Five Ways to be More Organized Parents

Posted on August 21, 2016June 26, 2017 by In Order to Succeed Team

Being organized parents doesn’t just make your lives easier, it also makes your child’s life easier. Having systems in place both makes for a less-rushed life, saves time, helps your family avoid squabbles, and teaches everyone valuable tools that can be applied elsewhere in life. Here are five ways to be more organized parents across all the many areas of your life.

Have A Command Center

Every family should have a command center: a place where everyone, including parents, figure out what is going on for the day or week, leave important paperwork, get supplies, and write down items for a shopping list. A good command center includes:

Color-coded calendars of activities.
A list of chores including who does what and due dates.
A place to leave paperwork that needs to be filled out (tests that have to be signed, field trips) and to place them once they’re ready to go.
Shopping lists.

For many parents visions of Pinterest-inspired projects in bright colors and multiple calendars are a turnoff — you work hard to make your home a beautiful, peaceful place. Your command center does not have to destroy the aesthetic of your home. It’s more about having a place where families can check in and focus for the day and week. Our favorite idea? Turn a closet into a command center to keep it out of site. You can add a lamp or stick up lights and use the back of the door for extra room. Get kids into the habit of checking it each morning, day after school, and at a designated time in the evening.

Organized Parents Have Analog Backups

We’re not suggesting you ditch your smartphone. Not at all! But having an analog method of keeping track of things is great for when you lose, drop, or forget to charge your phone. It’s also a quick and easy way to keep track of things when you’re in an area without service. There are two separate ways we recommend. First, a planner like the one that goes with Evernote (why not sticks with what works?) or a simple, beautiful planner like the ones made by Ink + Volt is a lifesaving tool. Not into a planner? Even just a simple notebook where you list your to do’s and other thoughts and then cross them off when finished is a great way to keep track no matter what kind of access you have to your phone.

Many women have jumped on board the trend of decorating their planners. If this works for you, great! We’re in the camp of using our planners as tools and not spending a ton of time decorating them.

Get Kids Involved

Children should be a part of your overall organization plan. This teaches them good habits from a young age while taking a tremendous amount off of your plate. Organized parents include children to develop their sense of responsibility, make them better guests and students, and empower them to do for themselves. Here are ways organized parents involve the kids:

Assign age appropriate organizational tasks like packing lunches, checking the activities calendar and putting items in a good spot to grab them in the morning, placing papers awaiting signatures in the right spot (and picking them up).
Talk to kids about what they enjoy and how they can help. If you have a child who likes to write, make them in charge of organizing a grocery list. Have a kid who enjoys cooking — they can handle lunches. There’s no reason for everyone to do everything and by delegating organizational tasks based on interest you’ll avoid traffic jams and keep kids engaged.
Get Into A Routine. Everyone loves a routine — this is why parents who devote time to sleep-training their children end up getting more rest. Organized parents have times of day that they check and do things and kids should be brought into this to develop good habits.

Develop A Network

Humble bragging and competing for “Most Busy” have their place for other people. Smart parents, though, know that there is something to be said for how to having time for oneself, time as a couple, and time as a family. This can only be done by developing a good network of friends, neighbors, and family. When your child has an activity get to know other parents and set up carpools. Talk to friends or family with children of a similar age and schedule date nights where you drop the kids for a few hours (or overnight) and return the favor. Everyone wants a break and the best way to do it is find others who feel the same way and work together to schedule them.

Prioritize

Organizing shouldn’t take over your life and organized parents know that prioritization is the #1 trick to being organized. That means that a huge part of your organizational routine should be determining and focusing on priorities. Here are the best places to start thinking about what’s really important.

Social Engagements. It’s okay to say no to things if you feel you’re stretched too thin. Instead of being the person who says, “Maybe” (stressing out your host) and then doesn’t show or, worse, saying yes and not showing simply go through all of your invites each week and decide which matter and which you have no desire/time to do. It’s okay to say no!
What things are the most important? Rank what matters and what you hate doing and you might discover interesting things. We had a client who had a gorgeous garden but when she thought about other interests and took time to rank things she discovered that she really didn’t enjoy it. Delegating or downright eliminating can free up time for other pursuits. It’s okay to give things up; even if it’s just for more play time with your children.

Organized parents find they breathe easier and enjoy life more than their disorganized counterparts. While things will always come up, it’s easier to manage life when you are organized.

