One Thing to Set Up in Your Office Now as a Small Business Owner or Anyone Who Pays Taxes

It is the beginning of a new year and there is one thing that you need to set up now as a small business owner or anyone who pays taxes, a tax folder. As receipts and anything tax related come in throughout the year, put it in this file. That way at the end of tax season you have everything you need in one place. I have been doing this for years and years and it is SO helpful at the end of the year. I can't tell you how many small business owners and people we help every year that can't find all of their tax info they need to file taxes so we come in and help them get organized and makes things more efficient. 

ecomodernconcierge.com

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day 2021

Every year I look forward to Random Acts of Kindness Day and Week! I have mentioned on here and on our social media channels that I think you should practice random acts of kindness always, but having a day and week dedicated to it is an awesome reminder as well. 

Here are some random acts of kindness you can do now and always:

• Give a generous tip
• Donate clothes
• Pick up trash
• Volunteer
• Call a friend
• Send baked goods to a neighbor
• Pay for someone's toll at the toll booth
• Say or comment something nice to someone on social media
• Donate gloves and beanies to the homeless when it's cold
• Go visit a relative
• Donate toys to kids in need
• Send a handwritten note
• Put your cart in the cart return at the store
• Smile
• Wave
• Pay for someone's coffee
• Be present, get off your phone and really listen to someone speak
• Bring in snacks for your coworkers
• Give genuine compliments
• Feed the parking meter

ecomodernconcierge.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

ecomodernconcierge.com

Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week

 

Random acts of kindness week is February 14 - 20, 2021 this year. Start preparing now on how you would like to celebrate &/or acts of kindness you would like to focus on. Don't just do it for week, make it a goal to do random acts of kindness all year long. 

If you go to https://www.randomactsofkindness.org you will see a ton of different ideas like monthly calendars with various random acts of kindness you can participate in, coloring pages, etc. I love the idea of a kindness jar and being aware of acts of kindness that is all around you. 

Try to get as many people as you can to celebrate random acts of kindness week and day. 

Here are a few ways to celebrate:

Involve your neighborhood. Post on your neighborhood Facebook and NextDoor pages to see who would like to participate. Do something nice for neighbors and neighbors in need. A few years ago one of my neighbors baked cookies for neighbors whose spouses had passed away and gave the cookies away on Valentine's Day.

Reward your employees for participating in random acts of kindness week /day. Make sure you recognize the good they are doing and pay it forward. 

Promote your company during random acts of kindness week / day. Do something good for the community and continue this all year round. 

Show your kids the importance of doing random acts of kindness. Kids lead by example and are sponges, so let them know how important it is to do good for others. Hopefully they follow in your footsteps. 

ecomodernconcierge.com

Give Back: Valentine's Cards for TX Children's Hospital and Lunch Bags for Kids Meals Houston

Every year I look forward to making Valentine's cards for Texas Children's Hospital here in Houston, TX and this year was no different.  During the holidays I took supplies with me when we got away and made them early. Plus, this year I decorated lunch bags for Kids Meals Houston. You can send a virtual valentine to patients here. 

We love giving back to the community when we can and these little things bring a smile to the kiddos faces. You can see past posts here, here, here & here . Here is a little peak in the middle of the process. 

10 Things that Make Me Happy: January 2021

 

What a fun, productive month. Here are 10 things that made me happy this month. 

1. Intentionally slowing down towards the end of the month. 
2. Outsourcing big painting projects in our house. 
3. Being spoiled by friends and family for the upcoming arrival of baby. 
4. Not booking every weekend with something. 
5. Making lots of plans and just overall being productive. 
6. Daily walks even when I don't want to. 
7. Maternity clothes.
8. Slip on shoes.
9. Valentine's Day decor.
10. Cooking more meals at home.

ecomodernconcierge.com

Where to Recycle Electronics in Houston

One of the top questions that I get asked when we are organizing for clients and doing huge decluttering sessions is where to recycle or take electronics. I rounded up a few places where you can take electronics here in Houston. 

Where do you like to recycle electronics locally or nationally?

Compucycle: they offer a variety of services and have been around for over 20 years. 

earth911.com: if you put in your zip code it will tell you what you can recycle where. 

Apple: you can recycle various Apple products and they will trade in some items and give you a credit towards a new Apple product.

Staples: you can recycle various things at your local Staples store.

Best Buy: you can recycle various things at your local Best Buy store. They will also you give you money back or discounts to purchase items, depending on what you donate.

City of Houston: there is list of various places you can recycle electronics.

Houston Electronic Recycle: they will come pick up your electronics as well.

Goodwill: Goodwill has a partnership with Dell and you can recycle all types of electronics at any Goodwill location in Houston. 

ecomodernconcierge.com

12 Simple Habits to Start in 2021 to Get You Organized

Since January is Get Organized (GO) Month here are 12 simple habits to start this year, 2021, to get you organized, feel less stressed and take control of your days. I know these may be things that you are already doing, but some of the simplest things are also some of the hardest to implement. 

1. Take 10-15 minutes to straighten up each night. I know this may seem like a pain, but believe me it is so helpful and so much less stressful for your next day. Clean the dishes, wipe the counter tops, pick up trash, put items where they belong and make a list of what you will need for the next day. 
2. Make your bed. It is an instant way to feel clutter free.
3. Put your clothes away. Who else is guilty of letting clothes pile up? It may be annoying, but putting your clothes away daily will help you stay organized.
4. Load the dishwasher nightly. If you do not want to load the dishwasher each time you use a dish, try to do it at least nightly.
5. Go for a walk. Try to get some form of exercise. This helps declutter your mind. 
6. Make lists. This helps you see what you need to do and keep you organized.
7. Keep a donation bag or bin handy. Keep a donation bag or bin handy in each room, if possible, to keep your space decluttered and when you see something you no longer need, want or like toss it in there. 
8. Label. Labeling is a simple and easy thing to do to get organized. It helps you stay organized and know where things should live. 
9. Brain dump. Do a brain dump before bed. Believe me it will help you feel more organized, get things off your mind and sleep better.
10. Time block. Block off chunks of time to get things done. 
11. Start small. If you have a large project to tackle always start small. Write down the steps it will take you accomplish your goal and slowly tackle that project when you have time. Trying to do everything at once will be overwhelming. 
12. Outsource. If you know your time and resources are better utilized somewhere else in your life, outsource when you can. For example, my husband and I are both not fond of painting and tried to tackle our whole upstairs, but quickly realized we did not want to spend our weekends painting when we had time off, so we finally hired a painter to finish all of our projects and it was a great decision. 

ecomodernconcierge.com