Procrastinating? Try Body Doubling!

What is body doubling?

Body doubling is a technique that can help with focus and motivation, particularly for people with ADHD. Here’s how it works:

• You work on a task alongside another person, the “body double”.
• The body double doesn’t necessarily need to help with the task itself. They can be working on something else entirely, as long as they’re in the same space, virtual or in person.
• You benefit from having someone else present by reducing distractions, boosting accountability, and even making the work seem less daunting.
• Virtual body doubling can be a great option if finding someone to be with you physically isn’t easy.

Why Does It Work?

• Social pressure: Having someone watching can motivate you to stay on track and complete the task. 
• Accountability: You might feel more responsible to the other person, making you less likely to procrastinate. 
• Reduced isolation: Sometimes, just having company can make a boring task more tolerable. 
• Mirroring focus: Seeing the body double concentrate can subconsciously influence you to do the same 

Find a Virtual Body Double

• Online platforms: There are websites specifically designed for body doubling that allow you to connect with others. Some options are: Flow Club, Focusmate, other services target particular audiences, like Writers’ Hour online “study rooms” for students are also widespread 
• Social media: Platforms like TikTok have become popular for virtual body doubling, with people live-streaming mundane tasks and inviting viewers to work alongside them. 
• Friends and colleagues: Even a simple video call with a friend or colleague who agrees to work on their own tasks while you work on yours can be an effective form of virtual body doubling. 

You can use body doubling to help you tackle organizing projects as well! Enlist a friend to join you to help you stay on task, or Professional Organizers can also assist in this way providing guidance as well as a body double presence.  

Conquering Laundry Room Chaos

The laundry room can be a place of both necessity and frustration. Is your laundry room filled with piles of clothes…some clean, some needing mending and some that don’t even fit? It can be overwhelming.  

Here’s some organizing hacks to help you transform your laundry room into a haven of efficiency.

Step 1: Sort it out

• Divide and conquer the piles: Invest in labeled baskets or bins for darks, lights, delicates and any other sorting categories you require. This streamlines the process and prevents last-minute scrambling. Consider tall, vertical baskets which take up a smaller footprint than wide, flat ones. 

• Go through your cleaners: Sort what you have by category.  Purge the products you don’t use … or don’t even know what they are for.

• Start fresh with only the products you actually use:  One detergent, one softener, one dryer sheet, one bleach, one stain remover.  

Step 2: Plan for efficient storage

• Look up:  take advantage of unused vertical space. Shelves, hanging racks — even magnetic organizers on stacking units — can maximize your storage for detergents, stain removers and other laundry supplies.

• Mounted magic: Use the wall space or back of door to hang drying racks and ironing boards to get them off the floor.

• Baskets and bins galore: Corral smaller supplies and cleaning products into sturdy baskets or bins. Opt for clear bins for easy visibility or closed ones for a neater look. Square or rectangular bins maximize space and stack well.

Additional Ideas:

• Trash bin: Handy for emptying pockets and dryer lint
• Uniformity is key: Invest in a set of matching containers for a cohesive look. This not only simplifies identification but also reduces visual clutter.
• Foldable drying rack: A space-saving option that pops up when needed and folds flat for easy storage.

An organized laundry room doesn’t just look better, it saves you time and hassle. When supplies and tools are visible and easy to access, you have a system for sorting, and your laundry doesn’t stress you out it can have a big impact on this routine chore.

3 Essential Travel Tips

The travel bug has bitten, you’ve booked your flights and accommodation, and now it’s time to think about packing. But what are the absolute essentials that you shouldn’t leave home without? Here are the top 3 travel essentials I swear by after traveling for a month.  

Stay Connected and Powered Up

A portable phone charger is a must, but also consider a portable power strip. I used this one, because it’s compact, and I like the way to cord wraps up. We used it in airports where there was only one plug but we were charging multiple devices, and in hotel rooms to create a charging station. I bought a second one to put in our emergency kit in case we’re displaced and outlets are scarce.   

For international travel, most likely you’ll need a universal plug adapter. They are typically lightweight and come in compact sizes, making them perfect for tossing in your bag. 

Packing Power

Packing cubes are an organizational game-changer. These fabric cubes come in various sizes and help you compress your belongings, maximize space in your suitcase, and keep everything neatly compartmentalized. I recommend using packing cubes for your carry-on too, to keep your airplane essentials in one place. I used extra cubes to wrangle non-clothes items like electronics, headphones, travel documents and reading materials etc.  