How to Start Organizing Your Inbox

Posted on May 25, 2016July 11, 2019 by In Order to Succeed Team

Get Control of What Seems Uncontrollable

Let’s face it, you may have a beautiful desk, color-coded planner and pristine car, but chances are there is a disaster hidden where most people are unlikely to see it: your email inbox. At In Order To Succeed® we believe that an organized email boosts productivity, eliminates stress, and makes for a happier, healthier you. Start applying our tips for organizing your email and watch how quickly you start to feel more in control.

The Overflowing Inbox

Email. Some years ago it was primarily used as a go to method reserved for work communications. For most of us, the daily information flood of sales notices, social media updates, newsletters, and marketing emails now make up a significant portion of our inboxes. It can get out of control very quickly with messages going unread, undeleted, and haphazardly marked and tagged. The easiest way to get control of your email and begin working toward achieving the elusive inbox zero, is to begin to simplify it.

Plan An Unsubscribing Session

One of the problems with email is that we all sign up for mailing lists we’re just not interested in. Maybe it’s to get a coupon, maybe it’s because we enjoyed a few articles on a site. Whatever the reason, it’s time to kick those space-hogging subscriptions to the curb. Pour a cup of your favorite beverage at a time when you can give at least 90 minutes attention to nothing but your inbox. Open it and scan through just for subscriptions. Do not open anything else, ignore the beeps and leave your other tabs closed (it’s tough, we know!). Open each email and immediately scroll to the bottom where you’ll find the teeny font where you can unsubscribe and DO IT. If you haven’t opened and used the information in the subscription you’re not going to. You don’t need to know that someone else pinned a recipe similar to yours or what the specials are at Target — there’s an app for that. Only keep subscriptions to the emails you open and actually read.

After Unsubscribing

After your 90-minute unsubscribing marathon, make it a habit to open, read, and delete all of your subscription emails. Anything from yesterday that is unread tomorrow should be unsubscribed from going forward. If you subscribe to something for a coupon, once it comes IMMEDIATELY go into the email and unsubscribe.

Avoid The Siren Song of Email Managing Software

At some point I signed up for a service that would roll up my emails into one. Instead of a ton of subscriptions I would get a daily email with all of those emails. And I ignored them. Services that say they are here for organizing your email often sound better than they are. The key is to only subscribe to things you will actually read, recognize those you don’t, and get rid of them.

Avoid Notification Emails

Many apps include an option for an email notification. But do you really need an email every time someone comments on a photo you liked on Facebook? No. Your notifications come up when you log onto various websites so unless it’s something very important (like major breaking news, your bank, or a job search site) stop the notification emails. One of the easiest ways to start organizing your email is to declutter your inbox!

Set up Filters

If you still want to receive and review the social network notifications, just not be notified every minute, create a filter and rule on your email platform to identify incoming messages that are generated by your network sites and give them a label. You can set up a rule to then have them redirected into an archive folder to review at a later time. This way, you can still keep up to date with your social news and events, but they are out of your inbox.

Stop BCCing Yourself

The last bit of email advice we have is to stop blind copying yourself. Your sent email file is a valuable thing but the blind copy clutters the heck out of your inbox. Just don’t clean out your sent mail so that you have your copy if needed. It will be nearly impossible to feel like you’re organizing your email if it’s overflowing with messages you’ve sent to yourself. Added tip: don’t print emails. You don’t need hard copies of your emails — they take up space and add to the clutter. Take a screen shot of important information and add to your phone or write what you need into your planner.

Read, Delete, Repeat

Rather than keeping your email open all day or having notifications for it on your phone, only open your email twice a day: when you start working, and when you’re winding down. 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. if you work a traditional work day. In addition to being harder to manage, multi-tasking just doesn’t work and getting distracted by the constant beep and buzz of emails that likely don’t matter isn’t helping your productivity. If someone needs you immediately they will call or text.

When you settle in to check your email, do so with intention — this is essential to organizing your email. Open your email inbox and nothing else. Skim and select those you know you won’t read and delete them without opening. Then start with your least recent email (the first to come in after you checked before ending work). Read it, do what you need to with pertinent information, and then delete it. Scared to delete? Here’s how to get comfortable with it:

If an email has a meeting request that is linked to your calendar simply accept or decline. It’s now in your calendar or not.
If an email has a meeting request that is not linked, assess whether the time/location works, put it in your calendar, respond and delete.
Contact info? Add to your contacts and delete.
Project info? If you have a hard file, print and place it in. If you are paperless, screenshot the necessary info and delete.

