Dena Land News October 2008 A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER BY LINDA LANE-WHITE – KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY SERVING MY HOMETOWN OF ALTADENA/PASADENA AND OUTLYING AREAS 5 Ways to Save Time 1 Ceedub Construction 2 Recipe of the Month 2 Tame the Clutter Tiger 2 Active Adults Corner 3 Ask An Expert 3 Victor Wright 4 October Home Decorating 4 Augusta Financial 5 Recent Area Sales 5 Professional Organizer 5 October in Dena Land 6 Inside this issue: 445 S. Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105 Phone: 626-786-1231 Fax: 626-296-1979 www.lindalanewhite.com In Tune With Your Needs Linda Lane-White “Singing” Realtor ® CA Lic #01091347 Notary Public Finding yourself running out of time every day? Feel- ing stressed and disorgan- ized? You are not alone! Lacking enough hours in a day is something all of us face from time to time. Here are a few strategies for free- ing up some time (and re- gaining some sanity): Planning Your Day “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” said the wise Mr. Unknown to whom so many insightful adages are attrib- uted. This adage holds true for both big tasks and small ones - such as plan- ning your day. A hectic, stressful day, where little gets accomplished is of- ten the result of a no clear plan as to what needs to be done. Spending just a few minutes the night be- fore to write down a list of things you need to ac- complish tomorrow will go a long way towards hav- ing more productive and less stressful days. Time management gurus recom- mend setting one top- priority item that must be done even if you don’t do anything else. Then priori- tize the rest of the items, leaving at the bottom of the list stuff that can even spill over to the next day. Keep the list realistic though; you want to feel good at the end of the day that you’ve ac- complished what you set out to do. The Extra 15 Minutes How much can a person accomplish in 15 minutes? A lot in fact, if we are talking about getting up 15 minutes earlier every morning. Hit- ting the snooze button for just a little more sleep often translates into a more hec- tic morning because then you are forced to rush when you finally get up. But what if you get up 15 min- utes earlier instead? More time to get ready, less rush- ing and less stress will translate into a better day altogether. Try it. Fight Procrastination Procrastination saps both your productivity and free time, and therefore it is something we should try hard to eliminate. First, here is a simple 2-minute rule: if you are faced with a task that will take less than two minutes to complete, don’t put it off for later—do it right away. The next sim- ple rule is called OHIO— Only Handle It Once. Do you normally go through your mail quickly picking an item or two that interests you, then leaving the rest of the mail to go through for later, only to come back to sort through it again look- ing for something else? Well, that’s a waste of time. Only handle it once—pick up an item and decide right away: pay, keep or trash. No point in sorting and re- sorting items ad nauseum. This applies to your inbox, Five Ways to Save Valuable Time Home Office: 519 Alameda, Altadena, CA too. When you take something out of your inbox, don’t put it back—take care of it while it’s still in your hand. Prioritizing is another way to fight procrastination. Have multiple tasks of the same pri- ority on your plate? Do the easy stuff first. This gets you in the working mood, which of- ten means tackling the hard task will become easier. Checklists and More Check- lists A great time-waster: forget- ting things. A great way to avoid this: write things down. Checklists are the secret of success of many super- organized people, and they often keep more than one checklist. For example, one checklist for work-related tasks, another for the family obligations. A running gro- cery list on the fridge is yet another kind of checklist that can save you time. “Bulk” Tasks Just like shopping in bulk can save you money, doing things “in bulk” can save you time. Preparing meals is one exam- ple. Consider cooking once a week for the whole week, and freezing the food in meal- sized portions for conven- ience. Another example is grouping different tasks to- gether. Instead of going to the store, coming back home, then the next day going to the dry cleaners, try grouping your errands together. Saves time and gas! And those are my five quick tips for this month. Implement them all or only one, and watch your time get magically freed up!
October 2008 Dena Land News. A Monthly newsletter by Linda Lane White, Keller Williams Realty. Ceedub Construction 2 Recipe of the Month 2 5 Ways to Save Time 1 just a little more sleep often translates into a more hec- tic morning because then you are forced to rush when you finally get up. But what if you get up 15 min- utes earlier instead? More time to get ready, less rush- ing and less stress will translate into a better day altogether. Try it. Fight Procrastination Procrastination saps both your productivity and free time, and therefore it is something we should try
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Dena Land News
October 2008
A M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R B Y L I N D A L A N E - W H I T E – K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A L T Y S E R V I N G M Y H O M E T O W N O F A L T A D E N A / P A S A D E N A A N D O U T L Y I N G A R E A S
5 Ways to Save Time 1
Ceedub Construction 2
Recipe of the Month 2
Tame the Clutter Tiger 2
Active Adults Corner 3
Ask An Expert 3
Victor Wright 4
October Home Decorating 4
Augusta Financial 5
Recent Area Sales 5
Professional Organizer 5
October in Dena Land 6
Inside this issue:
445 S. Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
Phone: 626-786-1231
Fax: 626-296-1979
www.lindalanewhite.com
In Tune With Your Needs
Linda Lane-White
“Singing” Realtor ®
CA Lic #01091347
Notary Public
Finding yourself running
out of time every day? Feel-
ing stressed and disorgan-
ized? You are not alone!
