Saturday 26 September 2009

Time to stop all the complaining weighing you down? Try the 21 Day Complaint Free Program Challenge

It’s all too easy to live a life whereby complaining and commenting negatively about others (Gossiping) and being sarcastic comes naturally to you, but it doesn’t have to be. This bad habit feels ‘normal’, but you can turn this unhelpful habit on it’s head and benefit enormously at the same time. Here's how...

Pastor Will Bowen started a fabulous movement known as the “Complaint Free World” in 2006 with a visual reminder of a Purple bracelet worn while you create a non-complaining habit and move it from wrist to wrist as you get the knack of catching yourself when complaining. When you find yourself complaining you simply swap the purple bracelet to the other wrist until it has stayed on the same wrist for 21 days. Sound easy!!??

Reprogramming your mind (or organizing your thoughts you could say) can take months but once you have reached the 21 days straight the new whinge free/complaint free attitude will put you ahead of the rest, with a much more positive outlook and therefore more positive life. Oprah has jumped on the bandwagon too - promoting the idea via her show – can’t get much bigger endorsement than that!

If you have found that you are stuck in a complaining, whinging mode of life, then consider it is affecting all areas of your life – including your personal and professional organizing effectiveness. Complaining equals 'victim mode' which when it comes to organizing usually equals excuses about why you haven’t done what you know you should have which equals inaction. The opposite is 'solution focused' and propels you to where you want to be…

Some people may argue that venting is a good thing – with a ‘Get it off your chest’ type attitude, but Studies say this isn’t the case. Venting or complaining about anything (and everything in some cases) just keeps anger and negative emotions alive. Imagine for example talking to a friend about something negative that has happened to you. They are more likely to show sympathy and ‘bag’ them too, rather than offer constructive feedback about what to do to solve the issue, which only makes the situation worse. So not talking about it is often a better alternative, which actually allows you to learn to trust and follow your 'gut instincts' rather than having a knee jerk reaction.

As Pastor Bowen says “Most of the complaining we do is just a lot of ear pollution detrimental to our health and wellbeing."

Over 6 million purple bracelets are already in circulation all over the world. What a great uplifting proactive idea. Thanks Pastor Bowen!

What are your thoughts? Do you think you could do it? Do you think it would make a difference to your life and the world around you?

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Heard of the Slow Life Movement ?? Maybe we could learn a thing or two from it....

Slow Life Movement

A friend gave me a stack of old magazines the other day including a recent copy of the Cleo Mag. I was pleasantly surprised about the quality and depth of all manner of interesting articles considering I am now probably outside their demographic - at the ripe old age of 36!!

There was an interesting article titled "Do less, worry Less and want less", by Georgia Clark covering the Slow food Movement, Slow Relationships, Slow careers and even Slow Sex.

In our modern fast paced society the Slow Life Movement groups(www.slowmovement.com) take into account taking the time to connect with what is around you, which not surprisingly correlates to living a happier more fulfilling life. Slow food focuses on ‘Good, Clean, fair food with as small a carbon imprint as possible. The least distance between the paddock to your plate..the least amount of chemicals if any, taking the time to enjoy food with loved ones, not rushing or eating mindlessly in front the TV.

This improves our digestion and the quality of our relationships. If you have fallen into the habit of eating with the TV on, you would be amazed at how much more quality conversations you have without it on, so that you really know what is going on in the lives of those closest to you…....otherwise it’s all to easy to live separate lives together in our McMansion's, not really knowing about the day to day lives of our family members.

The article went on to talk about the importance of Slow relationships, quoting Psychotherapist Dr.Pam Stavropoulos who says we are fitting so much into our already full and busy lives, 'we do not connect with our emotions, which in turn puts our system on auto pilot.' and that 'Speed can sometimes make us de-sensitised.. and we can lose touch with our feelings.' Slowing down can reverse this process.

Scheduling in some essential ‘Me time’ can counteract the effects of some of this unavoidable busyness. Factoring in Meditation, regular relaxing baths, journaling etc are great for this purpose.

Ever heard of a Slow Career? This comes back to being in tune with what you want from your life, not what others ‘expect’ of you. You need to be fulfilled in your chosen job/career. Sometimes this takes time to become evident, so don’t rush into jobs that may pay better for example but aren’t fulfilling to you – especially if the workload and pressure involved is really high. Work/Life Balance is proving to be much more important than your pay packet to the majority of people who have been there and done it. After all - as a favourite quote of mine goes ‘At the end of the day, are you going to say I wish I had worked more or I wish I had worked less?”

