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Easy DIY Repairs to Keep Your Home Looking New


Do you ever feel like your home always has some small thing in need of repair?



Your first instinct may be to pick up the phone and call in a professional, and sometimes hiring a pro is best. But there are plenty of easy fixes and preventive maintenance tasks you can do yourself.



HVAC Maintenance


Keeping your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system working properly is an absolute must for homeowners. No one wants to be faced with a broken air conditioner on a hot day. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can also become an emergency situation.
You don’t have to be an HVAC expert to conduct regular maintenance and do minor fixes. According to Family Handyman, a few HVAC maintenance tasks any homeowner can do include keeping your system clean, fixing fins that are out of alignment, and unclogging the condensate drain tube. If you fail to do these, you may end up with a frozen coil due to a dirty filter. When this happens, the first solution is to replace the filter, but if that doesn’t work, it may be time to call in a local AC repair professional to get the problem fixed.
Doors, Windows, and Cabinetry
One of the most common sources of household problems is when things like doors, windows, and cabinetry get old and don’t work as well as they used to. They may be more of an annoyance than a major problem, but most of these issues can be easily fixed.
Doors that stick – According to This Old House, older doors are especially vulnerable to sticking due to changes in the weather. They recommend several different options for fixing this problem, including checking hinges, planing the door, or rehanging it. The right solution will depend on the source of your problem.
Dealing with drafts – Drafty doors and windows can be a problem any time of year. Drafts leave you too hot or cold, while wasting energy and raising your utility bills. Fix those drafts by adding weatherstripping, new door sweeps, or foam tape around windows.
Loose drawer handle – Having a loose handle on a cabinet or drawer is a nuisance, and you can’t always fix it by simply tightening the screw. In this case, an easy fix is to remove the handle and add some washers to the back before screwing it back in place.
Cosmetic Repairs


I’s normal for our homes to start showing wear and tear over time, but many of these cosmetic issues are easy fixes.
Patch a hole – The steps you need to fix a hole in your wall vary depending on whether it’s a small dent, such as a dent made by a doorknob, or a larger hole that needs to be patched. This tutorial from Lowe’s will walk you through the correct steps and tools needed for different situations.
Peeling wallpaper – If you have corners of wallpaper that are peeling, Real Simple recommends using a sheet of paper, covered with wallpaper paste, to get a smooth look when reapplying it. Simply press the peeling wallpaper against the wall with the sheet of paper underneath it, then slide the paper out and smooth any bumps.
Cracked molding – Cracks in molding and baseboards are common in older homes especially, but all it takes is a quick fix to make them look like new. You may need a scraper to remove peeling caulk, and then replace it with a caulking tool and new caulk.
Repair hardwood floors – Even though hardwood floors are made to be durable, any surface that gets foot traffic is prone to issues. Deep scratches take a little more effort than minor surface scratches, but most can be repaired with a little work.
Whether the tasks you tackle are cosmetic or serious, you don’t want to let these problems go. After all, you live in your home, and any problems are likely to get worse if you don’t intervene. Fixing them now will keep your home looking its best and will help you avoid more expensive repairs down the road.
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3 Ways to Settle a Busy Mind

Practicing Mindfulness is not an instant resolution – it becomes a way of life. I really appreciate the 3 Simple Ways…read on…

HT to 

3 Simple Ways to Settle a Busy Mind

When your mind gets crowded with too many thoughts, here are 3 simple ways to find a little mental stillness.

Settling the mind is not the same as silencing the mind. When we settle our mind we put our mental chatter aside—give it a rest, if you will—so that we can be alert, calm, relaxed, and open to the moment at hand. Experiment with these three simple tips for settling the mind and see what you notice.

1) Come into your body
Research shows that there’s an inverse relationship between a busy mind and actually being present in your body. So just take a gentle scan of your body, all the way from your toes to hips to torso, arms, face, and head. Notice if there’s tension anywhere. If there is, just allow that to soften—gently stretch or adjust your body in any way that softens your body. Gentle body scan.

