At the end of each month, I feature a round-up of 5 posts at My Organized Biz.  They’re either ones I like or ones that have received attention from readers.

November leaves image: sxc.hu

After teaching poetry writing to second graders while substitute teaching the other day, I’m more enthusiastic to get my poetry book organized and my workshops underway. 

Poetry book image: sxc.hu

However, for them to be more than dreams, I need to start organizing and then putting that into action.

So….where do I start?

• I did get out my folder of poetry written over the years, some of which has been published in magazines, newspapers and anthologies.  (I’ve retained copyright so that I can include any and all of the poetry into an anthology.)
• Read over the poetry
• Decide which needs editing and which can stand as is
• Make copies of any that need editing and make the corrections
• Look for pictures to accompany the poems because some are about scenes and incidents in my life.
• Make sketches to accompany some of the poems
• Decide on a picture or illustration for the cover
• Check out how it will be published…on our facilities or at the local printer that did my children’s anthology.
• Estimate costs.
• Decide upon a final title
• Decide upon a promotional program
• Start marketing the book, along with poetry workshops.
• Publish the book!

Now that I’ve set up a plan of action, I need to get into action.

How did you organize your book publishing?

When you have a business, sometimes it’s difficult to organize your own holiday preparations so that one or the other (business or family) aren’t neglected.  You must keep your business going to bring in the income. 

Image: sxc.hu

Yet family expect holiday preparations, festivities and attendance at various activities throughout December.

• Make a list of what you need to do, businesswise and holiday wise.
• Some of these might overlap as you make business holiday preparations, too.
• Can you involve your family in some of your business festivities?
• If you have employees, have them give you a list beforehand of times they need off.  Thus you’re less likely to have last minute requests from them.
• Try to plan ahead as much as possible, so that you complete holiday business orders in plenty of time.
• Have a cut-off deadline for special orders. 
• Try to figure how much time your orders will take so that you’re not working at the last moment on them or infringing on family holiday time. 
• Emergencies do occur, so you can’t always stick to a strict schedule.  So you do need some flexibility.

What tips do you have for organizing your holiday business and family schedules?

Happy Thanksgiving to My Organized Biz readers…from my home to yours. 

Thanksgiving & harvest image: sxc.hu

 May you have a wonderful day wherever you are.  Even if you celebrate at another time, if you live in another country.  May you count your blessings and enjoy.

How can I get out from under this mess? you wonder, as you gaze around a cluttered office, mixed up closet, disarrayed kitchen.

Organizer image: sxc.hu

Some people try to find the time to do it themselves.  Others hire a professional organizer, someone who has developed a business of organizing others…their home, office, clothing, closets and life.

Do you need someone to give suggestions but not do the physical rearranging?  Or do you want someone to do everything?

I’m not sure I’d want someone to do all my rearranging because only I know what I need to keep, what I need now, what later and then other stuff “sometime” in the future, especially that connected with my writing and teaching.  Perhaps an organizer could give me suggestions and insight that would make it easier for me to keep organized.

Have you ever used a personal organizer?

Are you an organizer who would like to write a guest post and let us know how we’d all benefit from services like yours?

In response to my post,  Using See-Through Containers & Holders, Jessica responded by sharing her experience with see-through bins and jars.

Storage jars image: sxc.hu

For a lot of things see thru bins are great, I love how even if they aren’t really

labeled, you can pretty much tell at a glance what’s in them…for things like my

origami collection, having a see thru bin inspires me to make more.

but there’s also exceptions, stuff that looks so cluttery, that even containerized you

don’t want to see it…the toolkit and cleaning supplies and whatnot, that I prefer to

keep in opaque containers.

I agree with Jessica.  There are times when see-through containers, because of what’s stored in them, would detract from the appeal of your work area or shop.  So consider the overall attractiveness, as well as convenience, when organizing.

After spending considerable time looking for addresses that I’ve jotted down from e-mail or the phone, I’m trying to develop the habit of “writing an address only once.”

Today I received an address from a colleague for someone I need to write a letter.  Instead of writing the address on a scrap of paper near the laptop, I got my note taker little notebook where I jot down odds and ends and reminders.  Then I immediately got an envelope and wrote it there.

Actually that was writing it twice but I didn’t have to spend considerable time looking for it when I want to write the note.  It’s in a notebook where notes should go until I decide whether I want to keep the address in my permanent file.

If I only want to send someone a note or card once, I’ll immediately address it and have it ready for sending.  Usually, I’ve found, that I might want to use the address again, so it’s best to jot it in my little notebook.

In response to a previous post about organizing addresses permanently, I received some really handy suggestions from readers.  Do you have any tips?

Image: sxc.hu

Frequently shelves are a great help in our organizing.  We can use them in the office for books and supplies, for containers and shelf organizers. 

They can be utilized in a work area to make the most use of wall space.  (Sometimes, rather than building shelves on a wall, we use shelving units.)

Fabric artists like to use shelves for their fabrics, often color coding them or organizing by type of material.  They also can place jars and other containers on shelves.

If you feel your shelves are too messy or can’t be arranged attractively, you might want to get units with doors on them, as my daughter did when she had to use part of the living room for her sewing area.

Do you utilize wall space in your office and/or work areas with shelves?  What do you find works best in organizing them?

One of the biggest distractions from good organization is neglecting to put items back in their proper place whether a shelf, a box, a container, a hanger or a jar.  We so often will use something, perhaps something in our office, something for production, or for performing a service, and won’t take the time to return it.

Then when we need it again, we don’t know where to look.  Or it gets moved to another place because it was left in the way of the next task. 

I’ve done this time and again.  I’ve finished a task but don’t take the time to return the items I’ve used.  I get called away then don’t get back to cleaning up.  Someone else might come along and put them away (in what they think is a logical place) and I don’t know where. 

So….make it a habit to return, return, return anything you’ve used.  Also, have a specific place for finished products.

Do you have a good “return” system?

Do you search through drawers, boxes and containers for specific supplies?  Would taking time to label them help you and save time?

Too many times I’ve put items away, thinking I’d remember where they were because I didn’t want to take the time to label.  Or take the time to sort and organize items instead of stuffing them all together in one place.

Even a minimum amount of sorting and labeling would help me.

So label, label, label!  It wouldn’t matter whether you use a professional label maker or stick masking tape or sticky labels to the items, drawers, containers. 

Do you have a handy labeling system that works well for you?