time management Archives - Getting it Together

Three Easy Steps To Getting Your Closet Organized

Less Stress, Frustration and…Dust

Is your closet a nicely organized one or is it one that looks like it has been hit by a tornado?

Every time you go into your closet do you look at the clothes and find yourself saying: “I have to get rid of these, I never wear them”, “It’s been so long since I wore this, maybe tomorrow or “I know I’ll fit into this next summer after I lose weight”.

Do you find yourself having a hard time choosing what to wear?

Are you having trouble finding items in your closet, or worse finding room for all your clothes?

With an organized closet you always find what you want right away – everything flows smoothly and quickly!

A disorganized closet can store a lot more than clothes and shoes. Stress, frustration, anger and a loss-of-patience can also be hiding in there. And don’t forget the dust!

Check out this short video on Getting Your Closet Organized

and then read on for the….

Top 3 Easy Steps on How To Get Your Closet Organized

Step 1

Would you agree that we generally wear our newest clothes; the clothes that fit us comfortably and the outfits we feel good in? In a disorganized closet, these clothes usually only add up to about 20% of our wardrobe! So why are you keeping the rest? For those “when I lose weight” or “I know I’ll wear it someday” excuses?

A simple way to clear your closet clutter is to first ask yourself:

1.”Would I buy it again?”

2.”Have I worn it in the past year?”

3.”Does it fit?”

4. “Do I feel fabulous in it?”

Any clothing item that received a “No” answer has got to go!

Step 2

Take it out of your closet and pass it on, with love, to a charity, to a friend or even take it to a consignment store and have it sold for you.

*** Eveningwear and/or special-occasion outfits are the only exception to the “one-year” rule.

Step 3

For the items you are keeping:

Ensure that outfits can be coordinated with as little effort as possible. Try to make sure that most of the items remaining in your closet can be paired with at least three other items.
Separate your wardrobe into tops, bottoms and jackets so that you can quickly and effortlessly mix and match the items to make a variety of fabulous outfits. If you choose to organize your clothes in this fashion, your closet will appear clean, tidy and full – but not overstuffed! Just imagine how fast and easy getting dressed will be?

Together Tips

Use the same style of hangers throughout your closet and have them facing in the same direction. You’d be surprised at the difference this makes!
What about purses, belts and shoes? How many black bags and black strappy heels does a girl need? That depends on your lifestyle. Just make sure that all handbags, purses, belts and shoes that you keep are in good shape, are comfortable and are in style. A good quality handbag and a pair of shoes can really complete the look of an outfit.
When buying new clothing take out three items from your closet for every new item that is purchased. Why three you ask? Because if your closet is not organized, there are definitely three items that are good to go!

So, what are you waiting for? We all know how valuable free time is in today’s world. Free time is time when you are feeling NO STRESS and NO FRUSTRATION – only calmness & confidence!

The more organized your closet is the less stress you will feel. You won’t catch yourself getting frustrated because you can’t find anything in your closet, or because you simply can’t decide what top to wear with what bottom…and then what shoes and purse to match with it!

Organizing your closet can be fun and fulfilling. However, if after reading this article, you just don’t know where to start or it is too overwhelming and you would like some assistance, please contact Rowena here or call (604) 520-9550

By organize|2024-04-29T16:39:49+00:00April 29th, 2024|Home Organization|0 Comments

Time Management 101

What is the most important thing you can do today to make tomorrow better?

Examples: Make your lunch for tomorrow, prepare for tomorrow’s dinner while preparing for todays. Clear your desk off. Put away your clothes etc. etc.

Check out these Top Three Tips on Time Management 101 by Getting It Together:

Tip #1: Delegate. How many of you have a hard time delegating? How’s that working for you?

It’s time to release full control of everything wouldn’t you agree?

Delegate what you can and give yourself the gift of my time. Start by delegating housework. Delegate all of your travel needs to a trusted travel agent. I have the best if you don’t.

What else can you take off your “to-do” list?

Tip #2: Be mindful of what you are saying “yes” to. For every “yes”, there is a “no.”

For example: “Yes” to babysitting your grandkids full time means no time for you in your retirement, saying “yes” to every Zoom work meeting that’s not necessary for you to be on means less productive time at work, saying “yes” to every social event even if you are tired or need some “white space” means less freedom.

