I am always surprised at the number of clients, as well as personal friends, who don’t keep track of their household’s income and expenses. Your household’s expenses are really no different from a business’s. You need to know how much income you have and how much you are spending against that income, and keep track of it on a weekly basis. You should also have a budget and financial goals set for yourself, which can be monitored if you are checking yourself weekly. It seems even more important than ever before in the economic times in which we currently find ourselves.

The way I have set up my own bookkeeping is that I keep one folder to store all receipts and deposits as soon as I get them. This includes any cash expenses for which you don’t have a receipt—just jot down the amount/what it’s for on a piece of scratch paper and put it in the folder. Choose a day in the week— I prefer the weekend—and take out the receipts and record them into your bookkeeping system. There are computer software programs for this that are very easy to use. They might seem intimidating at first but the basics of it are that it looks like a checkbook register and it categorizes your expenses/deposits. You can then easily generate reports every week that tell you exactly how much you are spending and for what purpose.

When entering credit card bills, it’s a great time to check to make sure all the charges are correct. I realize that for some people who charge nearly everything on one or two cards, this can seem like a daunting task, but believe me, it’s worth every minute and should be done!

You can run a profit and loss statement every month to see how you’re doing, and of course tax time becomes a breeze since you have already categorized everything throughout the year and can run an annual report at the click of a mouse. No more frantically scurrying about the house in the beginning of April looking for receipts, trying to add up deductions, or trying to locate one missing bank account statement!

I hope that in 2010 there are a lot more people willing to do the work necessary to maintain good financial records on a regular basis. Bookkeeping is not difficult and shouldn’t be intimidating. It’s your money, you worked hard for it so respect it, keep track of it, and stay on course when it comes to achieving your financial goals.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about two clients I’ve worked with recently, one earlier this year and one last fall. At the time, they were truly inspiring—-and still are, otherwise, why have they been coming to mind lately? They embraced all the attributes a professional organizer yearns for in clients: both had a genuine desire to understand their challenges, the courage to change undesirable habits, and the willingness to be completely receptive to all suggestions. They were open-minded and open-hearted, cooperative, creative, flexible, passionate, and determined. Absent were the fears, exhaustion, walls, and even fortresses that I often encounter.

I realized that these mental blocks often extend to relationships we have with everyone, including ourselves. The walls that people build over a lifetime are often impenetrable, and don’t allow true engagement or intimacy with others. Fear follows people around like a shadow. I’ve heard people say that their walls are their protectors and their power. I can’t imagine feeling that the walls you’ve built around yourself are protective or powerful in any way. They are quite the opposite—nothing but a prison that you’ve condemned yourself to and the only environment in which you feel safe.

It reminds me of a Yogi Berra-ism that I have always loved: We’re lost, but we’re making good time….Lost in your fears, spinning your wheels, getting nowhere, feeding into more fears, expending valuable energy for nothing.

Ask yourself how “scary” the situation really is. Are you really happy holding on to whatever you’re holding on to? What’s keeping you from jettisoning it? Keeping people at bay? Isn’t it time you stepped out in to the light and let that shadow of fear disappear?

I am always delighted to visit certain friends of mine who invite me to their home on one special day in December to share gifts, make dinner together, and decorate their Christmas tree. I cannot admit, however, to eager anticipation of the annual ritual of untangling miles of stringed lights, which inevitably occurs, causing much unnecessary frustration all-‘round.

I ask myself: why would friends who are usually quite organized have such an aversion to winding the lights in a systematic fashion when taking them off the tree, so they’re easy to use the following year? Better yet, testing the string for burned-out bulbs, then replacing them before storing the lights for another year? Why is yanking them off the tree and stuffing them haphazardly into bags preferable? Is it laziness? If you think I know the answer, well, I don’t.

I write this today to ask all kind readers of this blog to make 2010 the year of dissolving as many bad habits as possible and replacing them with good ones—stringed lights or no stringed lights!

