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No matter what stage of life you’re in, the end of summer is a time of transition. During the month of August parents will be getting children ready for the new school year. Many folks will be o…No matter what stage…No matter what stage of life you’re in, the end of summer is a time of transition. During the month of August parents will be getting children ready for the new school year. Many folks will be on vacation thinking about the return to home, work and ‘real’ life. Lots of teens will be leaving home and heading off to college. And still other folks may be dreaming about how to use retirement to enrich their lives come fall. What do they all have in common? An organized plan will make all these transitions a bit easier. Let me ask you a few questions: Is your environment…

I\'ve spent more than twenty years helping people eliminate the \'excess stuff\' they\'ve accumulated. But it isn\'t just \'stuff\' that needs to go from the physical environment. From time to time it…I\'ve spent more tha…I\'ve spent more than twenty years helping people eliminate the \'excess stuff\' they\'ve accumulated. But it isn\'t just \'stuff\' that needs to go from the physical environment. From time to time it\'s also people, places or jobs. We sometimes hold onto relationships for years after they have ended. We all know one sided friendships or marriages that are dead. We witness destructive relationships that seem to go on forever. What\'s the old saying? \'The devil you know is better than the one you don\'t.\' I think someone who was frozen with fear must have stated this. After all, what if …

For too many of us throwing a party is just that … throwing a number of elements against the proverbial wall and hoping enough of them stick to make the party a success. Let\'s not, as they say, go …For too many of us t…For too many of us throwing a party is just that … throwing a number of elements against the proverbial wall and hoping enough of them stick to make the party a success. Let\'s not, as they say, go there. Take a few minutes to answer some questions in your Zen Organizing Journal.Do you like to entertain? If the response is ‘yes,\' when was the last time you gave a party? Was it a success? What were the key elements that made it successful? If the answer is ‘no,\' where did you fall down? Are these correctable mistakes? We all learn through trial and error. Do you do it regularly? Are …

As beautiful as spring, Easter and Passover are with their messages of renewal and hope, in the back of your mind is one date: April 15th. Remember you have to pay by the 15th but you can file an exte…As beautiful as spri…As beautiful as spring, Easter and Passover are with their messages of renewal and hope, in the back of your mind is one date: April 15th. Remember you have to pay by the 15th but you can file an extension if you simply can’t make time to tally up those columns for your tax preparer. The secret to an easy tax time is to have a Cracker Jack file system. There must be a place for every tax-deductible receipt that comes your way. Yes, I know, your mother told you that when you were 5. She was probably talking about your toys but the advice holds true for all the ‘stuff’ in your life. (…

Nothing I have to share is going to make your date with Uncle Sam on April 15th pleasurable. There is something about preparing for one\'s taxes that is the emotional equivalent of being called to the…Nothing I have to sh…Nothing I have to share is going to make your date with Uncle Sam on April 15th pleasurable. There is something about preparing for one\'s taxes that is the emotional equivalent of being called to the principal\'s office when you are in grammar school. (I presume you let a pro do the actual return.) Let\'s take some of the sting out of the process. If you have all of your receipts and papers organized, the process is reduced to a few hours of mechanical arithmetic. Let\'s get started with these easy to follow steps. You will find detailed instructions in all of my One Year to… books. …

It wasn\'t until New Year\'s Eve that I realized the importance of this particular holiday: not only was midnight ushering in a New Year but a new decade as well. This is an opportunity to change your…It wasn\'t until New…It wasn\'t until New Year\'s Eve that I realized the importance of this particular holiday: not only was midnight ushering in a New Year but a new decade as well. This is an opportunity to change your life for the better. Don\'t allow yourself, however, to get swept up into media hype. In other words, you don\'t have to revamp your entire life all at once. That endeavor is a sure fire invitation to fail! Now that I have the first three books out in the ‘One Year to…\' series covering an Organized Life, Work Life and Finances, I thought I\'d share three tips to jumpstart the process in eac…

Ask the (Zen) Organizer tm Newspapers, magazines and the airwaves will be filled this month with ways to save this holiday season. In “One Year to an Organized Life,” I devote the lion share of…Ask the (Zen) Organi…Ask the (Zen) Organizer tm Newspapers, magazines and the airwaves will be filled this month with ways to save this holiday season. In “One Year to an Organized Life,” I devote the lion share of instruction in December to just these issues. In this forum, I\'d like to take a peek at something else that may be on your mind: looking ahead to the New Year. It beckons to us like a blank piece of paper, inviting us to create something fresh, new, nurturing and inventive in place of our current reality. While it\'s easy to dream about a fresh start, it\'s very often difficult to do the wo…

As if it were yesterday, I can vividly remember Thanksgivings at my Brooklyn, New York brownstone. My mother didn\'t fancy herself a cook or a great hostess. She also had no interest in learning any n…As if it were yester…As if it were yesterday, I can vividly remember Thanksgivings at my Brooklyn, New York brownstone. My mother didn\'t fancy herself a cook or a great hostess. She also had no interest in learning any new skills in this area. The holiday was therefore always marred by her negative energy. She made no bones about letting my dad and I know what a big project this holiday was and how little she enjoyed it. In retrospect of course I understand that she was run by her fears and sense of inadequacy. Too bad my mom missed the era of self-help books, Dr. Phil and the Food Channel. Who knows what might h…

What is priceless, irreplaceable and fleeting? Yes, that\'s right…time. As I write this month\'s column I am home in New York City on business. Time is on my mind for many reasons. I\'ve changed…What is priceless, i…What is priceless, irreplaceable and fleeting? Yes, that\'s right…time. As I write this month\'s column I am home in New York City on business. Time is on my mind for many reasons. I\'ve changed time zones. I have work to do and friends to see. And it feels like there isn\'t enough time to do it all. I spent a day traveling and observing people at airports. So many had too much luggage! Why, I wondered, did they not take a little time and do some planning? This month I have some advice on time management, especially for those who are chronically late. Why would some have issues with …