots: Divide. Install. Purge.

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

Apply this simple acronym to the places in your home that are likely to get out of control to enjoy a clutter free home.

It’s not a product: DIP is a simple three step practice that will eliminate clutter and keep it from coming back.  Work with a professional organizer from In Order To Succeed® to put this practice in motion.

Mind Over Materials

Clutter freeThere are many systems to “get people organized”.  From space age sweater bags you can vacuum the air out of to space saving hangers.  From books and checklists to apps on your iPhone and tablet.  But, and we’ve said this before, no system will do the work for you.  Organization, whether it’s your social life or your closet, requires good habits that work with your personality and an aesthetic you love.  If you have something that looks appealing, it is enough of an incentive to reinforce good organizational habits.  Incorporate beauty and design into your systems and you will keep your hotspots clutter free.

Three Steps to End Clutter

Rather than have elaborate systems for each place in your home, we suggest using the same strategy for all of them.

Divide

Divide items into categories for easy storage.

Install

Depending on your space, needs and design, install items to control your most trafficked spaces.

Purge

Make a habit of donating or selling items you no longer use or need.

Hotspot #1 – The Pantry

Pantries, no matter their size, always seem to grow out of control quickly.  Rather than create more clutter by digging through to find things, here’s how to apply the DIP strategy to eliminate clutter and keep it organized.

Divide

Set aside a time and pull every item out of your pantry.  If you don’t have dogs or children in the house the best surface for this project is your clean kitchen floor.   Otherwise, a large table like a dining room table, is a good option.  Pull everything out and then start placing items together – your cataloguing system should not follow anyone’s idea but what works for you.  Don’t create huge rules — it can be as simple as dry goods (pasta, beans, cereal, crackers), spices, soup, or any other categories — you’ll adhere to a system that happens organically.  We believe it’s best to also divide between opened and unopened/extras.

Install

Open items like cereal and pasta will stay fresher longer if they are placed in airtight containers.  You can use heavy plastic storage (we love these OXO steel top options at Williams Sonoma), glass jars, or, depending on the look you love, even ziplock style bags placed in antique metal containers.  Just keep in mind that if you’re trying to stay green these food storage bags are not recyclable.  We can work with you to source interesting containers of all sorts, both airtight and not, for your pantry organization.

Some other great ideas for pantries?

  • Baskets – rather than have multiple unopened bags of salty snacks, canned goods, or fruit out on the shelf use wicker, canvas, fabric or any other type of basket to organize items and keep them from looking sloppy and taking over too much space.
  • Label As Needed – Fight the urge to label everything.  Pretzels are distinct, so is pasta.  You will be able to reuse your containers and will find yourself cutting down on how much excess you keep in the pantry.
  • Hang Items – Attaching one large dowel as a rack or several dowels or hooks will give you spaces for items that can hang: aprons, utensils, even using chip clips and hanging open bags will save you tons of room and keep everything accessible.
  • Start a List – Whether you use the back of envelopes or a structured grocery pad, keep your grocery list materials in your pantry and add items as you run out.  Then when it’s grocery time the list is up to date and ready to go.

Purge

Set up a regular time, about once a month, to go through your pantry.  Try to schedule this at a time when you’ll be near a place where you can drop off good items that you just know you’ll never use.

  • Check dried goods for staleness.  If you’re someone who cooks, remember that stale breads can be used for croutons and breadcrumbs.
  • Check canned goods for expiration dates.  Make note of what to use in the coming month and toss expired items.
  • Make note of items that are running low.  Add items to your grocery list if they are things you use often and need more of.
  • Assess the space.  Do you keep putting something back in the wrong place?  Make subtle changes that will make your life easier.

Hotspot #2 – Your Jewelry

Besides items that you wear every day, like your go to diamond studs and your wedding bands, jewelry can get cluttered.

Divide

Separate jewelry by type and place in separate parts of a divided drawer in your vanity or bureau to start.

Install

Keep necklaces, anklets and bracelets neat by using a two pronged antique hook to hang them.  We recommend putting bracelets on the top and necklaces on the bottom to avoid tangles.  Don’t want something attached to the wall?
A unique objet d’art can make a beautiful jewelry tree.

For kids’ rooms, especially teen girls, upcycling an old screen door or window can make a beautiful way to turn that mess of earrings into a beautiful collection.

Purge

After you wear a piece, store it however you’ve decided.  If at the end of a season an item is still in the drawer, it’s time to give it away, sell it, or throw it out.

