Consider using a Time Timer. Learn more about it in PR Newswire’s Seven Practical Tips for Making 2018 The Year You Get Organized and Manage Time.
Posts Tagged ‘organizing’
Here is a GREAT Deal for you!
If organizing your home is on your to-do list for 2018, take advantage of this offer.
Contact A New Leaf by February 15, 2018, and let us help you get organized.
Pay for 3 hours and receive a 4th hour at no charge!
Freezer Content Checklist!
Create a Freezer Inventory list, and keep it close to your freezer. That way you’ll know what’s in your freezer.
Check out 20 Household Items You Didn’t Realize Had Expiration Dates.
CLEAN OUT and ORGANIZE YOUR FREEZER
Happy New Year!
It’s mid-January, and winter has certainly arrived.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Or did you decide not to make any this year? Do whatever feels most comfortable for you.
Chances are you don’t remember the last time you cleaned out your freezer.
We’ve had a lot of extremely cold weather already this winter. Take advantage of it, and clean out your freezer.
CLEAN OUT and ORGANIZE YOUR FREEZER
Step 1 – Remove Food
Remove all frozen food from your refrigerator freezer or deep freezer. Place food in an alternate location–refrigerator freezer, deep freezer, garage or a neighbour’s freezer. Or you can store food in coolers filled with ice. I use laundry baskets to hold frozen food and put it in our garage.
Discard any items that show signs of freezer burn or that won’t be eaten.
Step 2 – Clean Out Freezer
- Check your owner’s manual.
- Turn off and unplug your deep freezer. Leave the doors or lid open.
- Once the ice is melted, remove any water.
- Wipe out your freezer and any shelves or baskets with warm soapy water. I prefer to use baking soda and warm water.
- Don’t forget to wipe down the outside of your freezer too.
Food Storage Guidelines
How Long You Can Freeze Everything, In One Chart
How Long You Can Store (Almost) Anything in the Fridge, Freezer and Pantry
Step 3 – Refill the Freezer
Once your freezer is clean, plug it in and turn it on. Check your owner’s manual regarding the length of time required before putting food back into the freezer.
Some suggestions:
- Group like items together–meat, vegetables, butter, ice cream, etc.
- Place containers in your freezer to hold small items.
- Keep frequently used items close to the front or top to allow easy access.
- Label items so everyone can find them easily.
- Put a date on items and/or containers.
Clean out your freezer on a regular basis–just before green bin or garbage day.
Remember – Many food items have best before dates. It’s helpful to follow the First In, First Out principle. Use the oldest items first. When unpacking groceries, place new items behind/under the older items. This seems like it should be common sense, but I’m surprised how many clients don’t do this.
Now that you’ve cleaned out your freezer, keep going and clean out your kitchen cupboards too. Check out our archived Organizing Your Kitchen blog post.
Get started and turn over another leaf!
Until next month,
I felt overwhelmed…
“I felt overwhelmed until Cathy of ‘A New Leaf’ came to my rescue. I had lived in my house for 26 years and wanted to put it up for sale. Every nook and cranny was filled with stuff. I didn’t know how to begin.
Cathy is extremely well organized and meticulous. She came promptly each day with a smile on her face. Together, and with Cathy’s resourcefulness, we were able to separate things into piles for keeping, donating, recycling with little left for garbage. I was finally able to put my house on the market.
I would highly recommend ‘A New Leaf’ if you are looking for some professional assistance organizing.”
Martine
Thanks for reading…
P.S. To read more testimonials, please Click Here
Countdown to Christmas!
“He’s making a list, He’s checking it twice …” Even Santa is a list maker!
The countdown to the holidays has begun. Don’t stress! A small amount of planning now can provide you with more time for those extra chores on your list in the coming weeks.
Check out these archived blog posts if you need some help getting started.
Planning for the Holidays – Part 1 and Part 2
Introducing Georgina Forrest from Smartworks!
The Super Simple Secret To Getting Stuff Done!
When you look around, do you see evidence of incomplete commitments, projects, tasks and “I’ll deal with that later” piles?
Do you wonder how on earth you are EVER going to get it all done?
If you answered yes to these questions, you’re not alone.
