Are you are looking for some ideas on how to get your kitchen in order, We encourage you to first think about what you want..what is the dream for your kitchen?  knowing what you want will help you create the plan to get you there..it is like a map so you know your final destination even if you have not totally figured out your route yet.

Take a look around your kitchen and define what IS working now and what is NOT working.  What are the activities that take place in your kitchen,  do you like to bake or is your idea of cooking quick and easy recipes, do you often or rarely have company, how many people cook in the kitchen at one time,  does the mail or other paper end up on the counters here? 

Think about how you USE your kitchen, organizing is not about doing things one way (or what others may think is the right way), it is about making YOUR space work for YOUR family and it is as individual as your family. 

So think about not only what does your dream kitchen look like, but how does it function, create the movie in your mind of what an organized kitchen looks, feels and acts like…then take the steps to create that dream.

May is traditionally the unofficial start to summer. The time when we can get out into the garden and nurture relationships with plants we have not seen for months. When lazy days on the golf course and backyard bonfires become more than just a distant dream.

For most of us the end of the school year is a busy time with wrap up activities – dance performances, NB Music Festival, recitals…. How can you even think of the lazy days of summer when you are on a schedule like this? You really have to; once the spring activities are over the summer activities are right there in front of you. Summer is a special time of year and our Eastern Canadian ones are so short. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun things that you can do and see because you didn’t get organized and plan ahead of time.

Here are some helpful tips to get a jump start on organizing and planning your summer activities;

• Start with the big picture. Grab your June – September calendar and determine what time you have available to enjoy 2010 summer.

• Next you need to time block. What weeks have you booked for vacations? What weeks are the children booked for summer camps? Oops, have I opened a can of worms. If you haven’t booked the summer camps yet you need to do this sooner rather than later. The popular camps fill up early and you don’t want to be looking at last minute alternatives.

• Have a family meeting and ask the important question. What do you want to do this summer? What if Sara wants to play soccer and Brad wants to play baseball, but they both practice on Tuesday night—at different ends of town. Do you want to be running all over town all summer? Is car pooling a possibility? Make a plan.

• What about the actual summer vacation? Was there something that you wanted to do last year and just didn’t get around to it? Plan as a family, do some research online and make this a real family event from start to finish.

• Have you thought about summer childcare for when the wee ones are not in school? Are they under 12 and need all day supervision or are you going to be dealing with bored teenagers? There are many options from day camps to volunteer activities and summer jobs that can be investigated.

• Do you have a summer budget? This time of year can be a very costly yet with proper planning you will be able to manage your money as well as the expectations of your family. Take into account the cost of entertaining, special gatherings, summer camps and the overall cost of the Family Vacation.

Lastly, remember that Organizing Today Saves Time Tomorrow...it could also save you some money and add peace of mind this summer.

Last month we surveyed our readers and the results were awesome, thank you to all who shared their thoughts with us we appreciate it very much. The survey has given us direction in how we move forward with the Watercooler.  It is now a monthly post instead of a weekly one and we have had requests for more organizing tips and yes…contests.

Enjoy this May Issue of the Watercooler and what is happening to help you on your journey to get more organized.

Happy Birthday OrgJunkie

First off  we want to start by wishing our good Friend Laura the OrgJunkie a very Happy Blog  Birthday, she is celebrating the 4th year of her blog and I can tell you she has been an amazing supporter to us personally and a go to gal for ideas in the organizing industry- I am sure all her readers can attest to the amazing information she provides on her blog and we wish her many more Birthdays to come. Happy 4th Birthday Laura!

Garage Organizing

You want more tips…and we want to deliver. Check out this recent post…Garage Sale 101, Clear out the clutter and make some cash.

Inspiration

I know organizing is a tough subject and often the major task in trying to get organized in  just getting started.  For that I have some inspiration for you to show you that it is NEVER to late to START anything you put your mind to…watch this video of an 80 year auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent…she will Blow you away and teach you to live with NO REGRETS, I absolutely LOVE her laugh as well:

Overcome Procrastination

For those of you who have a really hard time getting started I have discovered in the past year this awesome gal who can help you overcome your procrastination issues through Hypnosis, sounds kind of funky but I can tell you from personal experience…it works! I had the pleasure of meeting Wendi last Summer in Vegas at a conference and have been getting help on many issues ever since. Check her out at  WendiTV to see live broadcasts and also check out her Do It NOW! End Procrastination program:

Awesome Organizing Book

‘Organizing Your Home…In No Time’  is one of my all time favorite organizing books, it is easy to follow and has fabulous tips and tricks to getting any home in tip top shape. Check it out and get your copy today:

We love sharing information so if  you have any organizing tips, tricks, news, product launches or links you would like to share please leave us your comments or email us to be included in an edition of Around the Watercooler.

