How to Know When You Need to Call a Professional Organizer

By Alyssa Davis

When it comes to cleaning and organizing, there are as many different strategies and techniques as there are different people. After all, an organizational technique that works great for one person might not work at all for somebody else. If you're like most people, you probably have a favorite organizational strategy that works well for you and your family. However, a strategy that works well for everyday clutter might be woefully inadequate for those times when your home really gets out of control. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the need to get organized, a professional organizer might be the answer. If you're wondering if a professional organizer might be the perfect solution for your household, ask yourself a few of these questions.

Do I Feel Overwhelmed?

In today's busy world, it's often difficult to find time to do even the most basic house cleaning tasks. If things have piled up to an unmanageable level, working with a professional organizer can often be the fastest and most efficient way to get things back under control fast. Professional organizers have the tools and techniques you need to cut through the clutter and get your home in tip-top shape quickly.

Do I Have a Plan, But Not Enough Time to Implement it?

Many people have a pretty good idea of what they'd like to do in order to get better organized. Unfortunately, busy work schedules and family responsibilities often push cleaning and organizing tasks into the "maybe someday when I find some time" category. By scheduling time with a professional organizer, you'll have a structured timeframe each week in order to work towards your organizational goals. As an added bonus, two people can almost always get more done than just one. If it always seems as though you'd like to get organized but can never quite find the time, working with a professional organizer could be the perfect solution.

Am I Too Emotionally Attached?

If you find it difficult to get organized because you seem to be too emotionally attached to your belongings, a professional organizer can help you make the tough decisions. You might be surprised how much easier it is to choose what to keep versus what to throw away when you have a professional by your side.

Can We Work Well as a Team?

If you're like many people, you might be hesitant to work with another person when organizing your personal possessions. Although you might deeply desire a more organized home, you might also dread the thought of somebody else telling you what to keep and what to throw out. When choosing a professional organizer, it's important to find someone that is easy for you to work with. If you've got any doubts, try scheduling a single session. If you find that the two of you work well as a team, then you can schedule additional organizing sessions. However, if you find that you don't work well with a particular person, simply schedule a session with a different professional organizer instead.

This article is written by Alyssa Davis, who writes for http://www.metal-wall-art.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alyssa_Davis

Six Professional Organizing Tips That Address Common Time Management Issues

By Stephanie Shalofsky

We've all had that thought that we could use more time - more hours in the day to get through all of our tasks, to exercise, to get more sleep, to enjoy time with our family and friends. But since more hours in the day seem unlikely, time management tips and strategies can help you more effectively and efficiently use the hours to accomplish more of what you need to do - and want to do. Read on for professional organizer time management tips to help make your busy NYC days more productive.

How do you use your time? Keep a journal or diary (electronic or paper) for a week to track how you're spending your time. Write down the start and end time for your tasks - getting ready for work in the morning, your commute, stopping for coffee, phone calls, meetings, shopping for groceries, etc. Knowing how much time each task really takes is can help you to better plan for each day. This is a really key tip for developing a more effective time management strategy.

Once you know how you're spending your time each day, look for ways to better utilize some of the minutes and hours in your day. Could you catch up on reading trade journals during your 45 minutes on the train? And then later spend those 45 minutes taking a walk or having lunch with a friend?

Plan your day. Take some time at the end of each day or first thing each morning - it can be as little as 10 minutes - to review and update your calendar and your to-do list, making note of those items that are priorities for the day. Be realistic about what you can accomplish by the end of the day and plan forward those things that are not critical for the current day. Effective time management starts with accepting the reality behind this tip: A very limited number of priorities will be accomplished each day. Be sure that you focus on those that are most important for the day.

Schedule important tasks on your calendar . As a professional organizer will advise, any activity that is important to you and your business or personal life should be scheduled on your calendar. Appointments and recurring activities such as classes, meetings and regular networking events are obvious calendar items. But if exercising four days a week is a priority for you, put it on your calendar and honor the scheduled time. If you want to have lunch with your child at school one day each week, schedule it so that it doesn't get bumped by other events.

The type of calendar you use is a matter of personal preference, but it's important to have one calendar with all of your events and priorities listed. Managing multiple calendars becomes a chore in itself and utilizes time you could spend elsewhere. Electronic calendars, such Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar can synchronize between your computer and mobile device, allowing you to have an up-to-date view wherever you are. If a paper calendar works best for you, there are many options, including those with daily, weekly and monthly views. Be realistic about how many tasks you're going to list for each day and select a calendar that will accommodate your schedule. Planner Pads are a great option for a weekly view of activities that you can organize into categories.

