Mary:  Before I introduce 
Power Surge's guest tonight, our Founder and Host,
Dearest is ill tonight. She asked if I would sit in for her 
during this chat,
so I'll be your host tonight.

Mary Jo Rulnick and Judith Burnett Schneider are the co-authors 
of The Frantic 
Woman's Guide to Life: A Year's Worth of Hints, Tips, and 
Tricks. Do-it-yourself 
expert Mary Jo Rulnick and organizing genius Judith Burnett 
Schneider have come to 
the rescue. 

Better than a 25-hour day, their compilation offers a full 
year's worth of 
amazing, timesaving tips and efficiency secrets that can 
eliminate clutter, turn 
your family into a cleaning team, organize your life month-by-
month, and even find 
ways to save you money. From financial planning to redecorating 
your kitchen, 
you'll accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible-and still 
have time to smell 
the roses and give your kids an extra hug. 

Welcome to Power Surge Mary Jo and Judith! 


Judy:  Thanks for that 
wonderful introduction, MaryO! 


Mary:  Would either of you 
like to tell us a few quick hints that we can use to 
get started in organizing our lives? 


Judy:  We offer a range of 
tips for the woman who has too much on her plate and 
not a lot of time to get all her responsibilities taken care 
of. 

Most of what we offer can be accomplished using items you 
already have in your 
home. 

We don't expect you to drastically change your life to get 
yourself back on track. 

Does anyone have any specific problems you were hoping to have 
addressed this evening? 


Mary:  What kinds of things 
could we expect to use to get ourselves organized 
with? I need help with my whole life! Mostly I have too much 
paper around. How 
can I best handle that? 


Mary Jo:  start sorting your 
papers into categories, such as house, kids, etc. 
Then sort one pile at a time. 


Judy:  One key way to take 
care of paper clutter is to walk directly from the 
mailbox to your waste basket. 


Mary Jo:  Use baskets to 
help you. Give a basket to each family member, too.
They can then sort their own paper piles. 


Judy:  Don't be tempted to 
keep those store ads and fliers that clutter your 
counters.  Decide whether or not you'll be shopping those sales 
that week and
then kiss them good-bye or file them. 

For letters that need to be answered and bills that need to be 
paid do as Mary Jo 
suggested and place them in a decorative basket.  Then vow at 
least once a week to 
take care of them--so they can't build up. 


Mary Jo:  You'll also want 
to keep papers that you'll need ASAP in one designated 
area so you know.  Exactly where they are and you will not have 
to shift through
a bunch of papers. 

You can also mark those with a highlighter that are important. 


Judy:  Another quick mail 
tip is to designate a photo box to hold those treasured 
greeting cards from friends and relatives.  That beats finding 
them here and there 
because you just can't part with them. Label the outside of the 
box.


PatC:  Both my husband and I tend to collect clutter and 
constantly have to fight 
piles of stuff - especially mail. Do you have any suggestions 
for us? (you really 
have answered that some already). 


Mary Jo:  What kind of 
clutter PatC? 


PatC:  I don't know where to begin to answer. 


Mary Jo:  Try to start in 
one room first.  Take a corner of that first room and 
decide what you want and do not.  Toss the things you do not, 
give what can be 
given to non-profits. 


Judy:  We address many 
different types of clutter in the book.  How about those 
family heirlooms you're tempted to hang on to but never use?  
We recommend you 
make a decision about them.


Mary Jo:  You can use the 
heirlooms for many things in the house. 


Judy:  Use the goblets 
from your aunt, for example, rather than store them wrapped 
in a box. 


Mary Jo:  They can hold 
sunglasses, keys, and anything you might collect such as 
buttons, wine corks, or practical items like the remote 
control. :)  Don't hide 
them, find a use for them. 


Judy:  We also talk about 
turning those favorite tees into a quilt as a gift for 
your spouse, friend, or child. 


KByland:  What can we do to make dinner go more smoothly. I get 
home from work at 
6 and am already wiped out. Thanks for any advice!


Mary Jo:  Oh, you need to 
pull out your slow cooker.  If you don't have one this 
is a great investment. 


Judy:  You've probably 
heard this before, KByland, but you should get used to 
using a crock pot. 


