Heather K Powers

Wrangling Donation Resources

January 25, 2018 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Tips & Resources, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Wrangling donation resources can feel like a huge hassle. Getting organized isn’t just about purging but it certainly helps to motivate us when we know the stuff we no longer need is going someplace it is needed and will be loved.

For some people getting stuff out of the house as soon as a decision is made to part with it is essential (lest you dive back into your own give away bin to take stuff back out!).Have a plan for when and where you want to haul your donations before you begin so they don’t sit around your home or car, tempting you to keep things.

So that you don’t fall into that trap I want to share some of my favorite convenient resources for donations. Some of these are local to the region I live and work in, some are national (with local or virtual options).

Choosing who to donate to…

This can be a challenge for some people, others really don’t care as long as it’s GONE! Some considerations to keep in mind when donating to any non-profit.

Will my donation end up in the hands of someone who can actually use it?
How much $ goes directly to the charity versus overhead/operations?
What are the causes I feel passionate about (pets, homeless, children, housing etc)?

With the above in mind here are some Donation resources for you to consider, the important thing is to make a connection between your passions and those in need. Think creatively and determine where your goods will do the most GOOD!

National: Donation Town, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Fema and Purple Heart

Pet Causes: ASPCA Local Shelters, Pet Consignments like Animal Helpers ReTail here in Charleston (proceeds split between two shelters)

Other Special Causes: Local Homeless Shelters like 180 Place here in Charleston, Schools and Teachers Supply Closet in Charleston (specific teachers or counties offer school drives), Libraries & their book sales, Orphanages like Low Country Orphan Relief here in Charleston, various Churches, Missions and other community or spiritual centers.

When possible, take a picture and list “In Kind” items being donated if you would like to write them off for tax purposes. It’s important to include your full name and contact info, the date and a clear description of each item and the condition they are in. More information about donation receipts can be found here.

It is ultimately up to the donor (you) to assign a dollar value to your donation.

You can determine basic values for clothing and household items using this simple Donation Calculator spreadsheet, or there are programs that will help you do this and include the deductions in your annual tax filing.

When you are ready to donate items, where are your favorite places to go? Do a little homework for national organizations at Charity Navigator so that you can be sure your efforts are gong directly where you hope!

WOTY 2018 Fearless

January 1, 2018 by Heather Filed Under: Productivity, Wellness & Mindset 2 Comments

You might be reading this title and thinking what the heck does WOTY 2018 Fearless even mean? I’ll back up a minute and share more about the idea of the Word of the Year (or WOTY)…I began this practice years ago and over the last year I have embraced Acceptance.

This past year has taught me a lot about what it means to find self acceptance. I’ve come to terms with some of my deepest wounds, released some of my self judgement and worked to become more accepting of myself and others. Each year as I select a word (or a word selects me) I choose to embark on a process of discovery about how that word affects me, my relationships, my business, my mindset and more. This year I selected my word on my birthday (November 1) and was resoundingly reassured of this choice through the repeated symbol of the Shark. I found a very large Shark’s tooth on the beach while taking a walk on my birthday and shark has continued to show up in mysterious ways since then…including in an Animal Oracle reading I did with spirit animal cards (also on my birthday:).

Here are some of the my past WOTY’s over the years…you can read more about each year’s word here. I’ve been asked how I come up with the words I select, it’s a process of discovery and it’s become more intuitive over the years. Some people also use different terms, like One Little Word or Core Desired Feelings. As each word becomes a part of my life for a year, I don’t just leave them behind at the end of the year. I continue to deepen my relationship with each feeling and word over time even after the year with that word has ended. Each word I select becomes like a member of my family!

