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A new year is upon us. It is time to start fresh, make New Year’s resolutions that we will stick with!

Many of us focus on making resolutions that will benefit us individually, improve our lives (stick to my diet, exercise more, declutter the house). This year, I suggest that you do something different; something that is not only for yourself but will be appreciated and remembered by others. This year, I urge you to plan for the future by thinking about and documenting your end-of-life wishes and estate plan.

There is an old Chinese proverb that states “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

None of us know what the future will bring. Now, I wish all who are reading this a long, healthy and active life but as my mother used to say, “You never know if you will be hit by a bus.” Now is the time to plan and put into place systems that will serve you for the rest of your life.

To get you started, here is a checklist of documents you should have that will be important to others if you are unable to speak for yourself because of a medical crisis or death. How many of the items below can you check off?

Will

• I have a will
• I know where it is located.
• Someone else (other than my attorney/financial advisor or doctor) knows where it is.
• It has been updated within the past 5 years
• Why do I need a will? I’m not rich or have a lot of money; besides, I am still young.

Medical Power of Attorney

• I have a Medical Power of Attorney.
• I know where it is located.
• Someone else (other than my attorney/financial advisor or doctor) knows where it is.
• It has been updated within the past 5 years
• What is a Power of Attorney and why do I need one?

Financial Power of Attorney

• I have a Financial Power of Attorney.
• I know where it is located.
• Someone else (other than my attorney/financial advisor or doctor) knows where it is.
• It has been updated within the past 5 years
• Why do I need a Financial Power of Attorney? I don’t have much money. Who needs this, anyway?

Advance Directive (also known as a Living Will or Health Care Directive)

• I have a Living Will (also known as an Advance Directive or Health Care Directive).
• I know where it is located.
• Someone else (other than my attorney/financial advisor or doctor) knows where it is.
• It has been updated within the past 5 years
• Why is a Living Will important? Just do everything to keep me alive; oh, except for these three things. Don’t do them.).

Final Wishes

• I know what I want to have done when I die (i.e. burial, cremation, organ donation)
• I know what I want my funeral to look like.
• I know what I want done with all my stuff (including private letters, diaries and journals).
• This information is written down in one or more lists.
• Someone else (other than my attorney/financial advisor or doctor) knows where the lists are.
• Why can’t I just tell someone what I want and let them deal with it?

Computer and Cell Phone Access

• My passwords are written down and located in a secure place or I use an on-line, secure password program.
• Someone knows where this list is located.
• This list has been updated within the past year.
• Why would you need my user names and passwords?

Contacts

• I have a list of people who I would like to be contacted if I am hospitalized for an extended period but am too sick to make the calls or emails.
• I have a list of people who I would like to be contacted in the event of my death.
• This may be different from the other lists.
• These lists have been updated within the last 5 years.
• Someone knows where these lists are located.
• Can’t someone just post the information on Facebook? That’s where I get most of my information anyway. Oops, they need my user name and password to get into my account. Okay, someone can write an obituary and put it in the newspaper.

I challenge you to make this year’s resolutions ones that will benefit others as well as yourself. Remember, making these decisions in advance and communicating them to the appropriate people is a gift of love that is given to those who will have to make the decisions if /when you can’t. It is a kindness that will never be forgotten.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and organized New Year!

Everyone knows that our lungs are the major organ in our respiratory system, that our brain is central to our nervous system and that our stomach and intestines are partners in our digestive system.

How does that connect to organizing? Just look at the word: there is an ORGAN inside organizing!

Our bones — amazing organs within our skeletal system — form the structure of our bodies while they protect our internal organs. With the help of ligaments and tendons, our skeletal system allows us to move.

Let’s look at our households like our bodies — and see ORGANizing from an interdependent, systemic perspective:
• providing structure and support
• filtering toxins (clutter)
• creating space for nourishment
• allowing time to digest our days
• minimizing distractions

As the daughter of a D.O., the osteopathic approach always takes the whole person into consideration. Likewise, I consider the whole household when organizing.

