Client Questions - When do I Shred

As a professional organizer, I am frequently asked by clients what paper needs to be shredded and what can go straight into the recycling bin. Recently I was asked specifically about some old utility statements that a client was throwing out.

Most utility bills have enough information on them to be able to identify you clearly. That's why its on your bill. Some even contain billing and payment information. This is not information that you want public if it were to go astray. Shred.

As a rule of thumb, if there is anything on the bill to identify you, shred it. When in doubt, shred. You can always sit down with your television show some night after the kids are in bed and shred away during the commercial breaks.

The (Dis) Organized Teenager - The Agenda

When I was a student, no one carried an agenda. When I entered the business world, everyone carried a day planner. Nowadays, many school boards create day planners or agendas for the students in their schools. Many day planner publishing companies provide planners targeted specifically for students.

Trying to get a student to use a day planner is a much harder task than just finding one to use. If, however, a student can learn to use the tool on a regular basis they will also learn it is a powerful tool to stay organized and give their brain a break from having to keep a lot of schedule and due date information. Here's some tips to help get your student on top of their agenda:

• Have the student enter into the day planner all the regular activities in their week such as hockey practice, soccer, dance or band practice.
• Have them enter in all the irregular schedule items such as holidays, band concerts or vacations. Most of these items are booked many months in advance and are available from the program organizer.
• Encourage them to write in all their friends' and family members' birthdays. Why? Often there will be parties booked around these dates and with the dates booked in the agenda a student can anticipate a gathering of friends or family around the birthday date. With the heads up on their agenda, they can also budget their funds if they wish to go out to celebrate a friend's birthday.
• Encourage them to keep the agenda with them in their back pack or hand bag at all times. Then it will be available for reference when the opportunity to babysit comes up or when a party invitation arrives.

Reading over the Recycling Bin

The best way to keep paper from accumulating is to keep it out of the house.

When you receive the mail, get into the habit of sorting and reading the loose material right over the recycling bin. That way you can throw the unnecessary fliers, brochures and promotional items along with all the envelopes right into the bin as you sort through them and open the mail. The pile of paper will immediately decrease in size and you are left with paper that really in which you are really interested.

The Last Frontier - Kitchen Shelf

As promised - here it is - a kitchen cupboard that refuses to be organized.

You can see that I have made previous attempts with this shelf. The challenge is that it is deep, pulls out but is at knee height. To really use the space effectively, I have to find tall containers to store the food that could then be labelled on top. That would make them easy to see, identify and ,hopefully, with the right size container, easy to access.

My strategy?

• Pull everything out and completely empty the shelf. (Clean it while empty).
• Assess what to keep and what to get rid of (don't use, don't need or is too old to keep).
• Determine from what is left how many containers I need.
• Get the containers. You may have your favourite source; one of mine is the Dollar Store. I have already determined a location to get the size and especially the height I need.
• Fill up the containers.
• Label.
• Put everything back. I will make everything fit the space I have as there isn't any other space i our 1970's renovated kitchen for these items. They have to live in the space available.

Stay tuned for the after pictures!

Menu Planning Monday

My better half is a big advocate of preparation the night before. So, after a big conversation about that last night, what do I find on Org Junkie this morning? You all had your menus planned for the week last night. Well, guess I better catch up.

If you are a WW fan, you might be interested in this site: note, the author was first to the post this week with her menus planned. So, organized and loosing weight - do you think the two are connected?

Here's what will be on our table. How about yours?

Monday: No one's home - uh oh.

Tuesday: Swim Night & Pasta Night with Carolyn's tomato pasta sauce (no bits)

Wednesday: Choir Night - Pork Chops

Thursday: Swim Night, Teacher Interview Night, Zodiactors - home made pizza

Friday: Beef steak, baked potatos and brocolli

Last Frontiers - What's Yours?

You have to love Blogland as my friend Laura calls it. I can sit here in my office and find friends all over the world who are reading this. Welcome to my lastest discovery - we have friends in South Africa! You might want to take a look at Marcia's blog from the other side, and other end of the world.

Meanwhile, many of us who consider ourselves reasonably well organized - maybe not you but maybe someone you know - still have a corner of our lives that remains the Last Organizing Frontier. I have one cupboard in the kitchen that defies organization. It's going down next week. There, I've made a public statement. Stay tuned for the oh - so - revealing pictures.

Strategy for the really tough stuff: schedule, subdivide into bites, conquer.

What's your last frontier?

The Seasonal Clear out - a la Hong Kong

Still trying to get that seasonal clear out completed? Hop over to Dim Sum Mom and hear how she accomplished it for a family of six: that would be Mom and Dad, son and triplets!