Step number one of setting up the Sunday Basket® is always the Big Sort. For the first time, I'm going into a detailed explanation of how to complete your big sort. After the big sort and decision making, you will feel empowered. It's time to dust off your Sunday Basket® if you have one because the next few episodes are all about setting up your Sunday Basket® and managing your cognitive load to be productive! If you are getting ready to purchase your Sunday Basket® please note there is a Classic Sunday Basket® and the Complete Sunday Basket®, when ordering. I explained the difference in this episode.

The Big Sort

Ok, so to start, you need a couple laundry baskets. You need to gather all the paper in your house. Yes, even your hiding places. Remember when company was on their way over and you shoved the paper pile somewhere? I've seen it all and I know all about the laundry room, your garage, backpacks, and lots of other places because I saw it in all my organizing client's homes. I'm guilty too! Here's the caveat: If you have newspapers, magazines, or catalogs, place them where you've been collecting paper, otherwise those laundry baskets are going to get really heavy. However, we are not collecting filing cabinet paper or paper nex to the filing cabinet that is waiting to be filed. We'll address them in May.

First, we're going to address newspapers, magazines, and catalogs. If they are a passion of yours, keep them. If you can come up with a plan to read them if that is important to you then set up an area maybe next to your chair, so you will actually look at them but then recycle them once you have read them. And last I grant you an amnesty day. Recycle all of them. If it's the news, it's old anyway. And you likely have a subscription so the new ones are on their way. Also, create a rule on when you will read them and how soon after you will recycle them. I have a routine where I read a newsletter and look through a catalog when I process my Sunday Basket®.

Laundry Baskets

It's time to sort the, what 2 or 3 laundry baskets you filled? I like to sort in the kitchen because I like the height of the counter. You need to set up 4 laundry baskets or banker's boxes with labels: Recycle, Shred, Archive, Active. They are pretty self explanatory except "Active". The active papers are going to end up in the Sunday Basket®. These steps can take weeks. It may be to overwhelming to do all of this in one pass. Remember I say, unapologetically, it's going to take time to get organized. And there's still one more thing you need to do to conclude the big sort.

You Are Already Managing It All

You need to empty your brain. Get a couple packs of index cards. You are going to sit down and just write down all the things your brain is thinking of. You will end up with a pile of thoughts. I know it looks overwhelming but the truth is, this is everything you are trying to manage without help. It can be things you need to remember for that day, something you need to renew or pay, something that you want to do for the next holiday, birthdays, whatever comes to mind! BUT, one thought per card. There is a method to my madness. Now you have active and archive papers and allllllll these index cards. Fear not! In the next episode, we are going to talk about the slash pockets that came with your Sunday Basket®. We are going to organize all that paper and you index cards and remove the overwhelm. In the meantime, If you see any task or item that cannot wait till the next episode, you must complete them. Put them on the list for a day this week and get them done!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Preorder your hard copy of Escaping Quicksand

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media

Happy 8th Birthday to the physical Sunday Basket®! The Sunday Basket® is your Golden Ticket to relieve household manager overwhelm. Life is changing rapidly, thank you very much AI, and increasing your capacity is paramount for your new way of living. Now is your chance to get your train car all set up so you can start adding other train cars (Sunday Baskets®) and be efficient like Rockafeller.

Change

Why like Rockafeller? This man from PA, refined oil. After refining the oil he had to transport the oil. He placed the oil in barrels. In order to be more efficient, he asked his workers to see how little material they could used to "seal" the metal bands around the barrels. Once he was efficient in that he questioned how could be be more efficient in transportation. Initially the barrels were transported on train cars but they were heavy and lost some oil along the way. So he came up with an oil tanker. The tanker carried a lot more oil without leaking.

Curiosity

How can you too be curious about everything you do in your homes to increase efficiency? What are your current systems and expectations and are they set for efficiency? I think about my robot vacuum. Grayson's new school has them play outside daily which means dirty shoes so I run it a little more often. But once the baby starts crawling, I plan to run it nightly. I adjust my cleaning standards based on my comfort level of cleanliness and the current phase of my family. I want you to always be asking yourself "Why am I doing this?" "Can someone else do it?" Or "Can I do this less frequently?" How little can you do each week?