Once your inbox is empty, close your email and don’t look again until your day is unwinding. Eventually you’ll get into such a habit that it won’t bother you to see something at 5pm that came in at 1pm and wasn’t all that important. If you can’t act right away create a follow up folder and go back to it within 48 hours.

For other ideas to achieve inbox zero, check out these helpful apps that can assist you and make the process a little less daunting. Here is a good list.

In Order To Succeed® has a wealth of talent and experience in assisting clients get their digital spaces under control. Let us help you — organizing your email is the easiest place to start. Once you have that down you’ll be excited to see what else you can accomplish with that newfound time.

Declutter Your Life Using The KonMari Method

Posted on May 18, 2016July 11, 2019 by In Order to Succeed Team

What Sparks Joy?

Unless you’ve been unplugged for a while, chances are you’ve heard the phrase, “spark joy” recently. Maybe on a morning show where a woman had all of her clothing on a bed and asked each pair of jeans, “Does this spark joy?” This is part of a movement to help declutter your life using the KonMari Method. What does it look like to declutter your life? And what’s the KonMari Method? Here is some insight into the movement that is taking over the nation, the movement brought about through Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”.

Why Declutter Your Life?

We are surrounded by things. Clothing, books, papers, mementos. But much of our time is not spent enjoying those things. Rather it’s grumbling about the space they take up, how no matter what we do our spaces appear cluttered, and how we can’t find anything. Even the most organized home with gorgeous bins and baskets is likely held hostage by these things. The concept of decluttering your life is one that boils down to one question: what are the things that spark joy in you? Once you can answer this and minimize your possessions, there is a calmness that takes hold and a huge amount of time freed for other pursuits rather than constantly cleaning, organizing, and frustration.<br
Imagine getting through the list of books you want to read. Imagine being able to go for a walk in nature each day. Imagine whatever it is that gives you peace or brings you joy. If you want to have time for it, the way to get it is to remove the things that are taking up valuable time, energy and thought. </br

What Does The KonMari Method Require?

The KonMari Method doesn’t require you to make a single purchase. Nor does it require any course or seminar. Instead what it requires is a copy of the book which is available in hard copy (hard- and paperback, eBook, audiobook) and a willingness to allow the process to move exactly as KonMari explains in the book. It will make most people uncomfortable at the outset, but once followed it quickly leads to a home that is more organized and more reflective of your authentic self, where you are only surrounded by only those things that bring you joy.

KonMari Method At-A-Glance

The KonMari Method takes you through categories of possessions rather than rooms. Each category is pared down to what you will keep through a series of steps. After you have discarded items there are specific ways in which to organize and place the possessions that are left.

Picture The End Result

The first step is to picture where you want to be at the end of your tidying marathon. One client of Kondo’s wanted to start a meditation practice. She wanted a clean space in her bedroom, which was covered in clothes, where she could light incense, practice, and then take a hot bath with candles. What is your end result you want? What is the thing that would give you joy?

The driving outcome of the Konmari Method is to strip your life down to the basic things that give you joy, remove the things that sadden and distract you, and spend your time on pursuits that bring you joy. Visualize what you want and keep it in your mind when the clutter creeps into your life.

The Categories

While you could apply the method in different ways, Marie Kondo believes that following through the recommended steps in the correct order is the only way to end the process organized and without need for future organization. She is firm that you must not change the process to fit your personality but instead be strict and follow it exactly to avoid retreating to be bad habits. The list of categories and order in which items should be addressed:

Clothing
Books
Papers
Miscellany
Mementos

Kondo warns that starting the KonMari method with mementos is a recipe for disaster and that the only way to guarantee success is to start with clothing and follow the process. Mementos come with a significant emotional attachment — we keep them to remember an meaningful event. With clothing, it is easier to assess quickly and move on to the next item. Starting with clothes and moving down the list trains you to be ready to approach the difficult assessment of papers and personal mementos.

