October 2008 |
Don't forget to turn back your clock one hour at 2:00 am, Sunday, November 2nd.
Enjoy your extra hour of sleep too.
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Don't forget to turn back your clock one hour at 2:00 am, Sunday, November 2nd.
Enjoy your extra hour of sleep too.
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October 31:
Happy Halloween! Here’s a fun little tip if you are hosting a Halloween party: Get a few disposable cameras and leave them in different spots around the house. Your guests will have a great time taking candid photos during the party, and when you get the pictures developed, you’ll get to see what you missed while you were busy hosting.- 0 comments
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The Complete Planner of the Future
Just when you thought FranklinCovey planners couldn't get any brainier, along comes the Rollabind - which combines wire-bound sleekness with ring-bound flexibility. Unique slotted page edges and simple discs make it a breeze to add or remove pages, switch covers, and insert plastic accessories without having to open and close rings.
To remove a page, gently pull it toward you so the paper detaches disc by disc. To reinsert a page, just press the paper around the discs. It's the perfect solution for those who want a flexible planner with a slim profile.
Includes one year of two-pages-per-week planner pages, one year of one-page-per-month calendar tabs, and a leather cover. Page Size: Classic (8 discs) 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"
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October 30:
10,000 walking steps in one day can sound like a tall order, but your health is important. A simple change of taking the stairs when they are available instead of an elevator, taking a walk after dinner, or walking your dog a few evenings a week will provide you with many health benefits and will also stimulate your metabolism.- 0 comments
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4 Steps to Getting Control of Your Receipts, Statements, and Bills
One of my top requests as a Professional Organizer is to help clients organize their personal finances. For many of us, the myriad bills, receipts, and statements that enter our homes are quickly overwhelming us. It’s hard to keep track of all that information if you don’t have a good system in place to manage it.
Here are four simple steps to help you get your personal financial papers organized:
1. Gather it up. The first step to organizing your finances is to get all financial-related information in one place. If your personal financial papers are currently piled into paper bags, stuffed in shoeboxes, and dominating your desk, start by putting all the various bills, receipts, and statements in a box or pile. It’s much easier to organize when all your information is in one spot!
2. Sort and separate. Now that your papers are all together, it’s time to sort them into categories. The simplest way to organize personal finances is to separate tax-related items from ones that you won’t be claiming (ask your tax preparer for more information about your specific situation). From those two main financial types – tax/non-tax, your papers will start giving you clues to some broad categories – utilities, electronics, auto, home, etc. Create piles for each of those categories.
3. Find homes. Now it’s time to create dedicated spaces where your financial papers can live. Purchase an accordion folder and some hanging files. Into the accordion goes your tax-related info – one tab for each sub-category. The benefit of the accordion folder is that it can be easily stored for safekeeping when the tax year is over. Your non-tax-related financial information goes into the hanging files – one file for each of non-tax-related category. Continue filing receipts, statements and bills into their new homes as they come in.
4. Track it. Once you have all your financial information sorted, separated, and filed, it’s easy to take the next step and track where your hard-earned cash is going. Easy-to-use computer programs like Quicken (which is now free online) or Money take your previously-organized financial information and let you generate budgets, reports, and projections – letting you stay in control of your financial life.
If it’s been awhile since you last organized your finances, or if it’s your first time doing so, I know the process can seem daunting – but it can be simple if you take it step-by-step. Getting your finances organized can be incredibly empowering – and the process can be easy if you follow the guidelines above.
―Joshua Zerkel
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October 29:
An all too common practice with a digital camera is to procrastinate uploading or printing the photos. With the holidays getting closer, now is a good time to make more room for new photos. You will save yourself a lot of time in the future if you identify photos now and organize them into boxes or albums. You will also avoid the ensuing frustrations of trying to figure out when and where a picture was taken. (See related post here.)
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Dear Friends,
As you may know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 2008, according to the American Cancer Society®, roughly 182,460 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and about 40,480 women will die from the disease.
Despite these statistics, there is reason to be optimistic. Early detection and treatment options are helping more women overcome the disease thanks to increased national awareness and financial support.
