GH Mini Spotlight: The Spencers June 5th, 2015

GH Mini Spotlight The Jeromes May 22, 2015

Motivational Quotes That I Love!

I see quotes all over the internet but there are some that catch my attention and make me feel great! Here are a few that I like. Maybe you will find some inspiration too...

Tuesday Tip in May: Fresh Air INTO Your House!

OPEN YOUR WINDOWS!!! Let fresh air permeate your home.  Open the windows! Add houseplants too! They can help clean the air inside your home! I find that a nice smelling home is important and one step is opening the windows and letting fresh air in. Takes any stale air out.

Some good plants:

Ferns
Snake Plants
Rubber plants
Aloe Vera
Spider Plants
Gerber Daisy

Looking For A Lott in Los Angeles

2 Minute Tasks

Look around your house. Look around your cubicle. Look in your garage. Peak in the closet. Do you SEE anything you could do in 2 minutes or less? Be real! Are there things you could do to clean up or organize that would ONLY take a few minutes to complete????

Today's tip is:

Go ahead and do it!!!!!

Get Rid of the Wire Hangers!!

Are they laying around? Are they hanging in your closet , empty and taking up space?  You've got way more than you need, and the sight of them makes your closet seem even messier. Let your clothes breath by ditching most of the hangers you don't use (especially those wire dry-cleaning ones, which leave dents in your favorite blouse). If you need to restock, it's not a pricey investment, and you can buy the sturdier, tidier kind. Take them to the cleaners! Or throw them out!!!

I'm all about wooden hangers or huggable hangers.

In 30 Minutes!!

Set aside 30 minutes today!!!

ONLY 30 minutes.

JUST 30 minutes.

Okay! Now pick one thing to tackle and do it for 30 minutes. It doesn't matter what you choose. IT could be decluttering the junk drawer in the kitchen. Maybe its clearing off the floor in the bedroom closet. Attention might need to be paid to the kitchen table. Papers everywhere. Go through them!

I believe in you! I KNOW you can set aside 30 minutes. It doesn't matter if you finish in 30 minutes. You can continue OR stop when the 30 minutes are up! that's up to you. At least you can eliminate ONE sentence from your vocabulary:

I don't have time!

YAY!!! You Can Set Aside ONE Hour to Organize!

I just wanted to support those of you who are are following my Friday tip to set aside ONE HOUR this weekend and clean, sort or organize. If you did this yesterday (Saturday), congratulations! I am so proud of you ! If you are doing this today (Sunday), I'm your biggest cheerleader !!! You can do it! You will feel so much better.

This is a representation of time management. You can set aside an hour on any day of the week. YAY!!

A Beautiful Morning IN Sacramento!

Doing It For Yourself!

I am SO proud of you today! I hope you followed one or more of my tips this last week . If you did, I am happy and excited for you! If you haven't yet, there is always time to start one of them. They were tips for the week but they can apply to ANY and EVERY week!

End Of The Week Tip!

Here is a tip for the weekend:

Today, schedule ONE HOUR sometime this weekend and vow to clean, sort, or organize something or someplace in your house!*




*We place restrictions on ourselves. We always say we are TOO busy. In reality we DO have time. You have to WANT to eliminate something or change a piece of behavior to make change happen.

Thursday's One Sentence Tip!

Today's tip is:

When weeding out a junk drawer, collection, bring it all out to a large space (a table, area of floor, bed) to make it easier to make piles for keep, giveaway, donate, trash. 

Midweek One Sentence Tip

Here is today's one sentence tip:

Consider getting clear containers to store items in.*



*They have clear containers on the market in different colors, so when you store them on shelves, they can fit in to the decor of your space. Clear containers are great to SEE what you have. They are also a great monitoring tool for how MUCH you have.

Today's One Sentence Organizing Tip

Today's one sentence tip is:

Go thru your house, the whole house, and gather all pieces of jewelry (earrings, bracelets, necklaces, broaches, etc) and put them all in one place and if you don't have a case, grab a box/basket/big hat/something to put them all together.*


*And then vow to at some point get jewelry organizing box or hanging products and organize your jewelry. And keep them all together in one place!

The Week of One Sentence Tips!

Everyday this week , I will present a tip in ONE sentence. I am doing this in honor of our fast paced world of short attention spans and "cut to the chase" conversations. People want easy answers, quick solutions, short soundbites. So here we go.

