As much as we may look like Wonder Woman, or so as not to be sexist, Superman, and feel like them too, we cannot be a one person band and expect that the everything will just fall into place. It’ll fall alright, down, into bed, if you make it that far, from exhaustion.

A smart and successful small biz owner has back up, and I’d love to share my back up tricks honed from trial and error throughout the years that have saved me countless hours of unproductive work.

One of the best tips I’ve gotten to be constantly reminding ourselves of what is a time waster and what is a productive money making action for our day is from the wonderful business coach Jane Pollak, that goes like this: when creating your day to day tasks, use a green marker and mark which daily tasks are your business growth, money making tasks, and which are not. I usually make my list and then mark the moneymaking tasks with a green dot. If nothing else this will be a wake up call. Are you wasting way too much time on your proposals? There’s a system for that! Are you crunching all your numbers yourself for an hour a day? No need for that! Invoicing taking too long? There are a number of great programs for that.

Here’s my top 5 time saving and either free or really inexpensive systems, as I am a tightwad when it comes to these things… all designed to free you up so you can spend your day tackling the big stuff:

1) A really intuitive invoicing system: I use Freshbooks. Not only does it invoice really easily, but it sends them either by snail mail or email, does all kinds of cool numbers crunching, runs reports, allows you to send estimates that can convert to an invoice, and so much more. Bookkeeping — which I personally can’t stand to do so this forces me to do it in a fun and quick way — made easy, and quick. A nominal cost well worth the expense. Allows for customization as well

2) A proposal/Contract system — which used to take me half a day to do — try Quotegine. It allows you to create, save, customize and re-use templates in a library, sends it out with a click of a button and allows for an e signature on your clients end so that they don’t even have to print out, excepting for themselves or mail, attach, or fax back. Just pressing a button lands it back in your hands within a fraction of the time it would take otherwise, allowing you to get going on your next project. Free up until a certain amount of clients, and again, allows you to white label it.

3) A CRM system, otherwise known as a Contact Relationship Management System. Other wise known as a database. If you’re not already on Outlook, look no further than cloud based Highrise, run by the same cool, uber smart folks who created Freshbooks. If you are using your email contacts list as your database I might have to come over there and smack you. Highrise has all the bells and whistles you could ask for to allow you to keep on top of all of your prospects, clients and important business affiliates and contacts in an organized manner, create and schedule tasks and have them appear in your inbox when they come due, as a reminder to ‘get on that!’ It can also be synced with Freshbooks so that your whole client profile, jobs as well as the payments and invoicing are under one heading.

4) Housecleaning! I know that this involves money, but again, if you are trying to be all things to all people including a family of 4 back home, something is going to cave if you’re working hard all day and then expected to come home and clean the house as well. Even if you bring someone in just once per month to do the heavy cleaning, or pay your kids to do it. A scary thought I know. The money you spend here will make itself up to you in ROI if you’re taking the time where you would have been under the bed cleaning dust bunnies to instead contact 3 more warm leads to invite them to lunch. Time much better spent. I’d give you the name of mine as a referral but am afraid she’d be spread too thin and not have time for me. Selfish, I know, but some things are more precious than others. I do know that the team at The Maids are great though. Ask for Melissa.

5) Social Media tools. I have a confession. Social media is not my biggest strength. Other than LinkedIn, I do it because I have to, not because I want to, and I make no bones about it to my clients, as they need to do it as well. What has made it tolerable for me has been a little tool called Onlywire, which allows me to share what you’re reading right here with a load of social media and bookmarking sites instead of spending oodles of time uploading things separately when I could be interacting with folks online and off. Great for the SEO.

Hope these help you be more efficient and use your time more effectively. Now run to that networking meeting!

Suzen Pettit

www.omaginarium.com

www.omaginehealth.com

203 733 8578

Get Found, Get Heard, Get Crackin’

By Managing those Pesky Interruptions!

Did you know … most of us experience on average one interruption every 8 minutes? That’s approximately 6 interruptions each working hour. That means that in an 8-hour workday, we can have between 50-60 interruptions. Did you also know that the average interruption is about 5 minutes in duration? Think about it, 50 – 5 minute interruptions each day adds up to 250 minutes! That means that in an 8 hour workday, 4 hours are spent addressing interruptions (unplanned events). No wonder we sometimes feel as though we have not accomplish anything.

