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Last week I talked about these large Presidential homes and why they were so big. But it also got me thinking about how they were run. Some had staff or slaves to help them, but some like John and Abigail Adams did not. Houses now aren’t built or run like they used to be. 
Think About This
Our homes are small businesses. By that I mean we, our homes, contribute to 68% of the economy. We buy food, clothes, and products to run and repair/improve our homes and function of daily life. Why don’t we run our homes with strategic focus on our priorities instead of trying to equal out daily tasks that will never be done anyway? AI is coming for the house last. We need to be empowered by objectively looking at our homes as an economic unit; a small business. When we have that perspective, we will make better choices. We are managing our work life and our small business (our homes) and the cognitive load is too great. You need to learn to defer tasks so you are working on the most important task. Think, what needs to get done? By when? In what order? And what things, if they don’t get done, are not going to be a big deal? 
The Household Manager Room
I have always said the only reason I would consider building a new house would be to put the master bedroom on the main level and to finally get the household manager office I have dreamed about. We used to have this planning desk, but as I’m sure many of you have also experienced, it’s not big enough. I want a whole room. So as I started to explain out loud all my organization and reasoning for where I have different papers for taxes, my project closets, Greg’s memorabilia, Warrior MAMA Binders, my Sunday Basket®s, picture frames, and some of Grayson’s stuff, it started to sound like a hot mess. I laughed, but in my head and on paper it’s very organized. The only way I would improve their locations is to have this one room that the primary focus is to efficiently run my home. We should all be so lucky to have one space dedicated to the running of our homes. 
You Are the American Economy
Our homes are like startups. Very little money in the beginning, but the systems help us to focus and eventually turn a profit. The less goals at one time that we are focused on, the more productive and profitable our economic unit will be. We need to have managerial mindsets. In our homes, we have finances and operations. No matter if it’s just you, you are married, with kids, or even a multigenerational home. The focus is no longer divvying up tasks, it’s productivity. You take a leadership stance. You can only control and change you and your mindset. Decide what you want to do and lead by example. Oddly enough, others usually follow suit and fill in the gaps. When I decided I was no longer grocery shopping and cooking, Greg stepped in and our “food life” is even better now. And keep in mind as our family’s grow, our roles will change too. As your kids grow, instill chores or hire help. Just like in business, people quit and systems change; so will your small business. It’s good to do an audit of your home every couple of years. And as a leader with goals in mind, decide how to move forward effectively, productively, and profitably. 
Going into the next 5 episodes, I want you to think about the systems you have in place and how they can make you productive from a leadership standpoint. And how to run your home through strategic planning instead of a reactive mode of just trying to even out the workload.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®
The Paper Solution®
The Productive Home Solution
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 
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In this episode, I introduce you to Julie C., mom of three boys and two dogs and a wife. In December 2019, Julie was starting to organize her office and thought, “There’s no TV in this room, maybe I’ll find a podcast to listen to.” She was really drawn to the messages along with the teaching of the Organize 365® Podcast. Julie had previously tried the Freedom Filer® Filing System, but ended up confusing herself with it. That’s when she implemented the Sunday Basket® and got her paper under control.
Then when the unexpected event of a cancer diagnosis was received, Julie was able to lean on her Sunday Basket®. Julie’s oldest son was a senior and she wanted to make sure his graduation celebration was perfect. Her family and friends were able to help her plans play out due to the organization of actionable items in the Sunday Basket®.
I have noticed in my 50’s, some of my friends have experienced a cancer diagnosis or a heart attack. These unexpected events throw life off kilter. This is usually when we realize we need to get all the info out of our heads and onto paper in the event people need to access accounts and such and we are not in a capacity to do so. Our team had a crazy fall last year and I did a 6- part series of the different events and how my staff was handling them; check out episodes 555 through 560 to hear all about them. 
We can’t control much in these events, but the Sunday Basket® gives us peace of mind. And I mention that Julie being able to have peace of mind gave her the ability to rest, which is when our bodies repair and heal. Julie was also encouraged by the Organize 365® community, realizing others had been in her shoes and learning what they did. 
Once Julie was back to work, she attended the Friday Workbox® Planning Day sans the Friday Workbox®. I laughed, but Julie explained all the benefits she gained from simply planning. Like scheduling a workout, actually putting it on the schedule in her day. Julie has also acknowledged with her kids getting older, she has more time. Due to the podcast, she was inspired with all her extra time to go for her Doctorate in Education for Leadership and Healthcare. 
Now that she’s planning to go back to school, she’s also been evaluating cleaning in her house. We talked about how you can clean your house OR you can hire that out and use that time towards a project or something like going back to school. We also talked about the stigma that comes with hiring someone to clean your house. You could feel “holier than thou” OR you may consider how grateful that person is to work, which could be what they really enjoy, and the ability to make money for their family. 
Julie recently became a member of The Productive Home Solution® and appreciates The Paper Solution® Binders. It’s so important to have the information documented and now in her Medical Binder for the future. And speaking of the future, she wants to get the Launch Binders for her boys. We talked about learning the skills of cleaning your home or other home management tasks. We often learn them in the dorms at college. But what if you don’t attend college, then how do you learn? In either setting, we agreed the Launch Binder is the way to go to share common knowledge with your children as they embark on their independent adult journey.