Today One Sentence tip is :

Be truthful to yourself about your messy, unorganized, cluttered situation, it will set you free and can create the beginning of change.

5 Random But Useful Tips!

Take a large trash bag and go around the house/apartment and dump the trash in it from the smaller trashcans.

Flowers do wonders for adding beauty to any room!

Vacuuming can refresh a room.

Dusting can refresh a room.

Clear off the the top of the fridge.

Eww, What's On There!

Recently I have learned to look at my sponges. Yes, sponges. I saw a study that stated there are around 10 million bacteria per square inch of a kitchen sponge and a million per square inch on a dish cloth. I believe it!

Sponges are things we use everyday and may forget to think about changing out. I encourage you to change them out! I change mine when they smell, or when they are super frayed, of course. But now I just replace my sponges on a regular basis. I check them about every two weeks. 

Cobbwebs, Dustbunnies, Clutter Oh My!

I'm always concerned for home safety. Especially for homes with lots of clutter and "stuff". You don't want to create fire hazzards. It's another reason to clean out and organize. Here are a couple of reminders/tips:

Don't place anything on radiators or floor air/heat vents.
Don't place anything in shelves above radiators or floor air/heat vents.
Don't place anything too close to radiators and floor air/heat vents.
Vacuum radiators, floor air /heat vents, air conditioners every couple of weeks.

Give IT A Thought!

I invite you to think about why you aren’t organized and how its affecting your life. Then I want you to think of why you would want to get organized and how your life could improve because of it.

I ask you to think about your goals of organization, both big picture and small immediate plans. For me it was:I’m organizing to enjoy my life to the fullest. My goals are to have my office, home and yard organized. My immediate goal is to organize my home office and closets. Okay. That’s settled. NOW when can I start???

Getting started is the biggest hurdle! I give tips on this blog on how to start and different techniques and way to start. What I am asking now is WHEN to start? We ALL have busy lives and its easy to say, “I don’t have time to organize” or “I’m too tired these days”. There is ALWAYS time to organize! You don’t have to schedule LARGE chunks of time. I want you to be REALISTIC and HONEST with yourself on why you AREN’T organized? And apply the same rules of being realistic and honest and ask yourself, can you make the time to get organized? There are no rules on exactly when you organize. Every day you wake up is a day for you to start the organization process in your life.

Start in the summer months? In the Spring for Spring Cleaning? Start of the school year because the kids will be out of the house for 8 hrs a day? Right before a big family holiday like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas? Maybe during part of your vacation? You take 2 weeks off. One week organize, the other GO on vacation. Or maybe its THIS weekend? Or TOMORROW? or TODAY????

When can you start organizing????

An Important Tax Tip !

IRS Tax Tip 2014-52, April 10, 2014

The April 15 tax deadline is approaching. What happens if you can’t get your taxes done by the due date? If you need more time, you can get an automatic six-month extension from the IRS. You don’t have to explain why you’re asking for more time. Here are five important things to know about filing an extension:

1. File on time even if you can’t pay.  If you complete your tax return but can’t pay the taxes you owe, do not request an extension. Instead, file your return on time and pay as much as you can. That way you will avoid the late filing penalty, which is higher than the penalty for not paying all of the taxes you owe on time. Plus, you do have payment options. Apply for a payment plan using the Online Payment Agreement tool on IRS.gov. You can also file Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request, with your tax return. If you are unable to make payments because of afinancial hardship, the IRS will work with you.
2. Extra time to file is not extra time to pay.  An extension to file will give you six more months to file your taxes, until Oct. 15. It does not give you extra time to pay your taxes. You still must estimate and pay what you owe by April 15. You will be charged interest on any amount not paid by the deadline. You may also owe a penalty for not paying on time.
3. Use IRS Free File to request an extension.  You can use IRS Free File to e-file your extension request. Free File is only available through the IRS.gov website. You must e-file the request by midnight on April 15. If you e-file your extension request, the IRS will acknowledge receipt. You also can return to Free File any time by Oct. 15 to prepare and e-file your tax return for free.
4. Use Form 4868.  You can also request an extension by mailing a Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You must submit this form to the IRS by April 15. Form 4868 is available on IRS.gov.    
   
