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Articles from Renee Ursem | Selfgrowth.com
- Organizing for a Move - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2013 from Renee UrsemEveryone, it seems, is moving. It might be a small move, relocating items from one place to another, like when buying a car or a large piece of furniture. It could be moving the contents of one room to another. It might be moving entire home or office across the city or country. Whether gaining ...
Views: 1635 - The Ages and Stages of Organizing - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2013 from Renee Ursem“I don’t know how things got to this point. I used to be so organized.” I hear this lament all the time. People who had no trouble keeping their stuff under control in their 20s one day wake up with “junk rooms” and piles that need to be stashed before company arrives. What happened? Do ...
Views: 2126 - The Tough Cookie Challenge: Getting Organized For the New Year - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2013 from Renee UrsemOut of all the cluttered spaces that I’ve seen as a Professional Organizer this year, one image remains. No, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen, and it wasn’t found in the home of a hoarder. It was an opened package of Oreos® perched on top of a stack of plates in a kitchen cupboard. The ...
Views: 1245(1 vote) - Just One Thing This Holiday Season - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2012 from Renee UrsemThe push to get started on holiday shopping and planning starts earlier every year. Right after Halloween, images of parka-clad shoppers and ornaments decorated with sale items dance across our screens, urging us to shop early. A woman in my husband’s office asked if he was ready for the ...
Views: 1302 - Maximizing Your Time - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2012 from Renee UrsemI keep thinking that one day there will be more time in the day to get things done. My daughter started first grade this fall. For years I heard about all the time I would have once she was in school for a full day. Some suggested that I might even get bored. Yeah…hasn’t happened. Sure, I do ...
Views: 1434 - Clearing the Paper (and Digital) Clutter - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2012 from Renee UrsemI lost 10 pounds in less than one week, and I feel great! No, I didn’t try the latest diet or exercise program. I simply cleared out my file cabinet. Everyone collects information. Some file it. Some pile it. Most are drowning in it. Going paperless hasn’t helped much. It just moved the piles ...
Views: 1305 - Quick and Easy Summer Organizing Projects - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2012 from Renee UrsemSummer is here! Time to relax, sleep in, and …get organized? While most aren’t looking for a big summer project (see www.get-it-together-llc.com/monthly-article/archive/general-getting-things-done.html and ...
Views: 1281 - Project Reality: Dealing With Dead-End Projects - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2012 from Renee UrsemIs there a project sitting around your office, closet, garage, or spare room? Maybe it’s something you’d like to get done, but there never seems to be enough time to get started. It sits in a box or on a shelf, waiting, maybe even mocking you. This may be what I call a “dead-end” project. ...
Views: 2425 - Food For Thought: Organizing the Food in Your Kitchen - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2012 from Renee UrsemHave you taken a good look in your pantry lately? Do you know what’s hiding in the back? What about your freezer? Can you easily recognize each item? Are petrified condiments lurking in your refrigerator? It’s easy to laugh about these things until we think about what we are throwing away ...
Views: 1140 - "Tis the Season to De-Stress - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Renee UrsemThe holiday season is upon us, and it seems to start earlier each year. The day after Halloween, emails and commercials beckon us to shop with special offers. Black Friday has taken on a life of its own, causing some to hurry through their Thanksgiving dinner to get to a megastore at midnight ...
Views: 1216 - What Are You Afraid Of? - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Renee UrsemDo you have a closet full of clothes you haven’t worn in years? Are magazines piled on your desk? Maybe you are keeping that fabric, the appliance, those files, or that tool “just in case” you may need it some day. You may not have thought about it this way, but you are afraid. No, it’s ...
Views: 1263 - Taking Control of What Comes In - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2011 from Renee UrsemHow many times have you put things away only to find piles a few weeks later? Where does it come from, and how can you control it? Let’s begin with the first question. How does clutter get into your home or office? Through the front door. You (and the people around you) bring it in each ...
Views: 1223 - Top 10 Summer Organizing Projects - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2011 from Renee UrsemSummer is here. Whether you have kids or not, to most of us summer means vacation. It’s a time to slow down, take it easy, and have some fun. With a little planning, it can also be a time to get a little something done. Mini-projects help you create order in a short amount of time so you ...
