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Tag 'change'

Indecision is the Enemy !!

OK… It’s time to rethink this blogging thing. I’ve been aiming to post more frequently, but I’m finding that the more I attempt to “box up” my blog posts into nifty little categories, the less I write.

Time to swallow my pride, take my own advice, and bid adieu to the old ways that simply aren’t working for me. I hereby vow to blog about cool stuff I find or learn or know that I feel compelled to share. No more wasted energy trying to fit this square peg into that round hole!

Now, I realize that I’m likely the only person in the world that struggles with perfectionism and indecision (yeah, right!), but I will offer this tidbit of wisdom…

When something isn’t quite working out for you the way that you had originally planned, change it!

There are no hard-and-fast rules for life. In fact…

The only thing in life that we can consistently guarantee is that there is no guaranteed consistency!

Our lives are ever-changing, always in a state of flux, and so we must adapt our habits and organizing systems accordingly.

So, what indecision(s) are you struggling with today? How do you intend to fight back, take control, and make change happen?

Michelle's Signature

Monday Mission : Find Your “HOME-eostasis”

Courtesy of Lorie Marrero, creator of The Clutter Diet, owner of Living Order:

Homeostasis is a medical term that refers to the tendency of the human body to seek and maintain balance. What is your house’s “HOME-eostasis?” What is that balanced condition of your home to which you would always like to return?

Your house’s homeostasis results from preventing clutter, reducing the clutter you have to a manageable and acceptable level, and consistently maintaining your home with systems and routines. It’s a state of balance and readiness—the kind of feeling you have when you’ve just straightened up the house for company to come over for dinner. It’s a state of satisfaction, pride, and comfort. Homeostasis is your definition of success!

We are not talking about perfection, as we’ve often emphasized. Homeostasis is a flexible state that adjusts to transitional times and periods of less or more activity in your lives. The definition will change as your family and situations change. Your ultimate organizing goal is to know what homeostasis means for your home and have the education, motivation, and support to easily and confidently achieve it when things get out of balance (as they surely will).

Make your list today—take 10-15 minutes to go by each room and note what needs to happen to make you feel balanced and ready. An example: My guest bathroom needs to be clean enough for people to use without my being embarrassed, and have plenty of toilet paper, a fresh hand towel, and soap.

Michelle's Signature

Monday Mission : Organize Baby’s Clothes

Having a baby is a far more complicated endeavor than you could ever imagine when you first get pregnant. To help you manage the influx of baby’s clothes (and all the size changes as baby grows), here are a few tips…

Supplies Needed:

  • clothes dresser
  • drawer dividers
  • children’s hangers
  • closet dividers
  • paper bags
  • plastic storage bins

Organization Tips:

  1. Store socks, mittens, hats, and other accessories in separate sections of the top dresser drawer.
  2. Fold all onesies and store in two separate piles in the second dresser drawer: whites and colors.
  3. Fold all gowns and sleepers. Store in two separate piles in the third dresser drawer.
  4. Hang up baby’s outfits in the closet. Separate them by size and/or season using closet dividers.
  5. As baby gets bigger, toss any outgrown clothes into the corresponding paper bag at the bottom of baby’s closet (labeled “sell,” “donate,” and “keep”).
  6. Once the “donate” bag is full, take its contents to your favorite local charity.
  7. When the “sell” bag is full, take its contents to your favorite consignment store.
  8. When the “keep” bag is full, place its contents into the corresponding plastic bin (labeled by size and season, plus gender as necessary).
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Monday Mission : Manage Your E-Mail

Xobni Screenshot

Xobni Logo

Drowning in a sea of e-mail? Not to worry… I have discovered the solution!

This weekend, I stumbled upon the coolest plug-in ever : Xobni.

If you use Microsoft Outlook to read and send e-mail, you absolutely must download this free plug-in… your “eLife” will be forever changed!

Xobni is the San Francisco startup that is revolutionizing the way people manage email relationships and organize your flooded inbox.

Xobni extends Outlook by offering fast search, conversation threading, a social networking platform, and many other features designed to make email better.

The name Xobni is the word “inbox” spelled backwards. Xobni was founded by Adam Smith and Matt Brezina in the spring of 2006.

Be brave. Try it out. Then, tell me what you think. I’d love to hear about your Xobni experience!

Michelle's Signature

Monday Mission : Create Your Own Advisory Panel

No matter what the task at hand, if you try to get it done all by yourself, you quite likely won’t be a complete success. We aren’t superheros… we’re humans with limitations.

So, this week, I’m planning to invite a few friends and former clients to serve on my informal   [ real neat ] advisory panel. I’ll host the bunch here in my apartment, with snacks and beverages on-hand.

Out of this casual atmosphere, I’m hoping to get some honest feedback about some of my current business practices, as well as input regarding my new business model (i.e., what do you like? what do you not like? what would you like to see added? what would you like to cut out? general feedback / testimonials?).

How about you? Are there things that you’d like to improve in your own home business, your household, your church, etc.? Use this week to create and meet with your own advisory panel. Then, come back and share your feedback from the group. Will you be implementing any changes? Do tell !!

Michelle's Signature