Why Gifting Experiences Is the Best Gift to Give

The holidays are upon us, and along with them comes the tradition of gift-giving.

Do you give experiences rather than things? Some prefer giving and/or receiving a shiny, wrapped present while others prefer an experience. At the same time, giving experiences rather than things is easier than it’s ever been.

Let’s explore the topic of giving experiences instead of things.

Why do we give presents?

During the holiday season, it’s become part of our culture to give gifts. You may be wondering, but why do we give presents? Turns out there are quite a few reasons why.

Some are:

As a way to say “I’m thinking of you”
To show appreciation
Thoughtful gesture
Tradition to follow

None of these reasons are bad or wrong. In fact, the thought behind a gift can be a way to strengthen the relationship between the giver and the receiver.

Disadvantages of too many toys

Although children love unwrapping presents and getting things, an article from Parenting Firstcry¹ explains that there are disadvantages to giving your child too many toys.

Some downsides for children include:

Kids won’t appreciate or value the things they have.
They bounce from toy to toy, which can hinder their concentration development.
Children won’t foster their creativity or imagination by making playthings from everyday household items.
“Boredom comes easily because kids know they will get something new when they ask for it. Toys may turn into an addiction to fight boredom and stress.”

However, there are families who simply don’t want their home to be filled with toys. Often children get so many, they forget what they have and only play with a select few. This also leaves parents wondering how to organize so many toys.

Benefits of giving an experience

Delicious Experiences² posted an article with some incredible benefits of giving an experience.

You get to be excited at least twice – if not more! You are excited when you initially open the gift. You anticipate redeeming it and you’re thrilled when you do.

You enjoy a social experience. Most often, these are planned for you and the giver, so you share the experience and the memory together.

You create lasting memories. This is the biggest advantage of an experience. These positive memories will last a lifetime.

When you give an experience to a child, they will remember the time you spent with them much more than they will remember a toy.

Being the giver of an experience yields just as many joyful, exciting memories as being the receiver!

Ideas for gift experiences

The list of ideas for gift experiences is extensive. Hot sauce enthusiast? There’s a kit for that. New dog mom? There’s a box for that. Skincare lover? Yep, there’s a… well, you get the picture.

The following list is for adults, children, and families. It’s broken down into the four categories of experiences, services, classes, and memberships.

Depending on your physical location, there are other experiences you can gift such as:

surfing
sailing
canoeing
rafting
ice skating
skiing
snowboarding
mini-golf
indoor waterpark
indoor rock climbing
indoor playground
indoor trampoline park
indoor gym

More services that can be given are for:

a barber (haircut, straight razor shave, beard trim)
dog walker
driver (Uber, Lyft)
salon services
personal shopper
pet sitter
in-home chef
meal prep

Additional classes can include:

archery
boxing
chess
golf
kickboxing
meditation
photography
pilates
rock climbing
scuba
technology
tennis
woodworking
yoga
zumba

Memberships can also include

local swimming pools
nature centers
museums
amusement parks
gardens
wildlife sanctuaries
outdoor theaters
aquarium pass or membership
children’s theater tickets or membership

There are experiences for just about every hobby, interest, and passion.

Charitable Gift Experiences

What?? Yes! Not only can you excite your loved ones, but you also can give back to charity in the process. CreateJoy compiled a list of 16 Amazing Subscription Box Gifts That Give Back to Good Causes.³

Here are a few they suggested:

Brother’s Coffee Box – You’re gifting new, ethically-sourced coffee brands to your friend or family member each month and donating $1 to Grounds for Health to support cervical cancer screening and treatment.
Kirills Tea Box – This box features premium tea bags filled with handcrafted loose leaf tea blends, made with whole herbs, whole spices, and honey sticks for sweetness. They donate to organizations doing humanitarian aid work across the globe.
Life’s a Wave Beach Box – It’s packed with 5-8 sea-themed items, that bring relaxation and rejuvenation to your loved one despite beach season being months away. The proceeds from each box support clean and healthy oceans.

Or you can simply make a donation to a charity on behalf of your loved one.

Shopping local is always a great way to find unique gifts while supporting your local businesses.