Mary Jo:  Also, the George 
Foreman Grill is great for those quick meals. And try, 
if might be hard, but get in the habit of making 2 or 3 meals 
over the weekend to 
help ease the weekday burden.  Another thing to do is make a 
roast that is big 
enough for a meal on Monday, then you can slice it for maybe 
Roast Tips with 
Noodles the next day. 


KByland:  Is it worth getting one of the bigger crockpots? I 
have an older one. 


Mary Jo:  I still have the 
same one that I had when we first married...24 years. 
:) And we have four people in our house and it has worked.


Judy:  Sometimes a larger 
crock pot it good, but if you've only cooking for one or 
two, it takes a lot of food to fill it. 


Victoria:  So do you recommend doing a room at a time? Where 
does one start? 


Judy:  That's where our 
Toweler and Tackler concept comes in. Allow us to 
explain... 


Mary Jo:  Some might like to 
start in the easiest room and others might start in 
the hardest one. 


Judy:  The Toweler is the 
one who looks at a stack of laundry and does the towels 
first, so she would clean the easy room first.  And the Tackler 
would tackle the 
darks and fine washables leaving the easy laundry for last so 
she would probably 
like to start her cleaning in the kitchen. 


Mary Jo:  If you would be 
overwhelmed starting in the hardest room, then start in 
the one with that you feel you could handle. Look at each item 
and decide if it is 
worth your time to take care of it and this means the dusting 
and cleaning 
process.


Mary:  What if all the rooms 
are out of control?


Judy:  How about starting 
with a small bathroom then, MaryO?  Would that be more 
manageable? 


Mary:  I guess so, for a 
small bathroom. Thanks. 


Mary Jo:  You could also 
tackle one shelf, drawer or closet at a time. 


Judy:  Force yourself to 
do the whole thing, top to bottom--and you'll feel so 
accomplished. 


Mary Jo:  Commit yourself to 
doing one each day.  If you can get up the motivation 
for it then call a friend and make a deal with her to talk on 
the phone to each 
other while you are doing that one spot. 


SturdyWoman:  Judy and Mary Jo I live with 4 males, there are 
days I feel totally 
overwhelmed by the mess they make. Some days I can't keep up 
(menopause doesn't 
help).  How do I recruit their help without turning into a 
maniac? They did better 
when they were young.   


Judy:  I'm sure the 
bathroom is challenging enough with 4 men in the house. What 
if you started small, by asking them to help out in just one 
way, at first?  

Determine what it is that bothers you the most.  For example, 
is it their shoes, 
or piles of clothes, or lack of energy, and then focus on just 
that one thing for 
at least a week or two. Ask them to take their shoes to their 
rooms before bed. 
And work on just that one thing. Then, before you know it, 
you're tripping a 
little less and getting a little cooperation. If you try to 
change their entire 
way of life in one week, it will never happen (you probably 
already know that from 
having tried). 


SturdyWoman:  I'll try it. Thanks, Judy. 


Judy:  So, again, pick one 
thing to change and work on that.  Good luck, SturdyWoman! 


Barb:  How do you get others motivated to help with things? 


Judy:  Two ways, and these 
have been around for centuries (an exaggeration, of 
course).  You can reward or punish.  And who likes punishment?  
Not very many 
people, so we recommend you go with a reward. Find out what it 
is that your child 
really enjoys and use that as a motivation. For example, if 
your young teen enjoys 
having friends over, tell her that if she keeps her room clean, 
she can have a 
pizza party. 


Mary Jo:  Barb, if you give 
them a choice, try saying, "Do you want to fold towels 
or run the sweeper?" so they can't say no.


Barb:  Sounds good, always go with the basics.


Mary Jo:  Also, try "I can't 
take you to your friends until I clean the dishes."  
That should get her to help.  We do a lot of things for others. 


Mary:  What if you have a 
kid who says he'll do something, but then it turns to 
"later" then never? 


Mary Jo:  He should have to 
do that chore/task first before he can go to the 
friends. Or the next time he needs a ride or wants something 
remind him of the 
unfinished chore and say "sorry."  He didn't finish his and you 
can't. 


KByland:  How do we keep from beating ourselves up? Sometimes I 
get so caught up 
in what I think needs to be done that I can't "stop to smell 
the roses." 


Mary Jo:  Try to schedule 
one thing a week for you. 


Judy:  Ah, this is the 
root of the problem for many frantic women. 


Mary Jo:  This could be as 
simple as a before-work breakfast.  Or meeting a friend 
for the lunch hour. Another way is to try to schedule something 
that you know you 
will do such as taking a non-credit class of something that 
interests you. Or 
joining a book discussion group. 