Time to Get Your Golden Ticket

A great way to see how little you can do each week is, yes be curious, and get really good at your Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket helps you to proactively procrastinate. Your Sunday Basket is your train car. If you are lost as to what I am talking about please revisit ep. 570 (linked below.) Our train cars are each Sunday Basket we have for each project we are executing like a side hustle, someone else's home, work, or planning a big event. It's a safe place for actionable paperwork so that you can take ownership of our household manager role and create systems to be proactive planned.

As a present to you on this special birthday, the Sunday Basket will be on sale and you can get it all set up before Maycember!! What is Maycember? It's a chaotic time of year, like Christmas, but it doesn't affect the majority of the general public so you feel a little crazy. There are 4 main things that can derail your system and Maycember is part of the annual seasonality of life; the energy and load each season has. THern there's if something happens to you personally like you get sick or decide to get your PhD, life stages, and caregiving. When you have your Sunday Basket® routine down it's ike you are on autopilot and have capacity to make decisions in reaction to what the latest unexpected event life has thrown your way!

Not only is it on sale but I'll be diving into the Sunday Basket® more detailed in the next few episodes. Plus there will be two seminars coming up. Live in the Sunday Basket Club, in the app, on March 20th at 1:30pm ET I'm going to explain all about the taxes basket. And on Friday March 27th I'm going to explain how to set up a calendar box. This Calendar box will play a role in Planning Day too. So now from the Holiday Blitz Bundle, I'll be explaining how the Sapphire Sunday Basket will be transformed into an Anything That Can Wait basket. Get your Sunday Basket® to get efficient so that you can have a productive train!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sunday Basket Birthday Flyer

• Ep. 570 - Creating a HOME Organizing Train

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media

I have been feeling the tug to share my personal experience with depression for quite a while.

It may surprise you to hear that I have struggled with depression. I'm a pretty upbeat gal! Well, it surprised me too.

In today's podcast, I share my personal story with depression and how it affects every area of your life.

Here are 5 tips I gave myself and share with clients about how depression affects organization.

1. Give yourself grace.

I cannot even put into words how depression zapped me of every shred of energy to do ANYTHING. And the thought of tackling an organization project was SO overwhelming. My "will power" got up and went - AWAY!

2. Get a friend to help you.

Another friend's perspective, energy and motivation are contagious and can help you push through when you just want to watch TV. Used strategically, friends can help you get organized and stay functioning when your own initiative is low.

Over 50% of the Organize 365 clients call us in to help because they just can't do the organizing themselves in their depressed state.

3. Pick ONE area and COMPLETE it before moving on no matter how long it takes.

Slow and steady wins the race! Your home did not become a "mess" overnight, and it won't get organized overnight either. One step at a time.

Pick an area where you can get a quick win and start there:

• Your night stand
• Your dresser
• The car
• The Master Closet

The key is to MAINTAIN that area when you tackle area #2. The Productive Home Solution™ is ordered in a way so the areas you organize will stay organized as you move on to the next area of your home.

4. Acknowledge your limitations.

I know how frustrated you are! Knowing what I USED to be able to do made me even MORE depressed when I couldn't seem to tackle even the basics when I was depressed.

If it's a bad day... it's OK! You have time to get organized and take care of yourself.

And when your desire is beyond your physical ability - hire help.

5. Surround yourself with positive people.

I know it's easier to say than do, but I always felt better when I made myself go OUT and BE with people, even though I didn't want to.

I can't even tell you how many times we will be laughing with clients and then they say,

• "I can't believe how fun you make organizing!"
• "I haven't been able to laugh like that in a long time."
• "If I knew how quickly you could get this organized I wouldn't have waited so long to call."
• and our favorite. "I can't believe there are people who actually LIKE to organize!"

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Preorder your hard copy of Escaping Quicksand

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media