Archive for the ‘Continuing Education’ Category

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Unique Closet Organizing Trick

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

I am the type of person who wears the same clothes all the time because I grab the same clothes from my closet.  Same clothes, same exact outfit every time I wear it.  Boring!  So even clothes I once liked, I now dislike, because I’ve worn them so many times the exact same way.  Last month we had an awesome teleclass (now available as an audio purchase) called Brand Yourself Through Your Appearance and since then I have wanted to implement what I learned on that call with expert Darcey Howard of LifeStyled.  Yesterday two friends came to my house and we went through everything in my closet.  We did get rid of some stuff that did not support my goals and style, but the best part was that we created about 50 new outfits from my existing wardrobe.  I am not kidding.  One pair of pants, I thought didn’t match anything in my closet, goes with almost every shirt I own.  It was amazing! 

It was one of the most fun days ever.  We went through all my clothes, drank wine, laughed and just had fun.  My husband is thrilled because now I don’t have to bother him every morning asking him how the same old outfit looks.  As if it looks any different than the 30 times prior I’ve worn it.  I have a few things I need to buy to complete the wardrobe, but I now with them help of our teleclass and my friends, I know how to put clothes together in a whole new way. 

Additionally, they taught me a little trick that is pretty helpful.  Since I always gravitate to the same item, they said instead of organizing my closet by clothing type and then color to only organize it by color.  So now all my black clothes, or brown or red, or blue, or whatever color are in one place regardless of whether they are a shirt, skirt, jacket or pants.  So the next time to go grab the same blue shirt I wear all the time, I will see the other 10 blue shirts with it and the pants opening my mind to many more outfits.  Its a pretty good idea.

So if you find yourself saying you have nothing to wear, give our teleclass a listen and apply what you learn to your closet.   Darcey says, “If you are your own brand then your wardrobe is your logo.”  Best part, as an organizer, using what you learn on this call you can help them project the image they want to portray and use this class as a CEU.

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Posted in Continuing Education, Marketing, Teleclasses | 1 Comment »

What Does Your Appearance Say About You?

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

“Tired. Worn out. Out of date. Drab. Does this sound like your wardrobe?    How many times have you looked at your closet said, “I’ve got nothing to wear!”  I say it all the time, in fact I go through waves of hating all the clothes in my closet.  And then I contact my good friend and style expert, Darcey Howard of Lifestyled to come to my rescue. 

Style Expert, Darcey Howard

Whether you are dressing for a new consultation, a networking event, a date or taking your kids to the park, to create great style, and make the right choices for you, there  has to be a connection between identity and image.   

Attend our next live teleclass with Personal Style Expert, Darcey Howard of Lifestyled and we’ll help you bridge the gap between how you feel and how you look.  Don’t worry. This isn’t about bright orange suits, $3,000 hand bags or dresses that require tape to stay on.  LifeStyled is about you, your own personal style, the life you want to lead and how you want to wear it.   The facts are you have about 6 seconds to make an impression so from calm and casual, to slick and stylish, to professional and powerful, we’ll teach you how to identify the personal style that plays to your strengths, increase your self confidence and make you feel like the person you’ve always wanted to be.

On the call, we will talk about how todevelop your own style, how to create a fantastic capsule wardrobe you can grow from and share some do’s and don’t of the pros.  Best part, as a professional organizer, many of us work with clients on closet organizing project so you can share what you learn on our call with your clients.  How many clients have held up a sweater with shoulder pads and said, “Is this out of style?”   Using what you learn on this call you can help them project the image they want to portray and use this class, called Brand Yourself Through Your Appearance, as a CEU.   Click here for more information and to register for this April 5th class. 

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Managing Client Expectations

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Very excited that our March 1 continuing education call will be called Managing Client Expectations.  Stay tuned to register for this amazing call withexpert organizer Mindy Godding, of My Space Matters.

