ARE YOU A PROCRASTINATOR??

I remember when I was in the 5th grade, my teacher, Mrs. Granger, said we were going to have 2 vocabulary words a week, and the 1st word for the year was PROCRASTINATE. Mrs. Granger gave us the definition…procrastinate: to put off for another day. When she explained the definition, my 10 year old mind decided that I was never going to be a procrastinator!!!

Many people often like to hold things off to the last minute and wait until later to do it. Many times when this happens you forget about the things that you need to do, and then they just don’t get done.

For a lot of people procrastination is a big problem. Many people ask me how I am able to get everything done and even have spare time left over. I tell them if you put things where they belong (IN THERE HOMES) you have more time to do other things. If you don’t have things in a certain spot you have to stop what you are doing and go around looking for them, and by the time you get back to what you were doing, you forgot what it was you were doing, and then IT DOESN'T GET DONE!!

Procrastination is bad, but it can also make managing your time and life easier. Just sit back for a minute and think about what your life would be like if everything had a HOME...how much stuff you would not have to look for anymore.

The last 2 TIPS!!!

The last 2 TIPS!!!

5. Wipe down your interior twice a month. I like to use Windex and Turtle Wax to help my interior (rubber, plastic, vinyl and leather) shine. ***TIP: Keep a Swiffer Duster in your car at all times to help keep up on the dust…WHY NOT since you are just waiting!!! RIGHT!

6. Last but not least wash the outside of your car once a month, then dust the outside with this special duster.
***Homework: Take everything out of your car, and give it a HOME!!!

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful fall weekend…HAPPY ORGANIZING!!!

# 3 and # 4 Tips

Good morning to all my fellow organizers!!! The next 2 tips to keep your car clean and organized are…

#3. Place tools, emergency items, blankets, water, and things of the sort into your trunk. You can buy a trunk organizer that makes things easier. ***Remember: EVERYTHING HAS A HOME…in your trunk too.

#4. MY FAVORITE…keep a shop vac or small vacuum in your garage, so that you can vacuum your car twice a month. YES, you heard me correctly, 2 times a month vacuum the interior of your car. ***Hey you vacuum your house weekly why not your car??

YES on Friday I will reveal the last 2 tips…

IS YOUR CAR A GARBAGE CAN ON WHEELS??

Okay, so how many of you spend a lot of time in your car, truck, or SUV on your way to or from work, school, or waiting for kids to finish dance, piano, a game or practice?

YEP…that’s what I thought, we spend so much time in our cars. The result, unless you are also very careful, can be a car interior that looks like a TRASH CAN ON WHEELS!

A failure to maintain a good car interior is likely to cost you in resale value down the road. Once you begin to let the auto interior look warn and used, the more likely the situation will turn permanent. At the same time, you may feel embarrassed to have friends, co-workers or family see even the occasional Taco Bell wrappers or a pile of garbage in your back seat.

I have come up with 6 great tips to help keep your car looking new and spiffy!! The first two are…

1. Keep a trash bag in your car and empty every time you go to a gas station so that it does not continue to accumulate until it is overflowing.

2. Decide what needs to stay or go in your car. Remember,”EVERYTHING HAS A HOME.” Even in you car, if your kids get something out, they need to put it right back in it’s special home. Especially trash…IT GOES IN THE GARBAGE!

Come back on Wednesday to find out the next two!!!

Tips for Spring Cleaning

As a child, I would dread hearing the awful phrase, “it is time for SPRING CLEANING.” Now that I am a mother to four little ducklings, I have learned to love the phrase… it is music to my ears. Spring cleaning has turned into a family tradition, and in order to spring clean you should follow these 5 simple rules.

1. Make a schedule for each room and stick to it
2. Assign everyone a task
3. Spread the cleaning over several weekends
4. Try to make it fun
5. Make sure you reward the family with a special treat when you are finished

***This weekend for your homework assignment take out all your fake greenery in your house and spray it down with a hose, let it dry then put them back on your plant shelves, and in your house. Have a great an ORGANIZED weekend

Start at the Top when Cleaning a Room

Having an order and method to everything may seem a little over the top, but it really can help in all you’re cleaning. If you clean a room, from top to bottom and from one end to the other, you'll save yourself the hassle of dirtying things you've already cleaned and needing to clean them again.

For example, if you are deep cleaning a room…

1. clean the ceiling fan
2. dust the blinds
3. dust all the nick knacks on your furniture
4. dust the furniture
5. wipe down floor boards
6. vacuum the floor
7. mop the floor

Stay tuned for Friday’s top tips for spring cleaning!!

Make cleaning a little easier

When Justin and I bought our first little house 15 years ago in a little town called Gilbert, Arizona (the closest grocery store was on Frys, on Valvista and Baseline... In other words, GILBERT HAS GROWN!!!)… We went from having 1 little bathroom to 2 bathrooms. I know it is not a big deal, but back then I came up with I think a BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!

***Are you ready…I put cleaning supplies and cleaning towels under every sink in the house (including the kitchen.) This way you don’t have to carry around all your supplies with you. That is why it is so easy for me to wipe down all 3 of my bathrooms almost everyday, because literally it only takes 3 minutes or less.

I also only use Windex Multi-surface cleaner (vinegar) to wipe down the mirrors, sinks, and toilets. I put a bottle of Windex and a stack of towels under all three bathrooms and under the kitchen sink. One day a week I clean the inside of all my toilets will A MAGIC WAND, that I have hanging from all of my toilets. That way I don’t have to track disgusting toilet water all over my house…It stays right by the toilet!!! I do clean the shower once a month, but I wipe it down after every shower so it stays clean longer. I leave a squeegee and a towel in ever shower… so it is a reminder to the family to WIPE IT DOWN!!!

I hope some of these ideas were helpful; they have worked great for me for the past 15 years. If any of you have another BRILLIANT IDEA, please let me know I would love to share it.

Have a great Monday!!