I like to think of a few small things I want to do around the house every month.

I thought it would inspire and motivate you to also think up a few things and tackle one small task every weekend.

Let’s hold each other accountable and do this together.

For March my tasks are mostly photo-related:

1. Print 12 pics of Connor and 12 of Kendra for their first year frames (yip, 8 months later )
2. Do the “Dion and Marcia” wall of photos in the passage outside our bedroom.
3. Decide where “friends” wall will be and start planning configuration
4. Two months’ filing

What are your 4 organising to-dos for March?

I have to stay in the kitchen while I cook because “out of sight, out of mind” means I burn food if I leave…

Confession - when I was pregnant I got so forgetful at one point that the food burnt a lovely black circle on my kitchen ceiling. I had to get painters in to repaint because that black circle would not come off any other way.

Anyway, moving along…

Since I hate wasting food, money and time, I try and stay in the kitchen and just make the most of my time there.

Some of the things I do include:

1. packing my lunch for the following day
2. putting the children’s food ready for the nanny
3. leaving notes for the nanny or for the once-a-week cleaning lady
4. organising a cupboard or drawer



5. going through the recipes I keep tearing out of magazines to see if they still appeal to me
6. packing my cereals into little containers
7. tidying the fridge
8. throwing out old food
9. updating the grocery list
10. creating our menu for the following week
11. taking inventory of the freezer meals
12. throwing a load of laundry on (my laundry is next to the kitchen)
13. folding a load of dry laundry
14. answering some emails from the laptop
15. preparing my mug for my after-supper mug of tea

How do you make the most of your kitchen time?

P.S. Don’t forget the giveaway

About 10 years ago, I once had the opportunity to see President Nelson Mandela up close and personal , at the Killarney Shopping Centre, surrounded by bodyguards.

He is much taller than I thought but more than that, has a very imposing presence. You feel like you’re in the presence of royalty…

I always tell my workshop participants, “we all have 24 hours a day. All of us. The President has 24 hours and we have 24 hours. The only difference is how we choose to use it”.

And that’s the truth.

Your life is a product of the choices you make with your time.

Your choices are not wrong, just different.

If you choose to “relax” for 4 hours each day watching TV, playing games, getting on Facebook, etc. don’t complain about not having the time to write your book, cook healthy food, organize your home, etc.

It’s the same way that I can’t complain that I don’t have enough time to read books when I spend too much time reading blogs!

Choices. It’s all about your choices.

Your coaching challenge

• Stop. Think about how you regularly spend  your time.
• Is there something you’d rather have in your life?
• Consciously make a choice to choose something better at least once a day for the next week.
• Need some help? Contact me for your Success Strategy Session. Otherwise, have a look at the Organise your Time system.

This has absolutely nothing to do with organising but it inspired me and I thought I’d share it with you.

Years ago when I was at my previous company we had a learnership programme.

That’s when we take people straight from school who don’t have the money to study further and train them for a year.

They go on a couple of industry-related courses and then work at the company to gain work experience.

Well, I had one of these learners working in my department.

He was very enthusiastic but needed a little mentoring in some of the softer skills so I’d sit him down and explain about work ethic, timekeeping, keeping a good attitude even when doing really menial tasks and respect and friendliness to senior managers.

I remember one conversation when he and his friends left early to go to lunch and also came back late.

I told him that when this year was over, we (the company) were not obligated to provide employment for any of them BUT this was an excellent chance to do really good work and prove that he was a valuable asset.

After all, when the time came, wouldn’t he want them to say, “well, we can’t possibly let S go. We’ll have to find a place for him”.

Those talks seemed to have a good effect because he started being really good about the other things.

I then left the company but S and I kept in contact all these years (6 years now).

I ran into a friend who works in HR at that company a few weeks ago and she told me that S is still working there and doing very well.

I was SO pleased because I do love it when people do well.

It’s when I hear things like this that I get encouraged to keep inspiring, to keep speaking good words to others, because you just never know if what you say will change someone’s life.

I’m not saying it’s just me but I do know that I saw a marked improvement after our talks

If you “suddenly” think about a friend, don’t just leave it at that. Send a text, email, or, better still, pick up the phone or write a card and let them know you’re thinking of them.

We’re all busy but this is part of being purposeful about our lives and making our relationships great.

