I love magazines and am a sucker for decorating and home improvement magazines.  Better Homes and Gardens, Domino, Simple, Martha Stewart and the now online only Lonny have been longtime favorites.  BUT my new find is HGTV magazine!!

On the newsstand for $3.99, the Oct/Nov issue is filled with great quirky products like a hydraulic bed with a mattress that lifts for storage underneath OR 10 cool coffee tables with storage.  (We all need more storage, right?)

1. Use timesaving online services (i.e. ftd.com, opentable.com, travelocity.com, paperlesspost.com,  etc.)
2. Hire a personal assistant who knows your specific needs OR
3. Hire a local professional to tackle these type of services:

• House cleaning/window washing
• Yard work
• Cooking and grocery shopping
• Travel planning
• Handyman work
• Auto Repair
• Pet Care
• Decorating/remodeling
• Gift Shopping
• Wardrobe shopping/alterations
• Party planning
• Accounting/bookkeeping
• Photo or memory books creation
• Tree lighting
• Errands
• Child transportation

We have a wealth of expertise here in Park City and I have crossed paths with professionals who do virtually all of the tasks mentioned above.  (Of course, Spruce does do a few of these as well.)  If you would like names for anyone from a dog walker to a professional art hanger, drop me a line.  I will be happy to give you a referral!

By outsourcing you can save yourself time, money and stress.  The modest amount you pay someone to handle these tasks could ultimately mean more money from additional hours worked OR improved sanity and lower blood pressure from spending more time doing the things you love.

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental problem that causes carriers to have difficulty following directions, remembering information, concentrating, organizing tasks or completeing projects in a timely manner.  Whether you have been clinically diagnosed with this disorder or not, we all may suffer from some of the symptoms from time to time.

Often times, I work with clients who jump from room to room, topic to topic and challenge to challenge without waiting for a discussion or solution for any of the areas of conversation.  They are often the brightest, most high-energy and passionate of people who express frustration that their homes and workspaces are not able to keep up with the pace of their lives because they are so busy doing creative and wonderful things that they lose items often and also end up with excessive amounts of clutter.

For anyone who sees themselves or a spouse or child in this description, I say enjoy this energtic and amazing person.  I also suggest that you (or they) seek processes and solutions to help them anticipate these symptoms and eliminate the frustrating  aspects of living with ADD/ADHD.

Additional challenges for those with ADD/ADHD include:

• Managing  stress and keeping moods positive
• Gettiing organized and controlling clutter
• Managing time and staying on schedule
• Staying focused and productive
• Relationships personal, professional and academic

For tips for addressing each of these bulletpoints, I recommend reading this article:  Help for Adult ADD/ADHD at helpguide.org.  Another great source for online information is ADDitude magazing.

Whether you have ADD/ADHD or simply moments of indecision and memory lapses, the true key to success in conquering personal challenges are not in finding perfect solutions BUT finding solutions that will work well for YOU and then using them consistently.

I am sure that I don’t need to remind you that school is just weeks away…here are a few ideas for getting your house ready for the piles of backpacks, paperwork, art creations and fall sports equipment:

1. Create a space for everthing.  Whether it is as simple as hooks for backpacks, or a drawer for their homework, make a plan on where things should go.
2. Filter.  As soon as things enter the home, decide if they should stay.  Do you have flyers for after school activies they will never join and school lunches they don’t use?  Don’t stack them on the counter, recycle immediately.
3. Move it out quickly.  This goes for signed forms, homework completed early and other kids stuff.
4. Create a workspace.  Decide where your kids like to do their homework and fill it with cool supplies to get it done.  Buy a funky calculator, fill jars with new markers and have poster board on hand at all times.   Make it easy to keep this space tidy.
5. Have a calendar and keep it up to date.  Whether iCal, google calender or a huge desk calendar on the wall, fill it in and teach your kids to use it.  (Your spouse too.)
6. Identify a spot for all homework, phones, chargers and keys.  Tag and label them if necessary.  No one wants to spend time searching for the same things over and over.
7. Buy a plastic file box for each child.  Get cool folders and save onlythe stuff that really matters.  Report cards, photos, special projects and correspondence.

Good Luck!

Photo compliments of www.houzz.com, Fiorella Design, East Bay, CA.

