Maria Montessori has made a huge impression on me and influenced who I am and how I run Organize 365®. Maria was born in 1870, in Italy. She was a very curious person and wanted to pursue a medical degree despite her parents guiding her towards a teaching degree. She is a great example of someone who worked hard and followed her passions - I love those characteristics. After becoming the first female physician, she worked in a psychiatric clinic and observed the children. Not too long after that she did pursue a degree in education, not because she needed it but because she wanted to have the academic conversations so her work would live on.

How Do Children Learn?

Maria was curious, “How do children learn?” She was in a population that was deemed uneducatable. She watched as their food fell to the dirt floors, they’d play with it, and then they’d eat it. She saw the children gravitate towards the manipulatives instead of toys or even candy. They thrived in the structured environment where children were learning independently and the role of the teacher is to observe,support, and guide. Each student is treated as an individual. I saw this displayed, for the first time, in China. There was a quiet hum of productivity.

How it applies to schools

Montessori schools operate in a 3 year cycle. For example grades 1-3 are together for three years; a multigenerational classroom. They will all have, let’s say, a dinosaur lesson appropriate for their grade. Because of this structure the younger kids are looking up to the older kids. The older kids are learning leadership. And some children will find their niche and become the “dinosaur”expert, thriving in their purpose or their uniqueness. See any similarities to Organize 365®?

As children we experience these Sensory Periods; think Golden Windows. It’s a period of time when children are drawn to learn a certain skill. I gave the example of the Monkey Bars. For about two weeks that child will practice and practice. Once they get it, they move on to the next thing they want to learn. We all love to learn until about 3rd grade, what would happen if learning didn’t become work? If we didn’t have to fit within “the perimeters?” I will say to thrive in Montessori school you need to be an independent learner, self paced, and hold yourself accountable without much guidance. There are still standards you need to meet, you just get to go about it the way that works the best for you. I know I would have really loved being in Montessori school.

How it applies to Organize 365®

And so in Organize 365® I love to provide great school supplies and manipulatives. You can learn at your own pace. I try to support your sensory periods, AKA Golden Windows the best I can. There is a community to connect with others, find those you want to emulate, and provide help to others just starting out. It takes about 18 months to get your home organized but by the time you are refining, you continue to hang around because you have found “your people” that encourage you to thrive in your uniqueness. And by then you understand how I operate as a teacher. And through it all, you gain time, confidence, and get to realize what you are uniquely created to do - you find your purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

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October is awareness month for Breast Cancer and ADHD. Ok yes the blush pink Sunday Basket® color is back in stock (while supplies last). BUT, I want to suggest that you use this Sunday Basket® as a way to remind you of people in your community that have lost someone to breast cancer, are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, are supporting someone in their breast cancer journey, or who have survived breast cancer! It is so important that we continue to take care of ourselves too. Let this Sunday Basket® remind you of your health goals and routine doctor visits to prevent or get early detection of disease. I also want to inspire community and support for the breast cancer awareness community. Be aware of someone who could use your support.

And speaking of support, the Sunday Basket® supports those who have ADHD. ADHD is so cool because of the ability to think differently but it really becomes a struggle in organization. We have all these modifications for kids in school but where is it in the real world once they’ve graduated? As someone with ADHD, you learn “work arounds” so survive school due to compromised executive functioning skills. And so then in the real world, let the Sunday Basket® be your work around to actually succeeding in organization. In my book, written in 2016, “How ADHD affects Home Organization”, I explain exactly how to do this. And that is why from 10/1-10/5 this book is completely free on Kindle. And if you have enjoyed and learned from this book before will you do me a small favor? Would you re-download it and leave a review? Pretty please? I love helping and supporting my community!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Sunday Basket®

• How ADHD affects Home Organization

• Kindle: How ADHD affects Home Organization

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

Bonus Stop: Edzel Ford’s home, son of Henry Ford! After touring Greenfield Village I decided I wanted to go to a bonus stop instead of another day at Greenfield Village. I was stunned by the outward aesthetic similarities of the Stan Hywet mansion. My wheels were spinning and memories flooded my mind from all the visits I had going to Stan Hywet from going with my mom to even working there.

Railroads

The Stan Hywet mansion is located in Akron, OH, my hometown, the “Rubber Capitol of the WORLD”! I shared a lot about the history of Firestone and Goodyear, who used a lot of rubber making tires, in this episode. But on this day of my fieldtrip, I thought about what made Ford so successful? It was making the gasoline engine car affordable for more people, specifically farmers. I gave a little background on Rockefeller and Vanderbilt too to prove my point of “access equals success”. And remember in the other homes the extensive libraries? Access to education and knowledge, right? And you know what made those two successful? The railroads because it provided transportation and access to more products and places. They were able to get their products to more people. And what do you think gave the North the upper hand in the Civil War? The railroads because they could transport supplies. And the other thing that made Ford so successful was his ability to pay his employees a higher pay than other companies. He was making more profit therefore able to pay his employees a higher rate.