2) Surround yourself with green
If you’re in an office all day or in a concrete area of a big city, see if you can put more greenery around you (greenhouses count if you’re not near a park). Find ways to get out to areas that have more nature. And also, if there’s sunshine, 20 minutes of sunshine is good for a greater resiliency and a greater sense of well-being.

3) Play
Yes, play is not only for kids. Play is a natural antidepressant; play creates resiliency; play helps us integrate learning more. So, find ways to play. It’s healthy for you, it will help make you more focussed, and more productive—whether it’s getting on the ground with kids, or doing things you don’t normally give yourself permission to do, or watching a humorous video. Whatever It is, find more ways to play.

For more on how to settle the mind, try this simple practice.

—

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. is hosting an online course to help people fully integrate mindfulness into their lives in a deep way in order to realize more enduring change. The in-depth 6-month online course called A Course in Mindful Living  runs in January 2017. Sign up now to join a community of people growing in confidence, calm, compassion and a life you love.

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8 Tips for Winter and Holiday Preparation

Gift box
Holiday gift box

 

 

 

1. Focus on public rooms, common rooms: kitchen, living room, entertainment room, entryway, guest bath and the one used the most.

2. Prepare the kitchen for holiday cooking. Clean and organize kitchen cabinets, paying major attention to cooking supplies, ingredients, pans and equipment.

3. Clear kitchen counters of all appliances and STUFF not used within the last week. Clear counters and provide more room for holiday cooking.

4. Wash light-diffusing bowls from light fixtures.

5. Check dryer exhaust tube and vent for built-up lint, debris or birds’ nests! Make sure the exterior vent door closes tightly when not in use.

6. Schedule fall furnace inspections.

7. Clean electronic and heating vents and elements monthly for most efficient operation. Wash them in an empty dishwasher or with a strong spray nossle in your tub or wash bin. Size will depend.

8. Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned if necessary.

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10 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health

 

“The topic is broad enough to expand into dozens of articles, so this top 10 list tackles only some of the most staggering results of studies and surveys pertaining to social media. Chances are, if you’re reading this you participate in social media in some way or another, so next time you go to check your Facebook, retweet an interesting link, or choose an Instagram filter for a selfie, think about the ways your brain is processing the seemingly endless stream of information it is taking in.”     

HT to Caitlin Probst

1. Social media is addictive.

Studies show that 63% of Americans log on to Facebook daily, and 40% log on multiple times each day. People use the site for myriad reasons; however, it usually serves, on some level, the same basic purposes: distraction and boredom relief. “Likes” and comments are positive reinforcement for posting information, making it difficult for a person to stop. Researchers have found this so common that they created a scale to measure this addiction: The Berge Facebook Addiction Scale.

2. Social media makes us compare our lives with others’.

Posts on social media many times present an idealized version of what’s happening, what something looks like, or how things are going. This can lead users to constantly compare themselves to others and think less of their own lives. If things are going particularly well for people in your newsfeed and you’re having a rough day, of course this will likely negatively affect your mood. In fact, in 2012 a team of researchers in the UK surveyed users, 53% of whom said social media had changed their behavior; 51% said it was negative behavior because of decline in confidence they felt due to unfair comparisons to others.

3. Social media makes us restless.

Out of the same sample as the above example, two-thirds admitted to having difficultly relaxing when unable to use their social media accounts.

4. Social media gives rise to cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is an enormous concern, especially for adolescents. An organization that aims for internet safety, called Enough is Enough, conducted a survey that found 95% of teenagers who use social media have witnessed cyberbullying, and 33% have been victims themselves.

Where social media aggression happens

CDC data

5. Social media glamorizes drug and alcohol use.

A study that explored the relationship between teenagers, social media, and drug use found that 70% of teenagers ages 12 to 17 use social media, and that those who interact with it on a daily basis are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana. In addition, 40% admitted they had been exposed to pictures of people under the influence via social media, suggesting correlation between the two factors. Although a correlation is all it is, it makes sense that social media would amp up the amount of peer pressure to which teenagers are exposed.