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Keep Paper Organizing Simple

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Paper from bills driving you crazy? What’s most important is to keep paper organizing simple and to be consistent.  Here is a simple tip to manage all the paper.  Get an accordion file labeled January thru December. Pay your bills and place the bill only (not the envelope or advertising) in the month paid. You are all set come tax time. At the end of the year, if you don’t need it for taxes, toss it!

To set up a paper filing system in your home or office, we recommend FreedomFiler.  Its the best paper organizing system we’ve found and we’ve used it with hundreds of clients. 

For more help Conquering Paper Clutter, attend our next teleclass on February 17th.  As a follow-up to our January call called Helping Clients Manage The Paper Crisis (available to download on our website,) we want to have a more specific class on paper that tends to cover the desktop, the dining table and kitchen counter.  We call this action paper and there are so many different ways to help your clients deal with their action paper.  Join us on our continuing education call, where we will we will take you through a step by step process to create action files that will Conquer Your Clients Paper Clutter forever.

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Knowing What Paper To Toss

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

The only way to keep paper under control is to let go of anything that is not needed or you will not use.  If you’re not sure if you’ll use it, think about your habits and if you’ve used something in the past.  Like coupons for example, if you have never used a coupon then why are you keeping the ValPak each week?   Every situation is different, so confirm with your accountant regarding your vital or tax papers, but here is a general list of paper you can let go of:

  • Toss ATM, bank deposit slips and receipts for everyday and minor purchases after you’ve checked them against your bank statement. 
  • Product solicitations for things you aren’t ready to buy.
  • Old magazines, books, and articles you haven’t referred to in the last twelve months.
  • Old research materials and literature.
  • Duplicates of documents.
  • Previous drafts of letters and proposals.
  • Information you already know.
  • Business stationery you no longer use.  (Keep one or two sheets in a history file and toss the rest.)
  • Early drafts of creative writing (unless you really do refer back to them).
  • Newspapers.  If they are more than a week old, they are ancient history.
  • Junk mail.
  • Expired coupons.
  • Coupons you won’t use.
  • Outdated schedules or planners.
  • Old greeting cards (unless they contain a very special message, select your absolute favorites).
  • Invitations to past events.
  • Expired warranties and service contracts.
  • Instructions for items you no longer own.
  • Expired insurance policies.
  • Investment and banking brochures that are available online.
  • Business cards from people whose names you don’t recognize.
  • Old tourist brochures from past vacations.
  • Road maps you haven’t referred to in ten years.
  • Solicitations from charities you don’t intend to give to.
  • Recipes you haven’t tried in three years.
  • College notebooks and textbooks.  (If you can’t part with them all, keep a box of your best papers and reports and let the rest go.)

*  A Red Bench is not responsible to lost, misplaced or discarded information.   

Want some additional help managing your client’s paper piles?  Attend Helping Clients Manage the Paper Crisis, attend our next teleclass on January 27th.  There is still time to Register! 

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Posted in Continuing Education, In The Know-What's Hot In Organizing, Teleclasses | No Comments »

Get Your Clients Actions In Order

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

I love paper and love my files!!!  As an organizer, I am sure you to do.  I am not afraid to say that out loud, but that’s because they are organized and I can find things easily. 

Is This Your Desktop

Over the years, I came to recognize two commom issues with paper: it comes into our homes or offices in droves, and we have no idea what to do with it once it arrives.  Where do you put it?  How long do you keep it?   I get these questions daily.   And what about the computer, wasn’t that supposed to help with paper clutter?  Not really – the computer age has increased paper use by 60% over the last ten years.   

We will be tackling many of these common questions on our next teleclass on January 27, 2010, called Helping Clients Manage the Paper Crisis.  But from now until then, I want to pose a challenge for you and your clients.  Ask them to SORT and TOSS one small pile each night between now and January 27th.   The problem with paper is we don’t know where to start and so we never do.  Start small.  Look at the counter, the dining room table or your desktop.  SORT and TOSS one small pile from one location each night and you will be blown away at how much you can get done. 