Interruptions can be either acceptable (important) or unacceptable (of little or no importance). Acceptable interruptions are those that add value to our day, and unacceptable ones are those that have little or no value. Some interruptions are within your control (family, friends, phone calls, emails) and others need to be addressed when they occur (superiors, customers). Only you can determine what you consider to be an acceptable interruption.

In addition to unexpected phone calls I consider a messy desk an interruption as it takes more time to find things when I am disorganized. Flashes of Inspiration are also big interruptions to my goals. I use to stop what I was doing and start a completely new project Now when I get an idea, I write it down in my idea journal to look at later rather than stop what I am currently working on – it often takes away momentum you have for a project at hand and can take that much more energy to get back to the place you were.

What are some of yours?

What takes away from achieving higher levels of productivity are those unacceptable interruptions, those things we think we have little or no control over. Surprisingly, we have more control than we think. Here is a tried and true system to manage those interruptions, both acceptable and unacceptable.

~ Write down all the interruptions you have in a day… see what category they fall into and work on ways to avoid or manage them. Look for patterns to those interruptions. This way you can decide if these are interruptions you can control or not.

~ Establish your own priorities.

~ Schedule those known interruptions such as emails, phone calls, setting aside time each day to check email and return phone calls.

“Each of us has the same 24 hours each day to do with what we will..”

~ Determine real emergencies vs. those things that can wait. Someone else’s emergency may not be an emergency for you.

~ Prioritize your own goals and plans for the day.

~ Block out your peak time – the time of day when you are most productive and do not allow anything to come between you and your plans.

~ Weigh the value of each interruption against the value of your own plans.

~ Decide not to accept interruptions just because they occur.

~ Set aside time each day for unplanned interruptions.

~ To further minimize interruptions, tell your circle the best time of day to call you in order to get your attention.

Planning is the key to successfully managing interruptions. You will be amazed at what a few minutes of planning a day will do to add to greater productivity and a sense of real accomplishment. Remember, each of us has the same 24 hours each day to do with what we will. How will you make the most of your 24?

The curse for many of us modern-day movers and shakers is that we never seem to have enough time to do everything that needs doing. There simply aren’t enough hours in the work day (or even the work week!) to accomplish everything on our to-do lists. Worse yet, when we finally do get on a productivity roll, there always seems to be a distraction (or two, or three) waiting in the wings to throw us off course. But the reality, says Jason Womack, is that we could actually accomplish a lot more each day if we would just learn to recognize and acknowledge when we’re done with what we’re doing.

“One of the biggest time wasters we all face is spending too much time on those things that don’t require it,” says Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach, and author of the new book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. “When we do so, we lose the time we actually should be spending on more difficult or time-intensive tasks. But when you learn to recognize when you’re done with a task, you’ll have valuable minutes and maybe even hours added back into your day.”

Womack’s book is packed with strategies, tactics, tools, and processes to help readers consistently and incrementally improve their performance at work. It teaches the fundamentals of workflow and human performance and spells out how to get more done, on time, with fewer resources, and with less stress. But more than that, it provides brilliant insights into why we tend to do what we’ve always done—and how we can break out of the patterns that hold us back.

“It often seems that we put off the most important things on our to-do lists until we feel like we have the ‘time’ to work on them,” notes Womack. “When you learn to recognize when you’re done with projects, big and small, you’ll immediately find that you have a lot more time than you thought you did. Time you can use to focus on those things that truly matter.”

Read on to learn more from Womack about how to know when you’re done:

Stop majoring in the minors. Many of us spend a lot of time on those projects and tasks that are easy for us. Then, we convince ourselves that we “just didn’t have enough time” to get to the harder stuff. But when it comes to knowing when you’re done and freeing up time during your day, completing these easy tasks quickly and efficiently is essential.

“Before you start your work day, think about what your high leverage activities are and what your low leverage activities are,” says Womack. “For the low leverage activities, force yourself to move through them as quickly as possible. With these tasks—for example, writing an email to a colleague—perfection isn’t necessary, and there’s no need to waste time wringing your hands over every word. When you can accomplish these minor tasks more efficiently, you’ll have the time you need to do those major tasks justice.”