FranklinCovey Products has partnered with Design-her Gals™ to raise awareness and to provide support for Stage IV breast cancer patients and their families through the Gal to Gal Foundation™. Together, we’ve created a special line of time management products and accessories that will not only help you manage your time, but also contribute to this worthy cause. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will go to support the Gal to Gal Foundation™, the first international nonprofit organization that dedicates 100% of its funds to bring comfort and dignity to Stage IV breast cancer patients.
We invite you to explore our selection of new GALS products. With your support, we can help these courageous women all year long.
Sincerely,
Sarah E. Merz
CEO, FranklinCovey Products
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October 28:
Don’t forget to keep things in perspective. Part of being successful in your work is setting smaller, more manageable, and attainable milestones that move you closer to your higher goals. In addition to setting five- or ten-year goals for yourself, include some shorter weekly and monthly goals that you can track easily and accomplish without getting off track. You’ll probably find that by achieving these shorter goals you are also aiming closer to your five- or ten-year target.- 0 comments
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By Alicia Rockmore & Sarah Welch
Halloween night brings out the exuberant trick-or-treater in all of us. But like a lot of other celebrations, it takes some effort to pull off well. There are costumes to make or buy and pumpkins to carve, there is a house to decorate, candy to buy, goody bags to pull together and trick-or-treat schedules to coordinate. Happily, there’s no reason to be scared of all the details. With just a few simple tricks, you can ensure your Halloween will be a howling success.
Sarah on "The Haunted house"
“I don’t know about you, but as a child I loved being spooked by the imaginative haunted house tours my parents’ friends would host on Halloween. My husband and I love to scare the next generation with a haunted house tour of our own, but we’re both so busy it’s getting more and more difficult to plan and create a really good one. If you’re like us and want to have your own house of horror but are frightened by the responsibility, team up with a small group of friends and rotate the haunted house year-to-year. Non-hosts support the hosts by pulling together their fair share of the gory details that will have the kids screaming with delight.”
Alicia on "Costumes"
“Nothing is scarier than waiting until the last minute to pick a costume and getting stuck with the unimaginative and ill-fitting dregs. Don’t let a creativity-block get in your way this year! If you or your kids are stuck, have a family brainstorming session. Grab a big pad of paper, or better yet, a giant post-it pad and generate ideas as a family around the kitchen table after dinner. To get your creative juices flowing, you might try to come up with costume ideas by category such as ‘things that make me laugh’, ‘rock and roll’, ‘scary’, and ‘pop culture’. And remember, no idea is a bad idea when you’re brainstorming - just let your imaginations go and have fun!”
The Big Night
Here are a few suggestions to consider while planning your night of tricks and treats:
#1: The More the Scarier
Kids are so darn cute in their costumes that the ultimate horror is not capturing the evening’s festivities on film. But even the best intentions may not win out once candy enters the equation! To ensure you properly get those little monsters on film, make an event out of it. Reach out to your friends and commit to starting the trick-or-treating at one person’s house. Then before heading out, pretend your kids are on the red carpet and you’re the paparazzi.
#2: Better to Give and Receive
Just because you and your little goblins are out collecting treats, doesn’t mean you can’t give as well as receive. Avoid being that ‘one house’ that doesn’t give out candy by setting up a treat station by your front door. Instead of putting out loose candy for kids to pick and choose, purchase small paper loot bags, place two or three pieces of candy inside, and tie the bags closed with ribbon. Then place the bags in a bowl or plastic cauldron and cover the top with a few faux cobwebs. All kids will enjoy this trick to get to those treats.
#3: Wind Down the Wild Things
Let’s face it; even though nothing tops this night of fun, the combination of sugar, costumes, and staying up late on a school night is a recipe for disaster! Help your little monsters wind down by getting them out of their costumes and make-up and into their pajamas as soon as you return home. And although the kids will want to scarf down all their loot as soon as they can, place a definite limit on what they are allowed to eat. Once they’ve had time to ‘digest’, dim the lights and end the night with a round of spooky story telling.
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