We were joined this month by Lori Martin of Purple Martin and Co., and Laurie Martin of Simplicity who shared with us great tips for organizing ourselves and our homes.
Lori Martin, Purple Martin and Co.
Lori shared with us her story about a traumatic health experience that happened after the birth of her son (to read her story, click here). This experienced gave her the idea to organize her information so that it was more easily accessible, particularly in the case of an emergency and/or stressful event. Her Family Handbook is a command center of information for her family. A sample handbook index includes:
1. Emergency Information
a. Emergency #’s
b. Insurance (Med, Dental, Homeowners)
c. Map to Emergency Room
d. Emergency Medical Facts
e. Authorization to Consent to Healthcare
f. Prescriptions and OTC Drug Dosing
g. Estate Planning Contacts
h. Safety Deposit Box
i. Children’s Identifying Characteristics
2. While I’m Away Instructions
a. Martin Family Rules
b. Children’s Likes and Dislikes
c. Good Meal Ideas
d. TV Shows Allowed for the Children
e. How to Operate the Remote
3. Family Contacts
4. Neighbors and Friends Who Can Help
5. Babysitter Contacts
6. Pediatric Medical (all 3 Kids’ Shot Records)
7. Adult Medical Contacts
8. Pet Medical
9. School Fast Fact Pages
a. Preschool
b. Elementary
10. Activities and Team Rosters
a. Activity Contacts
b. Team Rosters
c. Activity Schedule
11. Summer Camps and Activities
12. Misc. Family Facts
a. Clothing Sizes
b. Computer Passwords
c. Birthdays and Occasions to Remember
13. Travel
14. Home Maintenance and Repair Service Providers
15. Other Service Providers
In our discussion, Lori added some additional topic ideas for your book:
· Keep a schedule/calendar in the book (her example was her husband’s travel schedule so that others would know where he was at any given time)
· Lori mentioned that she had a page specifically for poison control that included her phone number, address, and her kids’ weight
· Include instructions on what to do if the power goes out (which is great opportunity for you to think about what to do!)
· Include a page about your child’s bus routine/ carpool routine
· Include a page with all of the numbers to call if your wallet is stolen (however, don’t include the actual credit card number, see below)
When you are organizing your book, Lori suggested:
· Put the most critical information on top
· At a minimum, start by organizing your emergency information and then add as your need grows
· Leave the book on the counter (or an accessible place in your home)
· Train everyone to use the book
· Maintain the book frequently; don’t make the book a project to do once a year, make it a living part of your activity
· Use ribbons or other markers to help users quickly reference the information most pertinent to them
There are some dangers of having too much information in one place that is easily accessed. Lori gave some tips on how to protect potential identity theft:
· Don’t put information such as your social security numbers, pass words, credit card numbers, bank numbers, etc, in the book
· Lori includes her most vital and potentially damaging information in a zippered pouch that is removed from the book and put in a lock box. She takes this out when her parents are staying with her kids, etc.
Laurie Martin, Simplicity
Laurie’s forte is process organization for your home. She helps you to develop more efficient ways for functioning in your space. When asked about the biggest mistakes others make when organizing their stuff, she gave the following suggestions:
· Make your space work for you. For example, Laurie mentioned a client that has a formal living space that they never used. Laurie recommended that they change the formal living space into something that they would use. She also gave the example of not putting your socks in your sock drawer but instead put them by your shoes, which is where you need them to be.
· Buy organizing supplies after you plan your organization strategy. Too many people buy an organizational tool because it looks nice and then they try to make it work but it may not be the right solution.
· Remember: Function over beauty!
As a final tip, Laurie was asked about how to manage coupons. She recommended keeping them in your car where you are most likely to use them. Use a clear plastic folder to keep them in and use your driving down time (waiting in a carpool line or drive through line) to sort through the expired ones.
If you need a little extra help with your organization, contact either Laurie or Lori for help! Thank you Laurie and Lori for an informative evening!
