Blog | Organized To Perfection

Home Office Changes in 2020

May 26, 2020 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic. I know many of the businesses are considering and permanently having their employees work from home instead of going into an office setting. These are challenging times and we have to adjust and move on with the times to stay focused and productive in our personal and business lives. If you are working for a company that now have you working from home more or a small business and working from home, here are some ideas/suggestions on how to make space in your home for your new or updated work space:

Do you have a room in your home that would work out great to convert to an office? Maybe your dining room or living room area would be a productive space to have a desk or table to have your laptop and papers on. If you can, look at the space and try to visualize a desk in that space for your home office and if it would be a functional space for you. I know that may be hard for some people to do and getting help from an organizer to create that space would work out great for you.
You will need a desk or table to use for your laptop and/or papers. There are several good ideas and solutions for desks at Office Depot stores. They have small desks that fit in specific areas and do not take up much room or larger desks with storage and good space for laptops and paperwork that is functional.
You must establish a daily routine in your work schedule. If you normally would drive to a business office location and now you are working from home, try to keep your business hours the same. Get up early, be ready to work around your normal business hours and quit your work at a normal time. Keeping up with your work routine will help you be productive and focused in your work.
Take breaks and lunch breaks just as you would if you were at your business office location. Also, communicate with your family and friends on what your work schedule and responsibilities are and make sure you all honor each others time. This may be a new routine in your lives but I know you will work together to make it work!
One of the most important words I would like for you to take away from this “new normal” is to keep up with your relationships during this time! Stay connected with your business contacts, current and past clients and friends businesses who may need your support. All successful businesses rely on relationships and trust with their customers and clients and this is very important at this time!

I wanted to share with you just some ideas and suggestions for you to think about and implement in your work life moving forward. If you have any questions or need advice on how to make your work space functional in your home, please contact me at beth@organizedtoperfection.com and I would be happy to help! I hope you are all safe and healthy during this time and we will all come out of this stronger!

Update important family/household documents now

April 2, 2020 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I know we are all going through a tough time in our country with the COVID-19 pandemic. We will ALL get through this together and I know there is an end to this pandemic coming soon and we will truly value our relationships with deeper appreciation! I am giving you an organizing project to work on now and I hope this will ease your mind and give you an opportunity to cross off of your important to-do of list! I have listed a few projects below that I feel are important to update at this time for you and your family.

1) Medical Essential Family Information: Create a Word document where you list all of your doctors information which includes general practitioners, dentists, gynecologist, chiropractor, eye doctors and all specialty doctors you may have seen in your lifetime. Also include on your list all surgeries with dates and what type of procedure that was done. List your current medication you and your family are on and if helpful for a specific doctor, keep track of when you visited that doctor so you know when you need to have a checkup or need to update your medications with them. This list really comes in handy now and in the future when a doctors office or your family members need to know your medical history and you will have it all down and nothing will be forgotten.

2) Household Inventory List: This is a very important list to start today and keep up with while you are living in your current home. This is a list where you write down all or most of the items in your home in case there is an emergency and you have to submit a insurance claim due to damage or destruction of your home. There are several different types of lists out there and I recently used https://www.nycm.com/pdf/HomeContentsInventoryWorksheet.pdf to keep track of the items in my home. This spreadsheet has some columns that may not apply to specific items in your home or you don’t need to get that specific and that is fine. Once this list is filled out, you would only need to update it when you no longer have the item and/or you add things to your home.

3) Update and purge computer files: Since we are on our computers a lot more these days, this is a great time to look at your computer files and see if there are some files that you can delete. This is the same process as you would do with physical files but you don’t have to deal with the actual mess of the papers. Ask yourself: Do I need to refer back to this information for my accountant, family doctors, family expenses etc? What are the consequences if I do not have this information? Go through any old folders that you have created and look to see if the information is still needed, relevant etc. If not, you can delete it! Check to see if you need to combine files and/or create new ones with the information that you want to keep. Then go to your recycle bin and delete all files that are in there to save space on your computer. I am not a computer expert so please delete files and folders that you feel comfortable with and if you have concerns or you are not sure about specific files, please contact a computer expert to help you with your files.

These are just a few ideas and thoughts that you can do while you are staying at home during this COVID-19 pandemic. I know in the past you did not have time to do these projects but NOW is the BEST TIME to do these and complete them! If you have any questions or need additional information about the ideas that I have listed here, please let me know and I would be happy to help you. Thank you and I hope you all stay safe and healthy and we will ALL get through this together and will be stronger in the end!