Plan for and manage interruptions. No matter how well you think you've scheduled your day, you're going to have interruptions and distractions. Plan a few blocks of time into your day so that if you're pulled away from what you're doing, you can shift your schedule as you need to. For those tasks that require your undivided attention, establish a "do not disturb" signal to let co-workers and others know that you're not available.

Turn off your phone and use your voice mail message to let callers know that you will return calls at particular times during the day. If someone else answers your office phone, let them know when you do not want to be interrupted and agree on what constitutes an emergency. Disable email notifications so that you aren't tempted to check messages every time your computer chimes at you. Check email at specific times each day, putting these blocks of time into your schedule. And as much fun as it is to peruse your college roommate's latest vacation photos, close Facebook and other social media sites when you're trying to focus on other work. How many times have you signed in for "just a minute" and found yourself still there an hour later?

Don't procrastinate. Mark Twain wrote, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." Start your day with the most important task on your list, even if it's a difficult one. Establish milestones toward accomplishing the task and just get started. Beginning each day with the most important tasks ensures that they get your attention before you can be distracted.

Take care of you . Recognize that you need breaks periodically and schedule them on your calendar. Go for a walk, drink some water, do some stretches. Often your concentration is helped by a few minutes of fresh air and a change of scenery.

Establish taking care of yourself as a priority. Getting enough sleep (7-8 hours is optimal), nutritious food and exercise are vitally important in reducing stress and accomplishing the things you need and want to do every day.

Be sure to reward yourself regularly for progress and achievement of your goals - celebrate your successes!

Stephanie Shalofsky is a New York Professional Organizer and the founder of The Organizing Zone. Using her extensive project management experience and organizational abilities, Stephanie is dedicated to helping residential and business clients manage their paper and computer information, time and space so that they can be more productive.

The Organizing Zone's professional organizer can help your New York office improve with simple strategies that are often forgotten in today's 24/7, always connected workplace environment. These are the basics and not-so-basics of organizing your NYC calendar and task list that help you maximize the workday and focus on the essential tasks.

Call (917) 375-0631 or visit http://www.theorganizingzone.com today to discuss how you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Shalofsky

Be S-M-A-R-T

By Stephanie Shalofsky

The S.M.A.R.T. acronym is one that has been presented, discussed and applied to goal setting in various aspects of business over the years. As there is some uncertainty concerning the originator of this concept, it is difficult to know exactly how and when it was first applied. In any event, regardless of when its use may have been first noted, it is a concept that we all should be aware of and apply to both our business and personal lives. This thought process will force you to be very precise and specific when establishing your goals. By doing so, your approach to the tasks at hand will be much more organized which will enable you to more efficiently utilize your time.

You can set both short term and long term goals. Regardless of the time parameter, it is typically recommended that goals be reviewed are regular intervals. As such, I prefer to set quarterly goals and assess my progress during the quarter as well as at the end of each 3-month period.

So, what does S.M.A.R.T. stand for? Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Timely. The inclusion of all of these concepts when establishing your goals should produce a goal which will yield very definitive results. Whether they are monetary in nature, procedural, or project specific, the ability to so completely define your objectives will significantly benefit your company over time.

Here are some thoughts to consider when setting your goals:

SPECIFIC: Your goal needs to be very clearly defined. In doing so, the objective needs to be as detailed as appropriate so that there is no question as to what needs to be accomplished.

MEASURABLE: There should be mechanism built into your goal that will enable you to measure the results.

ATTAINABLE: There needs to be an element of reality introduced into the goal setting process as it makes no sense to set goals which are beyond your reach. This is a very essential component as you should only be focusing on those goals that are possible to attain.

RELEVANT: The goal should make sense in context of your company's plans, mission statement and budget. As it relates to an individual goal, your plans, budget and schedule need to be taken into account when setting a goal. Introducing a goal which doesn't take these into account or runs contrary to these areas will only cause confusion, create additional and possibly unnecessary work and divert your focus.

TIME FRAME: The deadline or time schedule for attaining the goal needs to be established and should be realistic based on the amount of effort that will have to be invested.

An example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal which takes all of these concepts into consideration is as follows:

-Increasing awareness of your company and its products/services by creating a presence on the social media sites by spending 20 minutes per day for one month setting up profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, posting relevant business information (products, events, advice, or news) and building a network of at least 50 influential contacts on each site.

