At ORGANIZING Mind over Matter we believe that business productivity and office efficiency is essential for business growth. I am Vicki Winterton, a business productivity consultant and efficiency coach. I was recently invited to speak to a local Chamber of Commerce group. I shared with those in attendance a few of my  business client’s success stories in becoming more efficient and productive in their business environment. I promised meeting attendees some valuable downloads and office efficiency tips. Those helps are located below, but before you take a look ask yourself these 4 important questions:

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This is a collection of productivity tools I’ve either become familiar with or developed myself since I began my business in 2006. You’ll find that they address a number of different needs. Pick the one that seems to best fit your needs and give it a try for a couple of weeks. Who knows, you may find just what you have been looking for:
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Home office decorating adds personality and uniqueness besides completing an organized office.  I am guest blogger, Virginia Kestler, a BYU college student intern for Vicki Winterton, Utah’s professional organizer.  I graduate next month with a degree in interior design. This article will deal with  home office decorating. Once you decorate to display your personality and you organize to increase your productivity and efficiency, YOU will feel comfortable and at peace in your home office. Listed below are my suggestions for making your home office reflect your personality. Read more…

A guide to the Color Wheel will help you when you are organizing or decorating your home. Color adds variety and unity to the room you are decorating. Below is a guide to the color wheel that will help you to understand color so you can utilize it when you choose organizing pieces for your decorated home. Read more…

Bathroom Storage Ideas

Photo = Maribel_1990 and photobucket.com

Bathroom storage ideas will make your bathroom beautiful and allow it to remain clean. Using different varieties of bathroom storage ideas will help you get organized, making it easier to find the things you need. When you use decorative and fun bathroom storage ideas you will allow even THIS room to be another well decorated room in your home. In this article I’ll supply you a list of storage ideas Read more…

Get Organized…Today!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

As a professional organizer I have worked many years helping my clients get organized in their homes and business offices. (Can I call it work when I enjoy it so much?) I teach them the benefits and methods for living an organized life. I am excited to help YOU get organized today.  The organizing process is much easier with the plan below. Begin to get organized by asking yourself, “What is my vision for this space?” Your vision will help keep you on task.

Next schedule WHEN you are going to work on getting organized. Read more…

Freeing up time and mind clutter can be achieved with Freezer Organization. My steps to success are listed below:

1. Create clear categories for freezer organization - To begin, set up a banquet table and/or clear your horizontal counter space. Next, recoup your freezer space by clearing out the entire freezer. Place your items on the table and counter tops.  Categorize as you go by placing  like items together. This will help you see what you have and make finding what you need a snap. Some possible categories include:
• Meats
• Fruits & Veggies
• Jams
• Ready meals
• Desserts
• Breads
• Sauces

2. Determine freezer placement and storage options with freezer organization zones – Some tips for best category placement include:
• Store meats in the coldest section (toward the bottom or at the back)
• Store most used items at eye level.
• Store items that can be less cold in the door (ice cream, juice, butter, nuts, etc.)

3. Use internal containing for freezer organization - Containers can save you time and money by keeping like items together within your zones. When you select containers  for your freezer:
• Opt for clear containers
• Use heavy duty containers that are freezer-safe or freezer-specific.
• Look for straight-sided containers with an airtight seal. These will help you maximize freezer organization space.
• Use tiered shelves (like the white plastic-coated wire shelves at Wal-Mart and Target) for casserole dishes, pizzas, etc.
• Pre-portion items bought in bulk so you can more easily contain and store them.

4. Label! – Labeling your containers will help keep your established zones in place. You can use luggage tags, self-made laminated tags or heavy duty labeling tape. I label my food with the item name, cooking time and temperature. Example: Lasagna 350 1 1/2 hours. (Listen to my podcast show 059 Organize your Freezer  for other great labeling tips.)

5. Create a master inventory list for continued freezer organization -Attach a magnetized notepad and pencil to your freezer door THEN note what you use by keeping a running list of items you need to purchase.

A thought about the 2 main types of supplemental freezers:

Chest Freezers – Chest freezers are generally less expensive and have superior cooling capacity. The downside to chest freezers is accessibility. While newer models come equipped with at least one basket for smaller items, it’s easy for things to get lost in a chest freezer EVEN with really good containing in place.

Upright Freezers – Upright freezers are a little more expensive and can have a bit less storage capacity, but if you want an easier go at accessibility and maintaining your organization, an upright is your best choice. ***Remember that any freezer works best when it is 75% full.

I found that dinnertime planning and preparation became NOTICEABLY EASIER once my freezer was organized. You too can tackle and complete this project in a morning or afternoon. Give freezer organization a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Photo Organizing in my own home is a project that I save for 3 years at a time and then tackle all at once. I recently worked with Linda in Cedar City, Utah and helped her with her photo organizing. She had decades of photos and needed to know how to go about working her way through them. These were the 6 steps I shared with Linda. These steps apply to digital or printed images.

1. Photo organizing with the end result in mind: You need to know what your goal is. Decide how you would like your photos to be stored and displayed:

• In scrapbooks with sheet protectors?
• In a hardcover book of memories?
• In CD or flash-drive form?
• Online for all to see? or
• Cute photo boxes lined up on a shelf?

2. Anything is easier with the right tools: Invest the time and money to obtain the right editing and storage option for your photos. If you are working with digital photos, you may want to invest in a good photo storage and editing program.On my PC I love Picasa’s free option. Make sure anything you invest in for your printed pages is archival quality so your photos are safe forever. If you want to store all your MOST important photos digitally, any photo scanner should do the trick for you.We are all more motivated to organize when we have a cute package to organize in.