Now, let me ask you this: are you as tired as I am about hearing from the ‘experts’ on how to get this stuff done? You know … write down your goals, prioritize them, set dates and schedule them in your planner … yadda yadda blahdey blah.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Boooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnng!
Not that this isn’t good advice, and there’s no denying we wouldn’t ALL benefit from following these practices, but for some people this is the stopping point in the whole process of getting stuff done.
It may just be too complicated and structured for some of you … right now.
We live and work in a time where there’s much more to do than we have time to do it. It’s the reason it’s more critical today, than ever before, to find simpler ways to stay on top of our ever-expanding workloads.
Want to know my super simple secret to getting stuff done?
I set time limits and I limit the amount of stuff I can reasonably do.
Yup. It’s that easy.
Before you toss this idea out, think about it for a moment.
If you knew you had a set amount of time to work on something, how likely is it you’d get down to the crux of the work and eliminate the superfluous stuff?
For example, how ruthless are you the day before you leave for vacation? Suddenly many tasks and commitments don’t appear to be nearly as important as you thought when it seemed you had time available to do it.
And if you limited the amount of commitments and stuff to do, wouldn’t your workload get a bit lighter? Thereby giving you more time to work on the REALLY important stuff?
I think so.
Time management doesn’t need to be a complicated, step-by-step process. It can be as easy as setting time limits and limiting how much you can reasonably get done.
It’s time to GET REAL!!
You are not Superhuman – you cannot get it all done at the pace you’re currently working at. And an endless amount of ‘time’ is NOT going to suddenly drop down into your life.
You need to start doing something – anything – to get that stuff done quickly.
So, what can you limit today? Do it. Get more done.
Now, get on with your day!
Georgina Forrest owns and operates Smartworks! in Red Deer, Alberta. Smartworks! specializes in helping people learn the principles of organizing and developing good work practices, so they can work in the kind of stress-free environment that they’ve always dreamed of. Additional services include getting your office and computer organized and functional, enhancing your productivity and time management through coaching, and process improvement and/or development.
How Long is YOUR Morning Routine?
“Manage your time as if your life depended on it…because it does.” Dr. Robert S. Eliot
If you’ve been thinking about improving your morning routine, check out Julian Hayes’ 4 Simple Morning Habits That Will Improve Your Day (and Each Takes Only 5 Minutes).
Ask yourself, “How can I be more productive?”
Organizing Your Pantry
It’s mid-November already–time for hats, scarves, warm woolly mittens and boots–as snowflakes start to appear!
Preparing food and baking are on many people’s to-do lists over the next six weeks. The pantry is one of the most well-used areas of your kitchen, so it’s important to keep it organized.
ORGANIZING YOUR PANTRY
Dictionary.com defines a pantry as “a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept” or “a room between the kitchen and dining room in which food is arranged for serving, glassware and dishes are stored, etc.” Perhaps you’re fortunate enough to have a walk-in pantry. Many of us likely have designated several cupboards to store pantry items.
Since many food items have best before dates, it’s helpful to follow the First In, First Out principle. Use the oldest items first. When unpacking groceries, place new items behind the older items. This seems like it should be common sense, but I’m surprised how many clients don’t do this. When cleaning out and organizing a kitchen, a great deal of food often gets thrown out. Food waste is at an all-time high.
Here are some suggestions:
- Group like items together–tea/coffee, baking supplies, spices, etc.
- Use containers to hold small items.
- Cereal, rice, pasta, flour, sugar and bulk items can be stored in see-through containers (available at dollar stores).
- Can dispensers, stepped shelf organizers and Lazy Susans can be used.
- Keep frequently used items on shelves that allow easy access.
- Use open containers for children’s snacks.
- Label containers so everyone can find items easily.
- Put a date on items and/or containers.
- Can you store appliances in your pantry to keep your countertop clear?
- Matching baskets or containers will make your pantry look tidier.
- Purge your pantry on a regular basis–just before green bin or garbage day.
Remember – Buying items in large quantities is only practical if you have the space to store them.
If you reorganize your entire pantry, you may need to make a few adjustments. There is no one right solution!
Get started and turn over another leaf!
Until next month,
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