No really...you DO have enough time!

This is an article written by my good friend Rhonda Victoor. She is an amazing Life Coach and Speaker and was a big help to me when starting my own business. Her unique perspective gives a fresh take on how to focus your time this holiday season. If you want to learn more about Rhonda, visit her new website at www.rhondavictoor.com.

No really...you DO have enough time!
Keeping focused through this season

Even though I started the month saying "I'm not going to panic, or rush, or stress this December"...guess what I'm doing? We have just days left in the calendar to cram in a few more sales...or wrap up that project due in January...or take care of all the holidays "to-do's".

This spring, as part of my commitment to you (that I would focus on just 1 BIG gem each month and act on it) I developed the mantra "I trust..." I trust I have enough time. I trust I'll be ready. I trust others that I've coached and lead will step up to the challenge. I trust.

So I pulled that mantra out again this month. I TRUST. And I added 2 questions to it. The first: What am I deeply grateful for today? This one is thanks to my friend Troy Payne. It grounds me, slows me down and shifts my perspective toward what I already have. And the second: What is really important for today...I mean really important? That one is thanks to THE most organized woman in the world, Linda Andersson. As a result many deadlines (often self induced) have been bumped to January, delegated (remember that simply means aking for help) or dropped completely.

What mantra do you need to repeat over the next few weeks to keep you focused on your most important work goal or family/life goal right now? Just one. Focus on one. Act on one. Just one BIG gem!

If you take January 1st as a time to refocus your goals, my colleague and friend Mara Vizzutti has crafted a dynamite list of reflection questions. I've printed them off to take with me over the holidays to Alberta where we'll be celebrating with droves of extended family in the week ahead. I challenge you to do the same.

May 2010 bring you the energy and focus to act on your BIG gems. May you awake each day with a calm sense of urgency that drives you to BE who you most want to be in your work and your life.

I look forward to playing a small part in your journey!

Rhonda
the BIG gem speaker
Info@RhondaVictoor.com

Tote Trac Garage Storage Organizer

This amazing storage system can remove clutter from your life. It is a versatile storage organizer that can hold six totes and a bicycle or other large item. Tote Trac's Patent-Pending design, allows you to create clean, discreet storage in places you never thought possible. The Tote Trac system can be installed on virtually any ceiling, in your garage, under your garage door, in a shed, closet, or basement and it can even be mounted on walls.

Each Trac is 30 in. long x 5 in wide and is made of solid steel. It is easy to install with only 3 pieces, which allows for an easy one person installation. The only tools necessary for installation are a stud finder, drill and a 3/8 in. ratchet or driver.

No need to buy new totes, because Tote Tracs can be arranged to accommodate nearly any tote you might have. Just set up a new row of Tote Tracs based on whatever size tote you need to store.

Clutter Types

When it comes to clearing out the clutter in your home or office, you may run into the following clutter types. See if you can recognize the type of clutter you are dealing with:

Physical Clutter ~ Any excess physical clutter in your home, office or life that prevents you from finding what you need, when you need it.

Environmental Clutter ~ Stuff that should be recycled or taken to a toxic waste facility, you just haven't gotten around to it yet!

Mental Clutter ~ This is the clutter in your head that makes you feel like there is way too much to do and not enough time to do it! It prevents you from thinking clearly and making quick rational decisions.

Sentimental Clutter ~ Items which evoke memories of people, places or things in the past that you just can't let go of, even though the memory is more important than the object.

Compulsive Clutter ~ Compulsive shoppers cannot pass up a bargain and end up buying multiples of things they don't need because "it was on sale!".

Rainy Day Clutter ~ Things you keep because “it might be useful someday!”

Hidden Clutter ~ The clutter in boxes or in storage you pretend doesn’t exist because you can't see it!

Unfinished Clutter ~ Projects, books, or crafts you start but never finish (and leave sitting out so you will remember to do it!)

No matter how much you ignore it, avoid it, or try to live around it, clutter doesn't just disappear. Discovering what type of clutter you are hanging on to and why can be the first step to eliminating it once and for all!

Emergency Evacuation Checklist

With the recent fires in Kelowna and large number of people being evacuated from their homes, I felt it was important to provide a checklist that will help you prepare for a possible evacuation. Each person must decide what items to gather depending upon the time given to evacuate. Here is a compilation of the more useful items to take, what to do before leaving, and what to do now to prepare.

