Small tasks can help get the ball rolling. I emptied, sorted and re-organised my purse and handbag – tossing and filing business cards, receipts and store cards. The pantry can also be a perfect project after the excesses of the festive season. Here’s five steps to a new look pantry:

1. Pull out the entire contents of your pantry and place on a large flat surface like the kitchen bench or dining table.

2. Throw away all expired food and sort what’s left into alike categories eg. baking, canned food, spices, etc.

3. Wipe the pantry clean and plan how you want to use the space better to store your food.

4. Containerise and label what remains and repack your pantry.

5. Get excited about what culinary delights you can create from your clean, organised and accessible pantry.

There’ll be no question what ingredients you do and don’t need from now on. As a finishing touch, hang a shopping list inside the pantry door to add to when you run out of something.

What organising project are you going to take off your own ‘to do’ list early this new year?

1. Have a Vision – Choose your organising challenge and keep it simple. Consider your wardrobe, pantry, office cubicle, home office, stationery cupboard, garage etc. Take a ‘before’ photo and visualise how you want the space to look, feel and function. Write down your motivation for organising this space and remember your vision if the going gets tough.
2. Clear & Clean – Clear the area you’ve chosen to organise and clean all surfaces. This is the chance to start with a clean slate and you’ll be amazed how it inspires you to use the space better.
3. Sort & Purge – Sort your items into categories like Keep, Sell, Donate, Trash, Recycle, Repair. Dispose of the items you no longer need responsibly. Group items that belong together or perform similar purposes for quick referral & ease of use.
4. Store & Label – Choose storage solutions that allow easy access to the items. Use words or pictures to label items so you never forget what you have. DYMO supply a range of labelers perfect for use at home or work. Go to www.dymo.com.au for more details.
5. Celebrate – Congratulations! Take an ‘after’ photo and compare the two images. Enjoy the clarity of mind as well as your enhanced physical space. Celebrate your success with a well deserved treat.

Don’t forget to share your progress and before & after photos on the event page. To find out more about what’s happening during NOW, visit www.aapo.org.au/now.

Being organised at tax time is so important, not only in ensuring that your tax records are accurate, but also that you claim all the necessary deductions and receive the best possible return. Sorting your tax paperwork could certainly mean money in your pocket.

To help take the stress out of tax time, here are our top tips for sorting and organising your tax paperwork quickly and easily.

Top Tax Time Tips

1. Know what you need: Keeping everything ‘just in case’ creates unnecessary paper piles which can be very overwhelming. Talk to your accountant or the Australian Tax Office to find out what records and receipts you need to keep.
2. Keep it simple: Set up a simple system for your paperwork and keep everything in the same place. Use lever arch files or a section in your filing cabinet to broadly categorise your tax related paperwork such as deductible expenses, pay slips, health expenses, donations and investments. Ensure each category has an envelope or folder to hold receipts throughout the year.
3. Organise your receipts: Keep a separate section in your wallet or handbag for tax deductible receipts as you collect them. Make a note about what the expense relates to on the back of the receipt.
4. Make time to get organised: Schedule a regular time in your diary to keep on top of your tax and household paperwork. It’s much easier to file as you go, than try and tackle it all at the last minute. One hour a week is all you should need.
5. Archive it: Once you have received your Notice of Assessment, attach it to your tax folder and archive the records in a safe place, so that you can easily retrieve your documents if you are audited. Talk to you accountant to find out how long you should keep your records.
6. Beat the backlog: If you have more than three years of returns to complete, dedicate a lidded plastic box or an entire filing cabinet drawer to the job. Label a new foolscap envelope for each financial year you are missing a return. Round up all your paperwork and place in the envelope for the relevant year. Then hand the envelopes to your accountant.
7. Seek advice: Speak to your accountant or the Australian Tax Office and let Order Matters help you put simple systems in place to keep your paperwork in order.

Of the many people I know who have reached “senior” status, there’s not much senior about them. Sixty is definitely the new Fifty with many as active as ever with travelling, new businesses, new projects, volunteering and even continuing to work by choice.

Whatever the circumstances, this stage of life is a time of transition and change. Being organised in your senior years is vital to our well being and when you finally leave this earth, you’ll have made important decisions without leaving loose ends for loved ones to deal with.

Here are some key areas where being organised will enhance your life:

1. Declutter – The kids moved out long ago and have family of their own, but it still looks like they live at home. Do yourself a favour and ask them to collect their belongings. It’s time to reclaim your space to suit your needs TODAY.
2. Downsizing – Need a new home to suit your life now, but the thought of sorting and discarding is overwhelming? Tackle one cupboard and one room at a time and start now, before you have a deadline. An uncluttered home will also be much more appealing for sale.
3. Estate Planning – Neglecting organising your estate can cause unnecessary heartache for those left behind. A current Will and Testament is your chance to have your wishes honoured. There are many professionals who specialise in this area and an expert is worth the investment.
4. Expired Medication – Expired medication becomes ineffective and can be dangerous. Dispose of out of date medication at your local chemist and only replace what you need. Always have a valid prescription for essential medication.
5. Get Support – Family and friends can be a great source of support, but sometimes there is too much emotion involved. A Professional Organiser can be the objective person you need to make things happen.

If you or someone you know would like support to get organised and enhance the quality of their senior years, contact me now.

Lifeline H2H’s giant book fairs and sales are one of their major fundraising activities with fairs and sales held throughout the year. Click Here for information on where to take donations and when sales are held. If you are not based nearby, find a local charity who will accept these items.

You’ve successfully downsized your collection – congratulations! Here are five tips to stop it growing again:

1. Rediscover your local library or rental outlet.
2. Start a lending group among family and friends. You’ll have a readymade library with everyone’s own collections.
3. Download music, movies and ebooks.
4. Think before you buy. Is there another option – see above?  Do you really want it to take up valuable space in your home?
5. Go through your collections regularly to stop the creeping clutter.