Slow sex…
This part of the Worldwide Slow Life Movement article about advocates for example that it’s "better to have slower better quality sex less, than rushed, obliged sex more often." It’s about quality not quantity. Many people get stuck in the trap of an auto pilot sex life which isn’t healthy long term. Slowing down and getting more in tune with your partner and vice versa can improve relationship satisfaction immeasurably. As with anything – a balanced sex life is ‘key’- sometimes a quickie is preferred by one or both parties and that’s ok too. :)

Worth thinking about I think!! Don’t you?

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

nb: if you are having trouble factoring in ANY Sex Life let alone a slow sex life then you may life to read this article "Organize Your Sex Life' for some practical tips on how how to improve your love life.

Peri & Post Natal Depression Help - TV Show

SBS’s Insight program just aired a great and informative show on Peri & Post Natal Depression.

Among many things the show discussed was how the Government are increasing funding for PND screening to hopefully detect it better, which will hopefully help these mothers in need. But it was clear though, that a more holistic approach to tackle the problem is require and equally a more holistic approach once PND is diagnosed. The whole family needs to be treated not just the mother. PND affects everyone in the family unit deeply.

The Show importantly showed a lot from the father’s perspective and how difficult it is for them too. Also, how often a males innate desire to ‘fix’ the problem in most cases doesn’t work, but rather listening more is a better strategy – as well as getting professional help of course. P.A.N.D.A ( www.panda.org.au ) is a wonderful Australian Not For Profit Organisation that you can turn to if you or someone you know has Post Natal Depression.

It was saddening to learn that there are only 7 or 8 Mother/Baby units – which is not enough by a long shot – and they desperately need to be subsidised by the government, as they are unaffordable to most otherwise.

A few ladies who had PND commented on their Post Natal Depression and how Organization helped, saying how it made a difference to “Plan out my days” & it “Helps to create a routine”. I obviously agree with this point, having come up with the idea for the Organize Your Life Organizer after experiencing depression myself and knowing that being better organized would help prevent a relapse. It is also important to remember that everyone has good days and bad days - so to not be too hard on yourself.

If you are like many women who were unfortunately given unhelpful advice from their GP, keep trying – elsewhere if necessary....you aren’t imagining things. Above all the message was you don’t have to suffer in silence – there is help.

For more info got to www.sbs.com.au/insight (They have re-runs if interested in seeing it for yourself.)

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers


For more info about what solutions I have found over the years to help manage depression go to "Solutions for depression"

Thursday 17 September 2009

Do you have young children? Have you or do you want to start a Home Based Business?

Sooooo many women - particularly mothers - are starting home based businesses that I thought if you are in this category - with toddlers in tow - then this is just the resource to help you. I could have done with a site like this when my kids were younger. It would have saved me so much time and money it's not funny!

Ok so the details are:-
Amanda Robins, Business Coach & Author of "Building a Business while Taming your Toddler" has a great new membership site who is launching on the 21st Sept. Go to Toddler Taming Entrepreneurs to check out what they have on offer.

Tell her we sent you!
Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Moving House - What Not To Do and Save a bucket of Time

Another mother at my children’s school recently moved house. I asked he the other day how the move went and all the unpacking etc. I was surprised to hear her say that she hadn’t actually done a thorough cull/de-clutter BEFORE they moved all their stuff, but rather had it still all in boxes in cupboards to go though ‘down the track’. They had also moved from a bigger house and had about a ¼ less space so definitely needed to downsize.

I say this with compassion and understanding - if only she had been able to organize herself to go though their possessions before they moved, because this would have prevented a copious amount of time, not to mention all the double handling.

The huge job of moving house is SO much easier if you get rid of all those ‘iffy’ possessions we all own, that we need that situational ‘crunch time’ to MAKE us ditch them. Otherwise we can hold on to utter crap to put it bluntly, if we let these opportunities pass us by. Moving House is one of the few ‘life changes’ that can prompt us to properly assess our belongs with the harsh eye needed to cut down on our ‘stuff’.

If we end up in the unenviable position of still having all our accumulated stuff in a new house – to get to later – the fact is later almost never comes. Moving house is a pretty huge event in anyone’s life and it can take us months to ‘recover’ from it, by which time the last thing we feel like doing it something that reminds us of all the hard work of moving house in the first place!!!

