Posts

Are your keepsakes a legacy, or a liability?

By Hazel Thornton | September 30, 2019 |

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…

The Procrastitivity Zone

By Hazel Thornton | September 19, 2019 |

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…

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

By Hazel Thornton | September 9, 2019 |

          . 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…

10 Ways to Trick your Family into Being Organized

By Hazel Thornton | August 26, 2019 |

Are 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.

Are your files backed up?

By Hazel Thornton | August 19, 2019 |

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?“)

Thornton Farmstead: Home of the Iowa State Fair

By Hazel Thornton | August 13, 2019 |

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…

What are you worried about? Don’t worry – Take action!

By Hazel Thornton | July 29, 2019 |

What are you worried about? I think we all worry sometimes, don’t you? We worry about our health, and the health of our loved ones. About our appearance, and how we measure up to others. About money, and how our businesses are doing. About whether or not we’re being good parents. We worry about (fill…

Organizing to De-Stress a Major or Chronic Illness

By Hazel Thornton | July 19, 2019 |

Illness is stressful. The less you have to worry about, the more you can focus your energy on getting well. And getting organized will help you worry less. This concept applies to any prolonged medical condition that results in decreased energy and mobility. Here are some examples: recovery from a planned surgery an unplanned medical…

Playing Detective: Grandma’s Birth Certificate

By Hazel Thornton | July 11, 2019 |

                AHA! I was RIGHT! Right about what, you ask? Right about where my Grandma Hankins was born (Villa Mae Lawrence Hankins 1904-1986). Where was Grandma born? I was lucky enough to have known her well. Sadly, though, I did not become interested in doing genealogy research until…

An organized use of a storage unit

By Hazel Thornton | July 8, 2019 |

If I’m in a storage unit, it’s usually to help a client move out of it. Sometimes they don’t even remember what’s in there, and they’re horrified to realize how much money they’ve paid all these months and years to store things they don’t even want anymore! There are a few situations, though, where a…