photo credit: fabbio

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othing feels better at the end of a long day than coming home to a clean house. But “I’m too busy” I hear you saying. I’m busy too and I have a messy husband and three dogs, and my house is clean. How? I clean my house for 15 minutes a day. That’s it!

Okay, it’s a little more involved than that. The first thing I did is I broke down the cleaning into 7 tasks. Then I assigned each task a day of the week. I spend 15 minutes each day working on one cleaning task. Here’s my schedule:

Monday I clean the kitchen. It takes 15 minutes to wipe all of the appliances, start the dishwasher, clean up any dishes that are still out and wash the floor.

Tuesday I clean the dining room and the living room. That involves dusting, vacuuming and picking up after everyone and putting stuff away. Also throwing a load of blankets that are on the couch in the wash.

Wednesday I clean the the guest bathroom and the master bathroom. We don’t usually have guests so that bathroom just needs a dusting. The master bath needs everything cleaned; toilet, shower, floor, sink. Towels go in the wash.

Thursday I clean the bedroom and the retreat. That involves dusting, vacuuming and changing the bedding. Bedding goes in the wash.

Friday I clean the theater. That involves dusting and vacuuming and picking up dog toys. Blankets on the couches go in the wash.

Saturday I clean the office and the guest room. That involves dusting and vacuuming. Dog bedding in the guest room goes in the wash.

Sunday is laundry day for our regular clothing.

It’s not a hard schedule to keep up and laundry on Sunday probably takes a little more than 15 minutes but we usually only have two loads.

Your Daily 15 - Grab a piece of paper (or your computer) and make a list of the rooms in your house and the tasks that need to be done. If you can’t start right away with doing just 15 minutes in each location pick one location that you will be able to do each week. Say it’s just the bathrooms. Do them on one day in the shortest amount of time that you can. Focus! Just start cleaning and don’t stop until it is done. The next day move on to another room. If you do a little each day you won’t have to spend what should be a day off, cleaning and sweating over a dirty house.

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photo credit: thilo_hilberer

Part of being organized is doing what you can to keep unnecessary items from cluttering your life. According to some sources, Americans households receive nearly 90 billion pieces of unsolicited advertising mail annually. That’s a lot of mail nobody asked for and less than half the people who receive it even read.

Instead of spending time weeding through the mail, just say no. No more junk mail! Don’t be part of the problem by filling up the garbage and eventually the landfills with unwanted paper. Tell the advertisers that you don’t want their junk.

One service CatalogChoice.org can help get you off the junk mail roller coaster. They are a comprehensive service for opting out of all types of unwanted mail. They have thousands of companies and nonprofits in their database so you choose the companies you no longer want to be on the mailing list for. You can even suggest a company and they will let you know as soon as they add the company to their database. How cool is that?

Oh, I almost forgot, they have an app for that too called Mail Stop where you can take photos of the junk mail and catalogs you no longer want to receive and they will take care of the rest.

Your Daily 15 Minutes: Grab your pile of junk mail and go to CatalogChoice.org. Sign up and start entering the names of the companies you want to stop sending you junk mail. It may take some time to stop all of the junk mail but if you are consistent you will see a drop in the amount of clutter showing up at your door.

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photo credit: Rab J Brown

I live in Nevada and we are on Pacific Time. A good friend lives in Hawaii and he is 3 hours earlier than us. My husbands employer is in Arizona which is 1 hour ahead of us except during daylight savings time then they are the same time as us. New York is Eastern time which is 3 hours ahead of us. I don’t even know what time it is in Australia where I just shipped an box of antique kitchen knobs. How on earth are we supposed to keep track of time when family, friends and businesses all over the world are using different time zones?

Last night I was entering a few conference calls on my calendar that were in Eastern time but I needed to enter them in Pacific time because otherwise I would be late early late. I Googled time zones but that was such a hassle having to flip back and forth from my calendar page to Google and back again. I found a better way.

I use Google Calendar to keep track of my appointments. It syncs up to my iPhone and gives me the ability to get reminders and make changes whether I am at my desk or on the road. I don’t know if you have played around much with customizing the Google Calendar but like Gmail, Google Calendar has a feature called Labs. Labs is where engineers that work at Google put experimental projects with fun or useful features to add on to some Google products. I’ve heard that the program has been retired but there are still features available. The World Clock for Google Calendar is absolutely perfect for anyone who needs to know the time in different time zones right on the calendar page.

