Christmas 2009 - Have Things Changed?

Are you ready for the holidays?  Have you started planning out your holiday get togethers and decorations?  Do you have a complete list of who you will buy presents for and what you will get them?  Are you in full swing with your home made gifts? (You have been knitting a sweater for Uncle Alfred for over a year... haven't you?)

I know we have not yet seen Halloween, but as all good retail outlets want you to know, Christmas is just around the corner.  The society we live in expects presents and parties and unusual good cheer to radiate around the countryside.  Where do you fit into all of this?

I have noticed lately that people are a little closer with their spending.  I know that may seem like an obvious statement, but it is something I have seen more and more of lately.  I am starting to hear things like, "It's not in the budget," or "I'm not sure we have that expense planned for."  In the community I live in those statements are unusual.  I haven't seen the signs of big spending that I normally see. The number of new car plates are down and I think I even saw a lady with last year's designer purse.  (Okay, that last one was a cheap shot.)

I recently heard that in the United States the percent of people saving money is up.  In fact, even though people have less money they are saving more.  They are trying to reduce debt and sock away cash for a rainy day.  I heard the answer to "What would you do if you won the lottery?" has changed from "Go on vacation!" to "Pay off bills and put money yin the bank."

Apparently our culture is changing a bit.

I was always taught to spend less than I earned, to pay myself at least 10% of my income and to be modest in my wants.  I know that may seem conservative, but it has worked for generations of my family.  One thing that is different in my generation from that of my grandparents, is the amount of information we have flooding into our homes every day.

With the internet to serve up answers to every question, I can look at all the things I can't afford in great detail.  I have planned a $25 thousand dollar vacation to a remote island.  I have researched state rooms on luxury cruise lines.  I have looked at designer wardrobes and detailed a backpacking trip through Scotland.  With so much information online and the ease of internet commerce (which is based on credit), I can obtain almost anything without much effort.

So back to Christmas.  What are you going to do this year?  Are you planning on making it smaller than last year?  Will your gifts be more practical?  Does splurging seem a little uncomfortable?

I don't have the answers to these questions, but they seemed like a good point to start the discussion.  How has the recent economic downturn changed your habits?  Have you needed to cut back, or do you find yourself at the same slow and steady pace you have always used? Do you limit your "window shopping" on the internet, or do you keep dreaming?

Let me know, I am curious.

Planting a Garden of Organization

I am sorry to say I abandoned you for a few days.  I didn't mean to, I just got caught up in life and the craziness that is my reality.  With that said, I am back with gusto.

Today I thought we would talk about gardening. You know what I am talking about, the growing of plants, usually somewhere around your home, with the intention of eating them, or in my my case, with the intention of killing them.  Did I hear you gasp?  Sorry about that.  It is true, I start a garden every year and I kill a large part of it every year.

Now you may have a few questions right off the top, so I will try and clear things up. First, I live in Phoenix where the best planting season is now. Our summers are so hot that there is no chance of a vegetable surviving.  My desert landscape barely survives. You know that joke about frying an egg on the sidewalk? Well as a kid we tried it, and guess what? It adhered to the cement.  Your second question, if you know anything about Phoenix soil will be, "How exactly did you plant anything in that rock infested hard pan soil?"  After using a sledge hammer to break things up...no, I didn't really do that.  I built raised planter beds and brought in gardening soil.

So now you may wonder why gardening is a topic of conversation at all.  I understand your confusion, but I think there are tons or parallels between gardening and Prepared Binder, so here we go.

Planting a garden takes preparation.  Gardening is not something you can do without any forethought.  Even if you buy a window gardening kit you must find a spot for it, plant the seeds and take care of it.  Outdoor gardening requires soil preparation, tool gathering and a lot of sweat equity.  I remember my dad slaving away in our clay infested soil as a child.  We always had a huge garden, but there was a lot of work involved in the process.

Gardening take patience.  Watching something grow from a seed takes awhile.  Some seeds sprout in a few days, some much longer. When it does sprout you see every bug and bird as a direct threat to you new baby plant.  You have to water it, watch it, take care of it and be patient to watch it grow. Eventually you have fertilize it and even prune it back.  All of this happens before you see any results for your work.

