Friday, May 15, 2015

Organize Your Life




Life can be so hectic these days, so hectic that everything feels messy and it’s like everything’s happening all at once. But that’s just not the case.
It’s time we all admit that we need help in organizing our lives. It’s going to be a chore to do all this, but staying organized makes life easier in the long run. Just think about how easy it’ll be to find stuff you need and avoid last minute hassles. Here are few tips that’ll show you how to organize your life at home, work and everything in between.

1. Write Everything Down And Don’t Rely On Your Memory

We can all agree most of us have a tough time remembering things. If you want to remember things, put it in writing, or in a digital notebook like Evernote or Google keep
Keeping your to-do, lists and other information written somewhere allows you to look back at it anytime, even when you’ve hit your head and forgotten your own name.

2. Make Back-Ups of Everything

Back up your computer files and have duplicates made for your car and home keys. Scan your IDs, passports and bank details, too then put it all in a secured folder in your computer. Keep the original and photocopies of your financial records, birth certificates, land titles and insurance in one folder, preferably tucked away in a safe.

3. Practice Mise En Place (Putting In Place)


Chefs are extremely organized people, in and out of the kitchen. Their secret? They have a place for everything. They sort out their clothes, wrapping paper, crafts, cleaning materials, basically everything, and keep them in labeled containers or closets at home. In the kitchen, they’re trained to organize their work space well so that their every moved is conserved and they know exactly where all the ingredients are.
Doing this will take time, but after a while you’ll see how easy it is to find what you need when everything in your place has a home.

4. Scan and Back-up Your Photos

Worried about losing the last copy of your childhood photos? Tired of all the bulky picture books in your coffee table? Have the pictures scanned to save space and make sure you don’t lose these precious memories. You can even have them scanned at a local printing shop.

5. Clean Up Regularly

The best way to remain organized is to allot certain hours of day the decluttering and cleaning up. It doesn’t have to be a large chunk of time either, as 15 to 30 minutes a day is enough.

6. Keep The Hotspots Clean


Every house and office has a hotspot for clutter. Usual suspects are the sink, dining table, cubicle, night stand, and bedroom drawers. Take note of these places and tidy them up daily.

7. Get a Money Management App

One downside of being unorganized is overspending your money and relying on credit cards until pay day.
You can easily avoid this by getting a money management app like Quicken or Mint.
Use these apps to record your monthly bills and document your spending.  This way, you can get reminders sent to you before your bill is due so you can deposit money to your account. You can also see how much money you’ve already spent so you’ll know exactly where your money goes and how you can cut back.

8. Recycle And Donate to charity

Is your closet full of unopened bags and clothes that still have their tags on? Is your book shelf full of unread books?
Chances are if you haven’t read, worn, or used whatever it is, then you’re probably not going to use it at all. Donate them to a charity or sell them on ebay.

9. Donate or Throw One Thing Before Buying Something

Try this experiment: before buying one thing, throw out something old or something you don’t use. Or, if you’re a really terrible pack rat, just throw out 1 old thing a day until you can’t find any more items to throw. Do that for a month and I guarantee you’ll have less clutter in your life.

10. Check The Expiration Dates Of Canned Goods And Medicine You’ve Stocked

Expired food, spices, and medicines won’t just taste bad, it’s also bad for your health. Dispose of it immediately to minimize the clutter in your cabinets, and make room for new supplies.

11. Create A Centralized Family or Work Information Center

To keep up with schedules and tasks, you need to coordinate with your family and co-workers.
Use a synchronized calendar app, where every member of your team or family can enter new updates, schedules and tasks that every member can see. Doing this avoids conflicting schedules and keeps everyone informed of each other’s activities and whereabouts. You can also do this using big whiteboards.

12. Create A List Of Your Passwords In A Safe App Or Offline File

Passwords are very important in keeping your privacy and security. Unfortunately, using the same password for everything is bad, while having a lot of different passwords is secure but difficult to remember.
Centralize your passwords and sensitive data using an app that allows you to create one password to secure all your other passwords, like LastPass.

13. Unsubscribe From Unread Email Newsletters, Magazines And Other Subscriptions


If you subscribe to a number of newsletters, blogs and other online publications, but haven’t read a single email from them in 3 months, just unsubscribe. You probably won’t read any of their content, anyway. While you’re at it, unsubscribe from unread magazines, catalogues and junk mail. It’s just a waste of money and space, especially if you don’t read them.

14. Create An Inventory And Don’t Over Stock Supplies

Make an inventory of home cleaning and toiletry supplies, so you don’t run out and don’t overstock either. You might think overstocking is good, but if you don’t have enough storage then all those extra supplies are just wasting your precious space.
The same tip is applicable for office supplies, canned goods and toiletries.

15. Create Daily, Weekly And Monthly Schedules for Cleaning

Organize your cleaning schedule. It’s extremely exhausting to have a “cleaning day” where you clean everything all at once. Distribute tasks evenly, so for example, dish washing could be done daily; while vacuuming could be scheduled weekly and cleaning the windows done monthly.

16. Create a Weekend Bucket List

Keep a list of activities that you want to do, so you can consult this list on boring weekends instead of wasting your time figuring out what to do—or just giving up and watching reruns at home.

