Getting Organized! And win free book!

One of my goals for 2010 is to be more organized. I have a very difficult time working in clutter and disorganization. Now I am not generally a messy, disorganized person. I may be, however, slightly OCD, always seeking to find the perfect place for each item in both my business and personal life and becoming a little less productive and slightly annoyed when things are out of place. Last month, while hanging out at Borders, I stumbled upon a little book called, “Organize Now!” by Jennifer Ford Berry.

This little book is packed full of information on how to organize many aspects of your life. It provides 52 weeks of marching orders to make sure by the end of the year, if you stick to it, your life will be much more manageable. Areas of life that this book helps you organize include yourself, your papers, your things, your high-traffic areas, your personal spaces, your storage areas, and your special events.

The first thing that I decided to tackle is email. I have multiple email accounts with a combined over 15,000 emails, including about 1000 “unread.” I started with my Gmail account. Beginning with December and going backwards, I am tackling a month’s worth of email each day. I am reading and deleting both email I received and emails I sent, only keeping email that I really, really need. Not only does Organize Now give tips on how to clear out email, it also gives tips on how to keep your email boxes clear of clutter. Now there are definitely tips that Berry provides that are obvious. I mean, really, it does not take a book for me to know that deleting old, unnecessary email is the key to having fewer emails in my box! But what Berry’s book does for me is give me a systematic set of reminders as to what I should do as well as some great ideas as to how to organize and to actually DO IT!

Although Berry's book has been very helpful to me, I am not suggesting that everyone needs it to get orgazined. I think the key is to have some sort of game plan to get organized and another plan to stay organized. If having someone write the script for you helps, then I do recommend “Organize Now!”

Do you have any tips on getting or staying organized and getting rid of clutter? Post your tips and I will enter your name into a drawing for a FREE copy of Organze Now!! You must leave your comment by January 31, 2010. You also must leave your email address so that I can contact you.

Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design

Small Acts of Kindness with Big Impact

With reports of celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donating $1 million to aid Haiti it may seem as if small businesses and individuals with limited resources can do little to impact Haiti or others in dire need of help. However, there are many ways that almost anyone can help. There are many nonprofit organizations that depend on volunteers to give as little as 1 hour of time. Other organizations accept donations of canned food and clothes. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, we are seeing how organizations like Yele Haiti is working with cell phone providers to accept donations of just $5 through texting that will go to helping Haiti.

On December 29, 2009, a group of volunteers led by Stacey M Design volunteered at the Aurora, IL office of Feed My Starving Children. We helped pack food that would be sent to various countries in critical need of resources. The group of volunteers who worked the shift that we worked packed 68 boxes of food that will make 14,688 meals. This food will feed 40 children 1 meal a day for a year. Haiti is one of the countries that receives food from Feed My Starving Children.

I found this experience both educational and rewarding in many different ways. I was reminded of the suffering many children experience both in this country and around the world. I got to see so many people of different ages, races and backgrounds work together toward a common goal. I was reminded that while all of us do not have the power associated with celebrity, big business, politics and money, we all do have the power to make a difference.

I look forward to working with Feed My Starving Children again. I also look forward to mobilizing my small ground of friends and family members to volunteer for other causes as much as we can.

Please post small ways to help that have big impact! Thanks!


Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design

2009 Holiday Card

With the first major snow of December Isaiah spent a lot of time outside throwing snowballs, making snow angels, sledding and kicking the snow. If he had it his way, he would spend all day outside in the snow. Along with my husband, Isaiah built a great snowman. It made the perfect photo for our holiday cards.



Stacey Montgomery
Stacey M Design