I also want to take this opportunity to express my sincere wishes for a healthy, joyful and prosperous 2010 to all of you, and hope that all your dreams come true.

I’m not a psychologist, but I’ve observed and learned much from working with so many people over the years and I know that the HOUSE is often used as a metaphor for the SELF. Even in dream interpretation, the house represents the self.

                                       WHAT DOES YOUR HOUSE SAY ABOUT YOU?

Is it cluttered? Are things broken, not working properly, tough to close, squeaking, creaking, leaking, crammed to the rafters, old and run-down, begging for new paint or plumbing? Been that way for far too long?

Are your thoughts scattered? Can’t remember where you put things? Don’t know where to put things? Find yourself postponing the inevitable? Constantly feeling unmotivated? Are your relationships suffering? Seems as if nothing ever goes smoothly? Or are you a compulsive cleaner? Are you clinging to old beliefs, fears, and attitudes?

It’s time to make a major House/Self shift! Move that energy around! Rearrange the furniture, get new art for the walls, clean up that clutter once and forever, get rid of that old stuff you haven’t used in years, toss those empty boxes in the attic, dissolve those fears and blocks! Get your house in order and change your life! Out with the old house/self, in with the new!

Most people keep To-Do Lists of some kind. I remember starting to keep a list when I was in college while juggling a full academic schedule, a job, and an active social life. At some point, you can’t possibly remember everything that must be done so keeping lists becomes essential.

I have two separate ones, though one of them is sort of a combination of two that I decided could just as well serve its purpose on the same piece of paper. I don’t keep these on the computer; I need the list written in my handwriting to experience the satisfaction of being able to “scratch off” what’s been completed and rewrite as it gets shorter or needs to be added to. You can do whatever suits you best.

One list I consider to be Long Term, which may include non-essentials or “dreams” such as paint the living room, take kung fu classes, or spend a couple weeks driving up the coast. My dreams are important to me but clearly are not immediate and I don’t want them to be forgotten.

The other list is more immediate and includes what I want to accomplish today as well as this week. I’m also careful to write down anything that is pending with the date it was initiated, for example, something I purchased and am expecting to be delivered, or a follow-up on a question I left for someone. You don’t want to forget something you started yet still remains incomplete. When a task is complete, you simply mark it off and at the end of the day or the following morning, rewrite the list to include anything new that has come up or transfer to your new list what is still in abeyance and must get done.

In addition to To-Do Lists, I have a shopping list. I keep this in my purse, and add to it whenever I think of something I need or will be running out of soon. A friend of mine keeps sticky-notes on her car dashboard along with a pen to write down anything that might come to her while she’s driving, which is a great idea. We’ve all had those moments when a thought comes to us at a rather inopportune time. Another friend, who is more fond of using the phone as opposed to writing things down, simply calls his voice mail throughout the day and leaves himself reminder messages. Whatever works for you, feel free to use it.

I prefer to prepare in the evening for the following morning, so I am not running around and rushing before I have to leave the next day. Therefore, I review my list at night and have in mind what needs to be done the next day, or at least, during the week. Some people find it necessary to have “meetings” with themselves in the morning as well as evening. Again, whatever is best for you is the way to go—it’s all about being organized!

Sometimes I think I should call myself the Contrarian Organizer. I read articles in well-respected magazines that tell you how to fold clothes properly or what items in your wardrobe you should toss out.  I don’t understand how anyone could think there is only one proper way to fold something. It depends completely on the space in which you intend to store the item. A wide, shallow shelf could require a different way to fold a shirt than a dresser with deep, narrow drawers. You fold them according to the space you have so they will fit and thereby optimize your space. The same logic applies to towels, sheets, etc.

How about those little rhymes or sayings we’ve all heard over the years? “When in doubt, throw it out”….. “If you’ve had it for a year and haven’t worn it, get rid of it.” Ok, maybe 3 years….after all, it was expensive! Having been a fashion designer, I must say this sounds suspiciously as if these were coined by designers wanting you to replenish your wardrobe with their new fashions every season while at the same time fattening their wallets!

