Creating Balance

05/26/2021

10/21/2017

Hi, everyone,
I know that with the holidays approaching once again, scheduling is a very integral part of keeping yourself organized.

Here are a few organizing morsels for making life more simple:

1. CALENDARS:
Avoid multiple calendars. Simply use one calendar for everything and keep it all together...kids' activities, workouts, business meetings, travel, entertainment and "Me" (meaning you!) time as well. Multiple calendars are a great way to run late and miss appointments altogether.

2. NOTE TO SELF:
Something I see OFTEN is people jot down their thoughts and notes of their to-do's everrrryyyywhere, written on old "junk mail" envelopes, Post-it's, you name it. Buy ONE spiral notebook every year and label each page at the top "Monday," "Tuesday," "Wednesday," etc., with the actual date, and create this as a Master daily list to indicate all thoughts, ideas, and to-do's here and only here.

3. BE A MASTER OF YOUR OWN TIME:
Utilize small blocks of time rather than saying to yourself, "Alllllllll day Saturday, I am going to organize my garage." Really, who wants to do THAT??? Set aside an hour or more; even set a timer to put a little hitch in your giddy-up and get your moving a little faster to the sound of that tick, tick, tick. Make this time count and then take a break for that day.

4. CONTACTS/TO-DO'S:
Write or enter people's names AND phone numbers directly into your calendar so that when it's time to call them, you don't have to hunt for that phone number. Use a colored pen to indicate people you need to call.

I hope this helps simplify at least one area in your life!

Have a great weekend!!!
Best, Cheryl

10/05/2017

Hi, there,
Now that I am back from celebrating an anniversary and two birthdays, I've jumped back into work again. It's time to also start gearing up for, dare I say, the holidays... again. Are they really here again?

There seem to be seasons to organizing for some, but here are some tips that you can follow all year round. The holidays bring stuff. Not only do I recommend this around the holidays, I like to recommend all year round that now is the time to spend even 5 minutes a night before bed to straighten up, hang things up, clear off your desk, and put things away so that when you wake up you start your day with a clean slate.

Organizing is the catalyst to having more of what you want in life. I'll bet you didn't know that being disorganized dramatically affects health, fitness, and nutrition. Here are some little-known organizing morsels that can get you one step closer to that cathartic feeling of calm, in your home annnnd in your body. Pick one of these and stick to it...

*Closets ~
One-year rule
Regarding clothing or household items, do you have clothes or items you haven't worn or used in the last year? Ask yourself realistically when and if you will wear or use those items again. Charity is a great way to rid yourself of unused items and help others.

*One-in-one-out rule ~
Buy something? Then get rid of something! Every single time. It's that simple!

*Linen Closets ~
Put an entire set of sheets into one pillowcase for easy retrieval and access. Reach and locate the entire set all at once!

So get yourself organized today, as there is no time like the present!!

Have a great Thursday!!

Best, Cheryl

09/13/2017

Good afternoon,
I can't believe that the holidays are around the corner, once again. We say it every year, don't we??

After all of the fun comes the dreaded tax season. If you are disorganized, with life happening every minute, you end up scrambling to get your papers and numbers lined up and in sync for your accountant, which may be you! If you're like me, you are a words person, not a numbers person, and doing my own taxes sounds like being hung by my toenails.

If you begin to organize your life, personal and/or business, it means doing a little bit every day, every week, every month, so that when December hits and it's time to start reviewing and assessing that current year that is about to pass, hopefully there's not thatttt much to do once January 1 rolls around.

Here's an organizing morsel that is definitely not rocket science but instead is easy conceptually and can actually be put into place if you are intentional about it.

Chunk it down. The dreaded paperwork...give those papers a home and touch paperwork -- bills, mail, invitations, magazines, etc. -- only one time!! Remember, paperwork is simply the mere manifestation of indecision!

Being disorganized dramatically affects all of the other areas of your life, as we know, and not necessarily in this order but many times in this order: Health, fitness, and nutrition,
mental well-being, and just fun in general!! 

Lastly, remember that mail is part of this paperwork issue, and if nothing else, have some sort of valet box or any type of box to put your mail in as you walk in the door. Give it a home and tackle the mail later on with it all in one spot.

Junk mail goes in the recycle or shred bin, and important mail usually gets either recycled, shredded, filed, stored, or placed aside as a "To-Do" task. Treat it like a game because life is a game! Enjoy the cathartic feeling when you pair down. One of my clients says, "This is better than a vacation!!"

08/31/2017

Good afternoon on this Thursday.

As I continue to see the devastation in Texas, regarding people and, of course, our other beloved family members...pets, it has had me think a lot about the fact that for those who procrastinate and put off organization, whether it's your home, your health and fitness, or your dietary habits, I would like to perhaps put a positive spin on it and instead express how fortunate we all are to have a home that we CAN organize, how fortunate we all are to have warm beds and roofs over our heads, to have grocery stores open at all hours of the day and night at our fingertips whenever we wish to purchase something.

I can't help think that some Texans may at some point down the line have a fleeting thought that getting organized or organizing their lives perhaps wouldn't have been so bad after all and might even sound pretty good right about now.

