Organizing a family reunion can take a lot of time and energy so it helps to formulate a strategy for getting started.
Decide Who is in Charge of Planning
You can decide to grab hold of the reigns to get your next family reunion off the ground or it may be more realistic to recruit a couple of your other family members to help. This all depends on the scale of the reunion you have in mind. A small gathering takes considerably less effort, so it may be possible for one person to do all the scheduling, but as long as you are trying to get a large group of people together you need to consider getting help.
Fix a Date and Location
Setting a date and location for your reunion is not as simple as it would first appear. This is especially the case if your family is scattered across the globe because everyone would need to take time off work and have money set aside to make the trip. The location should be centralized so all family members have an equal opportunity to attend and it should also be set for a time that is convenient to the largest number of people.
Think About Financing
There may be costs to be shared by the group. For instance, the rental of the location for the reunion is a factor to consider, although you may be able to find a place for free. You also need to think about the cost of refreshments or entertainment if you are planning to enlist outside acts to get momentum going.
Communicate with Attendees
It is the responsibility of the designated planners to communicate with all the potential attendees. Updating people on the issues as they arise and passing on the general consensus of the family members.
Activities
Sharing the family history and playing games should be fun for all, so when you are planning your itinerary remember to consider the different age groups that are likely to be present.
Organizing a family reunion doesn’t have to be a very difficult task. A bit of planning can ensure that your gathering is a great success and it just might turn into the first of many.
Becky Esker is a certified professional organizer, national speaker, owner of Get Organized! L.L.C., and the forthcoming author of a new organizing book. Becky and her team provide hands-on services to those in the greater eastern Iowa area and also provide a wide array of products and service to businesses and individuals nationwide through their website. For more information access www.TheOrganizingChoice.com; www.SecondGOAroundAuctions.com; www.ItsSimplySerendipity.com; www.OutstandingSeminars.com
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
How to Organize Computer Files
When your computer files are disorganized you lose precious time and this can have a huge negative impact on your productivity. Instead of getting frustrated every time you sit down at your computer you can take steps to organize your files and folders so you can find the things you need in an instant.
Use the “Documents” Feature
If you use Windows XP you would recognize the “My Documents” feature, but if you have upgraded to Windows 7 you know that it is simply known as “Documents”. This is a powerful tool for organizing your computer because it is essentially home-base for all your files and folders. If you use it as the root folder for all your work then you simply have to figure out a cascading structure of folders that makes sense for your usage.
Store Like Things Together
Another tip is to store like things together. You might start out with the best intentions but somewhere along the line you may start saving documents in the wrong place. Giving in to this lazy approach to computer organization is a recipe for disaster. You will never be able to find your documents if you don’t consistently put things in the right place.
Choose Intuitive Names
It is important to come up with a standard naming convention for both your computer folders and files and of course to stick to it. This helps greatly when you have to remember where to look for a particular type of document.
Backup Your Data
Finally, you should backup data on some external device or on an online database. While it is perfectly acceptable to use an external hard drive for instance, it is much better to use Dropbox to store your data because then it can be accessed remotely and you don’t need to worry about it ever being contaminated.
Becky Esker is a certified professional organizer, national speaker, owner of Get Organized! L.L.C., and the forthcoming author of a new organizing book. Becky and her team provide hands-on services to those in the greater eastern Iowa area and also provide a wide array of products and service to businesses and individuals nationwide through their website. For more information access www.TheOrganizingChoice.com, www.SecondGOAroundAuctions.com; www.ItsSimplySerendipity.com; and www.OutstandingSeminars.com
Use the “Documents” Feature
If you use Windows XP you would recognize the “My Documents” feature, but if you have upgraded to Windows 7 you know that it is simply known as “Documents”. This is a powerful tool for organizing your computer because it is essentially home-base for all your files and folders. If you use it as the root folder for all your work then you simply have to figure out a cascading structure of folders that makes sense for your usage.
Store Like Things Together
Another tip is to store like things together. You might start out with the best intentions but somewhere along the line you may start saving documents in the wrong place. Giving in to this lazy approach to computer organization is a recipe for disaster. You will never be able to find your documents if you don’t consistently put things in the right place.
Choose Intuitive Names
It is important to come up with a standard naming convention for both your computer folders and files and of course to stick to it. This helps greatly when you have to remember where to look for a particular type of document.
Backup Your Data
Finally, you should backup data on some external device or on an online database. While it is perfectly acceptable to use an external hard drive for instance, it is much better to use Dropbox to store your data because then it can be accessed remotely and you don’t need to worry about it ever being contaminated.
Becky Esker is a certified professional organizer, national speaker, owner of Get Organized! L.L.C., and the forthcoming author of a new organizing book. Becky and her team provide hands-on services to those in the greater eastern Iowa area and also provide a wide array of products and service to businesses and individuals nationwide through their website. For more information access www.TheOrganizingChoice.com, www.SecondGOAroundAuctions.com; www.ItsSimplySerendipity.com; and www.OutstandingSeminars.com
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