Category: Family Medical Records | Organized To Perfection

Holiday Organizing Checklists

November 7, 2018 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I know the holidays are coming up quickly and I do not know where the time went! I love the upcoming holidays and I hope everyone will not be to stressed out during this time and really enjoy the time with friends and family. To do this I wanted to send you some checklists and small projects to do before your kids and work schedules get crazy. Here are some ideas to think about as the holidays approach:

Start writing down a list of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers that you would like to give a gift to. This year could be the year where you give the gift of your time. This could mean offering your time to help with their grocery shopping, or doing some errands or help cooking for the holidays. Some people don’t necessarily need gifts but the gift of your time may be just what they need!
Consider making a change this year and donate gifts or money to charities in your area that you are passionate about. There are several ways that you can contribute a gift to a family members favorite charity, or donate money for a scholarship to your kids high school or college alma mater. And unfortunately we may know someone who is dealing with a death in the family and would be grateful if you contributed to one of their charities.
Before the holidays start and you know you will be cooking, go through your pantry and determine what food ingredients you have already that is GOOD to use for your meals. When I work with clients and they ask me how long a certain type of food is good for, I ask them “If you were to use this food ingredient today to cook or bake with, would you use it?” If the answer is no, then you should get rid of it and no need to keep it if you are not going to use it now or it may make you feel sick. If during the holidays is the only time you bake and you have not used those ingredients for a year, consider getting new ingredients.
Introduce your kids, friends and even co-workers to watch great holiday movies and attend holiday events! I know there are many wonderful movies now on the Hallmark Channel for the holidays, and classic movies on TV or purchase the DVD. Also check out your local community announcements for events for kids and adults. It is great to get out and enjoy the happiness at this special time of year and to spend time together!

If you need some holiday organizing help or consulting advice concerning your home or office, please let me know and I will be happy to help you. I hope you all have a great holiday season and a wonderful start to 2019!

Organizing Paperwork

January 23, 2018 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all having a great start to 2018! I am starting my 16th year in business and I feel so grateful to be able to help my clients with finding solutions to their organizing situations. And in particular to help work with and teach my clients the techniques when it comes to organizing their teenagers rooms!

Here are a few tips and suggestions on organizing and purging paperwork in your home and business office:

Tip One: Go to the place where you have your oldest paperwork and see what you have there. Are you able to shred the paperwork or recycle it? Ask yourself the question: What is the consequence if I do not have this piece of paper? Do I need this information for my taxes? Are you running a business out of your home and do you need to keep the paperwork for 7 years? If you are not running a business out of your home, I would look at why you need to hold onto the paperwork. Does your accountant or financial advisor or lawyer need the information? If your answer is no, then it is time to shred or recycle the papers.

Tip Two: If you have a file cabinet that holds your old paperwork, is it busting at the seams? Is it hard to open because there is so much paperwork in there? And the big question is, do you really need this paperwork? When you purge your paperwork as much as you can, you may find you have additional room and you may not need a large file cabinet. And if you have additional room in the cabinet after you purge your papers, you may consider getting a new file cabinet or one that does not take up as much room. Some older file cabinets do not have an easy way to hang file folders from the frame and it is hard to keep your files organized in the cabinet.

Tip Three: Label your files exactly to what the paperwork pertains to. For example if the paperwork pertains to your automobile insurance label the file “Auto Insurance” or if the paperwork is about a test you had at your doctor, label it as “Blood test 2018”. Many people are afraid that if they file the papers away they will never be able to find it again. If you label the file to exactly what it is, you will be able to find it right away. Also you can label your files to what makes sense to you and what is easy for you to find.

I do not want you to feel like you are drowning in paperwork and as I stated before, the big question should be: what is the consequence if I do not have this piece of paper? Once you make your decision on that, it will be easier for you to decide what you really need to keep and what you can let go of!

If you are looking for additional ideas or solutions to organizing your paperwork, please contact me and I would be happy to help you conquer your paperwork project! I wish you all the best in the New Year!