Between my husband and I, we have one living parent.  If I can offer any advice as a daughter or organizer, take a little bit of time each time you go home to learn your family history.  Go through the photos, china, tools and scrapbooks.  Find out who the people are, listen to the stories and identify what in the home really has special meaning.  Chances are there is a lot of stuff that is only there because no one knew what to do with it!

Here are a few tips for getting through the sentimental clutter:

1. Identify what is really sentimental and what is just clutter.  Make plans to donate and toss what is simply old junk.
2. Make a date and get other siblings involved if possible.  You would be surprised what you can accomplish in 3 – 4 hours.
3. Sort items for future projects.  Containerize all photos and create a pile of items to be repaired or donated.
4. Display uncovered treasures where you can enjoy them.  Put pencils in sentimental mugs, cotton balls in crystal jars and use your grandma’s china.
5. Continue to chip away at the piles of projects whether it is annually or monthly.
6. Don’t wait until your relative wants or needs to move to get started.
7. Enjoy the time spent going over memories and memoribilia.  Your parents or relatives might really appreciate your time, interest and help.

Often I am approached to donate an organizing package to a charity.  Recently, I saw a flyer with a young woman (newlywed and mother) and the mangled car that she was pulled from after she was hit by a drunk driver going to work this past February.  It struck a chord –  so I found a contact and dropped off a donation for 2 hours of Organizing.

A week later, Robyn Monticone called me to say that her sister had bought the package for her.  To make a long story short, Robyn has endured over 7 surgeries in the last 3 months to regain mobility.  At this time she is still not walking and her family is helping her to do many things including getting dressed each day.  So, we spent over 4 hours completely reorganizing her closet and making her favorite things more accessible.  (Of course, we got rid of over 4 garbage bags of unloved clothing!)

That afternoon, Robyn gained space and a clean and lovely closet.  I gained a friend and the reminder that to someone who needs help, your time is so much more important than stuff.  Thank you Robyn

To read more or donate to Robyn, click here.

Right at Home, Park City’s premiere furniture consignment shop located on Bonanza is a store that I am SO grateful for.  Not only can I help my clients to sell their unloved furniture and accessories BUT I always find an item that I know would be perfect for someone that I have or am currently working with!

The average woman has at least 40 pairs of shoes and boots.  As you have probably noticed, shoes take up alot of space and trying to store them can be a challenge.  Unless you have a 500 square foot closet with loads of built-ins, the shoe storage choices are slim.  You either squeeze them into white melamine cubbies, store them on shelves in boxes OR install a plastic contraption on the back of a door.

Right at Home was kind enough recently to let me me choose a glass front book shelf to demonstrate a clever way to store shoes.  This cabinet is currently for sale for $235 and there are two others in the store that would also work great.  If you need a clever idea for shoes, accessories, jewelry, office supplies or more, consider and gently loved glass front cabinet or armoire!

Do you have boxes and stacks and drawers full of these:

articles, recipes, gardening ideas, bills, statements, wines to try, travel brochures, maps, manuals, directions, textbooks, magazines, catalogs, coupons, race info, sports schedules, newspapers, reports, financial reviews, stuff you want to buy, decorating ideas, diet plans, class schedules, camps, and on and on and on….

My advice?  Let them go.  Most of them anyway.

I am not suggesting that you get rid of your personal files.  What I am talking about are the stacks of accumulated (old) paperwork that we are afraid to let go of.  For every category above, there is a website or phone app that will let you save your personal  information to a file (ala:  Pinterest.com, Linked In or  Evernote.com) OR  find the most recent, updated information available at a website.

The best news?  Your stacks will be gone.  Also, when you want to find out if your garbage disposal is warranteed or plan a trip to Cape Town, instead of digging through boxes and drawers where you might have saved an old brochure, you can just pull out your phone or google your subject and have what you need in seconds.

(Don’t forget to click onto the words in blue to go directly to the website.)

2 excellent articles on the subject of apps for Droid and iphones:

15 must Have Android Apps, According to Twitter

The June Issue of Money Magazine:  35 Best Money App$

If not, you are not alone.  In fact, according to Rubbermaid (maker of GREAT organizing and storage products) 40% of Americans cannot park in their garage because it is filled with stuff.  To see some excellent outdoor and garage storage products, click here.