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Articles by Renee Ursem

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By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Getting Things Done

I’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 “should” get done but never seem to get around to them. So what do we do? Let’s start with the “to do” list itself. Most people make one list of everything they want, need, or feel they should do and then feel guilty when it all doesn’t get done.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

2,945 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Taming the Time-Zappers

Ahh, 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 activities zap your time? Possibilities include: o Catching up on Facebook, Twitter, etc. o Shopping (in a store or on-line) o Channel-surfing o Playing video games o Talking on the phone or texting

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

2,633 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Project Reality: Dealing With Dead-End Projects

Is 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. Ask these questions: • Do I really have the time to do this project? Think through all the steps involved in completing it. Think about current obligations, work schedule, and family activities. Do you really have the time?

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

2,555 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

The Ages and Stages of Organizing

“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 people start out organized and suddenly become unorganized? No. Clutter creeps in over time. Life events (getting married, having children, moving, and changing/starting jobs) affect both home and office. Organization changes as we age.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

2,269 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Helping Others Get Organized

People 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 this: “If I knew how to get organized, I would have done so already!” So how do we help the less-organized people in our lives? The following techniques are designed to help you (or someone you know) begin to get organized:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,762 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Organizing for a Move

Everyone, 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 or losing space, the task can be daunting. I have done my share of moving. As an Air Force “brat,” I moved several times as a kid and teenager, back and forth in college, between different apartments in my 20s, in and out of classrooms as a teacher, and five years ago with a two-year-old in tow.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,757 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Maximizing Your Time

I 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 have more time to work, a good thing, but a child in school requires more time in other ways. And I definitely have not been bored.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,580 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Clearing the Paper (and Digital) Clutter

I 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 onto desktops and into the Cloud. Digital clutter is now a problem. Collecting information comes at a cost in terms of time and money. Money spent on folders, file cabinets, more memory. Time spent trying to find that one file or document buried in a stack or on a screen.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,445 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Just One Thing This Holiday Season

The 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 holidays—in early November!

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,436 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Trying to Do it All

I 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 since the birth of my daughter two years ago. I have noticed this in my clients (successful small business owners) as well. They have long lists of tasks that don’t get completed, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and defeated.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,421 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Walking into the New Year With Old Bags?

Recently 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 afte oons. When given a choice, I always chose red and used to say, “If I’m going to have one, it might as well be red.” One morning during yoga class, I looked into the mirror, admiring my new celery green workout shirt, and realized something startling: my favorite color wasn’t red any more. It was green.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,417 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Quick and Easy Summer Organizing Projects

Summer 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 www.get-it-together-llc.com/monthly-article/archive/time-management-tackling-big-projects.html if you are), there some quick and easy things you can do this summer to look and feel more organized:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,415 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

What's in My Garage?

Last 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 more space, right? Not necessarily.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,391 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

What Are You Afraid Of?

Do 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 not the screaming-in-terror fear as something creepy inches toward you, but it is fear. It’s the nagging anxiety that whispers the same question every time you try to declutter: “What if I need this later?”

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,388 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

The Tough Cookie Challenge: Getting Organized For the New Year

Out 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 pantry was so packed that there wasn’t room for one package of cookies. The Oreos stood as a symbol for all the clutter in the kitchen.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,374 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Come on In...The Social Networking Water is Fine

I 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: “Come on in. The water is fine.” But I have been hesitant to stick my toe in.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,353 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Taking Control of What Comes In

How 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 day (although some swear it sneaks in at night!).

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,348 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

"Tis the Season to De-Stress

The 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 for the “lowest prices of the year.”

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,343 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Pay Now or Pay Later

I 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 mail o Filing receipts o Dealing with emails o Shredding o Putting stuff away So what usually happens? Mail stacks up. Receipts get stuffed in a drawer. Email inboxes fill up. Shredding containers overflow. Stuff piles up.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,341 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Getting Ahead of the Game--Holiday Shopping Made Easy

Christmas 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 present for picky Aunt Mildred, the gift-buying (or gift-making if you are crafty) experience can be made easier and less painful:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,329 views

By Renee UrsemMar 3, 20081 topic

Organizing Your Shoe Closet

What is the right way to organize my shoes? As an organizer, I often hear that question (or one like it). My answer is always the same: There is no ârightâ way to organize anything; you have to find a way that works best for you. At this point, most people breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe thereâs hope for my closet after all, they reason.nWhile there is no right way to organize your shoes, there are some strategies you can use to make your closet work better.n**Last mont

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,309 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Organizing While You Are There

Opportunities 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.”

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,262 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Food For Thought: Organizing the Food in Your Kitchen

Have 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 in terms of money spent, food wasted, and what could have been used to help the less fortunate. I heard recently that we Westerners throw away the equivalent of 45 days of food in one year. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,256 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Top 10 Summer Organizing Projects

Summer 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 can enjoy the summer guilt-free. Here are my top 10 quick summer organizing projects:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,253 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

One New Habit

Happy 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 big changes in a short amount of time. We get a good start, life interrupts, and we throw up our hands: “I give up! I just can’t __________!” This year instead of taking on a huge self-improvement program, develop just one of the following habits to become more organized:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,236 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

What's In It For Me? Is Organizing Really Worth It?

Is 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 _______ this morning (and didn’t find it). • I can’t seem to get anything done lately. I don’t know where to begin. • I keep buying more _____ when I know I have it here somewhere. • I feel guilty when I take time to organize. Shouldn’t I be doing something productive?

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,214 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Creating a Me Day

Have 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 work (when I needed a break from teaching) and have continued as I started my own business and had a child. What I choose to do on my Renee Days has changed (sleep is higher on my list now!), but the basic guidelines are the same:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,186 views

By Renee UrsemRecently published1 topic

Getting It Together For the Holidays

Can 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 tips to help simplify and streamline holiday preparations (and reduce stress levels): • Focus on what’s important. Family? Friends? Faith, peace, simplicity, staying within your budget? Your focus will help determine what to say yes and no to this busy season. • Plug in important dates.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,137 views

By Renee UrsemMar 3, 20081 topic

If The Shoe Doesnât FitâClearing Out Your Shoe Closet

Clearing out a closet of any kind usually strikes fear (or at least distaste) in the hearts of most people, but it doesnât have to have that effect. Overstuffed closets make us feel stressed and irritated, especially when we canât find what we want. Whether your shoes are in boxes or all over the floor of your closet, clearing out your shoes will give you a sense of control and help you enjoy your shoes more.nThe first thing you need to do is look. Really look at each pai

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,121 views

By Renee UrsemMar 3, 20081 topic

Don't Let Tasks Become Projects

Do you ever feel that somehow clutter has taken over your home, office, or life? Many of my clients do. At some point they have thrown up their hands and given in: âWhy bother? Itâs too much work. I donât have time to be organized.ânIf you have ever felt this way, begin thinking about how the clutter began. Most clutter begins as a small pile that builds and spreads over time, taking on a life of its own until it becomes a mountain. That same thing happened to me year

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

886 views

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