WHAT TO TAKE

Family
• Photographs of all family members
• Pets (if advance warning, take to an approved shelter)
• Pet ID tags
• Pet leashes
• Pet medications
• Pet water bowls

Documents
• Birth certificates
• Car insurance
• Computer backup disks
• Computers (time permitting)
• Drivers' licenses
• Health insurance card
• House deed
• Insurance papers
• Legal documents
• Marriage license
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• Tax papers

Money
• Cash
• Credit cards
• Blank checks
• Check books
• Savings books
• Purse
• Wallet

Medications
• Analgesics
• First-aid kit
• Motion sickness tablets
• Prescription dentures
• Prescription glasses
• Prescription hearing aids
• Prescriptions

Jewelry
• Decorations, pins, awards
• Family heirlooms
• Gold, silver, and other valuable jewelry

Sentimental
• Irreplaceable keepsakes
• Original paintings
• Photos and albums, slides, movies, home videos

Food and Water (for three to seven days - if time permits)
• Manual can opener
• Non-perishable, ready-to-eat food
• Pet food
• Pet treats
• Water (at least one gallon per person and pet per day)

Toiletries (if time permits)
• Sanitary devices
• Shaving articles
• Soap and towels
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Clothing (appropriate for the season - if time permits)
• Change of clothing for each person (for one to seven days)
• Change of underwear
• Coats and jackets
• Gloves and scarves
• Hats and caps
• Infant supplies and toys
• Shoes and boots
• Sleepwear

Additional Items to Take (if time permits)
• Cameras and extra batteries
• Cell phones
• Portable radio and extra batteries
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Reading material
• Recreational items
• Covered container to use as an emergency toilet
• First Aid Kit

WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAVING

• Establish an evacuation plan, travel route, probable destination
• Determine where separated members will meet
• Notify friends and relatives by e-mail where to contact you
• Prepare an "information note" to leave on the door detailing who you are and where you have gone
• Close fire resistant window coverings, heavy drapes, and Venetian blinds
• Remove lace, nylon, or light material drapes and curtains
• Move overstuffed furniture away from windows
• Turn off appliances, thermostats, fireplaces, stoves
• Fill bathtubs, sinks, and containers with water
• Disconnect barbeque propane tank
• Leave one light on in each general area so firefighters can see your house in dark and smoke
• Lock doors and windows
• Make safety equipment obvious for firefighters (spigots, ladders, hoses, etc.)
• Place a ladder against the roof of the house on the side opposite the approaching fire
• Close or cover outside vents and shutters
• Plug air vents and openings that are close to the ground
• Remove combustible items from around the outside of the house
• Release any livestock in the area
• Turn off natural gas at meter
• Close garage door but leave it unlocked (disconnect automatic garage door opener)
• Turn on exterior lights
• Fill evacuation vehicle gas tank
• Follow any official agency's evacuation instructions

WHAT TO DO NOW TO PREPARE

• Clear driveway to at least 20 feet wide with 15 feet vertical clearance (for emergency vehicles)
• Clear vegetation from within 3 feet of hydrants and within 10 feet of structures, propane tanks, utility boxes
• Develop outdoor water supply with hoses to reach entire house, nozzle, and pump
• Remove trash and debris accumulations
• Have fire tools, ladder, and fire extinguishers available
• Keep evacuation vehicle gas tank full
• Post name/address signs clearly visible from street or road
• Practice family fire drill and evacuation plans
• Prepare a list of valuables to take with you (store together, if possible)
• Document an annotated list of all belongings
• Take still pictures or video of all belongings as a backup

Home Remedies

Here are some interesting home remedies that use everyday products as solutions to common problems. I can't confirm that they all work, but I have tried a few and was amazed at the results!

Did You Know...

Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper

Sticking bicycle chain - use Pam no-stick cooking spray

Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish

Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby

To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste

Wine stains - pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.

To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.

Remove labels off glassware - rub with Peanut butter!

Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight.

Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!

Dirty grout - use Listerine

Stains on clothes - Colgate

Grease Stains - Coca Cola. It will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!

To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.

Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle. It will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)

Use Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!

Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for minor burns

Soaking in a bath of regular tea helps ease sunburns

Meat tenderizer can take the sting out of bee stings

Deodorant relieves itching and swelling of mosquito bites (this one really works!)

Organizing Help - Change Your Habits, Change Your Results

Since beginning my organizing career in 2003, I have come across many people who feel so overwhelmed by all the stuff they have accumulated over the years that they just don't know where to start.

While we would all love to be able to wave a magic wand and have everything perfectly organized, this is not a realistic expectation. Disorganization happens slowly over time. Months and years of bad habits can cause clutter to build up until finally that day arrives when we've had enough! We reach our limit and then expect to fix it all in a short period of time. When that doesn't happen, we feel defeated and fall back into our old patterns of behavior.

Just like any diet or exercise program, organization takes work! A Professional Organizer can help you to get started and clear out your past clutter, but in order to maintain organization you also need to change the habits that caused the problems in the first place.

If you are looking for a place to start, check out the FlyLady.net. This is a website that provides a humorous approach to getting organized. Their daily e-mail reminders may be just the thing you need to change your habits and get the results you are looking for.

Organizing Help and 1-800-GOT-JUNK? - E-Waste Recycling Event

Organizing Help joined 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to host an E-Waste Recycling event in recognition of International Earth Day to demonstrate our dedication to clean communities and environmentally responsible junk removal. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? locations across North America held similar environmental events, so you can imagine the volume of electronic waste that was collected!

After a long day of collecting electronic waste, I am more convinced than ever that consumerism is the root of most, if not all, of our environmental issues. I was shocked at how a seemingly small 4 hour event could produce over five dump trucks full of computers, printers, faxes, televisions and various electronic waste!

See for yourself - here are a few photos of the event: