Organize 365 Podcast

In this episode, I introduce you to Betsy B. who lives in Portland, OR with her husband, daughter, 2 dogs, and one snake. Betsy has listened to the podcast for 10 years. She was inspired over the years as I grew Organize 365® that she too could start a business. Betsy is a deep thinker and loved the long episodes that lasted as long as her housework. And she loved that they were chock-full of insights. Betsy is an interior designer so she really took to a recent episode (#601) about how homes used to be constructed and how they supported the style of life then. Betsy gets paid to repurpose those designs to support phases of life her clients are experiencing. The homes in Betsy's area usually do not have access to the backyard because people used to hang their laundry in their backyards. But now, we like to have get togethers in our backyards. Betsy joked about how the things she's learned are "baked into Betsy" and her saying to herself "that's because of Lisa." I've talked in the podcast about iterating your spaces for the phase of life you are in. Betsy iterates the structure and I help you to iterate your spaces. For example, Betsy's cabinet in her dining room has served as a place for her china, then as a craft station for her daughter, and now it's where Betsy likes to work and "that's because of Lisa." She iterated her space. We got into a discussion about remodeling spaces versus moving. It's a lot cheaper to remodel. Prices have gone up since the pandemic and we aren't returning to pre-2020 pricing. And still remodeling is cheaper than moving. Make your spaces work for you. I'm putting a second chandelier over my table and I'm not worried about resale. You know why? Because we aren't moving! We have made our house work for the phase of life we are in over the years. And then we hit the highlight of our conversation about checklists. Betsy struggles with adrenal fatigue. She has used the Organize 365® systems to efficiently use her energy. For their groceries, she simply wrote out a list of staple items, copied it, and there's a stack she pulls from before each trip to the grocery store and marks off the items they need. Betsy shared that she has more fun in her life now and added "obviously more time, peace, and space too." She can take part in the fun stuff because of her checklists. She externalized the executive functions to lower her cognitive load, thus making the fun seem possible. AND due to the lists she has created as she packs, her family can now help also lighten Betsy's cognitive load and energy required to do something like camping. The fun things don't seem so overwhelming. She's made it easy on herself with simple lists in page protectors and dry erase markers so they can reuse the lists. Betsy's advice is, "Start slow and keep it simple; just do that one thing. Go slowly if it's overwhelming. You don't need to make it complicated." EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® Home Planning Day The Paper Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Operational efficiency is where you get your time back. The Productive Home Solution® is a 52 week cadence to organize your home. I like to help change the thinking of our spaces about how we use them for our current phases of life. And with that in mind, some spaces can stay organized forever! I shared a few spaces that I want you to start thinking about differently and answered questions from you at the end. Can a Space Stay Organized Forever? Do you believe once you organize a space it could stay that way forever? Back in the day, Carol and I could walk into a storage space and reduce the amount of items by 50% in 90 minutes. How, you ask? We'd get rid of all those empty boxes for their tv, computers, phones, whatever. You will never need those boxes again. Then we'd toss broken items like furniture and electronics. Next, we'd install the HDX ventilated storage shelving with bins. We knew this worked, but why? Then it dawned on me, our storage spaces are like prepaid stores. You buy Christmas decorations once and get them out of your prepaid store each winter. Speaking of winter, we organize storage spaces in the winter because half of the stuff is out of the storage space at this time. This is also the time to toss things you no longer wish to use during the holidays. Once you tackle the storage space, it can stay organized forever with very little maintenance. The Largest Space The kitchen is one of the most used spaces in the home and efficiency is the name of the game for profitability and productivity. In The Productive Home Solution®, I challenge you to think about 21 specific areas within your kitchen. We set up stations like drink, baking, and lunch, as well as many others. And you will think about how your kitchen is being used for the phase of life your family is currently in. You will consider the staple items for your family. Remember, our homes are small businesses. And how do you stock this supply chain? This takes time! Three weeks at least, and then you will revisit it at least two more times as you go through The Productive Home Solution® again. Sadly, the first time you just won't get "done" organizing; I never want to be misleading about that. Give yourself time and grace. Remember, you are striving for excellence not perfection. The Order In Which You Organize Matters There is a rhythm and reason as to the 52 week cadence of The Productive Home Solution®. After organizing many homes, being in the education world, and running a business, there are certain energies I have observed that coincide with that 52 week cadence. You all want to do the instant gratification areas of organizing, but then get discouraged because they're lots of times communal spaces that don't stay organized. Or it's July and you are trying to organize your storage spaces; wrong energy. I call this Swiss Cheese Organizing. There's a link below to watch the webinar to better understand why your organizing probably isn't working. The Productive Home Solution® sets you up for success by following the natural energy we all feel at different times of the year. Lisa's Secret Sauce I believe my secret sauce is articulating what a functional home feels like, functions like, and looks like. That articulation comes in the form of all of the material in The Productive Home Solution®, a private podcast, planning days, your fellow classmates inside the program, and the Organize 365® community. Time capacity comes from planning. Space capacity comes from storage. And production capacity comes from knowing what's coming up around the corner. Join The Productive Home Solution® and experience Home Planning Day for the upcoming most productive 10 weeks of the year to have more time for you to do what you were uniquely created to do! EPISODE RESOURCES: Swiss Cheese Webinar The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Female Employee webinar. I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book! Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar Complete Home Organization Bundle Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Entrepreneur webinar. I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book! Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar Complete Home Organization Bundle Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Stay at Home Parent webinar. I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book! Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar Complete Home Organization Bundle Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Planning, planning, planning. Always planning, that's me. Greg asks if you can over plan and I just don't think so. As working women with children (or not), there is so much to consider and plan. That is what the Sunday Basket® does for you! Do you need to plan this much and have everything planned? No. But it will increase your intentionality and output. I talked about the idea of a train (momentum of productivity) that you can get moving; one for home and one for work. The idea is we can have it all, we can win at home and work through planning. Listen to episodes 570 and 571 to get the full explanation. How You Gain Time In my active parenting years while growing Organize 365®, I was driving kids, helping with homework, did 100% of the house duties, had my direct sales business, my parents got divorced, my dad passed and I helped settle his estate, and I was just plain out of time. I wanted to share some ways I looked at my time and realized how to reclaim it. After about three years growing Organize 365®, I just came home and abruptly announced, "I am no longer cooking or going to the grocery store." I gained time and we saved money. It didn't take long before Greg assumed those duties. About 3-6 years after that, I had learned CFO and COO skills and started to apply them at home. I became more efficient with my time and resources. I think my family assumed a magic fairy came in and cleaned the house. I'd clean while they were away and then I'd work at night, but then my family thought all I did was work. So I flipped the script. I worked during the day while they were at school/work and cleaned while they were home. But I realized I could get those cleaning hours to work on growing Organize 365®, so I hired out my cleaning. And sometimes you just delay a task and see how long you can go without doing it to understand a better cadence for completing those tasks. Maybe it doesn't need to be done as often as you thought. We are not going for perfection; the goal is excellence. I use my time very purposefully through lots and lots of planning. I eventually abdicated all of my responsibilities at work and home and that freed me up to complete my very own book tour in 2021. Organize 365® ran smoothly and so did my home. My trains were fueled up and knew the directions to go. Trimester Home Planning The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day is to help you plan, abdicate, and be intentional with your time to get your home train running smoothly. It's trimester planning, which is what I realized we need to do for homes because quarterly planning never made sense to me. I have found that it is most natural to plan in January, Summer, and Fall for our homes. And that is due to all the school years where we start school at the end of summer, we have a winter break, and then a summer break. There is a certain energy that flows with those breaks and time of year. And I found I really like to sink my teeth into some sort of meaty project that could potentially take up the whole trimester. I broke down my planning and execution process of these meaty projects and the S.M.A.R.T.I.E.S. goal planning I use in episodes 596-599. I schedule our planning days due to that natural cadence I learned in my school years that continued into my teaching years. For Planning Days, we really take a look at your current phase of life. We are getting down to the details so when life tries to derail us, we have accounted for that and we just keep chugging along. Planning Day is the way to make goals realistic and possible. I strongly recommend Planning Day Prep. In Planning Day Prep, you will fill in holidays, birthdays, and other important dates in the planner. You will update your Sunday Basket® and update labels for your Sunday Basket®. You can move archive papers from your Sunday Basket® to your binders. Then on Planning Day, you aren't distracted by trying to do those things while the webinar is in progress and you are all set up to execute the planning that comes from Planning Day. 8/24 Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day - 9 Steps (10-2pm EST live webinar) 1. Where are you in your current phase of life? 2. Time - 5 different ways you will look at it 3. Habits/Routines - AM, afternoon, and PM routines 4. Housework - Ideal cadence for laundry, cleaning, and meal planning 5. House Administration - Your Sunday Basket® 6. Plan - 3 years, 1 year, a project, 4 months 7. Detailed Week by Week Plan - To complete your meaty project 8. Detailed Weekly Agenda - Daily plan 9. Look at your time additional ways EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day with Lisa Home Planning Day Prep The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day with Lisa + Planning Day Prep Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Kailley S. who is a busy mom of 6 with number 7 on the way. Kailley has a dog, she's married and her dad recently moved in with them. In 2021, Kailley was looking for an organization podcast. We actually met at a homeschool convention in Cincinnati. At the time, Kailley was expecting the twins (who are now 10 months); now she's expecting again! Kailley is in the accumulation phase of life and discovered she actually is organized. She knows where things are but that's just it, there are so many things with 6 kids. She's learned she's functionally organized. She gave the example of moving cups lower so the kids could get their own cups (which she wanted) and they didn't have to climb on the countertops (which her husband wanted). She continues to iterate their spaces as their kids' needs as they change and grow (SMART-I-ES). Kailley used to go to her husband's business every Friday to watch the replay and process her Sunday Basket® while her mom would watch the kids. Sometimes Kailley and her husband even got to go out for a lunch date. But Kailley's mom's health worsened and she couldn't help on Fridays anymore. Unfortunately, her mother passed about 5 weeks before her twins were born. Kailley no longer took the time to process her Sunday Basket®, but she was still placing things in it for safekeeping. We pointed out at this point how important it is to know the phase of life you are in. Really busy phases of life may only allow for once a month processing. I know with the PhD right now, I am having to do my Sunday Basket® once a month. But organization is like riding a bike; the skill of organizing doesn't leave you. When you have small children under the age of 5, life is just chaotic. It's like once you get on a schedule, the kids change and the schedule is out the window! It's a time of life to give yourself grace. Speaking of grace, that's what Kailley wishes she would have known sooner. She was organized despite her spaces not being Pinterest perfect. We all need to give ourselves grace and not compare to others or what they are doing. This is something Kailley had struggled with in the past and the podcast reminded her of this lesson. Kailley homeschools her children, hosts a monthly co-op, and runs one of the ministries at church. Then Kailley added the twins as the holidays were approaching, her mother's passing, going through her parent's house, selling their house, and having her dad move in with them. Kailley's siblings were very helpful in going through and selling her parent's home. She purchased the Friday Workbox® for church and the Holiday Sunday Basket® Bundle too. Even with the addition of more Sunday Basket®s, she noticed all of them plus a laundry basket were overflowing. She's been able to declutter all the baskets and is ready to start a routine with the Sunday Basket® again. After all of that, she claims she feels like she is starting to catch her breath. It's the beginning of a new school year and she's got a plan in place for Fridays, with her older two going into work with her husband and her dad as the "manny" with the next three; she'll keep the baby. Kailley's advice is, "Don't let a perfect finish deter you from getting started. Start with just one small thing and often that leads to one more small thing. Before you know it, it's one big thing. Just do it!" EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I've said it before and I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, the Sunday Basket® is an essential operating system. Period. We are going to pull up our bootstraps and get prepared for the 10 most productive weeks of the year. We need to get home in order so we can get work in order. How do we do that? The Sunday Basket®. You had the summer to let your brain ooze and be relaxed on tasks, but now is the time to get back to organization and order. We are going to reset or start the Sunday Basket®, a system like no other. I have not found another system that can do what the Sunday Basket® can. Might I add, the Sunday Basket® is available for $179 right now! This is an easy and consistent way to keep overwhelm at bay. And when we are taking care of life, we have less negative self talk and more confidence. A Safe Place to Delay Decisions We delay decisions for many reasons. We get requests and ideas from ourselves, texts, DM's, emails, communication from our kids' schools and activities, friends, spouses, and work. They want answers but what if we say, "I'll get back to you on Sunday." One of the best reasons is that I find by the time Sunday comes, some of the decisions have been made or are no longer needing my attention. Also, when we see all the "demands for our time" at one time, we can prioritize and decide to commit or decline and pay or delay. It is a capacity creation machine! Holding Ideas and Projects Pink slash pockets are our friends. We have so many ideas and little time to do them, but we also don't want to forget. The biggest thing for me is scrolling through social media and seeing a cute idea or recipe for a holiday that has just passed or is too far away to get supplies and implement. Or when you see the perfect gift for someone's birthday or other holiday, you place the gift idea in their blue slash pocket! A Financial System for Your Family We just got done talking about how our homes are small businesses fueling the American economy. The Sunday Basket® acts as a financial system for your home. You need a place to keep track of monthly bills (some are autopay and some need manual paying), your budget, and of course, all things taxes. It's a great place to keep medical bills if you will be using them for your taxes, as well as investment documentation, and insurance. Two New Videos I have added two new videos to the Sunday Basket® Set Up in Organize 365®. The first video is paper organizing. I recorded a guest at one of my paper organizing retreats. We sorted all of her paper into active or archive papers - for your The Paper Solution® Binders. Turns out some archive papers were in her Sunday Basket® and that was slowing her down each week when she reviewed the slash pockets. Then, with her active paper, we turned it into her improved Sunday Basket®. We did it in 90 minutes, but I broke these down into smaller videos. And we reviewed the rule - If it can wait until Sunday, it must wait. The second video that is new is processing the Sunday Basket® start to finish. You see me do everything - print to do's, sort all the paper, label slash pockets, fill/review slash pockets in the Sunday Basket®, decide if projects and things for people can still wait, complete the tasks that must get done that week that aren't errands, plan the week on paper like meals, when I'll do my errands, and if I have any time to add a special project. There is a co-working time on Sundays at 5pm Eastern. The community is such an important aspect. You can process your Sunday Basket® while others do, too. You can ask questions, celebrate wins, and offer advice. Invest in the Sunday Basket® and gain thinking capacity and 5 hours of time each week through planning, delaying decisions, and peace of mind. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, Jennifer H. has returned with an update. The last time I talked to Jennifer in 2019, she was living with her husband in their home and she was excited that her home was to an organizational level that if she needed to have company, she could be ready in a short amount of time; she just needed to tidy up a little. Jennifer was on her 9th round of the 100 Days Program (now known as The Productive Home Solution®). Jennifer shared that the next thing that happened was downsizing her home and her mother-in-law's things so she, her husband, and her mother-in-law could all live in her mother-in-law's 3-bedroom ranch. Due to Jennifer's faith, empathetic conversations, and negotiations with her mother-in-law, the transition was pretty smooth. In April 2020, due to the pandemic, her mother-in-law went to live with her sister in Wichita, Kansas so they could go through all her things and get situated in her mother-in law's home. They wanted to make sure she was somewhere safe in the event the world shut down. In May, they moved in. Unfortunately, in June her mother-in-law suffered a stroke. And after care didn't go according to Jennifer's wishes. Jennifer appreciates that while the siblings don't always agree, they all keep saying yes to caring for their mom and moving forward together, having tough authentic conversations. We had such a great in depth conversation about how all of our families responded in different ways to the pandemic, the vaccines, and integrating into life again. And now that her brother has retired, he has moved in too! And Jennifer has acknowledged the season of life that she is in and she is the CEO of their home. And that has started a conversation between Jennifer and her husband about their next chapter and if it's time for them to move out. It's so important to keep asking "What do I want?" As life and roles change, the answer to that question will change. And the answer to that question will dictate your reaction. And Jennifer says when she asks herself this question, she just takes the next right step towards what she wants. We can't control others, we can only control ourselves. Reliving those experiences really had us looking at tough authentic conversations those events force us to have. Often if we are open to listening to the other person, we find we are saying the same thing, just using different language. Just because you ask a question does not mean you are judging. Not all those events went the way Jennifer would have liked and that brought us to intuition. It seems as though there are shifts in life that force us to look for new solutions. We use reflective learning to aid our intuition to guide us towards a solution and what we are going to do next. When we resonate with an idea, that is a green light to explore the opportunities in that solution. Now that Jennifer feels organized, she can explore her next steps. She is still teaching part time, but also practices Reiki in an office setting. She's following her intuition. Jennifer's advice is, "If you have been listening to the podcast and you are still struggling, hire one of the organizers on the app to help you. They are worth every dime. And putting yourself on your calendar is the only thing to help you reach your full potential." EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® The Paper Solution® The Paper Solution® Certified Organizer Directory Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Last week I talked about these large Presidential homes and why they were so big. But it also got me thinking about how they were run. Some had staff or slaves to help them, but some like John and Abigail Adams did not. Houses now aren't built or run like they used to be. Think About This Our homes are small businesses. By that I mean we, our homes, contribute to 68% of the economy. We buy food, clothes, and products to run and repair/improve our homes and function of daily life. Why don't we run our homes with strategic focus on our priorities instead of trying to equal out daily tasks that will never be done anyway? AI is coming for the house last. We need to be empowered by objectively looking at our homes as an economic unit; a small business. When we have that perspective, we will make better choices. We are managing our work life and our small business (our homes) and the cognitive load is too great. You need to learn to defer tasks so you are working on the most important task. Think, what needs to get done? By when? In what order? And what things, if they don't get done, are not going to be a big deal? The Household Manager Room I have always said the only reason I would consider building a new house would be to put the master bedroom on the main level and to finally get the household manager office I have dreamed about. We used to have this planning desk, but as I'm sure many of you have also experienced, it's not big enough. I want a whole room. So as I started to explain out loud all my organization and reasoning for where I have different papers for taxes, my project closets, Greg's memorabilia, Warrior MAMA Binders, my Sunday Basket®s, picture frames, and some of Grayson's stuff, it started to sound like a hot mess. I laughed, but in my head and on paper it's very organized. The only way I would improve their locations is to have this one room that the primary focus is to efficiently run my home. We should all be so lucky to have one space dedicated to the running of our homes. You Are the American Economy Our homes are like startups. Very little money in the beginning, but the systems help us to focus and eventually turn a profit. The less goals at one time that we are focused on, the more productive and profitable our economic unit will be. We need to have managerial mindsets. In our homes, we have finances and operations. No matter if it's just you, you are married, with kids, or even a multigenerational home. The focus is no longer divvying up tasks, it's productivity. You take a leadership stance. You can only control and change you and your mindset. Decide what you want to do and lead by example. Oddly enough, others usually follow suit and fill in the gaps. When I decided I was no longer grocery shopping and cooking, Greg stepped in and our "food life" is even better now. And keep in mind as our family's grow, our roles will change too. As your kids grow, instill chores or hire help. Just like in business, people quit and systems change; so will your small business. It's good to do an audit of your home every couple of years. And as a leader with goals in mind, decide how to move forward effectively, productively, and profitably. Going into the next 5 episodes, I want you to think about the systems you have in place and how they can make you productive from a leadership standpoint. And how to run your home through strategic planning instead of a reactive mode of just trying to even out the workload. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Julie C., mom of three boys and two dogs and a wife. In December 2019, Julie was starting to organize her office and thought, "There's no TV in this room, maybe I'll find a podcast to listen to." She was really drawn to the messages along with the teaching of the Organize 365® Podcast. Julie had previously tried the Freedom Filer® Filing System, but ended up confusing herself with it. That's when she implemented the Sunday Basket® and got her paper under control. Then when the unexpected event of a cancer diagnosis was received, Julie was able to lean on her Sunday Basket®. Julie's oldest son was a senior and she wanted to make sure his graduation celebration was perfect. Her family and friends were able to help her plans play out due to the organization of actionable items in the Sunday Basket®. I have noticed in my 50's, some of my friends have experienced a cancer diagnosis or a heart attack. These unexpected events throw life off kilter. This is usually when we realize we need to get all the info out of our heads and onto paper in the event people need to access accounts and such and we are not in a capacity to do so. Our team had a crazy fall last year and I did a 6- part series of the different events and how my staff was handling them; check out episodes 555 through 560 to hear all about them. We can't control much in these events, but the Sunday Basket® gives us peace of mind. And I mention that Julie being able to have peace of mind gave her the ability to rest, which is when our bodies repair and heal. Julie was also encouraged by the Organize 365® community, realizing others had been in her shoes and learning what they did. Once Julie was back to work, she attended the Friday Workbox® Planning Day sans the Friday Workbox®. I laughed, but Julie explained all the benefits she gained from simply planning. Like scheduling a workout, actually putting it on the schedule in her day. Julie has also acknowledged with her kids getting older, she has more time. Due to the podcast, she was inspired with all her extra time to go for her Doctorate in Education for Leadership and Healthcare. Now that she's planning to go back to school, she's also been evaluating cleaning in her house. We talked about how you can clean your house OR you can hire that out and use that time towards a project or something like going back to school. We also talked about the stigma that comes with hiring someone to clean your house. You could feel "holier than thou" OR you may consider how grateful that person is to work, which could be what they really enjoy, and the ability to make money for their family. Julie recently became a member of The Productive Home Solution® and appreciates The Paper Solution® Binders. It's so important to have the information documented and now in her Medical Binder for the future. And speaking of the future, she wants to get the Launch Binders for her boys. We talked about learning the skills of cleaning your home or other home management tasks. We often learn them in the dorms at college. But what if you don't attend college, then how do you learn? In either setting, we agreed the Launch Binder is the way to go to share common knowledge with your children as they embark on their independent adult journey. Julie's advice is, "Just get started. Lean on the system, it doesn't have to be 'done.' It's a journey, not an end product." EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Friday Workbox® Friday Workbox® Planning Day The Productive Home Solution® The Paper Solution® Launch Binder Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You guys know I'm a history nut and this episode is all about homes from the past and our current homes. I live in the purple state of Ohio. Fun fact, more Presidents have come from Ohio than any other state; 8 Presidents to be exact. I've toured Presidential homes in Ohio many times. I was even the greeter at Stan Hywet's home. It's so funny for me to think about homes in the late 1800's to early 1900's versus homes today and how we use them. And I absolutely drool over the libraries. These were successful people and successful people read. Homes in that time were multipurpose. They were large. Not for the sake of large rooms, but for the sake of having space for entertaining and working. It's so easy for us to forget how much harder things were in the past to travel, work, entertain, to just live! Eating If you stop and think about life in the 1800's to early 1900's, there weren't easy travel paths. There weren't restaurants, nor were there hotels. If you had guests, they were likely not there for just the afternoon. It's so interesting for me to think about the need for eating areas for workers, family, and formal entertaining spaces to have meals with guests. He even had a morning breakfast room! Meals were long, too. There wasn't tv, movie theaters, or public spaces to hang out. So long dinners it was. And due to the architecture of the homes, the guests never saw the kitchen or the other eating areas. The largest room would often be the entertaining space. Owners may have entertainment and the whole community would be invited. The talent would stay with the owners. Sleeping These homes were so large with so many rooms. On top of all of the entertaining and eating rooms, they needed to sleep. One of the President's homes had the owners' wing with bedrooms, another wing for live-in workers. There was a wing of rooms, kind of like a hotel for guests. Remember, guests were probably there for a week or longer and your workers lived there, too. Working The doctors, lawyers, and other professionals of that time didn't have big fancy offices they drove to each day. No, they worked from their home offices that usually had separate entrances. Some of the doctors had a secretary office that you would enter, then proceed to the doctor. I think the reality is we are all working from home nowadays. We all, well not Greg, but most have email on our phones or are checking on something at the office if you do have a brick and mortar you report to each day. Ponder Do our homes reflect how we use them? On the podcast years ago, I asked Jay Papasan, who co-wrote The One Thing, when did we get home manager offices in every home. He snickered and said architecture is the last thing to change, and that's granted we all agreed on what we want! That's why all of our homes are fairly similar to that of the 1950's, after the war. Until next week's episode, I want you to ponder some spaces in your home. I want you to think about your formal spaces and if you use that space often. Have you allocated space to an activity you don't do like entertain guests? Lots of times we meet at restaurants. So are you using your spaces effectively, functionally for your life today? Are you using your house functionally to eat, sleep, and work? EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mara D., mom of four boys and happily married up in Connecticut. Mara organized her closet the Marie Kondo way and felt lighter and brighter. Her friend planted a seed saying she should do that for others. But how? She searched for podcasts about starting an organization business and found the Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast. Mara loved that it really gave her direction on how to get started. We discovered we are both educated in the psychology world. There's a difference though between clinical and general psychology PhD's. I'm learning so much about psychology, but really I just want to do my own research in the future. I'll be focusing on positive psychology. I don't have an employer paying for me to do this or a grant to be approved for me. Once I get my PhD, I will be paying to do research for the sake of the general population. Clinical seems to be for the sake of diagnosis for insurance and medication purposes to get things back to normal. Mara was explaining the Sunday Basket® to all of her clients. When it came to paper, Organize 365® had the solutions. Some organizers may say it 's all digital, that you don't need the paper. But not in our capitalist society. I mean our birth certificates and social security cards are still on paper! And because we aren't a socialist country, our health information for example is not available to anyone. It's only available to the people we choose to provide care to us. So then Mara got to thinking, maybe I should experience the Sunday Basket® since I'm telling all of my clients about it. That was like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie because then she wanted to get Sunday Basket® Certified and The Paper Solution® Certified; she values The Paper Solution® Binders. Mara points out to her clients that the solution is you; you have to regularly process your Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket® allows you to budget your time like you do your money. When you budget, you proactively decide what resources, time or money, will be spent where and when. You are in charge instead of caught off guard and needing to be reactive. It also allows you to procrastinate on purpose. So often I find when I delay tasks, by the time they need to be completed that week, the task doesn't need to get done anymore. Someone else has completed the task, the deadline has moved, or requirements of that task have changed. So you may think you are working ahead when there is so much magic in just waiting. Mara now has more time as a result of planning, is consistent, and more patient with others because her to-do list is getting accomplished first allowing her to pour into others. She has more trust in herself to show up and have clarity in her goals. Mara's advice is, "Any system works if you think it, visualize it, and know your why. Visualize the look, the way you'll feel, and the functionality you desire. Then when you are deciding on items to keep, toss, or donate, the decisions will be much easier." EPISODE RESOURCES: Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® The Paper Solution® Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast Playlist The Paper Solution® Certification Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Some people say, "Lisa how do you do it ALL?" And some people hear all I'm doing and say, "Me too!" If you say "Me too!," you are going to love this episode because it's completely devoted to my process of planning. I share all my strategic thought process behind the days I have meetings to why I make time for the community on Fridays. I remember hearing, "If you want to grow a business, you must be consistent." I want to offer a consistent experience for the Organize 365® Community. The Inception of The Sunday Basket® I revisited the story of how the Sunday Basket® came to be. I had this 14" high stack of papers. Joey took really short naps. By the time I sifted through the paper stack and found an actionable thing to accomplish during his wink of sleep, he'd be awake again. So one night, when the kids were in bed and Greg said good night early, I sorted all that paper into 40 piles! I placed those 40 piles in separate folders and they all went in my Longaberger Basket. The next day when Joey laid down, I quickly pulled out one folder and got something accomplished. Reactive to Proactive Once the Sunday Basket® was proving to be effective for me, I started to enforce the rule of, "If it can wait until Sunday, then it must wait." Once I processed the basket I could make my weekly plan, my follow through. I have found the waiting to be magical! I was using one basket for home and work, but soon realized I should split them into their own boxes. And that's when I started moving faster, getting more done. So 6 years ago, I started manufacturing the official Sunday Basket®, designed to help the slash pockets stand up and color coded in colors that Organize 365® uses. I went into great detail of the evolution of Organize 365® and products in episodes 521 to 525. New Adult Planning Tools I look at my week that I am a CEO as Monday 8am to Thurs 8pm. And from Thursday 8pm to Monday 8am, I am a home manager. I shared how this is really working to my benefit. I was getting frustrated though that all the planners start the week with Sunday in the month view. I want to see Saturday and Sunday together. And I wasn't really sure where to document odd things that need to get done, like a baby gift for my hair dresser or ideas for social media for an episode that would not get published for weeks still. Where does one put that information? So I came up with three new products to help you plan. 2 Year Dated Planning Calendar (AKA "Lisa 2 Year Planner") This planner starts with Monday as the beginning of the week. It starts in July 2024 and goes through 2026. This planner will help everyone who plans out a period of time rather than details of a week or day; it's not a date book. Rainbow 52 Week Planner This planner has 6 rainbow colors vertically, in rows. I can plan out as far as I need to with this information that I used to not know where to write. The pages can be dated or kept blank. There are periods of time I use it and then the week of vacation I don't. Make it work for you. Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet It's a similar idea as the planner, but labeled one week at a time, or seven boxes horizontally. I use the pink row for social media ideas, the orange for all things podcasting, the yellow for new products; you get the idea. There are seven boxes but you do not need to acknowledge the week day. You can view it as seven items to plan and implement. You can color code your family for needs and activities or a student for their subjects in school. And it matches the Lisa School Binder from the Kids Program! All this planning in the name of staying consistent, also known as your follow through. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Friday Workbox® 2 Year Dated Planning Calendar Rainbow 52 Week Planner Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet Lisa School Binder Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Allie H. Allie is a busy lady being an Assistant Professor, pursuing her PhD, taking care of her four children (currently ages 9,7,5,2), and being married to her supportive husband. Allie wanted to change her negative self talk about her home and her life. She'd been following Sarah Hart Unger's blog and she talked about me and Organize 365®. Allie first found Organize 365® through the podcast. What Allie found in listening to the podcast was organizational advice that was applicable in our busy lives, but also about how to have a positive mindset. She loved that when she finished each episode there was an actionable task. This was specifically helpful as Allie transitioned from young adult to her own, more mature, family. Since she'd been listening to the podcast, when she got her Sunday Basket® she knew what the colored slash pockets were for. She used pink to dream and much to my suprise, after just having her 4th child and getting ready to return to work, she threw in "Learn Italian." I guess leading by example I have taught you people well to dream! I shared that I love travel and looking back to 2015 it was a dream of mine then that is now starting to come true. And Allie knew it may not be right away, but she dreamed of learning Italian because she is Italian. Also, this goes to show the capacity that is in all of us. Allie pointed out that when we dream and then fulfill those dreams, we are filling up our cups to keep pouring into our families and careers. Allie made a makeshift Financial Binder and put all the important papers in there. When she needed her son Henry's birth certificate, she knew right where to look. She expressed how much time the products and systems save her as well as her cognitive load. And at work she uses her Friday Workbox® to keep all documentation of her accomplishments for the year because the university she teaches at requires that. It's also a safe holding place for her CEU's and other certificates. Her students know of it, too. When they finish a lab with results, they suggest placing it in the Friday Workbox® to have for the next time they do that lab or a similar one. Allie pointed out that due to the size of the Friday Workbox®, it's easy to leave at work or bring home and it keeps her from retaining too much paper. With Allie being successful in her career, a thriving family, her lack of negative self talk, and two hours free most nights, it prompted a conversation about capacity. We are told this lie that you can't have it all and do it all well. But we humans have so much capacity when systems are in place. Don't feel bad for wanting more; we can do more than we think! Allie, being a teacher, is home for the summers. Allie shared that this summer she made a checklist of activities so next summer she's not starting from scratch with ideas to entertain her four children. And I slipped in a couple of little tips. Once I complete taxes or fill out school paperwork for my children, I always ask myself, "Am I going to have to do this again?" If the answer is yes, I make copies of the filled in paperwork or I make a checklist for ease next time. Also for ease, I make a note to myself when running errands or traveling if I need to put more diapers in the diaper bag or fill up the shampoo. That way when I get home, I fill up whatever it was and then I'm set for the next time I travel. Allie's advice is, "Listen to the podcast, take it in, and decide what are a few things you can implement. Also progress over perfection. We don't need to be perfect, but nice and good people that are happy." Often times we get to see the after but we don't see the "doing." It's in the doing part we get to functional organization, not picture perfect, which results in confidence and happiness. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

110% actually came from my team one season. They expressed that they wanted to get the Binders updated. They said they wanted to get them to 110% with no errors, with enough room in all sections, and add sections the community had suggested. I was more than happy to "grant this wish" and I want this for your summer meaty projects too. But you all know I do not talk about perfection so what does 110% look like for each of the projects I've been focusing on? EASE E. in S.M.A.R.T.I.E.S. stands for (E)ase. If this is the first time you are organizing an area or you are new to one of the Workboxes, that's enough this time; you're done. You will need to use the product or space before you understand how you can improve the ease of your systems. When you revisit an area is when you can strive towards the ease 110% will allow in your life. Teacher Workbox: You could revisit Teacher Camp, make better checklists, and improve systems for an easier school year coming up. Paper: Now is the time to start to create cadences for updating your binders. I keep a slash pocket in my Sunday Basket® "for binders." Once a year, I place updated paperwork in the binders and weed out old paperwork. I tend to do the Financial Binder around tax time, the Household Reference Binder in spring, the Launch & Warrior MAMA Binder in summer, and the Household Operations Binder in October/November. Health: Create a cadence for meal prepping and stocking your pantry with what you need to support this new goal. Do the Productivity & Profitability Blitz and Kitchen section from The Productive Home Solution®. Personal: This section is not as easy but it will make you feel lighter to get to 110%. When you have backups of all the products you use, you will experience ease. You may decide now is the time you are going to switch it all up. Find what you want to be using and then make sure you have back ups. I know this can be spendy but I offered a solution in this episode. You could also do Embrace to get yourself to 110%. And then you can use the Back to School Blitz for yourself and your personal supplies. Kids: After your children are 5, you can update their spaces about every three years. They grow and change in three years - you'll know when it's time. And then when they are following the Kids Program for Saturdays and Sundays, you'll definitely experience ease. Family Spaces: I'm all about a little help! But what I found as a professional organizer was once the job was completed, the homeowner was often looking for a housekeeper. And I really support this because, you will stay tidy for a housekeeper. They will come in and do all the deep cleaning, but you will more likely put things in their place before the housekeeper comes so they can do their job. And that will help you to maintain your organizational systems. Remember, you need to complete the space or product once, use it for a while (like a year maybe) or maybe third time going through that space, then you'll have ideas on how to take it to 110% and iterate to experience ease. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Friday Workbox® Teacher Friday Workbox® (includes Teacher Camp) The Paper Solution® Launch Binder Warrior MAMA Binder Kitchen Productivity & Profitability Blitz The Productive Home Solution Embrace Self-Guided Retreat Back to School Blitz Kids Program Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mechelle, married and mother of two. Mechelle found Organize 365® in 2019 through the podcast. One day while on a walk with her friends, she asked "Do any of you know someone who talks about running their home like a business?" She'd been looking for a podcast and then she fell in love with yours truly. She loves all the support and positivity. Mechelle said she starts almost everyday listening to something from our social media or the podcast. She listened for a while and then started investing in products. She nailed down which products she wanted to purchase after a call with Emily. Mechelle has systems in place that are helping her to run her home like a business. So it doesn't throw her off to have unexpected company - she's comfortable with the functionality of her home, she knows it does not need to look "showing ready" at all times. Mechelle appreciates the podcast so much because she said her husband Aaron is very much like me. One day on a cruise ship he got an idea. Hours off of the boat he's showing a mock up drawing of the tool. And days later he had a physical product in his hands. It wasn't in the marketplace so he made sure it was. Stop dusting and start inventing! As women we are told we can't have it all - you can't have work life balance. Yes, you can! We need to refocus the priorities. You don't actually need to dust every week! We are also told we need to have our houses kept to unrealistic standards. With the right systems in place you can increase capacity to get more done. And when you are getting more done, you just may realize new products that you'd like to have that aren't in the marketplace. That's the time to invent it! We laughed over Organize 365® and the requests we have made to software designers, eyebrows we have raised, and products that have been invented to aid in these systems that make us so productive. We, the Organize 365® community, are almost collaboratively working towards this handbook for the home. It took Mechelle about 2-3 years to effectively be using the systems. The first round was like a baby walking. When they fall down, we laugh with them and encourage them to keep going. She gave herself grace and just kept going. The second round she was able to put planning day into action. She kept listening to the podcast and growing. She's put effort into areas of her life like health, creativity, spirituality, relationships and currency. She's gained the perspective of spending her time like her money which has resulted in capacity, energy, and freedom. The dailiness of our homes is a never ending story with responsibilities shifting due to our phase of life. Remember I. in S.M.A.R.T.I.E.S. is (I)terative. You just have to keep each space functional for the phase of life you are in. And Mechelle has been doing that. Mechelle's advice is, "Listen to the podcast and see what speaks to your heart, then reach out to customer service and discuss goals, and then start with the Sunday Basket® (out of head and onto paper). " EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® Home Planning Day The Paper Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

We have dissected S.M.A. from our home organizing acronym, S.M.A.R.T.I.E.S. You know what (S)pace you are organizing. You know at the end of the day the functional feeling will be your indicator that you have accomplished 80% organization ((M)easurable). And the (A)esthetics we know are not going to be like a magazine, but it could have a country french flair or whatever design you like. We are moving onto (R)eactive to proactive, (T)hings in place, and (I)terative today. Let's look at the six categories I've been using as examples… Teacher R- You are going to go through last year's paper and see if you still need any of it. T- Teacher camp, you can attend a replay and get going right now or catch it live the first two weeks of July to get systems in place. Organizing Your Paper R- If you have a chunk of time, put all the paper in one place. Then sort for keep, shred, or recycle. T- Once you have your organized paper piles, actionable paper goes in the Sunday Basket® and reference paper goes in the binders. Organizing Your Health Journey R- Do a total clean out of the pantry and fridge. Toss all food that no longer supports your health goals. Important to restock with food that does provide the health you are looking to accomplish. This is a good time to revisit your recipes. T- 15 minutes a day which could be one drawer at a time. You can do 15 minutes back to back too, but keep the tasks small so if you get interrupted you don't have a big mess in the kitchen. Personal Development/Personal Spaces R- Get rid of 20-30% of your closet. Our bodies are constantly changing and your wardrobe may be from before kids or a full time job and now you stay home. I have suits in my closet that I don't wear, but I keep them because they remind me where I am going, so they are aspirational. It's ok to keep things like that. And it's ok to slowly replace your wardrobe. You'll go through it at least 3 times so you can weed out and add as you go . T- My big special thing I did was black flocked hangers. Is there something fun to help you organize? Getting Your Kids Organized R- Only keep the things that are relevant to their age and phase of life. T- A cube system or bookshelf helps you and the child to have defined spaces. Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces R- You are fighting the tide of memories in this space. Try to remove the items you think you want gone. If you don't miss them, then they weren't serving the space and you can choose to store or donate them. T- Be honest with yourself. Are the things in that space serving your family in the current life phase you are in? And (I)terative, this is a step that does not need explaining for each step. You will know it's time to iterate when you look around and you are no longer happy walking into that space. When yester-year's project and today's project are still out, that could be a sign the family has changed. Maybe you no longer have elementary aged kids, maybe you moved, but something has changed and you need to iterate to make the space functional for your current phase of life. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Teacher Friday Workbox® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Kids Program Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, we are joined once again by the fabulous Rhonda H. You may remember Rhonda from last year on the podcast; she has been part of the community for a long time. Rhonda will be working with us in the fall with the Homeschool Friday Workbox®. Rhonda has every Organize 365® product you can imagine and recently she decided to do Embrace again. The first time Rhonda did Embrace was in 2022. Due to life circumstances, she couldn't take action on much and her family still very much needed her. She would watch the videos before bed and write a few things down. It was at this time that she decided to get The Paper Solution® Certification. She went on a feeling of knowing that's what she wanted to do, but didn't know the "how" yet. It was a small step she could take in the direction she wanted to go. It was important for Rhonda not to be discouraged by the stage of life she was in, rather to take small steps towards who she wanted to become. THIS time though…Rhonda has been able to take a much deeper dive! She's attentively listening, taking notes, reflecting, and collaborating with other women from the community. It started with her and two other ladies that got certified at the same time as Rhonda. When others in the Organize 365® community heard what they were doing, they asked to join. Of course, Rhonda and the other ladies were happy to invite them in. As women, the complexities of our lives are constantly changing. Embrace gives you a chance to stop and think about where you are now and where you want to go. Be in community and learn from each other who may have faced the same challenges or phases of life and encourage one another as we all figure out our next steps. The Embrace experience is like middle school camp. There's costumes, music, but most importantly, a lesson wrapped into each video. There are thought-provoking ideas for you to think about and explore. What roles can you not be replaced in? What do you want? What are the skills you have acquired over life? What are you uniquely created to do? Who do you want to be? It's a progressive program that helps you to dream and then reel it back based on real life limitations. It continues to stretch you to dream and realize how that could all play out in the long run. It's healthy empowerment, dreaming with a little tough love and reality. And if this is the meaty project you took on this summer or if you do Embrace, go listen to the playlist on Spotify. Keep it top of mind while you are driving and ponder that question of "What do you want?" This is a perfect reason to get a hotel room for a night or two and really take time for you; undistracted time to think and reflect and really dig into you can make a plan for your next chapter. Rhonda's advice is, "Do Embrace even if you are repeating it. Get the fun add on's and get a group together. You will get more out of it because you are in a different phase of life than you were the last time you did it!" EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Embrace Self-Guided Retreat The Paper Solution® Certification Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Don't Start Touching Things…First VIS-U-AL-IZATION Start with the end in mind. We do this in our paid work, but now we need to do it for our meaty project. I know it's so exciting when you have all your supplies. But to be most effective, I want you to have a meaningful start. When you are done, come Labor Day, how does it look? AND how does it function? Will it effectively support you during the upcoming most productive weeks out of the year? Teacher When you think about going to school, how do you envision the Teacher Friday Workbox® effectively helping you with your administrative tasks? Compile the paper and slash pockets you need to make it a reality. Maybe set up a table in the corner of a room as your project station for the summer. Communicate with your family and remind them about planned neglect. Organizing Your Paper The first few steps are very much like starting the Teacher Friday Workbox®. And you get to start once you have time blocked out on your calendar. How much paper will you go through at time? Starting a Sunday Basket®? Consider the Paper Organizing Retreat or hire a professional paper organizer to help. And then plan it on your calendar. Organizing Your Health Journey When spaces are modified to support goals, goals are more likely achieved. Again visualize how the kitchen will best support your new goals. If it's losing weight, visualize how you want it to look. I know I'm looking forward to a half full refrigerator and replacing some items I will hand down to Abby and getting some new ones I have my eye on. Personal Development/Personal Spaces Reflect! This is time you are setting aside to reflect on who you are and what you want. I strongly encourage you to attend Embrace. I'd start there because you may find you want to do something different than before Embrace. This is also a time to think about your wants. It's not like "I deserve this." No, maybe you have wanted something and everyone else has their needs met…go ahead and dream. And if it's in the budget, get it! What do you want your life to look like? Getting Your Kids Organized Dream with your kiddos how their rooms could look. Consider your budget and make a plan. I noticed I did this about every three years. Your kids have grown and are now different people. Make sure you know how you will do it because once you tell them they will want to start tomorrow! Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces Just visualize functionality. I remember this lady who had a perfect home and when a magazine came to take pictures, they replaced some of her decor! It was in that moment that I realized even perfect isn't perfect. These are communal spaces and they will not stay organized long at all. This is the first floor of a two story home. Plan it out on your calendar when you will do each room and in what order. Focus Since this is your summer long project, I want you thinking about it all the time. On the way to the grocery store you may have a great idea come to you; write it down. And the next time you get 5 minutes or 3 hours, you can implement that idea! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Teacher Friday Workbox® Paper Organizing Retreat The Productive Home Solution® Embrace Self-Guided Retreat Kids Program Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Now that you know all about Annie, it's time to learn about her Teacher Pilot. Annie was part of the Teacher Friday Workbox® Mastermind. And she had lots of ideas. So when I put feelers out to see who wanted to run a pilot, Annie raised her hand high. Annie had been using the Teacher Friday Workbox® and she wasn't shy about it. When Annie's school hosted a "choose your own adventure" personal development day, Annie offered to teach about organization and the Teacher Friday Workbox®. From there, interest grew and we were able to narrow down our pilot participants. I think everyone is in agreement that while massages are nice, to give yourself peace of mind and ease at work feels more like self care! I went on a little sidebar about self care. Self care is such a buzz word among Annie and her peers. But what actually provides long lasting self care? You know, child care and elder care is noted because someone else has to administer that care. But self care, you are the one administering it and it too needs to be done daily. But it's invisible. Self care is not "in addition to," but it should be baseline - like we all need daily self care! The lucky kindergarten and 5th grade teachers would be the grades piloting implementing the Teacher Friday Workbox®. And one of Annie's 4th grade teachers got to sneak into the program too. At the beginning of the pilot, Annie asked each participant to give 10 sentences about how they felt about their current organization and hopes of the program. They got training on how to set up the box and systems. Annie offered additional training throughout the year and during one of their personal development days, she offered for them to see how she had her Teacher Friday Workbox® set up. Annie asked for feedback in February too so she could see their progress. They all said that was extremely helpful. As we saw in Jayme's pilot, each teacher implemented the Teacher Friday Workbox® in different ways. The teachers all want to stay in the pilot and continue to report their wins. Annie noticed it took her three years to hit that sweet spot and she assumes it will for her colleagues too. The overall feedback though was gratitude for this solution. They are excited, even asking for training over summer. Annie agreed and reminded them they also get to attend Teacher Camp coming up in July!! Let's face it: Teachers are not digital and we need to offer non-digital solutions to promote teacher retention. I know this is a big ask. But at the end of the day when we meet the needs of our teachers, they will meet the needs of our students. When you move forward with the Teacher Friday Workbox® for your teachers, make sure to provide time for them to effectively learn how to use the Teacher Friday Workbox® and customize it for their classrooms. EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Alright, we're at step one of the meaty project you have decided on. We're talking prep. We need to wrap our minds around what we are doing, when we are doing it, and our budget. Declutter You may already have some stuff in mind that you have been wanting to get rid of but got held up not knowing what to do with it. I say give it away, donate to donation centers that will recycle or resale the items. Or trash it. Many companies will come out and pick up large items, or get a dumpster and fill it up to your heart's content. And of course, you need to set time aside on your calendar to complete this decluttering. You must be intentional. Prep We talked about this in the last episode. Decide on your budget and get your supplies. I always say buy in advance what you think you will need. We are planning this project to be done in August so…save your receipts in the back of the slash pocket you used to plan this project. With supplies on hand, you can stay in that project energy. At the end, return the items you didn't use. And prepare your family. Let them know your planned neglect tactics you will be practicing. And let them know your timeline and what to expect! Teachers - Getting organized and ready for the most productive fall Declutter: Your classroom and Teacher Workbox before you leave for summer. Prep: Your calendar and block off Teacher Camp and try to join us live; such great energy to be surrounded by. Organizing Your Paper Declutter: Decide when and how much you will go through at a time and designate where the keep pile will go. Prep: Block off the Paper Retreat or seek out the local help of a professional paper organizer. Organizing Your Health Journey Declutter: Toss all expired items (also consider vitamins) or items that do not support your health journey, from your pantry and refrigerator. And declutter the kitchen - Revisit The Productive Home Solution® section for the Kitchen. Prep: Schedule time daily to track in an app or plan the day for success. Personal Development/Personal Spaces Declutter: Daily plan for 15-30 min to declutter personal spaces. AM? PM? When is best for you? Prep: Sign up for Embrace and try your hardest to join us live! Getting Your Kids Organized Declutter: Go through the Kids Program. Kids stuff sells so consider a garage sale within two weeks of hearing this podcast!! Prep: This is kind of declutter and prep together. But as you get through the Kids Program, you can buy clothes once the closet is decluttered, buy paint once another section has been watched and implemented. You get the idea. You could put together a fun calendar for your kids to follow along with the plan. Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces Declutter: Let your family know your plan and what to expect. This may be the project to call in Junk King. They'll come into your home and remove any items for you that you have delayed tossing for this reason - you needed muscles LOL Prep: Decide what is no longer serving you and your home. Plan the time on your calendar when you will complete this task. I know, we didn't even start! LOL!! Next week we will begin all the fun now that we are decluttered and prepped!! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Teacher Friday Workbox® Paper Organizing Retreat The Productive Home Solution® Embrace Self-Guided Retreat Kids Program Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I'm so excited to share another educator that is helping other teachers learn about organization for retention and enjoyment in their educational careers. Annie discovered Organize 365® in 2019 through the podcast. Annie comes from a long line of paper pilers. She prides herself on how organized she was in college but once she got married and settled an estate, she too started paper piles everywhere. She loved the idea of the Sunday Basket® and made one of her own; that lasted 8 weeks. And 2 short weeks later, she was all access! What we noted from her listening to the podcast before having the products, it's like you have the time to let the information sink in. You build the habit before making any purchases. This is so common with our podcast listeners. Annie and I agreed how the paper can get out of control when you add others into your life. She spoke to the passing of her mom. Her mom knew where stuff was, but once she had passed her father did not. And the great man that her father was, he too was a fan of paper. He never owned a computer during the time of running his business so you can imagine all the paper Annie got to organize! Annie spoke to the benefits of the Financial Binder and while we agree it's a little morbid to put together, it's an act of love you can give to someone who may have to settle your affairs once you are gone. If you too struggle with asking, you can use my famous line "100 years from now, If I needed this…" Annie is thankful for the time she has gotten to focus on her side career. She is a professional organizer, too. A lot of times people learn to organize for themselves and can't help but to want to share it with others. Annie was perfectly content in her teaching career and life but couldn't help organizing people on the side. She is so rewarded seeing other adults gain confidence through organization. She can also see how all the small changes she's made over the years have added up to big changes in her marriage and home. She can remember when she got down to just one junk drawer and got rid of bags of her clothes. Now when she goes into her closet, all of her clothes feel good to her. That was when she realized she was organized! She wishes she would have implemented progress over perfection from the beginning. Annie likes things to be perfect, but she now has an appreciation for moving forward instead of being stuck in analysis paralysis. We talked about what seems to be 3 year blocks of time; about 3 years to get organized, about 3 years to focus on your health, and about 3 years to set goals and understand how to tackle them. And then watch out world - they become unstoppable! Organization and your next project are waiting for you, too. If you are hesitant, I want you to ask yourself, "If not me, then who?" And "If not now, then when?" EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® Financial Binder The Paper Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Alright, alright…you have put all your project ideas in your Sunday Basket®. You have identified your extended Sunday Basket® areas for larger items, like a mattress for an upcoming project. And you have said yes, I enjoy completing projects here, like me working on projects on my bed. And we took a hot minute to think through our paid employment so that, as we work on this meaty project, work will be chugging along to set us up for the most productive time of year once summer is over. I know you are saying, "Yes, but Lisa, WHAT is the project?" SMART vs. SMARTIES Accomplishing goals at work and/or at school happens naturally. But when it comes to accomplishing goals at home, it just doesn't seem to work the same way. The tool that we commonly use for goal setting is the SMART goal. I explained why SMART goals are great for work and school, but will leave you feeling defeated at home. Just in time for summer, I have a new goal setting tool for you to use at home and it's called the SMARTIES goal. This was not a short episode and that is because I wanted to really explain this new way of setting a goal for your meaty project. S is for Space, the room or person ( ie a child) you are organizing. M is still for Measurable, but it's a feeling we are measuring. Is your space functionally working and are you feeling organized? A is for upgrading the Aesthetics within your budgets, like a gallon of paint or cubes to put your cereal bags in. No one is being given this idea of a room full of new furniture and finishings. R is for learning skills to go from Reactive to proactive in your life. T is for Time order, not timeline. The date is not as important as the time needed to complete this project. It's going to take the amount of time it takes! I is for Iterative. This space you are choosing to conquer will never be finished because the people using the space will continue to grow and need different things in that space. E is for Ease, deep sigh…no guilt, no judgment, no unrealistic timelines. Once you learn organization, you'll have ease in these projects. And finally, S is for Share! Lots of times, once you get the hang of organizing you want to do it for your family and friends. Feel free to share these resources with them. And hop into the community and share what you have been doing. You may give someone an idea or get one yourself! Choose That Meaty Project (detailed explanation in the second half of this episode) Career Goals - Getting organized and ready for the most productive fall Getting Your Kids/Family Organized Organizing Your Paper or a Loved One's Paper Organizing Your Health Journey Personal Reflection and Leaning Into What You Were Uniquely Created To Do Organizing Your Personal Spaces Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces I'm excited to cheer you on this summer as you pick a meaty summer goal! Use my free SMARTIES goal printable and get ready to listen to the podcast this summer as you organize and tackle your summer goal. Let's do this! EPISODE RESOURCES: SMARTIES Goal Printable The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Anna feels so strongly that the Teacher Friday Workbox® is the solution to ease the overwhelm and increase teacher retention, she created a course in the formal setting of a university. She's here today to give a peek inside the course. She knew based on her previous life in the education world that not all courses qualify to be reimbursed. There needs to be a focus on how the student would benefit from the teacher completing this course. Proactively, she knew to include SEL (social and emotional learning) standards. SEL being included makes the course even more attractive to those that would be approving reimbursement because schools are starting to require these skills to be taught, but there isn't a lot of material out there for teachers yet. AND in this course, Anna provides lesson plans for the teachers enrolled in this course. We alluded to schools having funds that were for personal development. And they are Region 10 from Covid funds and in schools that have innovation as one of their core objectives; you can access funds earmarked for innovation workforce readiness in either essential or soft skills. Schools will reimburse for 60%-100% once you produce your transcript. Anna took time in this episode to read the course description. She was sure to stress the importance of learning organizational systems to support executive function. It explains how teachers will learn how to streamline their administrative tasks. And then she went over the modules. Module 1 is getting started and an introduction from yours truly. In Module 2, there will be a focus on ADHD for students and teachers and you get to listen to the ADHD podcast. Module 3 is so much fun as you set up your workbox, label your slash pockets, and dive into the app. Module 4 is learning how to support students' organizational skills and learn about the Lisa Binder; this is the module with the lesson plans helping students to develop SEL standards like self management competency. The last module will reiterate the importance of practicing all the skills and systems you have been taught. Curious? We tried to anticipate some questions you may be having and we want to put your curious mind at ease. I can't recap them all so you will definitely want to listen to the full episode. Yes, you can take advantage of this course if you have the Teacher Friday Workbox® already. You'll be lucky enough to have two workboxes AND the graduate credits plus all the other goodies. You can simply take just this one course through Ashland University. If you have existing products with Organize 365®, all products will be consolidated in one account. This is a work at your own pace course so you can be creative as to how and when you complete course work. This will be an evergreen course offered multiple times during the year. Anna is conducting surveys before and after the course. We cannot wait to see the results, share them with you, and continue to improve the course. Now go get registered! Managing Executive Functions with the Teacher Workbox Course $900 3 graduate credits once you complete the course and transcript Teacher Workbox to set up and keep Lifetime Access to online community Weekly Co Working Sessions 5 Day Teacher Camp (there is a replay) Last day to register for this specific course is 7/1/2024 EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Managing Executive Functions with the Teacher Workbox (Ashland University) Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

