Professional Organizer | Clearing Clutter | Motivational Speaker | Salt Lake City, Utah

Monday Focus

Our focus for this week is a bit different from our usual focus on getting rid of clutter. I want to know if you have a good book or a few good books you are reading this summer.

My daughter is here from Atlanta Georgia and she brought a book to read which she just finished reading. It is “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy. I read this book as a teenager and I hated it.  She loved it.  I wonder if I would like it now.  I am not going to read it to find out.

My other daughter is reading a book I read in 9^th grade and absolutely loved. “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo. This is a book I want to read again.

For myself I am reading “Ties That Bind” by Marie Bostwick. It is about tragedy in a family and the bond of her quilting sisterhood that proves to be her saving grace.

Take some time from getting rid of clutter, kick back and pamper yourself with a good book to read. What are you reading right now? Or what is the next book on your list to read?

As a side note my new book  (Easy Organizing) will be published this October and I get advance copies in September, I am very excited! I just received a few more photos and other pages that will be in it so I can share them in my upcoming newsletters with you over the next few months.

Show ‘N Share Tuesday is one I have been looking forward to showing and sharing for over 6 months. It has been that long since I won the trip to Dreams Cabo. eWisdomTV had a video contest and I won the super star grand prize. Thank you to everyone who voted and to eWisdomTV for a fabulous trip!

I have to say, it was GRAND. For 4 days and 3 nights we were pampered. Our day began with walking on the beach, breakfast, a stretching class on the beach, working out in the exercise room, swimming in the pool, then eating lunch at one of 5 restaurants. The food was delicious-o-so! After lunch we sat in lounge chairs enjoying the ocean waves, reading and napping. Then it was time for dinner. A movie was playing under the stars on a big blow up screen in the evening.

At one point I asked someone walking by on the beach to take our picture so everyone back home could see we do know how to relax. I didn’t do any organizing (that’s a shock I know) and there was no clutter clearing to do either. The perfect vacation for a few days.

I didn’t buy any clutter either–oops I mean souvenirs. The only thing I bought was a charm for my charm bracelet and a few post cards. Are you proud of me?

I recommend you take a look at the videos eWisdomTV  has to offer. It is a website with very good videos done by experts in their field. 

This is the best dollar I have every spent—it was exactly $1.00.

I bought this little coin purse on the street in New York City about 12 years ago. I needed someplace for my coins and on impulse I bought this from a street vendor.

I use it every time I travel as it takes up little space and it is just the perfect size. Every time I use it I say, “this is the best dollar I have ever spent”.

As a professional organizer I’m always curious what others use to help with clutter control. What is the best dollar you have ever spent?

This doesn’t have anything thing to do with getting rid of clutter or organizing, I just wanted to share these two little warm and fuzzy stories with you.

When we were at Bryce Canyon last week we were getting in the car after leaving the visitors center and my daughter comes running past us saying “I just found some money where those people pulled out of the parking space and I have to catch them”. She came back disappointed as it wasn’t them who had lost it. Into the visitors center she went to report she had found money and gave them contact information in case anyone asked if any money was turned in. (It was about $20.00).

Then on to Zion’s Canyon we went and as we walked into the visitors center at the end of the day there by the bench I saw a man’s wallet. My daughter turned it in to the ranger who wanted her name and contact information. (We don’t know why as we certainly would see it again).

It feels good to do the right thing dontchathink? What have you done lately that has made you feel good about doing the right thing?

More travel tips from a very experienced traveler from the UK:

“I have small bags for everything. Some are cheap, pound shop, (dollar store) cosmetic bags. And the list has the color of the bag and what is in it! My husband calls me the bag lady! I keep some of these bags always packed together in another bag (!!!) when not traveling.

Marilyn’s comment: Bags are a wonderful organizing idea. When we need to get an item out of our suitcase it is easy to pull out the item we are looking for without making a mess of everything in the suitcase. One of my favorite little bags was one I purchased in Japan at the Yen (dollar) store. I wish I would have bought more. I also use every size plastic bag available. The snack size are great for jewelry or medications. The jumbo are wonderful for clothes.

What is your favorite bag and how do you use it?