Thanksgiving is around the corner.  It is time to think about what tasty recipes will be served to family and friends.  Thanks to a client I discovered that social networking is now in the kitchen and making this process so easy.

If you have mastered Facebook and love to cook you have to check out www.KeyIngredient.com.  Registration is free and you can organize your recipes for private use, share with only family and friends, or open up to the world-wide web.  It only takes a minute to register and then start entering your favorite meals.

The program even creates shopping lists from the recipes you plan to cook.  When you search for recipes others have shared, there is even a place for comments to be posted that could save the trouble of cooking a mediocre recipe.

While this program is free, a Digital Recipe Reader is available from Neiman Marcus.  This hand-held device will keep your kitchen green and truly make your recipes paperless.   Of course if you have a computer in the kitchen; even better.

Check this out and when your guests leave and ask for the recipe, just share your Key Ingredient screen name.

The Los Angeles Organizing Expo is the only expo in Los Angeles dedicated to the productivity industry happens this Monday, September 21.  The fifth annual NAPO-LA event will showcase time saving products, organizing solutions, tools and services held at the Olympic Collection in West Los Angeles from 5:30-8:30 pm.

We invite you to come and visit our booth at the expo which will showcase our closet, office and garage design services.  We will also share information on our Residential Inventory and Home Procedures Manual, Clutter Control and Relocation Services.

Before the Expo at 4 pm…
Organziing secrets will be revealed at the annual “Ask the Organizer” Panel, which will precede The Organizing Expo.  The 90 minute interactive discussion is open tot the public and will feature accomplished professional organizers from NAPO-LA’s Golden Circle.  These are experts in the field of personal productivity, office systems, relocations, storage design, special needs training, media and coaching.

This year’s panel will feature Chris McKenry of Get It Together LA!, Dolores Kaytes, of Highly Organized, Donna McMillan of McMillan & Company, and Barbara Ricketts , aka The Mess Doctor.  The Panel will be facilitated by Lynne Gilberg of Lynne Gilberg Organizing.

For Ask the Organizer Panel and Los Angeles Organizing Expo ticket information visit www.napola.org. 

Remember, stop by the Get It Together LA! booth and say “Bye to Clutter”!

Products from The Container Store

How organized were you as the new school year was approaching?  When you were getting ready for the new school year did you think about the principles of organization?

Besides learning geography, mathmatices and other subjects to prepare your children for life, don’t forget to give these future doctors, politicians, policemen and and even professional organizers the tools needed for filing and finding their school work.  Start out by making organizing seem fun by asking your kids if they would like to have more time with their favorite activities.  Begin by organizing toys, sports equipments, even electronic games.  As items are reviewed help your kids make decisions what is not used and just in the way.  Explaining all the time that once these obstacles are out of the way, it will take less time to find what is wanted allowing more time for play.

Now you can help them go from papers stuffed into a backpack to notebooks with categories that make sense to your students.    Once one area is mastered, it will be easy to keep other areas organzied.  School lockers, tests, assignments, special projects and even packed lunches have best results when they are organzied. 

When you go shopping for “back to school” let the students make lists of needed items before heading to the store.  There are always find great tools at The Container Store.  But remember, if purchases are really not needed – and end up not being used - they will add to your clutter.

Make this year the first year of a productive lifetime where goals are achieved for your students.

Donna Livingston

Several thousand poured onto the Paramount Studio back lot last Saturday for the Concern Foundation’s annual Block Party.  This year’s Block Party honored one of LA’s top interior designers Donna Livingston.  Donna Livingston Design was establish in 1980 and her spectacular projects are found around the world.  She is on the list of “Top 100 Interior Designers” named by Architectural Digest and is a supporter of the American Cancer Society.  Cancer Research is a cause dear to her heart. 

Also honored were Mary Moebius, M.D. a Child and Adult Psychiatrist in private practice in Tarzana since 1997 and Susan Inwood, CIMA a Senior Investment Management Consultant with Smith Barney.

The Concern Foundation has raised over $41 million dollars to fund cancer research since 1968.  Only 5% of funding goes toward administrative cost which means 95% of funds go directly toward cancer research.

We all have been, or will be, effected by cancer.  My sister-in-law has survived breast cancer, but unfortunately I lost my brother this past year to bladder cancer.  If you have not known someone with this horrible disease, chances are you will.   Even if you missed the 2009 Block Party, you can still contribute to this worthy organization.  Thank you 2009 honorees for raising awareness and funding to help win the battle against cancer.

To make your contribution, click here.

Elfreth's Alley

It’s summer and vacation time.  On a recent business trip to Philadelphia, I enjoyed a day to myself sight seeing the historic area of the city.  The week before I was working in the picturesque beach community of Newport  Beach in California featuring scenic views reminiscent of the Italian coast.  Now I was back in time at Elfreth’s Alley.  This neighborhood has the distinction of being the oldest residential community in our nation.  The homes have been occupied since the early 18th century.