The Metric of Joy

The first step of each category is to gather every item of that category in one place and then begin to pick up each item, individually, and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” The idea being that there is no reason to be surrounded by things that do not spark joy. In the end, a dwelling space that is only filled with items that make you joyful means you are able to look around feel at peace. Items that do not spark joy should be discarded for donated. Items may not be kept because they were expensive, because they might fit one day, or because they were given to us by someone special. For those items we hold onto for reasons other than sparking joy, we thank them for whatever they brought us and then toss them on the discard pile. Items that are able to be donated should be, with items that are no longer useful thrown out. It will amaze you how many things you’re holding onto that don’t ever get worn and simply take up room. Time to declutter the Kon Mari way.

Organization

After going through a category, the KonMari Method has steps for how every type of item is organized. Even folding clothes has a process. The KonMari Method shares how to fold shirts, arranging them in such a way that they can be stored upright in drawers like files. This allows them to be seen, selected and put away neatly and also frees up closet space, which are often far too cluttered. Kondo goes so far as to teach students how to fold socks in a new way: rather than bunched up socks are lovingly folded, giving them a sense of rest. Clothes can relax and breathe while stored and in a sense thanked for serving you well while they work for you. This can make future release of items easier because you know that you lovingly cared for them while they were in your possession.

The KonMari Method is a studied approach that will declutter your life and bring you peace and calm. It is worth reading the book and starting with clothes, to see how quickly your space will begin to transform. And from there it is easy to apply the method to all aspects of your life. The benefits feed upon themselves. Whether you wish to work through one category to start or take a comprehensive approach, In Order To Succeed is a full service firm with professionals who can assist you in getting your home and your life organized, the KonMari way!

Email Etiquette for Business

Posted on September 21, 2015November 5, 2015 by Denise Caron-Quinn

Too often we tend to forget email etiquette for business. You probably can’t even count the number of times you hit send on your work email on any given day. Email is often the primary method of communicating with colleagues and although it appears simple; drafting a well crafted piece of written work is actually a multi-faceted complex task.

It’s so important to use proper business email etiquette as you grow in your career, but it’s human nature to become lax when we are friendly with our co-workers and clients. Following these simple tips will help you cultivate the art of effective business communication.

Concise Subject Lines

Never ever leave a subject line blank. It’s an easy way to have your email deleted without being opened. A subject line should state the purpose of the email in the minimum amount of words needed.

Choose The Right Salutation

Know your audience and choose the salutation accordingly. Some work places are less formal and anything more than a “Hi [First Name]” will be seen as strange, but other places or even higher-ups might expect the “Dear [First Name].” If you’re unsure what is appropriate, ask. In any case, do not be any less formal than your boss.

Think Twice About Reply All

Reply all is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes everyone on the email you received that was sent to 10 people really does need to see your response, but usually not. Think twice about who needs to see your reply and then respond.

Proper Grammar

It’s a work email, not a text to your best friend. Use proper grammar, full words (not “u”) uppercase and lowercase letters and check your spelling and punctuation. No emoticons. Always proof before you hit send.

Avoid These Phrases

Saying “please be advised,” “enclosed please find”, ” ”for your consideration, ” or ”sincerely yours, ” just makes you sound old. And while we’re on it as polite as a ”hope you are well, ” followed by question is just filler get to the point already.

More phrases to avoid include ”just checking in” or ”I think, ” or ”does that make sense?” They make you sound unconfident. If you are providing advice, “based on my experience” sounds much better. If you really want feedback from someone, ask directly for their feedback (and provide a deadline if necessary).

And finally, before you respond ”thank you, ” to an email ask yourself why you are writing, ”thank you, ” is it really necessary?

Timely Responses

Work emails should be answered within the same day they are sent. If someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, just acknowledge the email and commit to a time when you can respond. Responding in a timely manner helps you from getting follow-up emails and keeps your inbox under control. It also builds accountability and trust from your colleagues.

Don’t Share Confidential Information

Emails are not confidential. They can be duplicated, forwarded, printed etc. Even if sending to a trusted colleague or friend – they could accidentally forward it or their email could be read by someone else. Never write anything in an email that you wouldn’t want shared with the world. If there is a confidential issue that needs to be addressed, meet in person or speak over the phone.

For more advice on how to manage and develop professional e-mail strategies as well as email etiquette for business, contact one of our Organizing Professionals.

3 House cleaning mistakes that waste major time

Posted on June 28, 2015 by In Order to Succeed Team

Cleaning may not be the most exciting task you do on a day-to-day basis, but it is a necessary one. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that up to 3.2 hours per day are spent on house cleaning duties. When you’re already giving up huge chunks of your day for commuting, working, school, family time, and other responsibilities, three hours of cleaning on top of that can sound daunting. Take a look at your cleaning routine, and try a few of these tips to make it more efficient, freeing up more time for family and leisure.