Julie’s advice is, “Just get started. Lean on the system, it doesn’t have to be ‘done.’ It’s a journey, not an end product.” 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®
Friday Workbox®
Friday Workbox® Planning Day
The Productive Home Solution®
The Paper Solution®
Launch Binder
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see

You guys know I’m a history nut and this episode is all about homes from the past and our current homes. I live in the purple state of Ohio. Fun fact, more Presidents have come from Ohio than any other state; 8 Presidents to be exact. I’ve toured Presidential homes in Ohio many times. I was even the greeter at Stan Hywet’s home. It’s so funny for me to think about homes in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s versus homes today and how we use them. And I absolutely drool over the libraries. These were successful people and successful people read. Homes in that time were multipurpose. They were large. Not for the sake of large rooms, but for the sake of having space for entertaining and working. It’s so easy for us to forget how much harder things were in the past to travel, work, entertain, to just live!
Eating
If you stop and think about life in the 1800’s to early 1900’s, there weren’t easy travel paths. There weren’t restaurants, nor were there hotels. If you had guests, they were likely not there for just the afternoon. It’s so interesting for me to think about the need for eating areas for workers, family, and formal entertaining spaces to have meals with guests. He even had a morning breakfast room! Meals were long, too. There wasn’t tv, movie theaters, or public spaces to hang out. So long dinners it was. And due to the architecture of the homes, the guests never saw the kitchen or the other eating areas. The largest room would often be the entertaining space. Owners may have entertainment and the whole community would be invited. The talent would stay with the owners. 
Sleeping
These homes were so large with so many rooms. On top of all of the entertaining and eating rooms, they needed to sleep. One of the President’s homes had the owners' wing with bedrooms, another wing for live-in workers. There was a wing of rooms, kind of like a hotel for guests. Remember, guests were probably there for a week or longer and your workers lived there, too. 
Working
The doctors, lawyers, and other professionals of that time didn’t have big fancy offices they drove to each day. No, they worked from their home offices that usually had separate entrances. Some of the doctors had a secretary office that you would enter, then proceed to the doctor. I think the reality is we are all working from home nowadays. We all, well not Greg, but most have email on our phones or are checking on something at the office if you do have a brick and mortar you report to each day. 
Ponder
Do our homes reflect how we use them? On the podcast years ago, I asked Jay Papasan, who co-wrote The One Thing, when did we get home manager offices in every home. He snickered and said architecture is the last thing to change, and that’s granted we all agreed on what we want! That’s why all of our homes are fairly similar to that of the 1950’s, after the war. Until next week’s episode, I want you to ponder some spaces in your home. I want you to think about your formal spaces and if you use that space often. Have you allocated space to an activity you don’t do like entertain guests? Lots of times we meet at restaurants. So are you using your spaces effectively, functionally for your life today? Are you using your house functionally to eat, sleep, and work? 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®
The Paper Solution®
The Productive Home Solution
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mara D., mom of four boys and happily married up in Connecticut. Mara organized her closet the Marie Kondo way and felt lighter and brighter. Her friend planted a seed saying she should do that for others. But how? She searched for podcasts about starting an organization business and found the Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast. Mara loved that it really gave her direction on how to get started.
We discovered we are both educated in the psychology world. There’s a difference though between clinical and general psychology PhD’s. I’m learning so much about psychology, but really I just want to do my own research in the future. I’ll be focusing on positive psychology.  I don’t have an employer paying for me to do this or a grant to be approved for me. Once I get my PhD, I will be paying to do research for the sake of the general population. Clinical seems to be for the sake of diagnosis for insurance and medication purposes to get things back to normal. 
Mara was explaining the Sunday Basket® to all of her clients. When it came to paper, Organize 365® had the solutions. Some organizers may say it ‘s all digital, that you don’t need the paper. But not in our capitalist society. I mean our birth certificates and social security cards are still on paper! And because we aren’t a socialist country, our health information for example is not available to anyone. It’s only available to the people we choose to provide care to us. So then Mara got to thinking, maybe I should experience the Sunday Basket® since I’m telling all of my clients about it. That was like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie because then she wanted to get Sunday Basket® Certified and The Paper Solution® Certified; she values The Paper Solution® Binders.
Mara points out to her clients that the solution is you; you have to regularly process your Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket® allows you to budget your time like you do your money. When you budget, you proactively decide what resources, time or money, will be spent where and when. You are in charge instead of caught off guard and needing to be reactive. It also allows you to procrastinate on purpose. So often I find when I delay tasks, by the time they need to be completed that week, the task doesn’t need to get done anymore. Someone else has completed the task, the deadline has moved, or requirements of that task have changed. So you may think you are working ahead when there is so much magic in just waiting. 
Mara now has more time as a result of planning, is consistent, and more patient with others because her to-do list is getting accomplished first allowing her to pour into others. She has more trust in herself to show up and have clarity in her goals.
