{Video} Rearranging My Shelves

Since I cleaned up my room and got it in tip-top shape, I've hated the "WOOMP" sound effect that seems to resonate from my lame-o shelves empty shelves. So, naturally I decided to do something about it! Look how sad they were...

Michael's craft store is having a fantastic sale (seriously--get over there!), and that in combination with their 40% off coupons was a shelf redesign waiting to happen! I grabbed some fun decorative pieces from Michael's, like a candle, a glass bottle, a planter I used as a book holder, a couple of cute ceramic birds, and a small flower tin and got to work.

In the name of keeping it real (and super embarrassing), I made a short video as I rearranged my shelves. Just so you know, if you click "play" you are signing up for almost a minute of looking at my backside...

Rearranging My Shelves from Blair Menzel on Vimeo.

In all honesty, the shelves aren't quite perfect yet, but the rearrangement is definitely a huge improvement! I'll keep you posted if I change some things up on them. Here are some after photos:

Anyone else tweaking and retweaking decór?

How To Create a Reusable To Do List

I recently finished reading The Skinny on Time Management by Jim Randel. It is a fantastic, easy one-hour read that definitely made me think about how I manage my time now, and how I would like to manage and spend it in the future. I highly recommend it!

Randel wrote this book after reading hundreds of books on time management; it is a compilation of all of the ideas and thoughts on the subject. Even though it seems so simple, Randel's main advice for managing time more effectively is to create a to do list every day. The reason behind it is that visually seeing what needs to be accomplished each day is a bigger incentive to actually do it than most people realize. He even urges list haters to give it a try...ah! I'm telling you too much. You need to read the book! It's awesome. (I also highly recommend The Skinny on Willpower by Jim Randel, blog post coming on that one!)

Being super type-A, I always create to do lists when I have a lot on my plate or feel stressed about completing everything. I had never thought about making a to do list every day regardless of the importance of the tasks I needed to complete, but I thought it was excellent advice, so I created a reusable dry-erase to do list that I can update daily.

I headed to Walmart and bought a few inexpensive supplies:

1. A standup sign holder, about $3

2.Scotch Reclosable Hook & Loop Fastener Squares, about $4 (I'll use them on other projects, so it was worth the money.)

3. A dry-erase marker, pack of two for $2

When I got back home, I created a to do list printable on the computer. I made sure to leave space at the top of it so that there would be room to put the pen! Here's what it looks like (you can download it if you'd like!...

Then, I assembled the whole thing. Here are the instructions if you'd like them:

1. Print out the to do list and slide it into the plastic holder.

2. Put the hook side of the velcro on the plastic (the rough side) and the loop side (the soft side) on the marker. That way it's comfortable when you write!

3. Velcro the dry-erase marker to your list...

4. Write what you need to do! And bask in the glory of your pretty new reusable list :)

How do you manage your time? Have you read any of Jim Randel's books?

Going to cross things off my list,