Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Airport Security Made Easy
Airport security and dealing with the TSA is one of the biggest travel frustrations that many of us face. Grandmothers in wheelchairs targeted for additional screening, children and babies on no fly lists, passengers stripping down to make a point, and Congressmen claiming harassment and allege groping by TSA personnel have all be reported. Most of my experiences through airport security have been uneventful and the majority of the TSA workers that I have come in contact with over the years have been polite and professional. I get the sense that their least favorite part of their job are those obnoxious pat downs.
There are my travel tips for how to get organized and get through airport security quickly with a minimal amount of hassle.
Airport Security Made Easy
Let’s start with your travel outfit. Keep it simple and avoid tons of layers. Jeans, a simple top, and jacket with pockets are good travel basics. Don’t wear a lot of metal jewelry that might set off the metal detectors. Instead accessorize with a colorful scarf. Avoid wearing belts, since most likely you will be asked to take it off.
Wear shoes that are easy to remove. This is much easier in summer months. Shoes with straps and buckles should be avoided. They take too long to remove and too long to slip back on. I hate putting my bare feet on the gross airport floor (yuck), so I bring cotton socks to slip on.
Store your zip top bags with liquids in an outer luggage pocket for easy access. There is no way I can get all my cosmetics in one zip top bag, especially on longer trips. I often put my overflow in my husband’s zip top bag. He normally takes two liquid items: deodorant and toothpaste. How easy it that?
I love my backpack because it has a separate spot for my laptop, which makes it super easy to remove. You will be asked by TSA personnel to place your laptop in a separate bin. TSA is pretty fussy about this.
Take your boarding pass and ID out before getting to the airport security line. This is one of the reasons, that I like traveling with jackets that have pockets. You will have a convenient place to put these documents until you get through security.
Keep your roller bag on the floor until you get up to the x-ray machine. This avoids having to push it the whole length of the table. And nothing drives the TSA more crazy that passengers pushing their luggage through the x-ray machine. It will not speed things up and normally generates a stern warning from the TSA representative.
TSA policies are consistent, however implementation among airports is not. Some TSA employees are either clueless or place their own spin on the regulations. It is pointless to highlight the fact that the last time you traveled you didn’t have to take off your sweater. Save your energy and make it your goal to get through airport security quickly. And smile often, it helps!
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Last year, a friend suggested via email that I should get on Pinterest and that I would love it. At the time, I had little to no interest in yet another social media site. I could barely keep up with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. A few months ago, I ran into the same friend and she once again insisted that I should get on Pinterest. Her enthusiasm for Pinterest was contagious. This time, during our face to face meeting, I did agree to at least check it out.
I was warned that Pinterest is addictive and it clearly is. I don’t care! The endless stream of beautiful images on travel destinations, fashion, nail polish, cute pets, quotes, flower arrangements and the best wedding ideas can keep me captivated for hours. After a few months of creating boards and pinning, Pinterest is fully integrated into my life. And I love it. What does this all have to do with living life beautifully organized. Actually a lot.
Approached strategically, Pinterest can be a wonderful organizational tool. Party recipes, gift ideas, travel outfits and vacation destinations can all be organized into boards for future reference. Here are just a few ways that Pinterest has helped over the past week:
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
All across America, college seniors are getting ready to start a new chapter in their lives. I was reminded of this when I recently went to a local university to interview interns. The transition from college to the “real world” is never easy and today’s candidates face a tough hiring environment. For that matter any job applicant is facing a lot of competition these days. I thought I would offer up some suggestions on how to get organized for a job interview and snag that dream job. Several of these may seem pretty obvious, but not to those who have little interviewing experience or haven’t interviewed in a while.
Interviewing is similar to planning for a trip. Everything should be completed the night before, you should get a good nights sleep and eat a good breakfast. Try to get an appointment that suits your personality. If you aren’t a morning person, pick an afternoon interview slot if a choice is offered.
The Four A’s of Interviewing:
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is next Tuesday, just 5 short days from today. There are several theories on why February is the month of love. One legend has St. Valentine in prison and falling in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before being put to death, he wrote her a letter and signed it “Your Valentine.” This all goes way back to the Middle Ages and so this isn’t a new “holiday” solely created for the purpose of selling roses, candy and greeting cards. Personally, I believe we should have more days celebrating love, gratitude and appreciation. Valentine’s Day is a good reminder to say I love you to the special people in our lives. So I fully embrace it.
If you haven’t given much thought to Valentine’s Day, here is a plan for getting organized and ready:
Thursday: Purchase and mail your love notes and Valentine’s Day cards. If you wait much longer the cards and letters will not arrive in time. Handwritten notes are an extra special touch and don’t cost much.
Friday: Decide where you will be having dinner and who will be invited. Make dinner reservations if you decide to eat out. An option is to celebrate early and have your celebration on Monday night. Restaurants will be less crowded and this leaves Tuesday night to enjoy with the entire family.
Saturday: No Valentine’s Day celebration would be complete without Lava Cake for dessert. Making these in advance is a real time saver. The cakes can be placed in the oven to be warmed right before serving.
Sunday: If ordering flowers is on your to-do list, order them on Sunday. Tip: Buy from a local florist in the city where the flowers will be delivered. You will get a much nicer arrangement and you will know who to call if the flowers don’t meet your expectations.
Monday: Get crafty and create new family traditions. Buy red and pink construction paper and cut out heart shapes. On each heart write a Valentine’s Day message. “Why my child is the best,” for example. This can also work for husband, boyfriend, mom, sister and girlfriends. Use lots of glitter! Place the paper hearts in lunchboxes, briefcases or purses on Tuesday.
