Ny wine gift basket

This pro helps folks get their ducks in a row

If your disorganization needs hands-on help, who ya gonna call? Tina Blackman.

Blackman, the only Colorado Springs member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, is a consultant who calls herself the Organizing Coach.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a master's degree in business administration from Chapman University, Blackman goes to clients' homes and helps them organize their lives.

She agrees with author Deniece Schofield that paper is the No. 1 problem, and suggests everyone take advantage of a national junk- mail equivalent of a "no call" list: Send your name and address to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.

"The junk mail should drop off considerably in six to eight weeks," she says.

She also suggests recycling as an environmentally friendly way to deal with paper, especially newspapers.

Some of her other organizational advice centers around everyday family life, such as meals. She suggests planning menus before making a grocery list and going to the store. That way, you get all your groceries for the week at once, with no last-minute stops on the way home.

"Keep a running list of things you're out of, and train your family to put things on it, too," she says.

She also suggests getting in the habit of performing household tasks when you have 15 minutes here or there.

"You can clean a toilet in 15 minutes, or mop a kitchen floor, or start a load of laundry. If you don't believe it, set a timer for 15 minutes and do the task," she suggests. "You'll be surprised at what you can get done in just that little bit of time."

The big revelation is "you'll realize you do have time. You just need to use it better."

With the holidays on the horizon, Blackman offers these 10 tips to keep things under control:

1. Keep a gift journal from year to year so you know what you bought last year. This avoids duplication or, if they really liked their gift (say, a magazine subscription or wine basket), you can do it again.

2. When taking down holiday decorations, store similar items together (all the garland in one box) or, if you decorate many rooms, store items together that go in a certain room.

3. Take pictures of your decorated rooms so you can remember next year how you did it.

4. At the end of the holiday season, make a list of what you'll need to replace or buy next year (then shop for it while the sales are on).

5. Set up a gift-wrapping station in your home (such as in a guest bedroom, if it's not occupied) and leave everything there. Everyone does the wrapping there, and all the things you need (tape, scissors, etc.) are in one place.

6. If you make crafts or other gifts, start early and buy the things you'll need throughout the year. You can make them any time, well before the holidays.

7. If your family writes an annual holiday letter, work on it all year on your computer or in a notebook, writing down highlights, funny happenings and important events, so when you start writing it, everything is there for you.

8. Determine which parties/dinners/events you will attend and mark them off on a calendar. If you need to take candy, cookies or a dish of some kind, plan what it will be. Buy the ingredients and even make the food in advance and freeze it, if possible.

9. Shop all year for gifts and store them away, but keep a list, so you remember what you bought.

10. In November, make a list of all your holiday preparations, with deadlines for when they must be completed. Schedule them on a calendar like appointments. For example: Dec. 5, mail all out-of- state packages.