Self Organization

5 Travel Tips for a Stress-Free Getaway

June 8, 2015 by XOXOblog in Self Organization, Travel

They say that traveling is one of the top 10 stressors in life. Here are a few things you can do to make your next trip less stressful:

1. Start a little travel bin. Include trial-size products that you’d like to have handy when you pack for your next trip.

2. Keep ALL travel bags (carry-on, makeup bag, etc.) inside your suitcase(s). This way all your luggage will be stored in the same place.

3. Place earphones (for inflight movies), hand sanitizer and tissues in with your carry-on luggage. You’ll never forget these items again.

4. Create a packing list and add forgotten items after each trip you take. After a few trips, you’ll find that you’ve included everything on your packing list. Print your list when you’re ready to pack and you’ll always be confident you won’t leave anything behind.

5. Don’t schedule any appointments 2 days BEFORE or 2 days AFTER your trips. There are important things that need to be done on these days.

Download our free XOXO printable Packing List and save time every time you go on a trip!

Happy travels! xoxox

Your Calendar is Your Personal Assistant

May 25, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing, Self Organization, Taking Care of YOU

Many of us use a calendar to record appointments, deadlines, travel plans, etc. Our lives get busy and it’s helpful to have a pocket-sized reminder of what’s on the agenda.

I use my calendar like a personal assistant and I’d like you to practice doing the same. Anything you want to remember must be “told” to your personal assistant or he/she won’t be able to remind you about it later. That includes everything that’s on your mind- no matter how small or insignificant it seems. Here are examples of what you may want to tell your personal assistant:

-Trash day- toss old food from the fridge

-Street sweeper- move my car

-Call fridge repair man

-Target coupon expires in 7 days

-Blow dry hair for event tomorrow

-Confirm play date with Susie’s mom

-Take black dress to the tailor/take my button

-Return Nordstrom sweater

-Buy wedding gift and card

XOXO says, “If you want to remember it, write it down.”

Need a little help with your calendar? Sign-up for our private, in-home Calendar Course.

The Home-Office: Declutter Your Desk

March 16, 2015 by XOXOblog in Office, Self Organization

Working from home has its perks (goodbye rush hour traffic and hello pajamas!) as well as its challenges. Maintaining efficiency and focus can be tricky. However, when your home-office has turned into a barrage of paperwork, office supplies and electronic equipment, it’s necessary to establish a well-organized system that makes finding important documents and projects a breeze. Here are some simple steps you can take to maintain a clutter-free and organized home-office:

Recycle or shred all the documents you know you don’t need anymore. You may want to have your local Office Depot shred documents for you while you wait (not all office supply stores offer this service) or call a shredding service if you have too much all at once.
Store bulk office supplies. Only keep one of each necessary item in your desk area and keep the remaining office supplies in a nearby cabinet or closet.
File all documents in a file cabinet. Be sure to label each tab clearly to make finding files easier. If you feel distracted by filing documents in between daily operations, it might be best to keep a letter tray on your desk for papers to file at the end of each day. If you have lots of paperwork and need two file cabinets, I recommend using one for “current” documents and the other for “information only” documents. Your “current” file cabinet should ideally only have documents from the current year and include companies you do business with on a regular basis. Your “information only” file cabinet should have documents that you hardly ever need to access. Analyze all file cabinets each tax season to determine which documents can be recycled or shredded and which ones need to be saved for your tax records.
Label and keep product manuals and electronics in a nearby cabinet or closet instead of in your desk area. These are items you may not need on a regular basis. Be sure not to give them the best seat in your home-office.
Use a daily calendar to record deadlines, meetings and reminders. Treat it like your personal assistant. Tell him/her everything you want to remember, including when to pick up the kids, when to call a friend and things to buy next time you’re at the grocery store. If you think it, write it down. Your to-dos are valuable and need to be scheduled if they have a good chance of being completed.

Your desk is an extension of your mind. If your desk is cluttered and out of sorts, it’s likely that your brain is feeling scattered as well. You’ll be amazed by the improvement in your workflow and mood when your workspace is in order!

Now that you’ve sorted and filed your documents, make sure you have everything you need to file your taxes. Download our 30-Day Tax Challenge to make sure you have everything in order before you file: https://xoxorganizing.com/challenge-30-day-tax-challenge/

HOW TO: Organize Your Garage in 4 Steps!

November 4, 2014 by XOXOblog in Garage, Self Organization

I know it’s tempting to load your garage with anything and everything until you can barely open the garage door without your neighbors rubber-necking to get a glimpse! Aaaah!!

If you have boxes piled in your garage- I suggest you take it one box at a time:

STEP 1: Choose the smallest box and start there.

STEP 2: Sort everything in said box and separate all “like” items in piles.

STEP 3: Now, it’s time to contain said items. Depending on how much of that category you have, choose the best size container for each pile.

STEP 4: The only thing left is to figure out how often you’ll use each container. If often, it should go on a lower shelf so you can access it as needed. Not as often- up, up, up!