If you find that you’re going through one hectic day after another, switching between email, calendars, work software, and the internet so often that you forget where you are – it might be time to use a day planner. Having your schedule separate from your screen can help refresh your attention as you go through …
Travel Light
July 16, 2012If you’re heading home from college for the weekend, make it easy on yourself and pack light. First, take all of your unneeded schoolwork and supplies out of your backpack to make room for your Hanging Toiletry Kit. Then plan ahead – select your outfits for the time you’ll be down there, fold them nicely, and …
Laundry in the Dorm
July 9, 2012Life is different when you have to share washing machines. When heading down to the laundry room, take your clothes, washing machine supplies, and room key (you don’t want to be locked out). Sort your clothes and pre-treat any stains, then check the soap and bleach dispensers before you load and start the machine – if …
Cookbook Organization
July 2, 2012Recipes can be a mess sometimes, especially if the non-cook tries to take over when the cook is out of action and messes up the filing system. Help keep that from happening with Avery binders and file organizers. Simply fill a 1” Binder with all of your recipes – you can punch holes in full-sized paper recipes, …
Party Favors
June 25, 2012Summer is full of parties – barbecues, family reunions, weddings, bridal and baby showers, bachelor parties, you name it. Before you head off to your latest shindig, consider a small gift for your host from among our most affordable organizing options: The Nantucket Pen– a stylish writing instrument Inspirational Quote Magnet– perfect for milestone events …
Get More Out of Your Travel
June 18, 2012With the right preparation, your travel time can be easier to enjoy. You can breeze through airport security by wearing shoes that are easy to remove and put on. Keep your laptop where it’s easy to access so you can get it out and replace it quickly. (The right travel bag can make that easier.) …
Organizing Your Small Spaces
June 11, 2012Keeping small spaces orderly can be a real challenge. The trick is to decide what must be there and establish places for each thing. Creating zones for each item or category makes the space feel much larger. If your recipe books and organizers are always in the same place with bookends to keep them from …
Selecting a Father’s Day Gift
June 4, 2012When it comes to selecting a Father’s Day gift, one of the first tests is whether the gift is practical. That’s why the necktie has such staying power – for generations, everyone knew that Dad needed a necktie to wear to the office. Now, of course, workplaces have moved beyond the necktie, and it’s time …
Alternate Food Packaging
May 30, 2012Buying food in bulk can lead to some great deals. But then you have a different challenge: do you put the huge box of Lucky Charms on your desk, or just take one floppy plastic bag at a time? Luckily, just because your food comes in a box, it doesn’t mean it has to stay …
Lunch Break Ideas
May 28, 2012If you feel like your work tasks are swirling around inside your skull, there’s a simple solution – take an actual lunch break. Get up from your desk, grab your lunch, and take it outside to eat in the sunshine. Taking the time away from the electronic stimulation of your computer can give your brain …
Kitchen Clusters
May 24, 2012Do you find yourself running back and forth across your kitchen? If you cluster basic tools and ingredients you normally use for cooking, you can make meal preparation faster. If you keep wooden spoons, salt, pepper, and oil within arms length of your stove, you won’t find yourself running around while the milk burns to …
Do You Get Enough Sleep?
May 21, 2012With all the focus on physical fitness this summer, don’t overlook the other aspects of your health. For instance, getting an adequate amount of sleep each night can help your body regulate itself better and make your day more pleasant. Also, appetite increases the later you stay awake, making it more tempting to erase the …
Please and Thank You
May 16, 2012In our on-demand world, it seems that saying please and thank you is becoming a dying art, something we only hear as part of a standard sales script (thank you, please come again). When you stop to think about it, saying please and thank you helps imbue your personal and professional relationships with an added …
Organizing your Canine Friends for a Road Trip
May 6, 2012Dogs and children are very much alike – they both can get bored with long car trips. If you find that your canine friends start getting antsy in the car, mix it up with a few fun toys, like pull ropes or dog bones. You can even store them in the car, so that they …
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Make a Difference Around the House
April 25, 2012Spring is a great time to do the small seasonal things that make a measurable difference around the house. In the bedroom, you can rotate your mattress and wash your pillows for a fresh, comfortable night’s sleep. Go through the house and wipe off any screens to get rid of little fingerprints or airborne cooking …
Family Schedules
April 23, 2012As spring gets going, family schedules start getting busier. There are suddenly sporting events, school concerts, and other reasons to drive all over town. Before these events get to be too much, and before your kids blame you for not foreseeing any scheduling conflicts, set up a planning board in a common area of your …
Garden Preparation
April 16, 2012After spending the winter cooped up inside, it can be exciting when the weather warms up. For many people, spring is the time you get to plan your garden. For the best results you’ll want to start early in the season – if you find seeds you want in a seed catalog, you’ll need to …
Storing Cosmetics
April 12, 2012There are many classic solutions to storing cosmetics – the small stuffed bag, the line of toppled tubes falling out of the medicine cabinet, the jumbled drawer. When it comes to organizing makeup, though, the first step is to divide and conquer. Set out all your cosmetics on the counter, and the sort them by type. Put …
Board Game Management
April 9, 2012Over time, the boxes for board games get stepped on, shoved together, and compressed on the shelf. That’s if the game has a box to begin with – all too often checkers, dominos or poker chips end up sitting out on the shelf in ugly plastic bags. If your game boxes are disintegrating, try getting …
This Spring, Get Fit!
March 31, 2012Springtime is here, and with it comes a renewed focus on personal fitness. As the coats come off, our choices during the candy holidays from Halloween through Valentine’s Day become apparent. If you’re looking to improve your fitness, renew your resolve to exercise and stick to it. Whether it’s getting out the door early and …