It's summertime! Time to put on some sunscreen, let your hair down and get relaxed, right? Wrong! People, you need to plan what you are doing in business because everyone else has that summer mentality. Let me tell you, summer will be over before you know it. But with a little planning, you will be ready for the most productive weeks that come after summer. Summer, Summer, Summertime… Why does summer go so fast? I'll tell you why…because in May/beginning of June it's almost like we exhale from the school year in anticipation of all the summer fun. And the Bermuda Triangle we call July. The first week everyone basically has off or takes off mentally anyway. It's hot and our energy is zapped. August comes around with back to school. If you have school age children just be forewarned, life will not return to some normalcy until September. Summer is when we take advantage of our PTO and making memories with our families. Be Purposeful With everyone here and there, you'll be lucky to have a full meeting. It's a hard time of year for hiring and/or growing your team in skills and mindset. Just reserve yourself to the fact that summer is a good time to work on YOU! If you are a business owner (but also applicable to your position in your company), I would suggest for all summer production to be planned and accounted for by June 1st. We do offer a Friday Workbox® Planning Day on June 7th so it's not too late to get a plan in place if this is the first time you are considering this. This way you have peace of mind that projects will get done at work so you can get projects done at home; and this will apply to your staff, too. If you are organized in the summer, the pay off is profitability and productivity in the fall. Don't forget the Friday Workbox®. I did a quick rundown of the colors and what you could be planning within each slash pocket. Pink is for all your ideas, personal development, and research and development. We'll focus on the pink work for Friday Workbox® Planning Day. Purple is for your projects. Projects have dollar amounts and deadlines attached to them like client work or new products that will be launching. I strongly caution you to only pick one to two projects in summer. Blue is for people such as your employees, contractors, vendors, excluding the end user or your customers. And green is for finances and your admin tasks. This is also where you would have your checklists. The Value of a Checklist The good ole checklist. A little tough love here, make sure you are putting tasks on it that are important and that you would not already complete on auto pilot. Checklists are what you are doing and a good indication of what could be handed off. As your company grows, you can use those checklists like job descriptions. Your checklists will point towards the position you need to hire next and what they will be doing. And as people resign, and as business changes and evolves, you will need to evaluate if that checklist still needs to be done or can some tasks be eliminated and the rest handed off to another employee/contractor. When it comes to your checklists, I want you to ask yourself two questions. If this checklist didn't get done, what would happen? If someone else does this checklist, what would I do with all the time that would move the company forward? Now that we know work will be taken care of, join me next week as I discuss how to choose this meaty summer project you have been waiting to sink your teeth into! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Friday Workbox® Friday Workbox® Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Anna is back and we're talking all about the white paper Anna created for the Teacher Friday Workbox®. When Anna came to me with this pink sparkly box of Teacher Friday Workbox® opportunities, I wanted to talk shop. Anna was almost done with her EED and I am still very much tied up with the PhD. So it was a win-win to have Anna complete a white paper. It is so interesting that there is literature and media supporting what I have been saying all along. Anna's supportive data came from her EED education and mine is coming from my PhD education. Anna shared that for the school year 2023-24, Tennessee reported 3.900 teacher vacancies and Virginia reported 3.9% of teacher positions were not filled. There is a real teacher retention problem and with the help of Anna (and don't forget Jayme!), we are out to shine light on the issues and increase teacher retention. There IS Money There is personal development money schools can be using that is not earmarked for the operations of or in the buildings. Schools have these funds and aren't always sure how or where to spend them. Yes, you can offer self care like maybe a massage day for the teachers, but it's a temporary fix. Give the teachers a raise! But that is costly to an already dwindling budget. An easy answer will be the Friday Workbox® or the course from Ashland University that rewards them with CEU's. How Does The Teacher Friday Workbox® Actually Help Educators So how is the Teacher Friday Workbox® like self care? Most of you have heard on the podcast that a lot of teachers have purchased the Teacher Friday Workbox® on their own. They were looking for a solution and treated themselves to organization. As the number of tasks go up, so does the teacher's burnout level. A person needs to see the work before they can start to strategize a solution. The Teacher Friday Workbox® helps to identify all the invisible tasks. Then teachers can decide if they need to eliminate, delegate, or plan for each task. Task Switching We have all heard the stats about how costly in time it is to constantly be switching between tasks. The Teacher Friday Workbox® helps you to identify tasks in similar categories (the task specific slash pockets). When you pull out an IEP for a specific student, you can focus on all the tasks needed to be completed for that one student. Our brain likes this focus on one task and stress is reduced. Reduce Cognitive Load on Working Memory Color coding is so productive for our brains. And I know I have nerded out about the connection in the brain when we write things down. That activity of pen to paper is so impactful on our brains and with recall. Cue the index cards. You write everything down. You don't stress over remembering what you are trying to remember. The Teacher Friday Workbox® allows you to use your brain as a brain and not a filing cabinet. Community When Anna really stopped to think about what teachers needed in a resource that could decrease burnout …it was the Teacher Friday Workbox®! She also pointed out the value of community that you get. It's nice to have positive voices outside of your building. It's nice to see what others are struggling with as well as celebrating wins. AND it's private from parents and students. It's a safe space for all things teaching. What is included in the Teacher Friday Workbox®? Red Workbox (roughly the size of a watermelon) One Set of Rainbow Slash Pockets Sets of 5 of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Purple, and Pink Online Dashboard Online Private Community Teacher Camp (first two weeks of July) During the Summer - Thursday night coworking time with replays Lifetime Access EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Organize 365® Teacher Workbox White Paper Managing Executive Functions with the Teacher Workbox (Ashland University) Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Ok, just one more detail we need to nail down before you start your project - identify your project space. We all have a lot going on and I'm guessing a lot of projects. It's ok to be working on more than one thing at a time. In this episode I share some of those things that I have going on. But how do we organize the projects, have appropriate amounts of time to work on them, and a dedicated space where we can leave a few projects out that are "in progress?" Keep in mind, the biggest difference between work projects and home projects is that work is income generating and home is production generating. Once we finish this remodel and get Abby's washer and dryer downstairs, we will not be generating income from that project, but we will have increased productivity for both of us. Keeping that in mind, you need to plan financial resources for these projects, too. Ok, I had a moment of clarity recently. In preparation for this episode, I was thinking of my project workspaces. I realized almost always my work space has been my bed! I loved my room growing up. My mom would update it from time to time and I loved doing projects on my bed. Then when the kids came along? Again, it was my bed. I would help get them ready for bed, Greg would bathe them, and then we'd put them to bed. The kids liked me upstairs when they went to bed, so then I would work on projects in my room for the next 3-4 hours. In my bedroom, on my bed. As a rule, the kids did not go in our room because they were where I was and that was with them in the kitchen, likely. Therefore, the projects were out of the range of little hands. Which brings me to an important point. Make sure all your basic supplies are in the project area. Back in the day, I made sure all my scrapbooking supplies were available in my project space. Make it easy for yourself so once you start you have all the things you need at your disposal. The other project space, but really I'd have to label it as a workspace, was my kitchen. I love the layout of our family room, kitchen and dining room. When the kids were little, and I revisited this with Grayson, I sectioned off the rooms with baby gates to make one self contained room for us for the day. I remember I used to make awesome playdough (see recipe link below.) It lasted a long time. I kept it out of reach in the laundry room, but all the toys for playdough were within the kids' reach. We basically lived in the kitchen. And as the kids grew, I would alter the cabinets for our needs. At one point, we needed one cabinet dedicated to medicine and vitamins. And I would "audition" the new arrangements. My friend, Carol, used to audition a set up or furniture. Like a bookshelf, she'd audition it in a space in her house and, if it was functional, it stayed and was possibly upgraded. If it didn't work in that place, then she would audition it in other places. I encourage you to do the same. Try out a desk in your bedroom. If you like it and it works for your life, keep it there. Maybe you get a nicer, better quality desk or realize you need one with drawers or more work space. But you get the idea. I want to give you permission to have those project piles around without stressing. Our homes are lived in, not museums. It's about making peace with the ebb and flow of project life. Honestly, it's refreshing. It's all about being smart with your space and making it fit your project lifestyle. EPISODE RESOURCES: Lisa's Playdough Recipe The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Household Operations Binder Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I want to introduce you to another educator that is embracing the Teacher Friday Workbox® and values the benefits teachers experience when using it. Anna found Organize 365® through podcast interviews I'd done on other shows. Anna knows the transformation that results from the physical products and the blitzes from Organize 365®. Turns out, I could have known Anna many years ago when her mom was a Creative Memories consultant. Her mother's innovation with power layouts in scrapbooking helped me to create many scrapbooks in very short amounts of time. Anna always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She shared memories of teaching her younger brother after an enriching day at kindergarten herself. Anna, now in education in a supporting role outside the school buildings (NOT how you may imagine), values the Teacher Friday Workbox® so much that she created a college course for educators that she will be facilitating that results in 3 college credits at Ashland University. Anna did go to college to be a teacher, but got pulled in a different path. As she "created her own degree," Anna got to experience emerging adulthood first hand. This is yet another point of connection for Anna and me. After completing her graduate degree at University of Maryland, she moved back to Ohio. While starting her new life she started a small sewing business. She took a substitute teacher position which turned into a Family and Consumer Science (AKA Home Economics) teaching position for the next 6 years. During the pandemic, she created virtual/visual teaching materials for teachers. All of the teachers were looking for help and Anna was right there supporting them. Her next move? She was experiencing a golden window, what better time is there to explore? Over the past year, Anna has had the freedom to explore many opportunities. During her exploration she took courses from Ashland University. She was so impressed with her experience that she approached them and said "Hey, how about I come work for you?" Anna's transition from being a classroom teacher to becoming an adjunct professor at Ashland University in Ohio is a testament to her dedication to education. Equally, her involvement with Organize 365® highlights her ongoing commitment to addressing teacher overwhelm and burnout through practical, curriculum-aligned support. Anna has been very intrigued with the flow theory. She explained it as a task that challenges you enough to stay engaged. And also not so challenging that your desire to stay engaged dwindles. She wants to keep exploring this in her efforts to support teachers. This initiative, along with the new course she created, embodies her belief in equipping teachers with tools to manage their workloads effectively, thereby extending their careers and enriching student learning experiences. Next week we'll be talking about the white paper Anna has created for Organize 365® and explore even more ways to support teachers in their essential work. EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Managing Executive Functions with the Teacher Workbox Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Alright, this is going to be a little bit shorter podcast. We're going to talk about the garage as an extension of the laundry room. We're in this short podcast series where I'm trying to make visible the…well, they're actually not invisible spaces. They're very, very visible…all look like hot mess spaces inside of our homes. But each hot mess has a different purpose. We have this expectation that while we're managing all of this, our homes are also going to look like a magazine while we're doing it. That if we're doing it right, our house should look like a magazine. But if you can "see" the work, then that's a problem. And yet, the more complexity your house has, the more people your house has, the more projects your house has, the more chaotic hot spots your house is going to have - because you have all of these projects in process. When you get all the way organized and you do what I'm going to teach you this summer, your house will look more magazine-ish, especially if you are over 50. Under 50 and have kids; change your expectations. Stop giving yourself an aneurysm over things that are really not necessary. Number one, you need the Sunday Basket®. In addition to the Sunday Basket®, you are going to have to keep all of your dreams in a Sunday Basket® overflow space - which is the laundry room. The garage is an overflow of the laundry room. The number one thing that will go into this space is really large items. The second thing that ends up in the garage is anything that's related to an outside project. Other things that end up in the garage are things that are on their way out. When you start realizing that you are a production machine, you are the CEO of your household, you're a household manager, everything is in production. Our expectation at home is that we should be able to walk through this perfect magazine house. It's not a magazine house, it's a production machine. The cadence for cleaning out your garage is on the red, white and blue holidays in the US - Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. If you can get your garage and laundry room where they're actually decluttered and organized, they need to be able to accept all of this "in-processness" with an underlying organization below it. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Free Week of The Productive Home Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

This is our final episode about the Teacher Friday Worbox® Pilot with principal Jayme. We talked about how Jayme suggests getting started in your school and our hopes for all schools to be using the Teacher Friday Workbox® in the future. What Would Jayme Suggest? We have received a lot of feedback saying everyone is so interested, but they'd like to talk to Jayme. So what does Jayme have to say about this teacher pilot that she implemented in her school? Jayme appreciates all of the resources that come with the Organize 365® company as a whole. The podcast is an endless source of information for home and work organization. But when you add in the Teacher Friday Workbox® for staff, well…The teacher not only gains lifetime access to their dashboard with Organize 365® but they get the community. Jayme loves how supportive the community is as they all share their best practices and encourage each other. They also get Teacher Camp in July. You know, the one month all educators are available? Jayme stressed the principal's excitement over the Teacher Friday Workbox® is important for the staff to get on board. Each school will implement differently as each teacher will. She suggests for there to be one person "championing" the efforts to get staff on board with the Teacher Friday Workbox®. This person understands and can filter questions about implementation. We can agree there is no budget line for the Teacher Friday Workbox® so Jayme suggested a "phase in plan." Choose a category of teachers, like first year, or a grade that would most benefit from the Teacher Friday Workbox® and start there. Of course, the best course of action would be for the whole building to start together but we are well aware of budgets. Another segment of teachers that you could prioritize is those that would have had an IEP in school. Let's meet people where they are, support them in their roles as best as we can, so they stay in those roles longer! Speaking of staying in their roles longer…You say "Yes, this is great but there is a time and financial cost associated with each person who gets the Teacher FridayWorkbox®." Yes, and there is a time and financial cost associated with new hires. The goal for Jayme and I in all of this is to better support teachers so they will stay in their roles longer and the schools don't have to hire and train new employees. The community starts to scratch their heads when there is too much turnover in staff. Let's get everyone settled in, lessen their cognitive load, and be at peace with work and home responsibilities. School Train Stops and Stations I have previously proposed driving in cars versus driving a train; if you don't know what I mean check out podcast episodes 570 and 571. And that sparked an idea for Jayme about a school train. Trains have quick stops and then they have larger stations that they stop at and spend a little more time at before taking off again. Jayme pointed out the importance of using times like winter/summer break and possibly spring break as your station time. During this time, you can really go through your Teacher Friday Workbox® and reset yourself and your work. We want to see all educators on a train where communication can flow from leadership to the teachers and back to leadership. This program opens communication. Let's get everyone a ticket on smooth traveling locomotives. Choo choo! For $349 (one time) Teacher Friday Workbox® includes: Teacher Camp Teacher Workbox Slash Pockets Lifetime Access to the Online Community EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

