I so love this post by fellow professional organizer, Megan Spears, founder of Disorder2Order!

Here’s a little taste…

Photo Source: misstrixie

I like to think that there is good in the ordinary. If look at this picture for example… it’s just a rock on the beach, right? If you look a little closer you might see an elephant drinking from the ocean.

Seeing potential in things that are ordinary is one of the best parts of my job. I see things that others don’t (or can’t) in themselves or their cluttered spaces. The interesting thing is that when I started my business, I had no idea that was going to be so important.

When I started my business it was scary. Really, what did I know about running a business? Was I really going to be able to make money? How was I going to balance babies and a business?

There were moments in that first year that I truly thought I had lost my mind. Now, six years later I am so thankful for my decisions and the obstacles that I have overcome. Not only do I have the best job in the world but I make a difference, and that makes me feel good.

Read the full article

Photo Source: Will Lion

This whole semi-new “single-mom-trying-to-turn-her-lifelong-passion-into-a-viable-full-time-business-and-pinch-pennies-at-the-same-time” thing is definitely something that I could do without! But, as one of my good friends always says, “It is what it is…” (and it has been quite an adjustment, that’s for sure!)

How interesting (…major understatement…) it has been to be forced to choose which of life’s necessities should be paid for this month. Until now, I never fully realized just how many things I have always taken for granted…

Anyway, in light of these unplanned changes in my life and family and home over the past year-and-a-half, I now meticulously scrutinize every single expenditure like I never have before. And, I have come to realize that, aside from the love of family and friends, what Amanda and I truly need boils down to this: car, apartment, electricity, water, medications, and groceries. So, that’s where the money goes right now… absolute necessities only!

Sure, all the “no’s” that Amanda gets from me are tough (on both of us!), but I have no doubt that the time and attention and love that I am investing in my daughter today will reap far greater rewards in the years to come!

So, what about you? Are there things in your life that you could do without? I challenge you to take a moment today to reflect on the true essentials in your life, and I dare you to let go of the rest!

In celebration of Get Organized Month, professional organizers and coaches from all over the world (including yours truly) have come together to share their knowledge and expertise for this extraordinary online event: The Great Organizing Giveaway. Whether you need help with your home, your office, or your time, you’ll find tons of fabulous freebies including ebooks, tip sheets, audio programs, webinars, and consultations. Plus, you’ll have chances to win program memberships, productivity software, and even an iPod!

Here is just a small sampling of the fantastic resources that will be available…

• [ real neat ] ideas: 35 home organizing tips—grab your copy by subscribing to my ezine »
• Transform Your Combat Zone Into A Comfort Zone
• Perfect Products for Frantic Families
• Top 10 Tips For Instant Feng Shui!
• Personal Medical Organizer
• Change Your Life One Minute at a Time
• “Downsizing Dilemmas – Solved!” Workbook
• Making Being Green Easy: Eco Organizing Tips for the Home and Office
• On a Clear Day You Can Find the Top of Your Desk
• Conquering Paper Clutter Teleclass Recording
• Nine Strategies for Simplifying Your Business
• 10 Easy Ways to Liberate Time Report

So, what do you say? Are you ready to get organized for the remainder of 2010? If so, be sure to visit AskTheExpertOrganizers.com to collect all the fabulous freebies that will help you on your quest. Then, come back here and let me know what resources were your favorites… I’d love to hear from you. Enjoy!

I *heart* Cometdocs! I’ve been looking everywhere to find a *free* (and preferably online) way to quickly and easily generate thumbnail preview images of the pdf files that I’ve been adding to the resources > downloads section of my website, to no avail. And then I found Cometdocs! And now I’m in love! Almost as much as I *heart* MailChimp! 😉

Here are some details ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’:

Cometdocs is a one-of-its-kind free online document conversion interface that offers a large set of document conversions that can’t be found anywhere else online. Its unique features include on-the-fly OCR conversion capabilities, over 50 different conversion options, and proprietary XPS and PDF conversion abilities that retain formatting, images, and text in the selected output format. And best of all for users -> it is available free of charge.

No need to install anything on your computer. Use the easy upload interface to convert your file. Your original file will not be affected, and you can choose your own file name for the converted file which will instantly download to your computer.

What to do with such limitless data conversion possibilities!?! Hmmm… Maybe I should convert some of my college writing and design work from ‘the olden days’ into something more readily usable… Interesting thought…

Anyway, did I already say how much I love this new find!?! 😉

I invite you to join me for a mini version of my Office Organization 101 seminar that I will be presenting for members and guests of the BNI Success Masters networking group here in Georgetown. Here are the details…

office organization 101
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 7:30am
Holiday Inn, 140 Osborne Way, Georgetown, KY, 40324

Productivity and efficiency are key ingredients to every successful business. If your office is not functional, it affects everything you and your staff do, which in turn, cuts into your profits. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• optimize your work schedule to ensure peak performance,
• manage the influx of paperwork and safely store your archives,
• employ the basics of Feng Shui to enhance your work environment,
• select the best storage options to efficiently organize your office supplies, and
• increase productivity by clarifying roles, minimizing interruptions, and delegating tasks.

Hope to see you there!