Designated drop zone

I used a valet like this that you can unsnap and lie flat in your suitcase. When we got to our destination I set up the valet to use for all our small and important items – rings, hotel key, wallet – anything that you want to keep track of. It meant we weren’t wasting time searching for things on our way out the door.  

These are just a few of the many travel essentials that can make your trip more enjoyable. By packing smart and staying prepared, you can ensure a stress-free adventure and focus on creating lasting memories. 

Bonus Tip: Consider investing in a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated on the go and reduce plastic waste. You might splurge and get the kind with a built-in filter.

Happy travels! 

Get Tax Ready in 3 Steps!

Have you broken out in your usual sweat anticipating tax time?

Do you find yourself dreading the hours it’s going to take to round up the papers you’ll need to complete your tax planner?

Being ready for tax time is all about having a system for keeping certain paperwork separate from others.

STEP 1 – Make a dedicated home for tax papers

This sounds overly simple but it works like a charm – the key to efficiency is keeping your tax related paperwork separate from other papers. Create a box or file labeled “TAXES.” Anything that is easy to drop things into throughout the year is the perfect container. If you want to get fancy, subdivide to create homes for deductions, proof of income and other year end tax statements.

STEP 2 – Understand Your Deductions

If you’re keeping every single receipt and account statement, it’s worth asking your tax preparer to give you a list of documents you actually need to keep. Typically these are only receipts and statements that prove expenses you claim as deductions on your taxes. Common deductions include:

• Charitable donations
• Childcare expenses
• Medical expenses – pharmacies can provide a summary list of purchases
• Real estate sale or purchase papers

For paper organizing, it’s important to understand the difference between a general living expense and an expense you can claim as a tax deduction. For example, gas station receipts are a general expense, but if you use your car for business they could become a tax-deductible expense. There may be other reasons you want to keep every gas receipt – budgeting, MPG tracking, etc. but you may not need them for taxes. Every person’s situation is unique. Understanding your needs helps you know what papers are important and what you can get rid of.

STEP 3 – Work Smarter Not Harder with Helpers

If you want to take your financial organizing to the next level, consider the following:

• Use a money management tool during the year to categorize your expenses automatically. They enable you to run a report at the end of the year (though, you still need to keep your original deductible receipts.)
• Create a simple spreadsheet with your categories to speed up the totaling and to create a permanent record.
• Create a simple filing system to manage your papers throughout the year.
• Have a professional organizer or bookkeeper come in to rescue you from tax-prep overwhelm — They can set up a sound system for the current year and get you ready for the next year.

Anything you do to organize your paperwork goes a long way towards managing your stress — freeing you to enjoy your life.

When to Digitize Your Loose Photos

Once you’ve gathered and organized your piles, boxes, and stashes of loose photos, how do you decide if and what to digitize? (If you haven’t done this first step, see our last post!)

Revisit your end goal – what is the true purpose of the photo project?  To share, preserve or show at an event? This will define the scope of which photos to digitize. Remember, you can always choose to digitize in batches and handle more later.

Here are some things to think about when deciding to digitize some or all of your photos:

• Condition of the photos: prioritize key ones that have deterioration, fading, or physical damage.
• Upcoming events or projects: which photos will tell the best stories?  Is the event a reunion, family celebration, or milestones? Planning early for these will save last minute stress. 
• Storage and preservation concerns: environmental factors such as moisture, pests, sunlight will damage photos over time.
• Emotional or sentimental value: those photos that hold a lot of emotional value for you or family are good to preserve for future generations.

How?

There are many services out there to make digitizing easy. Services include mail-away, local photo labs, and professional photo organizers. Things to ask of any photo service: Is the work handled locally? Do they offer high resolution? Can they add filenames?

Then What?

Protect: If you do digitize, next you get to decide what to do them! Again, this is a good time to revisit your end goal. First step is to store all the files in one place – you can think of this as your digital hub, then create a backup, in the cloud or on an external hard drive, of all the files. 

Organize: Similar to how you sorted the original prints, you can create digital folders and use file naming to sort and organize. One of the big benefits of digitizing is the expanded ability to sort in different ways for different needs. The more info you put into a file name, the more easily you’ll be able to find specific photos. 

Share: Options for storing and sharing include: printed photo books, shared files in the cloud, a personal family website, share photos shared via a flash drive/memory stick, digital photo frames…

Feeling motivated yet? Imagine that your photos have been selected and preserved in a way that you can actually find and share them! It will give you peace of mind AND create space in your home.

By the way, once you have the digital versions AND have backed them up, it’s OK to let the original prints go. 