Lacking enough hours in a
day is something all of us
face from time to time. Here
are a few strategies for free-
ing up some time (and re-
gaining some sanity):
Planning Your Day
“If you fail to plan, you plan
to fail” said the wise Mr.
Unknown to whom so many
insightful adages are attrib-
uted. This adage holds true
for both big tasks and
small ones - such as plan-
ning your day. A hectic,
stressful day, where little
gets accomplished is of-
ten the result of a no clear
plan as to what needs to
be done. Spending just a
few minutes the night be-
fore to write down a list of
things you need to ac-
complish tomorrow will
go a long way towards hav-
ing more productive and
less stressful days. Time
management gurus recom-
mend setting one top-
priority item that must be
done even if you don’t do
anything else. Then priori-
tize the rest of the items,
leaving at the bottom of the
list stuff that can even spill
over to the next day. Keep
the list realistic though; you
want to feel good at the end
of the day that you’ve ac-
complished what you set
out to do.
The Extra 15 Minutes
How much can a person
accomplish in 15 minutes? A
lot in fact, if we are talking
about getting up 15 minutes
earlier every morning. Hit-
ting the snooze button for
just a little more sleep often
translates into a more hec-
tic morning because then
you are forced to rush
when you finally get up. But
what if you get up 15 min-
utes earlier instead? More
time to get ready, less rush-
ing and less stress will
translate into a better day
altogether. Try it.
Fight Procrastination
Procrastination saps both
your productivity and free
time, and therefore it is
something we should try
hard to eliminate. First,
here is a simple 2-minute
rule: if you are faced with a
task that will take less than
two minutes to complete,
don’t put it off for later—do
it right away. The next sim-
ple rule is called OHIO—
Only Handle It Once. Do
you normally go through
your mail quickly picking
an item or two that interests
you, then leaving the rest of
the mail to go through for
later, only to come back to
sort through it again look-
ing for something else?
Well, that’s a waste of time.
Only handle it once—pick
up an item and decide right
away: pay, keep or trash.
No point in sorting and re-
sorting items ad nauseum.
This applies to your inbox,
Five Ways to Save Valuable Time
Home Office: 519 Alameda, Altadena, CA
too. When you take something
out of your inbox, don’t put it
back—take care of it while it’s
still in your hand.
Prioritizing is another way to
fight procrastination. Have
multiple tasks of the same pri-
ority on your plate? Do the
easy stuff first. This gets you in
the working mood, which of-
ten means tackling the hard
task will become easier.
Checklists and More Check-
lists
A great time-waster: forget-
ting things. A great way to
avoid this: write things down.
Checklists are the secret of
success of many super-
organized people, and they
often keep more than one
checklist. For example, one
checklist for work-related
tasks, another for the family
obligations. A running gro-
cery list on the fridge is yet
another kind of checklist that
can save you time.
“Bulk” Tasks
Just like shopping in bulk can
save you money, doing things
“in bulk” can save you time.
Preparing meals is one exam-
ple. Consider cooking once a
week for the whole week, and
freezing the food in meal-
sized portions for conven-
ience. Another example is
grouping different tasks to-
gether. Instead of going to the
store, coming back home,
then the next day going to the
dry cleaners, try grouping
your errands together. Saves
time and gas!
And those are my five quick
tips for this month. Implement
them all or only one, and
watch your time get magically
freed up!
Page 2 Dena Land News
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
INGREDIENTS:
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon course salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch of cayenne pepper or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
DIRECTIONS:
To roast your pumpkin seeds, do not
wash them first! Washing removes all
the natural flavor. Instead remove the
seeds from the strings and place a sin-
gle layer on parchment paper a cookie
sheet. Try to make an even layer. The
less they lie on each other, the better
they will bake.
In a medium bowl combine 3 table-
spoons of the sugar and the salt, cumin,
cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne.
