by CS Team
School Tools to relieve the stress and add success!
It’s here! – Time for the kids to go back to school, or for the grown kids to leave for college. No matter what age you are, school can be overwhelming as well as exciting. We want to make organizing fun so we are sharing our tools to relieve the stress and add success.
1 – Even with today’s technology most of us still need paper. A Day Planner that suits the child is still vital for tracking all the information and actions. And check out the brilliance of discbound notebooks. This notebook is called the TUL Notebook at Office Depot, the ARC at Staples or CIRCA at Levenger (an online resource). You can also find cool accessories for them at Etsy.com.
2 – Set up yourself up for success by getting the perfect backpack for you along with all the necessary tools. Watch the video below to see some of my favorite tools to go inside the backpack. Hint – those packs get heavy, so get one with wheels.
3 – We all have activities where we get lost in the zone. Our favorite tool for helping you stay on track in the TimeTimer. It answers the big question of how much time is left without having to calculate. And the section in red gets your attention so you stay focused.
Invitation to you – Choose one of the TIPS above and share your experience with me at info@clearsimple.com or www.facebook.com/clearsimple.com and we will give you a prize. we want you to get organized and have fun doing it.
by CS Team
Did you know that 10 billion pictures are taken every single month? Why?
We. Take. Pictures. Of. Everything.
The result is photo chaos. Photos accumulate on our phones, in the cloud, on hard drives, or on old computers. And we are still storing precious film photos in shoeboxes, hiding the memories that shaped who we are today. We no longer have an accessible, tangible reminder to share with others. Our stories, our traditions, our history are being lost because we have no time-managed photo organizing System. – From the APPO (Association of Personal Photo Organizers)
We have tackled our photo clutter and LOVE the feeling of joy and freedom that comes from getting this vital project done. We want to help you experience this as well.
TIP – Get all your photos saved in more than one place.
If you have precious photos that are printed, hold onto them, but get them scanned for save keeping. For all others, get them backed up in 3 places. This could include your computer, a hard drive and one cloud storage. You want one backup in a place outside your home or office.
TOOL – Get the tools to showcase, store and enjoy your photos.
Choose your favorite resource to get the precious photos scanned and printed into books. There are lower cost options such as Costco and Wal-Mart or others like Mixbook, Snapfish, and Shutterfly. This industry is growing so take time to look for what works best for you. You can also put all the pictures on a drive and play on your Apple TV!
TRUTH – You deserve to have help!
All organizing jobs are easier and more fun when you get help from a friend or professional organizer. The reason we love photos is because of the stories. This project is most meaningful when shared with others. You will also be amazed how much faster it goes.
We would LOVE to have you join us at our August 19th LIVE workshop to meet the experts and see all our tips in action. You even get to bring 25 treasure photos and have them scanned onsite. clearsimple.com/photoworkshop
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Re: APPO – Did you know there is an Association of Personal Photo Organizers? This group is trained to make all the levels of your photo project easier for you. Check out their website at www.appo.org or their blogs on www.thephotoorganizers.com You will love all their information. You can also get help on other resources. Get more about APPO on our blog www.clearsimple.com/photoabcs.
by CS Team
Are your precious photos stashed in boxes & bins in the basement?
Do you have thousands of pictures on your phone and computer?
Photos can be our most precious possession yet trying to keep them organized can be a nightmare.
We are excited to share our best tips and systems for photo organizing all month long. This blog is all about the Sort Step in S.T.A.C.K.S.© (Sort, Toss, Assign, Keep it Up & Simplify). We are also sharing the fabulous ABC’S system created by Cathi Nelson, President of APPO (Association of Personal Photo Organizers).
Watch Marla talk through the ABC’s on KUTV Fresh Living!
The first step is to SORT into general categories such as family, friends, major events, or time lines such as increments of 1, 2 or 10 years. This is your general sort and it goes easier if you stick to the categories.
Next take each category and SORT again using the ABC’S© system. SORT the photo’s into the following four categories:
• A stands for ALBUM. This is for the photos that you know you want printed for albums or photo books. These are the treasures that you want to look at often and share with your loved ones.
• B stands for BOX or BACKUP. These are the pictures you want to keep but don’t need to see regularly. Printed photos can be stored in a photo box. Digital ones can be stored on your computer and in the cloud.
