Organize 365 Podcast

In the last episode we talked about Maria Montessori, her becoming the first female doctor in Italy and her impact on alternative learning methods. Today I’m talking about Lillian Gilbreth who was the first female to get her psychological doctorate in industrial organizational psychology. Lillian is the original “Cheaper By the Dozen” mom who exemplified what it meant to be a successful working mother.  Lillian Gilbreth Lillian married Frank, in Rhode Island, in 1904. While growing their family, Lillian and Frank started a company together called Gilbreth Incorporated. She studied how to make the workplace support their workers. She was able to publish many papers about her findings but they were all under Frank’s name due to “the times” and women’s rights. And I’m sure we don’t have some of her work. She was the first person to link scientific management with psychology after earning her PhD in Applied Psychology.  There is a large gap of information and I hope to change that with the research I want to do. Unfortunately Frank passes away when she’s 46.  Lillian’s Ideas  After studying how we use our homes, Lillian came up with a kitchen design. Remember this was back when food wasn’t so “grab and go” and a lot of people made things from scratch. There was an assigned space for your ingredients like flour and sugar. Lillian came up with the triangle between your refrigerator, stove, and kitchen sink. Lillian discovered the proper counter height, the pedal trash can, and shelves & egg/butter storage in the door of the refrigerator. There is a whole kitchen that Lillian designed and most of it didn’t get implemented into homes. Why? It baffles me! Maybe that’s my next move? I think it’s so critical for me to get my PhD so that I can publish information that will live well beyond my life span, for future generations.  Greg often wants to bring up our resale value on our home when I come to him with one of my ideas of how we could modify our home to meet our current phase of life. In all reality I don’t see us ever moving but also I want to enjoy my house not just preserve it for resale.  I think kids rooms should be larger, there should be command central for household managers like I saw in Greenfield Village, and much bigger laundry rooms. We buy these homes before we have accumulated all the things including kids and all of their things. We need to make homes more functional for less modification and more productivity! If money were no object right now, what would you change about your house?  40’s? Just Getting Started Lillian was just 46 when her husband passed away. And she was just getting started. Time and time again, I learn about people being 45 plus when they made their contribution to society. And throughout history I have also seen these people live longer lives. Women’s spouses pass, they continue to raise children and run the household AND live in their passion. There is no science to back it up…yet. But I believe because these people were doing what they were uniquely created to do, they lived longer.  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® See Lillian Gilbreth's Step Saving Kitchen, 1949 Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Maria Montessori has made a huge impression on me and influenced who I am and how I run Organize 365®.  Maria was born in 1870, in Italy. She was a very curious person and wanted to pursue a medical degree despite her parents guiding her towards a teaching degree. She is a great example of someone who worked hard and followed her passions - I love those characteristics. After becoming the first female physician, she worked in a psychiatric clinic and observed the children. Not too long after that she did pursue a degree in education, not because she needed it but because she wanted to have the academic conversations so her work would live on.  How Do Children Learn? Maria was curious, “How do children learn?” She was in a population that was deemed uneducatable. She watched as their food fell to the dirt floors, they’d play with it, and then they’d eat it. She saw the children gravitate towards the manipulatives instead of toys or even candy. They thrived in the structured environment where children were learning independently and the role of the teacher is to observe,support, and guide.  Each student is treated as an individual. I saw this displayed, for the first time, in China. There was a quiet hum of productivity.  How it applies to schools Montessori schools operate in a 3 year cycle. For example grades 1-3 are together for three years; a multigenerational classroom. They will all have, let’s say, a dinosaur lesson appropriate for their grade. Because of this structure the younger kids are looking up to the older kids. The older kids are learning leadership. And some children will find their niche and become the “dinosaur”expert, thriving in their purpose or their uniqueness. See any similarities to Organize 365®?  As children we experience these Sensory Periods; think Golden Windows. It’s a period of time when children are drawn to learn a certain skill. I gave the example of the Monkey Bars. For about two weeks that child will practice and practice. Once they get it, they move on to the next thing they want to learn. We all love to learn until about 3rd grade, what would happen if learning didn’t become work? If we didn’t have to fit within “the perimeters?”  I will say to thrive in Montessori school you need to be an independent learner, self paced, and hold yourself accountable without much guidance. There are still standards you need to meet, you just get to go about it the way that works the best for you. I know I would have really loved being in Montessori school.  How it applies to Organize 365® And so in Organize 365® I love to provide great school supplies and manipulatives.  You can learn at your own pace. I try to support your sensory periods, AKA Golden Windows the best I can. There is a community to connect with others, find those you want to emulate, and provide help to others just starting out. It takes about 18 months to get your home organized but by the time you are refining, you continue to hang around because you have found “your people” that encourage you to thrive in your uniqueness. And by then you understand how I operate as a teacher. And through it all, you gain time, confidence, and get to realize what you are uniquely created to do - you find your purpose. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Trish K. who lives with her adult daughter and grandson. On long car drive home, Trish was listening to her older sister tell her about this thing called the Sunday Basket®. When Trish got home, she hopped on the website and got a Sunday Basket®. It just made sense to her, one place for all the paper and a system to process it? Sold! Trish enjoys the Sunday Basket®, the Productive Home Solution™, and the binders. But the biggest benefit she has gotten from Organize 365® was when she spoke outloud, her dream to walk the Camino Trail. Many years prior in night school another student shared she was taking 2 weeks to go walk the Camino Trail. Trish was in throws of active parenting and knew realistically she did not have 5 or even 2 weeks to go walk any portion of the trail. When Trish went through embrace and then attended the workshop with Rhonda afterwards, she remembered how to dream. And a long time dream resurfaced, walking the Camino Trail.  She’s not one to share dreams unless she’s prepared to take steps towards it. But in the safe space with no friends or family, she confessed she dreamed to walk the Camino trail without intent to do something about it yet. She got so much positive feedback from everyone in the group that she decided to go for it!  She trained for a couple of weeks before she told her family and friends what she was going to do. She walked the Camino Trail and documented it all through a blog. It was a spiritual journey that she suspected may break her emotionally but it didn’t. She had a spiritual journey and learned a lot long the way, those 34 days and 500 miles. She got to walk through the country not buzz by in a car but really take in the beauty of Spain. She shared a few accounts with us in this interview. The blog started out just as a way to let “her community” know that she was ok and share updates.  