Personally, I have clothing I have owned for decades. I’m talking about 40 years for some items. A wide belt might seem out of style for 5 years, but it will be back in vogue someday and if you like it, keep it. I still wear my favorite belt I bought in 1970 and get lots of compliments on it. It’s of good quality and I have taken care of it. The same applies to jewelry. I’ve never stopped wearing my “gypsy earrings” that I bought in the mid-80s. They are quality and still suit me and my personality.

Linen, cotton, silk, and cashmere garments with style, exquisite detail, and a classic element may not always be in the height of fashion, but if you have the room to keep them and wait a few years, they will look “new” again. You will also find you don’t need to buy vintage clothes, because you already own them and they were originally yours! And accessorizing properly can update any look.

Also, as we age, we don’t dress as trendy as when we were in our 20s and 30s (and now, 40s). As you get older you might think more in terms of quality, value, and longevity when shopping—–unless you have very deep pockets!

I will have more thoughts on fashion in future blogs so I hope you all come back and join me!

I want to also thank those who have written kind words for my blogs. It really means a lot to me, so please feel free to post more often! And I welcome any questions you may have….

By all means, use only hands-free phones. I’ve had them in my home for over 10 years and can’t imagine life without them. Whether you need to buy a case with a clip so you can clip it on your clothing or a headset attachment, it is well worth the effort and amount of money spent.

Since multi-tasking is inevitable sometimes, while you’re talking to Uncle Fred you can also be emptying the trash, dressing the kids, filing paperwork, or opening your favorite champagne and caviar!

Celebrate June and make today the day you change your life one step at a time!

Manage: to handle or direct with a degree of skill…..this is a dictionary definition of the word manage. We frequently hear the term “time management” and I’m writing today to voice my opinion of what I consider a misnomer. Time isn’t what you’re managing; it’s YOURSELF that you’re managing. Time moves on, whether you like it or not, at the same pace, day in and day out, year after year. It’s time now to realize that you need to manage yourself and not time.

Having said that, don’t despair! Here’s a nifty tip that I have sworn by for years:

If your home has stairs, never go up or down empty-handed. This was a rule in my house while growing up and it applied to the entire family. The same goes for something that may need to be taken outside to the garage, your car, etc. Take a look around before you go out empty-handed. By making this a habit, you save time and energy by making fewer separate trips solely for the purpose of putting something away. You can actually take this a step further—literally—and apply this rule for any room in the house! Going from the living room to the bedroom? Look around and see if there’s something that needs to be put away in the bedroom before going there empty-handed.

I admit I haven’t heard anyone use this expression in about 40 years, but I’m sure someone is saying it somewhere besides me! What does it mean? Do something in a timely manner, and you’ll save yourself time in the long run…..and along with that, money and energy as well.

The most common tendency I have noticed through many years of Professional Organizing is that people misjudge the amount of time it takes to do something. If it’s something they enjoy, it “only takes a couple of minutes”. If it’s something they dread, it “takes forever”. Be realistic about the time you actually spend on tasks. It may surprise you to find that putting something away may only take you 15 seconds, but not being able to find it later because you didn’t put it away immediately may take you 30 minutes to search for it.

When you have a goal, stay focused on the particular task at hand. Don’t be distracted. Not every incoming phone call, text message or question must be responded to immediately. Be the master of your own time.

Please visit my blog again for the second part of this article on saving time.

Some clients are at a loss as to how to start organizing and figuring out where to put things. It’s really pretty easy.

Group similar things together. When deciding where something should be kept, think the way retailers do when arranging their shops.  For example, hair products are grouped together, cleaning products should be together, gardening tools are in one place, and so on.

If there’s not enough room, consolidate. Discard packaging—it takes up space and often makes it awkward for the item to be stored.

Make it convenient for yourself. Place things that you use frequently in front or at eye level so you have easy access to them. You can store other items far in back, up high, or down at floor level if you don’t need to get at them very often. This way you are using your space more efficiently and making your life easier at the same time!