Tackle Those Loose Photos

Do you have boxes or bags or drawers of loose photos collected back in the day when everyone ordered prints and kept them – along with the duplicates and negatives? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Taking the time to organize them now will help you avoid the stressful last-minute scramble to produce fun shots for milestone birthday, anniversaries or memorial services. 

Here’s a way to go about it to make the project manageable. 

Set Yourself Up for Success 

• Create a work space that you can keep up for a couple of hours, days or longer if possible
• Use index cards (rather than sticky notes) to designate titles of the piles 
• Store physical photos into proper containers – acid-free or some plastics (polypropelene) is OK.   
• Gather all your loose photos into one place 

Begin with the End In Mind 

Before you start, spend some time thinking about what your end goal is – to make family albums? Digitize? Preserve critical photos for future family needs or natural disaster? Sharing with other family members? Memorialize someone? It can be as simple as paring down the collection to remove the duds and dupes.  

Being clear on your goals will help you focus your sorting techniques. It can be helpful to write out a family timeline within the decades to help sort in chronological order. 

How To Sort 

There’s lots of options here, but the key is to go from gross categories into more specifics. Examples of gross categories are time (decade or year or childhood, school years), events (holidays, graduations, etc.), people, places.  

Cull Ruthlessly  

Does the picture tell a story or capture a memory? Weed out duplicates, blurries – unless they are one of a kind to tell the story and landscapes that may not be meaningful. Often you can find better pictures of places online.  

What Next? 

This will depend on your original goal. Photos can be stored in labeled archival boxes. There are many options for digitizing; we’ll cover that in a future post. Professional photo organizers are available to help if you get overwhelmed! They can guide you through the sorting, do the sorting for you, handle all the digitizing and the archiving by creating books or websites.  

Remember – aim for progress, not perfection! Any work you do on getting through backlog photos will serve you or others next time you are looking for that special shot.  

Overcoming Gift Guilt

Now that the holidays are through, are you feeling cluttered up by a bunch of gifts you aren’t actually loving or excited about?

Letting go of unwanted gifts can be a challenging but necessary process to declutter your space and maintain a sense of organization. Here are some tips on how to do it gracefully:

• Express Gratitude: Regardless of whether you like the gift or not, always express genuine gratitude when receiving it. Remember, it really is the thought that counts, and for that you should always be thankful.
• Check in with your feelings: Separate emotion from the gift. Just because someone gave you a gift doesn’t mean you’re obligated to keep it forever. Remember, your friends and loved ones likely wouldn’t want you to feel burdened by their gift. Focus on the practicality and usefulness of the item in your life.
• Donate or Regift: If the gift is in good condition and can be appreciated by someone else, consider donating it, or regifting it to someone who might find it more useful or enjoyable. If regifting, be sure the recipient would truly appreciate it, and avoid passing on unwanted clutter.
• Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that not every gift will be a perfect match for your taste or needs. Be open to the idea that some gifts aren’t a good fit, and don’t let guilt hold you back.
• Learn to Let Go: Recognize that your space is limited, and keeping only the things that truly add value to your life can lead to a more organized and fulfilling living environment.

Remember, the act of letting go can be liberating, and it doesn’t diminish the appreciation you have for the relationship with the gift giver. It’s about creating a living space that reflects your own needs and preferences.

Gifts That Won’t Make Clutter

Looking for non-clutter gifts? Here are some options that might inspire you:

1. Experiences: Consider gifting experiences like concert tickets, vouchers for local spas, cooking classes, a day at the museum or their favorite amusement park. Experiences can provide stories for your recipient to share.
2. Gifts with a Personal Touch: Opt for unique gifts: home-made food items, hand-made jewelry, a voucher for your time – providing your expertise in a particular area or just your time; being someone’s personal assistant for an hour. These can be directed toward someone’s taste and be treasured.
3. Donations: Support a cause or charity that is important to your recipient. This allows them to make a positive impact without adding physical items.
4. Classes or Workshops: By giving a class or workshop your recipient is interested in, such as photography, painting, or cooking, they can learn something new and enjoy the experience. This is also a great way to support local businesses.
5. Gift Cards: Cash in the form of gift cards to their favorite stores or restaurants allows them to choose something they truly want or indulge in a memorable dining experience. See our Gift Card Best Practices post for tips!
6. Subscriptions: Give the gift of a subscription to a streaming service or an online magazine subscription that aligns with the recipient’s interests.
7. Digital Downloads: Digital downloads like e-books, audiobooks, or music albums are great because they take up no physical space and can be enjoyed wherever.

Experiential and consumable gifts provide enjoyment and entertainment without adding more “stuff” to someone’s life – which can be the biggest gift of all!