A common thread in Organize 365® is “What’s next?” It’s funny you complete one room in your house and it’s so rewarding that you think “What’s next?” And Trish has realized to do the same with dreaming. So what’s next on the dream list for Trish? To write a book. She got such great feedback from her blog that she wasn’t intending to do anything with.  Now she’s gonna write a book! She’s dreaming now! It’s no longer a mental barrier, she knows how to pursue a dream. She feels permission to think about what she wants, to use her resources on herself. She’s bumped herself to the top of the list.  Community, we agreed, is the other theme that runs deep in Organize 365®. The community where everyone is so supportive and inspiring. Trish first got to try out her idea in this non judgmental community that offered nothing but support to her. Her now friends. They cheered her on along her journey, read the blog, and commented. That community kept her going. Dreams flourish in community!  When you are in community, people like Trish are an example of what is possible. And in community, you can lean on others’ strengths. What you don’t understand or see how to accomplish, someone in the group has been there, done that, and eager to help!  This community is so eager to help we talked a little bit about the Disaster Relief Resources where we can help people in need and ask for things we need. No one needs to go through things alone!  We are a community! Trish’s advice is, “If you have internal messages questioning what you want to do come talk to someone in the Organize 365® community. Because they will give you the support and say ‘Do it!’ ‘What do you need to do it?’ What can I do to help you do it?’ And to me, that’s they same thing as ‘Gee, I have 18 boxes of paper or I have this whole house to organize.’ It’s all about starting…just starting.  Get the Sunday Basket® and just start. And if that’s too much, start listening to the podcast.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: Trish’s Blog: Listen and Bloom The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Embrace - Self Guided Retreat Blitzes and Bootcamp Disaster Relief Resources Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

October is awareness month for Breast Cancer and ADHD. Ok yes the blush pink Sunday Basket® color is back in stock (while supplies last). BUT, I want to suggest that you use this Sunday Basket® as a way to remind you of people in your community that have lost someone to breast cancer, are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, are supporting someone in their breast cancer journey, or who have survived breast cancer! It is so important that we continue to take care of ourselves too. Let this Sunday Basket® remind you of your health goals and routine doctor visits to prevent or get early detection of disease. I also want to inspire community and support for the breast cancer awareness community. Be aware of someone who could use your support. And speaking of support, the Sunday Basket® supports those who have ADHD. ADHD is so cool because of the ability to think differently but it really becomes a struggle in organization. We have all these modifications for kids in school but where is it in the real world once they’ve graduated? As someone with ADHD, you learn “work arounds” so survive school due to compromised executive functioning skills. And so then in the real world, let the Sunday Basket® be your work around to actually succeeding in organization. In my book, written in 2016, “How ADHD affects Home Organization”, I explain exactly how to do this. And that is why from 10/1-10/5 this book is completely free on Kindle. And if you have enjoyed and learned from this book before will you do me a small favor? Would you re-download it and leave a review? Pretty please? I love helping and supporting my community!  EPISODE RESOURCES: Sunday Basket® How ADHD affects Home Organization Kindle: How ADHD affects Home Organization Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.  

Bonus Stop: Edzel Ford’s home, son of Henry Ford! After touring Greenfield Village I decided I wanted to go to a bonus stop instead of another day at Greenfield Village. I was stunned by the outward aesthetic  similarities of the Stan Hywet mansion. My wheels were spinning and memories flooded my mind from all the visits I had going to Stan Hywet from going with my mom to even working there.  Railroads The Stan Hywet mansion is located in Akron, OH, my hometown, the “Rubber Capitol of the WORLD”! I shared a lot about the history of Firestone and Goodyear, who used a lot of rubber making tires, in this episode. But on this day of my fieldtrip, I thought about what made Ford so successful? It was making the gasoline engine car affordable for more people, specifically farmers. I gave a little background on Rockefeller and Vanderbilt too to prove my point of “access equals success”. And remember in the other homes the extensive libraries? Access to education and knowledge, right? And you know what made those two successful? The railroads because it provided transportation and access to more products and places. They were able to get their products to more people.  And what do you think gave the North the upper hand in the Civil War? The railroads because they could transport supplies. And the other thing that made Ford so successful was his ability to pay his employees a higher pay than other companies. He was making more profit therefore able to pay his employees a higher rate.  I couldn’t help but to think about Eleanor Ford’s role (Edzel’s wife) in their home. She lived for 35 years still after Edzel passed. She had a sitting room off of her bedroom upstairs, that she turned into her study. She ran her household manager responsibilities from that study. And although she wasn’t fond of the entertainment wing, she knew it was expected of her to entertain. She was very philanthropic and sat on many boards. But she was the queen of productivity. You see she would have multiple board meetings going at one time and then she could just pop in and out as they were being conducted. Genius! Internet Just like railroads were the gateway to transporting goods and people, now Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft transport information. And just like the Goodyears and Rockefellers could get their products to more people, it is the same way I can impact more lives. They have been able to be really successful in a shorter amount of time than before the internet and able to provide better benefits for their employees due to their success.   Organize 365® could not be what it is today without the internet. It gets more products to more people. It provides a more level playing field because it is accessible to all. And it has allowed me to learn about business and manufacturing. And because of the internet … we have podcasts! Yet another avenue to learn and/or get your message out. I always like to think of how women made their mark on change in society through their uniqueness. Artificial Intellagance I don’t even know what to do with AI! (sigh) As technology advances so too does our ability for everyone to be successful due to a more level playing field for small businesses. Technology, transportation, and information provides access to more education. I wanted to take this series to think about where we have been as women, how it is now as women, and where we are going for women. What change could you have on society by doing what you are uniquely created to do?  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Lynette M. who has 7 adults living in their house. She’s married, has a son and his wife, 2 other sons, and a daughter all under one roof.  Lynette had so much paper she didn’t know how to deal with it after she’d “decluttered” it. She found Organize 365® as a paper organizing expert when searching for solutions.  Lynette had success with Marie Kondo in decluttering from 27 sweaters, 11 pairs of gloves (did I mention she lives in central FL?), multiple pairs of jeans, and 3,000 books. But when she got to the 5 filing cabinets of paper she knew she needed help! Once she found Organize 365® and heard me talking about my son having and IEP and the Warrior Mama binder, Lynette thought to herself “she gets me!”  