On that note, let’s all head into 2019, protecting our:
• organizing time like our brains
• organizing framework as we maintain our posture
• organizing schedule as routinely as brushing our teeth
• and use our ORGANizing muscles to stay healthy!

Happy New Year

In between holidays, most of us aren’t working…a great use of some of that free time is to get a little organizational housekeeping out of the way. Here are some great, easy steps you can do to start 2019 off on the right foot!

December 31 is the deadline for getting all of your donations together, whether it be financial or stuff. With the new tax laws in place, try tracking donations using It’s Deductible to easily track what has been donated. If it is stuff you want to donate don’t wait until the 31st. I have seen donation centers unable to accept items toward the very end of the year.

Do you look at your holiday cards every season and have no idea who you need to send them to?

This is the time to update your 2019 Holiday Card List! Document who you sent cards to and who you received them from. Keep a record so that you can just pull out your list next year and start addressing. You can do that on a spreadsheet or if you really want to be ahead of the game, you can make a document for your labels so that all you have to do next year is “edit” and ‘print”, easy peasy.

Do you find old gift cards all over your house? Gather your gift cards together in one place so that you can easily find them. If you have a lot, put them in an envelope and label it with the cards you have.  This will help save you from letting them expire. Use them before the restaurants that you have them for go out of business (this happened to me this year). I made a reservation and the next day they closed, annoying.

Put your Christmas decorations away properly.

Give away any decorations that you haven’t used in a while. Decorating time will be more pleasant next year if you are only dealing with pieces you really love.
Store the things you love in nice containers that reflect their value to you, There are great containers for wrapping paper, ribbons, wreaths, ornaments, dishware, glassware. Check out The Container Store, Amazon and Frontgate for a wide selection, but don’t wait too long they sell out.

Paper Clear Out
One thing my clients do (actually I do it for them) is to pull all of this year’s bills, receipts and other documents out of their files, we separate the tax documents for the accountant and the most of others get tossed/shredded/filed. The result: clean files ready for the New year to begin and all your papers are gathered for your accountant…yes!

Thoughts for the New Year
Take some time for yourself to review this year’s events (use the photos on your phone to quickly do this).
What was great about this year?
What would have made it a better year?
How can you make the New Year better?

And finally….For ribbons, bow, cards and other miscellaneous items try the Organize It All Christmas.
For your special ornaments try Snapware Snap ‘N Stack Square Layer Seasonal Ornament Storage Container
For your LED lights these are great and they stack very well Christmas Light Storage Wheels with Bag
For your Christmas china and wine glasses we suggest Household Essentials Dinner Plate Holiday Storage Chest
Wine Glasses
Saucers
Dessert Plates and Small Bowls

As the year closes, I am inspired to note some of the TOP Productivity and Organizing Tips that I personally used throughout the year that made the most positive difference in my daily life:
1. Do the hardest task first thing in the morning, before opening emails.
2. Completely clear off your desk area at the end of the day, so that the work space is clean and clear for the start of a new day.
3. Be clear on priorities so that when you feel “pulled in many directions” you can quickly and methodically generate a numbered “to do” list that sets the mind at ease.
4. Compartmentalize: accept that time and energy is limited; define how many hours each category of your life gets and make peace with that.
5. Use a small zip pouch in your purse into which you put receipts and other scraps of paper.
6. Listen, don’t interrupt: so much can happen when you hold a silent space while speaking with a friend, relative, client, co-worker. Getting to understand more deeply can lead to better success/solutions.
7. Set aside tasks that don’t require huge amounts of brain activity (e.g. laundry, opening mail, putting stuff away) to those times of day when good quality mental prowess is at a minimum,
8. Plan the week the Thursday before.
9. Pad your schedule: things take longer than anticipated and the Unexpected always happens. Wiggle room is imperative.
10. And most important: schedule in, as an event in my calendar, time out for self-care! Yup, even purely FUN STUFF!
I’ve made this list, I’ll be checking it twice… and every week to make sure I stay on a productive and healthy path in 2019. Wishing the same and A Happy New Year to All!

