A quick once-over of your medicine cabinet will save you a ton of grief. I guarantee there are items that have long since expired lingering in there. This is a quick and painless way to clear them out and keep you and your family safe from adverse reactions.

• Set aside 20 minutes to review all the items in your medicine cabinet.
• Place all expired items into a plastic bag
• Make a shopping list of the items that need to be replaced
• Put remaining items back into your medicine cabinet
• Take the plastic bag of 'expired' medications to your local drug store so that they can be disposed/recycled properly and not dumped into our water system.

It's time to admit that there is a limit, an expiry so to speak, to when you are being effective and when you aren't.

In the 90's the catch phrase was 'burning out'; now it's touted as 'stress' or trying to find 'work-life balance'. Call it whatever you want, but at the very least be aware of when you are going too far, when you are working from adrenalin instead of from your own healthy energy. You need to know when you're at the end of your capacity to continue to be effective.

Working 14-hour days does not mean you are being effective; forgoing a personal life does not mean you are going to experience great success in business. Working late nights, week after week, does not mean that you will be ahead of the game

It's time to start benchmarking your life - personally and professionally. How much time are you spending on a task and what is the remuneration for said efforts?

I could talk about this all day but I will limit myself to a few thoughts about where you could start evaluating effort given vs the results gained.

• Time spent on email - increase spam filters - hire a VA to help you
• Telephone conversations that could be more effective - outline what you need to discuss before you call
• Your paperwork - set up systems
• Billings to clients - if this isn't your strength hire a bookkeeper
• Household chores - there are people who are happy to do this for you
• Groceries - order on line
• Working out - maybe you should make the time
• Health - start simply, drink lots of water
• Vacation - take some time off
• Rejuvenate - learn what you need to rejuvenate your spirit and do it!

If you choose not to listen to my words, and I could ramble on about this because I too am learning to seriously benchmark in my own life, consider these quotes from a couple of fellows who have done pretty well for themselves.

"Limit your goals and maintain focus." Buck Rodgers, author of "The IBM Way"

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." Alexander Graham Bell 1847-1922, Inventor

Imagine the unexpected expiry of your most valuable data - your contacts, your documents, your pictures, and your music.

What would you do if it just disappeared?

You have two options to prevent this from happening: back up your information or get someone else to back it up for you.

Option One

Do it yourself - You can back up with a memory stick - often called a Flash or Jump Drive. External Hard Drives are also super handy. I had my computer guy (Jeff - you rock!) hook up my external hard drive so that I can very easily back up my information. He mapped my Outlook and my ACT (contact relationship management) folders so that everything backs up like it's suppose to.

Once he set it up all I have to do is click a few buttons. Please note: you may very well be capable of setting up and backing up your own external hard drive however, I prefer that it's done for me - properly!

Option Two

Get someone to do it for you - Virtual Tape Drive is Canada's full-service online data backup solution. They protect your information from hardware failures, viruses, vandalism, theft, power surges and dips, and anything Mother Nature can throw at you - including fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes!

It's time to throw out the expired negative thoughts and those that I can't completly dispose of, I will acknowledge because when brought into the light they diminish.

Here are some of the great people and organizations that have helped me acknowledge and transform my negative thought patterns that I so comfortably came to rely upon and hide behind.

You are more than welcome to contact these people and companies for the products & services they offer.

Before you can make lasting changes in your life, you need to make a change within. Pride often blocks us from accepting change. Or, our egos get in the way of accepting advice. We say "I don't need you" when others try to help. We insist on doing things on our own when help would make life much easier. Don't let pride stand in your way of growth. Leave your ego out of interactions with others and suddenly you'll find that change is not so hard after all.

There will be no August OLM this year. So I look forward to sharing again with you in September.

We are however, still accepting clients who want an Organized Lifestyle so feel free to contact us at info@kaosgroup.com or 416.347.9002.

The team at Kaos Group wishes you and your loved ones a terribly fun, safe, and joyous summer.