5 Ways to Manage Your Holidays

 

If you regularly have a lot going on in life, the added tasks of the holidays can wreak havoc on your time management. Shopping, hosting, holiday cards, parties, travel…where does the time come from to fit everything in?

Time Estimating

One of the biggest traps of time management is magical thinking around how long tasks will take. An easy rule of thumb is to estimate how long a task will take then double it! If you end up with time on your hands you’ll have no trouble filling it.

Be realistic about your schedule. Some things have to give to make room for the extra tasks of the holidays. Time isn’t going to magically appear in your calendar. Be vigilant about passing on opportunities that arise that don’t help your goal of having a wonderful holiday. That could mean saying “no” to the 7th Christmas party invitation!

Simplify Your Task List

There are many ways to enjoy your holidays and some are less time consuming than others. For example, if you realize it will take you 10 hours to put together holiday cards (including addressing, stamping and getting them to the mailbox) you may choose to do something simpler – or choose a different time of year to reach out and connect. Remember your original desire to make connections with family and friends. Realize there are many ways to do that.

Other time saving examples:

• Store-bought food instead of homemade
• Pot-luck instead of full hosting
• E-cards instead of mailed cards
• Gift bags and tissue instead of gift wrapping

Don’t Go It Alone

It’s easy to feel like we are solely responsible to make a memorable and magical experience for our loved ones. That can be pretty unrealistic and overwhelming. Have a look at your task list and see how you can share the load:

• Where can the kids participate?
• Can you invite a friend to work with you- baking or gift wrapping?
• Is there cleaning or errands you delegate or actually hire out?

Where possible, focus your time and energy on the tasks you really enjoy and figure out how to get help with the others.

Learn from holidays past

Think back on what worked before.  Was there a year where you breezed through the holiday with ease?  What worked?

If there was a season that went poorly, you felt more stressed, you didn’t enjoy the celebrations – ask yourself, “What could you do to avoid those pitfalls?”

You could jot notes and track how long it actually took to: prepare for a party, to do the gift shopping, to pick out clothes to wear to the gala, to find the best gifts for your friends and family or to determine which character you’ll come as to the Dickens Faire.  These estimates could provide a template for happy holidays to come.

Balance

Holidays can be a time when life gets out of balance. In order to make more time in our schedules we often sacrifice personal time for exercise or re-charge. Make it a priority to plan in time for self-care so you can give the gift that really matters – yourself!

Taking this time to practice time management can help you in the rest of your life!

7 Gift Card Best Practices

Gift cards are popular gifts. They’re popular with the giver because they’re easy to procure and share. and they are often highly valued by the giftee who can use their own discretion about what they receive from you.

Did you know that retailers love them too? Why is that you might ask?

Because a large number of folks who receive them don’t redeem them! According to a July 2022 survey of 2,372 US adults conducted by CreditCards.com, 47% of respondents said they have at least one unused gift card. It’s estimated that Americans have $21 billion in unused gift cards. That’s net profit to the retailer.

Let’s keep that from happening. Here are seven tips for giving and receiving gift cards:

1. When gifting, think about how savvy the receiver is. Are they the kind of person who would transfer the funds into their Google Play account? Do they even know what Google Play is? Gift cards such as Amazon and Apple can be directly transferred into personal accounts and held until their next online purchase at that establishment.
2. When recieving a gift card, put it directly in your wallet/purse and make a plan to shop there. Sometimes it helps to write of list of items you would actually purchase at that merchant on a post-it note and attach it to the card itself.
3. Does the giftee track their belongings pretty well? If they keep their house messy or don’t manage their finances well, they might not be good candidates for gift cards. As Professional Organizers, we often find gift cards tucked into drawers, behind sofas or stashed in out-of-the-way places…never to be redeemed.
4. Teachers love gift cards. The best ones are: Amazon, Target, Peets, Starbucks…places that are easy to find brick and mortar locations and have a variety of usable/consumable options.
5. There are even online gift card swaps where you can exchange your gift cards for cash or other gift cards you would actually use.
6. If all else fails, the giftee can re-gift the cards to charity. Non-Profits are highly motivated to take advantage of the funds.
7. Gift cards can be purchased through CoinStar machines. If you have extra coins, take them to your local grocery store that has a Coin Exchange machine and, in lieu of paying 10% to get cash, opt for a merchant that you will use. You get a receipt with a code that can be entered into the merchant’s website and used to purchase items from them.

NOTE: In California, the law says that if a gift card value is less than $10, it can be redeemed directly from the merchant for the remaining value on the card.