Tip #3: Automate. Bill payments, auto delivery of pet food, and groceries. What else?

Most importantly, “If you don’t take the time, time will take you.”

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Simply hit “reply” and leave your thoughts. Thank You.

By organize|2022-09-28T17:07:17+00:00September 26th, 2022|Time Management|5 Comments

From Overwhelm To Calm – Get Organized With Rowena List of Getting It Together And Elaine Tan Comeau

With Rowena List of Getting It Together And Elaine Tan Comeau, Host/Founder, Elaine’s Kitchen Table Podcast – Create Better Family, Health, Business, Self

In this Podcast you will learn:

What is a mind dump and how to do it.
The 6 most important things.
Dealing with paperwork.
The three deadliest words.
And the #1 Key., just to name a few.

Listen on for all the juicy tips and ideas.

http://www.elaineskitchentable.com/rowena

PS. Still needing a little help or support?

Book your FREE over the phone session with Rowena now.

www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2021-09-27T18:23:58+00:00September 27th, 2021|Organization Tips, Organizing Finances, Self Care Organization|0 Comments

How To Meal Plan Like A Pro

Are you like most people, too tired at the end of the day to even think about preparing a healthy meal?

Have you lost your creativity in the kitchen?

Would you like some go-to dishes that every family member will gobble up?

Watch this short video on How To Meal Plan Like A Pro and then follow Getting It Togethers’ Top 5 Tips

Tip 1: Organize your kitchen. There’s nothing worse than trying to prepare meals in a disorganized cluttered kitchen. How can you get anyone to help you if they don’t know where the items are and you don’t know where they are? Set aside time to donate all the kitchen items you’re no longer using. Clear out all the expired food items in your pantry and fridge. Put all non-kitchen items in their proper place.

Tip 2: Clean all surfaces. Kitchen counters are not designed to be a dumping zone. Make sure all counters are scrubbed down and your kitchen is ready for food prep. Be sure to also clean as you go. There’s nothing worse than a big mess to clean up after a nice meal.

Tip 3: Select your top 10 favourite meals. Things that the whole family will enjoy. Is it stew, pasta, fajitas or chicken casserole? Most households rotate their top 10 meals throughout the course of the month. Look over the recipes and see what items you need to purchase and make your shopping list.

Tip 4: Prepare in bulk. When you bring home your fresh produce, wash it, cut it up and put it in containers. This saves precious time when it comes to meal prep. Select a two-hour slot in your week where you can cook in bulk and freeze. Maybe you could make a huge pot of pasta sauce and your neighbour could make a big stew and you can share. Cooperative cooking.

Tip 5: Clear the clutter from your mind. Once the clutter is cleared from your mind, it makes room for creativity. This doesn’t mean you have to cook like a French chef, it just means your mind is open to put together a healthy meal for your family. Consider deep breathing on the way home from work or a walk with a friend or spa like music.

PS: Would you rather not cook at all? One of my new services is to come into your home and prepare healthy meals for you and your family. Contact me for all the details. www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00January 14th, 2020|Home Organization, Organizer, Recipes, Time Management|0 Comments

Top 5 Getting It Together’s Organizing Mistakes

It’s well into the New Year and you’re bound and determined to get organized once and for all.

What are some of the stumbling blocks you come across?

Is it staying focused?

Is it setting aside enough time?

Or is it some of these common organizing mistakes listed below?

Check out this short video on the Top 5 Organizing Mistakes and then read on to get more tips.

Mistake #1: Thinking that out of sight means out of mind. If your home is organized and your life is organized then chances are your mind will be organized, which means you’ll know what’s in your cupboards, attic and crawlspace. Keep in mind that less is more. You can’t have everything in view or your place will be overwhelmingly cluttered. You need a place for everything and everything in its place.

Mistake #2: Putting the cart before the horse. Quite often people will go out and purchase several storage containers thinking that this will get them organized. Just as a treadmill doesn’t make you fit unless you use it the same is true with storage containers. Don’t buy any containers until you’ve done all the purging and know what needs to be stored. You’ll then know how many containers to purchase and which size will work best for your area.

(as you can see in the pictures, this repurposed wooden structure was turned into a shoe rack once we knew the number of shoes needing to be stored.)