Who can you encourage today? Maybe someone needs to hear something special from you.

Remember the 4 organising goals for February?

Well, I always say start with the area that’s driving you nuts and when I looked at my kitchen counter one too many times last weekend, I had an aha moment.

The babies’ bottles and sippy cups have got to go.

I am reclaiming my counter space.

So this is what I did on the weekend.

First, the entire two shelves were full of plastic containers, also driving me nuts so I went wild and threw half of them away.

Actually, I threw them into the Pampers box.

That then created space – a whole shelf – for the baby things to all be in one space instead of mixed in with my other stuff.

I had that blue basket available so I used it like a tray – it is now easy to pull in and out without disrupting all the things in the front or back.

The big green ice bucket is recycled (we got baby gifts in it – stuffed animals and whatnot when the babies were born) and we now store sippy cups and bottles in it.

I am MUCH happier with my neater cupboard and best of all, I now have more counter space.

How are you getting on with your 4 organising tasks for February?

P.S. If you need help, check out the organise your home system and get your home organised in 2011.

I’ve been reading posts all over the internet about women wanting to organise their homes, declutter and live simpler lives.

You’re not alone if you have the same dreams.

Even I’ve been bit by the decluttering bug.

I went through my study again and threw out a ton of files, got rid of some books and now have photos printed and actually up on the walls.

I also bought that set of drawers under the desk as I got tired of seeing a desk full of stuff.

I’m still busy organising the drawers and moving things around so I’ll take some pictures soon of the completed project and post them on the blog.

The point is, don’t make it into something huge in your mind.

Pick a room and do just 15 minutes a day. Grab the paper pile and settle down in front of the TV and sort through it.

Just start.

You can do it. I know you can!

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers.

I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for reading and for commenting.

Every comment makes my day – it really does – and I love that you take just a minute to encourage me.

Today, take a few minutes to do something to love yourself.

1. Take 10 minutes to have a cup of tea and read a magazine.
2. Have a bubble bath.
3. Have a shower and use your good stuff (the fancy shower gels and body scrubs)
4. If you find yourself speaking negative words to yourself, stop and speak kindly.
5. Turn up the music in your car and sing your heart out. Don’t concern yourself with what the other drivers are thinking.
6. Have a bit of chocolate and savour every mouthful.

How do you plan to show yourself love today?

Hi all

Well how cool is this?

There were only 6 comments on the giveaway post so everybody wins!

I’m giving each of you a copy of my Dream Life Journal. Check your inboxes over the next 24 hours.

The winner of the 15-minute laser coaching session with me is Ginny from Mom of 2 dancers.

Ginny, I’ll be in contact soon.

Thanks for playing along!

I had a great question from a reader about after-supper laziness.

I am honestly not the best person to ask about this since I count down the hours til I can sit after running around the whole day.

But I will say this -

I pack my lunch and the children’s food while I’m preparing supper since I can guarantee my energy will be 50% less after we eat.

I like to plan my day/ evening so that I only have low-key activities after supper, like computer work, so that I can be “lazy” with a clear conscience.

But if I do need to get some things done, I make a list because not much in life motivates me as much as crossing things off a list

Confession – this year I actually have a “reading night” on my weekly goals list because it’s that hard for me to relax and do “nothing”.

Now over all you clever (and normal) people…

How do you combat after-supper laziness?

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway

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One of the ways that makes it really easy to adhere to the one in, one out rule is as simple as this -

An empty Pampers box that lives in my laundry.

It stays there all the time.

Throughout the week if I find anything I no longer want or need, and that is in good enough condition for someone else to use, I toss it into the Pampers box.

The babies’ nanny knows to check this box and that she can help herself to anything she finds there.

I have a once-a-week cleaning lady who also checks the box. I try and be fair (when I remember) and do my decluttering on a Tuesday so the two of them can decide amongst themselves who gets what.

If Dion declutters any clothes, we put those in a bag for the gardener with his name clearly marked, but it also goes into the Pampers box.

I love our really easy system because everyone knows where to put things and I don’t have piles of things all over the house.

My one condition – I don’t keep things longer than a Friday.

If there are still things remaining (funny how it’s always all the corporate gifts ) by Friday morning, out they go with the rubbish.

What is your system for constant decluttering?