The Spark! Blog by Suzanna Kaye
How to Create a Simple Bullet Journal
Transcript
Come watch how I simply create a basic bullet journal. If you're new to the idea, it's a planner scheduler that you create around your needs and not a preprinted or digital system. Many of us prefer the act of writing things down and this is a way to collect your ideas, dates to remember, tasks and more.
In a nutshell, a bullet journal is a simple way to capture what you need to do.
Whether you're planning your entire year or simply brain dumping information a bullet journal allows you to come back to those thoughts. Many types of bullet journals have popped up on Pinterest and it's grown into a movement. However, don't let all the fancy stuff overwhelm you. The basic framework that I demonstrated is all you truly need.
Consider using a rocket book for your bullet journal. Check out my post on the magic of a rocket book here.
Also, like I mentioned last week, if it doesn't fit on a sticky note, it won't fit into a day. I purposely put on my day...
Organize the Little Things with an Over the Door Organizer!
By Ruth Zeman
Oh the little things...
Batteries, pencils, twist ties, rubber bands, legos, toiletries, tea candles, you know, the little things. Stuff you really do need but they're just begging to be organized. You already know I'm not going to tell you to throw them in a drawer and forget out it.
Nope. Not this girl.
I'm going to give you great tips for ways to make those little things look beautiful and be right at your fingertips when you need them!
Let's start in the hear of the home!
The kitchen.
An over the door organizer doesn't have to hang over a door. What?! Right!
Use hardware or my personal favorite 3m hooks, to hang on a wall.
Inside a pantry, just outside the kitchen door in the garage, you name it. Put those handy wipe, cleaners, fresh rags or sponges there. Baking soda, vinegar, cleaners, brushes, and other cleaning tools. In fact, this would work just as well in the Laundry room as the Kitchen.
Consider putting water bottles, Ziploc boxes, foil,...
Room by Room Organizing the Lazy Way
By Ruth Zeman
What's the Lazy way to Organize you ask?
Trust me, you're gonna like this. Basically, it's tips from the experts (us - you got that we're the experts right?) on how to make organizing effortless.
EFFORTLESS
Your house on AUTO-PURGE
I know, you're skeptical. You have kids, pets, a husband. You know they couldn't possibly be trained. But maybe they could be trained? Picture this, your children cleaning the room. You're in the kitchen baking cookies. They come and ask for you to inspect their work... It's amazing. Love swells in your heart as you pull freshly baked cookies out of the oven to their cheers of delight.
Yeah, that's just a fantasy. I figured if I had to suffer from reality you can too.....
So back to the Lazy Way.
For starts, we buy our cookies at the store. It's easier and doesn't heat up the house or make extra dishes. 
Grab a Large Bin. Put it in a closet or a spot in the garage. I have it in my entryway closet at the bottom. It's for charity. Get in...
Is Stuff Taking Over Your House?
By Ruth Zeman
Everywhere you look there are things that you have but you don't really use them anymore. Why are they still there? Why can't you just give them away or throw them away?
Don't Hoard Paper Products. If you're not going to use it in a month - don't. Get just what you need. You don't need more than a month of can goods, paper towels, toilet paper. You really don't
Hangers - put the excess in the laundry room. Get them out of your closet!
Bags. Bags with bags inside. You don't need those. Keep your favorites, toss the rest.
Check out these tips for decluttering!
HERE in the video below! I got a chance to share with Fox 35 Orlando some great tips!
Craft Supplies. You don't need piles of supplies for someday. It's perfectly acceptable to get the supplies the day you need them - then use them and toss the leftovers. (I know.... it's hard but you really can do this.) Don't let crafting guilt get to you!
BOOKS. You don't need to keep books you're not reading or...
Creating Summer Memories
By Ruth Zeman
Vacations with the kids – how do you make these memories last?
Postcards and magnets are all fun, but to create true and lasting memories you want to go deeper. The best way to create positive memories that will last through adulthood is to focus on the quality time spent together as a family.
Start your vacation when you leave your house – not when you reach your destination.
Speed is not a goal, explore exciting discoveries along the way and get to know each other, too. When you see a sign for the world’s largest ball of twine – pull over and check it out! The excitement of discovery and the unknown is half the adventure. Plan spontaneity if you have to.
A long car ride can also be the perfect opportunity to get to know your children. Get a book of questions or create your own ahead of time. Questions such as “What is your favorite toy and why?” or “If you could be any animal in the world what would you be? Why?” are...
