When Is it OVER Organizing?

In the middle of my recovery from my birthday brunch, I discovered a major organizing faux pas at my newest favorite drinking establishment. Over Organizing! I enjoy labels just as much as the next person, but when can taking the label maker go a little overboard?

In this scenario, the label crazed individual decided to put labels in the bottle holder at the bar. Unfortunately, a few things come screaming into my mind. 1) it's a bar! 2) what bartender on a busy night is actually going to put the vodka bottles in question in the appropriate location? As you can tell by the picture...NONE OF THEM! So why bother?

Although, I may have been the only sober/hung over/drunk wack job who ever noticed this organizing debacle, it does bring up a great point for organizing in your homes or your office. You can over organize yourself into failure. The secret to successful organizing is doing it correctly and customize it for you.

Take our garage organizing post for example; you can set a special location for all of the balls your kids play with, but are they REALLY going to put the basketball in the basketball bin or is your son going to "shoot hoops" with every ball he gets his hands on? Having a generic location for all balls, may make a lot more sense than having individual locations for each ball.

The same can be said for the Vodka balls. Instead of labeling where each flavor of Vodka should go, it should have just been left alone and let the bottles fall where they lie or stand. Before you break out the label maker, ask yourself 1) do you REALLY need to label it 2) does it make sense to break it down further?

As for Dos Gringos, this gringo is still going for the burritos and great service. She just won't dwell too much on the labeling issue. At least, I'll try not too!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 34th birthday and it has been an altogether fun day! Garrett has turned into a true gentleman and has opened my doors, carried in my bags, and even baked me my favorite birthday cake! Yellow Cake with NO frosting! (I'm not a big fan of frosting.)

Jordyn and I are going to be staying up a little late tonight and we are watching Marie Antoinette and just having a nice girlie night. I'm quite excited about it! My 14-year old daughter STILL wants me to hang out with her "what was it like to live with the dinosaurs" old mom!

My mom decided to go out of her way and make me the best damn mashed potatoes EVER and she also gave me a 30-pound slab of beef aka Porterhouse Steak for dinner! I couldn't even eat half of the dang gone thing! It was yummy, but good lord! I wouldn't have had to of eaten for an entire year!

I must say that I do absolutely love my birthday and 33 was a wild and crazy year! From starting up this blog, to finding new bloggy friends with whom I have become very close to, watching clients become friends and celebrating a book deal! (Yeah, Pam!!!!!) I gained and lost a marriage in my 33rd year and I have realized the importance of not being so selfish and listening to the dreams of other people around me. I really just wish I would have lost the 30 pounds that found it's way to my hind end!

Through everything that has happened, the good and the bad. The ups and the downs. The crying and the laughter. The hopes and the dreams. One thing stayed constant. One thing stayed the course. One thing always brought me back to my senses. One thing kept me sane through the moments of panic. One thing continued to be organized. :o)

THANK THE HEAVENS FOR OUTLOOK!!!!!!

I may have gotten behind on some emails in the last couple of months, but thank goodness I have my rules, tasks, to do's and calendar in place so that I don't have to worry about forgetting it for too long! My purse has seen better days, my make shift office in my new bedroom is driving me up the wall, but by golly, my Outlook looks SUPERB!

If you are going through a time of absolute chaos, find ONE thing to bring you back to reality. ONE thing that will hold your hand through these times of nail biting frustration. ONE little saving grace that will keep you calm and in control. It will amaze you the power it can have over you.

Your marriage can be falling apart, you could be in constant fear of losing your job, the bill collectors may be knocking on your door, the family could be sicker than a dog, you may be snowed in until next summer, but if you have ONE little routine, ONE little area of your life organized, you can get your life back in control. Even if it is as simple as washing the sheets on Clean Sheet Sunday. Or always putting your toothbrush in the proper hole in your toothbrush holder. Wherever your area of sanity comes from, don't let get away from you.

Now, if only I can take advantage of it being my birthday, having a lunar eclipse, and WINNING THE LOTTERY I would one happy birthday girl! If not, oh well, I still have my family and friends who will put up with me for the next year!

