Making The Most Of Our Valuable Time

Time is a commodity that we should be saving for the most important moments in our lives.  We eat, we sleep, we take care of family and we work, but how we make use of this time is the glue that holds our life balance together.

We live in an amazing era where useful resources are lapping at our feet, as abundant as the tide.  Think about the struggle our ancestors lived, with back-breaking work, laboring fields for food, wringing clothes out by hand, chopping wood, sewing fabric, wriding horseback or carriage days... weeks... months, to get where they needed to be.

This is where we should be so thankful for the ease of modern life.  No matter what social class you fit into, the conveniences of our day pales in comparison to the labor folks relied upon so many years ago.

Managing your time can be simple, once you find the key players which can do the work "for" you.  For example, we all know that multi-tasking has proved to be more of a time-waster for some who feel overwhelmed by trying to do it all.  But if you let your machinery do double-time, you can free up your mind to focus on other tasks.

With a quick plan of action, here are some ways to let your home work for you:

- Let your appliances do double-duty by knocking out several chores at once.  Run the dishwasher, charge your media, back-up your computer and self-clean the coffee pot with just a few clicks of a button.  How many chores can you knock out with one fell swoop?  (without knocking out the power)  :)  I always think about this when I know battery-life is running down on electric toothbrushes, etc.

- Keep your kitchen sink empty by re-loading the dishwasher first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening, and run it at a convenient time during your busy day.

- Dedicate one day a week to meal-planning.  In just a few minutes, you can create a week's worth of healthy meals and know the ingredients needed when you head out to the grocery store.

- Be prepared for laundry day.  Keep seperate laundry bins to pre-sort your family's clothing so that you don't have to waste time doing it all in one day.  This way, you are ready to re-boot your laundry at your convenience instead of having to search for it.

- Don't rely on one set of sheets per bed.  Change out your bedding every week without having to wait for them to be washed and made.

- Have your work go-bag and the kid's back-packs ready to go the night before, by creating a staging area of your home.

- Use the automatic feature on your coffee pot, and have it ready to go first thing in the morning.

Think of the unlimited ways you can sinc your resources and make them work for you.  Let me know what your most valuable multi-taskers have been...

You can also have your own entourage of experts right at your feet! 

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Renew, Reflect and Restructure

What an amazing ride we have had in 2011 - I don't know about you, but I am ready to put that funky business behind me and keep reaching for the stars...

It was a whirl-wind year with many changes for me.  As you well know, I had to put my organizing and writing aside while tending to family.  This left me feeling lazy and unsettled as my ideas and creativity became stifled with passing time.  It also sparked new passions and thought into my true purpose.  My spirituality plays a huge part in everything I do, so as I sat back observing the world around me and my place in it, new life came to fusion.

{Renew}

Yes, I find it ironic to be an expert in time management, yet to be in perpetual search for my own life balance.  But this is what propels me...  in my own adversity and quest for truth, I find inspiration to create and teach.  It is in these reflections, these quiet moments, which I can find the clarity within. 

My creative outlets are very demanding, and when I lack discipline in dedication, my equilibrium flops in all directions making it impossible to focus on any.  I am a photographer, writer, organizer, speaker, and teacher.  I am spiritual and love to apply a little psychology and philosophy into everything that I present.  So with that, I claim 2012 to be the year of restructure for the nature of my business.  To gather my dreams, talents and passions together to honor my true purpose.

I just love new beginnings - a new year to make it all right again...  As you can tell, I am in the resolution zone.  Only, I stopped making resolutions a long time ago, and instead focus on my goal-setting throughout the year.  One major inspiration to me is my mentor and fitness instructor, Chalene Johnson, who has just published her book, "PUSH".   {-----  Really, if you haven't heard of this book and want to create a clear vision for your life, this is a must-read!  This is how I have been spending my holiday vacation - clearing my head and good old fashioned goal-setting :)

Then, there are these...

Photo Credit

Yes... I am yet another addict of the amazingly inspiring Pinterest {especially this little colorful brainstorm & quote at the bottom-left that reads "I love my life". - ooh, and they have some yummy stuff if you click on the photo credit above, too!}.  I feel magnetized, hypnotized, yet empowered by its presence.  But how truly life-changing a website like this one can be.  I have actually found intriguing things to do just by searching my city on Pinterest.  Talk about a creative way to reinvent date night! 



I am fairly new to Pinterest, but while poking around there today, I found a fun freebie by Design Finch that I thought I should share with you.  Just look at these fun print-outs...  {Click Here For Website}.

Yep - pretty awesome :) 

So with that, I bid you all a joyful, prosperous, glowing new year ahead.  Look for some nice changes coming to Renew Your Space - a little more polished, focusing on articles, speaking engagements and do-it-yourself organizing projects and consultations.

Love you!!! ~ Renee Weatherford

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Friday Favorites - Unique Storage

Today's Friday favorite is something I have had for a few years, and only recently stopped to appreciate how it's served me over time.  It is simply a heavy duty draw-string shipping bag from Sephora - I had dozens of these from back in the day & I use them for anything from storing makeup brushes to my old video casette tapes {I know, WHAT are casette tapes, right?} But it just goes to prove, storage can be as simple as a bag.

This one is holding 24 videos and easily stores in my entertainment armoir for easy access when we want to walk down memory lane.

