Office Clean Up: The Top 9 Excuses

Office Clean Up: The Top 9 Excuses that Create Your Chaos

Written by Christine Kane

“Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.”

                                                                – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Our lives are meant to be simple.  

 

Our intuiton and creativity thrive when given freedom and space.  Clutter – in the form of physical stuff, time-wasters, or even draining people – steals our energy and prevents our success. Each moment we ignore the reasons we hold on to things we don’t want, those things rob us of energy, health, and clarity. Yes, clutter is destructive in your office environment!
Summer is a slow time for many businesses. That means it’s a great time to clear the chaos and cut through the clutter (and the excuses for having clutter around!).  Read over this list to see if you can find YOUR excuse – and then take action!


Excuse #1: “I’d be a mean horrible person if I released this…”
Guilt is heavy gooey energy that convinces us we’re bad people if we let go of heirlooms, knick-knacks, unwanted clothing or gifts.
These items clutter up our lives and keep us in a comfortable – but draining – place. And conveniently, we never have to decide what we actually do want in our environment. We become environmental victims. Often, that spreads into other parts of our lives too!

Excuse #2 – “I spent so much on it!”
Do you punish yourself for having made a bad choice by keeping the item around?  Or convince yourself that you’re going to get your money’s worth – even if it drains the heck out of you?
You won’t.  And it will.
We’ve all done stupid things. And we’ve all had to let them go. Now it’s your turn.

Excuse #3 – “I might need this someday.”
I often wonder how many idle telephone cords exist in the world. Way in the back of old desk drawers. Stuffed on closet shelves. They can’t be gotten rid of.
Why?
Because we might need them some day.
Evidently, some day – in spite of technological progress – you’re going to need that particular grey phone cord that came in the box with a phone you bought in 1989.
Throw it out. Now.
Same thing goes for:  The broken fax machine, switch plates from your first house, and every glass flower vase that came with deliveries.

Excuse #4 – “I might do this someday.”
I know. I know.
Someday you’ll take those broken pieces of china you’ve collected and create a beautiful mosaic birdbath. And you’ll go through those stacks of magazines and make that collage for your sister’s 30th birthday party. (She’s 51 now.)
Now – I don’t mean to deny you your plans and dreams.  However, I urge you to consider experiencing the infinite relief that appears when you let old project ideas go.
Call your sister and tell her the collage ain’t gonna happen. Buy a mosaic birdbath from an artist who makes her living from creating such treasures.
And then, make space for what you want to do. Don’t fill your space with what you should do.

Excuse #5 – “I gotta look good to my guests.”
CDs. Books. DVD’s. Are these items treasured? Or are they simply a prop so your guests will be impressed by your intelligence and diverse tastes?
Remember this: we are motivated by two things: Fear or Love. Which of these keeps you clinging to items because of appearances?

Excuse #6 – “I Don’t Know Where It Goes.”
When items don’t have a home, it’s harder to determine whether or not they are clutter. Some things may seem like clutter – like the cute card that your daughter made that floats around from drawer to drawer – but they’re not clutter.
They’re homeless.
Once you start defining spaces for items, then it’s easier to see when something doesn’t fit anywhere and should just get tossed.

Excuse #7 – “My thoughts don’t have any power. Do they?”
Everything has energy.  The thoughts you have about the things in your home CREATE energy.  If you are surrounded by stuff you keep out of guilt, then your environment holds guilt.  If you hang on to stuff given to you by your ex, and you still feel bitter – then there is bitterness in your home.
Get it?
It’s either fueling you or draining you.  If anything triggers you, then that is your barometer. Let it go.

Excuse #8 – “But I never wore it!”
See Clutter Excuse #2.

Excuse #9 – “There’s too much stuff!”
Overwhelm can stop us in our tracks. If this article makes you aware that there are lots of items in your life you don’t like, then go slow.   Schedule small chunks of time each day.  It takes time to be clutter-free! But the newfound clarity and lightness are worth it!


Christine Kane is the Mentor to People Who are Changing the World. She helps women and men Uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Uplevel You eZine goes out to over 26,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://christinekane.com.

M is for Menu: Simple Menu Planning Tips

M is for Menu Planning   

One of the most important things I do each month, for both my sanity and my budget, is menu planning.

