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Organizing Doesn’t Have to be Scary

October 31, 2017/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Side Notes:

I’ve been in business 9 year, and for all those years I’ve been a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. However, they have recently changed their name and logo. They are now the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

*** Have you ever heard of the Buy Nothing Project? It is an on-line community for giving, lending, and sharing. You can search your local area to see if there is one in your neighborhood. You do have to have a Facebook account.

*** Question: Have you ever rented a storage unit? If so, how big and how long? Please share.

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Hi ,

Isn’t it hard to believe that there are just two more months left in 2017? Fall is upon us. The colorful autumn leaves are finally sharing their splendor. The Halloween decorations are out, and costume preparations are under way. Now’s the time to share,

How to Overcome Five

SCARY

Thoughts About Organizing.

1. I’m not ready to organize.

I understand that being in the right mindset when tackling a project can impact the success of the project. If that is the case, take your time and do some planing and preparing before jumping in. However, if this is a procrastination technique, you’re not helping yourself. Commit and get started.

2. It’s too hard to do.

Organizing can be difficult, especially deciding what to keep and not keep, but you can always ask for help. Ask for assistance from sincere friends, empathetic family members, or Professional Organizers. The project will get done faster, and it is much more pleasant to work with a supportive helper.

3. I’m no good at organizing.

The best way to get better at a skill we’re not good at, is to practice. The more you organize the better you’ll get at it. Organize for 10 minutes a day, every day, and see what happens after 3 weeks.

4. I don’t know where to start.

I recommend that you start any organizing project by sorting things into general categories. The idea is to put like items together first, and then make decisions about what to keep and for how long. For more information about the steps of organizing read my blog, 3 Step Organizing Process.

5. It will just be a mess again in a month.

There is a natural flow to organizing, and it goes like this, there is order, natural disorder (work, life, mess), and then reclaiming order. In this way, organizing is like doing the laundry or dishes. You have to reclaim order for the mess to be controlled and contained, otherwise it creeps back.

Recycle Resource

Finding new ways to reuse, recycle, and reduce for myself and my clients, makes me happy. Everyone is more motivated to get rid of something when they know it is going to someone who will really use it. At Household Goods in Acton, MA they take donations and give directly to those in need. They help people in a variety of situations make a home for themselves. This is a wonderful organization. Please check them out.

If you have a donation that they don’t accept, or if you’re not close to Acton, they provide a good list of other organizations to donate to.

From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

If you’ve worked with me in any capacity, I’d be grateful for a review. Simply click on this link and answer 3 questions. Thank you and happy organizing!

Focus on Editing

August 31, 2017/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Content

Focus on Editing

Recycle Resource

Side Notes:

I was on TV. It was only a local cable TV show, but it was still a trill. The show was the Veteran’s Forum where I shared how I help individuals get and stay organized. Want to see the half hour interview?

*** Have you ever heard of Facebook Yard Sale? It is an on-line community for selling items. You can search your local area to see if there is one in your neighborhood. You do have to have a Facebook account.

*** Question: Do you consign anything? If so, what and where? Please share.

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Hi,

How are you enjoying your summer? Hope all is well with you. I mentioned in my last newsletter that I was excited for my big summer trip. My husband and I went on a South African Safari. It was truly amazing! The baby rhinos and giraffe were adorable. Our elephant encounter, where we touched and fed them, was the highlight of my trip. I enjoyed everything but the 15 hour flight (one way). If you’d like more detail, I’d be happy to share some of my 1600 photos. I was definitely shutter happy!

Focus on Editing

While working with clients, much of our focus is on editing. I define editing as the process of evaluating what we have, and getting rid of stuff that no longer serves us. To assist in this process I’ve written several blog articles. Here are a few I thought you’d find helpful.

Pocketbook Editing

Keep or Not Keep

Determine, Decide, Dispose

Exit Strategy

In my personal life I’ve also been focusing on editing. I donate as much as I can, but I’ve also used consignment shops for items that fit the requirements. Below are clothing and product-based consignment shops I’ve used with success.

Twice the Diva in North Attleboro, MA

Consignments on the Common (also known as Let’s Consign) in Foxboro, MA

Thrifty Witch in Bellingham, MA

Recycle Resource

One of my class attendees told me about New Life Home Refurnishing, this great resource is in Walpole, MA. It is a charitable organization that accepts tax-deductible donations of furniture and household items, warehouses them, and then makes them available at no charge to those in need. You can’t get more worthy than that. Please consider New Life the next time you have something to donate.

