Practice & Putting Away

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Practice
Putting Away
Classes
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Side Notes:

***    With the holidays fast approaching I’d like to provide you with my list of consumable gift ideas.  By giving gifts that can be used up, we are supporting a clutter-free holiday season.

***  What is your favorite organizing product?  Please share.

Busines card colors  ***  I’ve started blogging!  Please check out my blog articles on my website.

 ***  Do you have a question on organizing that you’d like my advice or opinion on?  If so,  please ask, and if I think others would benefit from the question, I’ll post it on the  ‘Question of the Month’ section on my website
Join Our Mailing ListPS:  What do you think of my caricature?
Hi  Janine,
Happy Fall!  The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and soon we’ll be gathering with family for the holidays.  I’m looking forward to that, and I hope you are also.  As many of you know, I come from a large family, and they’re often an inspiration to me in my  organizing profession.  Here are two stories that were inspired by my nieces.
Practice, Practice, Practice

My 7 year old niece has been asking if she could learn to play the piano for a while.  Her parents decided to let her give it a go, and signed her up for piano lessons.  Luckily for them, she loves it, and eagerly practices every day.The skill of organizing is similar to my niece learning to play the piano.  Like her, you may be better off signing up for lessons with a professional instructor (me), or not.  That is your call.  But, definitely, you’ll need to practice every day in order to see any improvement.  Also, just as my niece needs to repeat her lessons until she has mastered them, you’ll need to repeat your organizing tasks until  you’ve mastered them.

Would you like some organizing instructions and lessons?  If yes, please email me.
Putting Away
My almost 3 year old niece is a different story.  She’s a little rascal.  One of her favorite activities is to dump.  Just recently, she dumped all the clean, folded clothes out of the laundry basket.  Dumping is fun and easy.  It’s the putting away that’s the hard part.
As adults, we may not dump things out, but we certainly take things out of cupboards, closets, and drawers.  We remove things from our purse, wallet, or work bag.  Let’s face it, our days are spent taking things out and putting things away.
Are you asking, what does this have to do with organizing?  Well, the key to staying organized is to put things back in the same place again, and again, and again.
Are you good at dumping?  Need help putting away?  If yes, let’s talk!

Upcoming Classes
Organizing Paper
Monday, November 4, 2013
7:00PM to 9:00PM

508-528-5400 x126

Organizing Solutions & Products

Wednesday, November 20, 2013
7:00PM to 9:00PM

401-274-9330

Organizing Paper

Tuesday, December 3, 2013
7:00PM to 9:00PM

401-274-9330

For a complete list of my classes check my website.
From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

    If you’d like to share this email message with someone, please click on the Forward email button below.  Thank you and enjoy the remainder of your fall!

Legos & Labels and To Do Lists

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Content
Legos & Labels
To Do Lists
Upcoming Classes
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My website
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NAPO-NE
Side Notes:***    I’m happy to report that I’ve been in two local newspapers since my last newsletter.  I was interviewed for an article in the Valley Breeze special spring edition in April 2013, and for the Sun Chronicle Living Well section, July 9, 2013 issue.

 

 

***  I was also a guest with Jay Rogers on SoMa Radio, a local cable radio show at AM 1320 WARL in Attleboro, MA.  My show aired on Wednesday, July 12, 2013.

 

  ***  I’ve started blogging!  Please check out my blog articles on my website.

 

 

 

***  Do you have a question on organizing that you’d like my advice or opinion on?  If so,  please ask, and if I think others would benefit from the question, I’ll post it on the  ‘Question of the Month’ section on my website

 
Join Our Mailing ListPS:  What do you think of my caricature?
Hi  Janine,
Happy Summer!  I hope you’re able to take advantage of the wonderful summer weather and the relaxed environment the summer creates.  Especially since the mad rush for back to school will be in full swing soon.  I have a few back to school tips for those who are interested, look on my website.

Legos & Labels

Were you able to get away this summer?  I was fortunate enough to take a summer vacation.  My husband and I went to 3 different spots in Missouri, and while on the plane I read an article about David Beckham.  Did you know he’s really into Legos?  While reading I was reminded of a client of mine.  I helped her organize her son’s room and his large Lego collection.  He liked them sorted by theme, so we put different themes into different containers.  That action would have been futile unless we labeled them.  We labeled the containers in two ways, with words and stickers that related to the themes.  Labeling is an important part of organizing, because it clearly indicates where an item belongs, and reinforces where an item needs to be returned.  Labeling is also helpful when more than one person is using an item.  Do you think David Beckham let’s his son’s play with his Legos?If you’d like some assistance with using labels to help you stay organized, please email me.