There are a couple of things that I have found over the years to be of the biggest assistance when planning my family’s meals each month.

1.  Planning monthly saves me time and money.   I can cook in bulk and freeze saving me cooking time and having meals prepared ahead saves money on expensive and unhealthy take-out options  
2. Having a deep freeze saves me money
3. Using the weekly flyers saves me money

In my early 30’s (yes I am well beyond that now), I was given the book Once-a-MonthCooking by Mimi Wilson & Mary Beth Lagerborg and it completely changed the way I thought about cooking and planning meals.   It may not be for you and it does indeed leave you locked in the kitchen for a day BUT it is one day a month and then  you are free as a bird the rest of the month.

When checking out the link for the book - I stumbled across this quick YouTube Video that talks about the cost savings and family benefits to using this method.

Planning Monthly Menus.    

I personally have found it helpful to plan my menus by the month.   If making a pot of spaghetti sauce, I would slot that into the menu twice in the month and ensure that I make enough in one batch to not only cover serving it twice in the month but also twice in the following month.   Same would apply with a soup…. I would ensure that there were enough prepared for dinner twice that month or one dinner and two lunches, again I would likely make enough to cover a meal or two for the following month as well.

Where do I find the time to make meals in advance?  It really does not take a lot more effort to cook a meal in bulk than it does to cook it for one dinner.   A few more minutes chopping perhaps but other than that, it does not cost any negligible time and in the long run, you will gain time back into your life having the meals already prepared.

Using Weekly Flyers.    

Weekly flyers can be a blessing or a curse.   If you use them to purchase items your family uses and needs, they are a blessing.  If they are hanging around becoming clutter or you purchase items you do not need and will not use, then they are obviously a curse.

When using flyers, I would recommend stapling a list to the front of each flyer indicating what you wish to purchase from each particular store.   Take the flyer to the store with you so you have the price and the package size and then leave the flyer at the store so you do not have the paper clutter to deal with later.    If there is an item on sale that you use often, like peanut butter or butter, stock up when it is on sale and then do not buy more until the stock is almost depleted.   Do not buy more than you have storage space.  

Our family loves butter and it is usually quite expensive.   Our freezer often holds 6-10 pounds of butter at a time.  Right now, our butter stash has been depleted since butter has not been on sale for a while.   We do the same with meat and buy in bulk when it's on sale.   I then check my freezer when preparing my menu each month and plan around what's in the freezer and what is on sale that week.   It is a rare week that we buy meat that is not on sale.

Having a deep freeze saves you money.  

Buying in bulk when items are on sale and freezing homemade meals in advance is a major factor in having well planned healthy menus ready for your family.

A few tips from our family to yours when menu planning

• Plan left over night the evening before garage pick up.   Haul everything out and serve a wide variety to clear out the fridge

• Serve an egg dish once a week to save dollars.   Omelets, Frittatas, Quiche are great ways to use up left over vegetables and meats as well.

• Plan a pasta dish one night per week

• Plan a fish dish one night per week

•  Make one, freeze one.   It takes no extra time to double each recipe.   Make a meal for dinner and freeze one for later in the month.

If you would like a copy of our free monthly menu planner, please email us and put Free Menu Planner in the subject line, we would be happy to send one out to you.

Adventures in Organizing can help you with your menu planning, household management, home filing systems and time management systems.    

Sign up for our Minute-By-Minute program today!   For just $5.00 per week you will have your own customized organizing program.  

Organizing By The Letter: F is For Finances: Money, a Love Hate Relationship

F is for Finances! 

            

Money, we love it – we hate it!

Money Makes The World Go Around

Let me be very clear that I am no money professional and the best way to ensure that you are making sound financial decision is to check with your investment professionals and money managers.   That being said – here are a few tricks I have learned over the years…most have been learned the hard way. 

It is impossible to discuss organizing without mentioning finances.   They go together like Peanut Butter and Jam.  If bill cannot be found, payments will be late.  Late payments could result in:

• Late penalty fees,

• Utilities being turned off,

• Damage to credit ratings

Disorganization makes it difficult to know what money we actually have.