Wrapping it all up… or not

There are many gifts you can share with the ones closest to you. Consider who you are shopping for and what will best fill up their emotional bank. There are creative ways on how to give experiences as gifts to someone, so you will still have something to hand them during this holiday time.

Professional Organizing is a gift that will give back. Dennise is available for both in-person as well as virtual organizing.

If you know someone who would love support in getting their time management skills, schedule, and productivity in good order, look no further than Dennise to help set an incredible foundation for the new year.

Click here to set up your free consultation with Organized MD today!

¹ https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/are-too-many-toys-harming-your-childs-development/

² https://www.deliciousexperiences.com/blog/posts/%207-reasons-to-gift-experiences

³ https://www.cratejoy.com/box-insider/gifts-that-support-a-cause/

July 21, 2022September 2, 2022

Back to School 2021: Prepare for a successful start to a new school year

The past two school years have been like no other. A global pandemic, remote or hybrid learning, and wearing masks. Students have spent more time out of school than in school. This school year will bring a new set of challenges, schedules, and activities.

Let’s explore what the start of the 2021-2022 school year will look like and how you can prepare your child(ren) for success.

Different ways school is starting

What determines how children will go back to school? The simplest answer is the option that’s safest for everyone involved. This will rely heavily on the number of COVID cases, variants, and what can be done to keep the kids healthy.

Here in Ontario, some kids will be going back in person while some will continue to be virtual. Others will return to school with hybrid schedules or in cohorts to limit numbers. Your child’s district should be in close communication with you regarding these changes.

In-Person Return: For families returning to school in person, it will be much like years past. But there will be safeguards in place surrounding masks and social distancing.
Cohort Return: Some schools will be returning in a different way than they have in the past. Cohorting is defined by The Science Table: Covid 19 Advisory for Ontario¹ as “separating a population into smaller groups (cohorts) in order to minimize their risk of infection, to contain an infection, and to easily trace close contacts in the case of infection.”
Virtual Start: Students are now familiar with remote virtual learning. The start of this school year will be the same as it was last year.

How to support your child

Socially

Kids have spent significant amounts of time away from their friends. For young children, this often means they have “forgotten” what it’s like to appropriately interact with other children their age. For some older children, they may feel anxious about seeing their peers face-to-face on a regular basis.

There will be an adjustment period, and as parents, it is best to be aware of this and be ready to handle things that come up along the way.

Emotionally

Everyone is looking forward to school opening as close to regular as possible. This isn’t to say there won’t be a higher level of anxiety during this transition. Every child is different and how they move through this transition will be unique.

Keep in mind during this time, helping your child prepare for change can be extremely helpful. You can also admit there everyone has anxieties and acknowledge and validate their feelings.

How to prepare your family

When the pandemic hit, there was an unprecedented change to working and learning from home. It was surrounded by anxiety and worry. Eventually, it became more “normal” and everyone settled into the new way of doing things.

Now that is going to be “undone” as things are starting to shift back to in-school scenarios. This means changes in your home life as well.

Separation Anxiety

Younger children have gotten used to being home with a parent and other siblings. They are now used to this comfortable environment of being surrounded by people they love–and who love them. Breaking away from this and shifting back to school, or into school for the first time, could raise some uncomfortable feelings in them.

Practice spending time apart from your kiddos by being in different rooms of your home for periods of time. Get a sitter or family member to spend time with the kids while you have a night out with friends or date night. These may not seem like a big deal, after all, you used to do them quite often, but it will help build your children’s tolerance and independence.² These small amounts of time apart will help them adjust to being with other people.

Routines & Schedules

Because activities and life as we knew it basically shut down for over a year, setting new routines and schedules will feel a little different for a bit. Keeping a family calendar to communicate with everyone what will be happening, who is going where, and how they will get there is critical. Being predictable and consistent with schedules and routines removes much of the worry and anxiety during the transition.