I couldn’t help but to think about Eleanor Ford’s role (Edzel’s wife) in their home. She lived for 35 years still after Edzel passed. She had a sitting room off of her bedroom upstairs, that she turned into her study. She ran her household manager responsibilities from that study. And although she wasn’t fond of the entertainment wing, she knew it was expected of her to entertain. She was very philanthropic and sat on many boards. But she was the queen of productivity. You see she would have multiple board meetings going at one time and then she could just pop in and out as they were being conducted. Genius!

Internet

Just like railroads were the gateway to transporting goods and people, now Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft transport information. And just like the Goodyears and Rockefellers could get their products to more people, it is the same way I can impact more lives. They have been able to be really successful in a shorter amount of time than before the internet and able to provide better benefits for their employees due to their success.

Organize 365® could not be what it is today without the internet. It gets more products to more people. It provides a more level playing field because it is accessible to all. And it has allowed me to learn about business and manufacturing. And because of the internet … we have podcasts! Yet another avenue to learn and/or get your message out. I always like to think of how women made their mark on change in society through their uniqueness.

Artificial Intellagance

I don’t even know what to do with AI! (sigh) As technology advances so too does our ability for everyone to be successful due to a more level playing field for small businesses. Technology, transportation, and information provides access to more education. I wanted to take this series to think about where we have been as women, how it is now as women, and where we are going for women. What change could you have on society by doing what you are uniquely created to do?

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Ok, I know you all have been dying to hear about my field trip to Greenfield Village. I tried to start the podcast three times before this final take because I want to tell you guys everything! But how in 45 minutes? Let me just say, I will be going back!

Greenfield Village

Most of us have seen a living historical farm of some sort. It’s usually a field trip where you get to see what it was like to live in the past. You get to see the equipment and lack of current day machines that help with everyday household tasks and business. That’s Greenfield Village but magnified. Henry Ford’s goal was “I only want to have ordinary people who had extraordinary vision.” He brought homes from Thomas Edison(while he was still living), the guy who created the Dewey Decimal system, the bus Rosa Parks rode, the guy who wrote the McGruff readers, the Wright Brothers bike shop, and other buildings of significance. The first 6 years it was a school. There was a lottery system for admittance. Students would start their day in church. A church that my grandma used to attend. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were basically teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs in Thomas Edison’s innovation laboratory. Thomas accumulated all kinds of supplies, textiles, and tools to create. All new things start with education and innovation.

You are standing where the greats have stood

I couldn’t help but to think to myself often “You are standing where the greats have stood.” Especially when I was in Thomas Edison’s lab. I was able to connect some aspect of my life to each house. Thomas Edison was the first person to assemble a team and let them dive into their uniqueness. He hired people to come work in his lab and then innovate.

And because he was paying his technicians, they had money to pay to stay at the Women’s Boarding house. I loved being at the boarding house where I played the role of observer. These women were baking, cleaning, chatting, and even sat by the fireplace to knit or catch up on the day’s events. I can’t stress the importance of relationships. Today’s society is becoming too isolated. We should be filling up our time with others, not our devices. The tour guide would have you believe the women had to do these daunting tasks because the men were out doing whatever. But I challenge that thought. These women were volunteers playing a role, reeling us into the past, and enjoying themselves. I kept picturing myself in those lifestyles. You didn’t have a car to go shopping, a phone to scroll on, or the conveniences of today’s lifestyle. If I were them, in that day, I’d love to grind the wheat and make the soup. So I’m not sure I’m buying that they didn’t like their responsibilities.

So all because one man decided to gather a team to explore their zone of genius, the town boomed. That led to other businesses from people exploring their zones of genius and doing what they were uniquely gifted and created to do, thus all of the village’s talents were represented.

Curiosity • Resourcefulness • Practice over time

It’s not the size of your house, your intellect, or resources that make you great. It’s curiosity like me needing to figure out how to settle an estate. And resourcefulness like me figuring out how to create and manufacture the Financial Binder. I have a teaching degree, not a masters in business. I also had to be very resourceful because my budget was small. I was an ordinary person with a vision. I didn’t come from money. I’m not well connected. And over time I keep learning and honing the thing that I am gifted and uniquely created to do. I keep refining The Productive Home Solution. I thoroughly enjoyed my field trip to Greenfield Village and was able to make so many connections to my life today. America - an entrepreneurial country!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Ambreen B. who lives in Jerusalem with her husband and 2 daughters, and her cat. Ambreen loves productivity and finds it interesting when people are more organized than her. She heard an interview on another podcast and loved hearing how kids get organized and the structure.

