Get Organized Now! Newsletter by Maria Gracia http://www.getorganizednow.com Issue: March 13-19, 2010 Number of Subscribers: 181,999 ====================================================== Hello {!firstname_fix} ====================================================== ====================================================== Organize Those Mountains of Paper Once and For All ====================================================== So many people have spoken of the so-called paperless society. There's no doubt that the world hasn't caught on to this concept yet. There's more paper than ever... bank statements, insurance paperwork, schedules, school-related reports, medical records, warranties-- and of course all the fun paper too, like memorabilia, articles, hobby-related stuff and more. This is not to mention all the email messages and computer documents that get printed and copied each day--even more paper! These papers start small, quickly turn into piles, and then grow into mountains. Sometimes, these mountains of paper get so high, that the thought of tackling them is just too overwhelming-- especially when you don't have a good filing system in place or much time to put one together. If you're sick and tired of the piles of paper taking over your home and your life and you just don't know where to start, I have a solution for you. The good news is, this solution will take no time at all, and the result will be stunning--a filing system that will allow you to dismantle those mountains and find whatever you're looking for in seconds. Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/filing.html P.S. I guarantee you'll be able to get all your paper organized, in an efficient, easy-as-pie to set up filing system that will be the envy of all your friends. Here's what a few of our customers had to say ... Your My Oh-So-Organized Filing System was just the ticket for me to finally get my files lean and mean! I started one Saturday afternoon with four file drawers and two boxes. A few hours, three bags of shredded material and one Pride and Prejudice miniseries on DVD later, I was down to just one two-drawer file cart with a handful of stackable trays, one grab-and-go file holder for my desk and an organized box of manuals and warranties for my husband's workbench. All I had to do was open the filing system, put labels on folders, and get to work. Besides having everything all planned and printed, the most helpful aspect of the system was the handy guide. I learned there were plenty of papers that needed to be shredded instead of filed and I gleaned some really useful tips for keeping information at my fingertips. I never realized how much information I kept scattered around the house. Now it's all in one place--easy to find and easy to use. The day after I finished setting up the system my husband needed a manual for one of our appliances. I was able to locate it within seconds. Boy, was he impressed! Thanks again for such a great product. --Cate Brizzell, Author of 'Real People Don't Diet' I wanted to thank you for putting together My Oh-So- Organized Filing System. It is such a simple idea, but worth every penny. I put your system to work immediately, and you should see my filing drawer--it's beautiful! I could not have achieved the level of success without your completely thought out system. It's wonderful. Everything is filed away and neat and organized. I can find anything. I showed my husband and he was so impressed, he was telling the neighbors! Excellent product--I highly recommend it! --Jennifer Thoden, Drapery Sewing Supplies I received the filing system today and have started to label and organize my files. I hesitated to get it, because, after all, why should I pay for file folder labels when I could just write out my own? After receiving the booklet and labels, I'm so grateful that so much of the organizing work has been done for me! This system seems very well thought-out and is a breeze to implement. Thank you so much for developing this system-- it is well worth the money and then some! --Lorri Nicolini ====================================================== The Love it or Lose it Approach ====================================================== When your closets become difficult to close, your cupboards are overflowing with dishes, and your storage area has reached capacity, it’s clearly time for an organization intervention! New and improved items often get piled on top of the old and well-used until your valuable spaces are filled and begging to be purged. It is much easier to simply continue stockpiling shoes, kitchenware, and other collections in your home, instead of making the difficult decision of whether or not you truly need to hang on to it. A more challenging task, however, is to make your mind up to eliminate the unnecessary and useless items and bring more order and organization to your home. By taking a logical 'love it' or 'lose it' approach to organizing your home, you will easily clear your cherished storage spaces of superfluous clutter and perhaps even clear your mind in the process! KITCHENWARE Love it! Hang on to plates, bowls, cups, and glasses that coordinate and easily nest into other pieces. These are the easiest to store and will use the smallest footprint of your cupboard space. If you have any heirloom dishes that aren’t used on a daily basis, put them on display in your china cabinet or store them in those tiny, unused