by CS Team
Make this your best summer ever using the Clear & Simple Way!
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SEE IT – get in touch with what is most important to you
MAP IT – make it happen by writing it down on your calendar
DO IT – then enjoy each event to its fullest!
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- Put FUN First – Choose the most important FUN Activity and fill up on the juicy energy it offers.
- Before you leave on vacation – make two copies of each document in your wallet. Keep one in a safe place at home and take one with you to put in the hotel safe. Then you are prepared if anything should happen.
- Connect with the Earth – Choose one morning or evening each week to be your time to connect with the earth – a long walk, sitting outside under a tree, a bike ride, or soaking up the sun. Let this be a time that fills you!
- Garden – If you want to garden but just never have the time, plant a container with a favorite flower or vegetable. You will still enjoy gardening but on a more manageable scale.
- Family Passes – Buy a family pass to your favorite summer place, then as a family review the schedule of events and mark your calendar with those you don’t want to miss!
- Three Most Important Things – Every morning, when you are planning your day, write down the three things that truly matter most that day. The sense of accomplishment that you will feel when you complete these three things will free you to do other things.
- Organize Last Years School Papers – Make a date with your child to spend an afternoon to go through all of the papers you saved from the last school year.Lay them all out on the dining room table or the floor. Enjoy reliving the last year. Then choose the keepers and treasures. Next simply three hole punch them and put in a fun binder so your child can look at it whenever he/she wants too.
- Birthdays, Graduations, Weddings – Take one hour and make a master list of all the birthdays, graduations, and weddings, which are coming up this summer. Keep a copy with you so you can jot down gift ideas and have it handy when you are shopping
- Weekend Project – Take one weekend, pick one project, (i.e. a closet, pantry or storage) and using the Clear & Simple Systems (see download below) organize the space. Then mentally let go of the rest and enjoy your summer.
- Keep it simple, take a deep breath.
We would love to hear from you – what are your favorite Summer Tips?
Marla Dee & Team
Download a pdf copy of our TOP TEN TIPS for Summer.
Get more guidance with SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. © and S.T.A.C.K.S. © by downloading our Systems Card.
SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. © and S.T.A.C.K.S. © are property of Clear & Simple, LLC. All Rights Reserved
by CS Team
What does organization have to do with relationships you might ask?
Why is it that “Mr. Organized” partners with “Ms. Chaos”? Think about how often you are at odds with someone in your life because of organization issues:
- Not being able to find what your boss is looking for.
- Arguing with your child about the way their room looks.
- Being accused of throwing important things away.
- Always being asked where something is.
As professional organizers we constantly witness the stress in our clients relationships over organization styles and decisions. Too often those with the ability to organize do not understand when others cannot maintain their environment. Those that are organized need to keep in mind that our research shows only 10 – 15% of the population is naturally organized. Hence, the need to be able to communicate and get help when lack of organization gets in the way.
This barrier between those who naturally know how to organize and the other 90% who don’t is why our main focus is teaching people how. The foundation for any organizing project or communication is three simple steps outlined below.
SEE IT – take a look at where you’ve been
Begin by taking a realistic look at where a lack of organization is impacting your life and relationships. Choose just one area or issue. What’s working, what’s not and why? Keep it simple. Then look at it from both sides and try to see what is at the heart of the conflict. Often our relationships serve as mirrors to look at ourselves. Once you have clarity, why not share your truth with this person or persons and then ask for them to share.
MAP IT – make a plan for where you want to go
Now that you have each shared your truth, each person can create a simple vision for what needs to change. Try asking – what is the single most important change that needs to happen? What is one action you can take? Let this be enough. It is imperative to the relationship that each person has a chance to share their vision and what is important to them.
DO IT – take the actions to make it happen
How you choose to implement your changes or DO IT will be very specific to the relationship. Some may come up with a way to do it together, while others might call in outside help, and still others will compromise on different levels.
Some examples of this are:
- A family sets up a system for incoming mail and an active paper system together.
- A mother and child call it fun time, put on music, and make a game of putting everything back in its’ home.
- A couple decides to hire a professional organizer because they would rather enjoy their time together hiking or taking dance lessons.
- A boss and assistant set up a weekly 1 hour focused time to go through all the lists and questions.
- Two friends or buddies get excited about helping each other one weekend a month with the clutter areas – We all have them you know.
