If you’re a person who feels guilty taking a break away from the office in the summer, feel less guilty and check out William Vanderbloemen’s The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Entrepreneurs.
Posts Tagged ‘a new leaf’
TACKLING SUMMER PROJECTS
SUMMER IS HERE!
Summer has arrived–with its high temperatures and humidity.
Whether you’re taking day trips or a lengthy vacation, going to the beach or just trying to stay cool, remember to have fun! And don’t forget to stay hydrated!
Let’s get started and turn over another leaf!
TACKLING SUMMER PROJECTS
Warm summer days make it easier to work on outdoor projects.
Planning
Be realistic about how many projects you can handle. If you’ve chosen a stay-at-home vacation this year, you don’t want to spend your whole time working!
Books
“I still think of summer as the best time to read for fun.” Margaret Haddix
Before pulling up a lawn chair and grabbing a book you haven’t read yet, sort through your bookcase. Donate your used books to friends, neighbours or your favourite charity.
Organize your books by category, alphabetically or by author. Leave some space on your shelves for new purchases. Or sign up for a library card and borrow books–saving yourself some money!
Magazines
Summer can be the perfect time to get caught up with your magazine reading. When you only have a few minutes to read, short magazine articles are often best.
When you pick up a magazine at the store or your new issue arrives in the mail, put it in your designated reading area. If you haven’t read an issue by the time the next one arrives, you probably won’t read it–give it to a friend or recycle it.
Photographs/Movies
When you get together with family and friends–especially if a reunion is on your schedule–spend a couple of hours reminiscing and sort through your old photos. There may be photos you don’t wish to keep, but someone else might appreciate them.
Photographs can be organized in a number of ways. Organize them by child, family, friends, decades, vacations, etc. Store photographs in mylar albums or acidfree photo boxes; plastic or painted metal boxes can cause photos to deteriorate.
Transfer old home movies onto DVDs. There are a number of businesses that provide this service if you don’t want to attempt it yourself. It’s also a great gift idea.
Gardening
Spending time in your garden is a wonderful way to enjoy the fresh air. Take photos of your garden during the summer months. If you like to plan next year’s garden during the winter, photos will come in handy. Make some notes; they’ll help you decide what you liked or what you’d like to do differently next year.
Garage
Organizing the garage can be a very big undertaking. Click here for our tips.
Outdoor Projects
Make a list of all your outdoor projects–paint garage doors, stain deck or refinish a chair. Our warm weather never seems to last long enough to accomplish everything we want to do.
Reward Yourself
The best part about summer projects is that you get to spend some time outside. Plan a fun activity for the whole family–head to your favourite place for ice cream, a picnic in the park or an outing to the beach–after the hard work is finished.
Until next month,
P.S. Do YOU or someone you know need a professional organizer? TAKE OUR TEST and find out for yourself today!
Checklists
Check out Cottage Life’s article “How to pack for a canoe trip.”
Don’t forget to check out our Vacation Planning Checklist as well as our Packing Checklist.
How to Plan for a PRODUCTIVE DAY!
If you’re itching to get outside to enjoy a beautiful day, check out “How to plan for a productive day.”
The sooner you get your work done, the sooner you can head outside!
Get Motivated by Joshua Becker
Writer Joshua Becker, who is interviewed in Minimalism, shares 10 Images to Help Inspire Simplicity in Your Life.
Please share your favourite with us on our FACEBOOK PAGE.
Strawberries have arrived!
CAN YOU SAY STRAWBERRIES?
Strawberries are on store shelves now, and they never seem to be around very long. Support your neighbourhood market and purchase local fresh produce. In Southwestern Ontario, we are very fortunate that our farmers provide us with a tremendous variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the summer.
How are you celebrating Canada Day? Check out Kraft’s Canadian Flag Cake.
For more recipes, check out our GET HEALTHY archives.
MINIMALISM
SUMMER’S ALMOST HERE!
Who doesn’t love the warm weather? It’s hard to resist the temptation to be outside when it’s nice.
On the May 24 weekend, I was able to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation at a friend’s cottage on beautiful Lake Temagami. It truly felt like summer!
The first day of summer is just about here. Kids are getting excited about the last day of school. People are trading in their socks and shoes for sandals or flip flops. The good weather never seems to last long enough in Canada. Enjoy it when you can!
So what do professional organizers do for fun? Last week my local POC chapter learned about apps to help our clients organize their lives. (I’ll share more about those apps in future editions.)
MINIMALISM
After our app learning session, we headed to downtown Toronto to attend a screening of “Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things” in which Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus discuss living a meaningful life with less stuff. They sum up minimalism as “a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important–so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.”
Josh and Ryan made a conscious decision to quit their high-paying corporate jobs, pay off their sizeable debt, consume less and pursue their passion. Embracing minimalism has enabled them to find “lasting happiness…through life itself.”
How much does it cost to keep up with the Joneses? Did you know that advertising/marketing budgets directed at children has reached 2 billion dollars per year. That’s downright frightening!
Every day consumers are bombarded with messages to do this or need that. You have the power to determine how your hard-earned dollars are spent. Are you a mindful consumer?
As a professional organizer, I’ve witnessed clients who feel so much better after reducing the excess in their homes. It’s like a burden has been lifted off their shoulders.
What can you do? Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I living my ideal life?
- What’s most important in my life?
- What can I simplify?
- What can I reduce or eliminate?
Take some time to reflect–either by yourself or with those closest to you–and unearth your true purpose.
There’s no time like the present to lighten up your life!
Until next month,
P.S. Do YOU or someone you know need a professional organizer? TAKE OUR TEST and find out for yourself today!
Spring Salads
HEALTHY SPRING SALADS
I couldn’t choose just one spring salad recipe, so I’m sharing the link to momstown.ca. You can decide which one you’ll try first!
For more recipes, check out our GET HEALTHY archives.
Need a Checklist?
Check out the GET CHECKING archives on our blog, and find YOUR perfect checklist.
If you have a suggestion for a checklist you’d like to see, please send us an email. We’ll create one for all our of readers to use.
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