How does our laundry room explode? And is there any way we can have it looking like a magazine? Let's discuss. Now, you may not have a laundry room. Yours may be in the basement, so yours may not work the way my laundry room does. As I'm talking about this, it may be a different space in your house. It may be a spare bedroom. It may be a home office. Or it may be the dining room table. I'm going to go through two more spaces in the next two weeks. So if you're like, "I have bomb explosions in every room of my house," there are different kinds of explosions. So we're gonna talk about the different kinds. Before the Sunday Basket®, everything I'm going to tell you about would be in the laundry room plus my bills, mail, my actionables. So when I got to Sunday, I would be like "what do I have going on?" "Where are my things?" No one is ONLY doing laundry in their laundry room. Period. No one is. So I'm going to encourage you to go on over to organize365.com and sign up for the Free Week of The Productive Home Solution®, which is the laundry room. Things that might end up in here are the following: things that you need for a project, but won't fit in your Sunday Basket®. Things that are in process that we don't want to forget. Items for the next holiday, for summer vacation, projects that are ongoing that get delayed, backpacks at the end of the school year (that don't get emptied out until weeks before the next school year!). Things that may be incoming or outgoing into the house - birthday gifts that need to be wrapped, things that need to be returned, donated, or you're not quite sure what to do with it yet. The Free Week of The Productive Home Solution® is a great introduction to it, because the way I organize a room is not the way people normally would. Go ahead and clean out your laundry room, look at it with different eyes. Next week, we're going to talk about my garage - which may be your storage area, your den, your porch, your family room, but we all have this space. We'll check that out next week. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Free Week of The Productive Home Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Jayme and I were caught off guard by our nerves for this second in person workshop day. I think the reality was that we were using technology we were super familiar with running ourselves to promote more transparency and we weren't in control. Two type A's like to be in control! It was so good though and I think our biggest takeaways from this day and this pilot are: We individualize so much for our students, why don't we do the same for our teachers? Allow real vulnerable conversations and be open to suggestions for improvement When the teachers saw improvement in their main teaching role, they wanted it for their classrooms or personal life next. Jayme had 65% of her staff participate and we were looking for their feedback. I noticed in these responses they are the ones I get from the Organize 356® community. Accomplishment is the number one response I get when I ask people "How does it feel to be organized?" And this group of teachers were no different. This was after only 6 months of use too!! We used the Mentimeter app so that they could submit their answers via their phones so they could be open and vulnerable. We asked "What have you noticed about using the index cards?" Here were a few of the responses: Get things out of my head My ideas are organized I remember things better I can prioritize tasks Less stress Saves time Visibly see what I wanted to do but haven't yet. So the second question we asked them was if they were taking work home. I was shocked that more teachers didn't say yes. I really thought that was going to be higher until Jayme explained her expectations. Jayme has communicated with her staff how to effectively use their time. Just because it's called the Friday Workbox® AKA Teacher Workbox, you don't have to do it on Fridays. She explained to them that she stays late on most Thursdays for games. Since the games don't start until 6, she has 3 hours to process her workbox. This is helping them not bring work home. Here were the results to that second question. No (9) Yes (15) Sometimes (9) I was also curious to see how many teachers were using digital organization and to what extent. I was shocked that paper was the highest. I thought for sure because of all the buzz that it would be higher digital or hybrid, but nope. In the society of America, a capitalist country, we have our own rules within each organization, so there is not this one, main digital stream. This leads to paper!! And by the way, index cards are paper. I've been challenged on this. Think about it...would you rather have your teachers write something down quickly on an index card and continue instruction OR would you like them to pull out their phones? I would hope if you choose the latter there would be an expectation that it not be in the middle of instruction. But then two things happen, the teacher is trying to remember to put it in their phones later AND all the rabbit trails with all their shiny pathways distract the teachers and who knows how long that quick task of entering the idea or task will take! So what were the results of this question? … All Paper (17) All Digital (3) Hybrid of both (13) And lastly I was feeling like, what else do they want? I had taken the time to teach the system of the Teacher Friday Workbox®. I had spent time with the Special Education team, getting them set. It was no surprise with success in their teacher role, now they wanted it in their classrooms and at home. Each teacher was invited to planning day. They got to plan in their personal life. There is so much invisible work required from teachers and they were getting relief from all those responsibilities. And that is why Jayme and I wanted to do this. We want educators to be fulfilled in home and work life, we want teacher retention and this is one way to achieve that! EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

This month I am going to record a 4-part podcast series about how we prepare to get projects done, and then this summer I'm going to record a 7-part series about how to actually set a goal and achieve a goal that is a project inside of your home; specifically how do we start, continue, finish, and pick a new project. You make so many mental decisions about how you want your projects and your process to be before you even start, and of course there are lots of pivots and iterations that happen along the way. But it is the mental preparation, the physical space preparation that you do that really helps you set and achieve goals. What happens before you set the goal - specifically anything household related? And then when you're in the middle of the goal or the project - how does your household change in regards to the physical spaces? I end up using multiple spaces in my house to keep the things that are related to those projects and to keep me on track. The first one is the Sunday Basket®. It is how you run the administration of a household. It is where you put the mail, your ideas, small items that need fixed, or things that need to be returned. It's basically a really nice kitchen counter pile collector. Because we do so much inside our households, we have to acquire the items we need for projects we're going to do before we actually are doing the projects. The Sunday Basket® is also for all the little random things that we remember that we need to do that aren't necessarily for next week. It adds to and enhances your planning routines. It's the pink, purple, blue and green slash pocket items. I had this color system before I even manufactured the Sunday Basket®. I filled up the blue, purple and green slash pockets immediately. I got to the pink and just stared at them and didn't know how to really use them. I had personal goals, but didn't have any slash pockets to give a physical weight or representation to those personal goals. Your pink slash pockets can be literally anything you want them to be. The nice thing about the Sunday Basket® is it's fairly private. Nobody's going into your Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket® holds decades of your future hopes and dreams - personally, financially, for your family, for your home. It keeps the daily running of the house going and your weekly cadence of things coming in, things you need to do, things that can wait until next week. That's basic 101 Sunday Basket® usage. But the beauty of the Sunday Basket® is that all the next week, next month, next year or next decade ideas can also live in here and not get lost when the opportunity comes or you're ready to do that big project or that big pink work. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Portable Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® The Paper Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Now I want to share a bit of a deep dive about refinement of the Teacher Friday Workbox®. I find it ironic that we basically made up IEPs for the workboxes for teachers that create IEPs for students. Each teacher used their workbox differently due to their teaching knowledge, the way they learn and work, and the work they were responsible for. Jayme decided to purchase a red slash pocket for each student to help the teachers. This way each student had a designated spot for all the documentation each teacher needed for meetings and to qualify for the IEPs. It was also a great place to file away documentation of the student when they were caught being good. It is refreshing to sprinkle in a little positivity during the meetings! Jayme was pleasantly surprised with the teacher's transparency in their struggles. Some of these teachers were new to the school and all of them were new to special education. They were being very vulnerable with the principal in the room. Just because a training is mandated didn't mean the teachers were going to talk or be as transparent! We discovered some teachers felt they were touching their red slash pockets too much while other teachers felt overwhelmed by the sea of red, like a glaring light of responsibility begging for their attention. I offered the solution to organize by frequency and quantity of intervention. We took this one step further and gave less frequent weekly interacting students different colors. Jayme added to file them according to the due date. This was a huge relief of stress for the teachers. The Teacher Friday Workbox® Is an Investment In the Teacher Not The Physical Workbox We also uncovered that it would be beneficial for special education teachers to have an additional (portable) Teacher Friday Workbox®. These are a durable box and the school will likely not have to replace it. Invest in your staff or not, it will not cancel out the complexity of work a special education teacher carries or their cognitive load. These workboxes are there to provide organization for IEPs that the teachers are held accountable to the transformation of each individual student. There's a lot to organize, ok? While yes, there is a physical box that goes with this personal development (and Jayme explained giving PGP's; we call them CEU's in Ohio), I see this as training, an investment in the person, the human. Some "powers that be" have questioned ownership of these teacher workboxes once the school or district/corporation purchases them. Yes, a teacher could quit and lots of times items the school has purchased for them get left in the classroom on the teacher's last day. Jayme explained she could see it as an investment in the teacher and how some would see it as a physical product to be left behind. But the incoming teacher would have no knowledge of how to utilize the workbox. The training is like intellectual property now. And if the last scenario played out, the teacher could invest in a new workbox. There are teachers out there already purchasing their own workbox. But they can't make the building or district change. The principal or superintendent - now that is someone who can encourage change in the building or on a larger scale! Jayme's building has noticed better communication across the board. Communication has improved due to transparency, work being made visible, teachers not feeling isolated, and work getting accomplished by dividing and conquering. EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

We've come to the downsizing & legacy stage of life. These are two different things, although I married them together about 6 years ago when I first wrote about this. Naturally people downsize, but I don't think they always think about the implications of legacy. Some downsizing is based on your family of origin. A lot of people never get to legacy, but legacy can happen at any time. So in this podcast, downsizing isn't because you are overwhelmed and want to live a minimalist lifestyle. I'm talking about downsizing because you don't need this big of a house anymore. It's a natural phase of life where you start to downsize the amount of possessions you have. Downsizing usually happens when you've observed or been through a very major life event; it changes your perspective on time forever going forward. Once you make the shift that people are more important than things, and that you want to spend your time with people instead of taking care of stuff - you start to let go of things on a regular basis. These cascades of downsizing happen 1) for the amount of house you want to clean and maintain, and 2) for the amount of stuff you want to clean and keep from the family of origin you have. This natural wanting to live in a smaller, easier to maintain house typically happens at the end of your 60s and into your 70s. The mental mindset when you have a life-altering event that makes you realize you're not invincible seems to take place by 70. What is the purpose or job in this phase of life? For downsizing - it's to continue to refine and curate the physical items you have around you that you still love and use and bring you joy in this season of life. For legacy - it's to have around you the things that remind you of who you are, where you came from, the legacy you've put into your family and into the world. This is why I'm adamant about not having your memories in your storage room. If you love it and it's part of your legacy - frame it, put it on a shelf, put it anywhere so you can see it. What is your capacity in downsizing & legacy? Over time your capacity will slow down, and you'll really want to use your capacity to spend time with family and friends, do the things you're uniquely created to do, not more housework. How do we use the physical spaces in our home? You purposefully choose to live in smaller dwelling spaces so the way you use those smaller spaces changes. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? We need understanding, for the generations behind this one who aren't there yet who won't understand until they are in it, to listen to this podcast and think "yeah, that makes sense." EPISODE RESOURCES: The Paper Solution® Portable Sunday Basket® The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I just knew in my heart of hearts that the Special Education staff was going to need support. Jayme's building has ⅓ of the student population that qualifies for special education!! How was I going to give that support? Did the staff have the time? So I called Jayme and we decided on a Zoom class and I invited them to be my guest at my upcoming paper organizing retreat. The staff was excited to learn together and Jayme was creative in carving out time for them to complete the training. On Zoom The Zoom training kind of turned into a Q&A. The teachers felt prepared for the IEP meetings until Jayme pointed out that if you have to leave during the meeting (which happened often), then they weren't prepared. So they all threw out challenges and reasons why that happened. It was impactful for me to understand the variables and complexities involved in the IEP process. It was a non judgmental conversation rather quite productive in preparing them, Jayme and staff, and me, for the paper organizing retreat. The Paper Organizing Retreat I enjoyed getting to meet Jayme's Special Education staff and understanding their challenges. It was interesting to learn how much traveling they do and how many entities they are responsible for due to creating IEPs. And not to mention that all of the IEPs have legal implications...at a Federal level. There are timelines and if one "i" doesn't get dotted, the whole thing is invalid. I have been on both sides of this process and I know that the IEP meetings are emotionally volatile and the teachers need to be prepared with all the proper documentation. Not having a document or needing to get keys to access a document show unpreparedness and the teacher is perceived to be unorganized and unengaged. Jayme had a unique challenge that in the past her Special Education team had always been experienced and confident in "processing" IEP's. That was not the case going into this school year. Jayme needed to know just as much as her staff going into this school year. This brought a spotlight on the checklist she THOUGHT everyone had seen and was planning on using. Turned out there were multiple copies, some outdated, and some teachers had not seen the checklists. So there was a new digitally optimized checklist that was created initially in analog as they conversed. They identified tasks that needed to be completed (with dates) before, during, and after the IEP meetings to keep everything legal and moving forward. This was brilliant for Jayme because she had the master and will have it now for her career. The teachers could get access to it and edit it to their process and responsibilities, AND it was all on one page!! Creating Individualized Teacher Workboxes for Those Who Create IEP's Each teacher embraced the Teacher Friday Workbox®, but they realized they needed to customize it for the student population that they served as well as what felt good to them in an organizational sense. Also, it became obvious how much these teachers are on the move. Traveling between classrooms, meetings, and outside the building. Jayme invested in portable workboxes for the Special Education teachers. **Can't wait to find out why Jayme got red slash pockets for each student?? EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Sorry, I got a little long winded in that last podcast. But you know, the podcast where I talk about your 30s and 40s I can speak to you more authoritatively about because I have lived it. A lot of what I'm saying from here forward is speculation and purely observational. Some things you have to just experience to understand - like giving birth! Being in your 50s is so freeing because you realize that no one is paying attention to what you are doing. They're worried about themselves, thinking about their own lives, their own dreams, their own hopes, ambitions, time, money, energy and capacity. Chasing who you are uniquely created to be and running after your own uniqueness and becoming as excellent as possible in the thing that you were gifted and created to do is like the rest of my life's mission. In your 20s there's so many possibilities - try it all. In your 30s, you need to be an independent adult. In your 40s you go ok, well…I tried a lot of things in my 20s and 30s and these things aren't moving into the second half of my life so they need to be decluttered, not only physically but mentally. I think there's an extended new phase of life here, I'm going to call it "Emerging Uniqueness." Women today in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s have big plans, lofty plans. They love what they are doing and the impact they're making. Your 50s are a Golden Window…a Golden Decade! If you had your children in your late 30s, this window will shift to later. So where you have your children (if you have them at all) does create where your fixed expenses and time constraints are going to be. The theme of the 50s to me so far and what I'm observing is that women aren't done. We haven't even really gotten started, to be honest. We want to be on the list - on the to do list. Like, we would like to be above the dog. Once you're decluttered and organized, you have a lot of capacity for the unexpected demands on your time and your money because you know how to move things around mentally and physically on your calendar in order to create the capacity when needed. I think that adulthood is self care. It has nothing to do with bubble baths, spas or whatever. Self care is taking care of yourself. In childhood, your parents took care of you. In emerging adulthood, you're in between your parents and taking care of yourself. Now is your time. What is our purpose or our job in this phase of life? Self care. Taking care of yourself and prioritizing yourself, in addition to everyone else that lives in your household. Planning - planning for you and what you're doing next and continuing to dream - that is your purpose. What is your capacity? HUGE. Huge capacity, income, earning, time, and 50 years worth of knowledge. How do we use the physical spaces in our home? You understand time capacity now. You understand how limited it is, but also how exponential it is. So, just get your homework done. Once your physical spaces are decluttered and organized, you're not in accumulation anymore - so it will stay maintained. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? Once you've done The Productive Home Solution® and The Paper Solution®, what you need is Planning Day. Not only will Planning Days help you plan the next 120 days, it will encourage you, inspire you, motivate you, and hold you accountable to keep growing, reaching further, and dreaming about what is possible. Make a list of the things that you want to do, be, and have in the second half of your life…and then start going after it! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Productive Home Solution® The Paper Solution® The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