As you can see from the above example, each of the concepts has been taken into consideration when formulating the goal. In an effort to ensure that you are on the right track once your goal has been set, run it by a colleague, family member or someone whose opinion that is valued to ensure that the objective is explicitly clear, concise and complete. If this is not the case, it would be better to fine tune your goal so that you can stay focused and more productively tackle the tasks that need to be addressed.

Stephanie Shalofsky is the founder of The Organizing Zone and a Professional Organizer located in New York City. She specializes in office organizing and works with both small companies and individuals with home offices. Stephanie creates customized solutions that her clients can sustain so that they will be better able to manage their paper and computer information, time and space. She can be reached via e-mail atStephanie@theorganizingzone.com. http://www.theorganizingzone.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Shalofsky

Suggestions From a Professional Organizer for Creating a Productive Office Environment

By Stephanie Shalofsky

Let's face it - we're all busy. And the more we have to do, the more important it is to maximize our productivity and create a productive office environment. This is more than just having an organized desk or a filing system, important as those things are. According to Barbara Hemphill of the Productive Environment Institute, a productive environment is a setting in which everything around you supports who you are and who you want to be. In order to create a productive office environment, many professional organizers consider sharpening our organizational abilities and adapting good time management skills a must.

To begin, assess your objectives, which should be the basis for your daily and weekly to-do lists. With a finite number of hours in the day, it isn't possible to do everything that we might like to do, or sometimes even everything we need to do. Professional organizers advise sorting out the essential from the non-essential by applying the SMART methodology. When setting goals and objectives, make sure that they are SPECIFIC,MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, and TIMELY. Following this methodology, you can focus on those tasks which will yield definitive results which will ultimately make you more productive in your office.

When your objectives are clarified, there's a list of tasks that need to be addressed. The method you use to keep track of your tasks can vary from a written to-do list to a mobile app - use what works for you and your lifestyle. Regardless of the format you use, recognize that not every item on your to-do list is going to get done today, tomorrow or even this week. Here are some tips that professional organizers suggest for creating a better process for reminding yourself of what needs to be done.

1. Assess the importance of each task and determine if it requires more immediate attention or relates to a future project.


2. Accept the fact that not all tasks have an equal degree of importance.


3. Identify the top 2-3 tasks that should be completed during a given day and focus on them until they are completed.


4. Block out time on your calendar to work on specific projects.


5. Recognize that there are tasks on your list that you will never get to and plan to re-assess their importance at a later date or just cross them off the list.


6. Delegate tasks as appropriate.


7. Get into the habit of consolidating all of your to-do's in one master list. Create a system that is easy to use and preferably one that doesn't include Post-It notes!


8. Group like tasks together. For example, schedule a block of time to make/return all of your phone calls.

The tasks you take on can create lots of paper, e-mail and other data, meaning you can find yourself spending valuable time trying to locate a specific document or folder. This is where an effective filing system for paper and computer files is key to being able to create a more productive office environment. Here are some that a professional organizer would share for better managing paperwork:

1. Start by clearing all of the paper on your desk so that all that is left are those papers related to either new or ongoing tasks.


2. Sort the remaining papers into categories by the type of action required and create action files for each category. File all incoming paperwork in appropriate folders upon receipt.


3. Create a system for filing pending items. Papers related to specific event or project that requires an action in the future should be included in this file. A filing system modeled on the "tickler file" is a good tool for tracking this type of information.


4. Set up an in box so that new incoming materials don't get mixed in with the paperwork already on your desk.

Using e-mail efficiently is just as important as managing the flow of paper in your home or office. Some tips to manage your overflowing inbox:

1. Schedule time to check your e-mail. Depending on the volume of daily mail, you may need to check it 3-4 times during the day, but stick to these times.
2. Turn off message alerts so that incoming messages don't distract you from working on other tasks.
3. Open a message only when you are ready to act on it.
4. Read all e-mails from one sender prior to replying.
5. Create folders and move messages that need to be kept out of your in-box as quickly as possible.

Once you've adapted these suggestions into your daily routine, periodically reevaluate your productivity to make sure you're still on track. Celebrate your successes and identify areas where more work may be needed. Taking the time to establish methods to create a productive office environment will pay off as you accomplish tasks and achieve goals with greater efficiency.

Stephanie Shalofsky is a New York Professional Organizer and the founder of The Organizing Zone. Using her extensive project management experience and organizational abilities, Stephanie is dedicated to helping residential and business clients manage their paper and computer information, time and space so that they can be more productive.