I used to think I was very clever whenever I advised people about gift giving for special occasions and holidays. I would always suggest that when selecting gifts for people who actually have material plenty to give beautiful “disposables.” I observed that wonderful self-destructive options abound: wines, beautiful candles, delightful oils, luscious baked goods and candies, elegant lotions, fancy soaps…You see what I mean. And they don’t last forever! What a great idea!
Then, I started to discover that many of my clients – people who were trying their best to de-clutter – were given so many of the very disposables I routinely suggested that I couldn’t imagine how many lifetimes would be needed to use up all these treasures. It is possible to overdo absolutely anything.
So, what to do?? Depending on the closeness of the relationships, perhaps some frank discussions are possible. Can your entire extended family happily agree to pool money and go somewhere really special? Would treating someone to a lovely dinner or show be a delightful novelty? Someone else might love a membership or a day at the zoo or a favorite museum. Maybe the whole family would chip in to hire a chef or caterer to create a marvelous holiday dinner, so no one has the stress of cooking, hosting, or cleanup.

This year, really think about and talk about your gifts. So many of us are truly overloaded with objects, but would benefit from a certificate for a manicure, a massage, dog-walking services, baby-sitting, or perhaps a lovely outing to a tea shop for a long talk with you.

There are also gift cards and certificates for companies where your friend or relative will truly benefit from some extra freedom to choose something they need. One of my clients was actually given a generous check made out to her Professional Organizer! Moved by the friend’s thoughtfulness, the organizer (me) gave the client extra time.

Especially in the midst of all the natural disasters surrounding us, would your loved ones be thrilled (and relieved) if you made a charitable donation in their honor?

You can see where I’m going with this: make this a year of thinking outside the box with gifts that don’t go in a box at all. The key to success with these plans is the gift of intimacy, your shared comfort in discussing your true preferences, ideas, and suggestions.

Happy Holidays!

There are a lot of us who LOVE shoes. Why is that? Some shoes make us feel sexy or pretty while others feel like comfy slippers. They enhance our outfits and keep our feet safe. But when is “enough” more than enough?

WHO owns the most shoes? Statistics say the average man owns 11 pairs of shoes and the average woman 27 pairs. In my profession (and closet) I see more than that but 27 or under is a good goal to work toward.

WHY let go of shoes? To free your closet of congestion so you can see what you own and start to wear those previously hidden treasures. To make getting dressed less stressful. To save money because you won’t re-buy what you already own but can’t locate.

WHAT to let go of: The rule of thumb is to let go of shoes you haven’t worn in a year. The hardest to let go of are the attractive ones you love the looks of but that hurt. Or how about the ones you spent a lot of money on? There is no point in keeping shoes you won’t wear, even if letting go pulls at your heartstrings. Consider taking a photo of them but say good-bye. Let go of those old favorites that are too worn out to wear. Ask yourself: If I didn’t already own them would I buy them?

WHEN to purge: Get in the habit of reviewing your shoes (and clothes) twice a year when you’re switching out the seasons.

WHERE to dispose of unwanted shoes:

1. Donate – In addition to Goodwill, Salvation Army and your favorite charities there is an organization that specializes in shoe donations. Soles4Souls is a non-profit that has supplied over 30 million pairs to people who need them most in 127 countries. To donate to S4S you can drop off your gently-used shoes at a DSW store (and receive 50 VIP points) or ship for free to Zappos. Consider donating to organizations that provide prom or wedding dresses and accessories to people in need.
2. Consign – Why not recoup some of your investment by consigning your barely-worn designer shoes to a local clothing consignment store? My favorite store is Greene Street Consignment, with locations in PA and NJ, but there are many others to consider.
3. Recycle – Athletic shoes are recycled into athletic flooring by Nike Grind. You can drop your used sneakers at most Nike stores.

HOW to store: You’ll want to store similar types of shoes together (winter/summer and/or dressy/work/casual). You’ll want your shoes to be as visible as possible with what you wear most often to be most easy to access.

♪♫ Your shoes were made for walkin’ and that’s just what they’ll do♩♪

either by you or those in need!