Get Organized Now! Newsletter by Maria Gracia http://www.getorganizednow.com Issue: December 19-25, 2009 Number of Subscribers: 181,999 ====================================================== Hello {!firstname_fix} ====================================================== ====================================================== Learn the Secrets to Unlocking Wealth, Health and Happiness ====================================================== Do you want to look and feel your best, earn more, achieve greater success, experience better health and longevity, boost your happiness, involve yourself in more fulfilling relationships and have a more rewarding business/career? Silly questions, right? Why wouldn't you want to be the very best you can be? Discover.... * How to instantly remove the most common obstacles that destroy your chances of success * The ten super-powerful triggers that unlock wealth, health and happiness * How to unleash a 'mental motivation genie' that will compel you to act on and achieve your most important goals * Easy ways to permanently banish procrastination from your thought patterns * How to achieve everything you want without hard work and frustration. It can be effortless and even fun when you use this simple, step-by-step roadmap * The fact that you can experience the joy of ultimate fulfillment--and pass that joy on to your family and loved ones Visit: http://www.motivation123.com/cmd.php?ad=415875 ====================================================== No-Fuss, Affordable Ways to Contain Your Stuff ====================================================== Finding affordable storage solutions is possible for everyone, but you must be able to think outside the box and become creative--after all organizing doesn't have to cost a lot of money. The first step in any plan to contain your stuff in affordable methods should begin with a decluttering of unused or unwanted items, so you are only finding storage solutions for the items you love and use. Storage is not about being fussy or spending a lot of money but instead is about containing your items in a method that allows you to find and be able to use items easily and quickly. 1. Declutter- The first step in finding affordable and easy storage solutions is gathering the items together that need to be stored and decluttering and purging no longer used, needed, or liked items. For example, why would you find storage for all your clothes in the closet if you only wear and like 20%? Purge the unworn items. Remember--a significant amount of items can be donated or given away to charities. 2. Group like items together- After decluttering, the next step in the process is grouping like-items together. For example, putting all nails and screws in one central location in the garage and placing different types into baby food bottles on one shelf. Another example could be grouping spices together, for example baking spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, can be stored in one area and thyme and basil in another--perhaps in a cool, dry area near the stove where they are used. 3. Reuse and Recycle- In this era of saving the planet, reusing and recycling are key. There are so many products that can be re-used in the home, like re-using furniture for another purpose (a coffee table may be easily transformed into a bench). Recycle old food containers such as margarine tubs, peanut butter jars, or coffee cans for storage. Cut cereal boxes can be used as magazine holders. 4. Use the space you have efficiently- It is important to assess your storage needs based on the volume of items to organize. Remember to look at vertical solutions. For example, a narrow, tall bookcase takes less space than a wide, low case. Remember to use the space underneath a couch or bed to store things like blankets or sheets. ====================================================== 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. Get organized before the end of 2009. You can do it! ====================================================== 5. Appropriate solutions for each room- -Living rooms are often used for entertaining guests. Declutter bookcases and shelving by using colored containers, baskets, or boxes to contain DVD’s, CD’s, books, magazines and candles. Use a coffee table with added storage (or an ottoman that opens) to enclose pillows, blankets, photo albums or books. -Bathrooms are often small and lack storage space. Use containers or small tins or bowls to organize items on the counter or within the medicine cabinet. Shelving that fits above the toilet could be useful to hold towels. -In the bedroom you can use the space underneath the bed with shallow totes (for shoes, out of season clothing, extra blankets, sheets, wrapping paper, craft supplies, or magazines). -In the kitchen, a dish dryer can be used for cookie sheets and muffin tins. An old canister can be used to hold utensils. 6. Streamline your approach- In a front entrance, hooks can be used to hold coats or buckets with mittens, hats, and scarves or summer items, umbrellas, or bags. If each hook is labeled with a family member’s name, children could learn how and where to put away their own items. Using boxes or buckets at the top and bottom of a set of stairs allows for quick clean-up and easy to return lost or misplaced items. Use a cork board on a wall in a kitchen or office space with push pins to hold photos, receipts, coupons, menus for takeout, a calendar, or birthday invitations. 7. Find various solutions for long term and short term storage- Items such as memorabilia, old year books, or out of season clothing do not need to be in an easy to access area. Instead they can be stored in a basement, attic, or garage in air-tight containers. In contrast, everyday items like kitchen utensils can be stored at or near eye level. 8. Be creative- Try to think outside the box. An old candy dish can be used to hold paperclips or push pins in an office space. Shoe organizers can be used for a variety of uses other than shoes, like on the back of a kitchen or pantry door to organize spices, soup packets and other envelope mixes. They can also be used in the bathroom to hold toiletries or in a kid’s bedroom to hold socks or small toys. ====================================================== 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) 12/14 - The UN-hectic Approach to Holiday Shopping 2) 12/07 - Good Things Are Often Planned 3) 12/03 - Time Management is NOT About Accomplishing Everything on Your To Do List 4) 11/24 - What's Holding You Back From Getting Organized? 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 December 19th challenge. Go to the link below and look for the clock and the Santa hat. http://getorganizednow.com/#challenge ** NEW Web Poll Our featured multiple choice question is, 'How often do you do laundry?' 