The Organizing Zone's professional organizer can help your New York office improve with simple strategies that are often forgotten in today's 24/7, always connected workplace environment. These are the basics and not-so-basics of organizing your NYC calendar and task list that help you maximize the workday and focus on the essential tasks.

Call (917) 375-0631 or visit http://www.theorganizingzone.com today to discuss how you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Shalofsky

Home Office Organizing Tips - Set Up Your Workspace and Keep it Uncluttered

By Sally Allen

Hectic schedules, family meals, carpools and business deadlines all run smoother when there's a dedicated area for managing the business of running a household or home-based office. The area - let's call it a command center - should be thoughtfully situated and organized so tasks are handled efficiently, leaving more time to do the things you want.

The command center, whether it's a home office or a desk tucked into a kitchen niche, should consolidate information and activity flow. Without a central place, "home executives" often find themselves operating out of every room in the house or even using the dining room table.

Be careful about where you choose to work. It's more than throwing a card table in a corner with a phone and a laptop. Just because the basement has an open corner doesn't mean you should work there. Most basements have limited lighting and the amount of natural light can have a big impact on how you feel while working at your desk. Create a workspace in a spot that makes you happy or you'll find the office creeping out into other parts of the home.

While a spare room makes an ideal office, most of us are faced with working in a corner of the guest room or at the kitchen desk. It seems that kitchen designers feel obligated to build a desk into the most used room in the house. With today's busy schedules the desk is likely to become the family's convenient dumping ground. Piles grow higher every time your back is turned. But if the kitchen is the only place for your command center, then diligence is called for since it's likely to take some time to train the family to respect this area.

No matter where your workspace is situated, here are some tips to keep it clutter free:

If possible, put in and out baskets away from the desk, maybe at the garage entry door - one basket for each family member to "dump" their things, such as school work, jackets and iPods. Remember, the desk is off limits for this kind of stuff; it's up to you to keep it functional.

Place a corkboard on the wall near your desk. Then create defined areas on the corkboard for schedules, reminders, chores, messages, etc. where the family can read, and attach or detach information.

Because the desk's file drawer is one of the biggest "containers" in the room, there's a tendency to use it as a storage bin for athletic equipment, camera equipment, and the like. Instead, use the drawer to hold paperwork in hanging files - one for each family member, with subfolders inside to record their medical history, school schedules, important papers, and other items. Put "Action" files in the front of the file drawer so they're easy to access.

Atop the desk, a red folder labeled "Bills to Pay" might find a home in a vertical file. And a basket for sorted mail and/or current projects will help keep your desk clear at the end of the day. (Be sure to sort your mail over the wastebasket.)

One good rule of thumb: Keep only the things you work on daily on the top of your desk, the things you work on weekly in your desk, and the things you work on monthly around your desk. Toss or archive the rest.

A pencil drawer should hold pencils and pens, paper, paper clips and highlighters so they're at the ready when the phone rings or you need to start a grocery list. Relegate the catchall drawer to another spot such as the laundry room or garage. Drawer dividers are a must - they prevent items from sliding to the back of the drawer or getting hidden under papers.

You love your bean babies, the bobblehead from your trip to Hawaii, the plaque with a cute saying, "My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance." Find a home for them elsewhere - not on top or near your desk. Nearby cabinets can conceal phone books, reading material and baskets to hold supplies.

If you share the home office with family, communicate with them to develop the best solutions for time and space in the office. Get the family involved to make them feel more committed to the systems they help develop.

When all is said and done, whether the command center is strictly for home use or also for a home business, organization is the key to success.

Visit http://APlaceForEverythingLLC.com for more organizing tips and information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sally_Allen

My Favorite Organizing Tips

By Bailey R Gaddis

Mail: Have a basket, bin, or other decorative object to catch mail as it comes into the house. Locate this by the door where the mail comes in. If there's room, have a separate mail bin or baskets for each member of your household. It makes distributing information easier. Plan to review mail at a predetermined time in your weekly schedule.

Closets: Whenever you remove an item from a hanger, put the hanger in a basket. When you get ready to do laundry, bring the basket for easy "out-of-dryer-onto-hanger" action!

