Time Management & Decluttering Are Keys To A Happy Life

Feb 20

Get Magical Results by Releasing and Repurposing

By Diane Quintana Ask the Organizer How to Organize

Recently, I’ve been talking a lot about moving and settling in. Just in case you haven’t been following me, here’s a brief recap. I sold my house in May 2021 and rented a furnished apartment month to month until my townhouse was finished. In late January I moved into my new forever home and am loving it. The unpacking, arranging furniture, and putting away belongings is overwhelming for everyone, even for professional organizers. However, I learned that when I released some of my preconceived notions of where things should live or how things should be used, I had magical results….

Feb 06

Make a Plan for a Romantic Evening

By Jonda Beattie How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies, Uncategorized

Valentine’s Day is considered a day for romance. While the special day has been around for a long time, the day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries. Today it’s an opportunity to spice up a relationship and show the love. You want to set the mood for your own romantic evening. You close your eyes and envision the pair of you cuddled up on the couch, watching a romantic movie. The lights are dim. But then you open your eyes and look around your love nest. You notice the piles of shoes kicked off by that…

Jan 28

Project Bins Promote Productivity

By Jonda Beattie Ask the Organizer How to Organize, Blog

When I am working on a project, I like to have my desk clear of everything but the current project. However, I am always working on multiple projects. I would go crazy if I didn’t have each of my projects filed away in project bins. These project bins promote productivity for me and help me maintain my sanity. Imagine that you’re working on a project. You are on a deadline and people are waiting for you to finish. There are stacks of papers scattered across your desk and on surfaces around you. Some of these papers belong to the current…

Jan 16

3 Reasons to Organize Your Digital Files

By Diane Quintana Ask the Organizer How to Organize, Uncategorized

My friend, colleague, and business partner, Jonda Beattie, just wrote an article about organizing paper files. I am following up with an article on organizing your digital files. Are you wondering why? Even though we can’t see them, digital files need to be organized, too. I am going to share with you 3 reasons to organize your digital files plus I will tell you how to go about this. Very often people think that they can just save digital files in their computer and the computer’s search engine will find the file for them – no matter what. This is…

Jan 02

Start Your New Year With a Workable Filing System

By Jonda Beattie Ask the Organizer How to Organize

While making a workable file system may not be top of your list of fun things to do, you will thank yourself over and over throughout the year for having made the effort. A workable file system will make you more productive. Having that workable file system in place will expedite clearing your desk and greatly reduce the amount of time you spend looking for documents. For the purpose of this article, I am focusing on the basic file system for papers that are needed most frequently. Analyze the current problem If you have a file system now but it…

Dec 27

Take Time to Reflect

By Diane Quintana What is Your Reason to Get Organized?

It’s the last week of 2021. In many ways, I’m ready to say ‘Good-Bye’ to 2021 and welcome 2022 with open arms. But there’s also a part of me that wants to sit and look back at what was. I think before the start of a new year it’s good to take time to reflect on what happened that was good and acknowledge what didn’t work quite so well. I am so very proud of the work that Jonda Beattie and I have done with our joint business, Release Repurpose Reorganize, LLC, this year. At the end of 2020 we…

Dec 18

7 Tips to Help You Enjoy the Season

By Jonda Beattie It's All About You: A Personalized Approach to Achieving Your Organizing Goals

You’ve worked hard to make this season the best one yet. But are you ready to really enjoy the season? You’ve decorated, prepared special foods, sent out cards and packages, maybe planned or given a party or had friends over for drinks or dinner. You’ve scheduled time to go to work related parties and activities at your church. But have you taken the time to think about what makes this holiday enjoyable and meaningful for you? It’s not too late. Here are 7 tips to help you enjoy the season: Make This Holiday Joyful for You Reflect on what makes…

Dec 11

Delay New Organizing Projects Until 2022

By Diane Quintana Ask the Organizer How to Organize

Yes. I am a professional organizer, and I am advising you to delay new organizing projects until 2022. Please note, I do not advise that you forget about them. Rather I would like you to take a piece of paper and a pen or pencil and make a list of all the organizing projects you would like to complete in 2022. Once you have made your list, look at it a second time and determine if it is realistic. Maybe some projects can be deferred even further to 2023. Rank the projects you want to complete with number 1 referring…

Dec 05

Organizing Gift Wrap Supplies in 10 Minutes Blocks of Time

By Jonda Beattie How Long Will it Take to Organize X

I love prettily wrapped packages, but I so often find myself without as much time as I want to make that happen. So, when it is time to wrap gifts the last thing I want to pull out is messy gift wrap supplies consisting of wrapping paper, tissue, gift bags, boxes, and ribbons. It is almost time to wrap gifts that must be mailed. It seems like the deadline to mail gets earlier and earlier. If you are like me, you want to allow some extra time because that time is not guaranteed. Before starting my wrapping process, I took…

Nov 28

Count Your Blessings

By Diane Quintana It's All About You: A Personalized Approach to Achieving Your Organizing Goals

When I was a child, my mother always used to say ‘count your blessings’. I didn’t know exactly what she meant. Now as an adult, I find myself regularly counting my blessings. There are so many things for which to be thankful. Since the Thanksgiving celebration in the United States falls in November, we often think more directly about giving thanks during this month. In fact, I am just finishing up 30 days of thankfulness. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I have been posting one thing every day for which I am thankful. Even…

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