From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

If you’ve worked with me in any capacity, I’d be grateful for a review. Simply click on this link and answer 3 questions. Thank you and happy organizing!

Organizing Humor

May 8, 2017/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Content

Do you reduce?

Recycle Resource

Side Notes:

*** One thing that I like to do is take and share photos. Do you? How many photos do you think you have? Research says that most families have about 60,000 photos on 5 or more devices. If you are feeling overwhelmed about organizing your photos, I can help with small projects, but the two companies listed below have experts that can help you organize, scan, and manage any number of photos on any number of devices.

Visit their website.

*** Question: Do you have any funny organizing stories? Please share.

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NAPO-NE

Hi,

Hope all is well with you. Are you enjoying 2017 so far? It seems like the year is flying by. I’m okay with that, because I have a fun summer trip planned. So, I’m excited that it is now only 2 months away. What about you, any plans?

What makes you laugh?

Actually, I just got back from a trip. I was in Pittsburgh, PA for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Conference. I attended some inspiring sessions. One that I really liked was about brain clutter and how laughter can help. That gave me the idea to share some organizing cartoons with you. I hope you laugh, or at least, chuckle a little.

Recycle Resource

This is why I was happy to find Free Cycle. It’s a nonprofit movement that encourages people to reuse. The idea is to keep good, usable stuff out of landfills. It is an online community where people give and get stuff for free in their own towns and neighborhoods. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers and membership is free. Check it out.

From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

If you’ve worked with me in any capacity, I’d be grateful for a review. Simply click on this link and answer 3 questions. Thank you and happy organizing!

Organizing in the New Year

January 26, 2017/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Content

January 2017

Newsletter

Side Notes:

*** Did you know that January is Get Organized Month? What will you organize this month? Please share with me.

*** February is the start of my spring class schedule. You can obtain more details on my website. Hope to see you in class.

*** Question: What is the toughest thing for you to get rid of? Books? Clothes? Shoes? Please share your answer.

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Hi ,

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it is the end of January already, but I hope 2017 has gotten off to a GREAT start for you. Someone shared this nice idea with me, and I want to share it with you. It suggests you write down good things that happen throughout the year, and put them in a jar. At the end of the year, read and remember all the awesome things that happened in 2017. I think this is a wonderful idea, but I’d like to recommend a twist. Write down organizing projects you tackle this year, and see how accomplished you are at the end of the year. A second twist is to write down all the items you donate and give away. At the end of the year you can reward yourself for giving to those in need. Whatever 2017 holds for you, , I hope your jar is stuffed with wonderful memories, meaningful accomplishments, and good deeds.

Do you make new year’s resolutions?

I do, and I’d like to share one of my 2017 resolutions with you. It is to clean up my Email files. Here is how I’m going to tackle this:

Schedule 20 minutes a week to work on this project.
Clean up one Email folder at a time, and leave my inbox folder for last. I have several Email folders based on the topic of the Email; for example, one for the National Association of Professional Organizers, one for classes I teach, one for bills I pay on line, and other categories like that.
Be ruthless about purging Emails, and only save what I’ll refer to again.
On my scheduled Email-clean-up-day, set a timer and work without interruption until my time is up.
Keep track of what I’ve done; so I can make efficient progress.
Reward myself with 10 minutes of computer-play-time at the end of each work session.

FYI: The above 6 step process can be used to tackle other organizing projects as well. Give it a try and see how it works for you.

Recycle Resource

Finding new ways to recycle, for myself and my clients, makes me happy. Everyone is more motivated to get rid of something when they know it is going to someone who will really use it.

This is why I was happy to find Bay State Textiles. They work with schools through their School Box Program. They share information on economic and environmental aspects of textile reuse, and then place a donation box outside the school. The box is serviced weekly, and a rebate check is given to the school, based on the weight of donations. They accept any type of textile, even stuffed animals and stained items, as long as they are clean and dry. How convenient is that? Please donate. You’ll be helping your local school and a worthwhile organization.

From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

If you’ve worked with me in any capacity, I’d be grateful for a review. Simply click on this link and answer 3 questions. Thank you and happy organizing!

How to Overcome Five

SCARY

Thoughts About Organizing.

ORGANIZING

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