Gardening takes a lot of enduring to the end.  When I start out with a garden I am excited.  I love the thought of living things in my yard.  I think it is amazing every time a seed actually sprouts.  I enjoy checking on the plants and investigating their health and liveliness.  What I don't like to do is stick it out.  About the time the vegetables start to show I lose interest.  You would think it would be the other way around, but it is true, I lose interest.  I worked so hard to get that far and then it is really hard for me to want to pick the grown vegetables... it just seems like so much work!

So I let it die.  Yep, I admitted it.  I let my garden die.  I watch it sprout, I tend it lovingly, and then I watch it wither without harvesting much of the vegetables I worked so hard to get.  Am I crazy?  Well, yes, but most of that is unrelated to this topic... I think what I am is normal.  I burn out and just stop.

So here is the tie in.

Organization takes preparation, much like gardening.  You have to decide what you are going to organize, what tools you need, and then you have to dive in and provide labor.  While we usually won't be outside sweating while organizing, it is still hard work.  For most of us organization is an emotional process.  There are reasons we have clutter and organization forces us to face those reasons. 

Organization takes patience.  Very few people have only one thing unorganized.  In fact, I would be surprised if that was the case.  Organization is something people are not usually consistent about.  It starts when we shove the first thing in the "junk drawer" and continues throughout our homes.  Going back and making sense out of it is hard work.  It takes time and emotional energy.  Until you have completed the process in your desired area you won't see many results.  That takes patience. 

Organization requires enduring to the end.  The scary part is that it is only organized as long as you keep it that way.  A junk drawer is only clean as long as you don't stuff something new in it.  Your basement is only organized as long as you don't throw new things into it.  A filing cabinet is only organized as long as you put papers where they belong.  Arghh! How frustrating that we have to keep going.  (Now you see why I let my garden die!)

So don't let it die.

You CAN do this.  You CAN organize.  Don't try and organize everything at once, for the same reason you don't till up your entire backyard right now and plant enough food for the neighborhood.  If you do to much you will get overwhelmed and stop.

Start small.  Pick one thing and go from there.  Obviously I think Prepared Binder - Home Edition is a great place to start.  Think of it as a window gardening kit.  We provide the binder, the organization and the information you need to organize.  You collect the items on the list and you put it in the binder.  When you are done you have one success under your belt. 

Go ahead, get started.  Plant your organization garden one thing at a time.  Put the energy into nurturing it and be ready to reap the benefits down the road.  I promise the results are tasty!

Financial Awarness Will Make the Holidays Bright

The holidays are almost here and we find ourselves in a different situation than we have in the past. Gone for now are the days of big spending and endless credit. With banks tightening their belts and businesses eliminating jobs it seems frivolous to spend big money on presents we don't need and likely won't use.

Focusing on the essentials helps us feel a little safer about our surroundings. I have even found myself buying PJ's and socks to put under the tree this year.

One of those essentials is financial preparedness. I am sure very few of you think about the holidays and imagine yourself organizing your finances. However, knowing where you have your money and how you spend it can give you invaluable peace of mind.

If you haven't already gone through the process of organizing your finances, here are a few suggestions.

1) Start saving statements from your monthly bills. We all get monthly bills and we all probably love to forget about them as soon as they are paid. Try storing them in a folder for one month. It will help you get a snapshot of how you spend your money. At the end of the month use that information to fill out the financial section of Prepared Binder – Home Edition. Once you have an idea of where your money goes you will know if you need to adjust your spending.

2) Start noticing your “little” purchases. If you are anything like me, it is the little things that blow the monthly budget. (A new pair of shoes, fast food, a new magazine. . . you get the idea) When I started noticing how much I was buying I started seeing how much it added up. Saying, “I deserve it,” didn't do anything to make the money go further. In reality what I really deserved was a balanced budget and money left over to go in the vacation fund. I started asking myself if I was willing to pay double the price for the item. For example, if I loved a $35 dollar pair of shoes, was it worth $70? If it was, I would buy the shoes and put the extra $35 in savings. If it wasn't I just passed on the shoes. I immediately saw a difference in my spending.