Bake seeds at 250º until dry, stirring
occasionally, (usually about 15 to 30
minutes or until they start to turn a very
light gold). Heat peanut oil in a large
non-stick skillet over high heat. Add
pumpkin seeds (after baking) and 2
tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar
melts and the pumpkin seeds begin to
caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds.
Transfer to bowl with spices and stir
well to coat. Let cool.
How to Tame the Clutter Tiger Is the clutter tiger running rampant
in your home? Let’s tame it!
It’s best to start with the clutter area
that bugs you the most. Prepare three
boxes: one for the stuff to keep, one
for the stuff to donate, and one for the
junk to throw away. As you go
through the clutter ask yourself about
each item: Have I used this in the past
year? Do I have more than one? Will I
actually ever use it? Can someone
else benefit from it more? Then place
in the appropriate box. Once each
box gets full, act on it right away?
Throw away the junk, and place the
“To Donate” box in your trunk to
drop it off next time you leave the
house. Then take the “To Keep” box
with you around the house, and find a
permanent “home” for each item in
it.
For your closets, professional space
organizers (yes, there is such a pro-
fession) recommend that you store
your clothes by category (shirts,
pants, dresses) and group them by
color. Frequently worn clothes could
be kept close at hand and seldom-
worn stuff stored away. And keep in
mind that clothes do not improve with
age—if you haven’t worn something
in a while, and it doesn’t seem like
you will
soon, con-
sider donat-
ing it—
s o m e o n e
else may get
a lot more
use out of it.
To help
keep the
kitchen tidy,
ask yourself
how many
plates and
glasses are used on a daily basis?
Keep what you use often on the easy-
to-reach shelves, and put away the
rest on higher shelves or deeper in
the cupboards. Same goes for pots
and pans. It is also helpful to organize
stuff by categories: canned food,
spices, and non-food items should all
have their own separate areas.
For the kids’ room, use plastic see-
through boxes of different sizes to
store toys. Make sure to place them
where the child can easily reach
them, and have the child create la-
bels (hopefully this will encourage
the use of the boxes!). Just like you
do with seasonal clothes, store away
seasonal toys; beach and soccer gear
can be stored during winter; ice
skates and hockey gear put away
during the summer. To keep the toys
from invading the entire house, con-
sider making a three-at-a-time rule.
Just like in kindergarten some teach-
ers have a one-toy-at-a-time rule, you
can encourage your child to use only
up to three
toys at a time.
If he or she
wants to take
out another
toy from the
box, one of
the three has
to get stored
away.
In general,
professional
space organizers recommend start-
ing small so that you don’t get over-
whelmed. You don’t have to get eve-
rything done in one day (the clutter,
after all, did not build up in one day
either) but, instead, spread and work
over a number of days and do it in 20
or 30 minute sessions. Set a time
limit, and don’t get too carried away
so that you don’t get burned out
quickly. And after a work well done,
don’t forget to reward yourself!
This is a great time to remodel,
add on or re-build.
CEEDUB
CONSTRUCTION RESIDENTIAL & LIGHT COMMERCIAL
With over 30 years of experience, we
work with you to achieve your dream.
Call Today For A Free Estimate
(Licensed/Bonded/Insured)
(626) 786-1229 CHRIS WHITE, OWNER
Ca Lic #883002
www.ceedubconstruction.com
October 2008 Page 3
This pu blicat ion i s for in format iona l purpos es only and does not const i tu t e legal or f inancia l advice.
All information was obtained from sources deemed reliable, and while I do not doubt its accuracy, I cannot guarantee it. Some items provided by CAR Client
Direct and Fidelity National Home Warranty. If your property is listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.
Who do you know right now who’s looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate? Give me a call or send me an E-mail. I’m never too busy for your referrals to friends or family.
Active Adults Corner—The Scoop on Reverse Mortgages
Q: A friend who sold her home recently had the property inspection performed before
even putting it on the market. Is this common?
A. A property inspection is usually thought of as something that the buyer needs and pays
for, so why would a seller want the house inspected before it is even listed? Most sellers don’t
go through this extra expense, but a seller’s inspection is certainly not a bad idea. For start-
ers, it offers the seller a chance to find out about any potential problems ahead of time. Since
the home is not under contract yet, there are no looming deadlines, and the seller can get the necessary re-
pairs done at a more leisurely pace. The seller also gets more time to obtain estimates and avoid overpaying
for those repairs. Sometimes when a problem is discovered buyers can get spooked and back out of the deal.
A seller’s inspection solves this, too. The only drawback is the cost. A property inspection can cost between
$300 and $500, depending on the size and age of the house, but it may be worth it in order to avoid unpleasant
surprises later. Have a tough real estate question? Call me or drop me an e-mail.