• C stands for CAN (Trash Can). These are all the duplicates, the bad shots, and the meaningless shots! You will be amazed how many of these surface when you are going through the piles.
• S stands for STORIES. We remember most of our life by events and stories so keeping your photos this way works wonderfully.
Remember – you can get help from a professional organizer. Go to www.APPO.org to find a trained one in your area. For those of you in Utah, we have two excellent organizers.
1 – Natalie Avery, of 2sparehands, is a member of APPO and can help with all levels of the process.
2 – Donna & Scott Harper, of SharperTransfer, can help you with your photos and your old movies.
Or – Come to our August 19th LIVE workshop to meet the experts and see all our tips in action. you even get to bring 25 treasure photos and have them scanned onsite. clearsimple.com/photoworkshop
We have experienced such fun and freedom having our photos organized and ready for viewing and hope you will too! Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Write down the 3 MOST IMPORTANT to do’s of your day and let that be enough.
FREE is the word we hear the most when we ask our clients to share how they feel after getting organized! Getting free of the clutter and chaos allows you to have what you really want.
One of the most challenging areas to clear & organize is our calendar. We tend to pile on way more then we can possibly handle. And technology has only added to the overload. The stress of this eats away at our health and happiness.
At C&S we love making things simpler. So here is our favorite, and our client’s favorite, tip for your time. This is the DO IT© step. (Check out SEE IT© and MAP IT© blogs.)
DO IT© – How can I possibly fit everything into my day, much less make it simple? Try out the power of 3.
Start by taking only 5 minutes at the start and end of each day to ask what are the 3 MOST IMPORTANT TASKS for your personal and work life – the ones that only you can do? Then write them done in a simple notebook, on a yellow pad, in your smart phone notebook or app (try Wunderlist), on a 3×5 card or even a Post-it note. At the end of the day, look back and celebrate getting those 3 things done! Or you will get to notice how you got distracted so you can practice again the next day.
This simple practice will help you discern what really needs your attention each day. Along with the sense of accomplishment for getting done what matters most to YOU!
Using the Clear & SIMPLE System of SEE IT© MAP IT© DO IT©, we can show you how to make time tangible and manageable!
Let us know what your experience is once you try this – Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Yes, you can have fun with your kids and their school papers using this 3 STEP SYSTEM!
The school year is over and now it is time for summer fun! But what to do with the huge pile up of art, reports, awards and all those papers that came home throughout the year. Here is a simple system you can do now to clear out the last year and then be set up for next year.
Marla Dee, creator of the Clear & SIMPLE Way, has been helping people for 18 years. And she comes from a family of 10 children so she get the chaos that kids can create.
Step 1 – Get a bulletin board or display area for each child for the treasures of the week to be seen!
I have been blessed to work with hundreds of moms through the years. And I have heard over and over again – “Where do I put all the art work and school papers?” When your child has a chosen place to put the treasures, your child feels seen and proud. But you can rotate the pieces weekly or monthly. Once you take them off the board, go to step 2.
Step 2 – Choose a container, about the size of a file tub, which can hold the papers all year long. Once the papers come off your child’s board, ask which ones she still wants to keep and then place them in her drawer or tub or cool container. They will still be there throughout the school year and if you run out of space, it is a signal to go through a release a layer. Now check out Step 3.
Step 3 – Schedule a day with your kids for paper play. It is time to do STACKS© (sort, toss, assign, contain, keep it up and simplify) on the paper. The key is to make this last step FUN. Put on music and have snacks. Then let you child take his tub of papers and dump it out on the table or floor and spread them all out. Enjoy the time as your child relives the school year. Honor this time with them by listening to the stories. Next, ask your kids to choose their FAVORITES – the TREASURES!! Then 3 hole punch them and put them in a big binder. Last, you can let them decorate the front, or pick a favorite and slide it in the front sleeve.
*** The best part is now placing the binders in your child’s room so they can relive those memories for years to come.
Your Homework –Try this out right away with the current school year’s papers. Please share your stories with me at info@clearsimple.com or www.facebook.com/clearsimple.com and I will give you a prize. I want you to get organized and have fun doing it – Marla Dee