Don’t overwrite emails. Much of your time—probably too much—each day gets eaten up by email. Make a conscious effort to keep your emails as short and sweet as possible. “Get to the point quickly and use action verbs in subject lines so that both you and the recipient know what needs to happen before the email is even opened,” advises Womack. “And while long emails waste the time it takes you to write them, keep in mind that the person receiving the email doesn’t want to have to spend so much time reading it either. Chances are your boss doesn’t want or need a three-paragraph rundown of how your client meeting went. He just wants to know if the client is happy and continuing business with you.”

Quit over-staying at meetings and on conference calls. Often meetings and conference calls will take as long as you’ve allotted for them. Set an hour for a meeting and you’re sure to go the full hour. “Pay close attention to how much of your meeting is actually spent focused on the important stuff,” notes Womack. “If you spend 15 to 20 minutes at the beginning or end of the meeting discussing your coworker’s golf game, then next time reduce the amount of time allotted for the meeting. And always know the meeting’s or call’s objectives before you begin. That way you can get to them right away.”

Set your own deadlines and stick to them. It’s very easy to get distracted or sidetracked by things you think you should do or things others think you should do. “Having a self-imposed deadline will help you ignore those distractions,” says Womack. “If a colleague calls you about a non-urgent task, you can let him know you’ve got a 3:00 p.m. deadline that you have to meet. There’s no need for him to know that it’s self-imposed! And then as 3:00 p.m. draws near, start wrapping up that particular task.”

Know when it’s time to ask for help. Have you ever been stumped by a certain project or task? Did you walk away from it for a while and then come back to it hoping you’d suddenly know what to do? Sometimes knowing when you’re done is knowing when you, specifically, can’t take a project any further. “You simply might not have the right expertise to completely finish a certain project,” says Womack. “And that’s okay. Wasting time on something you’re never going to be able to figure out is much worse than asking for help!”

“When you put in place steps to help you know when you’re done, you’ll be surprised and pleased with how much, well, you can get done,” says Womack. “It will truly free up time in your day that you can use to focus on areas where it’s really needed. As a result, you’ll have a more gratifying work day and you’ll be happier overall.”

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, provides practical methods to maximize tools, systems, and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He has worked with leaders and executives for over 16 years in the business and education sectors. His focus is on creating ideas that matter and implementing solutions that are valuable to organizations and the individuals in those organizations.

Author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More, Jason shows that working longer hours doesn’t make up for a flawed approach to productivity and performance. Entrepreneurs need to clarify their habits, build mindset-based strategies, and be proactive. Womack’s signature workplace performance techniques offer specific strategies to consistently and incrementally improve performance.

Eight Ways to Retrain Your Brain to Notice the Little Things

In the age of information overload, Jason Womack warns that when it comes to what we have time to focus on, we are often forced to sacrifice quality for quantity. He offers advice on how we can start paying closer attention to (and reaping the rewards of) the details.

For many Americans, the 21st century has gone from being the age of information to feeling more like the age of information overload. Between the e-mails, memos, and other miscellaneous information you have to read at work, your friends’ Facebook updates, your Twitter community recommending articles for you to read, and that book that’s been sitting on your nightstand (unopened) for the past month—there’s just no way to take it all in. As a result, we’ve become a nation of skimmers, reading just enough of just the right amount of information to have at least a loose grasp on what’s going on in our work and personal lives.

But the tragedy, says Jason Womack, is that in all of our skimming we miss essential details that could help us improve our productivity, build better relationships, and live more gratifying lives.

“Of course, there are obvious reasons to pay attention to the details,” says Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach, and author of the new book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More (Wiley, February 2012, ISBN: 978-1-118-12198-6, $24.95). “Your momentum is constantly moving you forward, allowing you to better serve your employer and/or clients and just do an all-around better job. Doing so helps you catch mistakes and allows you to connect certain dots that you might not have seen otherwise. You’re not frequently having to interrupt your work flow to put out fires and fix problems, and as a result, you can be more productive overall.

“But I think, most importantly, it helps you build better relationships. When you have an eye for detail—for example, noticing someone’s new watch or remembering that their favorite sports team played the night before—then the people you’re with see that you’re really focused on them. And naturally, that makes them feel special, which makes them think positively of you.