You can change the World Clock to show as many time zones as you need. As you make an appointment the World Clock will change to show what time it is in the time zones you have chosen. On the calendar page the World Clock shows the current time in the time zones you have chosen. This is a real time saver for me and will be a time saver for you too if you need to know what time it is at Grandma’s house.

Adding World Clock to your Google Calendar is easy. Open your calendar and click on the little gear icon in the top right corner of the screen and choose Labs. Find World Clock and click the enable button next to it then Save. There is a settings button on the World Clock that lets you pick the time zones you would like have appear. That’s it.

It’s super easy and a great way to make sure you aren’t calling your friend in the U.K. at 3:00 AM unless you meant to.

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photo credit: julesjulesjules m

Imagine walking into a library and having to search one by one through all of the shelves to find what you are looking for. All of the books just stuffed on the shelf wherever there was a space with no regard as to the author or the subject matter. Is this how your bookshelves are? It’s time to get the cookbooks and the magic spells books sorted before dinner turns into a nightmare.

When was the last time you read your college textbook Latin for Today? Has your grandparents 1948 set of Encyclopedia Britannica graced the bottom shelf for the past 15 years yet no one has looked at them? Now is the time to clear the clutter and organized the keepers.

In this day and age information changes fast. One thing for sure is that encyclopedias, while beautifully made and certainly necessary in their time, are readily available online. The online versions are current, are updated constantly and take up no space.

Nearly all current books and lots of older books can be found in electronic versions. If you are limited in space this is a wonderful opportunity for you to begin to replace your paper books with their digital version. Having digital versions makes your library completely portable and takes up no more space than one hardback novel.

You may be like me and like real books. I like the way they feel, I like to turn the pages, I just like them! But you need to have a plan to store books in the most efficient manner to keep your bookcases looking like a beautiful bookstore and not like the day after Christmas sale.

First you need to make sure you have sturdy bookcases because books are heavy. One novel may weigh over a pound so five shelves of books may weigh hundreds.

The next thing you must do before you put anything on the shelves is secure the bookcase to the wall. This is probably the most important step that so many people miss. We had one of our bookcases topple when our dogs were playing and bumped up against four high unit we had in our living room. We learned at that point that even though we thought the bookcase was in a safe spot it wasn’t worth the risk. Now we have floor to ceiling bookcases in two rooms and they are securely screwed to the walls. You can find straps to hold your bookcases to the wall at any home improvement store.

Next, you need to sort through all of your books and decide what to keep, donate or sell. If you don’t intend to read the book again, or if it doesn’t have any sentimental value, get rid of it. You want to pare down your collection of books to make sure it all fits on the shelves plus leave room for any new books that come in.

Now that you have your shelves secure you are ready to put the books on it. Put the books on the shelf in an order that makes sense to you. You can put all of the cookbooks together or if you want to get more detailed you can sort them by type or author. Do the same with the novels, self help, trivia, etc. As you put the books on the shelf let them hang over the edge by a half inch or so. Once the shelf is filled, take a ruler or another straight edged object and hold it up to the edge of the books. Gently push the books onto the shelf. Voila! You books will look marvelous all lined up and in order.

Your Daily 15 Minutes – This may take you a couple of sessions but don’t get discouraged. A neat bookcase is a beautiful sight to be seen.

Start with one bookcase if you have multiples and take all of the books off. Dust it off with a cloth and secure to the wall if it isn’t already.

Sort your books and donate or sell the ones you no longer want. Organize the books you are keeping in the order that works for you. Don’t forget to make the spines of the books line up for a truly neat look.

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photo credit: ilamont.com

Today’s daily 15 minute task may save your life or life of someone close to you or at least make filling out papers at the doctors office easier.

Last week my husband went to the hospital for outpatient surgery. A half hour after the procedure was to begin the surgeon came out and told me that the surgery was called off due to a problem. The anesthesiologist couldn’t get a tube into my husband’s throat due to some issues. My husband was sent home without the surgery but feeling fine.

A few hours later while we were watching tv my husband’s lip was swelling and soon after his throat was closing and he couldn’t swallow or talk and was struggling to breath. I rushed him back to the hospital as fast as I could. I didn’t call an ambulance because I knew it would be quicker to drive the 20+ mile than wait for the ambulance to drive here from town. Plus if it got worse on the way there, we would actually be closer to help.

