Get organized – start with your closets!

Today’s guest post is from Mom Entrepreneur Support Group member Marla Murasko. She is the President of ExecuEssential Administrative Services, Inc, a virtual assistant company, and President of SpecialMompreneurs a networking group for moms with special needs children. She is also a Direct Sales Consultant for Clever Container an organizational products company. Her passion is to provide tips and tricks to achieve a cleverly organized life. You can find her at www.MarlaMurasko.com.

The change of seasons is upon us.  Fall came and went, and the cold winter months are beginning. Now comes the season of sweaters and coats.  This is the perfect time to re-organize and de-clutter your closet.

Having a neat and organized closet not only looks nice, but also simplifies your life, making it easier to get dressed every morning.

The key to a cleverly organized closet is to “personalize it”.  Create an ideal environment that you want to go to every morning.  Here is a quote I heard the other day “it’s like creating a little store in your closet that you are excited about shopping in everyday.”

You can create different sections to your closet.  Knowing exactly what is in each section makes it easier to find things.  Having these sections will also make it easier to put things away, since each item will have a “home.” 

Here are three easy steps to creating a great, organized closet:

• Grab and Go Section. This area is for those basic foundational clothes that you wear every day.  For example: nice pair of jeans, nice t-shirts or even khaki pants. Things you know will mix and match together nicely.
• Originality Section. This is for items that are not so basic in nature, but add some flair to your ever day clothes such as prints, beading or lace. Ruffled blouses or fitted jackets would go in this section.
• Archive Area. Grab the clothes that you wear almost weekly and take them out of play for a little while. Store them in this area in a plastic garment bag. This will force you to take a look at some older clothes that you may have not utilized in a while.  You have a choice; you can start to wear them again or it will force you to de-clutter your closet by getting rid of unused items. It will also give a new, fresh look to your wardrobe without having to spend the big bucks to do it. It’s called re-purposing 101. 

Have fun!

Tags: Clever Container, getting organized, Marla Murasko

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Working Naked Day is February 1st. Time to Strip Down and Get to Work!

Whether you’re working in your business suit or birthday suit, working from home offers many challenges, benefits, and adventures.

Working Naked Day on February 1st is dedicated to helping the more than 37 million home office professionals who are working naked—working without the support of the corporate workplace—to improve the way they work from home.

Home office expert and author Lisa Kanarek offers five tips for making working from home a little easier:

Know the best place to do it. Before you decide where to set up your home office, evaluate every room and ask yourself: Will I actually work in this area? Can I keep distractions to a minimum? Is there enough lighting and are there enough outlets? Is there enough room for all of my equipment, files, and supplies?

Find the right position. There are five basic furniture arrangements for your home office: L-shape; U-shape; Parallel (desk with credenza behind you); corner (desk faces the wall); or reverse corner arrangement (desk faces into the room). The arrangement you choose depends primarily on the size of your office, the type of furniture you have, and how much work surface you’ll need.

Size doesn’t matter. You can work in a 15’ x 15’ home office or inside a small, walk-in closet. The size of your home office won’t affect how productive you are. What matters is how you use that space. Make use of your walls and add shelves above or near your desk. Use a 3-in-1 printer, copier and scanner to save space.

Decide if it’s better by yourself or with your spouse. Before you share a home office with your spouse, consider whether you have compatible working styles. A neat spouse can drive a pack-rat up the wall and out of the office. Spouses work better together if each person has his own desk and “space” that’s off limits to the other spouse.

Don’t wait until you’re in the mood. Set a specific time to work in your home office each day. The time will change daily, but if you don’t target a certain start time, it may be late afternoon before you get to work.

With these five simple tips, your home office will be a place where you enjoy working, even if your commute is only seconds each day. For more home office tips, visit Kanarek’s site at www.workingnaked.net.

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