Not Putting Everything in its Place

Lessen the amount of time you spend cleaning up by adopting the habit of putting things in their proper place. Opened mail, toys, clothing and gadgets can easily pile up when they are strewn across common areas of the home like the living room and the kitchen, making the clean-up process seem even more overwhelming. Organized Home recommends looking over your house as though you are a professional cleaner.

Train yourself to unpack right away after a vacation, and to put everything away immediately when you come home from a shopping trip for groceries or home essentials. Teach your other family members to do the same, and encourage your kids to put old toys away before they choose something new to play with. “If a child is old enough to get out a toy to play, she is old enough to put it away,” assures Unclutter.com.

Ignoring Tech Tools

The process of vacuuming can seem never-ending when you try to tackle the whole house at once. If the majority of your time seems to be spent on cleaning the floors, consider putting technology to work for you. A robot vacuum works slowly throughout the day to scan across your floor’s surface and pick up debris. It’s a higher cost upfront than a traditional vacuum in most cases, however many see it as money well-spent when they get to spend the time they saved with family.

Robot vacuums aren’t for everyone, however, especially if you have a house that’s under a pet hair invasion or one that is more than one level. In this case, consider picking up a high tech Dyson vacuum or another high-end vacuum brand that will make your vacuuming more efficient. The cleaning power of these quality vacuums ensures that debris gets picked up at first pass, allowing you to get through each room more quickly.

Decentralized Supplies

If you’re making several steps to the laundry room for supplies while you’re trying to clean the rest of the house, you’re being inefficient. Instead, put all of your cleaning supplies in a single, central location so you have one stop to get everything. Use a cleaning tote to take the basics with you from room to room, such as window cleaner, paper towels and furniture oil. Real Simple suggests using a shoe organizer to store cleaning supplies in the closet when they’re not in use.

The Best Party Planning Apps for Easier Event Organization

Posted on October 9, 2013August 3, 2018 by Denise Caron-Quinn

After recovering from the recession, the $6 billion party and event planning industry is predicted to grow over the next five years, market research firm IBIS projects. Company and household spending on celebrations reflect economic conditions businesses and consumers spend more as they earn more. As the economy improves, spending will increase.

Mobile apps complement this growth and can improve every phase of event organization, from scheduling parties and organizing catering to sending out invitations. Professional and amateur organizers can plan parties more efficiently equipped with the following collection of apps.

Scheduling

Let’s say you’re planning a surprise party for your sister in a few weeks, but you’re working around scheduling conflicts. You want to see if you have any alternate days available that week for backup options. Unfortunately, iPhone’s calendar tool doesn’t provide a weekly display, only List, Day and Month views. The Week Calendar app solves this problem for iPhones and other devices by providing an overview of the week’s events. For $2.99 on iTunes and $2.19 on Android (where a freemium version is also available), the app also features automated birthday reminders and other fun tools.

Catering

You’re trying to arrange wedding catering away from home and while traveling. A variety of catering apps can assist professional caterers and one-time party planners. The free Personalized Catering Planner app organizes all the essential information you need, including places and times, contact details, meal offerings, and special instructions, all with customization options.

Music

You’re hosting a party and the guest list includes groups of friends and family with varied musical tastes. Give everyone a chance to enjoy their favorite tunes without any genre of music dominating the party. The free Playmysong app is a song lists management tool, and guests can request songs on a limited hourly basis. Playmysong turns any computer into a hip jukebox that you and your friends can play and control right from your mobile device.

Gifts

You suddenly realize you’ve been so busy planning your friend’s birthday party, you haven’t even thought about a gift. The FTD birthday gifts app lets you send a variety of colorful birthday gift bouquets that include flowers, a decorative bag displaying candles and a personalized message.

Invitations

Mailing wedding invitations to several hundred guests? Although you may want to hire someone to handle the task, you can just download an app. Evite is a free app for Android and Apple that sends and manages invitations for any party planner who’s on-the-go. You can also organize guest lists, RSVP to events and receive notifications about updated events.

All-In-One Planner

If party planning is your livelihood and passion, then Pro Party Planner can help ensure you cover all the event-planning bases. For $4.99 on iTunes, Pro Party Planner provides you with a single platform for party management, including scheduling multiple parties, creating task and guest lists, sending online invitations, planning menus and drinks, and arranging entertainment.