Happy Organizing!

Command Central aka Project Planning

I have done a lot of blogging and composed Podcasts on Mind Mapping. I have also talked about the Walls of Cork and how to use them to manage thoughts and projects. Well, today I am going to share with you my latest development! Nicely dubbed "Command Central!"

We were on a very tight budget so doing an entire wall in corkboard was definitely out of the question! Instead, we used foam core board! This stuff works out well for more than just science projects for the kids! It's an inexpensive way to do your Family Organizing Board and perfect for Command Central or Mind Mapping.

I didn't want to just use a black 30 x 40 piece of foam core as it is so boring and very plain. I also needed something HUGE so multiple projects could be tracked. So I snagged my more creative mother and drug her with me to the fabric store. :o) I love moms! We found some very nice material to cover the foam core with and off we went back to her house.

I wanted to keep this project as simple as possible for all of those out there who are more like me and don't have a creative bone in their body! For those of you who have an abundance of creative flair, please share with me your ideas on your own project boards! I would love to hear and see them! As for this simpleton, we used a stapler to attach the fabric to the foam core. :o) I told you, I like it simple!

I could have stopped at one or two pieces of foam core, but instead I went for the gusto and used 4 - 30x40 pieces. It looks GREAT!

In order to mount them on the wall in the very plain and small office, I used wall mirror hooks I picked up at Ace Hardware and they worked out perfectly! I was a little concerned that the overwhelming size of the boards would make the office/closet look itty bitty, but much to my surprise it made the office seem a heck of a lot bigger than it really is! Woo hoo!

Once I had all four pieces mounted on the wall, I printed off sections for our Project Planning board. For this client, we segmented them out by customer and marketing projects. This way, anytime their Business Development team had a new action item or project they could pin up the emails, documents, etc. to the board and the rest of the team could track it.

Now the emails printed off worked out nicely, but they were also inundated with phone calls as well. So, instead of writing each project on a piece of paper, we used some pretty 3x5 cards. We wrote the project on the card and pinned it to the proper area.

Not one to use plain Jane office supplies, I had to buy some nifty tacks! The great part was the more decorative tacks came with a nifty foam backing. I used a binder clip to attach the foam to the board and then put the regular tacks in the foam so I had a nice place to store the tacks and it was easily accessible.

The entire board, including fabric, cost about $50. The majority of the cost was tied up with the foam core and that was primarily because I used the big sheets. If you use the regular 20 x 30 it would probably cost you a whole whopping $25 to put together your own Command Central!

The best part about the whole experience is when the Director of Business Development saw the new board, he LOVED IT! He didn't know what was all on the board, but it felt like his team had everything in control and it definitely felt like "Command Central".

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb

Making the Most of Your Routine and Keeping Your Sanity

Recently the kids and I moved into a new place and with new surroundings comes a new routine. Under normal circumstances, I would start the dishwasher as soon as dinner was over, but now, the dishwasher at our new place is incredibly LOUD and completely OBNOXIOUS! There is no way on God's green Earth that I am going to listen to that racket after dinner. In all honesty, loud "white noise" drives me insane and I get extremely cranky.

Our new little apartment is much smaller than our last home, so being a little lazy and leaving the shoes laying around the living isn't an option anymore. Especially since, one pair makes it look like a disaster area hit!

Since we are now in the full "apartment living" mode, that also means my trash can isn't just outside the door any more, it's down at the end of the walk and quite frankly, I'm way too lazy to go out there all the time!

Speaking of which, carrying in a ton of groceries is down right scary! Especially since they don't make bags the way they used to! I have dinged and broken way too may cans and jars of gravy so far and I've only been here 3 weeks so far!

Knowing my obstacles and my annoyance factor has helped me put together a quick and simple little routine to help the kids and I out during the week.

For example; instead of starting the dishwasher after dinner, I turn it on right before we leave the house in the morning for school. This way I don't have to listen to it. When Jordyn gets home from school, she unloads it and it's ready to put dirty dishes in after dinner.