“It also improves your ability to communicate,” he adds. “When you can tell a detail-rich story, it becomes more interesting for the listener. It makes them want to connect with you, and where that desire exists a great relationship can blossom.”

How do you make the rubber meet the road? Well, the good news is that knowing you really want to cultivate this skill is half the battle. You simply need to make a conscious decision every day to pay closer attention. Read on for a few tips to help you become a detail dynamo and get more productive in the process:

Stop multi-tasking. One way to combat information overload and to check more items off your endless to-do list is to multi-task. But while working on a project update memo while on a conference call with a client might allow you to kill two birds with one stone, think about what it prevented you from doing.

“When you multi-task, you can’t give your undivided attention to the things you’re working on,” says Womack. “If you multi-task on a call with a client, chances are you’ll miss something important, maybe a deadline for an upcoming project or at the very least an opportunity to truly connect. Meanwhile, your memo might contain mistakes that you wouldn’t have otherwise made, but worse, you will have missed the opportunity to really think about the project’s progress and what could be done to improve it.”

Carry a camera. No, this isn’t a suggestion that you become a professional photographer. Carrying a camera with you is actually a great way to become more in tune with your environment. “When I have my camera, I’m always looking for the next shot,” explains Womack. “It helps me notice the little things that I might not have noticed if I weren’t looking. My camera is a reminder of the fact that there is more to see, if I’ll stop to see it.”

Set a timer for 15-minute intervals. Womack teaches that our days are actually made up of about 100 15-minute intervals. In fact, 15 minutes is just about the right “chunk” of time for us to be able to stay focused, minimize interruptions, and work effectively. “When you’re first getting started on paying more attention to detail, setting a timer can be a great way to self-monitor yourself,” says Womack. “When you know that timer is ticking down, you’ll be encouraged to really dig in and focus on the task at hand.”

Know when you’re not focused and implement ways to refocus. When you’re working with your timer, write down each instance when you lose focus—even if it’s just to look at a clock to see what time it is. “Writing those moments down will help you figure out what causes you to lose focus,” says Womack. “When you know what can throw you off track, you’ll be able to take action to reduce those distractions. Eventually, you’ll be able to make the most of every minute of your day.”

Practice, practice, practice. You won’t become a master of detail overnight so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. “Essentially, you have to retrain the way you work,” says Womack. “You have to break some bad habits that have developed over the years and replace them with better habits. That won’t be easy, and it will take time. You just have to be diligent about devoting yourself to the details and quickly getting yourself back on track when you slip up.”

Reduce your information stream. One important way to help yourself pay more attention to detail is to simply reduce the amount of stuff vying for your attention. “Get rid of everything you can and reduce what might be coming in,” advises Womack. “Unsubscribe from e-mail newsletters, magazines, book-of-the-month clubs, perhaps even the ad-hoc committees you’ve joined recently. Try the ‘unsubscription’ for three months; at the end of those 12 weeks, you can re-up if you want to!”

Stay in touch. Now, this might sound like one more thing that’s going to clog up your to-do list, but it’s actually a great way to train yourself to keep an eye out for important details. “Probably the ‘secret sauce’ to getting more done is to let people know you’re thinking of them when you DON’T need something from them,” explains Womack. “When I find an article, see a book, watch a movie, etc. that reminds me of someone’s interests, I will pass it on to them. So many times over the years this constant ‘value-add’ initiative has paid off in major ways. It’s a great way to show people you care about them and that you pay attention to what’s going on with them.”

Listen more. There are three different learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. And everyone in your network falls into one of these categories. Visual people need to see and draw things—they might say, “I see what you’re saying.” Auditory folks need to hear it and say it—they might say, “I hear what you’re saying.” And kinesthetic people create models, print decks, and draw on flip charts or whiteboards—they might say, “That makes sense to me.” “‘Listen’ carefully to people and they’ll make it easier for you to communicate in a way that THEY best receive information,” notes Womack. “When you know how they work, you can give them the details that are more important to them, which will help you work better and more efficiently together.”