To Do Lists

I’m a list person.  I like creating lists and marking off what I’ve completed.  It leaves me with a real sense of accomplishment.  What about you?  However, one important part of creating a to do list is to prioritize the list.  This crucial step helps me concentrate on what’s important, but not forget all the rest.  Although, I’m a paper and pen list maker, most people are going digital now-a-days.  If you’re one of them, here are a few websites to assist you with your list making:  Mind Tools,Toodledo, Basecamp.

Upcoming Classes
Organized Spaces
Monday, August 19, 2013
7:00PM to 8:30PM

401-274-9330

 

Organizing Tips and Tools

Thursday, September 12, 2013
7:00PM to 9:00PM

401-274-9330

 

Organizing Paper

Tuesday, September 24, 2013
7:00PM to 9:00PM

401-274-9330

For a complete list of my classes check my website.
From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

 

Happy Earth Day

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I wanted to share some eco-friendly habits that I’ve personally initiated in the past few years.  I added them gradually to my life, so they didn’t seem drastic or overwhelming.  Maybe you’ve done the same or something similar.  Please share.  If you’d like more details, please just ask.
Eco-Friendly Habits:
1.  Recycle more – it’s so easy to do, especially since my town offers all-in-one curbside weekly
 pick up.
2.  Stopped buying water bottles.  Instead I use  Tupperware refillable bottles.
3.  Stopped buying paper napkins.  Instead I use cloth napkins.  My nieces and nephews love it, and it’s usually their first exposure to cloth napkins.
4.  Use reusable shopping bags more often.  I used to just use them at the grocery store.  Now I use them everywhere, when I remember, but the more I do it the more I remember.
5.  Use reusable produce bags.
6.  Stopped buying saran wrap.  Hate the stuff.  Instead I use my reusable produce bags.
7.  Started a compost bin.  I purchased it from my town hall.
8.  Use rain barrels.  I also purchased them from my town hall.
9.  Use the water that collects in my de-humidifier to water my plants.

10.  Use on-line bill pay and went paperless with as many bills and statements that I could.

Some times it’s the little things that have the most impact.

Like a Personal Trainer

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Happy New Year!  I’m looking forward to 2013 and all that it may bring, and I hope you are too.  I usually make a few New Year’s Resolutions.  Do you?  If getting organized and loosing weight are on your resolution list, you’re not alone.  They’re two of the most popular resolutions people make.  So, I’m not surprised to see all the weight loss and gym membership ads on television.  In fact, I think what I do as a Certified Professional Organizer® is very similar to what a Personal Trainer does.  Please let me explain!
Like a Personal Trainer

How am I, a Certified Professional Organizer® like a Personal Trainer?  I can list five similarities for you.

1.  I’m hired to assist you to reach a specific goal.
2.  I work with you one-on-one for a designated time, which for me is a minimum of two hours.
3.  I encourage, educate and motivate to the best of my ability in my area of expertise.
4.  I’m there to hold you accountable and help you get the job done.
5.  I can help you set up a long term action plan to stay on track.

So, if you’re ready to take the Personal Trainer approach to organizing, I’m ready to assist you.  Call today, 508-699-6652.

 

Cost of Ownership

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September brings colder nights, and soon we’ll be turning on the heat.  We received the depressing news from our plumber that our furnace should be replaced this year or next.  Oh, the joys of home ownership.  What about the joys and cost of owning any item?

Costs of Ownership

Do you agree that it’s easy to accumulate belongings, especially if you have children?  Things, stuff, and junk seem to multiply at a very rapid rate.  Have you ever asked yourself what is the cost of owning all these things, all this stuff, all the junk?  Just like home ownership, I bet it’s not always pleasant to own things.  In fact, just like home ownership, it can be costly.
What is the cost of ownership?  To figure out the cost of ownership of an item consider these 5 factors:
1.  Purchasing it
     A.  Time – going to store or ordering
     B.  Effort  – researching and comparing products
     C.  Money – cost of item and cost of gas or shipping
2.  Time and effort exchanging it if it’s not the right item
3.  Real estate required to store it
4.  Effort to organize, clean, repair, and update it
5.  Stress of loosing or ruining it

Are the things, stuff and junk you have in your space worth the cost of ownership?  Answering this question can help you determine what is worth keeping and what isn’t.

Try it and share with me what you discovered.  If you’d like assistance with the process, I’m at your disposal.