If you want to learn more about how to Helping Clients Manage the Paper Crisis, attend our next teleclass on January 27th.  Register now! 

Posted in Continuing Education, Teleclasses | No Comments »

Save Your Clients From Paper Overload

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Many of your clients are drowning in paper and let’s face it: the paperless office is a myth.  Paper continues to be an enormous challenge and it’s our job to help clients understand where all this paper comes from and how to control paper flow in their homes and offices. 
 
A great tool for organizing client paper is theFreedomFiler.   We have been using the FreedomFiler for years and love this fabulous product.  Many of you have seen FreedomFiler at the NAPO Conference, but I am always surprised at how many organizers still have not checked it out. 

Here are some of the benefits:

  • Tax papers are available when needed, year after year.
  • Never have to clean and re-organize your files again; eliminate the need to set up new folders and re-label files each year.
  • Learn to evaluate your paper and assign a home based on how it’s used.
  • Know when to toss paper; no more fear of letting go.
  • Keep a centralized place for family and property records.
  • Color-coding allows for simple retrieval. 

For more paper organizing solutions, attend our next teleclasss on January 27, 2010, called Helping Clients Manage the Paper Crisis. 

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Kicking Off Continuing Education in 2010

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

As a Certified Professional Organizer®, you are required to earn 45 organizing-related continuing education hours over a 3-year period.  As we are approaching the first re-certification for the inaugural exam, we are getting an overwhelming request for continuing education courses.   Therefore, we are tweaking our programming to include Continuing Education in 2010. 

These calls are designed to not only help you run your business and make you a better professional organizer, but also to help you teach and transfer the skills to your clients.   Here is our current schedule:

  • Helping Your Clients Manage The Paper Crisis
  • Reduce Time Spent On Email

Keep in mind in order to receive Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s) you must attend “live” interactive events and A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees as well as an audio recording of the live call.  Depending on your scope of work, the calls may apply towards your continuing education. 

Register at http://www.aredbench.com/calendar.php

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Thank You For A Great Year

Thursday, December 31st, 2009
We hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all the best in the coming year.  It’s hard to believe the year has gone by so quickly, but so much has happened.  We hope you take some time to review your year; what made you happy?  What would you change? 
As we look back at our year, we are thrilled with all we accomplished.  We strive to bring you the best experts we can find on business and organizing-related topics.  Our job is to help you manage your business a little easier.  Here are some of the highlights:
  • We kicked off the year as a finalist in the “Most Valuable Educational Resource” category of the 2009 LA Organizing Awards.
  • We hosted our first booth at the NAPO Conference. 
  • We hosted our first Social Media Event where 8 trailblazers from this new phenomenon shared their tips and tricks on how to make the most of this amazing technology. 
  • We kicked off our Become An Infopreneur Program and have a class of organizers creating their very own information product. 
  • Christa presented, “From Organizer to Infopreneur,” at the POC Conference.
  • Angela was selected as a panelist for the 2010 NAPO Conference “Ask The Organizers” Panel. 
  • We were once again nominated in the “Most Valuable Educational Resource” category of the 2010 LA Organizing Awards.
What a year!  Sure, there are things we would change, but overall we are pleased.  We want to thank you for all your support.  We love working with you and look forward to what may come in the new year! 
Happy New Year!

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Posted in Continuing Education, Grow Your Business | 1 Comment »

Happy Holidays From A Red Bench

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

As 2009 comes to a close we would like to thank you for your support over the past year. The year has posed some ups and downs, but we are glad to work through it together.  We look forward to providing you with continued educational services and products in 2010. 
 
We wish health, happiness and prosperity to you and your families this holiday season and throughout the New Year. Thank you for for the opportunity to work with you. 
 
Let’s make 2010 the best year ever!
Christa Wagner & Angela Ploetz

Visit our website for educational tools and resources to grow your business.

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