KByland:  Thanks. Great advice! 


MrsUnderstood:  Can procrastinators be reprogrammed or is this 
a permanent 
personality characteristic? A month to exchange a pair of 
slacks from Christmas
by a 25 year old seems a tad beyond annoying. 


Judy:  Are you a list 
maker, Mrs.?  If not, that might help. Procrastinators 
procrastinate because they have so much to do that they decide 
to just do nothing 
instead because the mound of tasks is too great. 


MrsUnderstood:  Sometimes, but this is my daughter and I have 
learned to let her 
do it on her time, but honestly it frustrates me!!!! 


Mary Jo:  Sometimes we 
procrastinate on things we don't like to do.  So, if that 
is the case, then she needs to do those things with a friend.


Judy:  I don't think it's 
incurable. If you can get her to see that she'll feel so 
much better about herself if she could just do things on time 
or even early.  But 
how? By starting with something simple, like her being late.  
Help her to prepare 
to get out the door on time or see to it that the class project 
gets worked on 
weeks ahead by supervising. (not sure how old she is). 


MrsUnderstood:  25 and lives on her own, but I bought the 
pants. This is just a 
pattern.


Mary Jo:  Does she have 
goals?  On the pants, offer to take them back, so the 
money isn't wasted but, you'll do it for a small fee.  That 
might make her thing 
about it and move.  Sometimes, money is a great enticement.


Judy:  To add to MaryJo's 
comment, do so even if she hasn't tried them on. 


PatC:  There are lots of 'organizational' systems and products 
on the market 
today. Would you recommend any particular type of product? 


Mary Jo:  You don't need to 
spend a lot of money. First, you want to see what you 
need containers for. You don't want to spend money on ones that 
will not work. 
Think what will go in them, where you will store them (this is 
important if you 
are storing in an attic with a small cube-type entrance) and 
how many you'll need.  
There are many items on the market and discounted prices. 


Judy:  On to the 
organizing products. I love those drawers that are meant to be 
used for nuts, bolt, and screws. They're great for organizing 
office supplies, 
sewing things, small toys like Legos and Barbies, and the list 
goes on.  They,
of course, make larger versions for files, books, you name it. 

Did you have a particular product in mind? 


Mary Jo:  You can also use 
items like large trash containers. 


Mary:  How about those 
closet organizer "systems" Do they really help? 


Mary Jo:  I have to be 
honest, my husband made ours. He put several shelves and  
and double rods in our closets. And it didn't take much time. 
Maybe you could 
barter this with a friend. He used 2x8's I believe.


Mary:  I'd hate to ask my 
husband - it would be such a big deal!


PatC:  I have a catalog of 'organizational products' - but I'm 
thinking of for 
photos. 


Judy:  We address handling 
photos in the book.  This can be a real frantic-cizer 
for women. If you're overwhelmed with the amount of photos you 
have, then go for 
something that stores packets at a time.

If you can just get them in chronological order by packet, then 
you can take your 
time in organizing them into photo albums.  You can use those 
that are shoe box 
size or something larger depending upon how many you have to 
work with. I like a 
larger flatter bin that allows me to flip through an entire 
year's worth of photos 
at a time.


Marlo:  I bought the closet organizers from QVC. They are 
fantastic. They hold 
sweaters, bags, shoes, and a jewelry bag too.I'm stressed out 
from menopause and 
my sick mother-in-law. She screams from dementia. I get so 
frustrated I just 
organized my whole bedroom.Is this fear or selfishness? 


Judy:  Oh my, Marlo, that 
sounds like a wonderful kit.  That's not selfish at all. 
Marlo, I'd call that a practical reward!!  Any way that you can 
relieve your 
stress will help you to be a better caregiver for your mother-
in-law. 


Mary:   Mary Jo and Judy, 
thank you for joining us to answer so many of our 
questions tonight. I strongly recommend everyone read their 
book, The Frantic 
Woman's Guide to Life: A Year's Worth of Hints, Tips, and 
Tricks.


Mary Jo:  Thank you so much 
for being here for us. We appreciate it. And we hope 
Dearest is feeling better soon. 


Judy:  You're welcome to 
all! You were delightful to be with!







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Dearest
aka Alice Stamm
Power Surge
Founder, Facilitator, Host


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