   

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The Brides of Beverly Hills

Forgive me - this has nothing to do with organizing, but I had the pleasure of working with a friend of mine on a few projects earlier in the year and I was invited to the set of a new reality show, "The Brides of Beverly Hills" for a few episodes she was appearing in.  Now that the show has begun airing its' first season, I am excited to see it and really like how it's turned out.

Actress and wedding dress designer, Amy Michelson of amymichelson.com graced the set with Mamie Van Doren in a previous episode titled, "A film star proves it's never too late." And seriously...  the glamour-girl is 80 years old and looks better than some 40 year olds that I know! 

The show takes place at the posh wedding gown salon, Renee' Strauss Bridal Boutique in Beverly Hills, which has served the rich and famous for more than 30 years.  Amy Michelson's gowns are just exquisite - as I helped carry them in, I fell head over heels in love with each design.  They hang like a sexy mermaid and anyone with curves can appreciate their glamorous form-fitting flattering design - ooh la la!  I soon understood why she lovingly refers to them as 'the girls', as they have such individual style and presence.

While waiting behind the scenes, I got to hang out with celebrity florist & Kevin Lee, who was also the inspiration for "Frank" on the movie "Father of the Bride".  I got a shot of this amazing floral arrangement from his shop - it was "FAB-U-LOUS!"

Floral Arrangement by Kevin Lee

Mamie and Amy

The 'Girls'

A little bubbly at Renee' Strauss

And that's a wrap :)

The Brides of Beverly Hills can be seen Fridays on TLC.  A new episode starring Amy will air December 9th at 7:00 pm PST.  Special thanks to Amy, Renee', and the entire crew - they were very gracious hosts.  All photos are the property of Renee Weatherford and Renew Your Space.

This is a not-so-typical Sunday in a city near me :)~ Check out Sundays in my
friends' cities over at Unknow Mami's:

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Easily Organize Cords and Plugs

Have you needed a cord out of your storage or during a move and couldn't identify the one you needed?  During my recent move, I found this to be a challenge, even with my organized system of banding & labeling them the way I always have.  So I discovered a much more effective tool that worked like a charm.  Follow this simple and organized way to keep your cords all together and clearly marked so that you don't have to go on an agonizing treasure-hunt for the right hardware:

1.  Save up plastic bread clips that are used to keep your bread bag closed.  As you collect them, narrow colors down to just a few & use each color for specific themes if you have that many cords to work with.

2.  Store them in a nice {little} box to use for future projects.  Do not hoard these - you really only need a few!

3.  Use a fine tip permanent marker to write a brief description of each cord.

4.  Gather your plugs together into a shoebox or basket for future access, or to easily re-install after your move. 

5.  For permanent storage, save up cardboard toilet paper rolls to store them in!

These little clips fit perfectly over the average cord & are strong enough to last for a long time.  And I love that your ink won't run or wipe off through long storage. 


All photos are created by Renee Weatherford & property of Renew Your Space.

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Life Lessons: When the Teacher Becomes the Student

What happens when the teacher becomes the student, and everything she knows suddenly becomes useless due to time restraints?  She cuts a new path through life and teaches from her own struggles...
Many of my readers have asked where I have been hiding for the past few months.  My articles have been repeats for the most part, and my editors are still patiently waiting for fresh contributions.  If you have been following my Facebook or Twitter, chances are you know I have been busy moving.  But I have also been helping my ailing father get back on his feet, so something had to give...  My writing has had to take backstage while I sort my life and try to make sense of it. 

A new home, new career, new community; have made it impossible to share the wisdom from my previous work.  All of the organizing knowledge and time management gurus can't help when your world has been turned upside down.  It is ironic how the subject I love to teach most {Life Balance} suddenly becomes the very thing I need to learn for myself.  It was as if over night, the teacher became the student, and had to re-learn it all in new surroundings... new circumstances.  But this blog is not called ReneW for nothing.  With each new beginning, comes a rebirth of greatness and enthusiasm.

I've decided to cut back on my Organizing business to focus on my home life.  But with that came new inspiration and restructuring my focus on Consulting and Public Speaking.  Instead of giving local hands-on assistance, I am providing self help and education with a real-life example...  me!  I will soon offer books on balance, organization and time management based on my own experiences and struggles.  You will also see more blogs personalized from my past move - challenges I have faced and how I have overcome those obstacles. 

So as I stand back up, brush myself off and begin this ride again, I will be leading by example and giving you the tools to find your own path as well.  Expect some real life lessons and goal setting solutions to work through them with Renew Your Space.

Tell me - how are you?  Have you ever taken a blogging hiatus and survived it?

Photo 1 credit / Photo 2 credit

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Sundays In My City - Avacado Festival

The crowd at the Carpinteria Avacado Fest is incredible for such a small town. 

I was amazed at the magnatude of people.

I just about died when I saw hundreds of people gathered at the main stage where we were to perform a Salsa Dance routine...  I have volunteered to "fill in" for a few of the Senior ladies from the complex that I manage, who couldn't make it - I was given one lesson and was told to learn it in time for the festival!

Hot and exhausted, this is my instructor (Diana Tere) and I after the show.  I love salsa dancing, but I never thought I would be doing something like this in front of such a large crowd!  I chose not to include photos of the group because I didn't ask for permission, but they were absolutely adorable!

(I used the My Sketch app for this - just a nice way to document a moment

without giving too much detail)

This is a typical Sunday in my City ~ Check out Sundays in my

friends' cities over at Unknown Mami's:

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