Clear Expectations

Both in your home and in their classroom, having clear, realistic expectations for children will help them transition. Here are a few tips from Karen Stephens³, a child development instructor:

Be specific. Crayons are used for coloring on paper.
Explain your reasoning. I want you to hold my hand so you are safe because cars drive in the parking lot.
Describe the purpose of an item. Your bike is for riding outside, not in the kitchen.
Empathize. I know it’s hard/scary/frustrating/exciting…
Respectfully share your feelings. I’m scared/embarrassed/disappointed when…

The last thing she points out works with all age groups,

“Communicate expectations, offer choices, and then move on without haggling.”

As an adult, knowing what others expect of you makes life much easier, so you can only imagine how important it is for children.

Caring for Yourself

Ask any parent and they will tell you they truly are a better parent when they take care of themselves. Ensure you take some time for yourself. It can feel selfish to do self-care activities but preparing and returning to school this year is going to need solid parenting as well. Please take good care of yourself so you can continue to take good care of your children.

Here are a few ideas that aren’t time-consuming, but will support you:

Sit alone for a few minutes. Just sit.
Order out dinner.
Read a book or a magazine for 10 minutes.
Watch an episode (or two) of your favorite show.
Crawl into bed a few minutes early.
Take a nap (or just lay down and rest).
Listen to your favorite songs.
Pick or buy some flowers.

Try to do something each day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. You deserve to have time to recharge, decompress, or distract yourself.

Let the fun begin!

It’s easy to get caught up in the unknown and worry, but kids deserve to get excited amidst the chaos. Back to school traditions historically are a fun and exciting time, so let’s shift our mindset to help ease their anxiety.

Build their excitement by:

Getting new school supplies
Buying a new backpack
Giving them a choice for a special breakfast, dinner, treat – or all of them!
Planning a playdate or two
Decorating their bedroom door after they go to sleep the night before
Creating a homework nook⁴
Getting a fresh, new haircut
Creating a special playlist for their walk, drive, or bus ride

There are many small things that can make a big difference in raising your child’s energy for school. Try to incorporate some of their favorite things into this time. It will elevate your spirits, too!

Moving forward

Living with uncertainty and knowing that things can change at any moment is hard. I have a teenager and a child early in her college career. I know how frustrating, scary, and uncertain, this situation is. I am living this with you.

Please know, I am here to help create a new schedule for you and your family, organize or reorganize home office and learning spaces, and help you maximize your time management. Let’s make the start of a new school year the best it can be!

Reach out any time or info@organizedmd.ca

Organized MD – treating the ill elements of your time and spaces!

¹ https://covid19-sciencetable.ca/glossary/#cohorting

² https://childmind.org/article/back-to-school-anxiety-during-covid/

³ https://www.easternflorida.edu/community-resources/child-development-centers/parent-resource-library/documents/clear-expectations-help-kids-behave.pdf

⁴ https://www.funwithkidsinla.com/post/15-tips-to-get-your-kids-excited-about-back-to-school-and-ease-their-anxiety

December 15, 2021April 4, 2022

Gift of a Professional Organizer

Why Is Gifting the Service of a Professional Organizer a Fabulous Idea?

I’ve explained before how gifting experiences can be far more rewarding than giving physical gifts. Giving the gift of a professional organizer could make their life much easier. Let’s explore why.

Why should you gift a service?

Many people think of the perfect gift for their loved ones and friends during the holiday season. They’ve either had the gift purchased and wrapped for months or they’ll just know it when they see it. On top of gifts, there are holiday treats, dishes, or entire meals to prepare. Let’s not forget the decorations, gatherings, and snowy-weather drives.

This is a time of year when quite a few people put their self-care on the back burner. Sometimes they don’t prioritize time for themselves. Sometimes financial concerns prevent it. Whatever the reason, what they need comes last.

When you gift a service, like professional organizing services, you’re giving someone a gift that positively impacts their life on a daily basis.

Benefits of Working With a Professional Organizer

Professional organizing services are a lot more than just moving things around to make a room look better.

Hiring a professional organizer helps make an exciting and sometimes overwhelming situation (like downsizing or merging households) easier to tackle through compromise, and realistically looking at the number of things in relation to the physical space.