I’ve found more Clarity (2011)-the year I redirected my career and became an organizer.
I’ve learned to Soar (2012), as we embarked on moving to a new city and leaving the past (‘Sore’ness) behind.
I’ve chosen to see myself as Radiant (2013), as I began to show up and be more visible in my community and my business.
I’ve become more Playful (2014), despite challenges and obstacles we can always find fun:)
I’ve discovered I always have a Choice (2015), especially in how I respond and react to life’s circumstances.
I’ve found Harmony (2016) in the true sense of knowing that sometimes it comes with dissonance.
I’m more Accepting (2017) of myself, my mistakes, my vast gifts-which I am learning to embrace and I am learning to be more accepting of others!

In 2018, the word I am embracing and hoping to embody in a more dynamic way is Fearless! To help me embrace a better understanding of fearlessness I used the Thinkmap tool (Visual Thesaurus)…so in becoming fearless I will be Audacious, Brave, Dauntless, Hardy, Intrepid, Unfearing and Unafraid (at times)! I would add that there must be a healthy sense of Adventure, a deep sense of Trust or Faith that all will turn out as it should and an ability to embrace Change.

Each Year when I select a word, or the word selects me! I discover a deeper understanding of that word in my life in ways I could not have imagined! For example, when I choose the word Soar, little did I know I would also be finding a deeper understanding of the same word, spelled quite differently with a totally different meaning. I learned to Soar about the Soreness of loosing beloved pets! I have had to find acceptance of more this year than I could ever have anticipated, with our current political environment there are so many people with ideas other than our own that we MUST learn to accept (or become further divided).

So each year as I carefully ponder what my word will be, there is a sense of excitement and a bit of trepedation…but this year I’m taking a big LEAP of faith and choosing to be (come) more Fearless than ever! Will I jump out of planes, walk on hot coals, learn to surf, speak in front of vast crowds, get a tatoo or eat strange foods? Who knows, you’ll just have to follow along to discover along with me how to become more fearless! No doubt I will still have many fears at then end of 2018 but it’s about the journey of discovery and what I learn about myself along the way…

Do you choose a word for the year? If not, do you have another practice that is part of your New Year ritual?

PS…I don’t do resolutions, do you?

Life had other plans for the end of 2017…

December 29, 2017 by Heather Filed Under: Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Well folks, here we are at the tail end of the year! I had planned to be in full on vacation mode but life had other plans for me this week. It’s been a week of vacation and technology fail:( I had big plans for how I was going to wrap up 2017, with lots of planning, blog writing, relaxation etc…

I had a big technology fail…ughh! It could have been worse but it’s frustrating as you can imagine. I’ve blogged about different planner systems in the past and have recently brought on an assistant so I knew that my old paper planner system would no longer work for a team. I embraced (maybe a bit reluctantly?) a new system but this week it failed me and I thought this might be an opportunity to share how this makes me feel.

I often ask clients to try to adopt a new system and it can be hard, annoying, frustrating-EXASPERATING! There are moments where we feel we are getting the hang of something new and BOOM, something happens and we just want to go back to that sweet spot of how it use to be.

Once we embrace the growth process there is no going back, there’s only learning, improving and moving forward in a new direction.

This is what I discovered when my new system failed. I learned that I made a simple mistake that can be avoided next time. I learned that I have to plan for the unexpected, because it always happens! When this happens at an otherwise stressful time of life it can be doubly challenging. When life throws you a curveball, how do you respond?

As I sat here writing this post I got an email from a friend about a big change that she didn’t expect. I witnessed how she chose to respond, in transparency, in gratitued and in grace. I’m certain she has had moments of anger, frustration, fear, sadness and more but…

When we are forced or fearless enough to leap, sometimes we land in places greater than we ever expected!

I choose to respond by putting people above my frustrations, doing what I could then walking away and enjoying company. I knew I would eventually piece what I needed back together, despite the embarrassment (because, yes…it involved my client scheduling!!). I choose to respond as much as possible with grace and calm. Don’t get me wrong, I had my moment of freak out but I kept it to myself, until now…I’m bearing my soul here, sharing that even Organizers are far from perfect, we need help at times and we all make mistakes, especially as we are growing!