Mara’s advice is, “Any system works if you think it, visualize it, and know your why. Visualize the look, the way you’ll feel, and the functionality you desire. Then when you are deciding on items to keep, toss, or donate, the decisions will be much easier.” 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Sunday Basket®
The Productive Home Solution®
The Paper Solution®
Professional Organizer’s Think Tank Podcast Playlist
The Paper Solution® Certification
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I know it’s only July, but you guys…there’s one month when all the schools seem to be out, except year-round schools of course. And that means it’s time to refresh, which means it’s the Back to School Blitz time. This is a free, pre-recorded blitz to get prepared for the kids to start their next year in school. However, this is a cadence you as an adult have experienced since you were in school, so if you don’t have kids…you can still do the Back To School Blitz for yourself!
I remember I used to take one week as “camp counselor” with my kids to get prepared. It’s a time to schedule physicals for fall activities, get routine dentist cleanings, might be time for new glasses. And oh by the way, the paperwork! One of the favorite things I did for myself one year was I copied the paperwork. Then the next year, I just copied from one doc to the other. Easy peasy!
Let’s take one week together to go through your kids' clothes because they are growing! And then you can plan your shopping spree. They may want to express themselves differently this year. If you do this blitz for yourself, you may find you are in a different phase of life and you want to edit your wardrobe to match your lifestyle now. And I want you to be prepared for the school supply list or look around your office. Is it time to get a new set of pens, highlighters, or a working stapler? I remember the year we needed the scientific calculator - like why? My kids weren’t going to be scientists. You may need to budget for an item or two, but at least you won’t be surprised.
Back to School Blitz (Now-August 22nd)
Day 1 Clothing
Day 2 Command Center
Day 3 Supplies
Day 4 Personal Grooming
Day 5 How We Get Out The Door
It’s more fun when you invite a friend or family member to do this with you. This is a great, free introduction to Organize 365® for someone that you know who could benefit. When Labor Day rolls around and you realize it’s back to reality, I want your train to already be chugging along for the ten most productive weeks of the year and that comes with planning now.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Back to School Blitz
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Some people say, “Lisa how do you do it ALL?” And some people hear all I’m doing and say, “Me too!” If you say “Me too!,” you are going to love this episode because it’s completely devoted to my process of planning. I share all my strategic thought process behind the days I have meetings to why I make time for the community on Fridays. I remember hearing, “If you want to grow a business, you must be consistent.” I want to offer a consistent experience for the Organize 365® Community. 
The Inception of The Sunday Basket®
I revisited the story of how the Sunday Basket® came to be. I had this 14” high stack of papers. Joey took really short naps. By the time I sifted through the paper stack and found an actionable thing to accomplish during his wink of sleep, he’d be awake again. So one night, when the kids were in bed and Greg said good night early, I sorted all that paper into 40 piles! I placed those 40 piles in separate folders and they all went in my Longaberger Basket. The next day when Joey laid down, I quickly pulled out one folder and got something accomplished.
Reactive to Proactive
Once the Sunday Basket® was proving to be effective for me, I started to enforce the rule of, “If it can wait until Sunday, then it must wait.” Once I processed the basket I could make my weekly plan, my follow through. I have found the waiting to be magical!
I was using one basket for home and work, but soon realized I should split them into their own boxes. And that’s when I started moving faster, getting more done. So 6 years ago, I started manufacturing the official Sunday Basket®, designed to help the slash pockets stand up and color coded in colors that Organize 365® uses. I went into great detail of the evolution of Organize 365® and products in episodes 521 to 525.
New Adult Planning Tools
I look at my week that I am a CEO as Monday 8am to Thurs 8pm. And from Thursday 8pm to Monday 8am, I am a home manager. I shared how this is really working to my benefit. I was getting frustrated though that all the planners start the week with Sunday in the month view. I want to see Saturday and Sunday together. And I wasn’t really sure where to document odd things that need to get done, like a baby gift for my hair dresser or ideas for social media for an episode that would not get published for weeks still. Where does one put that information? So I came up with three new products to help you plan. 
2 Year Dated Planning Calendar (AKA “Lisa 2 Year Planner”)
This planner starts with Monday as the beginning of the week. It starts in July 2024 and goes through 2026. This planner will help everyone who plans out a period of time rather than details of a week or day; it’s not a date book.
Rainbow 52 Week Planner
This planner has 6 rainbow colors vertically, in rows. I can plan out as far as I need to with this information that I used to not know where to write. The pages can be dated or kept blank. There are periods of time I use it and then the week of vacation I don’t. Make it work for you.
Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet
It’s a similar idea as the planner, but labeled one week at a time, or seven boxes horizontally. I use the pink row for social media ideas, the orange for all things podcasting, the yellow for new products; you get the idea. There are seven boxes but you do not need to acknowledge the week day. You can view it as seven items to plan and implement. You can color code your family for needs and activities or a student for their subjects in school. And it matches the Lisa School Binder from the Kids Program!
All this planning in the name of staying consistent, also known as your follow through. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®
Friday Workbox®
2 Year Dated Planning Calendar
Rainbow 52 Week Planner
Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet
Lisa School Binder
Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 
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