Organizing mindset for 2020

January 9, 2020 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

We are starting a new decade and I cannot believe it! I want you all to have the best year for your family, friends and your careers! I always talk to my clients about how to start a project and the MINDSET you need to be in when you want to get things done. I have a few ideas/guidelines to think about when you start a project.

One important thought I would like for you to consider when you are starting an organizing project is what is the PURPOSE you are trying to achieve here with your space? Are you trying to make space so new items can be organized and fit in that space? Are you finally ready to get rid of old paperwork that is weighing you down and taking over the dining room table? The question you need to ask yourself is what is your GOAL you are trying to achieve here. Once you figure out the purpose and the goal for the space that you want to get organized, the process of sorting, purging and organizing will be easier to work on.

The second important thought I would like you to think about is what are the CONSEQUENCES if you do not have that specific piece of paper? Or what would happen if you recycled your kids old school papers from 4 years ago? This is the question that you need to ask yourself when you are looking at sorting and purging paperwork in your home or even your office. What is the consequence if you got rid of the papers? Do you need to keep the papers for your accountant, lawyer or your medical history for your doctor? If you can not think of any reason to keep the papers or there are no true consequences that you can think of, then it is ok to let it go! If you are truly in doubt then keep the paperwork but plan on reviewing the papers in about 6 months or 1 year when it may be easier for you to get rid of the paperwork.

Most of the time my clients are overwhelmed at the start of the project and do not know where to start. The best way to handle this is to take 1 CATEGORY at a time and only work on that. For example, if you are working in your bedroom, only address the clothes in your room or your closet. If you are working with your papers on your desk area, only look at papers that you know are 100% recyclable and you can get rid of them. And if you are in your garage area, just look at for example your gardening items or just the tools to sort and organize. Most people get overwhelmed and look at the picture as a whole but if you just take a small category to work on, then it is manageable for you and you get the project completed!

Please try using these techniques when you are starting a project and I know they will be very helpful for you so you can start and finish the task at hand! If you have any questions about my service or would like some clarification on some points I have addressed here, please let me know and I would be happy to help you out. You can reach me at beth@organizedtoperfection.com or my business line at 630-668-0993. Thank you and have a great start to 2020!

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Organizing tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving holiday

October 14, 2019 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

Every year it seems like the holidays sneak up on us earlier and earlier, and it’s not uncommon to feel like you are never prepared! Maybe you have your family over every year for Thanksgiving and are looking for ways to be more efficient in your preparations. Or maybe this year you are hosting the family for the very first time! I am here to help you sort out your plans and get organized for Thanksgiving and other celebrations so you will enjoy the holidays!

Following are some organizing and planning tips to help you prepare for Thanksgiving and eliminate stress so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends.

• Make a list of the people you are inviting to your home for the holiday. Most people invite family and friends who live in the area, but if you are inviting out-of-town guests, it would be best to send out the invitation a few weeks in advance so they can make travel plans.
• Inventory your table linens and napkins to see if you need to send them to the dry cleaners and to make sure you have enough for the number of guests that you are expecting. And if you need to purchase new linen sets, check out the stores for great deals now.
• Check your serving flatware, glassware and dishes to make sure you have enough. Did any of the dish pieces break last year and need to be replaced? Or are some worn out and need replacement? If you need to order them online, make that a priority on your to-do-list.
• Think about what table decorations you would like, or change out your pillows or throw blankets for the party. Some people change out their paintings to holiday or winter scenes during this time of year, so decide if you want to do that, and purchase new ones now if you don’t already have some.
• Check out the condition of your guest room if you are having family or friends stay at your home. Do you need to put away items that ended up in that room? Do you need to clean and/or purchase new linens for the bed? This is a great time to decide if you need to keep any items that are being stored in the guest room for safe keeping. Now is the time to donate or throw away items that are no longer needed.
• Review your recipes and cookbooks and find your favorite dishes for the holidays, or consider special dishes that your family members request every year! If you want to experiment on some new dishes, try them out a few weeks ahead of time to see if they might become a new favorite for family and friends.
• If children are coming to your party, put out toys or movies for them if they need to be entertained. This is a great way to have all of your guests comfortable in your home. If you and your guests like to play board games, make sure you have all of the pieces to the games before the party.
• To plan for leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal, try to make some space in your refrigerator and freezer, and eat or throw out any leftover food so you have extra room.

These are just a few tips and ideas so you are as prepared as possible to make the most of your Thanksgiving with your family and friends! This is a great list to use for Thanksgiving or other celebrations that you may have in your home.

If you need help getting your home organized and prepared for the holidays, please contact me and I would be happy to help out! I hope you all have a blessed holiday season!

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