Take a look at the following list and tell me which one you would rather do.  
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• Pull the hair from the drain in the tub...or get your tax information together
• Pick up dog poo....or get your tax information together
• Make a dental appointment...or get your tax information together
• Dust...or get your tax information together
• Give a speech...or get your tax information together

But if you did those other things instead

• You could miss an opportunity to get a refund sooner
• You could not get an appointment with your adviser
• You won't have time to get lost or missing information in by the tax deadline
• You might incur penalties

Start by putting 3 times on your calendar to pay intentional attention to collect and organize your information.  By breaking it up into small pieces the task is not so overwhelming.

To your most organized self Peace by Piece,

Did you know that we've gone from being exposed to about 500 ads a day back in the 1970's to as many as 5,000 a day today.  According to President of the Marketing Firm Yankelovich, Jay Walker-Smith "it's a non-stop blitz of advertising messages."

That's ads alone.  The average daily media intake is currently being calculated according to the NYT is 34 Gigabites per day!  

So how do we filter this information.  Organization of course!  This allows you to spend intentional attention to what's in front of you and create a fabulous time management habit in the process.
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• Set a dedicated time for reading.  Designate a specific amount of time to simply read.  Whether it's hard copy or online, create the space on your calendar.  You can always move the time if something happens, but at least it's on there.
• ​Put all of your hard copy reading in one place.  When you ready to take time to read it you won't have to search for it.  Remember to only keep current issues of any magazines.  Put them by the door to pass along or recycle them.  
• Use Evernote, Dropbox or other online ap to save reading for later.  Again, create a special folder for reading or resources (recipes, ideas etc)
• Ditto for centralizing electronic reading.  Fellow Professional Organizer Ellen Delap offers a great tip of creating "a separate email address for shopping and reading. Your shopping email address is where all coupons and offers arrive. Your reading email address is where blogs, journals, and newsletters arrive. By segregating your incoming mail, you prioritize what’s most important to address daily."  
• Create filters in your email so only the most important emails come to your inbox.  Search your email's help function for their how to tutorial
• Create a separate email address for "junk" email or store offers.  Remember to clear out and opt out if you see you are getting overloaded with offers.
• Use Unroll.Me to unsubscribe from emails you no longer wish to see.  
• Clean out your emails regularly and be ruthless  This includes all saved items.  Remember the rules to remember: Is it current, relevant, available somewhere else, your responsibility?
• Set aside time to unplug.  I know this is a hard one, but turn your electronic devices off.  I mean actually turn them all the way off.   

There's a lot of information coming at us like a tidal wave.  And in order to process it we need a process to filter that water!  By breaking it down into smaller droplets we are able to give our focused attention to what's in front of us - Peace by Piece

To your most organized self!

I want to share some love with you.  I am hearing a lot of people talking about how they are getting stressed out for the holidays. This is is when the you need to go back to basics and give yourself some compassion and give it all a KISS.  

No one needs more "stuff" in their homes.  So what does that leave?  Here are 15 simple gifts that are always appreciated.  I have given and received many of these and they were much appreciated at the time.  (Number 10 is always a goodie.)

1. Fruit:: Think of wintertime favorites such as oranges, nuts or my favorite carmel apples. 
2. Postage stamps:  Yes, people still use them. 
3. Asssorted scissors:  Can you ever have too many?
4. Offer your services:  Do you do housecleaning, babysitting or car repair...organizing?
5. Spices:  Give a few differnet kinds of salts or pepper.  
6. E-books or online subscriptions: A trifecta if you have kids selling magazine subscriptions.
7. Donate to a cause in someone's name or as a memorium.
8. Homemade gifts: Breads, james, jellies, relish.  Add a small spoon and you're done.  If you don't do these kinds of things, find someone who does.  Many local farmet's markest are still open in the winter.  You can find one in your locations here.   
9. Burn a cd of your favorite stuff - pictures, music (be sure to check licensing details) or create a slideshow to send online when you can't be with family or friends.
10. Gift cards for stuff you hate to pay for.  Gas, car repair, grocery, oil change, car wash, Visa card to be used for emergency or unforseen expenses.
11. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers:  We received these as a wedding gift!  Brilliant!
12. Socks: Remember when you used to hate to get socks?  I don't know about you but somewhere along the line I started to get so excited for them. 
13. Your favorite thing. Tupperware, organizing totes, cooking utinsels, flashlight, tools, coloring pencils.  Anthing that you couldn't live without.
14. Your favorite thing: Do you have a special something you can pass on to someone who loves it more than you?  Or has admired it for some time?  
15. Your time.  Probably the best one anyone could give or receive.

A gift given with love and intent is always a well received by everyone.  Just keep it simple and enjoy a peaceful season together.

To your Most Peaceful Self.

Remember when you went shopping as a kid and you wanted everything in the store?  Especially when you got to the checkout and there was all that yummy candy and gum just tantalizing your taste buds? Perhaps your parents broke down and they allowed you to choose one thing.  Remember how hard that was?