3) Look through your house. When filling out the insurance section of Prepared Binder – Home Edition, there is a form to inventory your home. While doing this may seem less fun than a root canal, it is important. After my Grandmother's house burned down, she had almost no idea what was missing. The front half of her house was gone and most of her belongings were reduced to ash. It is hard to remember how many pairs of socks you had when your home is burned out.

Going through your home will also allow you to see all the things you already have. Whenever I think I need something I look at what I have. Usually I end up getting rid of something instead. It is amazing home much stuff I save!

4) Identify your goals. If you don't know where you are with your finances, you are unlikely to get where you want to be. The important part is to know where you want to be. A new home, a retirement account, a car, a college fund, a trip to Europe; whatever your goals, write them down and identify what it will take to get there. It will be much easier to pass on the things you don't really need if you have a goal.

Prepared Binder – Home Edition is designed to help you achieve Organized Peace of Mind. Even though the holidays can be crazy, having the peace that comes from understanding your finances can be invaluable.

Check out our web site at www.preparedbinder.com for links to helpful resources.  You can also order Prepared Binder - Home Edition through the web site.  Consider making this a family gift this year.  You can contact us directly for bulk orders. Happy Holidays!

5 Step To Stealing Your Time Back From the "Pit"

Do you have a great big pit where all of your time goes? Is it the television? Is it a favorite hobby? Does your time get sucked away by a hundred little things you didn't intend to do?  One way or another it is gone and you find yourself sitting at the end of the day wondering what happened to all the good intentions you had for your time.

I have a pit too.  In reality I probably have a few pits. TV is one.  There is something nice about sitting in one spot and not being required to do more than that.  Entertainment is thrown at me and all I have to do is sit back and take it in.  The TV does not mess up my house.  The TV doesn't dirty any dishes either.  When I turn off the TV I don't find that it hid toys under its bed or nibbled on the cookies I was saving for an occasion.  The TV gives to me continually, and all it asks is time.  (Okay, lots of time.)

I have hobby pits too.  Reading is a time sucker for me.  I have been known to start a book and stay up to finish it in the wee hours.  I usually have a content look on my face as I crawl into bed, knowing I will only have a few hours until I have to crawl back out.

If you take a look at my house you will see I obviously have a great pit of "I didn't do any housework today."  I find that when I get up in the morning I am ready to conquer the world.  If it doesn't happen by about noon, all of my energy and time gets sucked into the great time abyss.

So what do we do about this?  While it is good to have downtime, it is not a good idea to feel like you can't accomplish anything.  It is draining to feel that way.  As a sad irony, the more you feel drained, the less you accomplish and the more time gets sucked into the pit.  Every time you notice time being sucked into the pit you tend to get more drained. (Drat! The unfairness of it all!)

Let's go into this with a plan.  I want a real plan to help me accomplish my goals, get things done, and walk away empowered.

Step 1 - Identify what you are going to do. This doesn't sound hard, but it is very important.  Get a piece of paper, either one you can see on your counter or one on your computer.  Write a list of everything you need to finish.  Put everyday stuff as well as special projects you need to accomplish. If you want to get fancy you can organize the list with headings such as "household," "personal," "kids," "work," "maintenance," etc.  When you are done you might get intimidated, but don't.  This is just a list of the big picture items which need to be accomplished.

Step 2 - Break that list up.  Identify what things on the list you are going to do today. Be realistic.  It is not likely you will run a marathon in the same day you repaint your bathroom and sew a quilt.  If today has a small to do list that is fine.  Don't bite off more than you can realistically chew without gagging.

Step 3 - Create the environment.  Some people clean to loud music.  Some people sew to the sound of a symphony.  I like to read in a cozy chair with the breeze blowing through my house.  Whatever it is you are doing, create the right environment.  I like to work early in the morning as it is quiet and peaceful. So look at the list and create the appropriate environment to complete your first task.

Step 4 - Do It! Yep, actually do the first thing on your list.  If you are good at multitasking, do two things. I like to start laundry while I scrub the kitchen.  Then I change loads and pick up the house while things are in the dryer. I head up to make beds and find hangers and then pull out the first load.  If I time it right I can wipe numerous items off the list at one time.

