Does your day seem to disappear before your eyes?  Critical tasks left undone? Desperate for a solution?  When you launched your business were you prepared for everything you had to do to make it thrive?   Productivity and profitability do go hand in hand!

Maybe when you began your business you thought you just needed to learn skills to make you an expert in your field and "Voila"! you'd be a sought-after success!

It's not so easy, is it?

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to know about all sorts of things—like product development, budgeting / branding, marketing, networking, social media, video, and so much more!  Then, if you get that all figured out, did anyone ever teach you how to successfully combine your business with the rest of your life?

The truth is every performance gap, every little inefficiency, every lack of organization or productivity, not only reduces the effectiveness of your business, it also steals time from your personal life! This is TRUE FOR all BUSINESS owners!

Wouldn't it be great if you could find everything you needed to learn in ONE place?

I'm inviting you, as my guest, in an extraordinary program designed specifically towards the unique needs of entrepreneurs who want to excel in business and in life … Fire Up Your Biz - Enrich Your Life!   Stephanie LH Calahan of Calahan Solutions, Inc. has pulled together some of the best experts on productivity, mindset and business growth that you can find -- over 20!

Sign up by clicking here today!

Warmest Regards,
Michelle Panzlaff

PS
This program offers a TON of value. Don't miss out!  Stephanie tells me that the goal is to be all content and no fluff!  This is not a series of sales presentations.  They are even taking your questions to get answered, so you know you'll get solid value.

It's time to stop feeling exhausted at the end of each day.

Tip 1: To be 'on-time' more often try to determine your 'Target Arrival Time' first. To determine this you'll need to figure out what is latest time you could arrive, (without feeling stressed), and the earliest possible time you want arrive, (That wouldn't leave you waiting an unbearable amount of time). The time in-between will be your 'Target Arrival time'.

Tip 2: Determine how long it 'really' takes to get where you are going, so you don't miss your target and end up late. Be sure to factor in time to warm up car or park it, etc. Use this information to schedule your departure time. (Recommend adding 15 minutes to your estimated travel time for transitional activities)

Tip 3: When attending a lecture or workshop try sitting at the front of the room where you can resist more distractions. Focus on the instructor, listen and take good notes. Immediately afterwards, review your notes. (Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review)

Tip 4: Ask questions to clarify things and engage with others. By showing outward interest and listening you can self-motivate and the dialogue may help you remember things later on.

Tip 5: Take good notes by noting dates, headings of topics, names, actions and due dates as applicable. When taking notes first record thoughts, then cut the clutter and circle the best points. Review those points and reflect on outcomes, then review again.

If you found these tips handy and think you know someone that can benefit from them or may enjoy getting TidyTimes and the free gifts for signing on, please pass it on this webpage to them. 

Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.  ~Elise Boulding
 
What a unique treasure are the things we have learned to live without, for no thief can take them from us.  ~Robert Brault
 
We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.  ~Donald Horban 

This is the time of year in which I perform my seasonal swap of clothing. No more sandals and summer time dresses taking up room in my closet. Now is the time I grab my two seasonal bins from storage and spend a couple hours to bring out the winter wear and put away the spring summer fashions. Next year I will be excited to do the swap again and look forward to taking back some of my favorites to enjoy.
 
I suggest everyone try this, and give your closet some breathing space. Enjoy the stuff that you really love and use often. All you need is a few clear bins as shown in the picture and some safe and dry space to store it. As you see, my needs are covered with only two bins. The box on top represents a portion of donated items from my household and my mothers too.
 
Cost to you, about $20 per bin and a few hours of your time.
And you can do this with things like kid’s toys and books too. Doing a seasonal swap each year gives your children a chance to focus more on the few favorites they own and each year see the old as new again. It beats shopping for new stuff when you can get a thrill from un-boxing some almost forgotten favorites. 

As much as we all wish to have a carefree life, there are going to be events that change our lives forever. Change is inevitable, nothing stays the same. Sometimes unexpected and unpleasant things happen.
 
Our whole lives may be called on to be changed and re-organized. A big move, a divorce, or even the death of a loved one and all of a sudden we feel overwhelmed, upside down, even lost for a while. How is it we can cope? How is it we can organize ourselves again?
 
First remember that given time, all things pass. Feelings of overwhelm, grief, fear or confusion may come and it’s ok to let yourself wallow in them and take time to rest, re-evaluate and re-group. Give yourself time to accept things and to work on what must be done. As it has been said ‘Rome was not built in a day.’
 
Why do I talk about this today, you may wonder? Why this angle on the topic of letting go, change and about overcoming it?
 
It is because I recently have experienced a huge loss and some life changes, and have had to take time to care for myself and still get things done. I have a great support system of friends and family for which I am happy. It is my hope in sharing my thoughts and experiences on this that I may help others in dealing with change. Perhaps I can offer an interesting perspective on how we can let go, move forward, accept what comes our way and work to make our lives better in the moment.
 