When a bill comes in the door it is extremely important to have one location to file it until bill payment day comes – pssstt, write the due date on the calendar.  Put the bill in a “TO PAY” file.  Once the bill has been paid, make note on the calendar and on the bill itself, write the cheque number or authorization number on the page, note the date and the amount and file it right away in the correct folder. Eliminating clutter by filing bills as soon as they have been paid results in a payoff in the battle against a filing backlog and piles of clutter.

Stream line as many of your bills as possible by having electronic billing and paying online.  Open a file folder in your email program to store the bills in once they have been paid.

If you do not yet have a Will – this is the foundation upon which your financial house is built.  Don’t delay in taking care of this piece, it does not cost as much as one would think.

Where Does It All Go?

Knowing exactly where is our money goes is essential to sound money management practices.  Track your expenses.

MORTGAGE AND RENT

Some are fixed expenses that we have little control over such as:

Mortgage or

Apartment rental fees. 

Calling the bank to ensure that we have achieved the best interest rate available on the mortgage or if renting;  talk to your landlord about reducing your rent by a small percentage – 10% in your pockets can be a huge savings – the worst they can say is “no”.  This will likely be more possible in areas with a high vacancy rate

INSURANCE

Insurance is another area where, once determining the best policies for the family, the fees are pretty much set.  Bundling all our insurance under one company can often save us some funds. 

• Home

• Auto

• Life

Having an alarm system installed in the house could increase your home owner’s policy savings.   Check with the insurance company to look for ways to save money, they are often very willing to help.  The deduction in insurance rates may be equal to or greater than the alarm fees each month – check and see!

Before renewing policies, call around and see if other companies can do better (schedule this on your calendar a few month before the renewal date.)  

UTILITIES

Utilities costs are spiraling and it is an area where we can have a little bit of control.  Ensure that lights are turned out when leaving rooms, at night unplug as many appliances as possible (things like computers, televisions, and toasters still draw power even when they are not ‘on’.  Changing thermostats to programmable models and keeping the temperate a degree or two lower than normal during the winter and a degree or two higher than normal would during the summer – could help put dollars back in their pockets.

Telephones; many people are giving up their “landlines” these days and simply using their cell phones and Google Phone and Skype via their internet connections for their long distance calls.  Consider this option carefully, perhaps it would suit the current family needs.

Install shower heads that use less water, drop water displacement aids into the toilet tank (its saves water when flushing) turn off the taps when brushing your teeth, don’t leave the water running when washing dishes. Don’t waste money watering the lawn.  Your local city or municipality may even have discount coupons for showers heads, toilets, water aerators for the taps, some even provide water saving kits for free.   Check out their websites.

Taxes – ugh!   Ensuring taxes are paid on time and avoid needless penalties and interest charges.  For those owing money annually, setting up automatic monthly or bi-weekly payments for deposit into taxation accounts could be helpful in avoiding interest charges.  Most government taxation departments have this as a payment option.

SAVINGS

Savings should be a fixed cost for all of us.  There is no one going to step in for us in our hours of financial need – this is a basic piece of our financial organizational foundation.  The first 10% we make should go directly into savings and it should stay there for a rainy day (no - not for a new rain coat - nice try though, for a rainy day!) Setting up online banking to automatically deposit money into savings accounts each pay day is the simplest way to ensure money is being set aside.    Even $25.00 per pay adds up in a year!

One of my favourite books on money management is called Debt-Free Forever “Take Control of Your Money and Your Life by Gail Vaz-Oxlade.  It is a straight forward, often funny, look at our finances and how to organize your money to obtain financial freedom from debt.  Check with your local library for a copy – it is definitely worth the read!

CREDIT CARDS

Most credit card statements can be sent via email to reduce incoming paperwork.  Payments to these cards can be made via telephone or internet banking, saving both time and money but really, one of the biggest organization issues with cards is that most of us simply have too many!  Really how many do we actually need?  ONE!  Department store cards have horrific interest rates – do not use them. 

For those with a large number of cards and departments store cards, try calling the companies and see if the interest rates can be lowered.   Many companies will do this but climbing up the “chain of command” and speaking to a supervisor might be required.  

Some will say no, but if even two of the company’s lower the card’s interest rate - that is money that goes back into our pockets rather than those of the big banks!  Okay so that pretty much covers most of the bills that come in the door.  

See what progress can be made on the financial front by making a few phone calls – you could be quite surprised at the savings!  Let me know how you did.