Make It Happen By Writing It Down

December is here which means that a new year is about 30 days away. Scary isn't it? And for some of us that means Resolutions! Now that's a scary word. Don't you wish you had a nickel for every resolution you've made - and not kept?

Well here's a simple way to make this year different than the previous ones. Write it down. Easy, right? And if you are skeptical about the value of writing it down, just browse the internet or your local library for plenty of studies that back this philosophy.

By writing it down you have created a special niche in your brain that may help propel you, unconsciously, toward that goal or plan. And if you review that written goal regularly, you reinforce the desire to reach that goal.

Don't make too many resolutions; just a couple or maybe three should be enough to handle. But write it down, review it and then let us know how you are doing. Good luck!

Donate Old Towels

Here at simplychecklists.com, we like to hear about new ways to Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Did you know that November 15 was America Recycles Day? Well if you missed it, here's your opportunity to have a make-up day.

I was at the veterinarian's office when I overheard one of the office staff mention that they always need old towels. They go through lots of towels throughout the day and need a large supply. Well as it happens, I had at least 12 old towels in the garage. We use them for cleaning the cars, as a seat protector while working in the garden, and wiping hands after painting. But I didn't need to store a dozen or more towels for any of those chores. So I packed up six of them and took them to my favorite vet's clinic.

If you prefer you can donate old towels to your local wildlife sanctuary or animal shelter.

Here's the site to learn more about America Recycles Day. And if you want some help for living your life more green, see www.simplychecklists.com/GreenLiving/green.asp for tips and checklists - all for free of course.

Give More, Live More

We are officially on that high-speed ride that starts right after Halloween and is aimed directly at the New Year. For the next two months many of us will combine our regular daily routine (which is sometimes frantic) with even more frantic activities like shopping, decorating, visiting relatives and consuming lots of food at various gatherings. It's a fun time of year although it can be exhausting.

And because we get so busy, we may neglect the people who depend on us every day: our immediate family. But I have a co-worker who has found one little way to offset the busy-ness of the holidays by combining charity and giving with her family members.

She volunteers at a soup kitchen of sorts and the whole family participates. Her husband helps set up tables and chairs for dinner and the kids help with serving and cleaning up. This solution lets the family work together, and it provides a great opportunity for her kids to help others in need.

Are you interested in volunteering? If so you can check with your local charities, schools, places of worship, hospitals and shelters. You can also give blood (see http://www.redcrossblood.org/), help build a house (http://www.habitat.org/) or improve your vocabulary and donate rice at the same time (http://www.freerice.com/).

The benefits of giving to self-esteem and confidence are well documented and if your family can be involved together, then your family benefits in a big way.

When Your House Gets Robbed

Last weekend my stepson came to visit for the weekend and he told us that a few days prior, his house had been burglerized. He was travelling when he was notified that his next door neighbor had interrupted the theft in process. It seems that his neighbor (a fireman) had noticed a strange SUV parked in his yard in the middle of the day. At first the neighbor assumed that someone was doing house repairs, but the location of the car just didn't look right. So he walked over to the car only to surprise 4 young men in the process of loading the house contents into the back of the SUV. They bolted as soon as he called 911. Two were apprehended within 30 minutes while the other two were expected to be caught.

So now my stepson has the tedious job of trying to find out what is missing. The insurance adjuster has visited, and he will be compensated for most of the material possessions. But the insurance company cannot compensate him for the feeling of violation that he's now left with. He has also had an alarm installed.

Most of us can recount a similar story for ourselves or someone close to us. It's been over 20 years, but I returned home one evening to find the house wide open, the cats scared to death and lots of jewelery and other items missing. We never got any of those possessions back, but we learned how to make our house less inviting to burglary.

Putting lights on timers, making sure that old newspapers are not left lying in the driveway, and locking all windows and doors are basic rules. Keeping shrubbery low and well trimmed makes it hard for a would-be thief to hide while trying to bust open a lock. And making friends with the neighbors (especially one that is home during the day) is a great advantage. But there are lots of other tips I see from time to time and http://www.simplychecklist.com/ will soon have a checklist that you can use to guide you. If you have tips you want to see included, please leave comments on this post.

In the meantime, you can find a useful checklist for protecting your identity at Identity Theft Protection Checklist and tips for leaving your home temporarily empty. Stay safe!

Do Busy People Get More Done?

I have heard over and over that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. And that is probably true. I know when I have an extended time to do something chore-like, I will often wait until I feel a deadline looming before jumping on it.

It seems that when we have lots of things to do and a specific deadline for most of those items, we know how to turn on the gas and get stuff done. And my experience tells me that you can generate that burst of energy and focus when you have a clear picture of what to do. The perfect way to create that clear picture is with a checklist.

I like to start my workday with a short list of things that need doing. The items might be simple quick tasks like schedule a meeting, or it might include more involved processes like researching different software applications. But a short list provides a guiding light that really helps me focus.

On days off when I have shopping, cleaning, appointments, etc to accomplish, another list helps me organize those items so that I can plan my driving route to save time and gas.

And while you are making a list of things that need your attention, don't forget to include an hour for browsing at the library, some computer time to explore your favorite web sites or maybe even a nap.

We are surrounded by new electronic gadgets to help us stay connected and informed. Many of those gadgets will also help you create a checklist. And if gadgets aren't your thing, there's always pencil and paper!

Trick to Save Veggies longer

Since everyone I know is getting ready for Trick or Treat, I thought I would pass along a cool trick my mother discovered. No frightful masks or gory goblins - just a cool trick to prolong the life of your cut veggies.

If you haven't already discovered those handy green vegetable and fruit storage bags, then pick some up and give them a try. I've been using them for about a year and I'm fairly satisfied with the results, but cut green peppers and onions still get squishy and yucky in a short amount of time.

My mother discovered that loosely wrapping your cut greens in a paper towel, then tucking it into one of those special vegetable bags will give you 1 or 2 weeks more than if you didn't use the paper towel. How easy is that? I guess the paper towel absorbs excess moisture which can create an ugly soggy mess in that nice re-usable bag.

So next time you use half a bell pepper, or part of a cucumber, wrap the remaining vegetable in a paper towel, place it in a green preserving bag and you are good to go!

If you need a grocery shopping list to use along with all those coupons that I know you are clipping, then take a look at this grocery shopping list right now. You can download and print it for free. And that is the "treat" part of this trick!

Getting ready for Halloween

Here in Central Florida, it's not quite cool but fall is definitely in the air. And that means - Halloween. It's my favorite holiday because I love dressing up like a pirate. Arrrrr.

But this year we are hosting a Halloween Party and to get ready I am using one of our party checklists. The checklists really helps me stay organized and let's me concentrate on the fun stuff which is finding cool decorations on the cheap.

I found some great recipes for adult beverages that have spooky names so I am going to use one of them as the theme for the party. How does Ghoulish Goombay sound for a drink? So with that as my theme, I'm adding fake spider webs on the patio and some big black plastic spiders to float in our pool. And lots more of the same for the front yard. I found inspiration at the local party costume shop and several on-line suppliers.

Appetizers can be enhanced by giving them spooky names like Bar-B-Que Bat wings (really chicken wings all dressed up for Halloween) and Saucy Eyeballs (really my favorite Swedish meatball recipe). Using notecards for the appetizer names, I can mount the cards using those plastic note holders that you get in a bouquet of flowers.

Are you having a Halloween Party too? Need help? Click on Party Checklist. And don't forget trick-or-treat safety.