My season of change began on September 9th. This day found me with my mother as she lay in the hospital. My mother was not to leave the care of her doctors and nurses from then on. Onwards till October 12th, the day she passed away, it was my brother and I that came to see her everyday to comfort her and share in her last moments. Indeed the biggest loss I have ever felt was the loss of my mother.
 
Yet all is not lost. Good things are still here and there is more around the corner. For everything lost, there is something that can be gained, if we choose to.
 
We gain an understanding that life is temporary. In light of this understanding, the possessions we accumulate seem less important. ‘Does what we own add to our life and happiness right now?’ could be a question we ask ourselves. We can also ask ourselves about what we want in life and whether our actions are inline with our higher principals and life goals.
 
We can turn our attention to what is important and good in our lives today. We can plan for the future, yet we must live for the moment. Are we holding on to things because we fear we won’t be successful enough to acquire what we need, when we need it in the future? What do we stand to gain by letting go of something else, such as more time, more space, more energy or piece of mind?
 
There is always going to be new things, new adventures and new life in the world. If it were not for change and for the passing on of old things we could not grow, we would not even be here to discuss the matter, as we would have never evolved in the first place. We can keep this is mind, yet we should not be wasteful in our handling of what we have now.
 
For me, the loss of my mother has brought me much closer to my brother, whom I love. It has reinforced my belief that life is precious and we should work to make it enjoyable and in the service of our fellow man. It has inspired me also to share the idea that we should live with gratitude in our hearts and give thanks for the food and joy of living. That like the ‘Serenity Prayer’ suggests, we should accept what we can not change, and change what we can. And in living in this way, when our time comes we won’t wish that we had lived our lives differently and rather we will feel triumphant.

I heard the 'Wealthy Barber" is returning and sharing some thoughts on debt and consumerism.  That is great news, because I see first hand, a lot of what buying ‘too much’ stuff can do to the home and to the bank account. I know from personal experience to what debt feels like as well.

I ask… Do you own your stuff? Or does your stuff own you?

What ever happened to being ‘grateful’ for what we have?

Doesn’t it feel great to simplify life and get back to what’s important anyways?

If you are interested in reading on Dave Chilton, check out the news here: http://www.wealthybarber.com/

And if you want to read my past article
Maximize Your Time and Opportunities, Stop Buying Stuff!http://www.tidytiger.biz/1/post/2009/08/maximize-your-time-money-and-opportunities-stop-buying-stuff.html

Have you ever heard the expression
‘Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?’

When we put things off, we are procrastinating. Maybe it’s putting off cleaning the car, organizing the closet or paying a bill or… the list goes on and on.

So how do we beat it? Here are three ideas:

1. Break big tasks down to smaller ones. If your goal is to read a long novel for example, set small goals to read chapter, by chapter. A small goal to read a couple chapters is less overwhelming than telling yourself you have to read the whole book.

2. Don’t think about it, ‘just do it!' Stop worrying, just start doing. Getting started is half the battle. Don’t wait to get inspired to start a task. Feel the fear, and do it anyway!

3. Get the help of a friend. Maybe you’ll be more motivated with a friend at your side. Like with studying, meeting with a study buddy means you are far more likely to commit to the task.

Rely on external resources and help, such as self-help books, training programs and of course professional organizers. All of these options can help you deal with procrastination. Your success and piece of mind is important, if you need help and want to see just how much fun it can be to ‘get it done’, I am here for you.


TIME SAVING TRICKS

Less stress and a smooth running day can be yours if you use your time wisely. Here are some suggestions to help you save time.

 * Make lunch the night before
* Always leave your keys & wallet in the same place
* Clean your home one room a day, or every other day
* Use a calendar to keep track of date specific tasks
* Make a ‘To-Do’ list everyday
* Try running a load of laundry while making dinner
* Set your alarm 15 minutes early
* Set our clock 5 minutes ahead
* Cook large meals on weekends that carry a few days
* Lay out your clothes the night before
* Run errands on the way home from work

Other tricks to help you manage time:
 
* Make a checklist of tasks for each week & month
  that happens on a regular basis. This will save you
  having to write out repeating tasks on your to-do
  list every time.

* Observe how you spend time for a couple weeks to
  see where your time really goes. Make notes of
  when your energy levels are high and when you feel
  most tired.

* Use your time tracking information to plan a master
  schedule for each week or month. Include routine
  tasks and room for creative fun time too. Schedule
  sedentary tasks for times you know you generally
  have less energy.

* Review all outstanding action files, goals and ongoing
  projects every week. Friday afternoon can be a good
  time to clear your head for the weekend.

Every year, thousands of people are made victims by identity theft.