Sending BIG blessings to anyone who has been affected or knows someone affected by this horrible tragedy. xo

08/22/2017

Hi, All,
So it's back to school time for kids! I guess this gives parents somewhat of a break, at least during the day. Ohhh, but then there's homework and dinners to make!

Remember, if your home is not organized, most likely, neither will your kitchen and eating habits be. Just think how much your messy home creates a messy life...actually, I see it all the time.

Many times when I am organizing clothing, there are multiple sizes of that clothing because one may tend to go up and down in their body weight, therefore saving multiple sizes "just in case." I am a firm believer that keeping those bigger sizes around almost subliminally says, "You will gain again."

A messy home can translate into sooo many things...messy finances (paperwork is a mess), messy marriage, messy kids (hey, what good are we doing kids who don't learn organizing skills?), messy mindset, and for sure, messy health. They're alllll connected. When one area suffers, so do the others.

Consider that you might need help. We all have our strong suits. Get help for those areas where you don't!

08/15/2017

Good morning.
We left San Francisco last night, incredibly gloomy, dismal, and cold, and now I'm up in Petaluma today staying at a gorgeous little hotel in this very quaint town. The weather is gloomy, and for summertime I think everyone expects warmer weather. I guess life doesn't always go as we expect!

Not everything can we control, but we do have the choice -- because it is a choice -- to control our environment… our homes and where we live. The chaos in one's home creates chaos in our lives.

How much time do you spend looking for things you can't find?
How does being disorganized affect your morning and the choices you make regarding what you put in your mouth?

Just being away and thinking about when I come home to a neat and clean, organized place, ohhh, what a difference it makes.
As I said, start small. Every little difference when it comes to organizing makes a dent. If you start now and take on even just one small task a week, just think where you will be by Christmastime!

On our way to Napa this morning.
Until next time… enjoy your day! 😄🍷🌈

08/12/2017

Hi, All,
I used to think summer was over after Labor Day, but as an adult, September is my favorite month, as it is my birthday month, but also our weather is usually the most beautiful as well.

It is time to, once again, think about organizing projects before the holidays hit and everyone gets disorganized again...not only in their homes but also in their eating habits!

Pick one thing you can improve. Paperwork is the biggest issue. I have a saying: Paperwork is the mere manifestation of indecision. Makes sense; huh?

I see a lot of this: People writing down thoughts, appointments, events, to-do's on a gazillion pieces of paper. How about condensing everything to one calendar if you're someone who has a few. Put everything in one calendar...work, social, working out, appointments, kids, travel, you name it. All in one spot for ease! This way, you never miss appointments, events, parties, or meetings and you aren't scrambling to find that scratch paper because they are written down somewhere else and strewn about.

Try it as it's something very simple! Until next time, have a great weekend!

08/07/2017

Good evening.
We are redoing our fireplace and are almost done. Of course, along with this project comes stuff... tools, nails, paint, extra stone left over, dust, things moved around and out of place.

Yesterday, finally, I was able to totally neaten up our patio, which became the work station throughout. Ah, freedom and a peaceful calm...

I recommend to clients, or anyone for that matter, that when you feel stopped or stuck, simply attack a closet, cupboard, or cabinet and declutter and reorganize it! It will have you feeling unstuck and will create a new clarity that wasn't there before.

There is this extremely cathartic feeling that comes over one who has deliberately and intentionally decided to free up that space that binds them.

Take charge as there is no time like the present!

08/01/2017

Hi, All ~
Good afternoon. I hope you are having a nice summer so far.

I'm still organizing these days but took a break for a few months to reconfigure my biz, to think about how to best serve others, and to change things up a bit. I took a two-week summer trip across the US from New York to California, which was really great, and now I am back to pay it forward!

I love sharing tips and tricks when it comes to being organized in your home and your health. Here are two little organizing morsels to chew on:

As an organizer and holistic nutrition consultant, I know that one's cluttered, messy home affects one's motivation, health, and mindset.

Ever wonder why you may not be motivated to drop a few lb's or, for that matter, exercise? It's very hard to access or bring back that vim and vigor when your clutter is ruling you; so why not start with the culprit, your home!

No need to bite off more than you can chew, but take a couple bites of these…

1) LINEN CLOSET: Forget about the fact that your entire home is disorganized. Chunk it out into one closet or one room at a time. Start small.

Here's one morsel I love because it's simple, and that is tackling that linen closet. You can take an entire set of sheets and neatly fold them into one of the two pillowcases and neatly stack each sheet set, one on top of the other.

2) DRESSER DRAWER: How many of us seem to ask that infamous laundry question, "Where is the other friggin' sock??!?" Hey, if you have a bunch of socks without mates, there is no time like the present to say sayonara to those space wasters!

Stay tuned. It's time to take charge of your clutter versus your clutter taking charge of you!

Best, Cheryl L. Perkins
310.995.2228 phone/text
cheryl@creating-balance.net
Professional Organizer /
Holistic Nutrition Consultant
"Organized home, organized gut, organized mind"

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