Have you ever gone to a doctor’s office for the first time and been shocked when you find outdated magazines? I don’t mean one or two months old. I mean over a year old. You would think that a doctor could afford to keep their magazines updated. My dentist does not like this and always keeps them current. I can go in and read all the gossipy magazines and know they are current. It makes me feel valued and I am impressed that they are concerned about how they are perceived. Hospitals are notorious for outdated magazines. Then, they put those labels on the cover “Enjoy here but do not remove”. Some should say, “Please take—then maybe we can get some new magazines”.

Recently, I had a career appointment with my son and his high school guidance counselor (that will make you feel old). I was in the waiting area and decided to read a magazine. There is a big stand with lots of choices. Well…you can guess where this is heading…I saw one dated 2006 AND had a label listing the date. I’m not sure why except maybe someone was trying to shame them into getting rid of these. (Later, I found out they get the old magazines from the school library which get dated).
Keeping outdated items such as magazines when you run a business leaves an impression. An impression you don’t want the public to have. I would rather see ONE current magazine then five that are more than a year old.

On the flip side, if you are drowning in magazines because the deals were too good to pass up, donate some of yours to organizations such as schools, hospitals, clinics, and group homes which don’t have the funds to purchase magazines. If you make it a regular thing to one group, they would probably welcome you donating the new and discarding the old (on a regular basis). It will take you a few minutes at home, a few minutes there and travel time. Believe it or not—it’s volunteering—you can feel good about giving your magazines away, know that others will appreciate them, and you will be appreciated clearing out the old stuff. A win/win for everyone!

On 2/25/10 I received a great letter from the Brown County Home Builders Association Auxiliary…

“Dear Jennifer:

I would like to thank you on behalf of the Brown County Home Builders Ausiliary for speaking to our group on February 16, 2010. I want to compliment you on your presentation, it was very informative and you did a wonderful job explaining the process of organization.

It made you think about what you could do to streamline your life at home and office, to be more of a productive person with time management when you are organized.

It was a pleasure meeting you and we thorougghly enjoyed the evening. Your enthusiasm for your profession shows how much you believe in your company. Wishing you success with your business in the future.

Sincerely,
Paula A. Pyle”

 
A big part of staying organized is limiting what is brought into your home. This starts at the store. Have you ever been surprised by how much your bill amounted to? Did you think, “There is no way what’s on my list amounts to that much”? When you really analyzed what you purchased, you may recall all the extra things that were not on the list. What happens to these things once they get home? If they are food, hopefully it will get eaten before it goes bad. What about all the other stuff? Did you really need it?

The next time you are at the store, play this game BEFORE you checkout. Without looking, see if you can name all the things in your cart. After you have named everything you can, look at your list. Did you name everything off the list? Were there “non list” items you forgot about? It’s these things that you should put more thought into. Is it really needed? Do you have something similar to it that could be used? Will you miss it if you don’t buy it?

The first time I tried this with my daughter, I was amazed at how well it worked. Do you know about the phenomenon about how much more money is spent when your children go shopping with you? Maybe it’s not a phenomenon, but, to me, it’s an art form. Store owners should really cater to kids—they have ways to convince mom and dad to buy things without us really noticing. When my daughter does it, I call it campaigning. She will talk out loud, “Oh, mom, doesn’t this look good?” or “I didn’t know that Oreo came out with a new flavor”. She’s a walking advertisement. It’s rare that she flat out asks for stuff—she just campaigns.

While shopping with my daughter, who was nine at the time, she saw a gorgeous sleeping mask. She wanted it so bad. Her argument was that it was only five dollars. I was thinking about all the stuff she collects in her room—she did not need a sleeping mask and it would probably be forgotten after a few days. I decided to allow her to put it in the cart and I would think about for awhile. Before we checked out, I asked her, “So what do you think about that thing you wanted? Is it needed now?” Without me cueing her on the name of the product, she could not think of what it was. We had brief discussion about the power of something looking pretty and making us desire it. We put the mask back.

Remember, to cut back on clutter and make it easy to stay organized, be careful about what is brought into the house. Play the “What’s in my cart” game and see what you come up with. You have nothing to lose, a less cluttered home is gained, you may save a few bucks, and it’s a great way to work your brain!