I was so happy to find out the emergency parking area hospital had valet service (because if they didn’t, I handed off the keys to my car to someone I didn’t know). We got into the waiting room, and in what seemed like seconds we were in a trauma room. It definitely helped us that we had been there earlier in the day and all of my husband’s info was in the computer.

The next two hours were a whorl wind of Trauma doctors, Nurses, Anesthesiologists, ENTs, Pulmonary Specialists and Surgeons. In the end, with a pharmacy of drugs injected into my husband, his airway cleared enough he could breathe on his own while sitting up, he was admitted into ICU at 2:00 am where he stayed for two days.

I am happy to report that he is home and doing great. The not so great thing is that it isn’t clear what caused this reaction. Two doctors think that it is one type of medication while his pharmacist says that there is a less than .01% chance of that. Basically, the doctors have taken him off his maintenance medications until he visits his primary physican.

The one question that came up over and over again while we were at the hospital – at least 20 times – was “what medications are you taking?” I was prepared for this as I am the person who always picks up the prescriptions from the pharmacy and I have all of our medications listed in my iPhone. Every time I pick up prescription I always double check the name and dosage on my iPhone to make sure I’m getting the right items. This really helped them rule out what it wasn’t (but still didn’t help us determine what it was).

Your Daily 15 Minutes – Take a piece of paper and all of your medications including supplements and write down the name of the medication, the dosage and how often you take it. Put a copy of this list in your purse, in your wallet or somewhere where you can find it easily in case of an emergency. Keep this list up to date and take it with you to all of your doctor appointments. Do the same thing for your kids and any other persons in your care.

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photo credit: londoncyclist

It’s sad but true but it seems that crimes, especially thefts, are on the rise. I see ads all the time on Craigslist from people trying to recover their bicycles, four-wheelers, boats, quads, snowmobiles or motorcycles that have been stolen. Most of the time the ads don’t have pictures, just descriptions, because people don’t take the time to maintain records of the fun stuff they buy. It’s pretty easy to buy and sell used off-road recreation vehicles because in many areas you don’t have to register these items with any government entity like you do a car so there is really no paper trail.

We have lots of snowmobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, a boat and a variety of other vehicles that we would have a hard time describing if someone stole them. Some of these toys are custom made, one of a kind, but in a criminals hands, they can be easily stripped and sold for parts or taken out of the area where no one would know they were stolen.

As hard as you try to keep your stuff secure, sometimes bad things happen and your items go missing. Filling out a Police report or putting an ad on Craigslist is a start but you have a better chance of getting your item back if you have a photo to show the Police so they know what was stolen. You never know if your item will show up during an arrest or maybe get posted on Craigslist for sale.

Your Daily 15 Minutes – Get out your camera and take a couple of pictures of every bicycle, quad, boat, trailer and any other vehicle you have. Make a word document with a note of the make, model, year and any distinguishing features each item has. Put all of these in a folder on your computer (you have a backup, right?). Make sure to update the pictures and note file whenever there is a change.

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The weather is beginning to get cooler in many parts of the country and it is time to rearrange your closet and get out some long sleeves, long pants, sweaters and jackets. This is a great opportunity to evaluate your wardrobe and get rid of all of the clothes and shoes that are just taking up space.

There is no reason to store clothes you don’t wear.

Do you have any summer clothes that you didn’t wear this year because you don’t like them, they are out of style or they don’t fit? Don’t hang on to them, don’t put them in storage or in a drawer, get rid of them. Hanging on to clothes you haven’t worn for a least a year is the reason many people can’t find room to put all of their clothes away.

It seems like every car and motorcycle event my husband and I go to results in us receiving more t-shirts. I had three dresser drawers full of new, unworn t-shirts but I don’t wear t-shirts. Last week I brought home another t-shirt from a car show I found that it wouldn’t fit in my dresser. I could have put the shirt up on the shelf but I went and got a box instead. I went through all of the t-shirts and pulled out three I might wear. I put all of the other shirts in a box and took them out to my shop. I am going to sell these shirts on eBay. Hurray! Now I have 3 empty drawers in my dresser that I will put my sweaters in.

It didn’t take me long to do this and the result is more space and less stuff.

Summer is almost over and if you haven’t worn that bathing suit because you hate the color or you didn’t wear the plaid shorts you thought might fit this year get rid of them.