How Much is Clutter Really Costing You?
By Ruth Zeman
Spoiler Alert: LOTS -possibly even your sex life... (I'll put a link here for that special post - I have to "cough" research some more first...)
Seriously though, CLUTTER KILLS.
Which has me picturing a tower of junk falling on a person, SPLAT. Not what I'm talking about but still funny. Nope, this is actually a serious topic.
Think for a moment. How many storage unit places do you drive by wandering around town? I live by a university so I can easily see 30, possibly more.
The most popular unit is the size of a single car garage. Filled with stuff. Costing over $100 a month.
Ouch. 
The Wall Street Journal calls the industry "recession-resistant."
Here are some...
How To Clean Spills Fast in the Refrigerator
By Suzanna Kaye
Cleaning a Refrigerator is easy with these tips and tricks!
My fridge can be a nightmare of red stains, stuck on cardboard bits, and weird mysteries that I figure are the kids. I'm a good mom for letting them grow science right?
Okay, maybe that's a stretch but honestly cleaning the frig is at the bottom of our lists most days. Seriously, it can be a real challenge.
Enter - Glad Press N Seal. It can go by other names but it's the plastic wrap that when you press it down it stays. In the video, I demonstrate how I pull out my fridge drawers and shelves, apply the plastic and replace.
Now when you have a spill you don't need to take out the entire shelf but merely remove the plastic to reveal a clean shelf below. Of course, you'll want to find the time later to replace the plastic but spills never pick a convenient time and you can pick a time that works better for you.
Can you believe how easy that was? How useful those tips? Right?!
I love Press N...
Automate Your Life!
By Ruth Zeman
Do you ever feel like you just aren't getting enough done?
How do some people get more done in their day? Automation.
Setting things in motion and letting modern life take over.
Why it's almost like having personal robots.
So let's get started!
The first thing you need to identify is where you're getting hung up. What's slowing you down? Are you unable to make healthy meals because you didn't go grocery shopping?
Perhaps you're getting slowed down in the mornings getting dressed. Is it because your clothes aren't clean? Do you need different clothes for the life you're living now? What's the hold up?
Could it be your family needs you to make decisions for them?
Taking a moment and identifying where the hold up is can be very revealing.
In my life (As S.K.'s social media ninja/ professor of computer things) I discovered that my biggest hang ups were meals.
I don't want to stop what I'm doing to bother fixing food.
I really don't want to feed my whole family.
I'd...
Paralyzed with FEAR over letting go? Gain Peace with a "wait and see" bin
By Ruth Zeman
When I was a kid, I had a retainer.
Which, I threw away.
More than once.
It was traumatic.
Aside from the fact that I had to go through trash (gross cafeteria trash) I also got yelled at by parents who were ready to pull their hair out trying to make me understand the value of the process that I hated.
This has left scars that you can't see.
Many times a day, I stand at the trash and feel a sense of loss that I can't quite explain.
It's been decades, but I still question if I've thrown out my retainer.
I can be completely sure that I have indeed NOT thrown out a retainer, but I still have a sense of loss that makes me pause.
It's normal. We all do it.
Fear can paralyze us from throwing out items that we truly need to let go of. No matter what the root cause. Letting go of cables that we might need for that thing we can't remember. Clothes that we mean to slim down to again. Shoes we can't walk in, and so many other things. I get it. I have hangers that I'm...
4 Secrets Most Professional Organizers Don't Want You to Know!
By Suzanna Kaye
Do you ever feel stuck when you think about organizing?
That point where you walk into the guest room (garage, closet, kitchen….) ready to tackle it and organize the heck out of it, but as soon as you open the door and peer in -you freeze.
All your energy disappears and you just shut the door and walk away instead?
Yeah, I know that feeling!
Secret #1: You don’t need to know how you’ll do it (we rarely do, either!)
My organizing clients think I can walk into a room, look beyond all the clutter and instantly know where I’ll arrange everything. Or even have a clue how it will look when I’m done.
Yeah, I don’t have a clue any more than they do.
The difference between me and them? I just get started!
That’s right.
One main thing that sets me, as a professional organizer, apart from my clients is that I don’t try to figure out the end before I’ve begun. I simply start.
How do you do it?
- Pick one corner,...
The heart of Spark! Organizing....
Suzanna Kaye
Organizer, Productivity Coach
