How NOT to Save Your Photos

By Hazel Thornton on November 11, 2019 11 Comments
photos

Photos found in donated books (click to enlarge)

Have you ever hidden anything in a book? Maybe used a photo as a bookmark? I don’t recommend it as a way to save your photos! Here’s why:

I volunteer weekly for my local Friends of the Library. We price and sort donated books for our monthly used book sales (at which I also run a cash register), and we have a lovely used book shop in the Main library downtown which is open six days a week. We raise around $200K every year for library programs such as the Summer Reading Program for children.

Don’t forget to check your books before donating them!

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Categories : Memorabilia

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The 21 Day Habit Myth (Don’t Break the Chain!)

By Hazel Thornton on November 4, 2019 17 Comments
2014-01-21 07.55.57

Calendar bird photo by Ann Strober.

I hate to be a party pooper, but I just don’t believe it takes 21 days to create a habit. Or 30 days. Or however long people are saying. It’s true that you can’t simply do something for only 3 days, or 10, and expect it to “stick”. And the effort required to create a new habit is well worth it! But I think there are too many factors to pin it down to a specific number of days for all habits and all people.

21 days may not be enough to create the habit you desire. But don’t give up!

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Categories : Organize Your Time

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Organizing for Stressful Times

By Hazel Thornton on October 21, 2019 12 Comments

peaceful rocks and waterThese are stressful times.

And I think we’re all feeling it one way or another.

(I originally wrote this post during a specific national crisis, but really, every day is stressful for someone, isn’t it?)

Are you remembering to take care of yourself?

I forget sometimes, so I’m writing this for myself as much as for you.

Organizing for stressful times means planning what you will do for yourself when, not if, those times occur.

Organizing for stressful times means planning what you will do for yourself when, not if, those times occur.

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Here are my suggestions: (more…)

Categories : Inspiration & Motivation, Organize Your Mind

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Do you need to change your settings?

By Hazel Thornton on October 7, 2019 8 Comments

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-switched-image18805416Are you frustrated with your life?

Or, maybe your life is pretty good, but you’re annoyed with a few aspects of it?

Maybe you just need to change your settings.

Technology has preferences we can set to make things better. Life is no different. Do you need to change your settings?

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Categories : Inspiration & Motivation, Organize Your Mind

Are your keepsakes a legacy, or a liability?

By Hazel Thornton on September 30, 2019 17 Comments
Mom's punch bowl, usually used for fruit, is being used here for pecans.

Mom’s crystal punch bowl, usually used for fruit, is being used here for pecans.

Have you inherited keepsakes you don’t know what to do with?

I can’t tell you how many of my clients have had a garage or storage unit full of stuff they inherited from a loved one. These items represent a mix of emotions – memories good and bad; guilt over secretly wanting to reclaim the space they occupy; fear that they will accidentally discard a priceless heirloom. They are paralyzed with indecision: Am I betraying my loved one if I part with this item? Will I forget them if I don’t keep all their stuff? (I promise you won’t!) How, and where, can I get rid of it? How, and where, can I keep it?

Will you forget your loved one if you don’t keep all their stuff? (I promise you won’t!)

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Categories : Memorabilia

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The Procrastitivity Zone

By Hazel Thornton on September 19, 2019 6 Comments

Click to view larger image.

Sometimes I think procrastination gets a bad rap. Most articles I’ve read (and written) focus on the negative consequences of delaying a task or project. They also talk about how we trick ourselves into feeling productive by accomplishing one thing while we’re delaying doing another. I call that procrastitivity. And I don’t think it’s always a bad thing.

Is procrastination always a bad thing? I don’t think so!

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Why you need a Project Box & a Master To-Do List

By Hazel Thornton on September 9, 2019 12 Comments

Do you have unfinished household projects lying around? I can tell what my clients’ projects are at a glance – there are light bulbs that need changing; clothing that needs repairing; pictures that need to be framed and hung; and gifts that need to be wrapped. They are sitting out on the counters, tables, and floors, all waiting to be done. But they aren’t getting done. Why not?

Just because you put it on the list doesn’t mean you have to do it!

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Categories : Organize Your Home, Organize Your Time

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10 Ways to Trick your Family into Being Organized

By Hazel Thornton on August 26, 2019 22 Comments

family organizedAre you the organized one in your family? Does it seem pointless to try to stay organized, with everyone making messes right behind you as you go around the house tidying up? Here are some sneaky ways to get them onboard with your organizing systems.

Don’t despair; trick your family into getting and staying organized!

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Categories : Organize Your Family

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Are your files backed up?

By Hazel Thornton on August 19, 2019 9 Comments

I originally wrote this post for World Back Up Day (Don’t be an April Fool – Take the Pledge!)

But…really, shouldn’t every day be Back Up Day?

(Click to view video: “What Would You Do if You Lost Everything?“)

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — follow the 3-2-1 rule!

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Categories : Are you prepared?, Memorabilia, Organize Your Home, Organize Your Office

Thornton Farmstead: Home of the Iowa State Fair

By Hazel Thornton on August 13, 2019 8 Comments

I’ve never attended the Iowa State Fair. I gain weight just reading the 2019 Food On A Stick menu! But I did visit the fairgrounds a number of years ago on a genealogy research trip with my dad. Why? Because the land formerly belonged to my 2nd great-grandfather, Calvin Thornton. Prior to that, it belonged to his pioneer father-in-law, John Harris, who left it to his daughter, Araminta. (So, it was really hers…and, well, who knows who it “belonged” to before they came to settle in the area, right? But I digress…)

Who knew that the Iowa State Fair was held each year on property formerly owned by my ancestors?

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Categories : Hazel's Family Stories

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