Odd Job: Proffessional Organizer

I have had the honor of being interviewed by Katy Ryan, a freelance writer for KC Free Press. To read the full interview Click here .

KC Free Press launched in December 2009 as a Web-based news and information source serving metropolitan Kansas City. As Kansas City’s first “built-for-the-Web” media outlet, the site was founded on a belief that a multimedia approach to reporting combined with a focus on local content and voices provides the best experience for users.

Katy is doing a series for KC Free Press titled "Odd Jobs." In addition to me, a professional organizer, Katy has interviewed a storm chaser, toy designer, KCMO fountain maintenance manager, geese police, T-shirt boutique owner and more for her 'Odd Jobs' series. It is so fun and interesting to learn about these people and their jobs and know they all live right here in the Kansas City area!

Katy Ryan is a blogger, too. Take a little trip over to her blog titled "girl about KC". She also has just published her first book, Moon Kansas City, which you can find here. As a Missouri native she covers the best of the Kansas City area, including River Market, Crossroads, Westport, and Brookside. Ryan provides various travel strategies, including The Best of Kansas City in Four Days, and explores notable restaurants as well as the various arts and entertainment the city has to offer.

Sounds like a must read for us Kansas City residents, eh?! Or for those who might visit Kansas City. This could help you locals ORGANIZE your summer outings and help introduce your out of town visitors to the treasures of KANSAS CITY!

Let me know your thoughts and what 'odd' job you have right now!

What Papers Should I Keep?

Everyone wants to know what papers they should keep and what papers are okay to throw away. With so much contradicting information going around how do we know what to do?

I received a flyer with my ING investment statements that I found quite helpful and wanted to share that with you. It is simple and to the point. Here is a wrap up of what papers to keep and for how long...

Permanent Papers: (keep forever)

• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Passports
• A copy of your will and health care directives
• Copies of beneficiary designations for retirement accounts
• All current insurance papers

Long-Term Papers:

• Federal and state income tax returns with the supporting documentation (minimum 3 years)
• Household papers including receipts, instructions and warranties for major appliances as well as records of capital improvements (keep as long as you own your home/appliance)

Short-Term papers:

• Monthly statements
• Investment papers confirming transactions
• Pay stubs (discard once you receive the year-end statement)
• Utility and telephone bills (shred as soon as they're paid)
• ATM receipts and deposit slips (destroy once they appear on your bank statement)

If you wanted to make files simple you could follow this outline for your file tabs! Keep the permanent papers in a fire proof box or safe.

As always, check with your accountant or tax advisor. For a complete guide to tax record keeping, see IRS Publication 552, Recordkeeping for Individuals at www.irs.gov.

"The Cabinet"

Do you have one of these cabinets...It is the catch all place for all office supplies, phone books, papers of all kinds, markers, kids crafts, cords, electronics, etc. Usually it is around the area you handle the mail. For most it is in the kitchen near a desk...

I wanted to show one of my client's NEW, organized cabinet. Too bad I forgot to take a before picture so that you could see how full of papers and stuff it was - unrecognizable. But we all have something like it...somewhere. And even the most organized people out there have to consistently maintain this special cabinet.

This cabinet is great because it has adjustable shelves. If you look closely you will see that we put the black notebooks in a clear-ish magazine holder turned on its side so they wouldn't fall over. Most of the paper that was smashed in the cabinet was thrown out or moved to permanent files but the white binder with clear sheet protectors keeps important documents.

My client found the Clear AkroBins on the left at The Container Store. We labeled them for the various things she wanted to keep near her kitchen/desk area: markers, pencils, nail supplies, office supplies, money, postage, etc. The top shelf has four areas reserved for stationary, pet supplies, cameras/cords, and checks.

To start a project like this on your own use my organizing acronym "SPASM" to help...

1. Pull out the things in your cabinet one by one and Sort them into piles. Use a sticky note to write each category name near the pile so you don't forget. You may have categories like crafts, paper, phone books, addresses, office supplies, etc.
2. Purge each pile. Throw away, donate or recycle all that you can.
3. Now Assign a home to each category. Do you want to keep it in this cabinet? This step is a little like a puzzle - figuring out how and where each item will fit into the cabinet. Try it different ways until you come up with a solution you like.
4. Next, Set limits by using containers. Decide what kind of containers you need. Try items you have around the house - old Tupperware, cups for pencils, shoe boxes - just to see how it fits. Then you can search the stores or online to find just the right containers. Set limits with statements, too. Say, "I will only use this area for stationary (or pens, phone books, post-its). When it is full I will purge and donate some to make room for the new."
5. Lastly, Maintain! This is key to continued organization. When you notice it is getting messy follow this acronym again. Maybe you will have to make some changes, add a new category or move a category to a different location.

Have fun! Send me before and after pictures of your project! Enjoy the results but don't waste too much time staring at your beautiful cabinet!!

Organizing...Creating an Environment of Support

In response to my previous post - our GO Month project - Ray Smith, National Director of Finance and Administration of the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, said,

"We are so thankful for the help we received in organizing our kitchen and storage areas after our recent move. In our old space, we had one large storage area, and everything just got stored wherever there was an open space for it. Now we have segmented areas for certain items and departments – and the organizers developed a labeling system that will help us to keep things where they belong. It is going to be so much easier to find what we need, to know when items need to be re-stocked, and to purge items we are no longer using."

Organizing is meant to create an environment that supports your work and your life. This project will support the work that the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation is doing. That is what it is all about!!

What in your work or in your life needs the support that organization can bring?