Mistake #3: Not having a proper to do list. To do lists need to be broken down and assigned a verb. Look at your weekend ahead and write organize garage on your Saturday to do’s. Saturday morning arrives and this task looks so overwhelming that you don’t know where to start. So, you don’t. You go for coffee with a friend instead. The best and only tactic is to break down the job of organizing into bite-size pieces and assign a verb. For example. Recycle paint in garage. Toss out all broken sports equipment in garage. Repair shelving unit in garage.

Mistake #4: Thinking that everything has to be perfect. Kiss perfection goodbye and instead use KISS which equals keep it simple sweetie. Highly organized people have a huge value on time and how they spend it. Prioritize and get started. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect in your life before you clear the clutter.

Mistake #5: Not assigning a specific time to a task. It’s important to know or at least guess how long a specific task will take. For example: recycling the paint needs to get into the car and be driven to the local depot. Will this take approximately 30 minutes? Tossing out all broken sports equipment might take 15 minutes. When you’re doing your to do list also assign a time frame beside each task. And be sure to book these tasks in your calendar when you have the most energy. Are you a morning person or a late afternoon person? Do you need to have your favourite music on? Or do you need to be working alongside a Professional Organizer in order to get the ball rolling?

PS: Getting and staying organized is not a one-time thing. It is a daily commitment to at least 15 minutes. Do you need a power partner? If so, check out our coaching programs which are designed especially for you. www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:32+00:00February 20th, 2019|Home Organization, Organizer, Time Management|0 Comments

Top Ten Habits Of Highly Organized People

Do you wonder if you’ll ever be organized?

Do you think organized people were born that way?

To some degree I believe you are either naturally organized or unfortunately naturally disorganized however the good news is you can learn simple habits and become extremely organized.

Check out Getting It Togethers video on the Top Ten Habits Of Highly Organized People and then read for more tips.

Habit #1: Highly Organized People know where to donate. Better yet, they have the donations company in their area come and pick up.

Habit #2: Highly Organized People book regular decluttering times. They use the 15 minutes to freedom technique explained in the video.

Habit #3: Highly Organized People stick with what works for them. They stay with their favorite protein powder or moisturizer as this saves them from having purchasing mistakes in the cupboard.

Habit #4: Highly Organized People don’t buy because of price, they buy because of need.

Habit #5: Highly Organized People make peace with imperfection. Nothing is ever going to be perfect and neither are they. Some times their desk will be a mess or they’ll buy the kids Birthday cake instead of making it from scratch.

Habit #6: Highly Organized People are specific with their labels. A box or file labeled “miscellaneous” does not help anyone.

Habit #7: Highly Organized People separate emotions from possessions. Just because they bought it or just because it was given to them does not mean they keep it.

Habit #8: Highly Organized People think ahead. If it looks like piles of files are about to fall over, they move them to a safer spot and deal with them.

Habit #9: Highly Organized People create a small dump zone. They have a small basket that collects things from the day and then they take 15 minutes and go through the house putting everything back in its’ place. Better yet, if it takes less than a minute to do a task, do it immediately.

Habit #10: Highly Organized People ask for help. They know what their strengths are and are willing to hire out the other tasks.

PS: What is one habit you would really like to work on? Why not grab a free over the phone sample coaching session by contacting www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:32+00:00July 25th, 2018|Home Organization, Organizer, Self Care Organization|0 Comments

The Three P’s of Time Management

Do you ever wonder how some people get so much done in a day, a week, a month a year while others seem to always be overwhelmed?

Do you think they have something you don’t?

Like a magic wand or something?

They don’t.

Part of the reason is because of impeccable time management. Part might be because they don’t put as much on their plate and part is definitely because they are organized.

Check out this short video on “The three P’s of Time Management and then read on for more timely tips.

Give these Three P’s to Time Management a try and let me know how you do.

P # 1: Process. This is where I recommend doing a mind dump. Write out everything that you feel you have to do or that your feel needs to be done or that you want to do. I am talking everything. Clear your mind of all the “to do” lists, appointments, responsibilities. Keep writing in no particular order.

Take a good hard look at each item on that to do. Is it really that important? Can it wait? If so, for how long?

Be sure to put dream items on there like going to yoga.

