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It’s not to late to get Christmas organised!

December 1, 2016

It’s only 1st December and for some it feels like everyone else is far more organised for the 25th this year!

Don’t despair, there is still time (23 days to be exact!) and to help I have created a different kind of advent calendar free for you to download, print and put somewhere you can cross off as each job is complete!

Use the link below to download to your computer to help with your decorations, gifts, food and reminders of what to do to have a fantastic Christmas this year!

Organise Christmas Calendar

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The Boxing Day Petition – For or Against?

November 16, 2016

What do you think of the Boxing Day Sale Petition?   Maybe you’ve signed it?  Maybe you’re scared of it – hello retail CEO?!

Parts of me understand the Boxing Day Petition; extra “things” from a Personal Organisers’ perspective should be purchased as a need and not on a whim, seeing things on sale creates a sudden need in people who go on to purchase items they never use, wear or even take out of the box or remove the tags from.

When buying more, people have more things to take up space in their home and then need to find a place to store them. In turn, they get more disorganised and take longer to make decisions on what to wear or use – wasting time; “I should wear this as I purchased it in the sale but never have worn it.”  Everyone has done it, not only is it having extra things to put away or have sitting gathering dust somewhere it is a waste of hard earned money.

The petition is about making memories and respecting the day as a religious holiday, years ago we managed without it – remember Wednesday early closing and Sunday’s as a day of rest?  Aimed for the retail workers who work tirelessly leading up to Christmas, having 1 day off (if they are lucky, there are shops open Christmas Day, let’s not forget those!) then having to end their celebrations early with a extra early start to meet the queues.

I’ve no doubt that the retailers have done their research, looked at timelines and how possible this could happen as they will lose a days sales. Boxing Day for some is a huge day, moving stock that would otherwise not shift (yes, there will be old stock on the shelves as people buy because it is on sale) and responding to the queues at the door at 6am.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has commented that the shops are responding to customers demand.  This is true, if people didn’t get up at 6am to queue on the high street the shops wouldn’t open, staff costs are high and many managers will not want only 1 day off but, profits on Boxing Day are high so they do.

The way to bring change, behaviour needs to change.  There are few out there who will get a buzz from finding what they wanted at full price now less than 50% off but others will not enjoy the stress and sometimes fights – yes, fights, remember the videos on social media in previous years of people storming in shops on Black Friday?  So why go out?

If you really needed an item you would purchase it at full price to avoid the risk of unavailability rather than wait just in case it may go on sale.  Yes, you are spending more but if it is worth it and you can’t live without it, spend per use will be lower than anything you buy on sale just because you may want it at that time.

To stop the shops opening, stay at home with your family, make more memories on the extra day that so many people do have as a Bank Holiday.  Fewer customers will mean fewer staff needing to work – fact.  You’ll save money and have more time to do what you enjoy most.

I’d love to hear peoples views and thought on this, do you agree and have signed the petition or do you go out every year and enjoy it as an event?  

If you can relate to feeling disorganised, please get in touch via E-mail or phone to discuss how I can help.

National Organise Week 7th – 13th November – Day 5 / Tip 5

November 11, 2016

Thanks all for watching my clips, I’d love to hear how you have all been getting organised this week.  Send feedback, pictures and information on what you have done or, if you are already organised do you have tips to share?

Today is all about finding everything a home, to easily find things and be happy with what you have in your home, everything should have a place – from the cans in the cupboard to your favourite pair of shoes!

Have a watch and let me know what you think.  Today starring my 1 year old….

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Feel like you can relate and need help getting more organised at home or work?  Please get in touch via e-mail or phone and let me know how I can help give you more spare time!

NOWOrganise Week 7-11th November 2016 – Day 1

November 7, 2016

As promised, here is my first tip of the week to help you with some Monday motivation for National Organised Week.  Look out for a new one each day to help you become more organised at home or work.

Watch the video and then take action, when you are sat rewarding yourself for becoming more organised let me know how you go on, be great to hear your feedback!

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Feel like you can relate to this and need some organisation help, get in touch via phone – 07772 773992 or e-mail – sarah@starfishorganisers.com If I am unable to help, I can find someone who can.

We provide an initial free consultation via phone or Skype or, visit for an hour for £25 + mileage which is redeemable against your first booking.

What is a virtual assistant? A PA is for large company Directors and Celebs right?

September 20, 2016

Surprisingly not many people have heard of virtual assistants.  It’s the people who have never heard about us are normally the ones we can help the most.

When you describe a virtual assistant you normally use the term personal assistant which then gives the impression that it is an expensive resource.  People normally associate Personal Assistants with company Directors and celebrities but this is not the case anymore.

There are lots of virtual assistants out there and we are all different.  There are ones, like myself who are on their own and started as self-employed.  There are franchises and larger companies which have freelance or contracted VAs working for them.  Also, there are companies who employ their VAs and could be based here in the UK or, overseas to bring the cost down.  All have their pros and cons which, if you are looking to hire a VA you need to have a think about who would work best for you.

VAs, like people and companies also have their own strengths and specialities.  Different people specialise in different clients areas (mine are tradesmen and women) and also specialise in what they can do for you.  My key areas are bookkeeping, CIS (Construction Industry Scheme), self-assessments, social media and general administration.  There are other services I can provide however, they are not my key strengths so I would rather pass on clients to others which are better at those services to ensure the client gets the best service.  It’s important to spend time looking for a VA who will provide you with the best possible service to ensure you get the most value.

Instead of using the term VA I’ve gone with Organiser as my main aim is to help organise a business to ensure it runs efficiently as possible.  I work on the tasks within the business that the owner either does not enjoy or cannot do themselves.  Most people set up their business as they have a strength in a core trade / work and not to spend days doing admin.  This is where I come in.  As the admin is my strength and my trade I will be able to be more efficient in completing the tasks so clients can some more time on their trade and what they enjoy – their strengths.

I also work with people at home whether it be household admin or things hence the term ‘Organiser’ which some Personal Organisers do (see my previous post about Personal Organisers here) which again is the same principal.  It is all about helping people and doing the tasks on their to do list which they avoid or do not enjoy doing.  By giving these tasks to an Organiser you get the contented feeling of things getting done but save so much time which in turn gives you more time to do the things you enjoy whether it be a hobby or spending time with friends and family.

By hiring a virtual assistant or personal organiser it should make your life easier and take any worries away.

Feel like you can relate to this and need some organisation, get in touch via phone – 07772 773992 or e-mail – sarah@starfishorganisers.com  If I am unable to help, I can find someone who can.