cupboards above the refrigerator to make more room for everyday dishes. Lose it! If your storage containers are missing their tops or your storage tops are missing their containers, throw them out. Toss out any miscellaneous cups and dishes that do not nest into other pieces. Discard multiples of kitchen tools as well as any chipped or broken glassware. If your family of 5 has 20 water bottles (or coffee cups, wine glasses, etc), it’s time to thin the collection to a more reasonable amount. ARTWORK Love it! Dust it off and hang it up in a guest bedroom or even in the bathroom. Better yet, create a ‘gallery’ in your hallway and hang a combination of your favorite portraits, artwork, and children’s creations. This is a great use of old picture frames as well. Lose it! Contact a local gallery to determine the value of your art pieces. If the piece is valuable, ask the gallery if they can sell it on consignment. If the value is minimal, donate it to a charitable organization and obtain a receipt for tax purposes. MEDIA (movies, videos, books) Love it! Any movie that you watch repeatedly, no matter how old, is a keeper. Those classic books you enjoy revisiting from time to time should remain in your collection as well. Designate space to store your media that allows you to easily review titles and make a selection. Lose it! Do you have a collection of VHS tapes, or maybe even 8 tracks, but no longer own something to play them on? Get rid of them! Sell them at an online auction site or give them away. If you have read a book and never intend to re- read it, give it to a friend with instructions to pass it along to someone else rather than returning it. Should you be lucky enough to be technologically gifted, eliminate your entire collection of CD’s after you transfer them onto a computer or MP3 player. ====================================================== Finally Organized, Finally Free -- for the HOME by Maria Gracia * HOT PRODUCT! Huge (405 Pages) HOME Edition! * Finally, a comprehensive resource to help you get organized once and for all! * Get 2,175 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your time and your life! Are you absolutely sick of all the clutter that seems to seep into every single room in your home? What about your overflowing email inbox? Do you wish the mountains of paper would magically vanish into thin air? Do you always feel like you can never catch up with your endless to do list? Is your family sabotaging your organizing efforts? In short, do you wish you can live a more organized, happy, less chaotic life? Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/foffhome.html P.S. Make 2010 your year to get organized! ====================================================== KNICK KNACKS Love it! Memorabilia from special events and souvenirs from vacations should be kept and displayed so long as you still recall where it came from. Collections can be beautifully displayed with adequate shelf space and add a nice personal touch to your home. Lose it! Are your random chotskis simply taking up space that could be repurposed and put to good use? Pack them up and sell them at your next garage sale or donate them to a resale store. Enjoy the clean empty space and only fill it up if necessary or simply enjoy the clutter free space. SHOES Love it! Purchase a set of plastic shoe boxes that will enable you to swap winter and summer shoes when the season changes. This will maximize the available space in your closet. Maintain a reasonable variety of shoe styles and colors. Lose it! Remove shoe styles that are redundant. Nobody needs 4 pairs of black 3 inch heels. Decrease the collection to one pair. Discard shoes that are so uncomfortable you cannot bear to wear them or cause blisters or calluses. They may look cute in your closet but unlike wine, shoes do not improve with age. If you have previously discarded the matching dress for a pair of shoes in your closet, now is the time to dispose of the shoes as well. JEWELRY Love it! Take it out of your jewelry box and wear it next time you go to work or to the movies. No sense of it sitting in your jewelry box hidden away for some 'special occasion'. Lose it! If you're never going to wear it, why keep it? OK, you get a pass if it is an heirloom. Otherwise, give it to your favorite niece, sell it on eBay or trade it at the next jewelry swap. CLOTHING Love it! Your favorite sweatshirt and pair of jeans, no matter how old or holy they may be, are an exception to the rule. They get to stay. Maintain an appropriate mixture of business and casual clothing. Always have at least one of each basic clothing item hanging in your closet. Lose it! Donate a majority of those clothes you ‘hope to fit into one day.’ Hang onto your skinny jeans, but do not maintain an entire wardrobe waiting for you to reach your weight loss goal. Instead, reward yourself for reaching that goal with a shopping trip for new clothes. Any clothing that is stained, damaged, or waiting more than 6 months for repair should be discarded. Outdated and out of style clothes should be donated as well. Taking a ‘Love It or Lose It’ approach to getting organized will simplify decisions made in the process of your next organization intervention. The predetermined deciding factors will serve as guidelines as you easily choose which items will stay and which will soon find themselves another home. If your home is cluttered with items other than those previously mentioned, take a few moments to develop your own 'Love It or Lose It' criteria for those items. While conquering out-of-control cupboards, closets, and other jam-packed storage spaces, you will almost certainly feel triumphant as you rediscover previously lost space and eliminate unnecessary clutter from your home. ====================================================== Finally Organized, Finally Free -- for the OFFICE * HOT PRODUCT! Huge (395 Pages) OFFICE Edition! * Finally, a comprehensive resource to help you get organized once and for all! * Get 1,875 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your office, your files, your schedule and so much more! Your phone is ringing, your email inbox is bursting, your To File tray is spilling onto the floor. You can't find the paper you're looking for. Your To Do list is already so long, and growing by the second. You can never leave work on time, you're missing deadlines and you're up to your eyeballs in work. As they say, somethings gotta give! Are you ready to get organized at the office? Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/foffoffice.html ====================================================== New Stuff and Site Updates ====================================================== Everything below is accessible by visiting: http://www.getorganizednow.com Please note that we update our site on a weekly basis, so the new stuff and site updates below may only be available for one week. ** Get Organized Now! Blog: Department 2 Read my personal comments, stories tips and observations about getting and staying organized in today's hectic world. You don't want to miss it. Newest entries: 1) 03/10 Do It Daily 2) 03/03 Shorten Phone Conversations 3) 02/23 Stop Waiting--Start Progressing 4) 02/17 Make a Task Basket 5) 02/11 Increase Your Kitchen Storage Space Visit: http://getorganizednow.typepad.com/get_organized_now_weblog/ ** NEW Weekly Organizing Challenge: Department 1 Each week, you'll get a new challenge. How fun knowing that lots of people are working on the same goal! Check out what this week's challenge is. We've just posted our Week of March 14th challenge. Go to the link below and look for the 'Big Spring' graphic. http://getorganizednow.com/#challenge ** NEW Organizing Clinic: Department 10 A reader asks, 'I am enjoying your newsletter and website very much. There are always good ideas and something new to learn--thank you! I was wondering if you would have an idea to help me solve my problem of piles and piles of laundry that never end. We are a big family and there are always piles of laundry. I don’t know what the problem is. Maybe each child has too many clothes? I just can’t figure this out. Any ideas?' Go to the link below and look for the washer and dryer. http://getorganizednow.com/#clinic ** March Monthly Checklist: Department 1 Spring is in the air. Begin this season of renewal with a fresh, clutter-free, organized life! Start today with our new March monthly organizing checklist. Go to the link below and look for the shamrocks. http://www.getorganizednow.com/#checklist ** FEATURED Web Poll: Department 14 Our featured multiple choice question is, 'Spring is in the air and spring cleaning is on the horizon. What matches your spring cleaning attitude best?' Go to the following link and cast your vote. It only takes a second, and your opinion can be heard. Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/#webpoll ====================================================== Discover the Secrets a Retired Plumber and His Wife used to Train their Out-Of-Control Dog in just One Evening! ====================================================== Is your dog out-of-control? Are you thinking that no matter what you do, you'll never get your dog trained? Well think again, because Don, a retired plumber and his wife, know what it takes to train even the most ornery, stubborn dog to be obedient and a joy to have around. You'll learn... * The nifty little trick police officers use to always make sure their dogs come when they’re called--and how it can work like magic for your dog too * How to stop your dog from digging holes all over your yard * The exact number of toys your dog should have, and why making this simple change can trigger a huge difference in your dogs behavior * If you have a dog that bites, here’s the one game you should never play with them * How to make all your trips to the vet stress-free (these 2 simple tricks are lifesavers for anyone with a shy or nervous dog) * Why feeding your dog this certain food can cause digging problems * Imagine your dog coming up and 'telling' you when he has to go potty--it’s for real and here’s how to do it * and much, much more! Visit: http://49d0e9sjydtl1l9irmgo3cw96x.hop.clickbank.net/ ====================================================== An Organizing Tip From One of Our Readers ====================================================== My mother-in-law has a great idea for organizing her earrings. She wears different ones for every outfit, which is something I've never been organized enough to do. Her secret? She uses plastic, ice cube trays in one of her drawers that separates them. She just opens the drawer and can see them all at a glance! Amy Stone, Anderson, SC Amy has two teens and runs a business from her home. She believes organization is a learned skill; a skill, she says, she was never taught. She believes that every little bit helps! * * * * * Submit your favorite organizing tip! Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/readertip.html ====================================================== In the Market to Buy a Car? Don't Get Ripped Off! ====================================================== The last time you bought a new or used car, did you wonder how good of a deal you really got from your seemingly friendly car salesman? And did you think he was the nicest guy you'd met in a long time? Listen to this. The reason your car salesman smiled like a Cheshire cat and treated you like his new best friend isn't because he's a kind and caring soul. It's because he was taking hundreds, maybe thousands, of your hard earned money that he didn't deserve. You can think of it as legalized thievery. Don't buy a car until you visit: http://31abaeprxdqjwp8e1fgatn0tcv.hop.clickbank.net/ ====================================================== An Organizing Tip From One of Our Readers ====================================================== I am a physician and have to take to work things that I do not take everywhere else I go. Because they are not the items I take everywhere, I tended to forget one or the other. So, I made a list on my PDA cellphone which I have with me all the time. For example, pager, stethoscope, penlight, lunch, clipboard. I began to take a quick glance at it before leaving, so I'd know what I'm missing. Now, I don't even need to check because i remember the items by heart. Maliha Syed Chicago, IL Maliha is a physician and mom of two children. * * * * * Submit your favorite organizing tip! Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/readertip.html ====================================================== Organizing Challenge Notes ====================================================== Week of March 7th: Get Ready to Rummage Way ahead of you! I have a 58 quart container overflowing with my children's old clothes to sell on eBay, a few items I will put out at the city wide garage sale this spring, and some things I am sending to my sister for her baby. Oh, and I have a few items in the trunk of my car for the next time I am near the Goodwill. I think my house may start to float away from the lack of stuff! --Alexis Vincent I hold rummage sales every year, and I always am frantic the night before the sale trying to get all the stuff together I want to sell. When you posted this week's challenge, it immediately sent a lightbulb over my head. This idea of not waiting until the last minute and just getting things together a little at a time just may work! So far, I've emptied out the bedroom and den of the things that I wish to sell, put all those items in a special place in my basement and even priced everything out! This week, I'm focusing on the kitchen. By the time my rummage sale date rolls around in May, I'll be ready--and able to sleep the night before! You always have such great ideas, and I truly appreciate your expertise! --Janice P, Seattle, WA I don't normally do traditional rummage sales, and generally bring all the stuff I don't need to Goodwill. This year, however, you've helped me get so organized in my home that I've decided to give a rummage sale a whirl. I've set a weekend in June for this purpose. That will give me enough time to get enough items together to sell. I already have 20 hardly-used items in a big pile in my spare room. --Carrie R, Seaside Heights, NJ ====================================================== Kid Approved Meals Will Help You Quickly And Easily Prepare Healthy Meals Your Kids Will Enjoy Eating ====================================================== Do you have the time to get creative and think about what you are going to serve your kids for breakfast and lunch every single day--that's healthy? If you're like most people, probably not. If you're resorting to serving your kids mac n' cheese or chicken nuggets nearly every single day, visit: http://3cd5fbkq1jpdxme55nfd05fpd5.hop.clickbank.net/ ====================================================== Become Our Fan on Facebook ====================================================== http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Get-Organized-Now/50467098715?ref=ts * * * * * Follow Us on Twitter http://twitter.com/getorgnow ====================================================== In Closing ====================================================== Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. --Theodore Roosevelt. (Thanks to newslettter reader, Marianne Rankin, for submitting this awesome quote!) And remember . . . there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now! Warmly, Maria Gracia Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com ====================================================== (c) Copyright 2010 by Maria Gracia, Get Organized Now! ====================================================== * Copyright, contact and reprint information: http://www.getorganizednow.com/contact.html * You signed up to receive our Idea-Kit and/or our Newsletter at our Get Organized Now! Web site. We never add names unless you have voluntarily opted in. * We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list. * To subscribe, visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/free-ezine.html * To unsubscribe, click the link at the bottom of this email. You are subscribed to our list as: {!name} {!email} ============================================