Hotspot #3 – Your Walk In Closet

A room unto itself, a walk-in can become cluttered easily.  Working with a professional organizer can reinvent this space and make it the attractive selling point it was on your home in the first place.

Divide

With an empty walk-in, you can visualize what you want where based on your storage needs, the sizes of components, and access.  There’s no sense having formal wear in the front since it’s worn less.  Separate every item in your walk in by category and then write each category on a super sticky post it note (these will hold better than traditional post its meant for paper) and get a sense of what should be where.

Install

Would a second, lower rack help you save space?  How are your shoes organized?  By instituting a few changes you can create a beautifully organized and neat space that is friendly to your clothing and accessories and saves room meaning you can add a vanity, your jewelry collection, full length mirror or other dressing item to the space.

  • We recommend:
    Clear containers for each pair of shoes so that you can see and access them easily without crushing out of season pairs
  • Baskets for items like socks, hosiery, workout clothes – neatly folding these and using smaller shelves will open up lots of space
  • Hooks or hangers for scarves that are divided by color scheme, solid vs. pattern, or in another way that gives you access to them.

Purge

When dividing, donate or dispose of those items you never wear, that no longer fit, or that need the TLC a tailor simply cannot provide.  Also, when placing items into your newly revitalized walk in, put the hangers in backwards.  When items come out of the laundry or back from the cleaner put their hanger in the traditional way – this is a sign to you when you do a walk in refresh that you haven’t worn a particular item.  If it stays that way for the season it’s time to let it go.

In Order To Succeed® is here to help you kick clutter to the curb and develop habits of mind to creating a more systematic way to organizing. Go ahead, try to Divide. Install. Purge. That is a good way to start. We work with clients to execute the vision that works best for them.  In March we will explore the joy of tidying up and share even more strategies we that will give you the luxury of time.

Kitchen Tips: Conquering a Congested Kitchen

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

The kitchen is the heart of any home, but for many of us the sight of that heart may cause cardiac arrest. It’s an unbearable mess. You have tons of Tupperware and lids, but none seem to fit together. The pots and pans have been forced into a cupboard and stacked haphazardly to form a teetering game of Jenga. And the shelves that hold the dishes and glasses offer no discernible order at all. In short, your kitchen is a daunting sea of chaos, and just looking at it makes your left eye twitch.

Fortunately, this problem is easily rectified. With a few tips and choice tools, you can perform a triple bypass on the heart of your home and get it into proper working order.

Hang Everything

If it will fit on a hook, hang it up. Since most kitchens lack enough drawers and counter space, take to the high ground. From pot holders to ladles, if you would normally stick it into an overflowing drawer, use adhesive hooks to hang it instead. You can hang over-sized pots and pans from a ceiling rack, too. This method frees up prime real estate in the doors and drawers of your kitchen and also adds a multidimensional aesthetic appeal to the kitchen itself. By hanging everything, you no longer have a leaning tower of skillets and pots waiting to topple onto the floor. Your cooking utensils are neatly ordered and easy to reach.

Choose Quality Appliances

A Whirlpool dishwasher is an ideal appliance for the tidy and slightly OCD kitchen tenant. In general, a dishwasher is a necessity for an orderly kitchen as it allows you to keep your sink free of dirty dishes and the unpleasant odors that come with them. The Whirlpool models have additional features if you are a neat freak, such as the overnight wash mode that simulates dish soaking, versatile set-ups for fitting more dishes in one load and a removable upper rack that gives you room for your over-sized dishware, pots and pans.

Use Drawer Dividers

It’s a strange phenomenon, but silverware has been known to quietly expand and multiply within its drawer. Even if you organize the drawer decisively, somewhere along the line, the silverware rebels. Instead of using the pre-formed bins that limit the length of your spoons, knives and forks, use adjustable dividers. These account for whatever mischief goes on in that drawer in the dark. The dividers are also great for your cooking utensil drawer and can be inserted into any junk drawers you may be hiding. Order is only maintainable when everything has its predetermined place.

Put Lazy Susan to Work

Honestly, the woman is a miracle worker. Use a countertop Lazy Susan with deep shelves to hold your potentially messy items. Kitchen staples like honey, syrup, salt and pepper are all likely to take a tumble eventually, and the deep shelves help contain the mess. Lazy Susans can also be implemented under the counter for organizing groups of items like spices, and they can be used topside as a counter centerpiece to hold fruit or candy.

If the heart of your home has become a den of disorder, it may be time for a jump start. Get your kitchen back into working order and you’ll feel better in no time.