6. Social media can make us unhappy.

A study from the University of Michigan collected data about Facebook users and how it correlated with their moods. Simply put, they found that the more avid users were overall more unhappy than those who used the site less. Over more time, avid users also reported lower satisfaction in their lives overall.

7. Social media can lead to fear of missing out, aka FOMO.

Fear of missing out is a phenomenon that occurs when you feel pressure to be doing what everyone else is doing, attend every event, and share every life experience. It can evoke anxiety and cause social media users to question why everyone is “having fun without them.” Surveys have even found that people feel insecure after using Pinterest because they feel that they aren’t crafty or creative enough. Facebook and Twitter can make people feel like they aren’t successful or smart enough.

8. Social media often leads to multitasking.

How many tabs do you have open right now? How are you even concentrating on one thing? The thing is, you’re probably not – especially if one of those tabs is a social media site. Research has shown that our brains don’t have the capacity to fully focus our attention on two things at once, and instead multitasking causes our brain to quickly switch from one task to another. This hinders information processing and productivity. Closing out your Twitter feed can seriously help you get some work done.

Social media isn’t all about selfie-taking narcissists, cyberbullies, and killing productivity. When used in moderation with the right intentions, it really can achieve what it was first set out to do: connect people. Which brings us to…

9. Social media enhances our connectivity.

A paper linking social media usage to the Freudian ideas of the id, ego, and super-ego cites many examples of positive psychological effects of social media. Perhaps one of the most important points is that social media doesn’t necessarily take us out of the real world. It can instead be used to revive and preserve relationships with other people. Even more exciting about this technological world is that there is an incredible number of like-minded people who can connect in just one click. Research presented in the journal The British Psychological Society found that students who experience low self-esteem can take advantage of social media and its capability to bond them with others in order to pull themselves up from slumps in their mood.

10. Social media can help with socialization.

Research presented at the 119th annual American Psychological Association found that introverted adolescents can actually gain social skills by using social media. In part, this is because shy individuals may feel safer behind a computer screen (or smartphone, or tablet, or… well, you get the idea…it’s everywhere). Dr. Larry D. Rosen, who presented the information, also stated that teens were becoming very good at virtually expressing empathy towards others.

History of Psychology series. Previous post: The Stanford Prison Experiment

Sources

Academia.edu. Psychological impact of social networking sites: A psychological theory
iVillage. 10 (good and bad) ways social media affects your mental health
Medial News Today. Social media: How does it really affect our mental health and well-being?
Science Daily. Social networking’s good and bad impact on kids

Photo credit: Multitasking by Sorosh Tavakoli [CC-BY-2.0]

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ADHD or not ADHD?

 

frustrated-at-computerAs a Professional Organizer, I work with a lot of different flavors of people. It seems that almost all of my clients or new clients say that they have ADHD or ADD. I ask them if they were diagnosed. It’s amazing how many of them answer “yes” and have self-diagnosed themselves and not been diagnosed by a professional. In this media saturated society and with the omnipotent pressure by media and society to “Be all that you can be”, we are simply – overwhelmed. “Overwhelmed” is the word that I constantly hear from clients, friends, family and associates. Organization of the mind (Mind Organizing) plays a key role in helping to ease this anxiety and focus challenge.

Below are some questions from the World Health Organization that may help you see if you actually do have ADHD.

ADHD or OBLT? (Overwhelmed By Life Today)

 

If you answer Often or Very Often (on a ranking scale of Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often or Very Often) to four or more of the following questions, it may be beneficial to consult with a health professional to see if you have ADHD. In the last six months….

 

  1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project once the challenging parts have been done? (never/rarely/sometimes/often/very often)

 

  1. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?

 

  1. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?

 

  1. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?

 

  1. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit for a long time?