P # 2 Prioritize. So you have your master list of things you feel you have to do, need to do and want to do. Now let’s look at that list and put an A beside the line items that only you and you alone can do. For example, go to your job or breast feed your new born. Attend yoga. Read a report or help a child with homework

Put a B beside the line items that you could do if you really had to however they are items that could be delegated. House cleaning, ironing, laundry. Or they are lower priority items for example social media surfing.

Now put a C beside the items that for sure you can delegate. Items that if they did not get done by you the earth would not stop. Example: make homemade jam or cookies.

P # 3 Picture. Picture your weekly plan sheet filled in with exactly the things on it that you want to do, need to do and have to do. Starting with your highest priority which would include time for you. Picture yourself having great time management. Picture yourself taking time to relax or time for yoga. Picture yourself being on time for all of your appointments.

PS: Book your 15 minute discovery session today to find out your biggest time buster

www.gettingittogethe.ca

604-520-9550

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:34+00:00February 16th, 2017|Self Care Organization, Time Management|0 Comments

How To Set Priorities

Do you feel like you are putting out fires all day long?

Do you feel like your time is never your time?

At the end of the day do you wonder what you really got done?

Take a look at this short simple video on “How To Set Priorities”

Then read on to get the top 4 quadrants to getting things done.

#1 Urgent/Important:

You wake up in the morning. What is one of the first things you do?

Is it urgent and important? If you are like most people it is….going to the washroom J

Then, getting washed up, fed and out the door to work. These are “must do’s”

These tasks have timelines if you want to be on time. They are urgent and they are important.

Waking up in the morning and checking emails is “not” urgent or important.

Don’t get me wrong, your emails could very well be important; however do they need to be responded to before you have even taken care of your personal needs first?

What other “must do’s” do you have on your list of things to do?

(Oh wait a minute, you don’t have a list?) Let’s start there.

Do yourself a favour and write out your 6 most important things (6 being the magic number) you must do for the next day. These are things that only you can do. Then put these “to-do’s” in either the first or second quadrant.

#2 Not Urgent/Important:

This is the best quadrant to work from.

These are things that are important to you. Quality time with your family, exercising, clearing out the clutter, downsizing your aging parent’s home, spending time with friends, getting your taxes done. Achieving highly productive work activities without the sense of stress.

If you procrastinate on these above items they get moved to #1.

For example: Your Doctor orders you to start taking care of yourself, your parents pass on and now you are left with downsizing their home, your friends get resentful because you never make time to see them, your kids complain that all you ever do is work or your marriage is in trouble because you are having an affair with your mobile device. Your boss is yelling at you for the overdue reports.

Impeccable scheduling will eliminate the above examples.

#3 Urgent/Not Important:

Checking personal emails every single time the notification goes off. Note to self; turn the notification off. Instead, set aside 2 times per day to check your personal emails.

Responding to texts the second they come in or worse while driving.

Answering your phone even when you are not free to talk. Like while you are with family and friends, while you are at dinner, while you are in the shower (yep, someone did that to me once)

Saying “yes” when you really mean “no”.

Anything that is a creative avoidance to what you really need to be doing and want to be doing.

#4 Not Urgent/Not Important:

Anything that is taking valuable time away from what you really want to do in life.

Watching endless TV, playing endless hours of video games, getting screen sucked, attending functions that are not contributing to your professional goals, attending meetings without an agenda or timeline, talking on the phone to a negative person who is not willing to take action to change their life and so on.

Don’t get me wrong, we all need some down time. Is yours in proportion to the rest of your life or are you using this quadrant as an escape?

PS: Are you still feeling time strapped? Connect today and receive your FREE weekly plan sheet. I will go over the best way for you to manage your time.

Know anyone who is always late? Share the love by sending this link to them.

www.gettingittogether.ca

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:35+00:00June 14th, 2016|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing to Move, Time Management|1 Comment

Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket

One of the costs of clutter is money. Being disorganized can break the bank in more ways than one.

Do you catch yourself buying things because you

A) Cannot find them in your home or
B) Cannot remember if you have that item or
C) You were so rushed in the morning that you did not make a lunch?

Would it be great if everything had a home and you could find what you were looking for in 20 seconds or less?

Check out this short video on The Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket.

Then read on for Getting It Togethers’ Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket.