(more…)
by Marla Dee
The ultimate organizing systems partner with the ultimate organizing solutions!
The Container Store now makes house calls and Clear & Simple is the medical team! It is with the most profound honor, gratitude and excitement that we announce our new relationship with The Container Store in their program Contained Home.
The Container Store is a brilliant company and recognizes that customers come in their store seeking solutions for their chaos but just getting containers is NOT enough. And they get overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. They need help. They often need a professional organizer to see their space and take them through STACKS – Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up and Simplify.
The Clear & SIMPLE Team in Utah is thrilled to offer this help to the customers of The Container Store. If you have an area that needs special attention, the elfa system or fun ideas, please reach out to us 801-463-9090 | info@clearsimple.com
Our TIP for today is get help! Ask a friend, a buddy or an organizer to come support you through all the decisions. You don’t have to do it alone.
Note – The Contained Home Program will be in all The Container Stores by the end of this year! Check out the program and locations here Contained Home.
by Kate Fehr
Spring is just around the corner! Are you ready for freedom & fun?
Join us once again at the Spring Home & Garden Festival for new tips and inspiration
Here is one to inspire you now…
Tip #5. Choose containers that you LOVE for the areas and stuff you use the most!
One that we love is the Feathergrain Wood Bin from The Container Store. It’s pretty, sturdy and functional. Use it in deep cupboards as a make-shift drawer, or in closets to organize items from toiletries to office supplies. Since they are lightweight you can easily move them about the house, like for toys or art supplies.
Get the rest of our top tips from Marla who will be speaking ONLY once each day, so mark your calendars!
Friday March 6th @ 2 p.m.
Saturday March 7th @ 10 a.m.
Sunday March 8th @ 11 a.m.
Visit our Booth #2743, near the Design Stage, for Expert Tips and to enter our drawing!
You can also Purchase Discount Tickets.
Show Information:
Friday March 6th @ 12:00 p.m. through Sunday March 8th @ 6:00 p.m.
South Towne Expo Center
9575 S. State Street
Sandy, Utah 84070
Go Here for additional information and directions.
by Kate Fehr
Are you caught up in the ongoing battle of inbox clutter? Welcome to the club!
Email is absolutely one of the biggest places of stress, clutter, and loss of productivity. Below are 5 ways to tackle that craziness. And let me just say, that it definitely takes practice and consistency for them to work.
1. Process your email, do not just “check it.” – This is one of the most common areas of email time waste. When you set aside time to mindfully deal with your inbox, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can get through things and in turn, how much time you will have for other things in your work day. Schedule the time in your day specifically for this.
2. Have a system for the incoming. To effectively process your email you’ve got to know what to do with each one. My email system is the same as my paper system. To R.A.F.T.© my email, I have a folder for each step.
R – READ: for all the emails lists I am on. I have a dedicated time each week to read through these. Once I have, I toss them or file them.
A – ACT: for the emails that need a response, or info needs to be placed on a calendar, etc. Each day I have scheduled time during the opening and closing of my work day to handle these.
F- FILE: for future reference.
T – TOSS: this is just my trash folder, but I like to stick with acronym for ease.
3. “Unsubscribe”!!! – There is a wealth of information on the internet and most of us want to read up on our fair share. Subscribing to email lists is a great way to do this…until the emails start flowing in. Be realistic about the information you truly want to receive and unsubscribe to the rest.
4. Do NOT use your inbox as your To Do List – As a former “email to do list” junkie, I cannot stress this enough. Combining your to do list with emails makes both systems less effective mostly because you get lost in between the two lands. Use your planner, a spreadsheet or an app on your phone for action items.
5. Clear out “Sent” and “Trash” folders – This is just like taking our house trash out to the curb for pick up. It’s clutter, it’s sub-conscious stress. Get it out of your email and off your mind. Depending on how often you reference your sent files will depend on how far back you want to keep things. For my line of work, I only save a month’s worth.
To reiterate some of my statements above, I learned all of these things the hard way. The honest truth is that I’m still practicing them. Even though I have the foundation and systems in place, sometimes I simply don’t follow them. The great thing is that they are implemented and therefore make it fairly quick and easy to restore homeostasis.
Please write and let me know what you do to help with the email clutter – Kate Fehr
For more information on using R.A.F.T.© for your paper, Read This Post.
R.A.F.T.©, Diane Hatcher 2000-2015