Modern telecommunications devices and computer processing can make it easier for us to stay in touch and process transactions, yet they can also make it easier for criminals to get hold of valuable information.

Be it paper or digital, preventing the wrong element from getting a hold of information they can use to steal from you and others, is important.

Imagine your children’s information being used to establish credit cards and loans before they are even old enough to work. Imaging your identity stolen and your credit rating trashed for bad debt that someone else created for you. Worse yet, imagine being arrested for crimes you never committed.

In doing some research on the topic, these are just some of the scenarios I found that identity theft victims have had to live through.

Your safety is my concern, and so I have unofficially declared October as Theft Prevention Month. In order to prevent any one of these stories from ever being yours, today I offer some tips on identity theft prevention and local resources to help you protect yourself, your loved ones, and your business.

Common ways to protect yourself:

Paperwork
One easy first step to helping prevent someone from getting a hold of your private details is to invest in a paper shredder. Expect to spend $30.00 - $100.00 depending on what your volume of shredding may be. Shred personal information, credit card and debit card receipts, pre-approved credit applications etc. Cross cut shredders that can handle full sheets of paper make shredding easy and effective.
You can also bring your papers to service providers who make it their business to shred your docs on site. Some will even come to you, should you have a significant amount of documentation to destroy.

Around Town
When using your debit and credit cards, watch who is standing around you. Guard your pin number from prying eyes. Also, try not to carry extra credit cards you don’t use. That goes for cards like you Social Insurance Number too. Better to leave that in a safe at home if you can.
For added security for your credit cards, cover up the 3 digit code on the back too. Memorize those numbers or write it down in a secret place somewhere separate from the card. That way you won’t be sharing that code to everyone you hand your credit card too. I personally got stung on this one not long ago.

At the Mail Box
When ordering checks, have them delivered to your local bank instead of to your home. If getting new cards mailed to you, watch that they come on time. If you suspect it’s late call the card company to see when it was mailed. If too much time has passed, have the card canceled. Same can go for your bills too.

On-Line
Secure your computer with anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware programs. Have a firewall set up and when shopping on-line be sure that the site you are providing your private details to, is secure.
Set clever passwords for your on-line accounts. Combo’s of letters and numbers is best. Don’t use things like your mother maiden name or the city you were born in.

Personal Information
Unless you initiated the call yourself, do not give out personal information over the phone. Keep in mind too that there is technology available to monitor cell phone calls, so use a land-line if you can when you are going to give personal information over the phone. And another tip is to keep your phone number or social security number off of your personal checks.
Some key information that you should be diligent in protecting would be, your full name, date of birth, address, credit card numbers, Social Insurance Number (SIN) and any other personal identification numbers that could be used to open accounts, redirect mail, establish cell phone services, rent vehicles or even secure employment.

Resources that can help you protect yourself:

Local Shredding Service and Data Protection Options:
http://www.shredit.com/Home.aspx
http://www.1800shredding.com/consumer/candianmembers.php
http://www.ironmountain.ca/en/index.asp
http://securit.com/

Local Document Storage:
http://butlerboxandstorage.com/
http://www.fergusonmoving.com/storage-2/secure-document-storage/

Sellers of Shredders:
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_i_results.asp?txtSearch=paper+shredders
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/category/shredders/21131.aspx

Legal Shield (Formally known as Pre-Paid Legal Service of Canada:
(My personal trusted network connections)
https://www.prepaidlegal.com/MS/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=valerielkrehmer
https://www.prepaidlegal.com/MS/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=christinebennetclark

More great tips and stories on line:
http://www.identitytheftprotection.net/47-identity-theft-horror-stories/
http://www.stop-idfraud.ie/

Isn't life great? Sure it has its ups and downs, yet it always seems to be at least interesting.
 
This fall is bringing my family some big challenges, some of which are saddening, and all of which shall pass. For this I am grateful. Let’s just say right now I am enjoying some love and support from my family and friends while I squeeze the lemons life brought in. I will need the ‘juice’ to give me the energy to also provide my love and support to those that need it from me. It’s funny how it all comes together.
 
Putting things into perspective I know I have a lot of work ahead of me this fall to keep me busy. Some of which is me helping my valued clients to get organized. Organizing may not be a passion for many, yet it is a passion of mine. As things pick up this fall, I find myself picking up more and more clutter, to show it to the door.
 
Please note I will be offering house sitting services of a new kind in the near future. I got a taste of it recently and think living in a space really facilitates a greater understanding of the challenges that one can face in the home.

How would you or someone you know like to take a holiday and come home to a clean and organized space? Tell me where it hurts and what you would like changed, go on holiday, and then come home so I can show you the difference 'organized' can make. I feed and water plants and pets too, just don't ask me to cut the grass and we're all good.

Call or write anytime to discuss taking a real, everlasting holiday from clutter!