Entrance Clutter

The entrance to your home is often a clutter zone and in the winter it can get even worse!  Winter jackets, boots, scarves, hats and mitts all track in dirt and snow.  So what can you do to keep your entrance tidy and organized?  Create a transition zone between the inside and outside world that allows you to corral your outside world items (jackets, shoes, gloves, hats, keys, etc.) and minimize how much dirt, rain and snow gets tracked into the home.

1. Coat closet - If you don't have an entrance closet, look for a suitable coat rack or hall tree.  Another option is to add decorative hooks to the wall area as you come in the door.
2. Wet clothes drying area - You'll need a place for coats, hats and gloves that are damp from rain or snow. Here a hall tree is good or hang pegs or hooks by the entry. Place it near a heater vent if you can to help speed up the drying process.
3. Welcome mat and shoe scraper - Depending on your climate and terrain, you may not need a scraper to help you kick mud, snow and ice from your shoes. In all locations, though, a mat of some sort is helpful. Outside shoes aquire all kinds of messes. If wiping your feet on a mat becomes habit, you can keep your inside floors clean longer.
4. Shoe shelf or bin - It's very helpful to change your shoes at the threshold, to keep from tracking dirt and grime in your home. If you use a shelf, put a mat underneath to contain the dirt and make it easy to clean.
5. Storage -  A piece of furniture with shelves or drawers will become a handy home for gloves, scarves, hats and other outdoor items. Look for one with  a flat surface for your keys and spare change, a drawer for small things and storage bench underneath for shoes or outdoor items.
6. Keys, etc. - use a box, basket, bin or hook for your keys so you always have a place to put them.  Have another container for loose change or other things that accumulate in this area.
7. Basket of things going outside - Keep a bin or attractive basket near the door for recyclables, stuff to donate, and retail items to be returned.
8. Basket of things going inside - a pretty basket can handle your mail when you come in through the door or items you want to move to other areas of the house.

Spam Avoidance

Spam will never be wiped out altogether, but by following these handy tips from McAfee.com, you might just cut down on the amount of it you have to wade through every day:

1. Beware of purchasing spam-advertised products. Aside from encouraging spammers, this makes more personally identifiable information (e.g. name, address, phone number, credit card numbers, etc) available to them. It will also guarantee that you'll get more spam.
2. Refrain from using the reply or remove option. Some senders may remove your address, but others may flag your email address as "live" and send you more spam or even sell your address to other spammers.
3. Use a public email address to sign up for anything online. Set-up and use a public email address or a free web-based email address. Use this email address when participating in newsgroups, joining contests or anytime that your email is requested by a third party online. Potential spam will go to your public email address instead of your private email address.  Before you post your email address, know whether it will be displayed or used. Then use a public email address whenever necessary.

Winterize Your Vehicle

It feels like any day now we will have our first bit of snow.  It is not uncommon for people to wait until the white stuff is on the ground before they winterize their vehicle, but planning ahead for the season will save you some time, money and undue stress:

1. Tires: Check the tread on your tires. Is it sufficient to get you through the snow and ice season or should you consider buying new ones.  Tire pressure may also become low as temperatures drop so you will want to make sure you have sufficient air pressure in your tires as well as your spare.
2. Windshield: Check and replace windshield wiper blades if they are not clearing your windshield properly.  Add windshield washer fluid to your resevoir as plain water will freeze. 
3. Lights: Check the headlights, brakelights and heater to make sure everything is working properly.
4. Emergency Kit: Put together a winter emergency kit to carry in the back of your vehicle: Include a blanket, boots and gloves, ice scraper and brush, a small snow shovel, flashlight and a bag of sand or kitty litter for traction in case you get stuck in the snow.

Organizing Jump-Start FREE Introductory Teleseminar

Are you interested in taking the Organizing Jump-Start 6 Week Program but want to find out more about it before you sign up?  Organizing Help is offering a FREE introductory teleseminar that will explain what the program is all about, its benefits to you and how this program can help you to simplify your environment so that you feel more together and in control of your home, office and life!

All you need to do is register by e-mail or phone and we will send you instructions for how to access the teleseminar on Tuesday, November 13th by phone from the comfort of your own home!

Introducing E-OrganizerPro Client Management Software!

Organizing Help and Eclipse Computing have been working together over the past year to develop E-OrganizerPro Client Management Software for the Professional Organizing industry.

We just returned from the Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) National Conference in Vancouver this weekend where E-OrganizerPro was introduced for the first time to Professional Organizers across Canada and the USA.  We are excited about how well it was received and are planning to attend the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Conference in April 2008 to be held in Reno, NV, USA!  

For more information or to receive a FREE 30 Day Trial Version of this software check out the E-OrganizerPro website at www.e-organizerpro.com.

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