Travel can be stressful so enjoy our tips that help you simplify and organize all your trips!
I love to travel but used to get so stressed by all the preparation and unknowns. What if I need something different to wear? What if I can’t find my hotel information? How do I decide what to take on with me and what to pack? Over the last 5 years, I have used all the tips & tools below to radically reduce the stress and struggle. These tips are the SEE IT. MAP IT. & DO IT. steps for travel. Try them out and let me know what you think!
My invitation, sharing of my “bag lady” story and more…
Use Wunderlist – have a standard list for your different types of trips and then easily adjust for current trip. Yes a list makes a difference. You can even print the list so you can check the items off.
Use Last Pass for all your key & private information
Tripit stores all the trip details
Get AAA or similar service for travel troubles
Uber and Airbnb are some of our favorites
Get your TSA Precheck to save time every plan trip
Check out Costco Travel – especially for car rentals
Get an extra set of all electrical cords and chargers. Keep these packed and ready to go.
Have your body care items already on hand – refill after each trip. Use smart containers for your body care items.
Find the perfect tote or carry-on bag that can hold all you need and feel easy to carry.
Carry-on Essentials Kit ready to go in the perfect carry-on.
Medicines (get the small plastic medicine pouches)
Soft light sweater or jacket and socks
Toothbrush, wipes, body care & eye mask
Book to read or game to play
Easy water bottle like the collapsible water bottle
Gum and food snacks, including protein
Ear buds or head phones that you love
Safe holder for passport, id and credit cards (make a copy that stays home with an assigned person who can help). Use Last Pass to hold all the vital information.
The Power of One. Try taking one book, one notebook, one technology device, etc. Then decide one purpose (most important) for your trip. clearsimple.com/travelstuff/
During the Holidays we want our homes to be organized and also beautiful. This is our favorite tip for bringing both of those together!
The secret to success is CONTAINERS! Containers provide a home for all the loose stuff so it is easier to find, use and return.
1 – Containers inside: Use containers within drawers, closets, and cupboards and on shelves to add clarity and beauty. When it comes to the kitchen and pantry, containers make a huge difference. Our favorite resource is The Container Store.
2 – Consistent: Then be consistent (all white, wicker, etc) to add that clean feeling and functionality. You can also add one color for fun!
3 – Label: Lastly, label all containers for instant ease in returning to their home and zone. There are many ways to label now so you can get really creative. Check out this erasable duct tape. See The Container Store’s other fabulous labels.
Have FUN getting Holiday Container for your wrapping paper, gifts, and decorations.
Our FREE GIFT for this holiday season is our Ebook – Top Ten Tips for Home & Holidays. You can get it on our Shop Page.
We know, we know… “FUN – REALLY?” Yes, fun! With a simple plan, a support group of people honoring each other, fabulous resources and inspiration along the way; it can be fun to clear out the stuff! You’ll get all of this with our 30 Day Clutter Clear Out Event.
Simple Plan: The invitation is to simply commit to releasing one thing each day for 30 days. It can be anything – a broken toy, old dress, extra gadget, or old pile of paper. We will give you a simple guide to follow or you can choose each day.
Strong Support Group: Join our Facebook Group to connect with the crew and see other’s postings about their journey.
Inspiration: Weekly blogs, weekly Q&A and daily postings on Facebook will keep you moving and excited. Marla will also be sharing her journey throughout the month on Facebook Live giving you her best guidance.
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.
• 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
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.
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!