6 Productivity Lessons from Efficiency Gurus

Posted on August 10, 2013September 12, 2015 by Denise Caron-Quinn

When it comes to productivity, we can learn a lot from the gurus who’ve reached incredible levels of discipline and diligence. Gurus such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and similar entrepreneurs can teach us a few important lessons. Find value in the trials and tribulations of these gurus, ensuring we’re not blindly approaching our work, lives, and dreams.

Oh, did I forget to mention the more efficient we are, the more time we have to enjoy a stress free vacation? Okay, let’s jump into it!

Embrace Simplicity

When it comes to simplicity, many entrepreneurs have succeeded in making their career in productivity that much easier. Sometimes the best way is the simplest way. For example, while Bill Gates might have been building computers, he did not try to overwork on his idea and make the first several computers overly advanced. Starting out simple, he made a device that was both widely usable and simplistic in nature. From there, he slowly began advancing forward – adding complexities one step at a time.

Microsoft member, Ray Ozzie, had this to say, “Complexity kills. It sucks the life out of developers, it makes products difficult to plan, build and test, it introduces security challenges and it causes end-user and administrator frustration.”

The reality is we’re not sitting in the same seat as Bill Gates; however, we’re part of a picture that makes bigger dreams come true. Think of a car and all the parts involved. What would happen if we didn’t make the wheel vintiques? We wouldn’t get very far. As a co-worker likes to say, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Use Apps to Take With You

The power of smartphones and tablets is becoming one of unstoppable force. Taking the place of many modern laptops and computers, you will be able to take your work with you on the go. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company, own your own business or just a student – you can benefit from utilizing apps. Many business-savvy people utilize it – and Steve Jobs swore by it. Utilize tools that are literally at our fingertips.

By taking advantage of productivity apps such as Evernote, Checklist, Mindnode and Pocket, we’ll boost our productivity levels in seconds.

Set Realistic Goals and Write Them Down

Every day when you come into the office or classroom, you need to make sure that you write down a list of what goals you expect to achieve for that day. Whether you have a large presentation or paper due, you need to log it somewhere (phone, post-it, or email reminder).

Writing tasks down always persuades us to complete them. It’s like an itch we just have to scratch. Everyone has their own goals for the day, so just be thorough and do not make unrealistic expectations. Overloading our task-lists will just lead to an onset of stress and headaches – something that will be more of a roadblock than a catalyst.

Write Down Inspirational Quotes

This one might seem a bit odd, but we often forget inspiration is one of the most potent fuels keeping our motor running.

Finding motivation to keep productive can come in many forms and, for some, inspirational quotes will make an amazing asset. Reviewing these inspirational quotes whenever you are feeling defeated or down will help remove all distraction and doubt from your mind and push us to move forward. Sometimes life can just be daunting and these simplistic quotes can be exactly the confidence boost or glimmer of hope we need to push forward.

Keep Social Media to a Minimum

Unless you are visiting Facebook, Instagram or other social media outlets for business-related purposes, keeping off of them is highly suggested. As many efficiency gurus might suggest, you need to take yourself away from personal habits that will inhibit productivity, social media being one of those outlets. “You need to learn that you have a job to do and that it will not get itself done – so it is up to you to do it.” – Suggested by Ekatrina Walter, an Intel Innovator

There are so companies where social media isn’t even an option, such as working for a hydraulic equipment supplier. In fact, we could probably learn a great deal about efficiency from companies like this who can actually boast highest turnaround times. That means they’re entirely committed to getting jobs done efficiently, without any distractions.

Learn to Multitask

Multitasking isn’t for everyone, but for those who can juggle various duties simultaneously, your free time will skyrocket. Monster has a great article on multitasking, suggesting we optimize it rather than maximize. The main takeaway is to make tiny adjustments – don’t completely shift gears. Stay in your comfort zone, but don’t be afraid to bump the workload a bit.

Thanks for reading and good luck! Do you have any other lessons we can learn from to become more efficient? Please share below!

Author: Jesse Aaron is a professional blogger with a passion for homebrewing. He writes on a variety of topics on his blog, Mashbout. Follow Jesse on Google Plus.

