Get Organized Pittsburgh

Add a little clean up time before meals instead of before bed. It’s almost time for dinner, your children are smelling your meal and it’s the perfect time to get them to think about cleaning up before they eat. I’ve found that waiting to clean up at bedtime usually means they want to take their time because they don’t want to go to bed. But EVERYONE wants to eat right? And they usually want that right now (at least I know my kids do)!

Give it time, 15 minutes before dinner is served, direct a quick clean up of a certain area, toys, entry, laundry. Suggestions like “Let’s just take care of this and when you’re finished dinner will be ready.” Remember to let them do it. As soon as they finish, it’s time to set the table and sit down. Everyone is ready to eat and you’ve got a mostly tidy home. Can’t beat that!

We love this product the Lay-n-Go product for easy LEGO clean up. For more toy storage ideas check out our collection of Play Area ideas on Pinterest and be sure to give us a follow there too!

What is going to make 2012 different? We are always striving to be faster, stronger and bigger, but what does that really look like. One of the most popular resolutions is to get organized and that doesn’t always translate into MORE. Efficiency is a great goal but prioritizing might be a better one. Knowing what is important in your time and stuff will make every day seem easier. That is a gift that only you can give yourself. So, how do you get there? What do you let go of? Here are three strategies that may help you.

Top 10 List

What are the all the things you are involved in? What are your roles? List them all; pick the Top Ten and let go of the rest, even temporarily so you get caught up on the issues that are bothering you. You may be surprised when you miss an activity that had been routine and not important, you might find yourself secretly celebrating. This is a great strategy for getting on track when you are going through a major life transition. Step back and minimize while you get through it!

What is it that only I can do?

Another great tip that really works for entrupenuers is to really write down all the “jobs” you do and then highlight the jobs that only YOU can do. Go one step further and mark those that you actually like to do. For me this has really illuminated all kinds of little things that have kept me from the bigger things. It was easy to let go by finding people to do those very specific jobs that I no longer need to attend to. It is fun to think of the year ahead with out those items on my To Do List.

Know you 3 MIT’s Daily

MIT’s are your Most Important Things. If you could write just 3 MIT’s down for the next day when you are leaving your desk or at the end of each day, and were able to start each day ready to accomplish just those 3 things, I suspect it would be life changing. I know we all have HUGE To Do lists, and making a master list does help get it all down, but I am talking about having a top 3 every day that are non-negotiable! This will take away the feeling of being overwhelmed and will help you know what enough looks like. Knowing this can help you stop just working and working and working until you just “hit the wall”.

So I hope these help you to see your New Year through the lens of doing what is important and knowing what “enough” is. This will bring simplicity and order to your 2012!

Leslie was featured on Pittsburgh Today Live on Monday January 2nd where she discussed getting organized in the new year. She shared tips for what to do with unused decorations and how to keep the ones you use organized for next year. Find tips on what to do with older electronics that have been replaced over the holidays.

Leslie was on KDKA-TV Pittsburgh Today Live on Friday and we wanted to share the video with you. She gave some tips and suggestions about how to control the chaos in your kitchen and refrigerator this holiday.

Did you miss Leslie’s feature on Monday, December 5th on Pittsburgh Today Live? Well you can now watch it here.

Leslie discusses over-shopping and suggests ways to identify why you over-shop and how to control it.

Reminder! Our very own Leslie McKee will be featured during Pittsburgh Today Live with Kristine Sorensen Monday, December 5th between 9 -10am. Leslie will be discussing over-shopping as it pertains to the holiday, how it effects you daily, and how to deal with it.

Look for tips on how to identify over-shopping habits and watch for information about how to gain control of your shopping habits.

WHY IS OVER-SHOPPING A PROBLEM?

• Our economic growth is dependent upon selling goods to people whose needs are already met!
• Studies show that the more we acquire after our basic needs are met, the less fulfilling those acquisitions are. Therefore the tendency is to buy more to get the same feeling.
• Studies show that the more someone believes material things bring true happiness, the more likely that person is to suffer from depression, stress and anxiety. College students report 70% feel being VERY wealthy will mean they will be happy. This sets the stage for widespread discontent.
• It is proven that too many choices leave us feeling befuddled and over stimulated yet- 5.8 % of US adults are over shoppers. That is 17 million people.
• 3 out of 5 Americans who carry credits cards carry credit card debt. One half owe more than 6,600 and 13% owe over 25k.
• Our country is reporting negative personal savings which happened in 1932,1933 during the great depression.

We have come across an interesting challenge that we have seen on a few other sites. It’s called The Closet Hanger Challenge! We believe Oprah mentioned this first but we just think it’s such a smart and FUN way to clear out some of the extra!

Here’s the challenge:

Jan 1st, take no more than 2 minutes and turn all of the hangers in your closet backwards. As you wear the clothing, when you return it to your closet hang the hanger the right way again. Reassess your hangers on June 1st. If there are items still on backwards hangers, it might be time to consider donating that item.

See how easy this is? We hope you come back on June 1st to tell us how you did!

Congratulations you have made it to our last segment of our holiday prep plan! The last step is to take a look at your dinning room and all of the special things that make a beautifully set table.