“Because we’re so overloaded with information, we often approach our days focused on getting as much done as possible,” says Womack. “But when that is your big goal, you end up ignoring important details, and the details are where big opportunities are found. When you retrain yourself to live in the details, you can improve everything you do and truly make the most of your relationships.”

# # #

About the Author:

Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA, provides practical methods to maximize tools, systems, and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He has worked with leaders and executives for over 16 years in the business and education sectors. His focus is on creating ideas that matter and implementing solutions that are valuable to organizations and the individuals in those organizations.

Author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More, Jason shows that working longer hours doesn’t make up for a flawed approach to productivity and performance. Entrepreneurs need to clarify their habits, build mindset-based strategies, and be proactive. Womack’s signature workplace performance techniques offer specific strategies to consistently and incrementally improve performance.

You too can store Hanukah or Christmas decorations with care so they are easy to find and unbroken next year.

Keep this article with your stored decorations and refer to it annually.

If you have a Christmas tree, start un-decorating it from the bottom up, removing the most fragile items first. That way if something falls or is dropped, it won’t damage anything below. If you have help, hand items to another person.

Wrap fragile ornaments and candles individually in tissue paper or cushion them with crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts (a great use for those annoying Styrofoam pieces). You can also blow air into a zip-lock type plastic bag after inserting the breakable object, so the air cushions and protects it.

Pack the above in a sturdy cardboard or plastic storage box, some of which are manufactured with inserts for separating fragile items. Discarded empty liquor boxes with divided sections serve this purpose well. Label the contents clearly on box.

Box up similar items together such as outside decorations separately from inside lights, fragile items separately from wreaths, etc.

For electric menorahs, unscrew and wrap the individual bulbs as described above for fragile ornaments. Menorahs can be protected with paper or Styrofoam. Candles stay best in the freezer until next year. Never store holiday candles in hot garages or basements. You probably won’t like how they look the following year.

Protect large hanging decorations in plastic garbage or dry cleaning bags, seal and hang from the rafters in the garage. There are also giant size zip-lock type plastic bags available.

Wrap strings of lights around empty paper towel rolls to avoid tangles. Make a small slit in the ends of the core to secure string ends into the hollow center then wrap the string gently around the core. Next year you can just unwrap the roll onto the tree.

Label each roll, identifying the type of light and its use such as “outdoor,” “tree,” or “front door trim.”

Include any extension cords used with this year’s lights to avoid searching for them next year.

Store ribbons and long rolls of wrapping paper in a storage box that slides easily under a bed or fits in a closet. Include a pair of scissors and plenty of tape for convenience next year. Immediately after the holidays you can take advantage of sales to stock up on discounted paper and wrapping supplies so you will be all set for the coming year.

Try these few simple organizational tips now so your next holiday season will go smoother and be happier.

Diane Hatcher, CPO ® is a Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Time-Savers Professional Organizing Services, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL since 1998. She is the author of Don’t Agonize, Organize Your Office Now! You can reach her at (954) 252-7511 or on the web at www.timesaversUSA.com and sign up for her free monthly e-zine.

What if I could teach you 1 tip that would save you 1 hour a week – every week!

Now what if I gave you FIVE of those tips?

How about 10?

Would a few extra hours a week change your business?

What would you pay to have those hours and tips –

and a course that taught you how to implement them?

$197?

$100?

How about $67?

WE has asked our favorite Simplification Strategist, Debbye Cannon,

to be a guest speaker for our WE Women on January 11^th

to help us ALL kick off the new year with a new set of tools in our toolbox.

JOIN US!
and INVITE a FRIEND
This is the PERFECT Holiday Gift between Girlfriends!

Debbye Cannon is the SMARTcut^® expert, and her SMARTcut^® Tips
have helped thousands of business women and moms to change their lives
and move chaos to productivity day after day, week after week.

By creating less chaos in our lives and simplifying our TIME,
we create more ROOM.

What’s your 1^st priority of 2011? Join us at 1pm EST on 1-11-11. Hah!

Give YOURSELF a holiday gift this year and take this
million-dollar life changer for $67.

CLICK HERE to JOIN THE WEBINAR
(Can’t be there? WE will send you the recording and materials!)