As my business grows I’m sure, in fact I HOPE I’ll make many more mistakes! The most important lesson is how I choose to respond, not what happened or how I can avoid or fix it next time.

Can you share a time where learning something new created frustration, fear or a sense of failure as you worked through the growing pains of change?

Halt for JOY

December 16, 2017 by Heather Filed Under: Productivity, Wellness & Mindset 2 Comments

Oh boy am I in need of a screeching halt in the midst of all this holiday merriment and festivities! I confess that I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, not able to do much planning, goal setting, blogging, not taking my own advice so far this season. Mostly this is because my business is in a growth stage and that is so WONDERFUL!

But, when I’ve said I’m going to blog, I don’t want to let anyone down by not blogging, I want the gifts I give to be thoughtful, I want to say YES to every invitation, you get it right?

Honestly though in the midst of frenzy, last week I spent an entire day working with a coach, business mentor, public speaker, former professional organizer, lawyer and writer on planning and understanding where my business is now and where I want to be headed. Lisa Montanaro really helped put things in perspective for me and though I am feeling like the ever busy bee with no end in sight I also know I have a PLAN, I know where I am and I know where I want to go and I’ve begun to implement changes to reach that goal. Stopping right in the middle of my busy business activities was exactly what I needed to bring the JOY back into my business, so I don’t burn out, so I remember why I’m working so hard!

Have you ever experienced that feeling of shift, that leveling up (my coach calls it Upleveling) that happens when you spend time getting clear about what you want?

When you make a commitment to something, things just fall into place!

One of the most important principles that she helped me see in a different way, that I use regularly with my clients and was able to apply to my business in a new way is the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule…When we can let go of the “bottom” 20% of anything we create space for something new and better to move into that void. It’s just amazing to witness how this can happen so quickly.

This principle can be applied in so many ways, to our time management techniques…

Who and how are you spending your time? Are the people and tasks you are spending time with the most valuable?
What are you filling your space with (home/business/art studio or whatever!? Surround yourself with only the BEST!
What are you spending your $$$ on?

There are so many ways you can apply the Pareto Principle in daily life, in goal setting, time management and more.

Today, I decided to bring life to a screeching halt for JOY.

By letting go of a few things, like perfection, disappointing others, a rigorous self imposed blog schedule…to create space for enJOYment in the season.

What do you need to let go of at this time of year so that you can have more JOY in the season?

Amazing Storage Hacks from A to Z

October 13, 2017 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

When I look for storage solutions to organize projects, I love to explore my clients’ homes to see where we can utilize storage hacks from A to Z. This might mean creative reuse or DIY solutions to make the best of their belongings. Storage is not just about the container; it’s really about knowing what you need to store before you start creating a storage solution. Storage is not the first step in the process of getting organized; it’s the next-to-last step (followed by maintenance).

With a bit of planning and gathering, you can have fun, stylish, and inexpensive storage using supplies you already have or can purchase inexpensively.

Here are some Amazing Storage Hacks from A to Z, found on Pinterest.

Use hooks and other hanging hacks for so much more than you imagined, including your pants, kitchen utensils, sports gear, shoes, and more!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417779302924931797/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93238654768372833/

More Storage Hacks from A to Z…Magazine Holders and Magnets are a marvelous thing! Use magazine holders for food, water bottles, gift wrap, office supplies and so much more!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/43347215135092470/

Attach magnets to millions of small things to keep them conveniently in place!

Finally Zip ties are your friend! Get to know the zillion things you can use them for!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AQKYCbE-JMgLUvTG1_2sRzXoSOBo5r0sE9Z5_EeXC4jNdkm19ZODny0/

To see more amazing storage hacks from A to Z with more ideas I’ve collected (and am constantly adding to), check out my Pinterest ‘Storage’ board and follow along. If you love creative reuse, check out this past post on clever DIY Storage solutions.