Tip #1. Take your lunch. Get yourself organized by making your lunch the night before. I know we have all heard this one before but it is worth repeating. When you are organized it takes as little as 3-5 minutes to make a lunch for yourself. Not only is it healthier it is also going to save you big bucks. (well over $75.00 a week)

Tip #2. Avoid late-payment fees. Let’s get you a system in place so you no longer miss payments and get charged late fees. Setting up the system will take about 30 minutes. Well worth it don’t you think?

Tip #3. Call your local phone company to see if you have the best plan possible. Plans are always changing and most companies are willing to negotiate a new plan for you at no extra cost. I was able to lower my phone bill be 10.00 a month. That is 120.00 a year back in my pocket. This will take less than 5 minutes as long as you are not put on hold J If you are put on hold, take that time to toss out some old papers that have been piling up.

Tip #4. Call your local cable company and ask them the same thing. Are you really watching all 500 channels? Can you get a better “package?” This will take about the same amount of time as the above tip.

Tip #5. Pay your credit card off in full each month. Be organized with your online banking so you do not miss a payment. This takes 3 minutes to set up and can save you hundreds of dollars in interest fees.

Tip #6. Plan your meals for the week. This avoids running into the grocery store several times a week. Not only does this save you huge amounts of time it saves on impulse buying. Take 15 minutes once a week to plan your meals and make your shopping list. And yes, I can help you with this by giving you simply easy dinner menu items for you and your family.

Tip #7. Plan ahead when traveling by taking your own snacks on the plane. Airport food is overpriced. Just think of what a bottle of water costs in an airport!

Tip #8. Be organized and save money by purchasing your sunscreen ahead of time. Tourist shops increase the prices for people who forget their sunscreen at home.

Tip #9. Sell unwanted items in your home before they are no good to anyone else. Perfect example of this is items that get outdated like furniture and clothing. I know you are keeping them “just in case” however this is where you need to get ruthless and ask yourself “would I replace this item if it was lost in a flood or fire?” If not, then it is time to pass it on.

Tip #10. Repurpose greeting cards that are sent to you. Cut the front off (picture part) and glue it to a new piece of paper.Voila! a new card. Great way to repurpose your kids’ art work too. Use it for wrapping paper or make cards out of them.

PS: Are we connected on Facebook? If not, please head on over and click the “LIKE” button and then “SHARE” the page on your Facebook.

Thanking you in advance for spreading the love. I will do the same for you.

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:36+00:00February 17th, 2016|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing Finances, Organizing to Move|0 Comments

How To Make Good Habits

Have you vowed to get organized once and for all?

Do you dream of impeccable time management habits?

Is this the year you will exercise, eat better, get more sleep, stop smoking or make some other positive change?

Why is it that some people can make good habits a habit and others can not?

Check out this short video on how to make good habits

And then read the Getting It Together’s Top 5 Tips on how to make good habits.

Tip #1: Visualize. In order to move forward with new habits you need to see yourself already there. Visualize yourself as a non smoker or as eating healthy whole foods. Think about how this new habit will improve your life.

Tip #2: Journal. Once you have visualized yourself already in the new habit now you will want to keep track of it in a journal. Write out all the benefits of achieving this new habit like increased energy or that you will be able to find what you are looking for in 20 seconds or less once your home is all organized.

Tip #3: One step at a time. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to organize your whole home in one day? In most cases this is impossible however if you set up small baby steps you can accomplish it. Take 15 minutes a day and work on one small area. For example your sock drawer. Take out all the odd socks and holey ones. Donate any extras if you have too many pairs and leave the rest. Easy to do in 15 minutes for sure.

Tip #4: Grab a buddy. Things are always better with a buddy. Who do you know who would like to get in better shape? Team up with them for long walk and talks. Make it a habit to meet once twice or even three times a week. Make each other accountable. Leaving a comment in the comment box below is a great way to becoming accountable. Tell us what your new habit is and we will hold you to it.:)

Tip #5: Have a plan. Know what you need to do in order to reach your goals. What daily habits do you need to instill to keep organized, eat better, get in shape, or stop smoking?

PS: Enter to win!

Getting It Together has just had a makeover and we want to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the comment box and your name will be entered into a draw to WIN a purse Organizer.

Check it out www.gettingittogether.ca/products

Share the love by sharing the link. Thank You

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:36+00:00October 28th, 2015|Home Organization, Organizer, Time Management|3 Comments

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