She also loves the way realistic expectations are talked about. If your child has an IEP in school, those “limitations” don’t go away after they graduate. Some kids may not go on to college. There’s a message of acceptance of alternative paths after secondary education from Organize 365® that resonates with Lynette.  Lynette had children move back home after medical setbacks. She decided to do a financial reset for them and financial education for her other children. She got them all Launch Binders and holds a Tuesday night budget meeting to teach them the basics so when they go out on their own again (prospective deadlines have been set) that they will be successful. I could not believe what I was hearing as Lynette explained her situation. This theme is becoming familiar; children back home for financial reset for various reasons. In 2000’s only 10-20% of students needed an IEP. In 2012, it had risen to 30-50% of students needing an IEP, I mean do you think a magic wand is waved when they graduate high school and all of the sudden they are ready for higher education and the careers that follow? When you have a learning disability, you find work arounds to learn. Organization is a learnable skill and it is the executive function work around for things like ADHD that Lynette was diagnosed with in her adulthood.   We know a lot of families are dealing with these obstacles but no one is talking about it. Lynette and I had a great conversation about what a “nutjob” I was back in the day causing commotion over vaccines and red dye. But funny now, studies are coming out and proving legitimacy over the concerns I had way back when. Lynette experienced some similar situations as myself. As the household managers we know our families the best and are best equipped to advocate for our families. We know what is going on better than the doctors offices, schools, and the government. This is not isolated to just the two of us, it’s happening in 1,000’s of homes.  Lynette has used the binders to teach her kids about finances, to have awkward conversations about she and her husband’s modest estate, and about assigning power of health care now that they are older than 18. In an “instant world” it was helpful to have conversations about not getting paid out daily from work and when to actually take advantage of Door Dash.  The binders offer a way to teach without insulting their knowledge. It has also been a way to share differing viewpoints in a respectful way.  Lynette runs three businesses and could not do so without Planning day and the Sunday Baskets®, let’s not worry about how many she has. She stated if she’s not intentionally planning, she’s the one that gets ran over. She’s still learning and trying to perfect her Sunday Basket® routine as she helps others learn how to live healthy, to play piano, and organize their paper as the Clutter Coach. And preemptive planning that she does gives her the decision bandwidth that in a crisis she would lack. Lynette shared recently hearing “Everyday you are preparing or repairing.” And amidst it all, in her menopausal journey, it’s the organizing that has helped her to get the angst out of her body!   Lynette’s Advise: “Don’t wait till it’s perfect to start your business.” EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Home Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!  

Ok, I know you all have been dying to hear about my field trip to Greenfield Village. I tried to start the podcast three times before this final take because I want to tell you guys everything! But how in 45 minutes? Let me just say, I will be going back! Greenfield Village Most of us have seen a living historical farm of some sort. It’s usually a field trip where you get to see what it was like to live in the past. You get to see the equipment and lack of current day machines that help with everyday household tasks and business. That’s Greenfield Village but magnified. Henry Ford’s goal was “I only want to have ordinary people who had extraordinary vision.” He brought homes from Thomas Edison(while he was still living), the guy who created the Dewey Decimal system, the bus Rosa Parks rode, the guy who wrote the McGruff readers, the Wright Brothers bike shop, and other buildings of significance. The first 6 years it was a school. There was a lottery system for admittance. Students would start their day in church. A church that my grandma used to attend. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were basically teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs in Thomas Edison’s innovation laboratory. Thomas accumulated all kinds of supplies, textiles, and tools to create. All new things start with education and innovation.  You are standing where the greats have stood I couldn’t help but to think to myself often “You are standing where the greats have stood.” Especially when I was in Thomas Edison’s lab. I was able to connect some aspect of my life to each house.  Thomas Edison was the first person to assemble a team and let them dive into their uniqueness. He hired people to come work in his lab and then innovate. And because he was paying his technicians, they had money to pay to stay at the Women’s Boarding house. I loved being at the boarding house where I played the role of observer. These women were baking, cleaning, chatting, and even sat by the fireplace to knit or catch up on the day’s events. I can’t stress the importance of relationships. Today’s society is becoming too isolated. We should be filling up our time with others, not our devices.  The tour guide would have you believe the women had to do these daunting tasks because the men were out doing whatever. But I challenge that thought. These women were volunteers playing a role, reeling us into the past, and enjoying themselves. I kept picturing myself in those lifestyles. You didn’t have a car to go shopping, a phone to scroll on, or the conveniences of today’s lifestyle. If I were them, in that day, I’d love to grind the wheat and make the soup. So I’m not sure I’m buying that they didn’t like their responsibilities.  So all because one man decided to gather a team to explore their zone of genius, the town boomed. That led to other businesses from people exploring their zones of genius and doing what they were uniquely gifted and created to do, thus all of the village’s talents were represented.  Curiosity • Resourcefulness • Practice over time It’s not the size of your house, your intellect, or resources that make you great. It’s curiosity like me needing to figure out how to settle an estate. And resourcefulness like me figuring out how to create and manufacture the Financial Binder. I have a teaching degree, not a masters in business. I also had to be very resourceful because my budget was small. I was an ordinary person with a vision. I didn’t come from money. I’m not well connected. And over time I keep learning and honing the thing that I am gifted and uniquely created to do. I keep refining The Productive Home Solution. I thoroughly enjoyed my field trip to Greenfield Village and was able to make so many connections to my life today. America - an entrepreneurial country! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Ambreen B. who lives in Jerusalem with her husband and 2 daughters, and her cat. Ambreen loves productivity and finds it interesting when people are more organized than her. She heard an interview on another podcast and loved hearing how kids get organized and the structure.  As her life became more complex by getting a home to manage, getting married, and having children, she knew “Ok, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”  The boxes acted as a landing place for all of the things she was trying to remember. Then she decided to get her PhD. Our Sunday Baskets® is where we can cognitively offload to afford the capacity to deal with the unexpectedness of life. They take the worry piece and put an intervention in place therefore reducing worry from the event. That’s what the Sunday Basket® does, it reduces stress in the form of a system.  