When we are presented with a multitude of options it's hard to make a decision because our minds are overloaded with data.  Why?  Because it is attempting to process multiple pieces of information and then having to prioritize each one to find the "best" option.  Sweet or sour?  Taffy or gum?  Chocolate with or without nuts?

Our brains like order. Our brains identifies each item, groups like items together and then assesses each one based on previous experiences. "sour makes my face scrinch up, but I like it anyway). It's a mental process of elimination.

Your "stuff" creates the same sense of feeling overwhelmed. When you have to choose between too many items and when it is in disarray the mind has to go through the same extensive process. This is why -  sometimes as painful as it is - editing things out helps us make quicker choices. We have to do less processing both analytically and emotionally. With less, you have already pared down your items to your favorites.  So everything you choose is the "best" decision for you.

To your most organized and best self each and every day and finding Peace by Piece.

There's a theory that in keeping everything,  you actually create a sense of scarcity instead of abundance?  Sounds crazy, but it's true.

I was reading a book about financial independence written by Jerrold Mundis when I realized that the theories he presented about how we think of money absolutely correlate to how we think of our possessions.

One theory is that we .have nothing and that we had better keep what we own.  This fear based thought process keeps us focused on the reality in our minds, and not analyzing what the true reality may be.  For example, do you really have "nothing" to wear.  In actuality, you probably have excess. But because you are analyzing from a fear perspective, or perhaps feeling that others will perceive you as having "less", you are unable to see the possibilities of what you already own and how you might "shop your wardrobe.".

Mundis also theorizes that some people create a sense of scarcity by fearing that nothing better is going to come to them. Again, it repeats the notion that one better hold onto whatever it is (food, clothes, furniture etc) because this is going to be as good as it gets and you better just be thankful for what you have.  And to some extent this is true.  A little humility is good.  But when it interferes with moving forward and seeing possibilities, it can be isolating.

Editing our possessions IS hard.  Each one came into our homes for a reason.  Maybe we chose it, maybe we didn't.  But what if we were to challenge the conversation from fear to freedom?  I think we would have abundance beyond anything we previously (falsely) imagined.

To your most Organized self and finding Peace by Piece!

To see your possibilities and not the possessions, click here.

​Sometimes the best  way to decide on the best positive is to weed out the negative.  It's a fabulous way to look at organizing because the essence of organizing is keeping those things that bring you pure joy.  Things that tell the world hey, this is me and this is who I am right now.

A dear friend of mine Jane was going through some of her clothes and was trying to decide if she should keep some old tee-shirts for doing some messy housework or painting.  And then the lightbulb went off and she said to herself  "I am not a painter".  It was an "ah-ha" moment.  I still use that mantra for myself.

As you go through your clothes, yes, edit out what doesn't fit, what you don't feel comfortable in or all those items that you simply know you won't wear ever.  And then ask yourself if you are:

A painter - do you really paint your house?  How many work/cleaning tee-shirts and pants are necessary?  Remember they are washable.

An employee - Do you have promotional tee's from a former employer?  Think about it - if you don't work there, why are you advertising for them?

:"That" girl - you know, the crazy girl's weekend kind?  Yes, the memories were great and you had a blast, but do you want those clothes to define you?  Would you want to run into someone with that on?

Your boyfriend's shirt - Quit stealing!  He probably will let you take one from his closet if you ask.  But you only need one.  Give the others back or get your own.

When you begin to see what you are not, you begin to see what no longer belongs in your closet and drawers. But those clothes that are no longer of use to you are incredibly useful to others.By donating, you can feel good about defining who you are while enhancing the lives of those in need.  It's abut finding your Peace by Piece.

To your most Organized Self.

So often we are told not to talk about ourselves.  When we were little we might have been told that we were to be seen and not heard;  that listening was better than speaking; and we shouldn't question authority.

That's all fine and good - except when you are a patient or caregiver.  The office visits of today look much different that in the past because you are in the power position.. It all comes down to what you want in your health journey.  While this is not to say that all decisions have consequences.  Some good, some bad, but it's up to you to make those choices. 

Being self centered in your health journey is absolutely not a bad thing.  Fortunately care providers are also moving in this direction.  In an article by the Patient Empowerment Network,  Dr Ronald Epstein, MD and Dr Richard Street, PhD characterize Patient Centered Care Approach as one in which “patients are known as persons in the context of their own social worlds, listened to, informed, respected, and involved in their care.”

Wouldn't it be great if everything were to flow smoothly? Never a hangup and never having to go back and correct something?  We all know it doesn't happen that way, but how do you minimize those mix-ups?

You take command of your information.  You keep it organized and ready for when you need it.  It means knowing what is coming up and what information you need every day.

This week I went to my doctor's office and I noticed that there was a woman with a notebook verifying her sister's medications with her notes.  Needless to say I was impressed.  She came to her sister's appointment with her sister's medical records  and personal notes.  And because she did, she was able to provide information on the spot about blood pressure readings that had been done at home.  That information proved to be valuable because the staff was better educated about her sister's medical history.

There are several ways to organize your health information.  Just remember to keep it consistent, updated and accessible!

To Your Most Peaceful and Organized Self.