As someone who appreciates colonial architecture, loves history, and is a professional organizer I can’t help but apprecite how our ancestors lived 250 years ago.  Then beauty was appreciated along with simplicity.  Walk-in closets, let alone most any closets, were not even in these homes.  It’s a good thing Costco was not around in 1776.

A few organizing tips for your next business/pleasure trip:

1. Plan your time off.
2. Research the city’s website before the trip.
3. Keep travels to a limited area.
4. Walk and take in the city.
5. During lunch ask the wait staff what is not to be missed in the area.

Don’t forget to use a Travel Checklist to keep from forgetting power chargers, reservation information, and other essential needs.  For a complimentary checklist from Get It Together LA! click here and write Travel Checklist in the subject line.

Now enjoy your next trip.

This weekend I enjoyed going to the movies and seeing Star Trek.  It seems others thought it would be a good place to send text messages and check e-mails.  Even the week before the person next to me was continually using his Blackberry during the first act of a play.

During the ”Time Management at the Age of Speed” session at the NAPO Conference in Orlando last month, Harlod Taylor shared that the fast devours the slow.  Think about it, we have more information to manage than ever before.  Not so long ago, we became overwhelmed by the fax machine.  Now we are averaging over 190 message a day because of the phone, email, Facebook, Twitter and more.

Need to See Time?

Time is essential to staying organized.  Do you find it is difficult to see time as it passes each hour?  Are you constantly running in circles to meet deadlines?

Check out our latest “O-Tips” for more information to make your life easy. 

Environmentally friendly materials are now available for your Get It Together LA! storage system for closets, garages, and home offices.  Recognizing the demand from consumers for “green-build products” we are offering the SkyBlend™ line from Roseburg. 

The line is SCS and EPP certified 100% pre-consumer recycled week fiber particleboard that has no Urea Formaldehyde added during the manufacturing process.  Third party testing verifies SkyBlend™ formaldehyde emissions (.00-.01 ppm) are no greater than levels occurring in outdoor ambient air conditions according to the manufacturer.

Roseburg is North America’s largest, fully integrated manufacturer of melamine and specialty panels with lands and facilites in California, Georgia, Mississippi, Oregon and South Carolina.  Ask for “green” when you build your next closet.

Green Tip:  Remember to return your hangers to the dry cleaner for reuse.  Ask for your clean clothes to be placed in reuseable bags from your dry cleaner and cut out the plastic.

Newborn babies bring joy, but with the joy comes stroller, cribs, toys, diapers, gifts, changing tables, more diapers and clothes, car seats, more gifts…well you get the idea.  Recognizing new parents need to be organized as they prepare for their family addition, Kijiji.com has partnered with us to help educate parents on the best ways to organize and maximize space for their “Baby On Board” campaign.

Kijiji.com is a free, family friendly site that is easy to navigate and a great place to buy and sell items for the home and find necessary services.  The name Kijiji is Swahili for village.  This is really a community to share information and resouce to get rid of unwanted clutter.  In their online survey, it was discovered that only 7% of parents resale baby items once they are no longer used.   So 93% of families have the opportunity to gain more space and raise some money by selling these unused items.

Check out our tips and let your baby develop organizing principles that will last a lifetime.

Thank you Blount County Chamber for the warm welcome at last month’s seminar “Organizing Secrets Revealed for the Home and Office”.  The 40 plus who attended enthusiastically participated in the program.  The facility was first class, the professional staff and members showed true southern hospitality.

The program revealed seven secrets to getting organized.  The citizens of Blount County asked provolking questions and give their insite throughout the 90 minte program.  

I support chamber’s of commerce for they work provide in nurturing the local business community.  The West Hollywood Chamber is my hometown business community.  If you are looking for foundation for your business, check out your local chamber.   

Would your chamber like a program to inspire its members to be more productive and organized in their business?  Contact us for more information.

The National Associationof Professional Organizers (NAPO)  just completed their 21st annual conference and it was rejuvenating, inspiring, and motivating.  The theme was “Making Business Dreams Come True” and Orlando was the setting.  

Lorie Marreo of The Clutter Diet and me at the NAPO Conference

 The education was only equalled by the networking with my peers.  Time spent in the hallways, at the lounge, or around a restaurant table was as beneficial as learning a new technology. 

The keynote by Scott McKain focused on the importance of making your business stand out from the competition.  He shared the principles outlined in his book Collapse of Distinction.  He encouraged us to live in the moment and not wait to enjoy the simple things in life; the ocean view, a mountain breeze or even just a clear sunset.  How fitting we stayed a extra day for down time and visit EPCOT.

 If you have never attended a conference or convention for your business or industry I suggest you plan to check one out this year.  The investment just might help set you apart from others not sharing your dedication to professional excellence.  And take time to enjoy the journey.

Chris