“Creative entrepreneurs often struggle with time management. The trick is to find systems that will provide some order without becoming totally restrictive. I know, because I am one of you! I’ll be sharing the “whole enchilada” on time management on January 11^th, and I’ll be sharing bits and pieces as well as whole systems that I want the WE Women to mix and match to create YOUR own best solution.”

~ Debbye Cannon, The SMARTcut^® Expert

Plan and Create Task Lists: Prioritize and schedule specific days for shopping, baking, partying and other activities. Creating an actionable plan will make you feel more in control of your responsibilities.

Acknowledge How You Feel: You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season. If you are feeling blue reach out to a good friend or family member for some laughs. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community events or volunteer your time. If you are feeling overwhelmed stop and assess what you can let go of.

Breathe: Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Reduce stress by clearing your mind, nurturing your body and finding inner calm. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Reduce stress by clearing your mind, nurturing your body and finding inner calm.

Delegate: You do not have to do everything on your own. Ask the people who love you for help. It’s amazing how much friends and family are willing to step up and chip in. People like to feel useful and needed. Do you think Martha Stewart takes care of all the details?

Get Real: The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can’t come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videotapes. This year we have completely switch up our regular game plan and it feels good!

Say NO Thanks: Saying yes when you really want to say no can leave you feeling resentful and totally overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every holiday event or activity. You have permission to say no thank you.

Continue Healthy Habits: Overindulgence contributes to additional stress and guilt. Plan to enjoy healthy food before holiday parties so that you don’t inhale too many decadent treats. Do your best to to get plenty of sleep, physical activity and down time to nourish your mental and physical health.

Planning for the holidays can be a lot of fun. All you need to do is create a plan, ask for help and honor yourself. You deserve to eliminate the self-induced stress of the holidays and enjoy this time of year!

If you want more information about overcoming stress and anxiety, you are welcome to visit www.anxietyslayer.com for additional posts, podcasts and ideas created to help you wipe out anxiety and get on with enjoying your life.

Shann Vander Leek, successful television broadcast maven turned international life on your terms accelerator, yogini and author of Life on Your Terms: The Support You Need to Follow Your Passion From Inspirational Entrepreneurs. Unconventional and delightfully curious; she is a wildly sought-after transition coach who inspires powerful women in career transition to get focused now, follow their passion and create more balance in their lives. Shann invites you to step on the gas and accelerate your life on your terms with her signature Accelerator Sessions. You can find her on Twitter @ShannVanderLeek or at www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

12 “Ways” of Christmas by Debbye Cannon

1. Ask friends and family members for their wish lists to simplify your gift giving efforts. You can specify an amount or make the sky the limit. Include specifics (catalog number or store and price).

2. SMARTcut® your holiday greetings with services for sending electronic cards. There are many free services for sending electronic cards all year long. (http://ecards.plaxo.com/ecard/ or http://www.hallmark.com/online/product/ecards/).

3. Speed up gift wrapping with reusable gift bags, boxes or make some fabric bags. All are economical and easier to store than rolls of paper.

4. Donate! This is the perfect time to clear out closets and share the wealth with those less fortunate.

5. Keep up with the incoming paper (mail, catalogs, newspapers, magazines). It’s so easy to get behind on your paperwork when you have more fun opportunities like holiday parties and gatherings to attend. Visit http://office-simplified.com/ for SMARTcut systems for paper management

6. Create a reusable menu and grocery list. Let’s face it, most of us have a favorite meal for holiday times. Instead of looking up the recipes in a bunch of cards and books, why not create a pretty (and totally functional!) Holiday Meal “Album.”
You can start adding photos of your holiday gatherings.

7. Of course, the BIG DAY meal isn’t all you’ll be cooking and serving in the next few weeks. If you ever needed to streamline your everyday meals, this would be the time. Discover how to save time and money in the kitchen at http://Meals-Simplified.com.

8. Holidays are sure to find some extra hands helping you in the kitchen (well, I hope so anyway!). So help them to help you by adding labels to your refrigerator shelves.

9. One thing that contributes to stress in hyper-busy times is not allowing for preparation and clean up. Be sure to mark off some before and after time to your activities so you have allowed time to pack for that trip, bake for that party, and wrap those gifts.

10. Got guests? If so, don’t delay in checking your guest room for towels, travel-sized essentials, and maybe even a basket of goodies.
 Ask ahead if they have food limitations and tell what to expect for temperatures in your home so they are dressed for comfort.

