Get It!. Jacqueline Laurita

Storage Solutions

      Although a jewelry box is the most obvious place for your jewelry, there are also more creative storage solutions. Here are some ideas, broken down by jewelry type.

      “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”

      —A. A. Milne

      

Earrings can be kept in egg trays, ice-cube trays, a tackle box, a weekly pill divider box, hanging on a dream catcher, or on a piece of screen with the edges framed.

      

Bracelets can be kept in a basket, divided or color coordinated in sheer bags, on a paper towel holder, or in an underwear divider in a drawer.

      

Necklaces can be kept tacked on a corkboard or screen divider, or hanging on a hanger in your closet.

      

Rings can be kept in egg trays, ice-cube trays, pencil baskets, or on a fake hand.

      Setting Up Your Own Organized, Dedicated Workspace

      Having a dedicated and organized home office can dramatically increase your productivity and ability to meet your goals, whether you’re running a company or just making sure your bills get paid. Here’s our plan for putting together a home office space that works for you!

      Stock Up on Supplies

      To get your workspace or home office organized, you may need to stock up on some supplies first. Here’s our list of organizational items to consider purchasing:

      

corkboard and/or magnetic board, plus tacks or magnets

      

wall calendar

      

filing cabinet or filing container, plus hanging file folders

      

flat open trays (“inbox,” “outbox,” “sort later”)

      

labeling tool

      

binders and dividers

      

small and large jars

      Organize Your Office

      Once you have your office supplies, it’s time to get your office organized!

      

Keep binders with labeled dividers or use filing boxes, drawers, or cabinets to organize loose papers and other important documents.

      

Group your pencils, pens, markers, highlighters, etc., together in one or multiple jars.

      

Put small items like magnets, paper clips, rubber bands, staples, tacks, etc., in containers, like spice or baby food jars to keep them separate and organized.

      

Use a corkboard above your desk to pin up ideas written on sticky notes or small slips of paper, for brainstorming thoughts or reminders, and to hang your calendar, so it’s somewhere you can always see it.

      Organize Your Emails

      In an office space, getting digital clutter under control is just as important as eliminating physical clutter.

      Here’s how you can take charge of your email—business or personal:

      

Create categories of folders. These should include both action folders—like Immediate Response Required and Opportunities—and archive folders—Personal, School, Work, etc.

      

At least once a day, go through your inbox and classify each email: respond, print/scan, delete, or file. (You may need one day to go through all of your past emails to catch up before you can regularly start to maintain it.)

      

If a response is needed, put the email into the appropriate action folder. (Make sure you return to this folder after sorting through the rest of your new emails!)

      

If the email is something you need to print for future reference, print it right then, and file as needed.

      

Delete emails where action is no longer required.

      

If you need or want to keep a digital copy, file it in the right archive folder.

      “Don’t agonize, organize.”

      —Florynce Kennedy

      “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

      —Buddha

CHAPTER 4

       Get Healthy!

      You’re busy, you’re tired, and the last thing you want to do is cook a big extensive dinner. We’ve all been there. Sometimes it seems like that fast-food drive-through is the only option—it’s either that or risk not eating at all. Before you know it, after too many of these trips, the scale is creeping up, your energy level is low, and you’re feeling sluggish. And what you are putting into your mouth could be to blame.

      In this chapter, we’re here to help you stop those fast-food trips and other bad eating habits in order to get you healthy. We aren’t nutritionists—we are just busy moms who know that the more energy we have, the better we can keep up with our kids, careers, or whatever else life entails! We have also read through enough diet and health books to see a common thread, and we’ve tried and tested enough healthy diets to know what has worked best for the both of us. What we have learned is that healthy eating is a lifestyle and a choice. And it is actually very simple once you get the hang of it!

      How to Eat Better (in 5 Simple Steps)

      Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a huge challenge. It simply means providing the body with the right nutrients to function at an optimal level, in order to maintain or improve your overall health and longevity. We’ve