GO Month Project...A Success

Our local Kansas City organizers have completed our GO (Get Organized) Month project. I had blogged about here. We were so interested in helping the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation that we waited until March 1st, after they moved into their new office space, to complete our project.

As promised I am posting the before and after pictures! Here is all of the organizers after finishing our project...still smiling because we LOVE organizing. Can you pick me out? (clue: I am the tallest one in the picture!)

It feels great to help a cause... Without the worry of unpacking and organizing these areas the PKD staff is now ready to start working at their highest level of productivity and efficiency!

There were 4 areas that we organized. First, is the mail room:

A quick tip: The temporary blue post-its are being replaced by 3x5 plastic sleeves that will attach to the front of each cabinet with a computer printed label that slides in the sleeve. This makes it attractive AND easy to change out when supplies in the cabinets change.

Next, their kitchen:

A quick tip: Create stations in your kitchen. The coffee station is right by the coffee pots. The coffee cups are right above the pots and all the creamer, stir straws, etc are right there, too. The water station has all water cups right above the water filter machine.

Then, the storage room:

A quick tip: We created a center work station where they can wrap and prepare packages to send out! Also, be prepared to have an area for packages coming in to be housed temporarily until there is time to put them on the right shelf.

Lastly, the marketing closet:

A quick tip: Each box has a sample taped to the front of it so that anyone can easily see what is in the box. No wasting time reading labels and opening boxes. Also, it is important to have open space available for incoming supplies.

If your storage spaces need organizing, or your entire office is moving, why not invest in professional help. Have an organizer or a team of organizers get your space Simply Squared Away! You can reach me through my website!

Meal Planning

Meal planning - getting a healthy, balanced meal to our tables - is an area where many people lack organization and become frustrated and disappointed.

I always find myself drawn to this topic. I usually plan a menu and go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients I need but I am always looking for new ideas and recipes. I have friends on both sides of the spectrum - those that don't have any list or meals planned out and those that have it down to a science with coupons, fliers and deal-hunting focus. My mother-in-law always tells me that she menu planned around the sale ads - whatever meat that was on sale was the center of her menu.

Categorizing each day of the week is a handy tool that helps with menu planning. Of course, you need to arrange the categories to fit your schedule. Try these category ideas:

Monday - New recipe
Tuesday - Crock pot
Wednesday - Easy/Fast
Thursday - Kid's Favorite
Friday - Meatless
Saturday - Asian
Sunday - Eat out

Or you could also try categories like these:

Monday - Mexican
Tuesday - Italian
Wednesday - Crock pot
Thursday - Asian
Friday - American
Saturday - Frozen
Sunday - Eat out

Or what about salad, pizza, soup, sandwich...Remember to stay flexible! Have an outline of meals for the week but when it comes down to it don't cry if you forgot to put food in the crock pot on Wednesday morning. When you get home, eat the frozen meal from Friday and do the crock pot meal later in the week. Also, if you ate Mexican on Sunday when you went out to dinner you might want to switch your Mexican Monday with your Asian Thursday meal.

I get on these kicks when I am reading a new [recipe] book and have to try a ton of new recipes. My favorite book, click here for my post reviewing this book , The Eat Clean Diet has a RECHARGED version out now. In it is my new favorite recipe: Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice that is unbelievably delicious. This was the first time I cooked with fish sauce and oyster sauce...not a nice smell when you add it to the mix but somehow it turns into fabulous flavor! Also, the Thai Steak on Soba Noodles was wonderful. I think that is why I have a category for Asian in both lists!

Try this:
Take an hour this weekend and plan out a month of meals using the category ideas above. Write your grocery lists for each week. Keep the menus and lists in a binder for easy access. Let me know how this helps you stay organized with your meal planning this next month!

Are there other ideas that work for you when it comes to meal planning? Please share!

Becoming... In Order To Reach Your Goals

I am going through Darren Hardy's The Best 10 Years material and am learning sooo much. I would recommend that everyone go through it! Last week he talked about goals. I have gained a new perspective! This quote summarizes what I am learning...

“To achieve something you have never achieved before you must become someone you have never been.” —Les Brown

Here is an example of a goal and then asking the question, "Who do I need to become to reach that goal?" Darren uses this example on his blog. I highly recommend you click over to read the entire post! He says,

"Let me give you another example to bring this home for you. Let’s say your goal is to earn another $100,000 this year. Now we need to ask the question, ‘Who do you need to become to be an extra $100,000 valuable?’ Your answer might contain some attributes—stated in the positive, “I am”—such as:

• I am a disciplined master of time efficiency.
• I focus solely on high-payoff and high-productivity actions.
• I wake up an hour earlier and review my priority objectives each morning.
• I fuel my body properly and exercise four days a week so I am energetic and highly effective each work hour.
• I feed my mind ideas and inspiration that will support and bolster my passion.
• I surround myself with peers and mentors who elevate my expectations and prod me to rise to greater levels of discipline, commitment and achievement.
• I am a smart, confident and effective leader. I seek and cultivate the strength and greatness in everyone around me.
• I deliver excellence to my clients and continually find ways to ‘wow’ them, encouraging repeat transactions and abundant referrals.

Before you can have, you must do. And before you can do, you must become."

Very interesting, eh? It makes me think about my goals and what I need to 'become' to reach them and be the best person I can be. And, it is not all about money. Darren is big on life balance. Goals should be balanced around work, family, your calling, mental, spiritual, etc.

What are some of your goals? Has this helped you think about how you will achieve them - who you will 'become'?