Tuesday: Happy Valentine’s Day
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
The calendar has flipped and it is suddenly a new year. Honestly, is anyone really fully prepared for the start of a new year? I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. It is too much pressure and I know I would fall into the category of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions only to abandon them by March.
My preference is to develop a “To Do” list of projects for each quarter. Breaking down the year in four parts, makes it more manageable. This especially works great for organizing projects. To create focus, assign a topic for each month. Of course, if you are feeling ambitious and assign two or more topics. The important point is to have a plan. Know what you are going to do and when. For example, January might be “Organize my home office.”
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Just 17 days before Christmas! It can be overwhelming: shopping, baking, parties, decorating, and Christmas cards. If you are feeling a bit out of control right around now, don’t fret. It all can get done and it starts with paper and pen. There is something oddly soothing and comforting about creating a to-do list written on paper. Maybe it is because once you commit it to paper it becomes real and focused. Now promise yourself to tackle three items per day. Your goal should be realistic so as not to get discouraged.
One of the biggest time drains is shopping for gifts. As a busy entrepreneur, I rarely have the luxury of shopping for hours. I shop online for the majority of my gifts. It is fast, convenient and I can sit around in my cozy sweats. The process is made easier by listing all the people that I want to buy gifts for. Do not forget the mailman, housekeeper or hairdresser (all the people that make life easier and beautiful!). One of my best time saving tools is to create a theme around my gift giving. For example, it might be beauty, travel, organizing or books. Then I target gifts in the selected theme for everyone on my list. Do a little research on promotional codes to ensure you get the best deals and prices. Buying multiple items from the same company often saves on shipping. December 16 is national free shipping day and over 2,000 merchants are participating.
Christmas and the holidays are all about enjoying time with friends and family. With a little planning now, it can be a relaxing and joyful season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
This coming weekend, is my “get organized for Thanksgiving weekend.” It normally takes a few days to get everything organized, so it is important to start early, especially if you are having a house full of guests. First on the to-do list is to finalize the menu. For many, this is fairly easy since the traditional favorites are served; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie to name a few. I like shaking things up and typically include a couple of new dishes each year.
Thanksgiving Table Setting
Now is a good time to clean out and de-clutter the kitchen, refrigerator and dining area. After all we need lots of space for our groceries, meal preparation and our guests.
Next, gather all the Thanksgiving Day recipes and develop your grocery list. I like to place each recipe in a plastic sleeve to protect each recipe from spills.
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
This post can more accurately be described as Spring cleaning in October. I don’t know what has been going on lately. My need for organization has gone into hyper mode! Perhaps it is the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Or maybe it’s the fact that summer was hectic and the house got a little out of order. Recently, I have cleaned and re-organized the garage and my office. And I am just getting started!
If you too are ready for some Spring cleaning in October here are a few organizing tips.
Start with one area. It can be it a room, closet or simply a chest of drawers. The point is to have a target and get started.
Decide upfront how much time you can devote. Even if it is just 20 minutes a day, get the time scheduled. You would be surprised how much can be accomplished in a short period of time. Then give yourself a goal, for example, I will have the hall closet cleaned out and organized by Friday.
Remove everything from the area. Don’t be timid! Empty out closets, remove everything from drawers and dump out storage boxes. It is important to start with a clean slate.
Have your “TOSS” and “DONATE” boxes labeled and ready to use.
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
Although it has been a productive year so far, I am always looking for new ways to get organized and accomplish more in less time. As I thought about my efficiency during the day, it became painfully clear there was one area that was sucking up a lot of time. My system for handling business cards I had collected, the sales leads that came my way and, even my Christmas card mailing list was grossly outdated. I used a combination of Excel spreadsheets, Outlook address book and even an old Rolodex file from the Stone Age. When I added up the time it was taking me to find a contact, gather a list of phone numbers for follow-up calls or finding an address, it was shocking. There had to be a more organized and centralized system. My sister-in-law came to the rescue and recommended an online address book and contact management system called Batchbook.
This website has literally changed my life. All my contacts are now neatly housed on this site and tagged appropriately. I can find contacts I need within a matter of seconds. The best part for me is that Batchbook is integrated with social media. Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter can be attached to each contact record. This comes in handy when you want to know what a friend or work colleague has been up to right before calling or emailing them.
There is a large number of online address books available to use. Each has slightly different features and pricing structures. With an hour or two of research, you will be able to find the product that is right for you and your life. The point is there are systems available to help manage both your personal and business contacts and save you lots of time. One warning, it does take some time and dedication to transfer, import and load your contact information. Once you set your mind to this task and get it done, you will be amazed at your improved productivity. An added bonus, this year, I will have my Christmas card mailing labels printed and ready before October 31st. And I will know exactly how many cards to buy and not run short like I do most years.
Beautifully Organized: Teaching you how to live life more organized
The news isn’t good: unrest in many parts of the world, terror threats and even civil unrest and rioting in the UK. Unfortunately, this is the world we now live in. We can’t hide from it, but we can be prepared. As a former airline employee, it is in my DNA to be vigilant regarding my surroundings and to observe suspicious behavior and report it, no matter how insignificant it may appear.
There are things you can do to prepare in the unlikely event you are involved in a terrorist or other security event while traveling.
Passport: Carry your passport with you at all times. Leave a copy back home with a family member or your assistant. In addition, keep another copy with you (separate from your passport). If your passport is lost or stolen, replacement is much faster if a copy is available.