As an organizational sociologist and institutional complexity analyst, Ambreen understands that concept more than most. And she appreciates that it’s a tried and true system, not just one she pieced together. Ambreen was great to share how her Sunday Baskets® have helped her through the PhD process. Some people have a team to delegate to, Ambreen had her Sunday Baskets® to delegate to. She shared how she used the colored slash pockets and kept her focused. It allowed for a deeper level of focus. She knew that after planning day and she had a plan in place all she had to do was run that plan. She had peace of mind that she could focus on that day’s plan and completely ignore all other responsibilities. I added the importance of being able to have focused work time and mind wandering time. She tried to DIY at first but in the end it was way more economical to go all in and buy the actual Sunday Basket® and all. Three days after getting the Sunday Basket® in hand, her mother in law passed away.  It was time to put into action what she’d seen in The Productive Home Solution™ videos.  Ambreen’s husband has 4 brothers but you know who combed through that home and settled the estate? The two daughter-in-laws.  It was a crash course in grief and organization. While everyone else was in shock and overwhelmed, the system gave her tasks to be productive. But having a system gave her some sense of control in a situation she had very little control over. We talked about the 7 days of mourning and people wanting to drop off food. This was during “covid times” so she explained how she safely divided up the food for later consumption. We talked about the decluttering process.  Ambreen loves the decluttering questions.  And she really leaned into Do, Defer, Delegate, and Delete.  That experience made her think about her parents and all of their stuff. She called her mom to talk about all their stuff and planning for the future.  She feels like the title Household Manager elevates the role and gives it the perceived importance it actually holds. She values this system so much. Ambreen has more mental peace. And she just wishes she’d known about Organize 365® earlier.  Ambreen’s advice is, “Buy the Sunday Basket®, don’t DIY- it’s not worth it.” She appreciates all the advice, grace that is provided, and no pressure to buy anything. She encourages people to just buy when they are ready.  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Friday Workbox® The Productive Home Solution® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You may not be a history buff like myself but I think you will find my aha moments interesting that I got when visiting these Presidential homes. We think so much has changed, but has it? Are we using our homes differently?  I just think tv gave us this impression of how our homes should be used and look. We know differently at Organize 365®. Why Adult Fieldtrips I support my family in all of their passions and this act of self care is a way for me to support my passions and fill my cup. I love to go see presidential homes because of the history of the homes and functionality more than learning about the actual Presidents. These homes are the best representation of what life was like at that time. I like to think about the history of course, but also how the homes were used and the female roles in the homes and as a spouse. I’m always impressed by the vast libraries and proof of how much they valued education. And the finances, who had that much money to afford and run those plantations and who was managing the money? I visited 4 of the first 5 President’s homes in VA.  Women of the Plantation Jefferson’s daughter, Martha, had her own study right off of the entrance. Martha assumed the responsibilities of the home when her mother passed away.  When she moved home, they had to make modifications for her and her husband and their 13 children. Jefferson was constantly modifying Monticello to accommodate their current phase of life. Funny I know someone who constantly gives permission to people to modify your home to your current phase of life. Actually there were so many renovations that in the end it left a heavy financial burden on Martha and the plantation was sold to the DuPont family because they couldn’t afford all of the debt Jefferson had accrued. If only they’d had the financial binder. It’s so important to plan and document your final wishes of your (maybe debt) and assets. Dolly was Madison’s wife. She was well connected, had money, was social, and came into their marriage with an 18 month old son after yellow fever took her first husband and two other children. She moved from the South to the North to live in VA. There were a lot of life changes for her including the addition of slaves in her life and managing the plantation.  She was a pioneer of sorts having dinner parties and courting votes.  She too had a study in which I’m sure she was coordinating everything. These women’s husbands were in office, they were in charge of the finances, domestic staff, paid staff, their families, their spouse, social life, education, and community involvement. If only they’d had the Household Reference and Operations binder. How did they do it all?  The Estates These estates were fairly close to each other and it reminds me of how arduous travel was in that day. They didn’t have cars.  These homes were to house the plantation staff, guests who had traveled, and meetings regarding being in office.  But the two families, the Jefferson’s and Madison’s, used their homes differently.  And Jefferson had his own quarters if you will like a little condo of his own like the personal spaces I talk about in regards to children’s rooms. These  homes fueled all their passions like a love of reading, small businesses, and public service. Isn’t that what we are doing today too? Our homes are the only thing we have control over and they must fit our phase of life because we spend so much time in them, much like they did in the times of these Presidential homes. I can’t wait to tell you about my field trip to Greenfield Village next time! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Lea N. who is married and has her mother living with them. Lea is a lifelong learner and had been watching some organization shows. Lea came across a few guest spots of mine on those shows. Lea really resonated with what I said and got the Sunday Basket® right away. When she had been listening to those interviews, she found herself thinking “Oh I get it and I get Lisa!” She was always organized but this gave Lea a system. Lea’s parents are divorced. Her mom moved in and soon after got really sick with Endocarditis, which ended up being a four and a half month stay at the hospital. Lea has a successful restaurant in the L.A. area. As an entrepreneur, you wear a lot of hats.  Lea would work and then head to the hospital. She runs her business off the Friday Workbox®, the two and half year planner, and rainbow tear pad. She just makes her “lesson plan” for the week and runs it without really referencing it again.  Right after her mom returned home to finish her recovery, her dad’s girlfriend passed away from the same thing her mom was recovering from. But now, she was helping her dad to sell his girlfriend’s house and get settled into a long term care facility where they could care for him and his dementia.  Unfortunately he fell about a year later, broke his hip, and ultimately passed away. That is a lot for one person to manage. That is a lot of emotion for one person to process. She’s thankful she had the podcast in her ear to receive permission to feel how she felt. She was thankful for Michelle, from the Sunday Basket® club, (her other Organize 365® bestie ) for the continued guidance on the systems to maintain her organization. The color coding was a game changer for Lea. She was proud of herself when she brought one of the binders to a Lawyer and he complimented how helpful and thorough it was. Lea credits getting those binders done to the professional paper organizers from Organize 365® because she’s an “obliger” and doesn’t want to let others down. She sees the “trickle down,” that this will happen to her boys as well and she wants to be organized for them, when the time comes. We talk about child care. We talk about self care. But we don’t talk about menopause or the period of life when you get the responsibility of your parents - eldercare. It takes a lot of time, money, and responsibility. She states it’s not easy to get organized but once you do at least you aren’t looking for “that paper.”  