This is the recap of Day 1. I was driving to Jayme to teach the first workshop for her teachers about the Teacher Friday Workbox®. I'd been having conversations with other schools about implementing the Teacher Program in their schools. I was shocked by the one thing holding them back. The honest feedback I was receiving was that they were afraid they'd be shedding light on how overworked the teachers were and they knew the staff was resentful and considering quitting. They were afraid that making visible all of the invisible work they do would give them reason to submit their resignation! You're Not Alone And You're Not Crazy I shared this feedback with Jayme who laughed. "They already know they are overworked!" Jayme's staff had two reactions to the Teacher Friday Workbox®. Some (especially new faculty) were afraid to do it wrong. Jayme assured them if they were just doing something they were doing it right. And the others had epiphanies saying, "I'm not crazy, and I'm not alone." Those teachers discovered through the Teacher Friday Workbox® that other teachers felt the same as them. And it was cathartic to visualize all they really did and it was no longer a mystery why they felt overwhelmed. Jayme encourages other schools to understand that each teacher will embrace it at their own level and that's ok. At one point too, Jayme did the time circles with the teachers once again reinforcing that their time was spread pretty thin. The First Workshop There I was with Jayme the principal, the assistant superintendent, and a room full of teachers. I couldn't wait to hear all their feedback and realizations. But something interesting happened. I encouraged them to bring to light any issue within the building. This was another time they realized they weren't alone in noticing the same issues. They were learning from each other. "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better." Maya Angelou. We discussed the different colored slash pockets and their use in the Teacher Friday Workbox®. The mental wellness of the staff providing for the students is so important. Now teachers had a designated place to place important documents. Red for behavioral matters like IEP's, 504's, things with possible legal implications Orange for calendars and computers - maybe they wanted to print off something actionable from a parent Yellow out of the classroom; like field trips or projects for parents who help Green reimbursement but some use it for grading or lesson plans Blue teams; grade level, building level, parent, IEP, meetings (record questions for next meeting) Purple attendance Pink THE TEACHER! PD, peer reviews, or maybe just happy mail to remind you that you are a good teacher and the kids love you. Jayme noticed two awesome unexpected side effects. The teachers were now task stacking due to accomplishing tasks of the same color. And there was a trickle down of sorts where teachers could offer similar solutions to students to tackle their assignments. I Almost Turned Around As I drove away recounting the workshop, all I could think of was the Special Education Team. They had no checklists and they were all new. They were new to the building, and most of them new to the Special Education Department. I knew they were going to need more support, so I arranged more time for the Special Education teachers. I do all of this in the name of teacher wellness, communication, and teacher retention! EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Well, let's dive into our 40's. What I've observed in these decades as you move through your 20's, 30's and 40's to 50's is if you can imagine driving a stick shift car where it doesn't automatically cycle to the next gear, and you're driving in second gear and you need to shift into third gear but you don't and the car is whining. That's kind of how we are at the end of every decade - we're whining. We're not ready to leave this decade because we don't know the next decade and it makes us a little nervous and apprehensive. For decades, 40 was midlife. That's no longer true. Until your 40's, the answer to every organizational productivity problem was buy something, acquire something. Acquire the knowledge, the physical thing, the person. In your 40's, everything is about letting go. Letting go of what is no longer serving you, letting go of future hopes and dreams that maybe have not materialized. This decluttering happens in every single area of your life in your 40's. The process of making the decisions about what is staying and what is going is where the new capacity is unlocked. Organize 365® is set up to walk alongside you, provide community, co-working, and all of the lessons that you ended in order to get your home organized because once you do that all the way through, we've touched all the stuff and made decisions - it is so cathartic. So in your 40's, your organization is a lot about your mindset and making your physical space match the next decades of your life and the person who you want to be. What is our purpose in our 40's? We are surviving - surviving in carpooling and driving, with limited time and financial resources. The purpose is to really move from just being an individual contributor to society, to figuring out what is your family, your ideals, your values. What is our capacity in our 40's? This is a decade of constraint, capacity is limited and that is great because it requires you to push forward. If you have children, you become insular because you have to. They are humans that are growing so fast and they are depending on you. How do we use the physical spaces in our home in our 40's? You will probably remodel some spaces, maybe more than once if you plan on living in your home long term. You'll do bigger renovations in your 40's than you did in your 30's. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? You need to learn the skill of organization. That's where The Productive Home Solution®, The Paper Solution®, and The Sunday Basket® come in. Those products were designed to teach you and walk beside you as you really embrace who you are and what you're uniquely created to do, and how your house will be organized and function for you. The essential thing I want to add to this phase of life are the Planning Days. They are a key differentiator in your 40's, because you are deciding, you are making decisions and there really is no one guiding your thought process through making these decisions. What do you want to see manifest in the next four months in your household? How are you going to do that? Let's look at all the constraints on your time, on your money, on your business, let's look at the role that you're playing, how many people are in your family. Let's look at all your household responsibilities and your chores. What's your plan going to be for laundry and dishes and meal planning and cleaning? There's so much time on the other side of 40. If you can use the time in your 40's to get yourself organized, then when you do have the time in your 50's it's amazing. Can't wait to tell you about it next time. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® The Sunday Basket Home Planning Day Home Planning Day Prep Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

By now I'm guessing most of you have heard the evolution of the Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket® organizes the invisible tasks of home life, right? And with a teaching background, I also know there is a lot of burnout. The Teacher Friday Workbox® is designed to organize the invisible tasks of teaching. So what if, just what if, an entire school would launch a pilot with Organize 365® and they could feel supported and organized? Jayme was the principal who raised her hand and said I want to try this with my building for my teachers. A Spark of a Conversation Normally on the 4th of July people are spending time with their families and celebrating the holiday, right? Not go getters like Jayme and I; we were chatting about the opportunity of a Teacher Friday Workbox® pilot. Much to my surprise when I proposed a call, Jayme agreed. Our excitement for this pilot was ignited and put into action immediately. Jayme showed up in her minivan and we loaded it with workboxes for her building. She had 13 teachers come immediately to pick them up. There were teachers who knew what Jayme had been doing with her Teacher Friday Workbox® so they knew it worked and wanted to get started. More grabbed their workboxes after a meeting, and then more after the first training. Too Much New to NOT Do The Pilot Jayme was explaining to me some of the things she was expecting about the new school year which included new teachers (most of whom were new to special education), a new assistant principal, and more responsibility for her needing to be involved in student behavioral correction. I chuckled and knew with all that change and newness, the Teacher Friday Workbox® was going to save her 2023-2024 school year. Are Your Teachers Ducks? Have you heard the analogy of ducks looking calm on top of the water, but paddling like crazy under? Think of your teachers. Most are doing the same and that's what leads to burnout. They don't want you to see they are paddling so fast under water. The real trouble is when you see it - they are headed for burnout for sure. These are teachers who do not have an organizational solution in place. It would be ideal that the teacher understood the Sunday Basket® before embarking on the Teacher Friday Workbox®. But this time, we had to light the fuse due to the time of year. We initially found some of the teachers were overwhelmed with being new to the Organize 365® ecosystem, making visible the administrative tasks of a teacher on index cards (or some did a hybrid with sticky notes), and learning how to color code their work. When you clean up their mental chaos - you get teachers that will stay in their positions longer. We Owe It To Our Teachers I understand that the pressing question with all expenditures within the education budget boils down to "How does this affect the student?" Let me just say, a teacher with less anxiety, more mental bandwidth, and one that feels supported is best for the students! There is a school supply list for students; this should be on the school supply list for teachers. But there is no line item for organization, honestly, at home or in the workplace. I want to see all educators free up time and mental space for employment retention and a happy home life. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Teacher Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Welcome to our next installment of our phases of organization, our phases of life. So here we are, in our 30's. We're going to assume from this point forward that you are living independently and separate from your family home. I coined my own phase of life years ago (thanks Rhonda for the reminder!) for adulthood - accumulation. When you leave your childhood bedroom and you are living on your own, you realize you don't own anything. Every time you decide you want to do something in your 20's and 30's, you end up going to a hardware store. As you progress through your 30's, the amount of discretionary income you have goes to negative. You usually don't have any discretionary income by the time you are at the end of your 30's. Same thing with your time - it goes to negative. How do we go from having some discretionary income and time to lacking both by the time you turn 40? In addition to accumulating supplies like a ladder, hammer, nails, etc., you accumulate other things. Also during your 30's, you accumulate other people;a significant other, children, or pets. But this is why it's hard having developmental stages for adults - because not everyone ends up with a significant other, kids or pets. There are so many different variables, different possibilities. You get to choose. You get to decide what your life is going to be like. What is our purpose or job in our 30's? Our purpose is to fully embrace independence from our family of origin. You are going to firmly establish your household and take on the responsibilities of that fully. What is our capacity? In the beginning you've got some time and money, but by the end it's very constrained and maxed out. You're trying to find a release valve, so to speak. How do we use the physical space in our home in our 30's? This is when your home will do the most constant reordering. Your kitchen, kid's rooms (if you have kids), and living spaces will constantly be updated to fit how you're living life in your 30's. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? Number one you know will be the Sunday Basket®. You need household administration support - this will be your time to have a CEO meeting with yourself. The Productive Home Solution® is perfectly designed for people in their 30's. The 2 binders from The Paper Solution® that are the most important in your 30's are the Household Operations and Household Reference. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Now that you know a little bit about Jayme and her background in educational instruction, let's move on to the responsibilities she's had in different roles. Jayme has gone from assistant principal, where she barely left the building, to being the principal, where she was off campus frequently for personal development. But she has yet to be the superintendent! Assistant Principal First thing Jayme pointed out that was so interesting is, in different states, different geographical sections of school are called corporations or districts. And because we have previously learned that Jayme was a counselor, she added that not all schools have counselors. Did you know that it is common for each counselor to have 250-300 students assigned to them? I know Abby and Joey really valued counselors in their schools. It's her previous title as counselor that makes it a natural strength as the assistant principal to be the liaison between the parents and staff. As assistant principal, Jayme was used to doing whatever her principal needed as well as overseeing special education needs within the school, IEP's, RIT, attendance, behavior and other miscellaneous responsibilities. Principal Jayme never had to worry about a budget as an assistant principal. Once she stepped into the role of principal, she found the magical money tree…not so magical now that she was in charge of it! She also found herself out of the building frequently for personal development. Thankfully her superintendent is great at communicating educational opportunities for her. Jayme is also the initiator of activities and signs off on them. One of the things that really impressed me upon a visit to her school during the pilot was Movie Day. This is the day before school breaks for Christmas. Jayme and I really talked in detail about the actual details of the day. I was so impressed with her organization and the fact that the students expect and understand the system of that day! If you want to sit with your friend who chose to drink Sprite then you better put a request in for Sprite too! A great takeaway from this conversation is that planning leads to expectation. Expectations are kind of like structure in this situation and that makes people feel safe knowing the next thing that will happen. And because of this organization and planning, her parents trust her to organize annual trips to DC and NYC. Superintendent This is the top dog, if you will, the CEO! We talk about invisible work. When you do it no one really notices until you don't! And the public facing role of superintendent is very much like this. No one notices until they don't attend an event. This person also faces the budget that Jayme has become familiar with multiplied by the number of schools they're in charge of. When Jayme's school had a massive renovation, it wasn't the groundskeeper that was reporting to the educational community what the progress and funding was, it was the superintendent! Sure, there are people supporting him in large projects, but ultimately he reports the good and the bad. When a superintendent makes a decision, there are multiple factors they are considering not just the population from one building. This is a very public, almost political, position due to reporting to the faculty, public, board, even the state!. Enough background information… Next episode, we're going to share how this whole pilot got started with a bang over the 4th of July weekend! EPISODE RESOURCES: Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

It is astounding to me that we live in dwellings all over the world and we don't have much at all (and nothing new) to explain the development of adults and the elderly. Surely this exists and I can't find it yet?!? First, I'm going to explain what I have been able to find, and then I'm going to ask the same questions I did with the other phases of life. The parabolas I came up with represent money and time. Then there's the middle, straight line - it's housework. It's never accounted for in any of these studies as life-long unpaid work. There are 3 types: cleaning, tasks of daily living, and life administration. What is our purpose in this phase? Do housework! This is our job at home. What is our capacity? It's three-fold: how much time you have, how much money you have, and the third that is unique to you - your energy. Are you optimally energized for the role that you are in? How do you use the physical spaces in your home during this phase? Houses haven't changed much since the 50's. But I can change your mindset about how to use your house. What scaffolding or support do we need? There have been no organizational supports or structures put into place for the administration of households. You need a Sunday Basket®, you need binders to replace your file cabinet, and you need The Productive Home Solution® in order to learn how to organize and optimize every part of your house. Different phases of life require different organizational structures and systems. EPISODE RESOURCES: Parabolas Illustration The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Jayme was a self proclaimed organized hoarder. She's always been a naturally organized person. In 2017, she hit rock bottom knowing she just had too much. It wasn't until the windows were replaced in her house. You see when you have new windows installed, you have to move everything away from the windows so the installers have enough room. For about two weeks, all that stuff was in the middle of her room. THAT was chaos, but it shined a light on the fact that all the mess or hoarding at home was causing Jayme mental chaos. This is when Jayme found Organize 365® and cleaned up her personal space, her home. Cleaning Up Mental Chaos at Work Jayme was used to pouring herself into work as a principal Monday through Friday and cleaned house on Saturdays. Jayme would stay as late as she needed to on Friday nights just to have peace of mind that she was prepared to walk back into school on Monday. If we are honest with ourselves, as educators, the one planning period you get is not ample planning time. When you plan as a teacher, you are able to deal with any distractions during instructional time. Jayme found the Education Friday Workbox® (now the Teacher Friday Workbox®) and was able to get organized at work. The Friday Workbox® allows her to plan and feel prepared, and that's what she wants for her staff. She wants them to continue having a passion for teaching and not feeling burnt out. Cleaning Up Mental Chaos at Home This cleaning up of mental chaos is why Jayme was so excited to share the Education Friday Workbox® with her teachers. If she could just show them how to get organized in the classroom, they would see the benefit of having home organized, too. At Organize 365®, we want to bring light to the invisible work you are doing and have a better plan to tackle it. It took Jayme about 18 months to get her home "done" and longer for work. Jayme encourages her staff to know it will take time. A first grader can't read a book and write a full report, but after a few years of learning and doing, in 3rd grade maybe they can. And I never mix words about this, it will take time. Jayme finds herself still listening to the older podcasts and learning. She recognizes that the information lands differently now when she hears it based on her progress. She still hears new things she can add to what she's already used to doing. You have learned a lot about Jayme and next Jayme is going to help us understand the structure of schools and responsibilities of staff in the state of Indiana, specifically Greendale Middle School in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. EPISODE RESOURCES: Teacher Friday Workbox® On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