10 Professional Organizers to ‘Like’ on Facebook

Posted on May 31, 2013June 21, 2023 by Denise Caron-Quinn

Quick self-promotion: If you haven’t yet liked In Order to Succeed on Facebook, do it now. You’ll find time management tips, productivity tips and of course organizational tips from In Order to Succeed’s professional organizers and project consultants. Plus, you can ask us all your questions and we’ll do our best to answer them.

O.K., now that the self-promotion is over with, it’s time to talk about some other professional organizers. We love our fellow organizers. They are an inspiration to us and are constantly sharing great advice. Here are 10 professional organizers (in no particular order) we think you should ‘like’ on Facebook.

In Order to Succeed is a full service Professional Organizing firm providing Home and Business Organizing Solutions, Moving/Relocation Coordination Assistance and Time Management help to people throughout New York (NY) and Connecticut (CT) and across the US. Our Professional Organizers, Relocation Specialists and Productivity Experts will make your home and office more efficient and attractive. We can help create a zen-like, less stressful environment giving you the time and calm to focus what you enjoy. For more information visit www.inordertosucceed.com.

In Order to Succeed is a full-service Professional Organizing firm providing Home and Business Organizing Solutions, Moving/Relocation Coordination Assistance, and Time Management help to people throughout New York (NY) and Connecticut (CT) and across the US. Our team of professional organizers in NYC, relocation specialists, and productivity experts will make your home and office more efficient and attractive. We can help create a zen-like, less stressful environment, giving you the time and calm to focus on what you enjoy. For more information, visit www.inordertosucceed.com.

10 Professional Organizers to ‘Like’ on Facebook

Posted on May 31, 2013February 7, 2026 by Denise Caron-Quinn

Quick self-promotion: If you haven’t yet liked In Order to Succeed on Facebook, do it now. You’ll find time management tips, productivity tips, and of course, organizational tips from In Order to Succeed’s professional organizers and project consultants. Plus, you can ask us all your questions and we’ll do our best to answer them.

How to Choose a Laptop Bag Suitable for You

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Denise Caron-Quinn

By Panhong Zhou

As technology develops, nowadays more and more people have their own laptops. When you buy a notebook, the sellers may present you a laptop bag at the same time. Then possibly you will ask me now that we have already had one, why shall I buy another one? Suppose when you are on a business trip, don’t you think it is too difficult for you to get on the train when you take your luggage and laptop bag together among a large crowd? Generally speaking, this problem can be easily solved by choosing the right laptop bag.

Buying a laptop bag is as important as buying a notebook. It can hold important work files and school projects. To some extent, it could be the portal to your private world. You need to know that it is not only for protecting your notebook safely, but also shows your personality. Besides cost, there are several factors to consider when you choose a laptop bag: usage, size, material, style, color and etc.

You should take the following aspects into consideration when you choose a laptop bag.

1.Usage
Apart from protecting your notebook, you should consider your primary needs and where it will be going: travelling, going to work, lectures, commute or shopping on holidays.

2.Size
You must make sure your notebook fits well in the laptop bag you choose and there is enough space for holding other accessories such as computer power, mouse, mouse mat and headset.

3.Material
Depending on the environment in your home and working place, you should carefully choose the material of the laptop bag. It should be sturdy and durable and a water-repellent bag is preferred. What’s more, the pressure the belt exerted on shoulders should be as small as possible.

4.Style
Laptop bags are styled to look and act like most other bags. There are different types of laptop cases: metallic bags, backpacks, messenger bags, totes, briefcases, and sleeves. Choose the right one suitable for your life.

5.Color
Surely there’s a color that will best suit you. Black is popular and goes with almost anything, but you can find bags with color accents or just in different colors. This is completely a personal choice.

6.Other factors
I strongly advise that when you choose a laptop bag, you should check the zippers again and again to make sure they work well. In addition, you should make sure there are no broken zipper teeth and zipper openings are firmly connected with the body of the bag. Protective layer is also an important factor. Check the inner layer to see the thickness of the sponge. Buffering function and moisture proof can be seen from it. The thicker, the better. The stitches are also a factor that will decide the durability of the bag.

The above factors commonly decide the cost of the laptop bag. You don’t have to spend a lot on it but just think more and rank your needs before your purchase.

Information for this article provided by handbag blog at http://www.llsal.com/ and http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Panhong_Zhou. For more help on organizing your work life contact professional organizing firm In Order to Succeed at info@inorderotsucceed.com, on Facebook and on Twitter.