Step 5 - Cross it off the list. Notice the sense of accomplishment? You have just stolen time back from the pit.  You have done what you set out to do. Yippee and congrats!

One side note: Sometimes you will have things on your list that you can't do alone.  You may not have the right equipment, or you may not have the physical strength.  Either get help, pay someone else to do it, or go learn the skill.  Don't let it sit on the list forever and suck your energy dry every time you see it.

Today's Question: How do you steal your time back from the pit?

The Great Disappearing Information - Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are a beautiful thing.  They sit there quietly on your desk or counter just begging to have something written down and remembered.  They love it when you peel off the top note and stick it to your desk, your calendar or your notebook. They thrive on the information stored there.  They also have the immense potential to drive you crazy!

Have you ever had a sticky note "disappear" and reappear someplace weeks later, long after you needed the information? Or you remember you wrote a very important phone number on a pink sticky, but now you have 30 pink stickies on your desk and not a single one has your needed number.

Sticky notes are a blessing and a curse.  As an organizational tool they are not the best.  I am sure I just offended half the population of "Post-It" but really they aren't.  I used to be the sticky queen, and I do concede that they have many important uses, just not organization.

What sticky notes can do...  Sticky notes are amazing for adding comments to reports.  Notes such as, "Great Report - make 50 copies and send to Siberian office" are appropriate for a sticky note because they leave the original clean and are quickly dealt with.  Another great use for a sticky note is a surprise "Love You" note in a school lunch.  Sticking it to the inside of a lunch box makes sure your child sees it, but they can quickly remove it if they don't want their friends to see it.

What sticky notes can not do... Sticky notes are useless for long term storage.  While some of you may argue they have sticky notes on their computer from 2 years ago, I would ask you how effective that is.  If you have too many sticky notes you will tend to block them out and not look at them, thus they are useless.  If you put them in a place you are forced to look at them, such as your desk top, they will adhere to other items and get ripped off and lost.  (Once again, not too useful.)  Sticky notes are meant to bring immediate attention to a comment, but if you have an entire desk full of immediate attention notes you cannot possibly pay attention to every one. Besides, if it was really important, wouldn't you have written it down someplace more permanent?

So what does work?  I have struggled with this myself.  I even spoke to a professional organizer, and here is what she said.  "Get a small notebook."  Yes, I know you were expecting something obviously profound, but that is what she said.  I journeyed to the local office supply store and I found a small spiral notebook (about 4" by 6") with a pocket in the front of the book.  I use the notebook for all the random notes I need to jot down.  I include shopping lists, phone numbers, addresses and to do items in the notebook.  The amazing part is the number of stickies I use has dropped to almost nothing.  I don't find loose scraps of paper around my house, and when I need something I wrote down, I know exactly where it is. That is profound.

The notebook idea may not work for you, so find something that does.  I have really enjoyed not having to search for old stickies and scraps of paper.  My time is better spent when I know exactly where the thing I need is.  In fact, I no longer dread "old info" which may or may not have fallen into the abyss of my office.

As a bonus organizational tip: Get a small box like an index card box and throw business cards in there.  We all get them and few of us have any idea what to do with them.  By putting them in the box you can find them when needed without the hassle of searching the junk drawer!

Today's Question: What can you do to clean up the stickies in your life?

End of Life Medicine - Know What You Want

In the United States we pride ourselves on our medical advancements.  We love how many ways we have learned to save lives, and we enjoy stories of heroic measures bringing people back from the brink of death.  Our medical system is geared towards saving lives, not losing them. (As it should be.)

What we are not good at is letting go.  As a society we don't like to talk about death unless it is on the news with a heart wrenching story behind it.  Death in the US may be talked about by newscasters for headlines, however, it is not talked about within our families.

Very few people discuss their end of life preferences.  Now before you get uncomfortable and stop reading I want you to think about it.  How many people in your life right now do you know their final wishes?  How many of those people do you just assume would want what you want? Do they want every test and treatment they can have to prolong their lives, or do they want to back off and die naturally? Do they want heroic measures or not?  Do they prefer to be in a hospital or at home?  Do they want a funeral or a simple graveside memorial?