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 ** December Monthly Checklist: Department 1 It's the last month of the year. Make it your most organized ever! Start today with our new December monthly checklist. Go to the link below and look for the seal pup. http://www.getorganizednow.com/#checklist ====================================================== 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 won't take hardly any 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. ====================================================== An Organizing Tip From One of Our Readers ====================================================== I hate trying to flip through all the coupons I have when I'm grocery shopping. I recently started placing the coupons that I want to use for the current week's grocery trip in a small photo album. It's easy to carry and I'm able to flip through the pages and easily see all of the coupons that I have. Leslie Craig San Antonio, TX Leslie has 3 children--one 12 year old daughter and boy-girl twins age 8. * * * * * Submit your favorite organizing tip! Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/readertip.html ====================================================== Drowning in a Sea of Loose Papers and Sticky Notes? Here's Help! ====================================================== Movies you want to see someday, books you'd like to read, phone numbers, addresses, goals you wish to meet, recipes you want to try, wish lists, ideas, your cleaning checklist, your to do list... There's so much information you have to keep track of, but where do you put it all? Typically, it ends up on scraps of paper and sticky notes stuck to the refrigerator, bulletin boards and computer monitors, scattered on your kitchen table and your desk. Are you at your wit's end? If so, you'll be happy to know that I have the perfect solution to this problem. Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/ezorganizer.html ====================================================== An Organizing Tip From One of Our Readers ====================================================== Going through all of my pairs of jeans one summer, I decided to try them all on. Some fit great, others snug, others too tight and some 'I DON'T THINK SO'. I took a small sticky note, dated it, wrote whether too snug or tight on them and wrote my weight at the time. I put the note in the jean pocket and put the jeans away for a year. (Except the 'great fit' ones, of course) I lost a bit of weight over the course of the year. The next year when I took the stored jeans out, a lot of the 'I DON'T THINK SO' jeans fit great and the 'tight', too loose. If I took any out that still didn't fit, I donated them. Jumping around in pants I thought I could never wear again was a wonderful and frugal way to spend one day. Lisa M Wright Snohomish, WA * * * * * Submit your favorite organizing tip! Visit: http://www.getorganizednow.com/readertip.html ====================================================== Make Your Favorite Restaurant Meals at Home-- They're delicious, easy and save you money! ====================================================== Have you been craving meals from your favorite restaurants (like Applebee's, Boston Market, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill and Red Lobster), but don't want the high expense of constantly eating out? I'm always trying to replicate my family's favorite restaurant dishes at home, but it hasn't always been easy. That is, until now. I've just discovered a wonderful tool that helps me prepare my family's favorite restaurant recipes--that taste just like they do when we're eating out. The best thing is, these meals cost 5 to 10 times less to prepare at home as they do to eat at the restaurant! Visit: http://e71008mgtgj9po5hmggkds9x2f.hop.clickbank.net/ ====================================================== Organizing Challenge Notes ====================================================== Week of December 12th: Contact 3 People You've Been Meaning to Contact I just loved the challenge this past week. I contacted my high school friend, Shirley--who I haven't spoken to in over 15 years. The conversation was a blast, and as it turns out, we're getting together this spring. I'll be flying across the country to visit her! I also called my accountant to schedule time for him to do my taxes. Finally, I called my doctor to set up my mammogram--which I haven't had done in 2 years. Thanks for the push! --Ursula, Gainsville, FL I just joined Facebook and contacted over 20 people I haven't spoken to in years!! --Michael, San Diego, CA We've really lost the art of letter writing. With your challenge, I decided to start up this wonderful tradition again in our household. I wrote a long letter (not typed, but in my own handwriting) to my sister-in-law who lives in Italy. I then helped each of my daughters write handwritten letters to their new pen pals! --Gillian, Ontario, Canada ====================================================== Banish Clutter Once and For All ====================================================== It's not every day that I recommend organizing books from authors other than myself. But, when something really good comes along--something that I feel supplements my books and products beautifully, I'd feel I was doing you a disservice not to tell you about it. Mimi Tanner, the author of 'Declutter Fast' is actually a reformed pack rat. That's right...she has struggled with mountains of clutter for years. But today, she is free. She has discovered the joys of order and organization. She focuses on getting rid of clutter, and she does a wonderful job at it. Mimi makes decluttering your house both quick and pain free. I'm inspired by her excellent methods. I'm sure you will be too. Visit: http://fb1e43irtfrc0vb5vdtzkk0s9i.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 ====================================================== Last Web Poll Results ====================================================== When I walk into someone else's visibly cluttered house... 9% I am so happy. It feels just like home! 45% I feel better, since my clutter isn't quite as bad. 33% I feel stressed and want to start picking things up...sometimes I do! 13% I feel like running for the hills! Total Votes: 1680 ====================================================== In Closing ====================================================== Life is known only by those who have found a way to be comfortable with change and the unknown. Given the nature of life, there may be no security, but only adventure. -- Rachel Naomi Remen 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 2009 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} ============================================