SPCG December 2012 Checklist

Sorry! Been so busy I forgot to post this!

After a busy month of November, I've taken quite a bit from the month of November in the spirit of Thanksgiving. There's just something about gratefulness for all things - the big and little - that is really nourishing for the soul.

So sorry that I'm posting this late that you might have to do a little cramming for the first few days of December (as will I =_=), but I promise to be more organized for January! I'm excited for December as we walk through the month of preparing for a fresh start next year. Out with the old, in with the new!

Looking forward to the setting of resolutions too! It makes me tremendously excited! :)

This is it.

SPCG DECEMBER 2012 CHECKLIST
Date	Day	Exciting SpringCleanMyLife Task of the day!
1	SAT	Consolidate the cards you have written this week and post them!  (And check them off that list you made on the 24th as they are posted! It'll help keep you motivated to keep writing and finish!)
2	SUN	It’s time to start shopping for your 2013 Calendar or planner refills. Might as well scout around for Christmas presents too.
3	MON	Make a list of the things that you'd like to do before the end of the year and in preparation for the upcoming festivities.
4	TUE	Make your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day plans today (e.g. make dinner bookings and set the date with your friends/loved ones). If you're hosting a Christmas party, remember to send the invites out today! Make sure you include the date, time, venue, directions, dresscode (if any), and anything else your guests need to know (like whether they need to bring food or drinks, or whether there are specific rules like "no-pets" or "no alcohol").
5	WED	Tackle the closets today! Weed out outgrown childrens clothing or clothing that you don't quite like anymore or have not used in the past 6 months. Donate them to a worthwhile charity like the Salvation’s Army.
6	THU	Declutter your emails. Unsubscribe from all the subscriptions that you don't really read/follow. Sort, and delete away everything you don't really need anymore. E-clutter is still clutter!
7	FRI	Finish and mail out all your Christmas cards! You'll be glad once they're all out!
8	SAT	Clean out your vehicle today. Give it a good vacuum and wipe the dashboards down. Maximize your petrol consumption by dropping by the petrol station and get you water, oil, and tires checked too. If you don't have a vehicle, tackle an area in your house you've been wanting to declutter for a while.
9	SUN	It's Hanukkah! Light some candles in your favourite scents around the house and just enjoy a peaceful evening.
10	MON	Check your calendar for any birthdays, anniversaries or special events for 2013 and transfer them into your new calendar/planner.
11	TUE	Go through your personal paperwork at home. Shred all the documents you don't need anymore and sort the rest. Prepare new ones for the new year.
12	WED	Organize the photos and memories that you've taken this year and burn them into a CD. Consider which are the ones you'd like to print out for display or for your personal/family photo album.
13	THU	Finish up your Christmas shopping. You'd be glad you finished early. Print out those pictures whilst you're out.
14	FRI	Unclutter one hot spot in an area guests will see, such as a coffee table, dining room table, kitchen counter top or side table.
15	SAT	If you haven't already, wrap and label any holiday gifts. You'll be glad you started early!
16	SUN	If you're hosting the holidays at your house, make sure you start making food in advance. No stress!
17	MON	Consolidate everything needed to host any celebrations at your house such as extra napkins, desserts, and other food items.
18	TUE	Start thinking about your goals and/or resolutions for 2013. Make sure they are "SMART" goals. Write each of them on an index card. Then sort the cards in order of priority. Remember to come up with the means you need to be able to accomplish them (e.g. If you need to join a gym or find a buddy for motivation to lose weight, make sure you write it down.)
19	WED	Have a random pizza party (no turkey allowed!) and watch your favorite movie.
20	THU	Finish up any homemade gifts (even cookies can be stored for up to 3 months in air-tight conditions). People will appreciate the effort you put into it.
21	FRI	Buffer Day! Do last minute tie ups for the festive season!
22	SAT	Have a holiday celebration with some of your friends. Go out for dinner, or simply for hot chocolate or coffee if you're on a tighter budget this year.
23	SUN	Get in the car with your loved ones and check out all the holiday decorations in town. (Especially along the Orchard Road, Tanglin, and Marina Bay area.)
24	MON	Get out and join a Christmas countdown with friends. Sometimes getting into a jostling jolly crowd can be quite an experience. Alternatively, get out with your significant other and have a private countdown together somewhere.
25	TUE	Merry Christmas! May this day be a very blessed one for you and your family. Spend the day enjoying the people you love. Don't forget those who are far away from home too.
26	WED	Relax! This is the day to do absolutely nothing.
27	THU	Send out thank you emails/SMSes for special gifts you received.
28	FRI	After all your Christmas cooking and baking, give your kitchen counters a good scrubbing.
29	SAT	Do a SpringClean activity of your choice! (Some suggestions: decluttering the computer files, cleaning out some drawers, or tackling the kitchen/bathroom cabinets.)
30	SUN	Sleep early today! You won't be getting as much tomorrow. (Not to mention you have to look your best for the New Year Party! (Or at least just to have the energy to cross over the New Year with loved ones.)
31	MON	Review your new year's resolutions and get ready to follow them starting at midnight. Celebrate for the New Year is almost here!

SPCG November 2012 Checklist!