Expert

When I decided to become an organizer to help others, I wasn’t going to go into it without giving it my all. I wanted to learn everything I could by being trained in the best strategies and under the most experienced mentors. Because there are always new things to learn, I’ve made a commitment to continue taking continuing education classes so I can show up for my clients in the best way possible.

I am backed by an entire community of professionals and experts. If there’s something I don’t know, I have people and places I can utilize to best meet the needs of my clients.

Experience

I’ve been helping people with their organizational needs for almost 20 years. I have served people by decluttering their homes, specific rooms, home offices, medical clinics, doctor offices.

I worked with Lisa to improve her home office. In part she shared:

“I am so thrilled with my new office in terms of Efficiency, Productivity, and Aesthetics. Dennise was a pleasure to work with always on time, super helpful, and resourceful… I highly recommend Dennise Conforti’s Services.”

After working with N.P. in her medical clinic, she said:

“I absolutely LOVE the way the exam rooms and utility room/lab have been stocked and organized. The last few shifts I’ve worked have been wonderful in terms of all equipment/testing media etc., available and easy to locate. The space is much cleaner with infection control related dirty/clean speculums etc managed beautifully.”

Cristina and Joe are homeowners in Toronto. They told me:

“Your assistance was much appreciated, especially in helping us to make difficult decisions. You went out of your way, and it was out of this world!”

I’ve helped my clients increase their productivity and time management. I’ve worked with families, married couples, single parents, office managers, clinic supervisors, and individuals with a range of unique needs.

All of these different situations have allowed me to grow a toolbox of skills, approaches, and methods to best serve my clients. You are getting the best of my toolbox.

Neutrality

Another professional organizing benefit is having an outsider’s viewpoint which is very helpful.

Why? It’s easy for me to approach things from a practical, unbiased standpoint. I don’t have an emotional attachment to late Aunt Hilda’s hot pads or your son’s first blanket that’s now in tatters. This is helpful because I can approach things more objectively. Another bonus, I have great ideas about how to be sentimentally attached without staying hopelessly cluttered.

I approach each project without judgment. We’ll objectively look at your needs, where you’d like to be, then create your plan accordingly. My job is to help construct an individualized plan that will work for you going forward. I’ll help you put systems in place to maintain your order.

Accountability

My job as a professional organizer is to help you get organized. It can be easy to stop to reminisce when decluttering instead of keeping focused on the task at hand. I will compassionately hold you accountable for the progress (or lack thereof) being made.

Maintenance Strategy

A professional organizer maintenance strategy is just as important as the act of decluttering and organizing. I will leave you with strategies to maintain the work we’ve done.

But what works for some doesn’t work for everyone. Because I get to know you through our work together, I can tailor a plan uniquely for you and your family to maintain the best results.

What situations do professional organizers help with?

There are a lot of ways a professional organizer can step in to help you and your loved one. Here’s a brief list of how I can help:

Declutter
Organize
Create Systems
Downsize
Estate clearing
Office systems
Office paper management
Time management (scheduling)
Productivity management
Pre-moving declutter
Divorce
Merging Households/Families

Throughout my years of serving my clients, I’ve encountered all of these situations.

Wondering how to give this gift of service?

It’s quite simple, really. Contact me to set up a call or send me an email!

We can discuss the situation (consultations are always free) and decide on the best course of action.

February 1, 2021April 4, 2022

The Startling Truth About Habits, New Year’s Resolutions, and Quitting

New Year’s Resolutions. You either love or hate them. Or you begin loving them and end up hating them because it doesn’t work.

There are tons of reasons (read: excuses) why we don’t, can’t, or won’t follow through with them. Regardless of the end result, everyone begins with the best intentions – to do something to better their lives.

You want to start the new year with an organized home and office space. You’re super dedicated to this resolution. You go out and buy the inspiring drawer dividers, cute filing system, and bins that you are excited to look at every day. This is going to be great!

Fast forward to mid-January. The bins are still in the bag and the filing system is sitting on the corner of your desk. You did take out the dividers and they are on the top of your dresser just waiting to hop in the drawer.

You have made the same mistake so many of us have done. We have jumped feet first into an amazing intention, but we haven’t mentally prepared ourselves for what a habit needs to be successful.