3. Tackle the project: Remember your photo organizing goal is unattainable without a start date. Schedule time to work on one box or  folder at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by the mass, focus on a small bit and work through it one hour at a time two times per week.

4. Purge: Every photographer can eliminate a large percentage of the photo organizing process by purging bad photographs. Initially begin by purging all pictures that are:

• blurry
• have bad composition
• are duplicates OR
• are meaningless.

When deciding whether a photo is purge worthy ask yourself,  ”Will I or anyone else get real value from seeing this picture?” If the answer is yes, then do what I do and keep the one in which YOU look your best.

5. Develop a photo organizing system by sorting and categorizing: Start with your current kept photos and work backwards. (Those older photos are not going to go anywhere.) As you take new photos, organize and label them immediately so they don’t add to your unorganized pile. Decide which of these options is best for you:

• photo organizing by year (begin a decade at a time)
• photo organizing by child (each by name)
• photo organizing by event (vacations or holidays)

The great news is…these are YOUR photos, so there are no hard rules to live by. Determine what you prefer and apply it to ALL your pictures. ** It is important to distinguish between storage and organization. Remember that storage is the container. Organization is what you put in it and why. Whatever photo organizing system you choose, create a labeling technique that coordinates. Once photos are organized, labeling will make finding what you need a breeze.

6. Create a back-up: Be sure that once you have organized your photos, you create a back-up for them. CD’s or jump drives work great as well as the new ipod. Remember to label disks so that it is easy to find what you are looking for. The other option for back up is to use free “cloud” internet storage.

When it comes to storing and displaying your photos, select an option that is right for you, and go for it!  A great picture is priceless. Photo organizing allows you to remember the greatest of your memories! For additional photo organizing ideas, listen to my WIN network podcast, show #058 Organizing Photos.

When your car breaks down, a little knowledge can go a long way. One of the best things you can do to ensure your safe return when you travel is to:

1. carry a car survival kit in your car
2. keep your gas tank 1/2 full AND
3. inform those close to you of your travel plans and route

This week on The Organized Woman Show, we recorded our 57th podcast show titled, Survive a Car Break Down. We shared some precautions you should take before you load up to travel across country. Listen by clicking the link above.

According to local outdoor survivalist, Greg Davenport, when you pack a car survival kit you should consider these key things:

1. Staying hydrated – maybe a purifying water bottle in your car
2. Signaling for help – road flares, a flag, or a mirror (Already included with the purchase of your car.)
3. Providing protection for you and those whom you TYPICALLY transport  (Your car comes with leather seats, floor mats, & seat cushions that can be cut out and used for warmth or shade if necessary.)

Because comfort is important to me, I would suggest your car survival kit include the following specific items:

• a map
• a compass
• a 1st aid kit
• a steel & flint kit
• a light colored cloth or flag
• duct tape
• jumper cables
• a flashlight
• a basic tool kit
• a tire inflater
• cat litter or sand
• a pen & paper
• a comforting book
• a box of tissue
• a garden trowel
• an ice scraper AND
• comfort food

I update my car’s survival kit every 5 years. It is always tethered inside the trunk of my car with a carabiner so it stays put.

Some additional helps dealing with survival and preparing a car survival kit can be found on these websites:

The 5 most common reasons a car breaks down

Washington State wintertime car survival kit

Home items for a car survival kit

Preparing a car survival kit and following the safety tips above will allow you greater peace of mind as you roam your city streets or tour the beautiful country roads of America. Prepare your car with the things you need to assure your safety. A simple car survival kit is key!

    A well balanced family schedule and life is hard to achieve. Many of my clients feel like they are juggling life with way to many balls in the air. Some questions each of us have asked include these:

1. How do I live a balanced life in this busy world?
2. Is time for myself selfish?

These are good questions. A few years back I asked myself these very questions. I needed techniques that worked! Luckily, you can benefit from my years of research and work to design the best tools and techniques for “finding” time.

I appreciate you visiting my website.  As a “thank you” you may download all 5 options below. In addition, I have compiled many great forms, tips and techniques in my Household Manager Binder Kit:

• Five pre-labeled binder category dividers to easily organize your binder.

• Instructions for putting together a small ”file box” for easy containing and follow up of those dreaded kitchen counter paper piles.

• 30 pages of forms and 10 instruction sheets for better management of your family, schedules, contacts, meals, time, and papers.

• Many of my “best tips & techniques” for organizing specific home trouble spots (this in-and-of-itself is a $60 value.)

This Binder Kit for YOUR household contains the best of what I offer my paying clients. Over 40 pages of forms, techniques and tips to better manage:

1. Your life

2. Your family

3. Your time

4. Your home and papers

Here are the Freebies I promised:

• My balanced family schedule worksheet to see how balanced you currently live.
• The Julie Beck family schedule prioritizer. (She is the current president of one of the largest women’s organizations in the world.)
• The family schedule weekly template I designed to implement President Julie Beck’s suggestions.

For more information on time management click the page links below:

Changing behavior the easy way.

Time management tips I shared with a TV audience last year.

Contact me by email or call 801-623-8411 to Order your own Family Manager Binder Kit so you can live a more relaxed life.  Aren’t YOU ready for a family schedule and personal life that allows you more time for yourself and the people and things that really matter to you?