 

  1. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

 

Source: World Health Organization

 

I recommend reading some of my past posts. Here is one to get started  à

http://q3r.4aa.myftpupload.com/transitioning-fall-organizing-tips/

Let me know what you think. I offer a free phone or Skype consult.

 

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Do I need help Organizing?

before-you-dive-in
Diving in way over your head

Many of my clients over these past years have said that they can organize “It” themselves but that they are simply overwhelmed and can’t seem to make it happen.

They also think that they know how the best way to organize is but then they don’t end up doing it. The next thing you know, years have gone by and an accumulation of “stuff” is still lingering in every room, garage, attic or basement. They also waste a lot of time in their lives looking for things. The average American spends 72 hours per year looking for documents. There is a reason why I became a Professional Organizer. Not only because I had skills in multiple areas of business and trades but because I wanted to help individuals and families delete chaos from their homes and in their minds.

Life can be stressful enough. I always say, “When you are sick and not getting better, you go to the doctor.”. Sure, we all “could do” or have talent to do many things but the reality is that we may not have the skills and expertise or education to suddenly become a botanist or computer guru. That’s why we look for professional help. You know those people who have multiple problems in their lives with their emotions or psychologically and they say, “I can figure it out myself. I don’t need help.”? Well, usually, they don’t get counseling and then repeat the same behaviors and patterns of thinking and become recidivist-like in their own.

Does this sounds familiar to you? Feel free to write or fill out the form on this site. kathryn@seattle-organizers.com

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5 Spectacular Reasons to Organize – Anxiety

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anxiety-eyesDo you suffer from anxiety and/or anxiety-depression disorder? Please respond to this post at the email below if you want to participate in a questionnaire and get a free organizing phone consult or via email.

Continue reading “5 Spectacular Reasons to Organize – Anxiety”

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The Distraction Crisis – Mind Organization

Vintage Brain painting
Vintage Brain

In the book “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life: Train Your Brain to Get More Done in Less Time” by Margaret Moore and Paul Hammerness MD, they write of what they call the Distraction Crisis. Phones, computers, driving, media saturation and overall — life in our society. Anxiety and depression disorders have increased tenfold in the past 5 years. I selected some  facts to share with you regarding this topic. This snippet shows  only a fraction of how being disorganized in our minds negatively effects our behaviors. Remember to breathe and be mindful. Take time to take care of your brain and be present in the moment. Mind Organization is the key.

Here are the facts:

“Some other distressing distraction-related statistics:

  • Forty-three percent of Americans categorize themselves as disorganized, and 21 percent have missed vital work deadlines. Nearly half say disorganization causes them to work late at least two times each week.
  • A lack of time management and discipline while working toward [financial] planners’ professional goals contributes to 63 percent of those surveyed facing obstacles regarding their health. There is a direct correlation between too much stress, deteriorating health and poor practice management.
  • Forty-eight percent of Americans feel that their lives have become more stressful in the past five years. About one-half of Americans say that stress has a negative impact on both their personal and professional lives. About one-third (31 percent) of employed adults have difficulty managing work and family responsibilities. And over one third (35 percent) cite jobs interfering with their family or personal time as a significant source of stress.
  • In a Gallup poll, 80 percent of workers said they feel stress on the job, nearly half said they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42 percent said their coworkers need help coping with stress. Job stress can lead to several problems, including illness and injury for employees, as well as higher insurance costs and lost productivity for employers.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 percent of our medical expenditures are now stress-related.5 Seventy percent of employees work beyond scheduled time and on weekends; more than half cited “self-imposed pressure” as the reason.”.

Those facts alone are stressful. Please take a few minutes to ponder how you can alter your behaviors to slow down the constant brain chatter and move into a more peaceful and less chaotic way of being with mind organization. Again, please feel free to send me any of your thoughts. The first 5 people who reply will get a free 1/2 hour Organizing phone or Skype consult.

Kathryn@Seattle-Organizers.com