Time: Learn how long it really takes you to do your routine tasks and chores, like getting ready in the morning, driving to work, emptying the dishwasher, getting the kids up and dressed for school, laundry, grocery shopping, and so on. This will help in organizing your daily and weekly schedule. If you assume it takes you ten minutes to get ready and leave the house, but in reality it takes thirty, you'll be twenty minutes late for whatever is next on your schedule, and so on for the remainder of the day.

Photos: One way to sort backlogs of photos is to collect shoe boxes or plastic containers and write a year on each one, if the photos are on the computer sort the photos into digital folders labeled by year. This can be done in brief sessions- even fifteen minutes a night will make a difference by the end of the week. Along the way you can eliminate any duplicates, ugly photos, blurry images, and so forth. Once the pictures are sorted by year, decide how you want to sort them further. Chronologically? By event? Then you choose how you want to store and/or display them. You will have a better idea of what size album, box, or frames you'll need.

Family Meetings: Designate an hour a week to synchronize your family. Everyone brings their calendars, to-do lists, and schedules to the table. Spend the time reviewing the events for the upcoming week, expectations for dinners, chores, et cetera. The week will move much smoother!

Store it where you use it: The closer you store items to where you use them, the quicker and easier it is to clean up. For instance, if you knit at night while watching TV, create storage right near where you sit. It can be a decorative basket that slides under a coffee or end table. Whenever you put away your knitting, it goes into its basket and is stored immediately-instead of sitting on the coffee table waiting to be returned to its home.

"Lid-off" policy: When and wherever possible, remove lids and doors. It means one less step to putting things back where they belong.

Bailey is a Professional Organizer in Ojai, and Ventura and Los Angeles counties. She owns Serene Living Spaces http://www.serenelivingspaces.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bailey_R_Gaddis

Simple Home Organizing Tips

By Bailey R Gaddis

Organize one small area at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once. Progress comes with small steps.

Take some time every day to organize and put items back where they belong. Even if you just spend 10 minutes doing this you will start to see progress.

Purge your unnecessary belongings. The less stuff you have to deal with the easier it will be to organize.

Throw out a few unneeded items every day or have a donation box in an out of the way area that you can throw donation items in. When the box is full have your organizer set up a donation pick up for you or drop it at your local donation center.

Resist the temptation to buy new unnecessary items.

Keep your organizing system simple.

Try to limit distractions when you're organizing. Turn off the T.V., set your phone on silent if possible, and organize when no one else is home.

Make a To-Do list every evening for the next day. Only write down tasks that absolutely need to get done the next day. Don't forget to add your 10 minutes of organizing a certain space!

Store items where they are usually used.

Set up daily routines and make placing items back in their home after use part of the routine.

Create a family calendar. Have a large calendar in the kitchen, or wherever your family usually congregates, and put everyone's appointments on the calendar. Assign a different color to every family member and write their events in their color.

Have a family meeting every Sunday where you fill out the calendar and discuss what everyone has going on the next week to make sure you're all on the same page and no over booking occurs.

Be kind to yourself! No one is ever perfectly organized. Take organizing one day at a time and enjoy life!

Organizing Mail

Take yourself off of mailing lists to lessen the amount of unnecessary mail you receive. When dealing with emails, immediately unsubscribe from newsletters etc. that you don't need and don't read.

Have bins right next to your mail collection area to immediately sort your mail. Have a Throw Away, Do/ Pay, File, and Delegate.

Set aside 10 to 15 minutes every day to handle your mail.

Organizing for Children

Declutter your child's room. Remove everything from their room that they don't use anymore; old books, toys, etc. that just sit there. You can donate items, throw them away, or store items that are treasured keepsakes.

Remove all the clothes your children don't wear or need. Donate them if they're in good condition. The fewer clothes they have to deal with the quicker they can get ready and the neater their room will be.

Put objects into clear labeled bins. This will give every object a logical home that is easy to locate. Keep the lids removed from the bins so it's easier to retrieve and return items to their designated bin.

Give children a planner so they can write down their school work, chores, and other tasks and events they need to keep track of. This planner can come to the family meetings to help plan the upcoming week.

Store items near the area where they are usually used.

Have a bin near the door that your child uses every day to leave for school with their needed items for the next day. Backpack, water bottle, lunch money, sports equipment, etc.

Organize with your child. This will teach them valuable organizational skills and will allow them to have input on what items they want to keep and where they would logically store those items. If the system makes sense to them it's more likely they will use it and maintain the organization.

Bailey Gaddis owns the home and office organizing business Serene Living Spaces. For more information visit http://www.serenelivingspaces.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bailey_R_Gaddis