Life Organized Podcast

Ep. 15 - When You Are Setting Goals

I am confessing something kind of embarrassing in this episode.
Historically, I have STRUGGLED with decorating.
(That is not an understatement. Just ask my husband)
But this December I attempted to update my holiday decorations and found unexpected success.
As I reflected about this, I realized that what had helped me can actually help you this year as you consider setting your New Year’s resolutions.
Listen, if there was something that could help me have some moderate success with decorating, then you can feel very encouraged that this same thing can help you with anything that might feel impossible to you.
There is a reason you desire it.
And there is a way to achieve it.
The proof is sitting in my Christmas bins.
Tools Mentioned:
You + what you want + the right tools = Success
Links:
Life Organized Membership
 

Ep. 14 - When Things Get Really Busy

This is one of those episodes you are going to want to download, so you can re-listen when you get really busy…
…because during really busy times, like the holidays or the last few weeks of school before summer vacation, or when you are planning a big event or work project, or even when there are a lot of little everyday things that start to add up– it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, stressed, resentful – and also possibly unmotivated, disinterested, depressed, and unhappy.
And those feelings are the LAST thing we have time for when we have a lot to do!
So in this episode I share two little game-changing questions you can ask yourself in these busy moments. The answers to these questions can change overwhelm to clarity; stress to peace of mind; lack of motivation to enthusiastic momentum.
Tools taught in this episode:
What do you need? What’s missing?
“Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance how much of ourselves we give away.” – Barbara De Angelis

Ep. 13 - When You Want A Smooth Christmas

We work for weeks to create this special holiday for our families, hoping that with all the planning and shopping and wrapping and cooking and decorating we can enjoy a truly memorable day. 
But more often than not, we spend the day putting together toys, cleaning up all the wrapping paper and packaging, cooking those favorite Christmas foods in the kitchen, managing to the unexpected…
…Or else we relax all day, but face a mountain of overwhelming Christmas clutter the next day.
How about a few tips to help minimize the stress on the big day – and the days following -  so Christmas can be as magical for you as it is for the kids?
This year can be YOUR YEAR to love Christmas Day. No more stress and work while everyone else gets to sit back and enjoy.
Of course, because so much relies on us, that will take some planning ahead. So grab a pen and take some notes, because with a little bit of organization, you can always create an outcome you love!
In This Episode:
 Mentally create the kind of Christmas Day you’d like to have
Prep gifts before wrapping them
Assemble a Christmas morning kit
Provide everyone with containers for unwrapped gifts
Clean up wrapping as you go
Think ahead for photos
Choose a Christmas morning playlist
Precook Christmas meals
LINKS:
Bankers Boxes

Ep. 12 - When You Want To Organize Your Pantry

When you think of an organizing podcast, you probably think of exactly what you’ll hear in today’s episode. Today I am giving you the cliff notes version of organizing any enclosed space, like a pantry, closet, drawer or cabinet.
My organizing system takes each letter in the word CREATE to guide you through the process of organizing an enclosed space.
Following all of these steps – in order – will leave you with a project that is beautiful, functional, and long lasting. 
For a more in-depth training on this system, check out Organize Your Space.
Tools taught in this episode:
CREATE system of organizing
Links:
Organize your Space
Life Organized Membership

Ep. 11 - When It’s A Family Season

Ever notice how during the summer or the holidays, everything seems to unravel?
The house is a mess.You aren’t getting anything done.Your own personal needs are on the back burner.
…and you start to feel a teensy bit overwhelmed. Or resentful. Or out of balance.
This used to be a big problem for me. 
My husband actually pointed out that I had breakdowns at predictable times each year. 
Well, where there is predictability, there is an opportunity to organize. And so I put on my coaching hat and began to look at seasons in a whole new way. 
Suddenly I recognized a pattern I hadn’t seen before. 
And with that new awareness, I began to transition through the summer, holidays, and other family times with ease and grace.
It’s a little concept I call personal and family seasons, and I can’t wait to share it with you in this episode.
Understanding personal and family seasons is the key to avoiding a messy house and feeling burned out when you have little time to yourself – or feeling guilty or irresponsible about focusing on things other than the family when you get deep into a different role in your life.
It’s a strategy I can’t live without. I hope you enjoy!
Tools taught in this episode:
Personal And Family Seasons