She feels great about all of the organizing she has done and with all of the unexpected life events that have come her way, she doesn’t know how she could have made it through without them. She’s anticipating a time when she can focus on their home with The Productive Home Solution™ program. Lea was in the middle of a home renovation and opening a second restaurant when her husband lost his job. And speaking of more unexpected life events she joked about the toll of menopause.  We talked about her desires to be even more profitable and productive with the coming of her second restaurant. And we discussed that for “busy bees”, we don’t want a vacation on the beach, we wanna be producing! I explained Dan Sullivan’s idea of “free days” where you are still productive. She’s empowered to do more because she knows she’ll never be “done”. She has peace of mind that all responsibilities are taken care of. And she’s constantly evolving. Lea’s advice is, “Just get the Sunday Basket®. It just gets you on the right path.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Friday Workbox® The Productive Home Solution™ Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mercedes who is married with two young children and a one eyed siamese cat. When she was expecting her first baby, she knew she needed to get some systems in place to get organized and stay organized once she had the baby. Her husband listened to a lot of podcasts at the time so she decided to find one about organizing. Two popped up but she ultimately chose Organize 365® because Abby had just found out she was pregnant with Grayson so she related the episodes.  Mercedes started with the overflow boxes for the clothes for the baby. Then she did her personal spaces, because that’s what was taught to do first. Mercedes saw that it worked so she fully trusted the systems and implemented as instructed. Full trust.  But it was great that she did her personal spaces because then we talked about how moms don’t get on the to do list. We do the children’s clothes and personal spaces but when does mom’s get done. Do your personal spaces first women! Then all you have to do is maintain like Mercedes explained.  In 2023, Mercedes got one of the Teacher workboxes to teach home school. She has two neurodivergent children and wants to support them the best she can.  Throughout the interview we discussed the life of being a stay at home mom. And what it is like to have children with disabilities. It’s very isolating because social media has a narrative of what it should be like to be a stay at home mom but they leave out the part about if have disabled children. Mercedes wishes she’d realized earlier that her life didn’t have to meet the social media narrative.  Mercedes had tried tips and tricks from books and social media but they were one off suggestions. They were like a one time task. What we identified about what makes Organize 365® so much more beneficial is that it’s a whole system. Mercedes loves the way the podcast and system makes her think about the functionality of the organizing she’s doing. It’s about applying the learned information from the programs.  She first realized she was an organized person when her friends hadn’t planned anything for summer coming up and she already had the water table and sand box at her house ready to put together when it got warm enough. She attributes Organize 365® to her parenting journey being “easy.” Mercedes was always a somewhat organized person. But what Organize 365® did for her was to organize her mindset to match her actions. She got the Sunday Basket® in December of 2024 and the Friday Workbox® in February of 2025.  She uses them in combination with an app Finch for self care. It reminds her of her cleaning tasks so she can focus on all the crafts. Mercedes has her days planned out so she can get 2 creativity hours in. Mercedes values her new found clarity of what is going on in her life, the capacity she’s gained to do more, and time for creativity.  She wrote a novel and that’s what spurred on the Friday Workbox® purchase so she could organize self publishing. She’s started novel number two…watch out world this organized mama is on a roll.  Mercedes’s advice is, “Do things as you need to. It’s your journey. You’re the one in charge of it. Don’t listen to social media. Listen to Lisa, she knows what she is talking about.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Teacher Friday Workbox® Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I am so excited to introduce AJ Vaden the New York Times Best Selling author of the book Wealthy and Well Known (co-written with her husband Rory Vaden.)  AJ lived, slept, and breathed her work. Until she didn’t. This sudden change forced AJ to dig deep and identify her personal brand. She and Rory had a unique opportunity extended to them, with divine timing, that became their signature program - Brand Builders. I have been a big fan of AJ and Rory since I completed their program Brand Builders in 2021. Personal Brand AJ and Rory were working at the same business when one of her superiors came to her and notified her that her services were no longer needed; effective immediately. Those next days were tough as AJ did a lot of self reflection. Out of the blue a long time friend reached out to Rory and AJ for consultation on how to improve their brand and business. That business owner was so impressed they said “This is it! THIS is what you are meant to do!” They could have said no. They could have come up with every excuse in the book to pass on the idea. Instead Rory put in his notice to quit his job and AJ and Rory joined forces to build Brand Builders Group. Brand Builders Brand Builders is a program that guides and teaches members to identify their personal brands. They help people to identify their why which is really their who. I completed this program in 2021. I wanted to complete this program to see if there were any gaps in my business knowledge. Remember I have a teaching degree not a Masters in Business Administration! I will always be a life long learner. AJ pointed out that we are no longer paying for information, we are paying for application of that information. And through the 4 stages that they teach that’s what the business owner learns. They value the community feedback, much like Organize 365®, and continue to iterate and provide results.  I am planning on attending one of their upcoming masterminds. The reason I am so ecstatic? I have found it difficult to find other women business owners who have shared their path to success. Women are running their homes (business #1), then their businesses (business #2), and lastly possibly business #3 if they are in active parenting. I can find all kinds of advice on growing a business from men. But what I see with Brand Builders Group is a more equal divide of men and women who participate. The mastermind will be led of course by AJ and Rory. It’s such a great example for my women running businesses and myself. A woman who understands the unique struggles of being a mom, wife, and household manager.  Wealthy and Well Known This book was written to help the people AJ and Rory used to be. AJ reiterated many times that for $27 you too can learn everything I learned in 2021! Nothing is held back. Their desire is to change reader’s lives with the transformation of their business and mindset and hopes that readers will share the book with others. The other driver behind the book is to find business owners that need additional help and guidance. They want to come alongside business owners and help to succeed.  I believe in this book so much that I purchased 150 copies to give to my team, mastermind attendees, certified organizers, and all female business owners that I have relationships. I hope you will consider purchasing the book or download the free audio book so you too can identify your personal brand and apply the information that you learn. EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Free Audio Download of Wealthy and Well Known Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Leslie P. who lives with her two dogs and has always been a renter.  Leslie was searching for podcasts about organization. It caught Leslie’s attention when she heard one of the Monday Connections podcasts when we were talking about subjects related to those things she loves like demographics, sociology, and anthropology.  