Whichever of these tasks you decide to do, remember that you can’t completely organize your life in one go. It’s a long, never-ending process so be patient. Just decide to get organized now then take baby steps until you see some semblance of order in your life. Soon enough, you will be making a habit out of it all.

16. Relax


Find some time every day for prayer say 20min , for self-reflection may be 10min in bed, thinking how was the day, how everything went well and thank for the all the good things  and also little time for our own hobbies (could be a book / song you wished to hear for long)

Monday, May 11, 2015

How to store food properly?





















































Freezer
Let’s start with the obvious stuff: Freezers are for storing frozen things (duh!). Your ice goes in the freezer, as do frozen fruits, veggies, meat, stock, and other items. You can also store a surprising number of other foods in the freezer for later use, such as tortillas, pasta sauce, and even eggs. (Note: You can freeze bread for up to three months, but don’t store it in the fridge or it’ll dry out.) The trick with freezers is to pack foods tightly in their containers and keep things well organized, since this optimizes storage and also saves energy (and moolah on that energy bill). Rather than using glass jars, which can break, freeze foods in stackable plastic containers or in plastic freezer bags laid flat.

Doors
Doors are the warmest part of the fridge and should be reserved for foods that are most resistant to spoiling. Keep condiments, juices, and other foods that can stand up to temperature fluctuations here. (And remember that even condiments have a shelf life). Since fridge doors can get warm (particularly when they're opened often), eggs and dairy shouldn’t go here, even if you guzzle milk straight from the carton all the live-long day. (Although if that’s how you roll, you have bigger bacteria to worry about.)

Upper Shelves
The upper shelves of the fridge have the most consistent temperatures, while the lower shelves are coldest. One pro strategy from restaurant kitchens is to place foods that don’t need to be cooked near the top of the fridge. This includes leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods like tortillas, hummus, and deli meats. Herbs can be kept fresh by placing them upright in a vase or jar with water and loosely covering it with a plastic bag. You’ll also want to keep berries up here for easy access (see the crisper section for more berry info).

Lower Shelves
The lower shelves are your best bet for raw meat, eggs, seafood, and other dairy to be stored at the coldest temperatures. To prevent raw meat’s bacteria from spreading to other areas, assign a particular section of the fridge as your meat locker. Keep meat in its original packaging, and place it on a plate or in and improvised bin that’s cleaned regularly.

Overall: Don’t crowd your shelves too much. Unlike the freezer, the fridge shouldn’t be totally packed. Cold air needs to flow here, and if it can’t, you’ll get inconsistent temps with pockets of heat and warmth. (Lukewarm yogurt, anyone? Didn’t think so.) Leaving a little wiggle room between your leftovers will also help keep down your energy bill.

Crisper Drawers
The purpose of crisper drawers is to maintain moist conditions that help preserve fruits and vegetables. But don’t make the mistake of jumbling all your produce together in a fruit and veg free-for-all. Many fruits, including apples, peaches, plums, pears, and cantaloupes, produce ethylene, a chemical that helps them to ripen. Unfortunately the ethylene produced can also promote ripening in other plants, causing vegetables to go yellow, limp, or even sprout. For this reason, keep veggies in one drawer and fruits in another.


Fruits and veggies should be washed before eating, but too much moisture can cause foods to flip from ripe to rotten before you can get your antioxidants on. The goal is to wash fruits and veggies when it’s convenient, but not so far in advance that they are likely to spoil before you eat them. When washing fruits, remove extra moisture by draining in a colander, blotting with paper towel, or using a salad spinner. Berries are particularly fragile, so handle with care and gobble them within a day or two of washing. (Storing them on the top shelf of the fridge will help with that.) Once washed, put greens and herbs in a plastic bag or container with a square of paper towel to soak up excess moisture and everything else in clean (and preferably clear) containers. Put the containers back in the crisper for longer-term storage or on the top shelf where you’re more likely to see them and eat them up quickly.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

What-are-the-top-three-things-you-do-to-keep-your-life-on-track?


1. I've learned to let go.

Of the past, because I can't change it.
Of a grudge that I was carrying around that was weighing me down.
Of regretting decisions I've made. 
Of judging myself so harshly.
Of worrying about what other people think of me.
Of always doubting myself.

This list could go on and on, but I think I've finally grown up and can accept myself just the way I am.

2. I've stopped comparing myself to other people.

I finally found out that if I wanted to suffer, the best way to do that was to compare myself to other people. I convinced myself "they" had more than I did, were more than I was, looked prettier than I did, were thinner than I was and that their lives were made up of only happiness and joy.
And the best place to compare yourself is Facebook, from what you eat, your relationships,what your house size, what you earn, and finally what snickers brand ? 



3. I choose to be happy instead of angry and bitter.

How is that possible you ask? Life isn't like that. It has ups and downs and it's very hard to be happy when you're in "the down's."

I agree, but instead of being angry at someone, I remembered that when I point my finger at them for their mistakes, there are three pointing back at me.

I always felt stressed. Everyone told me to get more exercise. I did and it worked. I still feel stressed at times, but the feeling is appropriate for the situation. 

I keep myself on track because I remember these five words: 

I let go of the past.

And finally call to action to you viewers .......





Self Respect