OverHall IT!
Vol. 5 Issue 6
Just reading this newsletter won't get you organized...
YOU must take some action!
Organizing Newsletter for Your Life - OverHall IT!
Circulation 6, 388
Vol. 5 Issue 6
Publisher: Janet L. Hall mailto:janet@overhall.com
http://www.overhall.com
(c) OverHall Consulting 2004
Administration information located at end of newsletter
Help Me Help Others Heal Their Environments and Get
Organized - Please forward my newsletter onto those you know
who might need or like OverHall IT!
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Welcome and Happenings
2. OverHalling and Balance
3. Tips for Professional Organizers
4. Organizing Tips and Tools
5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
6. Guest Article
1. Welcome and Happenings
In 2005 you can finally create harmony and balance in your life
and spaces by attending my newest series, Harmony and
Balance. These classes will transform your life for prosperity,
health, and love. The classes are being offered in two formats:
live and in person in Solomon's Island, MD and via phone. I will
be presenting once a month for two hours and you can take one
class, three classes or save when you sign up for all 12 classes.
To read more about the classes please click
http://www.overhall.com/harmony_balance.htm
My email course of how to sort and organize all your home
papers is a great success, thanks to many of you. To read about
how it works, what you can expect, and to sign up for it please
see my newest web site
http://www.paperclutter.com
I just started my first blog on paper clutter. Check it out and
save it in your favorites as I'll be posting paper tips and how to's
there:
http://papermanagement.blogspot.com/
If you're still doing your shopping for the holidays you'll want to
visit or revisit the following pages on my site as I have found
some wonderful organizing and storage products I'm sure many
of you can use or give as gifts.
http://www.overhall.com/organize_kitchen.htm
http://www.overhall.com/organize_bedroom.htm
http://www.overhall.com/organize_bathroom.htm
http://www.overhall.com/organize_car.htm
http://www.overhall.com/organize_garage.htm
http://www.overhall.com/organize_children.htm
Let your family and friends know exactly what you need or want
this year by downloading our f*ree gift cards at
http://www.overhall.com/wrap_and_ribbon_storage.htm
Thanks for your support and for being a subscriber,
Janet L. Hall, The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard
Now, on to the articles!
2. - Are Your “Winter Blues” Contributing to Your Clutter
Problems?
By: Janet L. Hall
Every year when the clocks get turned back an hour; making it
dark around 4:30 PM, and winter upon me I seem to become a
different person.
The lack of sunshine and warmth tend to turn me into a bear in a
way in which I want to hibernate. The lack of outdoor activity
makes me feel lethargic and I start to crave sweets. My ‘get up
and go’ gets up and goes, leaves me and walks right out the
door and doesn’t return until around spring.
Like many of you I have plenty of to-do’s on my list, yet I’ll find
myself just sitting, many times unfocused, my mind empty staring
outside and in the evening I find myself watching meaningless
television.
Sound familiar? Does this or something similar happen to you
come the autumn or winter seasons? Perhaps, like me, you are
out of your elemental season. Mine is the fire element, the
element associated with summer, heat, light, the color red, yang
energy, and a giggling voice. Winter’s element, water, is
associated with cold, dark, the color black, yin energy, and a
groaning voice. Water puts out fire. I have become disconnected
from my element.
During these two seasons if you experience sleep problems,
lethargy, overeating, depression, anxiety and mood changes, and
you already have a clutter problem then more then likely your
clutter situation worsens during these seasons. Things get put on
the back burner or forgotten about until you can get your “zip
and spring back in your step.”
In the medical world these feelings, this disconnection and those
symptoms might be labeled SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder,
“…which is a type of winter depression that affects half a million
people every Winter between September and April, particular
during December, January and February.” (sada.org.uk)
SADA.org.uk describes SAD as being “...caused by a
biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shortening
of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter” [yin energy]
and “for many people can be a seriously disabling illness,
preventing normal function without medical treatment. SAD may
begin at any age but the main age of onset is between 18 and 30
years.”
nmha.org states that “As seasons change, there is a shift in our
“biological internal clocks” or circadian rhythm, due partly to
these changes in sunlight patterns.” This can cause our “clocks”
to slow due, acting like they need a new battery or more
electrical power to have the energy to keep up, catch up, get
going and stay “on time.”
According to sada.org.uk and most of the medical world, “Light
therapy has been proven effective in up to 85 per cent of
diagnosed cases.” [Yang energy].
According to Pyramid Feng Shui, bringing more yang energy,
which is represented by light, bright colors, activity, nature,
sounds, and even scents that remind you of spring and summer
might help you through the hazy, gloaming, darkened skies of
autumn and winter.
Your clutter is a representation of yin energy, stagnation,
disconnection, and blockage as a stream or pond can become
from a beaver stacking up his sticks and logs like you pile up
your stuff.
To add yang energy or to create balance of yin and yang energy
– for your energy and your spaces energy - you can take certain
steps to ‘clean and unclog the water’ so everything is flowing
freely, and add enough of the fire element to your spaces so your
fire can’t be put out.
If you are experiencing any of the above I recommend you
speak with your doctor about SAD and implement some of the
following:
Outdoor Spaces:
1. Spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially at
midday. According to nmha.org, “one study found that an hour’s
walk in the winter sunlight was as effective as two and a half
hours under bright artificial light.”
2. Create a winter garden. Gabriele von Zon, FSII of
www.fengshuiuniversal.com tells us in her article, Feng Shui
in a
Winter Garden, “A winter garden restores color and meaning to
the landscape. A winter garden will force you to go outside
because it requires changes and attention. This garden will
restore and refresh your energy (chi in Feng Shui)….”
3. Set out bright red and yellow feeders - which you can view
from inside - for wildlife, such as birds and squirrels. Don’t
forget to keep them full and clean.
4. Add sound and movement outside a window or door, such as
a wind chime, bird feeder, or a brightly colored flag or
windsock.
5. Set a small shallow bowl of water or bird bath near the
outside of a door or window. If you live in an area where the
water might freeze overnight, dump out the water at sunset and
replenish in the morning.
Indoor Spaces:
1. Arrange your furniture to be closer to windows.
2. Turn on your lights and check the wattage.
3. Light candles or a fire in the fireplace.
4. Open the blinds or curtains, even on an overcast day.
5. Get a small pet to care for. A nice pet to introduce to your
home that doesn’t take that much care yet can bring you much
joy and song is a male parakeet. (You can teach male parakeets
to ‘talk’).
6. Add splashes of bright color, especially red, through the use
of throws and pillows.
Start to work on your cluttered areas once you implement some
of the above recommendations and start getting some energy
back. When sorting and organizing make sure you have plenty of
bright light to work by, turn on some upbeat music, and bring in
some fresh flowers for more yang energy for the work ahead.
For more information about SAD please type SAD into your
favorite search engine or visit the sites mentioned in this article.
Have You Gotten Your *Tickle* for the Day?
Check out the secret organizing tool that ALL organized families
and successful people use on a daily basis at
http://www.overhall.com/tickler_file.htm
3. Tips for Professional Organizers
Be more successful in 2005:
Are you ready to take your organizing business to the next level?
Then call me to coach you! I wish I had a coach when I first
started out and now I have one for Internet stuff and one for
business. A coach can help you move your business forward
quickly. Just take a peek at my newest PO client and what she
has accomplished in only eight sessions:
http://simplify101.com
Read what Aby has to say: "I just wanted to send you a quick
note to tell you how much I’m benefiting from our coaching
sessions. I can’t believe how far I’ve come so quickly! When I
first started, I thought “there is no way I can develop my own
web site.” But with your coaching and your FrontPage Show
and Tell Program, in just over one month my web site was up
and running and is already attracting great prospects for my
organizing services!" Thanks Aby! Call me today and invest in
your career and success at 1-800-687-3040.
4. Organizing Tips and Tools
OverHall Special:
Check out our special and save $3.00 on the Safe-Deposit Box,
Fireproof Safe Organizer: Guide to Protecting Your Valuable
Personal Records at:
http://www.overhall.com/organizing_special.htm
(Please refresh your screen if you have visited this page in the
past).
OverHall Events:
Turn Your Life Around - Harmony and Balance Workshop
Series at
http://www.overhall.com/harmony_balance.htm starting in Jan.
Gain more success in 2005:
Look for a special email later in the week about a one time
workshop, Feng Shui Your Office for More Clients and
Prosperity, that will be offered only in January. This four part
workshop will be conducted every Friday at 1 PM (EST) in
January via a webinar, no long distance phone fees. You pay for
only the workshop, $147. If you are interested in being notified
just shoot me off an email at janet@overhall.com
E-books and Books:
An associate, Ron Mueller, is the co-author of
"It's How Much You KEEP, That Counts! Not How Much You
Make". It's the ULTIMATE Tax-Reduction System For Small
and Home-Based Businesses! Reading one chapter has already
helped me and I'm sure it will help you also. Check it out at:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=137136
If you are nearing the point of claiming bankruptcy or have and
feel there is no hope left, think again. Check out Paula Langguth
Ryan's book, "Bounce Back From Bankruptcy, A Step-by Step
Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet." It's in its third
edition and I helped research a lot of the 1st edition <g>. Used
and recommended by attorneys world wide.
http://tinyurl.com/2v53q
Jeffrey J. Mayer, president of Succeeding In Business, and
author of many books, has an ebook, "Winning the Fight Against
You and Your Desk," that I highly recommend. This inexpensive
52 page ebook is jammed packed with time saving tips so you
can get more done in less time. I urge you all to download this at
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=25003
Software and Downloads:
Maria Gracia, has a wonderful downloadable holiday planner.