Views: 1141 - Creating a Me Day - by Submitted on May 09, 2011 from Renee UrsemHave you made enough time for yourself lately? If not, you may want help planning a Me Day, which is simply a period of time (at least three hours) to do what you want to do. It’s a date with you. I have been planning my own Renee Days for years now. They began with personal days off from ...
Views: 1074(1 vote) - Pay Now or Pay Later - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2011 from Renee UrsemI don’t like to file. Surprised? After all, I’m an organizer. I should like to file, right? Well, I don’t. Like you, there are many other things I would rather do. There are probably other boring, mundane tasks that you’d rather have the organizational fairy do as well: o Opening ...
Views: 1200(2 votes) - Walking into the New Year With Old Bags? - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Renee UrsemRecently I discovered that my favorite color had changed. Ever since my childhood, I loved the color red. My parents let me have red carpet and drapes back in the 70’s, which made my room glow in the afternoons. When given a choice, I always chose red and used to say, “If I’m going to have ...
Views: 1295 - Getting Things Done - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2010 from Renee UrsemI’ve been thinking a lot about getting things done. I have been updating the content on my website, and it is taking WAY longer than it “should.” I know I’m not alone. My clients are struggling with the same thing. Most of them have long lists—often multiple lists—of things that they ...
Views: 2827 - Helping Others Get Organized - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemPeople often ask how to get their kids, spouse, friend, roommate, or parent organized. They are often frustrated by others’ clutter and may have given “helpful” advice: “If you would just get organized…” The less organized person’s response (if they had one) would sound something like ...
Views: 1643(2 votes) - Organizing While You Are There - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemOpportunities exist each day to either clear away a small amount of clutter or maintain an existing space. Taking these small opportunities to organize a little at a time reduces the need to spend hours later “getting organized.” I call it organizing “While You Are There.” The easiest way ...
Views: 1139(2 votes) - One New Habit - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemHappy New Year! Each year brings the possibility of change. Even though we can make changes at any point in the year, each January we start out the year with a list of good intentions. Yet, 30 days later, most of our well-laid plans for change have been set aside. We try to make too many ...
Views: 1120(2 votes) - Getting It Together For the Holidays - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2009 from Renee UrsemCan you feel it in the air? The buzz begins November 1 as the Halloween pumpkins come down and the Christmas decorations go up. The whole country shifts into high gear as everyone starts asking whether you’ve gotten your shopping done. (For the record, mine is half done.) Here are some ...
Views: 1025(1 vote) - Getting Ahead of the Game--Holiday Shopping Made Easy - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemChristmas decorations have begun to appear in stores and malls all over the country. People are already starting to think about (and stress over) gift-giving, and it’s only October. Do we need to panic? Can selecting a gift for someone be easy? While it may always be difficult to find a ...
Views: 1214(2 votes) - What's In It For Me? Is Organizing Really Worth It? - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemIs it really worth the time (and sometimes money) to get organized? I get asked that question a lot, both out loud and through body language. After all, some argue, I’ve gotten along this long. What’s the big deal? On the other hand, others confess: • I spent an hour looking for _______ ...
Views: 1099(1 vote) - Come on In...The Social Networking Water is Fine - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemI am excited to announce that I have officially begun the first baby steps of social networking by setting up accounts on Linkedin and Facebook. For those who know me personally, you know that this was no easy task. It’s like standing at the edge of a lake. Many of you have encouraged me: ...
Views: 1231(2 votes) - Taming the Time-Zappers - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemAhh, summer. In June summer stretches out, appearing limitless. Now as August and the back-to-school ads bombard us, we realize that summer soon will be gone. Have you accomplished some of the plans you made in the spring? If not, you may have fallen victim to a time zapper. What ...
Views: 2506(2 votes) - Trying to Do it All - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemI have come to the realization that I can’t do it all. No matter how organized I am, how many lists I make, or how well I manage my time, I will never be able to do all the things in the time that I have. I have felt this way for a while. Years. Probably most of my adult life, but more ...
Views: 1304 - What's in My Garage? - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2010 from Renee UrsemLast summer I moved into a new house. We sold our 1288-sq. ft. home, which I had lived in for 13 years, and moved into one that is almost twice the size at just under 2300 sq. ft. Many people might have been tempted to just box up their belongings and move. After all, a bigger house means ...
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