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The Simplified Home by Janet Nusbaum, The Organizing Genie

Clear the Clutter and Simplify Your Life

Are you overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, and the wasted time and energy spent searching for misplaced items? Do you fear unexpected company dropping by?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! In fact ... I've been right where you may feel right now!

Why do we struggle so with creating and maintaining order and calm in our home? Well, here's a reality check for you! Did you know that our homes have doubled in size since the 1970's and the average home today contains 50% more stuff than in the 1980's. So the life we live now is far different than the generation before, and our relationship to our stuff has changed as well.

For these reasons and so many more, it is imperative today that we create a safe haven in our home. A place where we can retreat from modern life to rest and regenerate our energy supply for the next day. If we return home after a stressful day dealing with the demands of daily life, to an even more stressful environment full of distractions and clutter ... then when do we ever have a break from it all? A time to be at peace, to rest, and re-energize our batteries?

I invite you to join me every Monday to explore the many benefits and recipe for creating The Simplified Home.

Latest Posts:


Tackle the Dreaded To Do List Trying to get things done around the house, but feeling overwhelmed by your never-ending list of things-to-do? Here's a simple system that works. Make a Master Task List of everything you have to, or want, to do. Don't worry about the order right now. You're basically brain-dumping on paper all your Read more... posted on: 11/11/2009 12:04:26 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

The Organized Student - Kids, Backpacks and Papers, Oh My! I'm a busy mom with school-aged kids, so it goes without saying that we experience hectic school day mornings. If your mornings are chaotic like ours, follow these get-organized tips to ensure a smooth to and from school routine. Make mornings flow smoothly by getting everything ready the night before. Have school bags packed and placed by the door and tomorrow's outfits laid out. Organize your kid's departure and arrival spot (I call this the launching and... Read more... posted on: 11/3/2009 11:05:29 PM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Imagine ... never sorting socks again! In most homes, sock piles abound! Socks seem to have a life of their own. How do they end up in so many places throughout our home? Socks travel through several stages in the wash and wear cycle - from dresser drawer, being worn, to the washer, dryer, then sorted and matched with their mate, before they make it safely back to the dresser drawer. With so many steps in the process, no wonder they get lost and mismatched. Socks that end up in mismatched piles and never make it safely back to the dresser drawer are useless clutter. Have you considered the time it takes to match socks coming out of the Read more... posted on: 9/14/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Reduce Household Spending One Coupon at a Time Everyone is worried about the current state of our economy, with good reason. But much of what is going on globally is out of our control. What we do have control over is how we spend our own money. One of the easiest ways to reduce household spending is to use coupons when you shop. It's a no brainer ... if you found fifty-cents, seventy-five cents ... a dollar on the floor, wouldn't you pick it up and feel like luck was on your side that day? Isn't using coupons like finding money on the floor? You bet! Yet a small percentage of Americans even use coupons, let alone have a system for organizing, storing and redeeming coupons. Consequently they spend much more of their hard-earned money on household purchases... Read more... posted on: 9/7/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Back to School Tips for an Organized School Year A new school year is once again upon us. Ugh! Is it just me, or do you dread the back to school rush too? Our summers are getting shorter and shorter every year! My kids had the shortest summer yet - just 2 months. As parents, we have great hopes for a smooth transition from relaxing summer days to the hustle and bustle of homework, tests, project deadlines and school activities. It's easy to think that just by purchasing that new trendy school supply, your child will instantly transform into an ultra organized student. Although having the right tools are important to establishing an organized environment, even more important are the habits and routines we encourage in our children. Throughout this month,... Read more... posted on: 8/31/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

School Success Starts with Routines and Habits News Flash … we are not born organized. Organization is a learned skill. Just as children are taught to do long division, hit a baseball, or play a musical instrument, they learn organizational skills, like how to organize their space, time, and tasks. As the adult in their lives, it's your important job to pass along helpful tips for organizing success. Here are a few ideas: Help create a habit of doing homework in the same place, at the same time, every day. Teach time management skills. Encourage younger students to look at the family calendar each day so they know what's coming up. Middle and high schoolers can use a planner to track assignments, large projects, upcoming tests, extracurricular activities, and appointments. Help them see that some things will take a long time to accomplish, while others will only take a few minutes. Help them prioritize tasks each day, focusing first on assignments with the most urgency or earliest due dates. Teach them to use high-energy times to their advantage: It's often best to do the hardest task first, rather than saving it for the evening when they're tired. Or have them start out on a good note by tackling one quick, simple task first to get momentum going, followed by the hardest assignment. Older students will benefit from creating to-do lists: Teach them to use two task groups: an urgent, "To Do today" list and less timely " do it this week" list. Now let's consider how to establish school year routines and habits. Morning wake-up time:... Read more... posted on: 8/27/2009 3:59:07 PM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Say Goodbye to Greeting Card Clutter In every home that I visit, unused greeting cards abound. Here's what happens. You try to plan ahead and buy cards for loved ones who have a special day coming up. You take the card home and throw it in a pile until you need to send it. Then when that time comes you can't find the card amidst the clutter and have to go buy another. So when the first greeting card reappears, the need for that card no longer exists, so it either stays in a clutter pile or goes into the dark hole of unused greeting cards and is soon forgotten. Add to this disorganization the embarrassment of forgetting to mail the card at all. Does this sound familiar? ... Read more... posted on: 8/7/2009 9:53:01 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Vacation Packing - How and How Much How (and how much) you pack can greatly impact your comfort level while on vacation. Follow these tips as you pack your bags. • Pack light. When in doubt, leave it out! Adopt a European standard for fashion by wearing your favorite things multiple times while on vacation. You can hand-wash in the hotel sink if necessary. No one ever wishes they had brought more stuff on vacation! (But you might consider bringing an empty duffel bag or... Read more... posted on: 7/13/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

Planning an Organized Vacation Summer vacation season is upon us once again. We all look forward to the fun and relaxation of vacations, but sometimes the planning, packing and prepping leave you more stressed out than if you had just stayed home. No need to fear – In my 5-Part series on organized vacation planning, I'll help you plan an organized vacation, whether it's a quick weekend getaway or a month-long European vacation.... Read more... posted on: 7/9/2009 4:30:09 PM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

When to Find the Best Deals from July through December Back in April I wrote a post about the best time of year to buy to get the best deals on all kinds of products, from DVDs to automobiles. This is the second part of that post which picks up with the second half of the year from July to December. July ... Read more... posted on: 6/8/2009 10:00:00 AM by Janet Nusbaum category: Homes

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About Janet:

Janet Nusbaum creates calm out of chaos, and loves bringing serenity and order to overwhelmed households, cluttered offices, frazzled parents, and transitioning seniors and families. Janet, President of Simplified Spaces & The Simplified Home, is an Organizing Consultant, Senior Move Manager, Author and Speaker.

She has just released her first book & family chore system "Mom, Can I Help Around the House?" A Simple, Step-by-Step System for Teaching Your Children Life-Long Skills for Pitching-In & Picking-up".BR>
She is a proud member: National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) & National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW)

Visit our website, and sign-up to receive our special report "SHELF LIFE OF 75 COMMON HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. Use this report to decide what to keep and what to toss ... then TAKE ACTION!!

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www.TheOrganizingGenie.com

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