Statistics for New Year’s Resolutions

Around 80% of people who make resolutions will fail by mid-February.³

Before it has even begun, 12% of Americans, don’t think they will succeed or follow through with their resolutions.²

Only 19% of UK residents plan on making a New Year’s resolution in 2021.⁴

In 2020, 79% of Australian’s were making the commitment to a resolution.⁵

These numbers aren’t the most motivating. Resolutions take some planning and commitment.

New Habits Take Time

Twenty-one days. Sixty-six days. Two hundred fifty-four days. What?

Depending upon each person and habit, it can take as early as twenty-one days for a new action to become a habit, with the average being sixty-six days; however, some habits can take up to 254 days to become automatic. There are many different challenges you can join and lists with various numbers of steps for how to make a habit stick. These are awesome if they give you the motivation and foundation you need to turn this change into a habit.

To break a bad habit, you must change the pattern. Once the pattern is broken, the behavior is no longer automatic.

To create a new habit, a new pattern must be formed. This needs to be repeated over and over until your brain sets it on autopilot.

There are many suggestions, ideas, and plans for creating habits that stick. What it boils down to is our brain and how it works. Once a behavior becomes a routine habit, your brain essentially puts it on autopilot so you can focus on things that require more focus.

“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).
-Stephen R. Covey

Be Mentally Prepared!

Change. Is. Hard.

Before you start, ask yourself why? Why is this important to you? When solidifying this new habit or routine, remind yourself why you’re doing this. Write it down. Post it on social media. Make a voice memo. Put it on your vision board. Do whatever it takes to easily remind yourself why this is important to you.

Humans are creatures of habit. We survive on habits and routines. When was the last time you had to remind yourself to breathe? Turn the lights off when you went to bed? You often drive to or from work on “autopilot.” On the evening of your favorite television show, you make sure certain things are done prior to the start so you can fully enjoy your time.

Your morning or evening routine has become just that – a routine.

When you started, you had to think about it to make sure you got everything accomplished. At some point, you did it without thinking too much about it. Soon, you will be doing this on autopilot as well.

Set Realistic Goals

Biting off more than you can chew is not going to make you successful.

You need to start with realistic goals.

The surface of your desk hasn’t seen the light of day in who knows how long. It isn’t realistic to think you’ll have it all perfectly cleaned and organized in an hour.

It is realistic to…

go through the paperwork and make organized piles
empty one or two drawers at a time
clean and wipe down the top and inside of the drawers
figure out and label file folders in a way that will best suit your needs
declutter, clean, and organize one shelf today and another shelf tomorrow

It also is a realistic goal to recruit help if you need it. Maybe those bite sizes listed feel more overwhelming than manageable. Ask for help. Is your friend amazing at this? Does your daughter-in-law have a system to die for? If someone can help you set up an approach that will help you to stick with this new habit, then please ask!

Plan for Bumps in the Road

Unfortunately, there will be bumps. You’re going to have to anticipate this and plan how to navigate around it.

The more proactive you are, the better your plan will be. This will increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to keep yourself heading in the right direction.

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently”.
-Tony Robbins

Keep It Up!

Here are more ideas to not only keep your New Year’s resolutions but also turn them into habits.

Find an accountability partner.
Give yourself grace when you don’t keep it perfectly.
Reset and keep going – don’t throw in the towel.
Take the time so that you can be successful and create a new habit.
Add to your life rather than take away – use positive wording when possible

Bottom line, don’t give up!

Does any part of this sound overwhelming? Call Organized MD. Dennise can help you to figure out and establish a manageable routine. She will be your accountability partner. She will also help you save time and be more productive. You’ve put it off long enough. Contact Organized MD today!

Organized MD – treating the ill elements of your time and spaces!

¹https://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147192599/habits-how-they-form-and-how-to-break-them

²https://www.finder.com/new-years-resolution-statistics

³https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/new-years-resolution-janine-hubbard-1.5412777

⁴https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2020/12/30/new-years-resolutions-2020-and-2021

⁵https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/top-5-new-years-resolutions-for-2020-revealed-231157354.html