Before you begin organizing, it’s important to identify why you’re allowing the disorder around you to affect your life.

Answer these simple questions to begin simplifying your life:

• What can I live without?
• What sentimental items am I holding onto that may be cluttering my life?
• Who will benefit from a radical organizational change in my life? Family? Friends? Co-workers?

Now that you’ve identified some potential trends and areas for improvement, it’s time to start implementing change. Follow these simple tricks to be better organized today.

Start with your desk or home office. This is where junk mail, note cards and random letters love to accumulate. Start by fishing through snail mail and weeding out items that you have no use for. Throw these bad boys in the garbage and you’ll probably clear up about 50% percent of your desk space in one go. But you’re not finished. Once your desk is clear, take a trip to your local home goods store and pick up some handy organizational items. If you have a specific place to put pens, letterhead, envelopes, return address labels and other stationery items, you’re less likely to throw them into a drawer.

Put it on the calendar. If you’re always scrambling to remember birthdays, keep appointments or make it to meetings, then you’re only human. With Blackberry’s, iPhones and other technology at everyone’s fingertips, it’s easy to keep on top of schedules; but you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to get on track. Just buy a calendar or appointment book to stay mindful. If you buy your calendar online, you should be able to add custom text to certain dates and upload photos for that personal touch. You may even be able to choose the starting month!

Organize your computer. Clutter busting doesn’t stop with your desk. Extend your new organizational structure to your laptop or PC. Start by clearing your desktop of random files, pictures and documents. Create folders with subcategories for these items and you’ll save yourself a headache time and again.

Take a deep breath, you’re now on your way to an organized life. Follow these easy tips and tricks and you’ll be able to focus on the more important things.

Resources

1. WebMD
2. Dartmouth University

1) Put Her First. Let’s be honest here, this is her Big Day. She’s probably been dreaming about her wedding day since she was a little girl. Make it evident that you understand her needs and you value her opinions on flowers, place settings, even the color of the invitations. Do whatever it takes to communicate that your bride is the one in control. Nod, smile and exude graciousness and when she feels the urge to go off the deep-end, your calm example and deference will save the day.

2) Be Patient. Whatever you do, resist the desire to let your emotions get the better of you. Even if the bride-to-be is ranting, raving and being entirely unreasonable, you should remain calm. If you take the bait, that little discussion about seating arrangements and party favors might devolve into a full-blown screaming match. Be the bigger person and the entire family will rejoice silently and pat you on the back.

3) Make Her Feel like a Queen. This one’s a no-brainer. Surprise your bride with an impromptu day of pampering and you’ll have her in the palm of your hands. After  a hard day’s work filling gift bags, coordinating hotel rooms for guests or designing save the dates, lavish the lady of the hour with a pedicure, dinner in the park or her favorite movie. You’ll both be happier for it.

4) Flattery Will Get You Everywhere. Tell her how beautiful her hair is today, compliment her new shade of lip gloss or tell her why you love her. And put it all down on paper. Jotting a quick letter in a gorgeous note card will win you major points. She’ll remember your sweet sentiments and it’ll calm her fears and relieve her anxiety. But be careful not to lie – an anxious bride will be able to sense your dishonesty and may lash out.

You’re now armed with the secrets to success. Your bride is making an important life step and you’ll want to be on hand to defuse any situation before the tensions rise. Good luck; disarming a Bridezilla isn’t easy!

Resources

1. The Bridezilla Quiz
2. Beware the Bridezilla

Checklist 1: Two Weeks to Go

You’ve gotten most of the major worries out of the way but there are still some considerations:

• Are my goody bags or eco-friendly tote bags stocked with party favors like candy, keychains, magnets and other mementos?
• Have I printed out an itinerary on letterhead for the big day?
• Have I sent a copy of the invitation or save-the-date to the local paper so they can make an announcement?
• Have I had one final check-in with the photographer, band and caterer?
• Has my groom had his hair appointment?
• Have I had one last gown fitting?

Checklist 2: The 24-Hour Countdown

You’re almost there, but it’s not time to relax just yet! After months and months of preparation you may feel that you’ve done everything that needs to be done. But have you made sure the following essentials are in order?

• Have I picked up my gown and veil?
• Has the groom secured his tux?
• Have I indulged in a pedi-mani?
• Are my party favors and other important items at the reception hall?

