From the Desk of an Organizer

Successful Traveling Tips!

Preview this email in your browser.

Bay Area Professional Organizer

"De-Clutter to De-Stress!" Get Organized with Kiera Rain

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

	Traveling---the cause of the True Packrat Syndrome Ever brought with you several pieces of luggage on a short trip? Ever put your foot on the bag so you could try to squeeze the zipper shut over the crammed-full bodice? Are you guilty of taking all of the shampoos, conditioners, lotions and body washers from every hotel room you stay at? Below are some Traveling Tips to help you have a successfully organized trip! I just returned from a 9 day trip in Ireland. It was amazing to be there--I could easily move there if I didn't love California and the Bay so much! The friendlist people, the hearty breakfasts and rich-tasting foods, the amazing coast lines and countryside, the spectacular mirror lake views, sheep in the roads, castles everywhere to tour, Hawk Walks, Torc Waterfall, the last port Titanic Sailed from, and soooo much more! I did SO much, I'm exhausted! First day home, and I have refused to leave my bed! And o--Nothing has felt more luxurious than MY bed! lol Cheers, Ireland! I had a wonderful Birthday and what a great way to bring in the New Year! Thank you, Ireland, for the lifetime memories! Where are you off to in 2014? Happy Travels! Kiera Rain Bay Area Professional Organizer My favorite Traveling Quote: “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

			Take Only What You Truly Need Separate out your clothes into piles on your bed before you pack them into your suitcase: Socks, Underwear, Pants, Tops, Sleepware. Take only what you need for the length of your trip and a couple of extras--don't pack 14 tops for a 7 day trip, pack 10 max instead. Extras are good in case you need to change, want to change or have an extended trip. But don't go overboard on the extras. Choose a couple pairs of shoes that can go with most anything instead of bringing several pairs. I also recommend packing slippers or thick socks for hotel floors! Did you know--they just increased the rate of additional bags. You get one checked bag, one carry on, and one small personal item like a purse or briefcase included. But one more checked-in bag would have cost me an additional $100 (even a small, light weight bag--didn't matter) for my overseas trip, that's $200 for both ways. Less Saves You More!

	Pack Your Bags Systematically Now that you have all of your clothes neatly folded and grouped together, you can easily organize your bags for easy access while you're traveling and getting dressed each day. For example: put all your pants and skirts and pj bottoms in one bag, or on the left side, and all the tops on the right side, or in your other bag. If you are worried about bags getting lost/held up on arrival, pack a complete set of clothing in each bag. Pack your Hygiene Care products all together in one compartment/area of your bag. Put them in a clear zipper pouch for easy to find, keep-clean, no leakage packing.

			Less Folds--More Room! Roll or Lay Flat Your Clothes. It will save you space, and also still prevent wrinkling if you do it properly. Folding two or more shirts together is another trick. The less folds, the less bulky an item is going to look.

	Don't Forget About Dirty Clothes on Your Return Trip! Here's what I did: I packed a couple of garbage bags in my suitcase. As I went along my travels, I filled the garbage bag with my soiled clothes. I just kept toting the easy to carry garbage bag with me to each hotel room as I traveled the West and South Coasts of Ireland. I kept my shoes in another garbage bag. At the end of my trip, I transfered all remaining clean clothes into one bag, and stuffed my dirty clothes (still in the garbage bag) into my now vacant second travel bag. One Clean Clothes Bag. One Dirty Clothes Travel Bag. I put my shoes in the Dirty Clothes Bag. This also helped me for when I got home and could easily put everything into the wash without soiling my clean clothes or even mucking up my travel bag with the garbage bag barrier protecting my luggage case.

			Take Pictures Instead of Souvenir Hoarding Take lots of photos of your experiences instead of buying random trinkets and souvenirs made in China. Instead of buying into marketing that adds to your clutter, collect memories captured on photo keepsakes. When you get home, and as you travel, download them onto your computer. When you get home, organize your photos--delete the bad ones and label folders to keep you straight on where you went and when. Don't procrastinate. Do it when you get home.

	Unpack As SOON As You Get Home--Don't Procrastinate! If you procrastinate, you'll only continue to procrastinate. Get the dirty job done immediately so it's off your plate, you are truly settled back in at home, and you can finally just RELAX afterwards without guilt creeping in and stepping over unpacked luggage. 1) Put the Laundry in the Wash 2) Hang Up and Put Away All Remaining Clean Clothes 3) Unpack Hygiene Supplies 4) Download Pics on Computer--Delete Bad Ones, Sort into Folders with Labels and Dates of where you went It doesn't take that long--took me 30 minutes.