So please please please, if you are in the position of moving house any time soon –seriously see it as a wonderful opportunity to downsize – making way for new things in your life - not necessarily material possessions!! Conscientiously make anything new uplifting and more of a reflection of who you are or want to be. So start the sorting and packing process fairly early in the peace when you know you have to move, so that you can’t use the excuse that you don’t have time and that you will have to do it 'after' you’ve moved.

We have a great detailed article about moving house and having a garage sale if you are so inclined (As for me and Garage Sales – I prefer to donate the stuff I don’t want so it's G.O.N.E ASAP, once I’ve decided to ditch it. Check our website out to read it.

I must admit to something a little funny about a recent donating experience though... I did a bit of a cull recently (we are moving into the new house in about six months after all!), so I've started the house moving/de-cluttering process.

Anyway my daughter has a school art project where she has to replicate a miniature bedroom and wanted to see if the OP Shop had any small dolls house furniture. So in we went on the weekend, and what do I pick up thinking it looks quite nice to have a closer look at!!?? A top I gave them only the week before. I had to laugh at myself and remind myself that the reason I gave it away was because the colour wasn’t quite right on me and it didn't fit properly - so I didn't get donation remorse!!! Emma and I thought it was funny anyway!


Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

How to Organize a Gluten Free Diet - New Book

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, from popular US talk back show The View - has written a great book to help those who are gluten intolerant; allergic to gluten or have coeliac disease. The book is called “The G Free Diet – A Gluten–Free Survival Guide. “

Our two kids were diagnosed with being Gluten Intolerant about 4 years ago and it’s been a learning curve ever since. The gluten free range has improved dramatically over that time thank goodness, with prices falling in the most part reflecting how common it has become as well. We were dealing with some physical symptoms but had no idea just how much the overload of gluten was affecting our kids behaviour. After the first 24 hrs off gluten the improvement in behaviour was profound. We had happy, skipping, singing children - not kids who were ready to bite our heads off with no warning.

Being gluten intolerant is tricky for kids who often feel like they aren’t allowed to have anything their friends have, but researching gluten free recipes and the growing number of Gluten Free cook books, minimises this markedly.

Now that my daughter is a tween, her skin is easily affected by what she eats, so it’s a good self-deterrent – no one wants pimples. Kids ultimately need to learn to monitor it themselves, which takes a lot of self-discipline and by a natural side effect strengthens self discipline. So although it can be a pain and add a fair bit to your grocery bill, it makes the family as a whole much more aware of healthy and not so healthy food products and being more aware of the correlation of how you feel after eating certain foods. My kids will now (thankfully) say things like “I didn’t have any …(whatever) at the party).. because last time I did it made me sick..so I had…instead." That’s pretty good for a 7 and 10 yr old !! Although our poor Naturopath, who diagnosed their intolerance has remained the bad guy for taking away all ‘the good stuff!

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Monday 7 September 2009

Get yourself Organized to participate in 'World Day of Interconnectedness'

I am a subscriber to a great Organization 'Global Mind Shift' and I just found out about a Special DAY from them coming up on Wednesday called - "World Day of Interconnectedness."

At 9am in every country, in every time zone (starting in New Zealand), "All people who are aware of interconnectedness and who are committed to translate that awareness into action are invited to practice interconnectedness as much as possible throughout the day."

So whether it's sharing your smile around a bit more, making the effort to compliment someone, or volunteering for a Community Group you've been meaning to for ages...the options are endless - Just organize yourself to do it! You will feel great 'connecting' more with others - especially absolute strangers when you see the response you get!

As I strongly believe small acts of kindness can make a difference to a better world - as they say "From Little things Big things Grow' Kev Carmody

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Thursday 3 September 2009

Victorian Gov Green Paper - Have Your Say

To my fellow Victorian's :) please consider adding your personal comment about the Governments Green Paper.

There is much scientific data to support a much worse scenario for our planet if Carbon Emissions are not reduced by more and in a quicker time frame. The Gov has a lot of lobbyists playing down our climate change problems, so having your say to help balance these views can really make a difference. If you agree please go to

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/component/option,com_forme/fid,7/ and email your thoughts.'