Knowing the answers to those questions is important.  Knowing those answers for yourself is also important.  Writing everything down is imperative.  There are far too many stories where a living will is ignored because the family doesn't know about it, or it wasn't explained to them and they force the doctor to prolong life. 

I had the chance to read an article in Newsweek lately regarding the costs of medical treatment in the United States.  I found it interesting that they talked specifically about the costs associated with dying.  Data shows that a full one third of Medicare's annual expenses go to treating terminally ill patients in the last 2 years of life.  That number is over 66 billion dollars annually.  While it may seem overwhelmingly obvious that we spend money to treat sick people, and people who are dying are sick, therefore, we spend money on them, there is more to it than that.  As a society we don't like the thought of dying.  We really don't like the thought of our loved ones dying.  We will do anything to stop or at least hold off the process until the very last moment.

So here is the action item for you.  Figure out what you want.  Decide now how you want to go if you have the choice.  Do you want heroic measures?  Do you want life support?  Do you want to be in a hospital?  Do you want Hospice? Do you want to be at home? Figure it out.

You may want to schedule time with your doctor and/or religious leader to talk about your decisions.  Research is showing that having those conversations and documenting a plan is increasing the quality of end of life and significantly reducing medical expenses.

When you have thought through your wishes document them.  Many states have statutory forms to sign and have witnessed.  Take the time to fill these forms out. Then share them with your family.  If you are very ill and unable to make decisions on your own they will be called upon to enforce your plan. If they are included things will go a lot smoother.

Make sure you put the appropriate paperwork where the family can find it.  Prepared Binder - Home Edition is a great place for that.  You can look at our website for links to state's statutory legal forms and other important information such as the federal funeral rule.  Use the forms in Prepared Binder - Home Edition to start important conversations with your family.  It truly is your life, and your death.  Have a plan, and be prepared.

If you would like to read the Newsweek article, click here.

Creating Teamwork - Benjamin Franklin Stlye

Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately."  I love this quote, and how true it is.  So many parts of today's life require us to reach beyond ourselves and participate with others. The basis of modern western society is that we all give something to the common goal.  Some people may see that as simply paying taxes, but it is so much more.  We volunteer at the local school or library.  We raise money for research to cure illnesses.  We teach children to read.  We work in soup kitchens, or donate food.  We spend time with our church groups bettering the community, the list goes on and on. 

Have you ever wanted something you can't have on your own?  You realize that with your effort alone the task will not get finished, the goal will not be reached and the dream will not be realized.  A good example is a play.  It is nearly impossible for one person to put on a play.  One person could do the acting, but what about building the sets, or running the spotlight, or selling tickets at the door, or opening and closing the stage curtain?  Without help the vision of a play would disappear.

Some problems are too large for one person.  World hunger is not something one individual can solve.  There is no amount of money that can change the mindset and social norms of a region.  Hundreds of thousands of people have worked toward this goal over the last few decades.  They have gone into rural areas around the globe and brought resources, equipment, supplies and education to the people.  While the elimination of worldwide hunger is a long way off, it is much closer than it was.

So how do we use teamwork to our advantage in our own lives?  Do we even need it?  (Of course the answer is yes, or why would I write this article?)  Teamwork, correctly done, motivates us.  It encourages us forward and keeps us motivated towards our goals.

As a business owner I rely on team work.  I have mentors who offer me support and root for my successes.  I have vendors who help me provide an excellent product.  I have customers who offer feedback and support.  It is amazing to see what goes into a single product, a single presentation, a single sale.

So how do you  use the power of teamwork at home? As much as I would like a team of people to help with the dishes and laundry it isn't likely to happen that way.  Do you have a project you need motivation to complete? Talk to your friends about it and have them root for you.  If the project could use other people's talents invite them to help out.  Every year I help a friend sew Halloween costumes.  What started out as a cry for help from a frustrated mom has a turned into an annual event we look forward to.

Use social media to reach out.  Programs like Facebook give you the chance to toss ideas out to a large group and get feedback from a lot of people you wouldn't normally call for advice.  Harness this "instant" teamwork to solve problems and motivate you.

Back to what Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately." I hope you take the opportunity to identify the teams in your life. Use them, give to them, and enrich them.

Go Team!