From the Hammermill Blog
Jan.25, 2019

​Life can get chaotic, but that doesn’t mean you have to become stressed out when it does. There are a few things you can do when your schedule gets hectic that can help. Keeping lists and creating a routine are just a few things you can do. Read our tips below to help you stay organized when life gets hectic.

Create a Routine:  How we start our days can have a tremendous impact on our lives. For instance, exercising in the morning can boost your mood and get you energized for the day. Staying in bed after your alarm goes off will only bring about frustration and make you feel lazy.
Every morning you can schedule out the tasks you need to complete for the day. Make sure you schedule in time to relax. Otherwise you could end up exhausted and overworked.

 Use Lists:   It’s easy to become forgetful when you have too much going on in your life. Bring a pen and a notepad with you wherever you go, and write down what you need to remember right when you think of it. Another way to keep track of things and stay organized is to find premade lists to help you remember. Be sure to check out our Grocery List Templates.

Say Goodbye to Clutter:  Clutter tends to accumulate when you get busy. Stay organized by making sure everything has a home when it’s not in use. Buying translucent bins and storage boxes will help keep things neat and tidy. Too much to organize and not enough time? A professional organizer can help make things easier by creating a custom organizing system.

Ask for Help When You Need It:  Sometimes there’s just too much to do and you can’t do it all alone. Don’t be afraid to ask a family member or friend for a little help when things get too hectic. Most people will be happy to help, you just have to ask.
We hope our tips help next time your life gets hectic. Be sure to check out our Grocery List Templates a We recommend Hammermill® Copy paper, 20 lb. for printing our Grocery List Templates.

We've all done it!  Halfway through vacation, we start to worry about our overflowing inbox, the meetings we're missing and what will be waiting for us when when we get back to the offic.  Here are a few tips to ease the transition from a walk on the beach back to the daily grind.

1.  Make your vacations a REAL vacation.
Your out-of-office reply is there for a reason!  Don't check you email every day or call in to see what is going on.  Take a break... it'll make you stronger in the long run!

2.  Give yourself a transition day or two.
Rather than coming home the night before you go back to work, give yourself time to run errands, pick up groceries, do laundry and gear up a bit.

3.  Make a plan for your return.
Don't overbook yourself your first couple of days back at work.  Carve out time to go through emails, dig through anything that accumulated on your desk and get back in the groove!  Block out this time on your schedule so you don't get booked for meetings!

The new year is the perfect time for fresh starts, and 2016 is no exception!  Get your office in order with all the best in organization, and update with the latest new products to make work more efficient.

You know the old adage, "Time is money"? An organized office saves both.  When your workspace is filed, labeled and beautifully organized, you know exactly where to look for everything. There's no wasted time digging for those meeting notes from last week or that invoice that was supposed to be paid yesterday.  With the proper organizational tools, there's a place for everything.  Check out the Twist January Work - Life flyer, you'll find lots of ideas you'll want to put to work!  There's new products and technology to help you get more done in less time and make the most of your workday! 

Keeping track of dates and time is important if you want to beat the holiday rush, but equally important is taking advantage of some time saving shortcuts.
​Here are some tips sure to help.
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Addressing Made Easy
You can make short work of long mailing lists by using Avery Address Labels and free easy-to-use programs such as the Avery Wizard for Microsoft® Office or Avery Design & Print Online to create professional looking, custom-printed address labels in minutes. Visit avery.com/templates to find out more.
 
Check Your Zip Codes
Don’t let an incorrect zip code send your mail in the wrong direction. If in doubt, just go to www.usps.com and click on Look up a ZIP Code. Once you’ve got your mailing list in order (with full addresses and correct ZIP Codes) use the Avery Wizard or Avery Design & Print Online and get step-by-step instructions to mail merge your mailing list and print onto labels in minutes. If you don't have a spreadsheet with all of your names and addresses, you can start with our pre-formatted files for Microsoft® Excel or other database programs.
 
Reuse those boxes
Got a used box that would be perfect for something you need to ship, except it has its original shipping labels or other markings all over it? No problem. There’s no need to scratch off the old labels—all you need are Avery Shipping Labels with TrueBlock® Technology and free Avery Templates to format and print the new shipping address. You can also make old boxes look like new by covering up old markings with Avery Brown Kraft Shipping Labels. And because Avery Shipping Labels completely cover up everything underneath, your packages look neat, legible, and professional.
 
Avoid Post Office Lines
Why go to the Post Office when you can calculate and print official USPS postage right from your own PC? You can print postage using popular Avery 5160 Labels and Avery 8160 Labels at www.avery.com/postage, powered by Stamps.com. For new customers, check out the special introductory offer (valued at $100).
 

This blog post was originally posted on the Smead Organamics blog

Coping with holiday stress is a huge concern for many people. Many people try to pack months worth of activities into just 6 short weeks. Most individuals admit to having stress directly related to this time of year. For mental and physical health reasons, coping with holiday stress is very important. In fact, there are four holiday stress-inducers that you can try eliminating to make your holiday season actually feel like a holiday:

1. Doing too much in too little time. It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to do more in the same amount of time. Unfortunately, the holiday season doesn’t grant us any more hours in our days. This year consider putting on hold some of your family’s activities during the holidays in order to accommodate the increases in your schedule. Things like your child’s piano lessons or your book club will easily resume after the holiday.
   
   
2. Having unrealistic expectations. Do you try to address greeting cards, do all your baking and finish up your shopping in just a few days? To quote Dr. Phil: “How’s that workin’ for you?” Instead, start your holiday preparations early. Things such as addressing greeting cards, stocking up on groceries for the holidays or doing the majority of your baking can be done in October or November.
   
   
3. Going into debt. Keep a close eye on those credit cards. Spending money you already have in your checking account will help you avoid additional debt and those January blues that come in the mail in the form of credit card statements.
   
   
4. Sticking to traditions. If truth be told, some traditions bring on stress and aren’t even enjoyable anymore. Maybe this is the year you choose an artificial tree versus cutting one down yourself or maybe you decide to decorate your home with only half the decorations you normally do.
   
   

Strategizing against the causes of stress will bring more order, calm and peace into your day. Just by coping with holiday stress you’ll have more enjoyable memories of the entire holiday season.
By: Audrey Thomas, Certified Professional Organizer®