June 2011

Jun 19

Happy Father’s Day

By Sherry Borsheim Announcements, Blog, Home Organizing, IABO Weekly News, Resources No Comments

Dear Simply Productive Community,

Welcome to all the new Members this week! Great to have you as part of our Simply Productive community.

Happy Father’s Day to all you amazing Dad’s out there who work so hard to provide for your family and then juggling work and family priorties. Take the day off and enjoy! You deserve it. I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would work longer hours so we could take these amazing vacations as I was growing up. Family vacations are some of my most cherished memories as a kid. Thank you Dad for being such an outstanding role model and for believing in me and my dreams!

The official first day of summer is June 21. Are you ready for a summer break? I’m sure you are. Take some time this summer to enjoy the outdoors and recharge yourself. It’s also the perfect time to get your home organizing projects crossed off your list. I want to help make it easy for you to get those home projects out of the way. All details are here for the new Home Organizing Bootcamp.

In Vancouver, we love the outdoors and when the sun shines, and we hope it will, we get out and enjoy it! Growing up, I lived in Penticton, which has two beautiful lakes on either end of town. It’s a summer destinatation hot spot with beautiful sandy beaches and hot summer days. I really miss the dry hot summer nights and the trips to the beach. So when the sun shines in Vancouver, I’ll be out enjoying it!

This week’s article, Part 1, is a case study on a busy family with too much to do and barely enough time to take a family vacation. Learn how this one simple tip transformed a family!

Enjoy the organizing journey,

Sherry Borsheim – President / Organizational Consultant
Simply Productive

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This “intro” was taken from our latest newsletter. Not getting our newsletter? Sign up by clicking on “Send My Kit” at the TOP of this page and you’ll also receive our FREE 7 Ways to Organize Your Workspace kit!

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Jun 19

Love0

Vacation Planning Made Easy! (Part 1)

By Sherry Borsheim Blog, Free Articles, Home Organizing, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

“Analyze your life in terms of its environment.
Are the things around you helping you toward success
or are they holding you back?”

W. Clement Stone

I remember my very first client and the day we were planning out her hectic family schedule. The kids were young and involved in a lot of after school programs, there was a birthday party to plan and a million other things to get done prior to the end of school year and before the family vacation. Her anxiety and stress levels were high and she just couldn’t see how she was going to accomplish everything prior to leaving on vacation. At this point she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to make all the vacation arrangements or get everyone packed. Taking a family vacation was just too stressful!

First Things First

Together, we began to plan out on paper everything that was on her mind. Getting it onto paper is the first step to reducing stress. Next, we prioritized projects and began making a list of things that could be delegated. There was a lot of complicated logistics and juggling of schedules that needed to happen prior to even thinking of planning the family vacation.

Batch, Priortize and Schedule Tasks

Once we had everything that was on her mind on paper, we batched and priortized her tasks. Then we began scheduling everything into her calendar. This would give her a more realistic time-line of when things needed to get done and how long tasks would take. We even customized her planner based on her lifestyle and how she wanted to use it.

The Family Packing List

After a few hours of planning, we took a short break and she mentioned that the family vacation was really stressing her out. She just didn’t see how she would be able to make all the arrangements and get ready in time. I asked her if she had a packing checklist for the family? The tears began to roll down her face. She said that she dreamed of having a packing list because she knew that it would simplify her life. But she didn’t know where to begin and the thought of creating one was just too stressful.

That was the day I realized that the simpliest of things can transform a life and reduce stress and anxiety for a person. What comes natural for me, which is organization, isn’t easy and natural for others. So I made her a promise that I would type up a family packing checklist for every member of the household and I’d help her every step of the way to make this family vacation extra special and stress-free! And that is exactly what happened – an outstanding family vacation!

Organizing is a Learnable Skill

One of the most rewarding moments for me when I’m working with my clients is when a highly creative, outgoing person who says they can never be organized, decides to make different choices. They develop new habits that support them and in turn transform their life. Then the positive impact that has on the rest of the family members becaues they teach the organizational skills to their kids. For me, that’s beauty and order at it’s best!

Stay tuned next week for Part 2 where I’ll help you simplify the packing process and another case study on vacation planning.