Finally, I've finished my Springcleangirl Checklists for the rest of the year! 
When developing the checklist, I got some ideas from one of my favourite organizing sites, but I changed it quite a bit as well to make it as culturally relevant for us Singaporeans/Asians with our hectic lifestyles and little time to spare for organizing and springcleaning. I did, however, make an exception this month for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is not quite a festivity we celebrate here in Singapore, nor in most Asian countries, but I thought it over and considering how special this occasion can be for you and your family, I thought to include it into November. The whole spirit of Thanksgiving is that of gratefulness for many things that we have been blessed with. They can be the material things like a job or a housing bid, or very often more so, the non-material special relationships like family and friends. It's a great practice to have at least one time a year where we all just stop and consider all that we have been blessed with. And more so, to tell the people we love how we are blessed by their very presence in our lives (which, being Asians, we can be more hesitant to express on normal days). :) It's coming soon! So prepare your heart for that time. I've even included a suggestion to get your children involved (if you have any) so that you have some memories you can keep too.

Here it is! Do feel free to join me as I continue on my journey to a more organized life! May this list bless you and your family in practical, and special ways. And (I hope) would help create memories which you may not otherwise have made.

SPRINGCLEANGIRL’S
NOVEMBER 2012 CHECKLIST
DATE DAY Exciting SpringCleanMyLife Task of the day! 18 SUN Last minute shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner! To avoid the stress of preparing for the dinner on the weekday, prepare what you can freeze ahead today (including Turkey stuffing and cookie dough). If you don't like to cook, then at least plan what you are going to order in and remind the family to be home! 19 MON Check your closet and choose a nice outfit for yourself for Thanksgiving dinner. Send to those closest to you an 'I’m thankful for you' email/SMS. 20 TUE Give your dining room a little bit of a sweep and wipe to prepare for Thanksgiving. 21 WED Put on some relaxing music and take some time for yourself today. Read a book, journal or, in the spirit of thanksgiving, write a list of things that you’re thankful for and just relish in just how blessed you are. 22 THU It's Thanksgiving! Get the family together for a family meal and talk about what you are thankful for this year. Have your kids write thank you letters to God. Tuck them away in their memory books for years to come.  23 FRI Clean your fridge today. Package and freeze any uneaten leftovers from last night's dinner.  Make a list of your freezer contents and use this to plan upcoming meals. Plan to use most of it up by the end of the year. 24 SAT Make a list (or revise last year’s) of the people you plan to send Christmas cards to. There's nothing like a personal handwritten card! Take out any boxes of new Christmas cards you have (and any Christmas presents you have been buying throughout the year) so you'll know exactly how many you will need to get/make. 25 SUN Go out and get the Christmas cards you need, or consider printing them out from an online template. Spend some time to write a simple personal newsletter about how you have been in the past year that you can slot into the Christmas cards. 26 MON Place a few empty Christmas cards in your handbag or in your car. You never know when you're going to find the time to write one or two. Aim to write a few a day. 27 TUE Drop by the Post Office and get the stamps you need for your cards. :) Say something encouraging to the postmen and women - service people don't get appreciated very often. 28 WED Make a list of the people and the Christmas presents that you will need to get this year. (Tip: Use your Christmas cards list you made on the 24th, or a "Family members" list to help. Also, consider doing something handmade with love this year - I'm personally making boxes of cookies for my entire family.)  29 THU Finish up any online Christmas shopping! Things take time to ship so you'll be glad you started (and finished earlier.) 30 FRI December is almost here! Which means Christmas is coming! Treat yourself to a new CD of music of the holiday season and start putting up your Christmas decor.

Have a wonderful rest of November ahead!
xoxo

closing 2012 well

It's been 3 years since I've last wrote here.

Now, having taken over the running of the family business, life has had even more stuff poured in... now with new areas to straighten out, and new heaps of information to organize. Since working in my office for the past year, I've created new spaces and straightened out quite a bit, but somehow the flow of information and paperwork still hasn't been the most conducive. Especially after over 20 years of documents to straighten out... the task can be really insurmountable, but step by baby step we're slowly getting there. 

Now, coming to the end of the year, it's the best time to start a clean sweep to prepare for a fresh start for the new year. And hopefully, I'll be done before Christmas! :)

I've already gotten my Christmas cards out to be written and sent away before December comes by and the flurry of cleaning (and finding, and wrapping up Christmas presents) starts to engulf every other activity. Many a time, the flurry first kicks the "Writing Christmas cards" activity off the list pretty quickly. I suppose especially now with the ease of sending e-cards, even through our phones at a click of a couple of buttons, the tradition may seem a little redundant, but I believe there's just something that cannot quite replace that of knowing someone took the effort to pick out a Christmas card, pulled up a chair, and decided to write to you out of love for you. It just takes a lot more heart, and I'm sure people can feel the warmth of receiving that blessing.

Yes, I shall make time for that this year.

These couple of weeks ahead will include the activities of clearing out the office space, the home, as well as finally tackling the especially large organization projects. I.e. Having a REALLY clean sweep.

I'm looking forward to a fresh, clean, organized, EMPOWERED start to 2013.

Wish me luck! 
xoxo


P/S Hope you like the new refreshing change to the layout of the blog. This was the old one... 

Thought it was a bit too boxy and screamed a little too much PINK! #^_^#