Oh and before we forget…a little shameless self promotion…last month we were interviewed for the Financial Post magazine about our entrepreneurial journey and on May 4th our interview was published…read the article here.

Happy Organizing,

Sincerely

Kim and Elaine

Paper Paper everywhere…oh what do I do with all the paper?

Is the paper in your home localized to the kitchen counter or has it managed to spread itself throughout the house. Is it perhaps hiding in one of these spots?

• Bedroom closet, night stands, dresser drawers and floor.
• Family room cupboards, end tables and floor.
• Living room coffee table, chairs and under furniture.
• Dining room table is a great big flat surface that is most times used for paper storage.
• Mudroom cupboards.

Why does it do this? Because paper isn’t just one thing – it’s bills, it’s flyers, it’s magazines, permission slips, information sheets, calendars… And when something has so many possible storage places, unless you’re ruthless in maintaining it, paper ends up homeless and therefore shoved out of the way when company comes.

Tackling this issue is as simple as grabbing a simple laundry basket and collecting all loose paper; including magazines, newspapers, manuals, warrantees, homework, and all other individual pieces of paper. This may take some time but is quite necessary for the new system that you are going to create for the storage and organization of the paper.

As you sort the paper that you have gathered use the 4 D’s of paper management to help with the purge.

Deal

• Open all mail as soon as you receive it, or at least batch it and do it once a week
• If the piece of paper has an action associated with it, do the action right away if you can
• If you can’t do it immediately, schedule when you’ll deal with it and store the piece of paper in a “Waiting Action” file

Decide

• Sort all paper (including the mail) as it comes into the home.
• To be dealt with
• Information only
• Pleasure
• Or whatever categories you’ve come up with

Deposit

• Is it recycling, something that you need to keep for income tax or legal reasons and just needs to be filed or do you need to do something with it?
• As you deal with each item, store it where it belongs
• Remember that some active papers (like magazines and school information) will be active but stored in the “Waiting Action” file

Destroy

• Recycle junk mail and magazines
• Shred anything that contains financial or address information that is not needed.
• Whenever possible, use a one-in/one-out rule for your files, reducing the need for larger periodic purges. Things like old phone bills that you will have the last 12 months of.

For more paper wrangling tips visit OrganizingConnection.com

The watercooler was buzzing with excitement on Monday with International Women’s Day events. I had the opportunity to attend 2 events in the Kennebecasis Valley. The guest speaker Mary Schryer is the minister responsible for the status of women in New Brunswick. Her talk was inspiring, shedding light on the sensitive issue of abuse of women in our province and the steps that are being taken to address this.

I hope that you had the opportunity to attend an event in your area.  Make sure you mark your calendar for March 8 2011, honouring 100 years of International Women’s Day.

I love a good Blog Carnival and this week I was able to participate in Janet Barclay’s professional organizers Blog Carnival. The hot topic this month is Financial Organizing . With tax season fast approaching the timing on this Carnival is perfect. Please drop by and check out my article on How To Organize your Finances and the 10 other articles written by Professional organizers who are sharing their best tips.

I can feel spring in the air…this weekend is the Atlantic National Home Show and that marks the beginning of the spring renovation season. I always love to go and chat with the vendors to see what is new and hot in the industry. From a business perspective I love to collect biz cards from the small business owners who may need my professional organizing services in the future.

I hope that you will be digging in this weekend and getting ready for the most beautiful energetic season.

For some help getting those closets organized and ready for your spring wardrobe visit our site today and check out our Bedroom Organizing How to Video that will show you;

In our “From Cluttered Nightmares to Sweet Dreams” video you’ll learn…

1. How the #1 Secret to organizing your closet can help with the whole room.

2. How you can break this mountain of a job into bite sized pieces.

3. How to do the CLOSET HOKEY POKEY….a fun way to remember how to maintain the closet organization.

4. Some end of the day strategies that will save valuable time in the morning.

5. The emotional side of organizing……..how to let go….using hangers?

Check it out now…