Leslie was always an organized person but once her mom had passed and she was in the role of executor, she just couldn’t get out from under all the paper!  She needed help and was looking for organizational solutions. The year after her mom passed Leslie referred to as the “Year of quiet living.” She stayed in her mom’s 55+ community and took time to figure out her next steps as she faced hurdles in NYC. She’d decided to go out on her own and no longer be a W2 employee.  When Leslie decided to move down to Florida and stay with her mom to take care of her, who had cancer, she grabbed most of her stuff and just left. Well all that stuff was up there still waiting for Leslie to deal with. When Leslie finally located some important paperwork under the couch pillows that she’d been looking for, she decided she had to get a system in place.  In the midst of the mess, she created a priority list like Maslow's hierarchy of needs. What was the most important first step. She then started to feel permission to put things in logical places like her socks by the front door. She started to task stack while her dogs were eating so she could do other things in her kitchen. And she now gives herself permission to honor the phase of life she is in which may mean the fact that she’ll buy new tools, get rid of things, make mistakes, and allow new permissions. Like keeping two sets of china and hosting the holidays her way. She’s also given herself permission to have a personal life outside of working and taking care of her dogs because she also had more free time now. And with systems in place she no longer has a need for a to do list AND she’s not forgetting to do things.  Leslie opened the conversation saying she was not the Organize 365® typical demographic. I wanted to dig into that a little. Leslie uncovered how renting an apartment is kinda like PCS’ing. You move more frequently and need to start all over again. What does a day look like again? How is the drive to work? Can you keep the same medical providers? How does errand running look? Coffee shops? And we talked about things about renting like owning a car and having outdoor space. We also talked about cost opportunities and what that means for the quiet middle of society from each person’s point of view. We both pointed out things the other had not considered.  Leslie also attended a Planning Day. Leslie had attended plenty of corporate organization/productivity events and they all paled in comparison. She was so impressed with how comprehensive and effective Planning Day was. It’s frustrating for Leslie because she wishes she’d known sooner that a lof of people struggle with organization and for a long time she thought it was just her. Now she has less anxiety, perceived anxiety, as well as sleeping better, and has a healthier outlook.  Leslie’s advice is, “Listen to Lisa because she is smart.” But all joking aside she added “Give yourself permission. You are the subject matter expert of your family, your life, home, of your goals, and your priorities. You get to decide. Trust yourself.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

It’s another Q&A episode and we’re diving into Sunday Baskets® and Friday Workboxes® and how to make it all flow together because it was asked in many different ways. The Sunday Basket® and Friday Workbox® can support a lot of operations, this episode was so great for exploring multiple ways to run your home or business.  As a Household Manager As a household manager it is easy to get multiple Sunday Baskets® going. Multiple people asked how to manage them all and make them work together.  Honestly once Planning Day focuses on both home and work at the same time this will be more seamless. You need to take roughly 90 min to three hours to fully process your Sunday Basket®, ideally on Sunday afternoon. This opens the opportunity to go through other Sunday Baskets®.  I have some that I process monthly and there maybe some actionable papers that move to my weekly Sunday Basket®. I have active papers in Sunday Baskets® for trips I’m planning, Abby’s wedding, and whatever else. The final thing that pulls all the Sunday Baskets® and Friday Workboxes® is the weekly tear sheet where it all comes together, it’s one plan for the week, including home, work, and sometimes homeschooling priorities.  There was also a nurse who wrote in about how to best utilize the Friday Workbox for a service line she’s in charge of. She’s a blue slashpocket person; a worker. She doesn’t own the business but there’s still a lot of responsibility.  I offered ideas on how to involve the rest of her team, establish checklists to keep them on track and understand the time it takes for that checklist. I offered color coding ideas to best communicate with her team and have information at her team’s fingertips. I offered similar ideas to a mama who homeschools.  As a “CEO” role There was a minister and a direct sales audience member that asked about how to best use the Friday Workboxes® because they don’t see themselves as running a business or a CEO.  If you are in direct sales or in charge of an organization, it’s like you are the CEO. As a CEO you need lead generation that produces purple work with deadlines and such. Once you complete those deadlines, you get paid which is your admin/green work. And in that mix is the people who make it happen wish is your blue slash pocket work. There are all kinds of practical applications for whatever line of work you do! This episode was chalked full!! For the minister we talked about two Friday Workboxes®. Once for her and one for the church. For the church workbox, pink can be upcoming projects in the works like a new addition to the building that hasn’t been finalized or ideas for outreach during Christmas or Easter. The purple work is the projects that are set in motion and repeat events like how Organize 365® does the planning days routinely. And then of course staff is blue and a church is a business so green is admin, payroll, and any other financial responsibilities.  Her personal workbox could have pink work that is all about her sermons or pink work could be future plans she’s exploring, and purple work can be things she’s personally responsible for, blue the people or organizations she’ll need to accomplish the project or idea, and of course green for money.  You get the idea.  The Entrepreneurship Journey  Got junk? We had a great conversation about the mindset of the guys who opened 1-800-GOT-JUNK. And I was able to offer some advice to someone looking to open a special needs daycare. We talked about a few books and what I learned from them as far as my skill sets, who I should hire, and how a visionary and implementor work together to run a company. Organize 365® is what it is today because of what I’ve learned along the way…I want to always be learning.  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Verna R. and her husband are empty nesters.  You may remember Verna and her daughters coming on the podcast in 2020. It was the first timeI got to talk to a whole family who was using the Organize 36® systems. And the second time just Verna and I talked about her organization journey. Verna was referred to Organize 365® by her daughters to get organized since it didn’t come naturally to her. Her mother and mother in law were natural organizers so Verna appreciated systems and organization but none of the systems she tried stuck until she tried Organize 365®.  In 2002-2004, Verna had cancer. Once she finished treatment she decided it was time to hire an organizer because she needed help due to low energy from recovery. Yes, I pointed out that the organizer can help with all the visible work. And the second thing I pointed out was that over the span of you get a home, then probably add a spouse, maybe some kids. As we get older, the complexities of daily life build on each other and there is no break time to reset for middle school years, Sports years, or heaven forbid a time with an illness. Everything still had to get done. But Verna had been sick. A professional organizer help in the short term but Verna desired a system for a lifetime. The last point I made was that the organizer cannot deal with the invisible work. Verna agreed with me and we talked about offloading to the external brain, the Sunday Basket®.  