Someday is Here!
 

Have you ever said to yourself... "I'll get organized someday."  Has "someday" come?  I think for many people in the Seattle area (where I'm from - for those subscribed to this newsletter that are from other parts of the country) "someday" came this week! 

For many, people got stuck in their homes, faced with the un-thinkable....what to do with all of that stuff before the holiday guests arrive?  With the holidays just around the corner and decorating to be done - it was a good opportunity for many to take the plunge and do what they've procrastinated on all year.  Congratulations if you were one of the many that decided to use your time at home to make some changes!

What's on your list?  What are your projects that you never seem to have time for?  What would make you feel so good if you could just cross it off your list?  We all have different priorities of how we choose to spend our time. 

Believe it or not, even I have projects that I'd like to get to "someday" and if I don't make the time for them on a regular basis, they can start to pile up!  I spent some of my extra time in my office cleaning out files - in the drawers, in my email and on the computer - getting a head start for next year.  Not being able to work with clients, I was able to spend extra time in the office doing all of those "little" things that take 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there, but those 5 minutes can turn into 5 hours quickly!  
 

A great project for you or your family on days when you can not leave your home is to go through some of your memorabilia.  Memorabilia comes in many forms:  pictures (print and digital), slides, letters, children's school work and artwork, family videos and the list goes on.  What type of memorabilia do you need to organize? 

People ask me all of the time:  How should I organize my photos?  Here's a few things you may want to consider when getting started:

1.  Boxes, Albums or Scrapbooks?  Decide what your preferred method of organization is.  Maybe you will combine a couple of methods.  Not everyone has time to, nor wants to scrapbook.  Some, don't even have time for albums.  Choose not to accept the guilt! 

2.  Gather up your photos - so you have them in one location before you begin.

3.  Family Member, Event, Year - Decide how you want to organize them so you can share them in the future with others.

4.  Duplicates?  Set them aside into stacks for friends and family to take what they want.

5.  Eliminate those photos that you wouldn't want anyone to see, or those photos you just don't love.

6.  Label.  At a minimum, put a label on the outside envelope with the date and/or event.  You can write on each picture later - should you choose to do so.

7.  Make sure the products that you will store your photos in are acid and lignin free - whether they are photo boxes or photo albums.  You can also wrap your photos in acid-free tissue paper to help protect them.

8.  It can be hard to stay focused while you are organizing memorabilia.  If you find that to be true for you, you could give yourself a set amount of time to sort through so many envelopes of photos.

9.  Enjoy! 

Organizing your pictures can be time consuming but so rewarding when you're done.  It's also a great gift that you can some day pass one to your loved ones.  If you're looking for the perfect gift to give someone this time of year - you may already have it.

One of the best gifts I've found is to give someone a beautiful album of photos from a special event - you can do this with your printed photos or the digital ones.  It is surely a gift that will be treasured.

And if you don't have the time this year...well, there is always next year when "someday" comes! 


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