Summer Cleaning

Okay... so people typically do the whole "spring cleaning" in the spring... Out with the old, in with the new. I like to do mine in the summer. Summer time is a great time to reorganize and declutter your life. Its a great time to have garage sales to make a little extra money for summertime fun (personally I prefer to donate my stuff to local charities). Plus, if you have your summers off, you can work at a slower pace and not have time constraints on getting things done.

Alot of times we have a hard time time letting go of things we just simply don't need. I used to be guilty of that. But I noticed the more I held on to, the more stuff I had to manage. With the busy life style I have, the less I can manage, the better. So, ask yourself, "Can this item benefit someone else instead of sitting in my closet collecting dust?" Or you can consider it "recycling" by donating or selling it in a garage sale. Plus, if you clear out all of the old stuff, you can have room for newer and updated things. Not only can you buy new things, but you can make more space for living. Less items to move or clean around, and less items to stub your toe on or get in your way.

Alot of times people think of organization in terms of possessions, or "things". But time also should be organized so that it is not wasted. One way that helps me to organize my time is to have a dry erase calendar board up in my kitchen. Second is my family planner (a binder with dayrunner pages in it) in my kitchen. Third, and most importantly is my Cozi online calendar.

My Cozi calendar is a must-have in my household. I am able to set up appointments for each member in the family, in which each person is color coded. I can also set up reminders, in which either text messages or emails are sent to the person I designate. This is a nifty tool when you have important appointments and sitters who need reminded. It does it automatically within the time frame you set up. It can be 30 minutes or a week in advance, and you don't have to worry about whether or not you have reminded someone of their appointments.

I've used it for over a year now and I sing its praises.

Now off to take my own advice..and finish decluttering!