Checklist 3: The Big Day

If you think you’re going to relax all day, forget about it. You’ve been planning for this day a long time, but there are still some last minute must-do’s you’ll have to squeeze in.

• Do I have comfortable shoes to put on after the ceremony?
• Does my Maid of Honor have my groom’s wedding band? Does the Best Man have the bride’s wedding ring?
• Has my right hand man or woman double checked that everything’s in order?

Phew. Your special day is sure to go more smoothly with this easy checklist. Wishing you a life full of love and happiness!

Resources

1. Your Wedding Day

Do it right. Start with the invitations! Instead of picking up a generic set, splurge on a few custom upgrades with linen finish, matching envelopes and be sure that both sides are in full color. You’ll impress guests and set the tone for party – garish balloons and goofy clowns will be nowhere in sight!

Think twice about a theme party. Resist the urge to throw a cheesy party. If you elect for a theme, make sure elegance and class are the names of the game. Instead of printing silly pictures and images on décor like banners and table cloths, try to take a more subtle approach. Opt for soft colors, muted palettes and an overarching theme – not a heavy-handed one.

Delight their sensibilities. Instead of chips and dips and cake and coke, why not wow the birthday man or woman with hors d’oeuvres and canapés? And don’t bother visiting the local store for generic cake, lay out a sampling of posh desserts instead – everyone will ooh and ahh with pleasure! Still searching for the perfect party favor? Fill an eco-friendly tote bag with samplings of adult beverages, a customized T-shirt or beautiful note cards.

You’re now ready to throw a wonderful bash – get to it!

Creating custom notebooks is simple.  You can use your own design or customize an online template in seconds!   Designing custom materials for all of your employees is a great way to create unity and convey professionalism.  Consider matching folders, too!

Having a real person answer the phone instead of a recording is a simple way to directly reach more customers.  If customers can reach an actual person, they are more likely to call again.

1. 1. Pick a Theme. Is the birthday boy or girl a huge Star Wars fan? Maybe they’re addicted to Sex & The City or they’re dedicated football fan. Then half your work is done for you! Go out of your way to plan a party theme that caters to their whims. The perfect theme requires absolute consistency, so get creative in your effort to tie everything back to it. Start by creating custom invitations that reference the theme in design and color choice. And don’t forget that the little things can have a big impact. You want to make sure that décor like napkins, tablecloths, streamers and banners, are working double-duty to communicate the overall message!

1. 2. Keep the Guests Happy, Too. The guest of honor isn’t the only one you should care about pleasing. Making sure your guests are content is a key task of the perfect party planner. Keep the buffet of snacks plentiful and the bar stocked, because a satisfied guest is a happy guest. And why not create a little tote bag packed with party favors to match the theme? Your guests will love you if you fill it with useful items like candy, pens, fun knickknacks or a keychain emblazoned with the birthday boy or girls picture.

1. 3. Your Work is Never Done. Even after the big day has passed, there’s still one more thing you can do to ensure that your party planning skills will never be forgotten. No party is complete without a cameraman on hand to document the big day. Once you’ve compiled all of the fun photos, it’s time to share! After you post these gems on Facebook, Myspace and other social networking sites, you should create photo cards to send out to attendees. And if you want to hold the title of the Greatest Party Planner Ever, take the time to create a photo flip book or notebook  for the guest of honor and close friends and family. That way, you’ll create a keepsake that they’ll cherish forever.

See, that wasn’t so hard. Now you’re ready to party the night away knowing that you planned a wonderful bash. Give yourself a pat on the back, you’ll never throw a boring birthday party again!

Today comanies such as Vistaprint use Twitter to post top deals and special offers. Companies will tend to either post deals directly on Twitter or often send link to their top deals page where customers can choose which offer they like, sometimes it’s a combination of both. As Twitter continues to grow and evolve it will be interesting to see how Twitter and other social media sites affect businesses.

Design custom promotional items that include your business logo and contact information.  Hand them out with every purchase or to first time customers.  These custom products are a fun surprise, but are also useful to existing or potential customers.  Creating promotional items is quick and easy.  Simply upload your design or search through online galleries.  

Host a fun event.  Fill a basket with promotional items and a gift certificate to your business.  Sell raffle tickets and donate the profits to a local charity.  Your efforts will attract new customers as well as gain respect in the community.