Kathi,

My office just cut back on staff. Now I’m temporarily handling my normal workload along with two other missing team members. How can I work more efficiently? I’m tired of having dinner with the night janitor.

Ben, San Marcos

Ben,

Double up on certain tasks. Do small tasks simultaneously, such as sorting through mail while you are talking on the phone, or purging files while eating lunch.
Stand up while on the phone. Your conversations will automatically be shorter.
Use window envelopes where appropriate, saving time in writing or typing the name and address.
Purge your files annually. You will be better able to find files and decrease storage space.

And, my usual advice, take many short breaks throughout your day to stretch and refresh. You will inevitably accomplish more with less effort using this method.

Greeting cards needed for charity

If you are still holding onto all of the holiday cards you received this year (or for the past ten years ~ you know who you are), now is the time to let them go for a good cause. Send them to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. They will put them to good use and recycle them into new cards that you and others can purchase next year.

The children participate in Read the rest of this entry »

A colleague, Leigh Ernst, is collecting gowns, shoes, jewelry and clutches for women to attend the 5^th annual Marine Corp Ball in style.

Leigh is not involved in the military in any way, but at church it touched her heart about how grateful the girls were who received dresses to wear last year that could not afford to buy a dress or go to the ball….Kind of a Cinderella story.

They were literally in tears as they “shopped “among the donated items. Many girls were shocked that there were actually dresses in their size.

It is an easy thing to do to clear these items from your closet and ADD SPACE!! (a gift to yourself!)

If you can help out…please bring or mail your items to Leigh and she will make sure they get to the girls in time for the Ball scheduled for October 3rd. She said that dresses are arriving daily from all across the US. This is the perfect opportunity for you to dig into your closet and pass on your good to others but you need to do it this week!

Mail or drop off your evening gowns and accessories before September 27th to:

Leigh Ernst

4659 Telescope Ave. Carlsbad, CA  92008

760-720-1218

leighjava@roadrunner.com

by Maria Connor

The reason people go on vacation is to escape the demands and drudgery of everyday life.  They scrimp and save all year in order to afford a tropical cruise, take the kids to visit Mickey Mouse at Disney World or travel to a foreign country they’ve dreamed about visiting.

People work hard for their break from reality.  They go into work sick so their vacation time isn’t docked.  They forego new clothes or dining out. With all that effort, it’s a shame that coming home can take the bloom off that vacation rose.

Have you been there?  It’s close to midnight and the flight was late/delayed/overbooked.  You have to be in to work by eight the next morning, the kids have school and there isn’t so much as a shriveled apple in the fridge.  In the frantic rush to get back to your routine, the suitcases remain parked in the front hall for a week, and the kids begin recycling their socks.  And you’re already behind on saving for the next vacation because you’ve spent $75 on carry-out this week.

Planning for your homecoming should be given as much consideration as your tour of Yosemite.  With a bit of forethought and a little organization, you can remain relaxed, refreshed and reinvigorated.

Just one more day. Allow at least one day to transition from vacation mode to work mode, recommends Sharon Hayward, owner of The Organized Advantage in La Mesa. Come home a day early or tack an extra day onto your vacation.  This provides time to go through the mail, restock the kitchen, catch up on laundry and read your email.

Thanks, neighbor! Leave a house key with a trusted neighbor.  Ask them to pick up bread and milk the day before you return home so there’s something edible in the house until you can go grocery shopping.

Easy unpacking. Organizational expert Kathi Burns of AddSpace to Your Life! in Leucadia suggests packing a few plastic grocery bags.  When preparing to head home, put the dirty laundry in the plastic sacks so it can be sorted right into the laundry room when you get back.  Burns says it also helps to empty your luggage immediately. Things are more likely to get put away if they aren’t hidden out of sight in the Samsonite.

Leave it like you want to find it. Preparing for vacation requires a lot of energy and effort, but allow time to make sure your house is in order before you leave  Empty the refrigerator of any foods that might spoil.  Take out the trash.  Change the bed linens.  Run the vacuum.  Leaving your house neat and tidy is critical, Burns says.  Coming home can be a letdown after the glamor and regular maid service of most hotels, so make your welcome as comfortable and welcoming as possible.

Odds and ends. Here are a few random tips to consider.

*Freeze a couple of casseroles before you start your vacation.  Dinner will be a cinch until you’re back in the groove.

*Consider traveling Wednesday to Tuesday or returning midweek.  Coming home to a three-day work week is infinitely easier than facing five long days.

*Leave an outfit or two in the closet so you’ll have something clean to wear.  Same goes for underwear, socks and linens.

*Avoid catastrophes.  We live in an area vulnerable to earthquakes, Hayward says, so take a few minutes to shut off the water main and unplug appliances and computers.

Maria Connor is a freelance writer and mother of four in San Diego.  She says there’s no such thing as a vacation for mothers; it’s just doing the same thing is a more exotic location.

Solution: Sort your mail before you bring it into your home. Discard all junk mail & outer envelopes into a trash can on the way into your home from the mail box. Once in, designate a place where the mail always goes once it enters your home. Bonus Tip: Visit this website & ask them to remove you from mailing lists you don’t wish to be on: www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html