I added that as our executive functions decline, starting as early as your 30’s or 40’s, the calendar with the external brain and planning helped to prolong the speed of decline. How can we do that? Have a system like the Productive Home Solution™ that provides training!! And we all want to be independent as long as we can!  Verna shared her three purple slash pockets are for making gifts, her house, and volunteer work. She uses planning day to process those activities. She also credited her husband, Bruce, to being a good partner and sharing the daily tasks. We had a little side discussion about retirement and how much work the wife gains once her husband retires. I’m making Greg think about what he’s gonna do with all his time once he retires. Bruce kept himself busy for a couple more years after he retired. Now they are teaching together in Nepal from time to time and even have started to bring their grandchildren.  Verna has more calmness and purpose. She took the time to really observe herself. She paid attention to what she was saying yes to and directly then what that meant she was saying no to. She extends herself a lof grace knowing she can’t change the past and really loves who she is today. She’s looking forward to setting a S.M.A.R.T.I.E. goal for her storage and getting her grown kids stuff out of her storage. That will free up some of her cognitive load to think about what their future living situation may look like.  Verna’s advice is, “Notice what you do. Pay attention. It will show you what you value and what you prioritize.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution® Home Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

“I am more interested, as a fellow sister and teacher, in the student learning the skill, more than I am in having a recurring membership program.” I knew 10 years ago that I wanted to offer lifetime access to this system so women everywhere could get bored,  bored enough that she has to wrestle with what she is uniquely created to do. This was a webinar we did as a one off to talk about the Completed Home Organization Bundle. The feedback from viewers was that this webinar, with myself, Virginia, and Tanya, helped them the most to understand what is in the bundles, how much time it will take, and the results to expect during the process.  Big News Well we kicked off the webinar letting our international followers know that they can now purchase the Productive Home Solution because the workbook is going digital!  The Productive Home Solution™ is your 52 week road map on how to get organized. The introductory pricing for lifetime access to The Complete Home Organization Bundle will not last forever so take advantage of the deal we are offering. As one person commented it was a little out of her price range but it was worth it for her sanity! And thanks to PayPal, when you check out there is a way to break it down into a payment plan. How is this different from all the other organizational offerings? The biggest difference most people notice is that this is an all encompassing system from organizing to planning to the invisible work we are all doing. It’s a plan. You can have a gym membership but if no one shows you how to use the equipment than what good is the access to the gym?  A couple things that I am really proud of is that I teach these systems from a woman’s point of view. I have been there. Done that.  And I have been in a plethora of homes to see all different family dynamics. And of course there’s the fact that I was a teacher. I understand that everyone learns differently and I try to cater to all learning styles in each system. And the best part of the system? It follows the energies of the year. And we reset every 120 days with Planning Day. This is a system that will teach you how to organize your space your way! What is the worst that could happen? You could get stuck. You likely will but Tanya runs a live club every Thursday that you can always attend. It’s a welcoming space to ask questions or share where you are getting stuck. And each system comes with community access through the app. It’s great to connect with other people in the same phase as you. People share tips all the time and talk about how they solved an issue they were having. And if you do get stuck, we encourage everyone to push through. When you make this kind of investment, you will get the work done because you have really thought about this purchase! I paid for a spendy weight loss program and you better believe I started making better food choices. And even though my family may not be on board with trying to get healthier, they are watching. And the woman usually sets the tone for the house. So like me with better food choices (which then my family is also benefitting) you too with getting your home organized. And at the end of the day it’s for you! As women, our houses are holding us back. The clutter gives us anxiety. I truly believe the Sunday Basket® is the solution to women’s mental health to lighten the cognitive load of all of our invisible work. Organization solves the root problem for women’s mental health, their homes. Virginia shared she now has to hide how productive she really is from her friends and Tanya shared that she no longer feels behind on everything. Organization has always been a part of my life and it has opened doors for me and my family from consistent babysitting gigs, to making friends, to growing Organize 365®. Each time I have gained time and capacity, I have leveled up and I want the same for you. I want you to get more time back so you can wrestle with what you are uniquely created to do. This is the time to figure out who you are and who you are becoming!   EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution The Complete Home Organization Bundle Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Devin R. who is married with three children; two are bonus kids that came with marrying her husband. They have 2 dogs and two cats. In 2018, Devin was looking for help to get organized. She was mowing her lawn when I caught her ear mentioning that I lived in the Cincinnati area. Then Devin’s life hit rock bottom with her work insinuating that she was not a good teacher and then she and her husband decided to separate. She could resonate with my story from 2012. Devin looked at her life and decided she needed to get control of her life. Once she grabbed a bag and gathered all the papers she felt better. It was like since her physical chaos was getting under control her mental chaos could be addressed. We had a great discussion that all marriages go through rough patches and Devin was vulnerable to share a little bit about her marriage and how they are reconciling after about three years of separation. She shared how her mindset has shifted about organization. She looks around and asks what do I have? Why is it here? And do we even need it? She remembers making her daughter’s lunch recently and didn’t have to trip over the cat to get the things for the lunch. It was all in the lunch making station.  Devin had tried other systems but they never felt like life long solutions to her. The podcast and videos work as reminders to keep up with the systems.  They are like a life partner to the systems. And they help with the cognitive load. We talked about the Sunday Basket® and how when you have Prospective Memory and you write something down it’s cognitive off loading to free up your working memory.  This is something Devins struggles with because of MS but lets her neurologist know at each visit how much the Sunday Basket® helps and how it could help others with her diagnosis. And then we got into the weeds a little bit about qualitative studies that I want to do based off the information from my (unbeknownst to myself when I started) unofficial quantitative or phenomenological study AKA the Wednesday Transformation episodes.  Devin has been on her organizational journey for about three years now. She’s coped with her MS diagnosis, separated from her husband, and is entering the coaching years of parenting. Because of all her systems, she has more time to really invest in her daughter and being present. She really wishes she knew someone taught organization sooner and found Organize 365® sooner.  It takes time to get organized. Devin pointed out that she values the Power of Positivity episode. “Life is not happening to you, it’s happening for you.”  With the right attitude you can apply positivity to all journeys, not just organization journeys, no matter how insurmountable they seem. Devin started working upholstering for her sister after she left teaching. She shared how she got the Friday Workbox®, worked on it with Monique at a paper retreat and how it helps her to stay organized on customers' jobs.  I got to offer a little advice on how she could slowly incorporate a part time worker for her to get back some CEO time. A good balance of responsibilities is to spend 80% on production and 20% on admin and lead generation.  With the addition of a part time worker, she could add another client and make money to cover the hours of that part time worker. Devin’s advice is, “Jump in one step at a time. Listen to all the podcast episodes and then the videos from The Productive Home Solution™”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Productive Home Solution™ Home Planning Day The Friday Workbox® Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