   You don’t need to submit a paper Form 4868 if you make a payment using an IRS electronic payment option. The IRS will automatically process your extension when you pay electronically. You can pay online or by phone.
5. Electronic funds withdrawal.  If you e-file an extension request, you can also pay any balance due by authorizing an electronic funds withdrawal from your checking or savings account. To do this you will need your bank routing and account numbers.

Visit IRS.gov for more information about filing an extension and the many options you have to pay your taxes.

Under The Bed Storage Space!

I’m a fan of using the space under the bed for storage. In some spaces, it is necessary to use under the bed to store items such as toys, sweaters, pictures, etc. I lived in what they called an efficiency. It was a studio apartment without a real kitchen and I didnt have a closet or closets. I had to be creative with my storage space and under the bed worked really well for me.  OF course, I say this with the understanding that the bed needs to be neat and organized under there.

You can get those giant zipped type plastic bags where you hook up the vacuum and it sucks the air out. You can store A LOT that way! Also there are different size plastic containers that can slide in and out from under the bed. And of course some beds come with drawers underneath for storage.

One place to start looking is thecontainerstore.com

Another place to find them and they are a little cheaper at Big Lots.

I Want You All To Be Super Organized!!!

I started this last year and think its appropriate this year and always!  I will ALWAYS try to convice you to become ORGANIZED! SUPER organized!!! 

Here are some great reasons:

Less spending time for locating things.

Setting a good example to others.

Gaining a sense of self-control.

Make more money and spend less money.

More time to do the things you like. Hobbies, sports, TV, friends.

Stress and frustration will be reduced.

More time for the kids and/or partner.

No more feeling overwhelmed.

Clean spaces.

More room.

Helping the environment.

You may have more reasons and some may be very specific to YOU. But this is some examples of how NOT being organized doesn't benefit you! So lets get organized!!!!

Which Way Is UP!

All of my papers/documents in file folders start with most current and then go backwards in time!

Usually if you need to reference an item, it's usually the most recent you need to look for. Also keeping the files in that reverse order makes it easier to search through and when its time to throw out old files, you start from the back. Easier to find!

When Can You Throw Away Old Tax Records?

Papers Papers Papers Papers!! Doesn't it seem like papers multiply like rabbits?! Papers can be a nuisance yet some papers are important and necessary!Tax season is in a last few weeks and I'm all about the purge, but before you do so:

Certain papers and documents and files are to be kept for a certain number of years. Check your tax professional, accountant, office manager, whomever handles this and make sure you keep the right files. Once you do than you can file them away OR put them in storage (labelled of course) and purge the rest!!!

And also another tip is to get a scanner and you can scan your documents onto your computer and keep them in a folder. AND again because you don't want clutter on your computer either, check with your professionals as to when you can delete that file,.

If You Celebrate, Then Happy Easter

I just wanted to wish everyone who celebrates a Happy Easter Weekend!

Growing up Easter was a fun holiday. The coloring of the eggs, then waking up that morning and hunting for them ( I do like to eat hard boiled eggs), the Easter Baskets filled with chocolate and bunnies. Then we would go to church and come home to an Easter feast!When I was older, my stepmom would get the plastic eggs and fill them with fun stuff like money, little perfumes, rings. My little sister (who was 20 years younger) and I would go hunting. And laugh and laugh.

Now I don't do much for Easter. I leave it for the kids, but I do have fond memories when it comes around every year.

One Way To Handle Winter Clothes

It's that time of year that we bring out the spring and summer clothes. You have to find room for it in your closet and drawers. To do that, you need to put away the Winter Clothes. I have clear bins marked Winter clothes that I store on shelves in my garage.  I have client that keep them in the back of the closet. No matter where you keep them, you need to make room and you want it to be organized.

My suggestion is to look at each piece of winter clothes and shoes and really give them a good look over. DON'T keep anything that is torn, ripped, don't fit, worn out or never worn.  Throw them out, pass them on, donate! The goal is to make room in those bins. Maybe you'll even reduce and downsize. That is always a good thing! 

It will be tough. You had those shoes for the last 5 years and they are so comfortable. But the soles are worn down and there are holes on the bottom. It will be difficult. You bought that ski outfit 2 years ago, but you have yet to wear it OR go skiing. It can be fun..next season. You can always go shopping next year and get NEW outfits. AND you'll have room because you will have gone through your spring and summer clothes and thinned them  out.

Video Blog Post From The Road!