Reduce your wardrobe by getting rid of the clothes you don’t love, that don’t fit or that you just don’t wear. By making more space you may end up being able to keep all of your seasonal clothes in your closet rather than packing and unpacking them every season.

Your Daily 15 – Pick one drawer in your dresser and take everything out. Before you put all of the items back in the drawer ask yourself “Have I worn this in the past year?”. If the answer is no, get rid of it. Why keep your drawers and closets full of garments you won’t ever wear? Styles change so fast that sometime the clothes we think will fit next season won’t be appropriate to wear.

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photo credit: ben matthews :::

Does today’s date seem important but you don’t know why? Did you get a cold shoulder when you came home from work and can’t figure out why? Congratulations, you just missed an important event like a birthday, anniversary or another holiday that requires you to acknowledge the event with a gift or flowers. Here is a free way to never forget an important date again.

Amazon has a free Gift Organizer service that keeps track of important events, gifts given and reminds you beforehand so you have no excuse to miss another anniversary.

Simply go to Amazon’s Gift Organizer and enter the names, birthdays and genders of your friends and family, important dates (don’t forget Valentine’s Day) then sit back and relax knowing that you will receive a reminder email when it gets close to the date. Even better, the email will contain suggestions for items that correspond with the person and the occasion.

The Gift Organizer will even keep track of prior purchases so you don’t accidentally buy the same talking Billy Bass fish for your Uncle Joe’s birthday. Never again forget the 6 week anniversary with your new girlfriend or your god son’s first birthday.

Everyone will think you are so thoughtful when they receive the perfect gift from you, on the correct day!

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photo credit: Mike Sun

Have you ever had a project so overwhelming that just thinking about getting started made you cringe? If you have a ton of clutter this may be you. The clutter didn’t get there overnight and now, just the thought of cleaning it up makes you run screaming from the room.

Okay, maybe it isn’t that dramatic but one thing I hear over and over again is “I know I have too much stuff but I don’t know where to begin”. My suggestion is start with the room you spend the most time in or feel the most stressful in. For some people that room may be the family room and for others it may be the bedroom but whatever room makes you the most uncomfortable is the room you should start in.

Now, you’ve chosen a room but how do you begin. Get 3 big boxes or and a garbage can if you can get it in the house and put them outside the room you are going to tackle. Label the boxes:

The Keep box is for items that you want to keep and that belong in this room. The Donate or Sell box is for items you want to give to charity, friends or family or sell at a garage sale, on Craigslist or eBay. The Goes Somewhere Else box is for items that may have ended up in this room but go in another room in the house (like dishes in the living room).

You need to take baby steps to get organize. Don’t try to do it all at once or you really will be overwhelmed. Get a timer and set it for 15 minutes. Pick up each item and quickly decide what to do with it. Be brutal. You should only keep the items you really need.

If you pick up an item with a price tag still on it that has been laying around for months and months, chances are you don’t NEED it. Sell it, give it away or return it to the store for a refund if it is still within the time frame for refunds.

Touch each object only once, decide what to do with it and move on. You have 15 minutes to get this part done. At the end of 15 minutes STOP. In the worst case scenario 15 minutes allowed you to make enough room in the doorway of your cluttered room to be able to step in and best case is you now have a path started. Great! Congratulate yourself because you just completed the first step to getting your room clutter free. Now, go do something else. Tomorrow you will spend another 15 minutes repeating this process.

Repeat these simple steps EVERYDAY on one room. Don’t attempt to clean every room in the house at once. You need to take baby steps and even just spending 15 minutes a day organizing you will see real progress in no time. You didn’t get disorganized overnight and you are not going to become clutter free overnight either.

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Here is the video of our theater in our home. I talk about what is in there and where it came from if I know. I don’t talk about the cost since there are receipts to show that.

Once you make a video, put it someplace very safe like a safe deposit box. You want to be able to prove you had what you said you had. The video is the first step in getting a home inventory together. You also need to keep receipts for everything you purchase so there is no question about how much the items were worth when you purchased them. If you have antiques or jewelry you may also want to have appraisals done then updated every five to ten years so if something happens to them, you get reimbursed for the current value not the amount you purchased them for.

I used a Flip Video Camera to take this video and as you can see it is adequate for the job. It’s important that you document your stuff so you don’t add more stress to the situation when trying to remember everything that is damaged or missing. If you took just 15 minutes a day, you could document each room in your house, garage or business in no time.

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