The world is getting ready for back to school and then we find ourselves in the 10 most productive weeks of the year. Since you will naturally be in high productivity energy, it makes sense to walk you through what to expect in The Productive Home Solution™. Are you ready to have your home organized in 52 weeks? Most people believe organization is a learnable skill and yet aren’t organized. Why? They need a plan and here it is from my last webinar. Fall  We kick off fall with Planning Day at the end of August. That sets us up for tackling your personal spaces for 5 weeks. Once you get your closet, bathroom, and bedroom organized you will feel the decision fatigue lessen and that will be by the beginning of Oct. Then you’ll move onto your spaces you use for your household administration. And you’ll tackle some of the more invisible spaces like your phone, email, computer, passwords, and etc.  I’ll invite you to do the Holiday Blitz and new to The Productive Home Solution™ is a couple weeks devoted to all things holiday like wrapping paper, gifts, and cards. You’ll end the year in your storage areas.  Winter Now that almost 120 days have passed, it’s time to have Planning Day again at the end of December. This 120 days focus around communal spaces because you will have the highest amount of organization energy during this time of the year. You roll into the kitchen for three weeks. Now each section has a way to fast track. If you find it’s a section you don’t want to do or don’t need as much time allotted, there are fast track tasks so you can possibly get organized in 9 months instead of a year. I’ve added a week to do family memories. And you all get to do taxes with me in February during the Superbowl. Come on, just try it with me!! Next you’ll think about and organize your spaces that guests would be, like, your spare bedroom or bathroom or your family/living room. We finish this section with information about having a garage sale, spring break (breaking down a meaty project) and your on the go spaces like your car or travel strategies. Summer It starts with another Planning Day on Mother’s Day weekend. Then we focus on outside spaces. There’s a Memorial Day Blitz and then we spend 2 weeks on each of the areas of the four binders from The Paper Solution®. Now even if you don’t have the resource binders, there are still activities to complete. You can expect the Back to School Blitz and that is not just for school aged children. Then there’s a deep dive into the Sunday Basket®-the foundation for you as the household manager.  You end it all with Embrace On Demand. I recently heard in two podcasts that these women had “free time” and you know what they did? They took care of their homes, they nested.   In the 50’s the marketing firms started to put these lies in our heads of what our homes should look like. And if they looked like that, it meant that the homemaker was organized. LIES! Like I have said for years, our homes are holding us back. The two women in the podcasts one got their homes organized and then decided what to do next in life and the other lady did it so she could get focused on being productive. This is your time to get your home in order so you can focus on what you are uniquely created to do. Don’t know what that is? With all your extra time you can take yourself through Embrace and figure that out! It’s time for self care, caring for yourself. “First things first, I’m first.” You must align your home environment for the phase of life you are in for the goals you have for yourself and family.  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution The Complete Home Organization Bundle Rewatch Webinar Webinar Worksheet Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Janet B. She’s married with one son, a rescue dog, and 5 chickens. Janet found Organize 365® when she was looking for podcasts about organization. Janet has always been fairly organized but is always looking to learn any new nugget about organization and had her sights set on productivity now! Janet listened to the podcast for five years before she made her first purchase. Janet tried to DIY a few products like other listeners have shared. And that’s ok. It’s like you are almost trying before making the investment and I totally understand that. She finally made the purchase and then really understood how to better utilize her Sunday Basket®. The purchase wasn’t just the Sunday Basket®. She dove into The Complete Home Organization Bundle!!  She just loves that everything has a place now! There have been a few moments when Janet realized the impact of The Complete Home Organizing Bundle. Her husband was looking for a title and needed it quickly! Easy! Janet decided to figure out how to use her self-cleaning oven feature. Easy! And when her clothes washer had an issue she got out the manual and discovered there was an app that could diagnose what was wrong with it, and she got it working! Easy! All the information was at her fingertips because she took the time to fill out the binders from The Paper Solution.  Janet is a CPA and loves numbers!!  Janet is currently a full time blogger explaining taxes in a way everyday people can understand. I love this because we start doing something we like, we get good at it, and then the complexities of business taxes enter and that is just not easily understood! We had a good conversation about AI and what is it’s place in the world. AI may be able to suggest a system but there is no person involved to support you on your journey or be able to suggest tweaks for your individual situation. Janet started another business where she is acting as a Daily Money Manager. And that led to her becoming a certified organizer to help her clients even more with superior products at their fingertips and organization of all their important paperwork by her! And then we had a really great discussion about natural disasters and being ready. Janet admitted she used to have filing cabinets and paper was her weak area. Now her paper is organized and she loves getting people prepared within their binders to be able to grab them quickly when needed. When natural disasters happen, and you are not a part of them, that should be your heads up to check your information organization. I want you to ask yourself “If that was me, am I ready?” At Organize 365®, when a natural disaster happens, and a person purchases The Paper Solution®, we will be making a donation to the Red Cross.  Because we want people to be prepared or use that event as a reminder to keep working towards completing your binders.  Janet now has the Friday Workbox® too and said she is more productive because she’s learned how to manage her mail and email better so she’s not constantly breaking her focus. We had a great email/productivity chat. And now she has more time and space to grow her Daily Money Manager business and network. Productivity doesn’t mean everything is done 100% at all times. Janet’s advice is, “Go all in because if you start thinking you just want a little piece here and there, you’re gonna want it all! You will realize all of the pieces work together.”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Complete Home Organization Bundle Home Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!