We can begin with the china closet. First, if you have several sets what do you really love and use? Are there legacy pieces that have been passed down to you that you DON’T love but you keep because you feel it is a way to respect the person that gave them to you? Are there items that you are not using you are holding on to them for your children? If you can let go, do it! But if you don’t like them, it is likely your kids wont like them either. Think about the items you use often and put the items you are saving for your kids in a less active place!

China is usually best sold on eBay. It is fairly easy to ship and more importantly it has great identifying marks that make it easy to buy. Many people have guilt about selling something that was given to them by a loved one. I try to get them over that hurdle by suggesting they would be giving it to someone who can use and love it. Listing it on eBay is a great way to feel like you are respecting the item. The proceeds from the sale can then be donated in the name of loved ones to their favorite charity. If you need help with eBay, contact Joan Sakai, eBay Trading Assistant at joansakai@hotmail.com or call her at 412-771-9593 http://myworld.ebay.com/2000joni/

How about those linens? Which ones are your favorites? What about that one with the stains from Uncle Moe knocking over the wine glass that one Thanksgiving? Keep the ones that you really love. Make sure they are not stained and if they have napkins make sure there are enough. I mark the edge of mine with little dots that tell me the size. Zero dots means zero table leaves, one dot is one leaf, two dots is two leaves and three dots is three leaves. If your dining room storage is limited you can also hang up the larger linens and keep the smaller more frequently used linens in the drawer.

Remember that keeping an item does not show love to a person and when it comes right down to it you will never set a table with your second or third best linens!

It is one thing to organize the pantry, and cabinets and to keep the sink and counters clean, it is another to be organized about shopping and meal prep. These things go hand in hand because knowing what you have will help you get on track to making something with it! I read that most home makers have about 21 recipes that they draw on for the majority of what they prepare in the kitchen. A great first step is to write down your 21. I wrote mine on index cards and I actually asked my family members what meals they liked the most. This was actually really surprising and nice to hear. On Sunday nights I try to pull those out and shuffle through to get inspired and produce a shopping list from there. I have found that if I at least know the protein we will be having for 5 evenings out of 7 I actually seem to be able to put the rest together more easily. I also try to look at the week ahead and match the easy meals to the busy days.

As for cookbooks. I personally have one small shelf for them in my kitchen. I keep this lean and mean because too many choices creates stress. There are tons of ways to get recipes so why use valuable space with cookbook when magazines can generate new ideas to keep things fresh. Magazines have a 6 month expiration date in my house and i scan or clip what i want from there. The internet is my biggest friend in the kitchen now. I just google the ingredients I have on hand and I instantly have a recipe to try. If I like it I save it in my recipe file on my computer. Searching through there is easier than paging through books for me.

I also get help. One day while we were having a discussion about family chores I mentioned that shopping and cooking were a few of the many things that occupy my time. My kids commented that they could cook one day a week if I took over a dish night for them. That became a Wednesday night routine for years. It gave them a new respect for cooking, they learned a few simple dishes and when I helped or took their cooking night I got a great big “thank you” for my effort. (TIP: I tried to never complain about what is served and it was fun to have them self critique because ultimately they had to eat what they prepared and after lots of taco nights they tried some new things.)

Need help storing those loose recipes you’ve collected from your favorite magazines?

We suggest, if you are looking for a way to contain your loose recipes we have found the Recipe Relish to be a fantastic product that offers way more function than a office store binder. Head to their site to learn more about the Recipe Relish and how it might help you to keep your recipes in order.

Here’s to knowing what is for dinner!

Leslie

We have organized the cabinets in the kitchen and under the sink so in keeping with our holiday preparation posts let’s tackle the kitchen pantry next.

TASKS: KITCHEN PANTRY

-Go on a scavenger hunt and remove all expired food and items you just don’t use. If you are uncertain, ask yourself if you will eat it in the next two weeks. If the answer is yes, write it down and make a plan to use it. If the answer is no, consider getting rid of it.

-How far did you have to search to find your food? Unless your kitchen is very small, food outside of the kitchen is usually neglected and takes up valuable space. Try to keep your food where it will be used – inside of the kitchen.

-Get real about what you are actually using. Give up on he liver pâté or death defying hot sauce that came in a gift basket years ago. It is okay to let those items go and use what you love and know.

NEW WAY TO THINK

Now that you have gotten rid of the food that expired before the invention of Google, you can enjoy a sigh of relief knowing that you have just made health a priority for you and your family. Further commit by jotting down ways to use the odd ingredients you said you would use in the next two weeks. Still have a lot of good food? It might be time to have an eat down! Often we wait for special occasions to use things. See how much space you can create by making today special! Try to make your next few shopping trips consist of only perishables. Get creative and have fun. Let the family know what you are trying to do and get their ideas! Are there categories that you tend to over-buy, like packaged snacks that come in handy on crazy mornings? Take a minute to really decide what is enough in those categories. Perhaps re-purpose those as snacks that you can bring to soccer practice for the whole team to enjoy.

Take some time to connect to what kind of cook you want to be. Does that picture include farmers’ markets, fresh produce, less processed, less packaged, healthy dinners shared with your family? Interestingly, the pantry in that picture will keep itself organized as you simply replace old and bad items with more fresh items.

The only thing in your way is making this transition a priority. Having a pantry that reflects what you value is a great start.