Run Your House Like Clockwork

Posted on by In Order to Succeed Team

Ask anyone, from the most to least organized person you know, and you’ll hear the same complaint: organizing a room, closet or storage area is the easy part, keeping it that way is the challenge. In Order To Succeed works with clients to develop habits, practices and systems to help. One of our go to tools is the “Housepad” App. Our Residential Technology Consulting services include instruction on how to adapt this app to keep your house running like clockwork.

Introducing Housepad

Imagine everyone who lived and worked in your house knew how to do things—from the way to load the dishwasher to your preferred flower arrangements, how you like your fitted sheets folded and emergency contacts for everyone from the family doctor to the family vet? It’s possible, and Housepad is the app to do it. Never worry about having to refold clothes the nanny puts away or reorganize the pantry after your teenagers go to bed. Housepad is a simple way to make sure everyone knows how things look and work so that you save time. Share tasks, to do lists, images, and more so that everyone is accountable for keeping the household running smoothly. Housepad even tracks time for various staff. Housepad is available for iOS and Android.

Get Everyone On The Same Page

After setting up your Housepad account, invite your family members and staff to your network. The app imports directly from your contacts or allows contacts to be entered manually. The more information you enter, the more the app can do for you—we’ll get to that in a minute. You should invite:

  • Members of your family
  • In-House staff (nanny, housekeeper, driver, cook, assistant)
  • Ancillary staff (gardener, babysitter, dog walker, seasonal help)

The app uses notifications so that you see the status of how your house is running in real time—you can even be notified when tasks are completed.

Expect The Best But Prepare For The Worst

One of the first things to set up in Housepad are your emergency contacts – you can add emergency info for every member of your family, including your vet info, and staff. Housepad excels here – clicking the “phone” icon will immediately call the doctor whereas clicking the address immediately starts navigating to the doctor’s office. You can include notes about medication refills and appointments right in the contacts, too, so that you have everything at your fingertips. This function is great for households with children in the care of others.

The Look Book

Once your app is up and running, it’s time to start setting up the rooms in your look book. Each room, or area, is given a section for pictures and notes to show what it should look like. Those using the app see an overview and specifics. Rather than just having “sitting room” you can also include “sitting room bookcase” to show where to place various ephemera during the holidays versus in summer.

Here are some areas you shouldn’t forget:

  • Bar—how is glassware stocked? Which bottles remain out?
  • Wine cellar
  • Desk
  • Linen closet—how are items folded and how are they arranged?
  • Entryway
  • Floral arrangements by room
  • Holiday decorations

Include how you like furniture arranged, pillows and throws placed, and the table set – every bit helps. Just because the category is called “rooms” doesn’t mean you have to leave it there. Super organized pantry? Keep pictures of it. Like your fridge a certain way? Do the same. And for those of us who understand: there is nothing wrong with including a picture of a properly loaded dishwasher.

Getting Things Done

Housepad has a simplistic, non-cluttered board system for posting tasks. This can serve as a reminder of regular tasks or a place to post new things to be done. Items can be pushed through to appropriate family members and staff immediately or posted to the board for them to see when they sign in.

One Time Reminders

Having guests and need the guest bathroom and bedroom stocked with linens and creature comforts? You can post the request, including a little book of Sudoku or other small treat to be picked up for your Aunt Jane, who loves a good puzzle before sleep.

Need something taken to the cleaner? Post and push it including a picture of where you left it hanging so that there’s no confusion.

Guests coming for dinner and there’s a food allergy? Include this when sending staff out to shop in preparation for the meal.

Ongoing Tasks

Need something done every day? Keep a list of tasks with a picture that will remind members in your home network to do it. This works for family and staff—from walking the dog to putting shoes away.

Multi-Location Use

Housepad allows multiple residences so that your place in the city and the one in the Hamptons are kept up to date with family and staff and you don’t have to keep separate apps, lists, or binders running.

Tips For Using Housepad

An app is what you make of it—even the best home apps, like Housepad – so here are some ways to make the best out of incorporating Housepad into your life:

  • Once a month sit down and look at what is coming up in the future and start entering information into housepad.
  • Any time you change a room, update or add furniture, or make other modifications, be sure to take new pictures.
  • Set up a time to meet with staff members and teach them how to use the app and explain that you will expect them to check and stay up to date in the app.
  • New staff? Staff who have moved? New doctor? Keep contacts up to date in your phone and be sure to get emergency info from new staff.

In Order To Succeed® is here to help you set up, load and use Housepad. Keep your expectations in one place and give yourself the luxury of time, you won’t regret it!