Organizing advice for kids

May 5, 2016 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

One of the comments that I receive often from parents is “I cannot believe how unorganized and messy my kids bedrooms are!” I ask the parents have you talked to them about organizing and teach your kids on how to keep their bedrooms organized? Or show them how to keep track of all of their school activities? And most of the time the answers to my question is no. Here are some organizing advice and tips on how to help your kids with organization when it comes to their things.

Most adults have different ways to keep track of their schedule and we all use different types of calendars. I may be old school but I prefer to use paper planners because I work best with that format and many people prefer electronic systems. One tip is to try to show your kids some of the different types of planners out there that keep track of activities and see which one may help them. You can visit the websites of the Container Store at www.containerstore.com and OfficeMax at www.officedepot.com to give them some ideas. Would it help them if the planner was a week at a glance or a daily format? Is there a lot of room to write things down on or just a small space to write for example “soccer practice?” And would they like a planner to be kept at home or have an app on their cellular phones? Also show them the benefits of having a planner so they can stay organized and learn how to plan their schedule so they don’t plan 2 things at once. Of course this all depends on the age of the child and there are some very unique and simple planners out there for younger aged kids up to kids in high school. This is also a very important lesson to learn when they go to college and they are on their own to keep their schedule in order.

The next tip on teaching your kids to be organized is to show them how to keep the things that they love in order and in a safe place. When I work with kids on organization in their bedrooms most of the things in their room they do not have an attachment to but I always find out quickly what is important to them. It may be jewelry or a certain book series or their clothes. We go through their rooms and do a big purge of items and then get to what is important to them and find the best place to keep them and/or organize the items. This is when they are excited about the project and I have their full attention! So we really focus on those things and get them sorted and organized and they are so happy once it is done and I show them how to maintain that space so it stays that way. As parents you know once you tune into what is an interest or important to your kids they are fully engaged and will listen to all you have to say!

Teaching your child the importance of organization is a great tool and life skill to have as they grow up. Also being organized will become a great asset to them in school and in their daily lives! If you need additional information or help with organization for your kids please contact me and I would be happy to help.

Organizing mistakes

April 4, 2016 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

When people think about organizing or starting an organizing project they are afraid they will make mistakes or they are not sure how to start the project. I think the word mistake can be harsh at times so I am here to help you change the idea of making an organizing mistake and turn them into organizing accomplishments!

One mistake people make is they are not thinking through the project before they start. To change your thought process you need to think about what is not working in that space and how to create a functional organizing space. For example, the mud room and why is it a complete disaster at times. Do you still have all of your winter items in the mud room when it is the middle of July? If you are working in the mud room every season you have to go through that area and purge, sort and organize the clothes so the items in the area are only what is needed at that time of the year. In the end the accomplishment would be to have only the current weather items in the mud room so you can easily maintain the space.

The second mistake is when people purchase organizing products before they know what they need to complete the project. I am asked this question a lot from clients before we start a project if they should purchase bins or folders before our appointment. I always tell them no since we do not know what specifically we need to complete the project or how many bins or the correct size of the containers. For instance, if we are working in the basement and organizing holiday decorations we first need to purge and sort the items so we know how many items we have left so we know exactly what to store them in and the size of the bins. Also when we go through the purging process we tend to have additional bins to use for the organizing process and may not need to purchase new bins. The accomplishment would be that we save you money on purchasing unnecessary items and to figure out the best use of things you currently own.

After you complete your organizing project and your space is organized you may have a large pile of clothes, household items and kitchen supplies you no longer need and you must have a plan on where to donate those items. The mistake would be that you do not have a place to donate the items ahead of time and they stay in your house and you might be tempted to remove them from the donated pile. A good source to donate items to is a Goodwill facility or a consignment store. The best way to complete your organizing project is to take action on getting rid of your donated items within a reasonable time table. Also I tell my clients to put the donated items in the car so when you pass a donation facility you can drop them off right away. You will feel a sense of accomplishment with passing on your unwanted items to other people who would be happy to have them. Your accomplishment would be you are helping others in need and you have items in your home that you truly love!

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