As her life became more complex by getting a home to manage, getting married, and having children, she knew “Ok, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” The boxes acted as a landing place for all of the things she was trying to remember. Then she decided to get her PhD. Our Sunday Baskets® is where we can cognitively offload to afford the capacity to deal with the unexpectedness of life. They take the worry piece and put an intervention in place therefore reducing worry from the event. That’s what the Sunday Basket® does, it reduces stress in the form of a system.

As an organizational sociologist and institutional complexity analyst, Ambreen understands that concept more than most. And she appreciates that it’s a tried and true system, not just one she pieced together. Ambreen was great to share how her Sunday Baskets® have helped her through the PhD process. Some people have a team to delegate to, Ambreen had her Sunday Baskets® to delegate to. She shared how she used the colored slash pockets and kept her focused. It allowed for a deeper level of focus. She knew that after planning day and she had a plan in place all she had to do was run that plan. She had peace of mind that she could focus on that day’s plan and completely ignore all other responsibilities. I added the importance of being able to have focused work time and mind wandering time. She tried to DIY at first but in the end it was way more economical to go all in and buy the actual Sunday Basket® and all.

Three days after getting the Sunday Basket® in hand, her mother in law passed away. It was time to put into action what she’d seen in The Productive Home Solution™ videos. Ambreen’s husband has 4 brothers but you know who combed through that home and settled the estate? The two daughter-in-laws. It was a crash course in grief and organization. While everyone else was in shock and overwhelmed, the system gave her tasks to be productive. But having a system gave her some sense of control in a situation she had very little control over. We talked about the 7 days of mourning and people wanting to drop off food. This was during “covid times” so she explained how she safely divided up the food for later consumption. We talked about the decluttering process. Ambreen loves the decluttering questions. And she really leaned into Do, Defer, Delegate, and Delete. That experience made her think about her parents and all of their stuff. She called her mom to talk about all their stuff and planning for the future.

She feels like the title Household Manager elevates the role and gives it the perceived importance it actually holds. She values this system so much. Ambreen has more mental peace. And she just wishes she’d known about Organize 365® earlier.

Ambreen’s advice is, “Buy the Sunday Basket®, don’t DIY- it’s not worth it.” She appreciates all the advice, grace that is provided, and no pressure to buy anything. She encourages people to just buy when they are ready.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Friday Workbox®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You may not be a history buff like myself but I think you will find my aha moments interesting that I got when visiting these Presidential homes. We think so much has changed, but has it? Are we using our homes differently? I just think tv gave us this impression of how our homes should be used and look. We know differently at Organize 365®.

Why Adult Fieldtrips

I support my family in all of their passions and this act of self care is a way for me to support my passions and fill my cup. I love to go see presidential homes because of the history of the homes and functionality more than learning about the actual Presidents. These homes are the best representation of what life was like at that time. I like to think about the history of course, but also how the homes were used and the female roles in the homes and as a spouse. I’m always impressed by the vast libraries and proof of how much they valued education. And the finances, who had that much money to afford and run those plantations and who was managing the money? I visited 4 of the first 5 President’s homes in VA.

Women of the Plantation

Jefferson’s daughter, Martha, had her own study right off of the entrance. Martha assumed the responsibilities of the home when her mother passed away. When she moved home, they had to make modifications for her and her husband and their 13 children. Jefferson was constantly modifying Monticello to accommodate their current phase of life. Funny I know someone who constantly gives permission to people to modify your home to your current phase of life. Actually there were so many renovations that in the end it left a heavy financial burden on Martha and the plantation was sold to the DuPont family because they couldn’t afford all of the debt Jefferson had accrued. If only they’d had the financial binder. It’s so important to plan and document your final wishes of your (maybe debt) and assets.

Dolly was Madison’s wife. She was well connected, had money, was social, and came into their marriage with an 18 month old son after yellow fever took her first husband and two other children. She moved from the South to the North to live in VA. There were a lot of life changes for her including the addition of slaves in her life and managing the plantation. She was a pioneer of sorts having dinner parties and courting votes. She too had a study in which I’m sure she was coordinating everything.

These women’s husbands were in office, they were in charge of the finances, domestic staff, paid staff, their families, their spouse, social life, education, and community involvement. If only they’d had the Household Reference and Operations binder. How did they do it all?

The Estates

These estates were fairly close to each other and it reminds me of how arduous travel was in that day. They didn’t have cars. These homes were to house the plantation staff, guests who had traveled, and meetings regarding being in office. But the two families, the Jefferson’s and Madison’s, used their homes differently. And Jefferson had his own quarters if you will like a little condo of his own like the personal spaces I talk about in regards to children’s rooms. These homes fueled all their passions like a love of reading, small businesses, and public service. Isn’t that what we are doing today too? Our homes are the only thing we have control over and they must fit our phase of life because we spend so much time in them, much like they did in the times of these Presidential homes. I can’t wait to tell you about my field trip to Greenfield Village next time!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!