This is the next installment of the phases of life series. We're now in the phase of development called Emerging Adulthood. In my PhD studies, I'm trying to figure out the role that the developmental phases of life play in how we learn and do housework over the life cycle. I've always been interested in human growth and development. After 18, the amount of literature and research drops off quickly. The key distinguisher of this phase of life versus others is this feeling of being "in between." Things happen legally at certain ages (18, 21), but other things are assumed to be inherently known or done. This isn't a US thing, it is a developed country thing. In Asia, until you are married your parents take care of you. In Italy, you live at home with no obligation that you would do the housework until you're about 30. People are living at home longer now, and not owning homes until they are older. I remember being in my 20's. I went to a 4-year college, got married a year after graduation, and adopted my babies in my late 20's. So I was a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) with 2 kids by the time I was 30. I tell my kids that your 20's are for trying things. Different jobs, schools, food, places to live - get experience so you know what you want to do by the time you're in your 30's. What does it mean to adult? By the time we are 30, we should be responsible for our finances, housework, where we are living, the job we want, and relationships. Finding friends in your 20's is hard! What is our capacity? Time and money wise - the amounts kind of melt together. You start having to pay for the "not fun" things in life - insurance, rent, utilities, etc. Things you never realize are part of adulthood. Then there's how we use the physical spaces in our home during this phase. Most of the spaces will be smaller, but will still have zones. Our mini apartment (bedroom), a dorm room, an apartment or condo. I'm already extending my parenting horizon to 25, mostly because I have children with ADHD. It's difficult for these new adults in this phase, but it's hard for us parents too. We're not done. Not that we are ever truly done - but the active parenting to a certain degree is done. As your 20 year olds start to take on more responsibilities of adulthood, there are some that are more easily acquired and there are some that take longer and have more limitations. As the parents of adults, I am paying for and providing these things for our children, but I'm looking at it as we are property owners. Will this work all the way until they are 30? Then I'm doing it. Organize 365® has the Launch Program for 16-25 year olds. Inside of Launch, there are lessons for turning your bedroom into a mini apartment and understanding the zones, a starter Sunday Basket®, and a binder with parts of the Medical, Financial, and Household Reference Binders for renters. Clothing, food, and entertainment are the biggest areas where you will fully embrace adulting. What scaffolding or support do we need? Understanding. This is a phase, there are pluses and minuses. It can be challenging. Having a way to communicate what true adult responsibilities are and what that looks like when you are successful is difficult. It's much better when the person in their 20's can figure out what they want to know and then ask the parents. This is the phase of life when you realize the fact that you have to clean your bedroom for the rest of your life! EPISODE RESOURCES: Parabolas Illustration Launch Program Kids Program ADHD Bundle The Sunday Basket® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I hope you all remember Jayme from the Teacher Pilot that I shared with you in previous episodes. Jayme found the Organize 365® systems effective for home and then implemented them at work. Jayme was open to the idea of using her school as a pilot to see how the Teacher Workbox® could impact an entire building. In this series, we'll discuss everything from the idea to implementation and to the feedback. Meet Jayme: Principal at Greendale Middle School in Lawrenceburg, Indiana First off, I want you to know exactly who Jayme is and her background. The funniest request we have received is that people want to know Jayme's thoughts. Never mind that I too was a teacher and founded this organizational system. Just kidding! But I was surprised by it nonetheless. Jayme shared that she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She remembers playing school even as a child. As I learned more about Jayme, I was surprised how much we had in common when it came to our childhood aspirations. It was also reinforced through this episode that teachers are cut from the same cloth; that of passion for teaching and hearts of service. School came pretty easy to Jayme with a floating B. She loved math, history, science, and to read. But to spell? That is a different story to this day! Before she even completed college, she was happy to keep her Fridays open so she could sub. She knew there would always be work on Fridays. Soon she met her husband Joe and decided to move to Indiana with Joe so they could live happily ever after together. "I'm not a workaholic, I'm passionate about teaching." Jayme completed her degree in 1998 in elementary education and middle school certifications for social studies and science. She graduated to teach elementary, but ended up in middle school. She worked in the classroom for about 7 years until she got the desire to counsel the students. She went for her Masters for counseling and finished while she was pregnant with her first child, Pierce. Most of her experience has been with middle grades 6-8 in science and as a guidance counselor. Starting in 2000, Jayme was a school counselor for 4-½ years. This is when she decided she needed another Masters for being a Principal and added another child to her life, Kennedy. Jayme shared she has always had a long commute, but appreciates the time to digest what is currently going on in life and work. With all this driving, education advancement, and growing - you could easily call her a workaholic but she prefers to identify it as her passion. But where does that passion go for some educators? We want to help educators retain that passion and put systems in place to prevent burnout. When the Principal Gets Organized Now that she had her Admin Masters, Jayme could be an assistant principal which allowed her to help students and teachers alike. In 2013, she became an assistant principal only to take over being a principal 1-1/2 years later when her friend and boss had to step down. Jayme thought, "I'm basically already doing her job because she had to miss a lot of work." Jayme's eyes were opened as to all the actual responsibilities once she was doing the role of principal for real. Jayme likes to delegate tasks with her assistant principal based on strengths. Jayme was all too excited to share with her staff what had been working to keep her organized and kept burnout at bay. I can't wait to share with you how this pilot played out!! On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

The first in this series of podcasts is the childhood phase (0-18 years). We are going to walk through the entire life cycle of a human and look at a few specific questions. 1. What is our purpose during this phase of life? 2. What is our capacity, time and money wise? 3. How are we using the physical spaces in our home during this time? 4. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? What is the purpose or job of a child inside the household? There are two - the first is to develop and grow from a child to an adult, and the second is to learn and attend school. That's it. Some children will be able to add on a third, which is to be a productive, proactive person in the household by doing chores and helping. But some children will not and I think we need to normalize this. Because I always knew that developing from a child to an adult and attending school were the top two jobs of this phase of life, I didn't add on the third category of household chores for my kids. I did add on bedroom chores, but not household chores. What is the capacity of the child from zero to 18 inside of the house? Birth is when you have a lot more time than you do money. As a child moves from zero to 18, the amount of time and care they need will reduce and the amount of money they are able to generate will start to increase by the time they are 18. It's a huge two decade phase of life. Children in this phase go from being a baby that can't even hold a bottle to someone that can drive a car, has a job, goes out and gets their own food or makes their own dinner. The amount of physical, mental, emotional, social change that happens in childhood is huge. How do children use the physical spaces in our homes? Their stuff is everywhere. The amount of stuff doesn't change, but the types of things do. They're mostly in our communal spaces; the kitchen, family room, main bathroom, and laundry room if they're old enough. They're in their bedrooms or playrooms, sometimes in the basement or bonus rooms. As they get older, they start to get rid of more toys and be in their bedrooms most of the time. Then they can create zones - bookshelves, cube systems, a desk for schoolwork, etc. What scaffolding or support do we need to make this phase of life easier and more productive? Kids need to learn how to clear their mind and organize their bedroom, and they need to learn how to plan for the week ahead and be productive. Here's how I teach that in Organize 365®. First, there are lessons for parents on how to teach the skill of organizing to your kids. How to organize everything related to babies, clothing, and everything else. Then kids ages 6-15 go though the course to learn about their mini apartments and all the zones they have. You have to organize a bedroom before you can clean it. I teach them what are zones in your bedroom and how to understand there are different areas of your bedroom that have different responsibilities. Lessons on clothing, sharing bedrooms, schoolwork, creating activity bags, organizing passion projects, and school memories or paperwork. Then you have a child's backpack. Their backpacks are the equivalent to our Sunday Basket®. They go through their backpacks, make sure they have everything they need for Monday, pack their activity bags, and then write down their week on paper. In the Kids Program there is a sheet where they can fill out all their activities and events in the Before School, School Day, After School, and Evening categories. Next week we are going to talk about emerging adulthood, which is 18-29. EPISODE RESOURCES: Parabolas Illustration Kids Program Lisa School Binder School Memory Binder Launch Program Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this new podcast series I'm going to talk about organization in each phase of life, but first I want to talk about phases of life. There is childhood (0-18), a new theory called emerging adulthood (18-29), middle adulthood and late adulthood. There is so much to these phases of life and layered on top of these is the capacity and the time limitation of variables as it relates to that phase of life. I picture this like two arches that mirror each other and intersect at two points. We all know that childhood is pretty well established and studied. Then there's the new theory called emerging adulthood where you're in between childhood and full adulthood. Then there's the years around 70-82 where I made up this idea of "reverse emerging adulthood" because you have all this experience, but you're at an in-between stage again where you are no longer an active contributing member of society. The time and capacity continuum is frustrating for me because when I have time, I didn't have the knowledge and capacity to act on it. And then when I don't have the time, I have all the knowledge. A great example of this is menopause. The average age of menopause is 50 years old and that hasn't changed in the last 2,000 years. However, the age that puberty happens has changed. So the mid-life "dip" most people experience corresponds with menopause. Ironically, when a person is in the generative phase of life and pauses to focus on their needs and desires, usually between 45 and 55, society labels this as a midlife crisis. However, it isn't a crisis at all. It's a natural rebalancing of energy and production in the middle of a long adult life cycle. If I have to find academic support for everything I do or want to do in the future, it's going to take forever for us to really understand how households function throughout a lifespan, let alone how to organize them. So that's why I wanted to first have this conversation about how I view a lifespan. I view it as inverse arches of time and capacity, and the golden windows where they cross over. In this next series, what can you expect? I'm looking to unpack what our purpose is, what our capacity is, how we use physical space in our homes during certain phases of life, and what support we need to make this phase of life easier or less invisible. Basically I'm trying to figure out, what is the phase of life map of household organization? So if you were to map out household organization across the whole life phase, what would that look like? EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Jump Start - Personal Jump Start - Kitchen The Kitchen Productivity & Profitability Blitz Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I have these big ideas, big questions, big observations that I think about when I'm driving, going to bed, in the shower…how different related concepts are viewed in different environments and how they actually are all talking about the same thing; we're just using different words to describe them. So in this episode and the next, I want you to give me a little bit of latitude to verbally process with you where I am thinking we are in our understanding of how we're functioning inside of our families, especially as the head of household and the administration of what's going on at home. In this episode I want to really talk about the weight of the mental load inside households. I'm going to hit this from a couple different angles. I'm going to talk about what I've been learning about in my PhD, different things I've been reading, different things I've observed. I'm going to start by talking about cognitive load. In cognitive psychology, cognitive load refers to the amount of working memory resources used. Heavy cognitive load can have negative effects on task completion, and it is important to note that the experience of cognitive load is not the same in everyone. There is not a lot of literature I have found related to how all of these cognitive processes that we talk about in school or work affect us at home (please send me any links you have!). Working memory remembers tasks, processes information, creates a plan, and makes decisions. We do that at home from the time we open our eyes in the morning until the time we close them for a nap or to go to bed. Even when we go to bed, we're still trying to remember things, process information, make a plan and make decisions for the next day. The cognitive load at home is discussed in academia in relation to housework, especially the fact that women are doing more. It doesn't matter what gender or ethnicity you look at, women are definitely doing more. When I think about our role at home as household managers and the cognitive role at home, there's no end to our day. There's no quitting time. There's no ending time. Then you layer on top of that the fact there are just a bazillion trillion, little teeny tiny tasks that you have to do at home. And here's the thing: they are all INVISIBLE. I think the fact that the work is invisible adds to the cognitive load in a couple of ways. One, because we gaslight ourselves into thinking maybe we're not doing as much as we're actually doing because we can't see what we actually did. And two is that you know no one else can really see what we're doing and therefore we don't get the "atta boys" and gold stars and "thank you very much" that you would normally get if you were in corporate America or in school. I'm starting to double down on the fact that the uniqueness of the Sunday Basket® and why I think it works so well is the fact that you write things down on paper. I designed it to literally work for any kind of learner. My hypothesis is that it is the recorded thought on paper that is the science part. It gets the thought out of your head - it moves it from working memory and externalizes it. Also the fact that it is written by your hand is key - when you write by hand, the information gets encoded deeper into your brain. So is it the fact that you write that note on paper versus typing it into a phone helping you to retrieve a memory? I am retrieving a memory and writing it down, the physical act of writing is encoding it deeper into my memory. It pulls it out of my working memory onto the paper and then allows it to leave my working memory so now that is clear and ready for whatever I want to think about next. That idea or thing I needed to remember then becomes triage for later urgency, I no longer have to think or remember whatever that was. So then, does this repeated interaction with this task that needs to be done deepen the memory trace of this experience and the recall? Welcome to the Sunday Basket® - the physical representation of over 10,000 women's cognitive loads! The actual physical weight of the cognitive load of household management. For funsies, those of you who have a Sunday Basket® - I would love for you to go and weigh your Sunday Basket®. You are holding a very heavy cognitive load comprised of your finances, meal planning, bills that need to be paid, the mail, cleaning schedule, projects that are in process, requests of your time, so many little pieces of information that are literally weighing you down. I'm here to say, "atta boy", you're doing a great job. Here's your gold star. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking care of your family and your community and your household. Thank you for being financially responsible and cleaning up your messes and making your bed and doing your laundry. The invisible work that you're doing IS HAPPENING. Hopefully somehow through collaboration, we will be able to scientifically support what is actually happening cognitively for the homeowner in all of the roles an