Make Today Matter Mini Makeover Catalog

Mini #58

15 pages

Tis the season to deck the house and this Mini will walk you through quick, easy and economical ideas to create a winter wonderland.

Within this Mini we will look at:

• 6 ideas for Creating Holiday Centerpieces
• Cornerstones of Holiday Decorating
• 4 simple necessities to add a festive touch
• Christmas Cards as Decoration
• Garlands Galore: 10 Creative Ideas
• Often Overlooked Decorating Ideas: Sounds & Scents
• Pomanders
• Advent Wreath Tradition
• Christmas Crackers

The Mini includes additional links and resources for celebrating the season!Adapted from the 10 Weeks of Christmas Course

Mini #59
7 pages

If you are drowning in magazines or have piles of magazines you think you might need “someday” then this Mini is for you. In this seven page Mini we work step by step through creating a personal reference system to transform piles of magazines into efficient reference tools.

The Mini begins with a challenge to sort your magazines into three categories and then guides you through how to process each of these of categories to create a customized system for managing what was once a paper pile.

Adapted from Everyday Paper Piles and Paper Piles & Files

Mini #57
Includes Reality Routine worksheet
Please note this Mini will not be available until November 7, 2008.

Recently I have had quite a few conversations with women about their Master Task Lists. I found that many women assumed I followed my Master Task List to a tee.  In one conversation I began explaining that the Weekly list is what is most important to me and receives 90 percent of my energy. The 2x a month tasks, monthly tasks, and quarterly tasks are all those I hope to get to (and often do) but they are not my focus. By focusing on a solid weekly routine the longer term tasks tend to be much more easy to manage because my life is managed. I may not get everything done, but I get what is most important done.

Then there are the times when life goes haywire. The unexpected trip, or unexpected guests. The overtime at work or the problem with a close family member.  The unexpected illness or the emotional rollercoaster. During these times a solid weekly routine is one tool that can help us keep our sanity and stay above the chaos.

This Mini takes you step by step through building your weekly “Reality Routine.” This is not a routine based on everything you WANT to do, but based on the “anchors” that help you stay sane, maintain balance, and feel good about home and self. By the end of this Mini you will have created a solid routine and run it through the reality test.

Mini #049

13 pages
Includes Nightly Reflection Checklist

Early on in the Toolbox we cover the importance of a Good Morning. Thousands of women have seen the Good Morning practice change the course of their days. The Nightly Reflection is the partner of the Good Morning. It provides a way to “wrap up each day and be done with it” as Emerson says.
.A Nightly Reflection allows a person to recap, release stress, and give thanks for the day while also preparing for the day ahead. However mastering the Nightly Reflection isn’t always easy because:

• It is unfamiliar
• Many of us are tired at the end of a day!

In this Mini we are going to work step-by-step through the process of Mastering the Nightly Reflection so you can confidently implement this practice to decrease to stress and find more joy in each day.

Mini-Makeover #41

If you are among the ten percent of women that are not serial-cosmetic purchasers, you can skip this Mini-Makeover. However, if you own more than ten lipsticks, consider this Mini.  (Or if you own more than three eye-shadow compacts and one has blue eyeshadow or is ten years old or older.)

Many women are drawn to cosmetics like a magnet. Before we know it, we are buried in every possible color, brand, shade, and option. Good makeup and skincare can make us feel  wonderful. The wrong makeup and skin care can have the exact opposite effect. n this Mini-Makeover we work through our cosmetic stations to refine and purge and create sets of complimentary colors that leave us feeling beautiful. We will work step-by-step through the following:

• The Big Sort: Getting A Grip on Your Stockpile
• Makeup Gone Bad: Learn how long items “keep” before becoming ineffective or bacteria-carriers
• Color me beautiful: Learn which colors compliment your skin tone, eyes, and features
• A Fantastic Face: Assemble “kits” for different looks - day, night, warm, cool
• The Purge: A step-by-step plan for working through all the miscellaneous makeup
• Five-Minute Beauty: My five minute make-up routine

Mini Makeover #037
Includes a master task list template for bedroom and bath

In the Make Today Matter Toolbox we learned how to use the Housework Helpers Worksheet to divide routine maintenance tasks into small components that could be realistically completed. The Master-Task-List series works step-by-step through making a Master Task List for a specific area of the home together.

For each room we explore you will receive a template of tasks to consider including on your routines list. There will be plenty of prompts to share cleaning tips, questions, and your own list items. By working through this process together, and focusing on one room at a time, we can ensure we have a comprehensive and complete list by the end of the Mini.

Mini Makeover #36

Clutter, whether emotional or physical, is the number one robber of simplicity. Clutter robs peace and leaves anxiety and maintenance in its wake. In this Mini-Makeover we work through five exercises and activities to understand why we collect clutter, the true cost of clutter (on both our time and our wallet), and accomplish the simplification goal Hans Hoffman offered: “To simply means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak.”

Mini #033
6 pages
Includes Kitchen Master Task Worksheet

In the Make Today Matter Toolbox we learned how to use the Housework Helpers Worksheet to divide routine maintenance tasks into small components that could be realistically completed. This Mini is the first of several in the Master-Task-List series where we will walk through making a Master Task List for a specific area of the home together.

For each room we explore you will receive a template of tasks to consider including on your routines list. There will be plenty of prompts to share cleaning tips, questions, and your own list items. By working through this process together, and focusing on one room at a time, we can ensure we have a comprehensive and complete list by the end of the Mini.

Mini Number #021

“Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest.”-Peace Pilgrim

Physical cutter can rob your time, your wallet and your energy. Clutter takes up free space in which energy could otherwise roam. In this Mini we explore the true cost of clutter and embark on a de-cluttering challenge. Includes access for the month to an open sprint room where you can arrange to meet with others working on this Mini to “de-clutter.”

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Mini Number #13

How many times have you arrived home only to realize something you intended to pick up or do was forgotten during the day? With packed schedules and filled minds, multitasking throughout the day is difficult at best.

Implementing the strategies in the Errand Express Mini can eliminate spinning your wheels, wasted time, endless family requests for “one little favor,” in addition to saving money, reducing stress, and allowing the focus needed to get the job done versus always feeling like something has been forgotten. This Mini includes step-by-step instructions for setting up the Errand Express in your home and tips and guidelines for getting the family on board.

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Mini Number # 007

Most women carry at least one bag, tote, briefcase, or purse. A well-packed handbag is more than an accessory; it is a command post that can help us stay organized, efficient, and sane. Giving your bag a functionality check and makeover can help you be well-prepared in any situation. With proper setup you can avoid uttering “I know it’s in here somewhere…” while engaging in the eternal search for parking meter change, a pen, Advil, or lip balm. 

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Mini Number 004
This month’ Chaos and Clutter Clearing is geared toward one of the most common clutter sources in the home—our closet. It is simply amazing how much time we spend putting on and taking off clothing and searching for a missing item of clothing or a match. Then there are all the other wardrobe maintenance tasks…. running errands to dry clean or mend, ironing, pre-soaking, taking something off in frustration and then adding it to a pile we will later have to fold. Since dressing is something we do daily, it makes logical sense to simplify, manage, and create a solid routine. Without a solid routine the simple task becomes a source of stress and lost-time. Wardrobe organization also plays a big role in the Good Morning routine. Who wants to begin their morning by putting on an outfit and deciding: I don’t like how this looks! This Mini-Makeover is divided into four sections and the suggested pacing is one section per week. The amount of time it takes will differ greatly with each person’s wardrobe.
Recommended for the following life areas: Housework Maintenance