	Book Your Organizing Sessions Now! Be FINALLY FREE of Clutter for 2014! "De-Clutter to De-Stress!" with Kiera Rain, Bay Area Professional Organizer. Organizing Process FAQ And Pricing Schedule a Session Call Kiera Rain on her cell at 415-786-8266 for a Free Phone Consultation! You can also reply to this email. Bay Area Professional Organizer for Homes, Offices and Businesses since 2003! Serving the Entire San Francisco Bay Area. No Travel Fees! 925-290-RAIN info@TheBayOrganizer.com http://www.BayAreaProfessionalOrganizer.com

Fan on Facebook
and Forward this email to a friend

Follow on Twitter
and Forward this email to a friend

An Organizer's Not So Secret, Secrets!

Preview this email in your browser.

Bay Area Professional Organizer

Stop Staring at Clutter--Get Organized with Kiera Rain

Be FINALLY FREE of Clutter for 2014!

	NEW Blog: From the Desk of an Organizer Get Motivational Support for De-Cluttering to De-Stress by Kiera Rain, Bay Area Professional Organizer! See ALL past E-Newsletters! Check out Blurbs, Jokes, FAQ from Readers, Before and After Pics and More! http://bayareaprofessionalorganizer.blogspot.com/

	Book Your Organizing Sessions Now! Get Organized! Stop Stressing Over the Mess and Clutter--Hire Kiera Rain, Bay Area Professional Organizer, to De-Clutter Your Space! Organizing Process FAQ And Pricing Schedule a Session Call Kiera Rain at 925-290-RAIN (7246) for a Free Phone Consultation! Bay Area Professional Organizer for Homes, Offices and Businesses since 2003! Serving the Entire San Francisco Bay Area 925-290-RAIN info@TheBayOrganizer.com http://www.BayAreaProfessionalOrganizer.com

Fan on Facebook
and Forward this email to a friend

Follow on Twitter
and Forward this email to a friend

Organizing Process

Q. What are the steps to getting organized?

1.) Meet and Greet or "Clean Sweep". During the first session, you and Kiera will do a "Meet and Greet," where you will get to know one another better in-person, tour the areas that need to be organized, take before pictures, go over the contract, have time for questions and answers, discuss the action plan, etc. The "Meet and Greet" is usually 15 minutes in length and is the start of the first session. During the start of all other sessions, Kiera will do a "Clean Sweep" where she will check-in on previous worked on areas to make sure systems are being maintained to see what she can do to spruce up the areas.

2.) Grouping. The second step in the organizational process is to start grouping and sorting. Group all like items together, and put everything in the room/area that it belongs. For example, all the papers will go on the desk, books by the bookshelf, toys in the kids' rooms, dirty clothes in the laundry, etc. Once everything is grouped and in the room it belongs in, you and Kiera will sort through the piles you've made in step 3.

3.) Deciding. Because all like items are now grouped together, it's easy to see that you may have multiples of the same items, broken things, stuff you don't want anymore, and so forth. You and Kiera will decide keep, discard, donate. Very little is ever trash--most things can be reused, recycled or donated. (Kiera Rain offers FREE donation and recycling haul-away/drop-off and clients obtain receipts for their donations.) Steps 2 & 3 are the longest part of the organizing process. The client makes the decisions on what to keep, donate, discard, while Kiera is there to help coach and motivate along the way. She will help you to see what is really necessary to keep and what would be best to donate and recycle to de-clutter your space.

4.) Create Systems/Put Things Away. In the 4th step, the decisions were already made during the sorting process on what to keep, so things then need to be neatly organized in their proper forever homes. During the earlier processes, Kiera asks many questions to plan a system that works specifically for that space, client and others utilizing the space (for example: a spouse, kids, pets, a business partner). The time it takes to create the system and put everything where it belongs varies by scope of job, but it usually goes quicker than stages 2 & 3 of the process. Please note, however, that the first couple of sessions are predominantly Steps 1-3, and Step 4 cannot be started until Steps 1-3 are completed.

In addition, Bay Area Professional Organizer will teach you how to become self-organized! Kiera makes sure the client is taught the systems of organization via watching/learning/doing/repeating, as well as making sure the room’s new organizational system fits the client's lifestyle. Kiera advises, teaches, consults and answers questions throughout the entire process of professionally organizing your space--she is with you every step of the way.

Getting Organized will have you at ease, creating more time for you to flourish in other aspects of your life after no longer wasting your time being disorganized and in the midst of chaos!

"Stop Staring at Clutter--Call Today & Get Organized!"

925-290-RAIN

info@TheBayOrganizer.com