11. Be sure to take lots of photos with a digital camera to preserve memories! Try digital download albums available from services such as http://Snapfish.com to create some lovely books. This is an affordable, fast way to make duplicate copies for friends and family of your special times together.

12. Ahhh! The festive days will soon come to a close, so put away the decorations in a more friendly fashion. Last year I realized that my decorating efforts next year would be much simpler if I stored my decorations by rooms.

Simply Yours,

Debbye Cannon

Debbye Cannon, author, speaker and simplification strategist consultant simplifies life for women internationally. With a diversified background as a military wife, mother, home educator, caregiver, entrepreneur and grandmother she’ll make your life SIMPLY BRILLIANT. Find more SMARTcut® Solutions at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com

*purchase the pink ornaments shown above at Summers At The Cottage

From SMARTcut-solutions.com

Debbye Cannon

Debbye Cannon, author, speaker and simplification strategist consultant simplifies life for women internationally. With a diversified background as a military wife, mother, home educator, caregiver, entrepreneur and grandmother she’ll make your life SIMPLY BRILLIANT. Find more SMARTcut® Solutions at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com

There are so many things to consider – the venues, the objective of your voyage, the people you will encounter and might encounter, the activities that are planned and that might happen, the weather [and the potential weather], the culture of the destination, the airline fees for luggage, the amount of time that you may have to carry/wheel your suitcase, the importance of comfort vs looking your best; the list could be continued for hours…the reason for this commentary is your trip depends on how good you look! (..which substantiates how you feel).

Think about it – the last time you had that feeling of looking really good: people treated you differently; you carried yourself taller. The issue is packing the right pieces in order to meet the objective of the trip…and not going into bankruptcy with baggage fees.

The very first step is evaluating what needs to be accomplished: nail the account, get the promotion, land the job, change the idea, research and investigate information, visit a landmark, attend a social event, etc… This step is to take the time to consider the appropriateness of your attire, accessories and overall presentation. If you are on a business trip, you need to represent the company image. If you are on a social journey, consider that you represent not just yourself, but your hometown, your culture, your school, etc…To be specific, if you are visiting Yosemite National Park, you might opt for unwrinkled shorts that fit and flatter paired with a coordinating top and comfortable hiking boots, rather than simply an outfit that wasn’t well thought out. Many do not give effort or energy to an outfit on vacation outside of comfort which leads to a disheveled look – not great for the photo album. This certainly doesn’t mean that you have to look ‘decked’ – it means that a polished look of comfort is preferred.

The second step is to consider the weather and what the weather might bring. Everyone knows the drill, for possible rain, bring whatever rainproof gear you need – if you do, it is certain to be sunny, but if you don’t, expect torrential downpours. Everyone in New England knows to bring sweatshirts for the evenings…but not this summer: they were left folded on the shelves. On the other hand, Mother Nature had a mood swing in the Rockies: despite predictions in the mid fifties, last Saturday night dropped to 31*F! Needless to say, the strapless dress that was planned for a wedding was hid by a fur stole that was never removed the entire night. Obviously, shopping is fun [and necessary], but this article is about packing – therefore, we always suggest layers. The best way to do this is to go from light interior to dark exteriors…

The last step is to make ensembles that include the absolutely necessary and then recycle the outfit using different pieces and accessories. We advise our clients to dress as nicely as possible without sacrificing comfort during travel because you never know what influential person you may meet. One of the greatest ways to get upgraded to first class is to look like you already belong there. A dark colored wool gabardine blazer, crisp cotton button front shirt, polished belt and designer jeans with loafers is a common ensemble for travelling. Although this blazer should not be used for an important meeting –we suggest suits for important meetings- it would be re-used for an informal meeting or dinner. Additionally, that crisp cotton shirt could now be placed under a cardigan with trousers and belted, etc…most pieces should be re-used at least once.

In closing, do not forget to pack the carry-on for the infamous ‘lost bag syndrome’…there’s nothing like having clean underwear and a fresh change of clothes when you have no suitcase. And no matter what, don’t forget the accessories: they’re light and transform the blah to chic.

What’s the point in travelling if you can’t feel accomplished and chic?