"From Little things Big things grow!" Kev Carmody

Claire McFee

National Organising Week

Take part in Australia's National Organising Week - Sponsored by Dymo

Organised by the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers of course! http://www.aapo.org

If you have ever wondering what it would be like to enlist the help of a Professional Organiser or PO as they are known, then this is your chance to learn what they are all about. Scattered across Australia and New Zealand there will be Organizing Workshops taken by PO's in there area, to teach you how to maximize your space and clear out your clutter. This will be happening at key Officeworks Stores, so ask at your local store to see if they are one of the lucky ones.

This is happening on Thursday 10 September from 12-4pm. There are also some other smaller stores hosting AAPO-member workshops.

As with last year's National Organising Week (N.O.W) - Oprah-Famous Peter Walsh descends on Australia again!

Media Personality Peter Walsh - Dymo's NOW Ambassador be whipping up a media frenzy in Sydney and Melbourne to help promote the organising message. So keep an eye out for then world renowned Organizing Guru.

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Getting your Kids to learn how to be organized and responsible

Something happened the other day that reminded me about the need to teach children to be responsible and organized with their ‘things’ and I wanted to share it with you.

Our daughter has tutoring in town, an hour away, every Friday night. It is her job to make sure she has a change of clothes and her tutor worksheets and weekly book. On one recent occasion Emma forgot her jeans, so that she was only in her super-short tennis shorts and nothing else - ok while paying tennis in daylight, but not once the sun has set and it’s the middle of winter!! Yes... I could make it easy on her and do this job for her, but apart from preventing her from being cold on the odd occasion it wouldn't teach her anything about responsibility or organization. Instead is was a great opportunity to help ensure she doesn't forget in the future.

If I did this an other things like it for her, she wouldn’t be thinking for herself and learning to think ahead and be more responsible for her belongings and the jobs she has to do as she gets older. It’s these experiences I believe, that instill important life lessons in our kids and helps them step up and become more independent. Kids learning to be organized and responsible for their stuff is a big part of this and I give our kids lots of opportunities to step up, so that they get a chance to do this.

Without it there is Over-Dependence on you and worse still, possible stunted emotional growth. Which would you prefer in your growing, developing child? Sure there’ll be some mishaps and mistakes along the way but that’s exactly where the learning comes from!


Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers

Outrageously Healthy Free Tele-Seminar Series....Expert Guest Line up

Well the TeleSeminar I blogged about recently has been and gone and I am happy to say it was a blast. Talking with Lenore for an hour about Organizing Solutions absolutely flew - with lot of listener interaction!

We covered a lot of content – based on the top 5 Dis-organization Signals and how to handle them. It was great that there were so many listeners on the call and that so many sent in various q’s as well. There are heaps more Expert Speakers in the coming weeks (as seen below), so go sign up for the webinars (by becoming a free ruby member to the site) - which will get you several freebies from both of us. So get in quick! http://www.outrageouslyhealthy.com/rep/organizeyourlife.html

Lenore's just sent me this lovely comment about our interview which was really nice of her. She is such an inspirational lady, that I want to interview her for our subscribers soon too!

“Thank you so much for the excellent value you gave to our members on our interview this morning Claire. Your passion and expertise is inspiring and I know many of our members have been given new fabulous tips that will help them get organized and live the outrageously healthy life they deserve. I especially appreciate your honest warm approach. Our planet certainly needs people like you”
Lenore Miller
Founder and Host
Outrageously Healthy


Outrageously Healthy Free Expert Tele-Seminar Series Line-Up
Phyllis Briggs - will tell us how she risked $27000 and lost 27 kilos

Paige Haines - will show us how to reduce stress and increase the quality of your life quickly & easily

Holly George - discuss the Real Effects of Imbalances in Western Lifestyle and how we can overcome them

Liz Lichti and Laura Whitelaw - will help Boost Your Self Esteem and Achieve your Dream Life! using great fast effective methods live on the CALL!

Janelle Manton - will show how Success, Style and Sexuality - are Everything a woman needs!

Angie Tousignant - will show us How To Transform our Bodies and Relationships, she has some super cool workouts for us to workout with our significant other or workouts just for you

Amanda Moxley will share her outrageously healthy approach to holisitc health

Cyndi O'Meara - from Changing Habits Changing Lives will be sharing some super cool information with us about living an outrageously healthy lifestyle.

Here's the link again to get in on the action & get 4 Free Organizing eBooks hot off the shelf! http://www.outrageouslyhealthy.com/rep/organizeyourlife.html

Happy Organizing
Claire McFee
Organize Your Life Organizers