Yesterday, the 15^th of July, we returned from 10 days organizing in an orphanage in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. It was an experience that will never leave our hearts. 

 When was the last time that you encountered a place with no electricity?  Now, I don’t mean when you were out camping or at the beach…I mean a city of 100,000 people who are totally in the dark at night.  This of course means that they have no way to cook a meal other than over an outside fire.  There is no way to cool their meager homes with a fan or air conditioning. Think of the items that we use in our kitchens…blender, toaster, coffee maker, microwave, oven, refrigerator, electric fry pan, ice crusher, coffee bean grinder, waffle maker, dishwasher..well, you get the picture.  Oh yes, it also means NO hot water…ever!!  Cold showers get old very fast…even after just 10 days. 

Do you have a wonder woman in your life? It might be a friend, a relative, a spouse. It is someone who seems to be able to do anything and everything. They maximize their time each day. Why do I bring this up on an organizing blog? Well, during a recent trip, I looked in the Sky Mall magazine and they advertised a Wonder Woman bracelet-an exact repliica of the one worn by Lynda Carter in the series. They claimed it was a great gift for "the Wonder Woman in your life". I would submit that rather than giving a bracelet (which would probably not be worn but would just gather dust), give something like a gift certificate for a massage, manicure, pedicure, or something else that would pamper your wonder woman rather than just add to her jewelry collection.

We are heading out to Haiti in just a few hours. We've got our bags packed with lots of organizing supplies. Between the three of us we are taking 300 pounds (that includes our clothes too) of things to use and leave there! We will keep you posted on how the trip goes. We will arrive at Hope for Haiti on Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to see the children again....I am sure that have grown so much since I was there almost two years ago! And I am ready to get started organizing and teaching the children how important organization it!

If you are concerned about the environment or like to save money, you may have changed to energy efficient compact fluorescent lights. However, you may not realize the danger associated with their breakage or disposal due to the mercury they contain.

If a fluorescent bulb breaks, do air out the room for 15 minutes and shut off central air or heating so mercury doesn't spread. Do scoop up the fragments and powder with cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Do clean the area with damp paper towels and place in the same plastic bag. Don't use a vacuum cleaner or broom. Don't get mercury on your clothes or you will need to seal them in plastic and dispose of them.

So I just found out about something called the 100 Thing Challenge. An article in Time Magazine called How to Live With Just 100 Things talks about why Dave Bruno started this challenge, which has now started a whole movement. You can find out more about his rules for the 100 Thing Challenge on his website. So that most of you aren't scared right away, the 100 Things only includes personal property, not items that are co-owned or that are necessities such as a bed.

Do you have stress in your life? Do you know the sources of your stress? You may answer: too much to do, children, parents, work, etc. Would you agree that some of the stress may be associated with the physical stuff in your world? You enter your office and feel defeated by the piles on your desk. You walk into your kitchen and can't prepare a meal because there isn't any counter space. Your bedroom is so full of stuff that it isn't a restful place in which to sleep. Judith Forsyth states, "To reduce stress in your life, reduce your attachment to things." So how do you go about reducing the stuff in your life? There are lots of ways to proceed.

The other day a gentleman named John H. Robinson stated, "We only own what we give away, everything else owns us." This caused me to think about all of the stuff people have. Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of possessions in your space? If you have trouble deleting stuff from your space, then it owns you rather than the other way around. Since much of the stuff we own is attached to memories, thus making it difficult to part with, consider the best way to preserve the memory while deleting the actual item.

With fruits and vegetables rising in price, it has become important to eat them rather than throw them away. You may have seen the commercials for Debbie Meyer GreenBags and wondered if they work. I have it on good authority, both from a client and a colleague, that they do. If you are unfamiliar with green bags, they greatly extend the life of fresh fruits and vegetables, enabling you to eat healthier without creating waste while saving money! For more information, go to the » read more | Janice Russell's blog | login or register to post comments

Organize your way to lower energy bills. Ceiling fans can save money on both heating and air conditioning bills. A slowly turning fan increases efficiency of home heating by pushing down rising warm air and better circulating cool air in the summer. The fan should turn counter-clockwise in the summer and clockwise in the winter. If you look on the base of your ceiling fan, you will find a "button" which can be pushed right or left to change the direction of the blades.

"When too many piles arise..., think of them as tooth decay; if you don't take care of them regularly, they can cause you pain", states Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. I have to agree. Many people get discouraged because they think that getting organized is a one-time event, and so they get surprised when the clutter returns. The problem is that stuff continues to enter our spaces; which means that we have to do something with that stuff or we start to see piles. With our teeth, we brush twice a day, floss once a day, and go to the dentist twice a year. Think about organizing the same way. We have to do a little bit of maintenance each day and once or twice a year, we have to devote a little extra time to declutter and get organized.