Get your Holiday Planner today, and have a relaxing,
stress-free holiday season. For more information, visit:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?overhallit/getorgnow1
Get this inexpensive Spam Filter at
http://spamarrest.com/affl?930907
If you've been wanting a web site and aren't sure how to build
one check out my latest multimedia CD, FrontPage Show and
Tell. You will see my screen and hear my voice telling where and
why to click to build your web site. Introductory Special at
http://www.frontpageshowandtell.com
5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
~~ If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had
them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop
you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure
out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
--Michael Jordan
~~ The journey is the reward.
--Taoist Saying
~~ When I retire I'm going to spend my evenings by the fireplace
going through those boxes. There are things in there that ought to
be burned.
--Richard Milhous Nixon
6. Finish Your Holiday Shopping in One Fun-filled Day!
By: Aby Garvey
Are you stressed about getting your shopping done in time?
Here's a great tip: do all your shopping in one day! Sound
impossible? Here's how my husband and I did it this year.
Pick a Day
Weekdays are best for smaller crowds. Consider taking a day
off to shop, if you work full time and have vacation left. This will
allow you to shop when the stores aren't crammed with people.
If this isn't possible, start your shopping early in the day, before
the crowds get too thick. Then take a long lunch and finish up
your shopping during the dinner hour.
Find a Shopping Companion
The best case scenario is your husband or significant other,
because, quite simply, they have the same list of people to buy
for. What, he hates to shop? Yes, my husband does too. But, I
have to tell you, spending a whole day together, alone, without
children was a great treat for both of us. Sure we spent some
time in the man-dreaded malls, but we also hit his favorite spots
like electronics stores and a wine and cheese market. Another
great thing about shopping with your honey is that it gives you
both a chance to show the other person what's high up on your
wish list this year. Clever, eh?
Hire a Baby Sitter
Or dog sitter or any other service provider you need to make it
possible to be away from home for an entire day.
Make a List
Column 1: names of every person you are buying for this year.
Column 2: gift ideas for each person on the list. Tip: be as
specific as possible. To get all of your shopping done in one day,
make your buying decisions ahead of time as much as possible.
You can do research on the Internet for great gift ideas or ask
your friends and family if they want something special this year.
Column 3: store name. Write down where you will purchase
each item on your list. Limit the number of stores to as few as
possible. Remember, your goal is to finish in just one day!
Shop Online First
Shopping on line is a huge time saver, and is especially
convenient if you have to mail things to out of town friends and
relatives. Add gift wrap, a nice note and you're done. No trips to
the post office for you! How many people can you mark off your
list without even leaving your home?
One word of caution: make sure to shop early and look into
shipping times.
Chart Your Course
Now, with your list pared down, take a look at all of the stores
you need to go to. Figure out the most efficient route to get from
store to store, and you're ready to hit the stores! One last thing,
try to end your shopping trip very close to your favorite
restaurant. Call them ahead of time to make a reservation and
you'll have extra incentive for getting it all done!
Shop!
All that's left to do is hit the stores. Good luck!!
=========
Aby Garvey is a professional organizer and the owner of simplify
101, inc. Her mission is to help you create time and space for
what matters most in your home, business, and life. She
publishes a monthly organizing and time management ezine. Visit
her web site at
http://www.simplify101.com .
So you want to be a Professional Organizer?
Check out my one-of-a-kind system, The Wizard's Professional
Organizers System that will give you a jump-start on your
organizing career at
http://www.overhall.com/professional_organizers_system.htm
NEED a speaker for your next event? Download my speaking
packet at:
http://overhall.com/Seminars.htm
Harmony and Balance to all,
Janet L. Hall, CPO/CRMS (tm), FSII/FSIA
The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard
Let me work my "magic" on your Clutter, Life, and Environment!
http://www.overhall.com
"If your current life isn't working for you... get an
"OverHall"!"
Janet L. Hall is the owner of OverHall Consulting, and
Organizing By Phone, which is based out of Southern Maryland
and can be reached at 800-687-3040 or 410-586-9440, or e-
mail her at mailto:janet@overhall.com
Janet can "OverHall" your office, home, and computer clutter
and can deliver a customized speech or seminar for your next
event.
Copyright (c) 2004 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263,
Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy,
or distribute OverHall IT! or any articles by Janet L. Hall so
long as article(s) is kept intact, this copyright notice, and
full information about the author is attached.
ISSN # 1533-0702.
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Here in OverHall IT! it is my hope to help you stop juggling
areas in your life around and help you "OverHall" the areas that
might have become cluttered, ignored, or put on the back
burner. I want to help you bring back into focus the things that
are important to you. I want the chaos to stop for you and help
bring you some structure and hopefully some useful advice and
systems so you can accomplish the most important task...running
your life!
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