Twitter @alottinla

Twitter @blakhopela

Twitter @thesupero

Facebook - A Lott In Los Angeles

Facebook- The Really Quick James Lott Jr Show

Keek- Blakhopela

What IS Your ONE Thing?!

What is the ONE thing that you have resigned yourself to not being good at? or completing? or seeing? or accomplishing? Really think about it. You may have several things but I am talking about the ONE thing that immediately comes to mind and comes up all the time!

While you are thinking or have thought about it already and got it, I'm going to ask you an obvious question.

Have you thought about doing something about "it"?

And lets go further, have you ever thought about thinking about it in a difference way that would change the way you think about it?

Eveything starts in the brain: work, play, sex...life begins with how you think about it.  I invite you to change your way of thinking about that ONE thing!

Spring Cleaning Motivational Quotes That I Like and Believe In

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has officially begun! Friday, March 20th was the official day! So you know what that means folks....Spring Cleaning Time!!

I will share with you some tips and suggestions to help you Spring clean your home, office or garage.
Lets do this together!

But before we begin the season, I ask all of you to get in the mindset of new beginnings. I invite all of you to be open to change and growth. I am asking myself to do the same things!!Lets make it a great Spring Cleaning Season!!!

I Co-Hosted AfterbuzzTV's Days Of Our Lives March 9th - 13th Review w/ Christopher Sean & Hira Ambrosino

https://youtu.be/FrMxYT1-n5Q


Here is another episode of Afterbuzz TV's Dishin Days that I co hosted. Its a fun episode!!

Thursday the 12th!

I have never really thought about this! HAHA. Thursday the 12th is as rare as Friday the 13th! And I do enjoy a Friday the 13th EVE!!

Enjoy BOTH days!!

A Show That I'm On Even When I'm Not On!

Days fans or MY fans, take a look at the latest episode of AfterbuzzTV's Dishin Days. I am a recurring guest co host and on this episode I am not ON, but I am mentioned several times!

Its a great show hosted by Tony Moore, Mark J Freeman and Peter Ramos every Sunday at 6 pm PST. I will be on THIS Sunday March 14th! Check it out!


On Twitter:

Tony Moore +LounginWithTony
Mark J Freeman @loraynelove
Peter Ramos @therealdooligan

ME:
@blakhopela
@thesupero
@alottinla

Are You A Fan Of General Hospital? This Could Be Your Lucky Day!

Hello I am James Lott, Jr and i'm a guest co-host on AfterbuzzTV Days of Our Lives. I am looking to create and start an Afterbuzz show for daytime Iconic soap General Hospital.

I'm looking for 2 dynamic people who watch and love the Daytime Soap General Hospital! I am the lead host of an Aftershow/Recap Show on a major Internet TV channel and I need 2 co-hosts (possibly 3). This is great for fans too! We would air once a week for an hour and discuss the show. This is NOT a paid gig but its great exposure. You can promote yourself. If you are an actor/actress, musician, comedian, business owner, etc, this is great promotion. 

The format and set up will be similar to the DOOL recap show. you can take a look below:

I need a good, clear photo (or head shot) and a resume. I will be doing all the screening and if you qualify, we will meet first and then I will present you to the network for their application process. I am really looking for men or women, team players and great speaking skills! Also must be able to get to the Valley in Southern California to film. AND to have fun. This is a chance of a lifetime. If you are connected to GH Events , that is an A+

Send all resumes and headshot/pictures to blakhope9@aol.com

Fast Friday Fact About Tupperware

Clear Tupperware Containers after they get kinda old and overused are good as mini storage for loose, small items such as paper clips and buttons and coins.

The One Truth About Time Management!

Time Management is the KEY to so many things in life. Its help with things running on time; things running smoother; carving out time for family and friends; getting that list of thing around the house done, etc. As an organizer, I talk about time management. I offer ways of setting up the management of time in your life. But there is ONE thing about time management( and what it can and can't do) that I have found to be true:

You can't do everything! There are not enough hours in the day or days in the week or weeks in the month!

I find that to be a positive message! I feel like its a freeing, liberating message!

What I'm saying is that you will never be able to do EVERYTHING or get to everything and that's okay. Time management forces you to PRIORITIZE what is important to do. Time Management make you narrow down what you want to do. It means working smarter not harder. You might not be able to paint, sew, write, and act all at the same time. You might need to drop one or two of those things and get to them later. See you don;t have to give up all of your wants and desire, you might just have to defer them to a later date.