Good luck!

If you or someone you know is in difficulty and needs support or advice, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

• 333 Sanitary pads
• 109 Shampoo bottles
• 51 Razors
• 50 bottles of conditioner
• 31 Soap and body wash
• 25 Toothpaste
• 24 Toothbrushes
• 14 Combs
• 12 Slippers

As well as mouth wash, vanity kits, sewing kits, shaving cream and socks.

A special thank you to those who supported our appeal. Please remember that these items are needed year round and I’m happy to continue to take them off your hands and pass them on.

If you missed our five tips to donate to your own favourite cause, click here.

Wishing you many happy returns for 2011.

I would like, no, LOVE you to empty your bathroom drawers and cupboards of all the hotel and sample sized shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, soap and body wash you’ve been hoarding – you know you are! – and I will deliver them to The Wayside Chapel before Christmas.

I have a personal association with issues of mental health, which many of the people helped by The Wayside Chapel are facing. The few minutes it will take you to collect these items will mean the world to someone who comes to Wayside for help. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how much something as simple as a hot shower, shave and clean teeth, which we take for granted every day, would mean.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, here’s a word from Graham Long, Pastor & CEO, The Wayside Chapel:

“We are always keen to give people “a hand up” rather than “a hand out”. Many people fall “by the wayside” for a short time; we help them find strength to build upon for a transition to better days. At Wayside we work in partnership with many people who are expert in the fields of health and mental health but we continue to be on the frontline. In addition to the many people who present here to ask for help, there are many more that come, just to enjoy a “judgement free space” and there are some who come just to see if they can be of service to others.”

With your help I’d love to donate a giant box of these items and, in the process, kick start your efforts to control the clutter at home.

To donate: Simply post your items to Leslee Stroud, Order Matters, PO Box 1622, Lane Cove NSW 1595, Australia or if you are in Sydney email leslee@ordermatters.com.au to see if I can come to your area for a pick-up.

Here are five tips to help control the clutter and donate to your own favourite cause. Good luck!

1. Find a cause that’s close to your heart, it might make it easier to let go of that favourite t-shirt or book.
2. Remind yourself that it’s going to someone who will use and appreciate it more than you.
3. The general rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in 12 months, it’s unlikely you ever will.
4. Don’t donate stained, damaged or useless items. If you wouldn’t buy it yourself, don’t pass it on.
5. Ask what your chosen charity needs and if they can’t use your items do some research and find an organisation that does.

I was recently introduced to the Pomodoro Technique™. This time management technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s to improve his own study habits. He decided to challenge his powers of concentration using what he had at hand – a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato. That was the first Pomodoro (tomato in Italian). Since then it has been embraced by everyone from school children to executives.

The basics of the Pomodoro Technique™ can be split into five simple steps:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

All you need to make a start is a timer, piece of paper and pencil. All these tools and more are available to download FREE on the Pomodoro Technique™ website. You can also purchase a hard copy of the book, kit and Pomodoro timer and if you want to go high-tech, download the Pomodoro Technique™ App from the iTunes store.

What I love about this technique is that it’s simple, straight forward and able to be implemented immediately. Imagine being more productive and efficient than you thought possible!

Try this method and share your experience, or your own time management technique, by selecting ‘Add a comment’ at the top of this post.

1. Create a check list of equipment and provisions. Refer to it to help pack and before you move to each new destination to ensure nothing is left behind.
2. Travel light. Revisit your suitcase and take half the stuff you packed out. Chances are you will still have too much, but at least you will have lightened the load.
3. Show children, 7 years and older, how to pack and let them be responsible for their own packing and unpacking.
4. Frequent travellers can pre-pack their toiletries case and refill as needed so it’s always ready to go.
5. Scan and email yourself important documents and information you need access to while travelling eg. itinerary, passport, credit card details and contact numbers like transport services, local consulate and bank emergency numbers.
6. Upload important contact numbers to your mobile phone so they will be at your fingertips when you arrive.
7. When checking in to your accommodation unpack and set up zones like at home. Bathroom and wardrobe zones are easy, but also create reading, tourist info, snacks, play area and other zones to fit your needs. This will also help you find things and pack more efficiently.
8. Get your vehicle serviced and check camping or holiday equipment early to make time for any necessary repairs.
9. Be prepared for anything by packing a travel-sized first aid and sewing kit with all the basics. If you need special medication, always carry a current prescription.
10. Travelling overseas? Check your government travel website for current travel requirements, bulletins, warnings, health and travel tips.

Want to share your favourite tip to stay organised when travelling? Click ‘add a comment’ at the top of this post.

Thank you to PO’s Kerrie Davies and Roz Howland for their contribution to the list. Need to get organised in Queensland? Please contact them.

An entire week dedicated to organising. If there was ever a perfect time to start your organising project, this is it!

What’s On?

• On Tuesday, 7th September I will be at Officeworks Alexandria in Sydney, inviting you to “Ask an Organiser” as part of DYMO National Organising Week. Come between 10.00 am – 4.00 pm to get FREE and confidential organising advice and recommendations.
• Organising guru, The Oprah Winfrey Show regular and NOW Ambassador, Peter Walsh, will be in Sydney and Melbourne for appearances and FREE public seminars.
• Other Organisers are running a variety of activities including events, workshops, promotions, competitions and free advice in selected Officeworks stores and other locations.

Click here to find out more about DYMO National Organising Week, The Australasian Association of Professional Organisers (AAPO) and professional organising.

If there is anything we can help you with during National Organising Week, don’t hesitate to contact us!