Garrett has decided that since he is the "man", he will go ahead and take on the responsibility of taking out the trash! Woo hoo! He has to get a swinging start to get it over the dumpster, but he doesn't do too bad for a short kid.

The kids have been absolutely fantastic about putting their things in their room as soon as they come home and it stays pretty dang gone picked up every day. The only thing I still have to figure out is the collect-all kitchen counter that is right smack dab at the front door when you come in. Truth by told, I am the WORST offender at that one! Yikes!

We still keep our routine of cleaning every Saturday morning and that helps out a ton! Plus, it doesn't take us as long any more and we are all appreciative of that.

As for the groceries, well, I am going to have a special post on that one here in a few weeks! This is something I am just so excited about, but you'll just have to wait! BUT if you live in an apartment or if you have to haul your groceries a long ways you are going to love it!!

As for the rest of the place, everything is pretty much all settled in except my room and the make shift office I have to deal with. Not really too happy with the way it is set up and I'm torn between removing the computer all together and not even working from the house or sucking up my frustration and leaving the computer in my bedroom...which I do not want to do.

The bottom line is, if you are going through change don't fight it or try to hold on to past routines. It could just frustrate you more and you may end up losing a battle that never could have been won in the first place. Instead, reevaluate and make the necessary adjustments.

(You have no idea how much it bothered me to think I had to wait 12 whole hours to start the dishwasher, but you know what? I lived and the dishes STILL get cleaned! Imagine that!)

Happy Organizing!

Favorite Organizing Tools from the Experts

Last week I decided that I was going to do up a new feature on my Suzanne's Favs blog. My Suzanne's Favs blog is all about my favorite organizing tools, habits and product reviews and I thought I would spruce it up a bit by adding the favorites of some of my friends and colleagues!

Today, marks my very first post and in the weeks to come we are going to hear the tips from:

Krista Garren
Marcia Francois
Janet Barclay
Allison Cabral
Kelly McCants
Ms. Org Junkie herself aka Laura
Vicki Riley

And possibly a few more!!! If you have a tip, a tool, or an idea you would like to share please feel free to let me know! The more ideas the better!

Thank you, ladies!

Happy Organizing!

Organizing Your Reading By Sharing

I love to read! When I get a chance too, of course! There is just nothing better than curling up on the couch with a comfy blanket, a fire going in the fire place, a glass of your favorite beverage, and falling into a wonderful place in time.

There really isn't a lot of books I won't read; I am a sucker for a great political thriller, I LOVE wonderful smut books, anything remarkably involving history I am all over, and occasionally I will even expand my brain and read a non-fiction book or two...occasionally!

So, when I was bored out of my mind yesterday and trying hard to get some shut eye, I found the virtual bookshelf on FaceBook. Yep, I am hooked on the silly social networking site and now that I found the bookshelf I am addicted! Marcia, I am so going to brow beat you into signing up for it!

I get to pick out the books I have read, books I want to read, and the ones I am currently trying to get through. I can leave my opinion on the books or for the ones I am interested in reading I can read other reviews or click the link back to Amazon and order it when I'm ready. PLUS, I can recommend books to other people!

If you are in the personal service industry such as a Life Coach, Organizer, Consultant, etc. how nice would it be to just click the little "Recommend to a Friend" button and send it off to your client...if they are on Facebook.

So, I figure I am going to try it out for a bit and see how I like for organizing my own reading and recommendations from friends and colleagues. How is that for organizing your life by using social networking?!

If you are on Facebook and if you would like to share some of your favorite books with me, be sure and look me up under Suzanne McLoone.

Happy Organizing!

Putting the Unthinkable to Work For You

The last several weeks have been spent moving, picking up curtains, sheets, new bedding and all sorts of craziness. During our little shopping excursions, I was picking up sheets, curtains, comforters, table cloths, you name it I was grabbing it. What I started noticing is all of these great essentials came in wonderful plastic bags with zippers! They are durable, they were in different sizes and I fell in love! So, I just HAD to figure out some nifty uses for them.

Keep in mind that I have small ones from pillow cases and I have huge bags from the comforter sets I picked up, so in all reality, the sky is the limit!

