Saturday Spotlight: Usborne Books

It is time for Saturday Spotlight and today we are featuring Usborne Books & More business by Marcy Drexler.   Here is what she has to say about her business:

As a team leader and being part of the company for 3 years, I have been able to books into the hands of children. Not sure there is anything better than helping the future leaders of tomorrow find their love of reading.

Literacy is so important and Usborne Books & More offers so many ways to make quality books available to children and their families. As our Mission Statement reflects, “The future of our world depends on the education of our children. We deliver educational excellence one book at a time. We provide economic opportunity while fostering strong family values. We touch the lives of children for a lifetime.”

Marcy gets to work with school, libraries, daycares, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and of course moms and dads to get great, educational and FUN books into the hands of young readers. One of her favorite things is what I call Book Benefits. Helping out families during financial struggles, when they are touched by death or health issues or need fundraising for adoption – we run a Book Benefit and they get 100% of the commission earned and much of the time all the free books!

To SHOP Usborne Books & More
View the current catalog which features the complete line of Usborne and Kane Miller titles.
To Join Marcy on Facebook

I wish I had of known about this amazing company when Belinda was little or when I was working as a Social Worker with kids who were struggling.  What a great way to get books into the hands of kids!

Looking for something to carry those books in?  Why not check out Thirty One’s Cinch Sac. So cute and sporty! Toss all your items for ballet, soccer, school and sleepovers into this bag, pull the drawstring and you’re good to go! There are so many patterns and colors to choose from to make it uniquely yours. Measures approx: 18.5”H x 14.5”W

What book are YOU reading now?  Share it with us..

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Let’s Organize Your Messy Desk

It is time to spring-clean and declutter your desk.  If you are like me, this is where you spend LOTS of time – whether you have your own home based business or manage your family budget or maybe you bring work home or maybe it is just your way to escape the craziness of the rest of the house.  Whatever your reason for heading to your desk, wouldn’t it be better if it was organized and neat.

I always have “I know where everything is” piles.  But often, those piles tend to grow and spread across the entire desk top and before long, they are calling my name.  Yup, a major distraction.  When my desk is messy, I can’t work.  So I spend hours trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing and never actually get anything done!

Here are some easy tips from organization guru Tidy Tova on how to get things straightened up so you regain your focus.  No more squirreling because of a messy deck.

Trash your trash.  

Seems like a no-brainer right?  Be honest, do you have a trash can overflowing?  Toss out those empty soda/water bottles, snack wrappers, and old tissues.

Eliminate some books.

Do you have books on your desk – just in case you need them?  If they are reference books that you only use once in a while, move them to a shelf that is relatively close.  This will make it easy to find them when you need them.  If you leave any books on your desk, make sure they serve a purpose.  I have only 2 books on my desk – my “party binder” so my monthly specials & a catalog are in easy reach AND the binder for my latest coaching class.  Do have books that you have read and haven’t touched in ages?  Donate them.  If they are business books, pass them on to your team or other colleagues who might be interested.

Prioritize your papers.

This is where it gets a little dicey… how many piles of papers do you have on your desk?  How many of those same papers do you have in digital format in your computer?  Do you really need the paper version?  It’s time to part ways. As for those papers you really do need to hang on to, come up with a filing system that keeps them organized and out of your way.  One of my favorite strategies from my non-profit days was “touch a piece of paper only once”.  Don’t just shuffle it from pile to pile, do something with it.

Purge your pens.

Let’s face it, we all collect pens yet when we need one, they are either out of ink or no where to be found, right?  You have your favorite pen, right?  But if you are like me, you have a pen cup on your desk holding a multitude of other pens as well.  If you have more then one pen cup, narrow it down to one. And let’s try to keep it to one of each type of pen too—six yellow highlighters isn’t doing anyone any good.

Narrow down your notes.

Is your wall or computer covered with post its in all sizes, shapes and colors with things that need to be done?  How long have they been there?  If it was important enough to hang within your view all day long then shouldn’t you be working on it?  Use a bulletin board or a wipe board to keep track of those notes.  Schedule the task or add it to your list of goals and create an action plan.

Make it yours!

You came, you saw, you cleaned. Now for the fun part! Now add some personal but don’t overdue it.  Stop by tomorrow when we talk about how to “get your desk ready for success”.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!