Ep. 10 - When You Forget To Do Things

How many times have you forgotten to…    Start the crockpot?    Make that phone call?    Add something to the calendar?    Order that thing you needed from Amazon?    Pick up something you needed while you were at the store?
And what kind of problems did that cause?
Isn’t it the worst when simple tasks turn into roaring fires – all because you forgot to take action on them? 
The key is to catch it as you think of it, and today we will talk about 3 ways you can create this habit – and what kind of thoughts you’d be wise to capture.
This episode is all about preventing those fires, so you can have less stress and more time for what matters most. This is what having an organized life is all about!
In this episode:
How to leverage an “external brain” to manage these tasks
Find the right to do list for you
The power of the mantra “Catch it as You Think of It”
When to review what you’ve written down
What kinds of tasks you should “catch”
Tools in this episode:
Mantra: Catch It As You Think Of It
Links:
Life Organized Membership

Ep. 9 - When You Want To Give Clutter-Free Gifts

It sounds cliché, but I’ll say it anyway….can you believe the holidays are here again?!
Black Friday is around the corner, so it’s time to start thinking about those gift lists.
But maybe before we start filling up our shopping carts this year, we might want to pause and ask ourselves a few critical questions, like:
"Where will we put this?"
"Will they REALLY use this?"
"And what could we give instead?"
This list of clutter-free gift ideas just might make this the best, most memorable Christmas yet…and leave you with a lot less clutter to deal with when the holidays are over.
In this episode:
One way to define clutter is “something that takes more than it gives.”
Clutter-free gift ideas
Links:
Free Book: Get Organized Fast

Ep. 8 - When Done Is Better Than Perfect

I bet you can finish this sentence:
“If you can’t do something right…”
"Don’t do it at all."
Mmm….I strongly disagree. This is one of the most toxic mindsets I see. 
Perfectionism likes to parade around as something inspirational and helpful, but if you look behind the curtains it’s all about fear — fear that you might not do it right, fear that it might not look just right, and fear that you just don’t have what it takes. 
Perfectionism is just fear in really good shoes.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much of your time and energy you spend trying to get something from good enough to perfect — when it probably doesn’t make that much difference in the long run? 
What if we adopted this attitude instead? 
"Done is Better than perfect.”
'Done' is better because 'done' means you get to move on and have joy in life instead of obsessing over details that won’t matter as time passes.
Learn how Done Is Better Than Perfect can help you get organized, be more productive, improve personal goals, and better connect with your family.
In this episode:
“Perfectionism is just fear in really good shoes.”
Perfectionism is a GPS system from the twilight zone
Done is Better than Perfect (DBP)
Done is Fun
How you can implement Done is Better than Perfect when organizing your home, menu planning, working on a routine, health goals, and parenting.
Links:
Done is Better than Perfect screensaver and printable
Life Organized Membership

Ep. 7 - When You Need To Create A Routine

Ok, so you’re ready to give routines a try. Let’s make sure you set one up the right way so you can have success!
In this episode:​
Time
Habit Hook
Sample routines
Regular tasks don’t ever need to cause stress
How routines work in my life
Tools Mentioned:​
Your P.A.T.H to a routine
Pick a specific task
Assign the steps
Time
Habit Hook

Ep. 6 - When You Aren’t a Fan of Routines

If you don’t love routines, you probably think routines kill all the fun. 
Who wants to stick around home and clean and do laundry when there are so many better things to do?
Even if you are routine-resistant, you may be surprised to learn how much of your life already consists of routines – and why your brain actually craves them. 
Think routines keep you trapped? Think again. 
Routines don’t restrict freedom. They create it.
“Routines can become so automatic that we start performing them without realizing it. So we get done what needs to get done, even when our minds are preoccupied with other things.”
“Routines remove the need to deliberate over what you should do when (which takes time and energy) because once you've established a routine you've already made those decisions.” 
 
In This Episode:
How you already use routines
Why your brain loves routines
How routines create freedom
What routines look like for me
Links: In This Episode:
Life Organized Membership (we're almost ready for ya... link coming soon)