When setting up a good time schedule, you are forced to look at what you are spending your time ON. You might be able to eliminate things to allow for others. You might find that things that were important, aren't as important anymore. I wanted to start 2 companies simultaneously six years ago. Once I found out how hard it was to set up a business, I put one on hold and started the other. Six years later, I am now able to devote time to setting up the other!

Time management is KEY! Keep that truth in your mind and go forward with that to create the schedule you need!

Organizing Doesn't Have To Be Expensive

Jan 31, 2014 - Uploaded by Clara Slate

I was looking on the internet, YouTube specifically, for samples of organizing videos. Soon I will be adding my voice to videos  and I wanted to see what was out there. I saw some good stuff and some not so good stuff. But above is a video I did find informative! Discount stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General and 99 cents only really do have some good supplies for organization and at low prices.

Organizing doesn't have to be expensive! 

Spring Cleaning is Around the Corner!

Right now a lot of the country is under snow, so this next statement may seem like a lifetime in the future. Spring Cleaning Time will be upon us soon!

March 20th is the official first day of Spring! Just want to give you all a heads up. Set your dates. I will be heading challenges, offering tips, and MY services (thesuperorganizer.com) It's an exciting time! Another chance to clear out the old and begin anew!

Feb 28th-29th

February is a fascinating month to me! Why is it the shortest month? Every four years an extra day is added on (leap year)! Since I was a child, February 28th is a magical day to me!

I have an idea for a book series based on Feb 28th and 29th. I haven't fleshed out the details but its something I will get to someday. Happy Birthday to those of you who were born on this day! Happy Birthday to those you were born on the 29th and celebrate it today (or March 1st)! It must be a trip for you guys! Or is it a burden, problem or source of sadness?

I know its not the same thing, but I have a birthday on Mothers day. Its Mexican Mothers Day every year. Other than that my birthday falls on the day before or day after and about every 5 years it falls on the day! I have to share my birthday with all the mothers of the world! LOL  I mean I love mothers but I want a day that is my own! On my 40th birthday, my mom and I had to negotiate how we were going to celebrate both! LOL!

Enjoy today and Happy March folks!!! Spring is around the corner!!!

Thursday's Tip: Get Rid of Excuses!

I am going to say something that may be a tad bit harsh. This is something that I realized after years of looking for motivation. It is the truth that many folks don't want to hear.

If you want to achieve anything, YOU have to be your OWN motivation! Anything else is really just an excuse! 

Don't get me wrong, for some people it is a great way to be held accountable. For others it is the companionship. And I like to be with other like minded people. But ULTIMATELY it is up to YOU!

I hear things like, "But my husband doesn't..." "No one in my house wants to eat healthy" "No one will go with me to the..." I am NOT saying that there aren't OBSTACLES to the path of success. I am not admitted that it can be HARDER when your partner, or household isn't on the same page. It can be TOUGH when you are alone and you are trying to make change happen.  So you have to really, really, really be honest and know that stuff and then WANT to really go for what you want NO MATTER the situation.

You are a mother of four. You can make them one dinner and make yourself another kind of meal. You can't find anyone to go with the gym. Still GO! And look at all the people there for inspiration. They are working towards their goals too.
Your husband doesn't want to work out, still workout! That is HIS stuff.

If there is something that you want and it requires ongoing attention, then you are going to have to work for it. And you may have to go it alone...

The Wednesday Tip: Afterbuzz TV

AfterBuzz TV is an online broadcast network that specializes in after-show podcasts for a wide range of television series such as American Horror Story, Mad Men, American Idol, Boardwalk Empire and The Vampire Diaries.

With over 20 million weekly downloads from over 200 countries, AfterBuzz TV is an online broadcast network created by E! host Maria Menounos and producer Keven Undergaro. Nicknamed the 'after-show' network, when viewers finish watching episodes of their favorite shows, they can go to afterbuzztv.com to watch or listen to a post-game 'after-show' for that series. On each AfterBuzz TV after-show an eclectic and knowledgeable mix of celebrities, personalities and industry professionals break down that night’s episode, take calls from fans and interview guests. The network produces over 60 after-shows per week. The network also produces "Spotlight On", an in depth, long-form interview series with stars and show runners.

One in particular I love is for Days of Our Lives. I am a guest co-host on occasion. Its a lot of fun. Tune in!!!

Here is the one I did last Sunday: