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Welcome to the September 2018 edition of Organized Thoughts. I work hard to present information I think readers will find helpful, so if you like what you see, please share it with your friends! Send feedback via the Contact Us form.
If you aren't on the Home Solutions mailing list, you can click this link to sign up.
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Click the image to read my latest blog post about things we save, whether they serve a purpose in our current life situation or not.
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Mark your calendars now so you don't forget: DEA's next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 27, 2018 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Click the image above to learn more about it, and eventually you'll be able to click the link on their page and enter your zip code to find a site near you.
In addition to checking your own meds, offer to help a loved one. Many people are shocked to find a quantity of unused, expired medications in the homes of their elderly relatives.
Every year I take unwanted medications from clients' homes to the collection site at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and it runs like a well-oiled machine.
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Ask the Organizer!
Q: What's the biggest issue your clients wrestle with?
A: Without a doubt, it's papers. Papers, papers, papers! The reason papers are so daunting is because the inflow never stops. Never. You can't get treat it like a "one and done" project, you have to tackle the backlog, create a system, and develop the habits necessary for managing the daily inflow, whether it's actual paper or the electronic kind.
You know that pile of papers you clear off the kitchen counter because company's coming, or from the dining room table in preparation for a holiday meal, or the ones you sweep into a bin so you have a clear desktop for once? Yeah, those papers all need dealing with eventually, so the sooner you get yourself a workable plan, the sooner you can start addressing the backlog.
Oftentimes we're called in to help because a client is truly overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start. Sometimes, their backlog isn't just weeks or months, it's years or even decades.
A few tips when tackling a paper pile:
- Recycle junk mail immediately!
- All holiday cards are NOT created equal. Save special ones, but be ruthless.
- Newspaper clippings or magazine articles - is the information current? Is it available online?
- You don't need old utility bills. You don't need current ones, either.
- The flyers you brought back from the Home Show in 2013? Pitch 'em.
If the paper piles are winning, maybe it's time to fight back and ask for help.
Submit your questions to me via email: jamie@homesolutionswny.com with "Ask the Organizer" in the subject line. I'll choose one reader's question to feature in each newsletter.
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If you gave last month's procrastination diet a try, how did it go? I completed 22 of 30 items, so it's time to add new to-do's to my "30-things-in-30-days" list. If you didn't participate and want to learn more, click on the Wunderlist image and read last month's blog post.
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Doing the RIGHT thing isn't always the EASIEST thing, but as stewards of Earth, we should make every effort to properly dispose of recyclable items. Earth911 is a great resource for figuring out how to recycle nearly anything. Click the image and check out their website.
Paint was a recent issue for a client moving to senior living. It was the day before closing and buyers were scheduled to do their walk-through at 4:00. Junk haulers were coming to clear out the remaining stuff, haulers who get donatable stuff to donation sites and, I had wrongly assumed, take paints for disposal to our local disposal company, Hazman.
The client's son had been doing as I advised, opening latex paint cans to fill with kitty litter to dry them out, making them acceptable in normal trash. However, many of the cans were nearly full and couldn't hold kitty litter.
My only advice in that last-minute moment was to take those items to Hazman himself.
I've since learned that for nearly full cans, you can line a box with a heavy duty trash bag, pour the paint in and add enough kitty litter to harden it. Live and learn.
Some organizations accept nearly full cans of paint for projects. If you have time, you can offer them as freebies via a Craigslist or facebook post.
Disposing of old paints is not something to save for the 11th hour; the more time you have, the greater the likelihood you can do the right thing.
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I was recently invited to speak to a group of potential new residents at a senior living facility.
I also presented an organizing seminar at Erie County Dept. of Social Services' Wellness Conference to a packed room of 100 attendees.
Need a speaker for your event? Click the image for a list of current topics!
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Click on the image to read my blog post on my personal experience walking the walk of a Senior Move Manager.
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