Suzy's Uses For Linen Bags

1. Everything I need to hang up curtains (show above)
2. Magnetic toys
3. Gameboy chargers, games, accessories
4. Make up and toiletries for traveling
5. Camera, charger, and manual
6. Junk drawer junk! (Got to have a junk drawer)
7. Extra blankets, pillows and sheets for the sleep over company (all in one bag!)
8. Protecting nice storables from the elements
9. Portable office supplies for the car
10. Extra extension cords, phone cords, USB cables, etc.
11. Crayons, markers and paints
12. Cross stitch kits (I used to cross stitch A LOT and I would put my projects inside one of these to protect the fabric and keep my instructions with it)
13. On the go projects to work on while you are waiting for kids to come out from school, extra-curricular activities, or just sitting around waiting.
14. Old cell phones
15. Extra pens and pencils
16. Bills, stamps, envelopes, for on the run bill paying
17. Outfits for traveling - Can you imagine just being able to pull out a bag that is already set with your pants, shirt, underwear that matches your outfit and shoes? Talk about getting ready in a jiffy!
18. Matchbox cars
19. Old birthday cards you can't part with
20. Love letters from the past. :o) These are always fun to re-read!

Those are just a few ideas and I'm sure you can come up with a slew more for your industry and needs. If you want to share some of your own ideas, please feel free to do so. I am sure we could all use some extra helpful suggestions!

How about things for sewing rooms, classrooms, or moving?

Happy organizing!

Suzanne

Looking Back in January

Janet Barclay is probably my favorite Virtual Assistant, but more importantly I love her blog! She is always coming up with new ideas for productivity at work and I have fallen in love with a nifty little idea for letting her readers know what she has been up to. Especially since a lot of us blog on different sites, write articles for different folks, and are just busy busy busy spreading organizing cheer throughout the world!

Janet does a "Month in Review" segment and I am totally borrowing her idea! Thanks for the inspiration, Janet! Of course, the best part is I was not busy in January in the least bit as far as my writing efforts go, so this should be relatively painless!

OnlineOrganizing Fear Your Computer No More Blog

When You Can't Find a Solution
Podcasts to Help With Spelling?

OnlineOrganizing Setting and Achieving Goals Blog

Achieving the Impossible and Never Giving Up
Failures Caused by Distractions

Let's Talk Organizing Podcast

Why People HATE to File

100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your BUSY Life eBook (You can still get it for free!)

Coming Next Month

More blog posts
More podcasts
Our "Organizing for Success" eBook translated into German, perhaps! :o) More on that later, but oh so exciting!!!!!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne

Warm Fuzzies from the Weekend

For the most part, my weekend was quite relaxing! I did work on Saturday for the majority part of the day, but then in the afternoon my girlfriend and I played hooky and did a bit of R&R around Gilbert. Talk about wonderful! I so completely needed it!!!

Although I must say I had a couple of other "warm fuzzy" moments that I just have to share! For the past 7 or 8 months, I have been a contributing author for the Organized Living column in three of our local papers here in Gilbert and Mesa. Denise, the editor, pulls off some of my ezine articles that I have written or some of my favorite blog posts and includes them in the paper. It's so wonderful! She is a true God send. Well, on Friday I had stopped by my office and the owner of the office suite came out and asked me if I was the same Suzanne McLoone who writes the Organized Living column. Ok, I have known Derek for 4 months now, I have an office in his suite, I am probably the biggest blabber mouth I know, and he is now just putting two and two together. :o) How cute is that?!

The article itself must have been a good one, because I actually received a "fan phone call" as well! Now THAT is definitely a first for me...on anything! (And no, it was not my mother!)

Another piece of exciting news is I am going to get to meet one of my first blogging buddies in April! She is flying out to Arizona to visit family, but she is going to take a 2 hour trek up to Phoenix so we can chit chat about organzing funness! I can hardly wait and I am quite excited by it all.

Well, that is about it for me. It is way past my bed time and it's time for me to call it a night.

Happy Organizing!