Tired of hauling bags upon bags of trash to the curb every week? Becoming familiar with ways to reduce waste in your home can help your family save money as well as make a positive impact on the environment.

Why It’s Beneficial to Reduce Waste at Home

Let’s be honest: taking out the trash probably isn’t your favorite chore — and when you’re creating needless waste, it can make trash day even more undesirable. But waste reduction at home doesn’t just make trash day less of a hassle: it also trains you to become a more mindful consumer, which can result in serious dollars saved.

Before you start your waste minimization journey, it’s a good idea to take stock of how many bags of trash you throw out in a typical week, and make a mental note about the kinds of things that are going into your trash can. Do you have lots of food waste? Toss tons of plastic cups? Forget about things until they’re expired? Whatever your bad trash habits are, vowing to create less waste will make you hyper-aware of the products — and thus, money — you’re throwing away, and give you helpful insight into how you can buy less and save more.

Easy Ways to Reduce Waste at Home

If you’re a newcomer to waste reduction, you might assume it’s something that will require a huge overhaul of your daily life. Luckily, reducing your household waste is actually easier than you might imagine. Here are some ideas for how you can reduce waste at home without totally disrupting your lifestyle.

Ditch Plastic Bags

Do you have a seemingly endless supply of plastic shopping bags stuffed away in a cabinet somewhere? Instead of continuing to accumulate pointless plastic bags, reduce waste by making a habit of taking a few reusable tote bags with you on your grocery runs.

Recycle Whenever Possible

Instead of tossing everything into one waste bin, start separating recyclable items from your regular trash. Invest in a second trash can and line it with Glad® Recycling Tall Kitchen Drawstring Bags — just be sure to check your local city or community guidelines to see how your recyclables need to be bagged and thrown out. You can even post a list of recyclable items (such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans and newspapers) above your recycling bin so everyone in your household can easily reference it.

Cut Back on Disposable Items

It might be tempting to buy disposable or single-use items for the sake of convenience, but they create tons of needless waste. Kick the habit of buying single-use things and invest in products with a longer lifespan in order to reduce waste.

As you get ready to start the decluttering process, it helps to have a system in place that you can use as you clean and reorganize. One super simple, straightforward option is the “Four-Box Method” — using four boxes or storage bins, you can streamline your decluttering job. Here’s a breakdown of how just four boxes can make tackling a cluttered room a breeze.

Box 1: Trash

The first box will be your designated trash dump. Any items you want to get rid of that aren’t worth donating or selling go here. Pro tip: to save yourself a step, go ahead and use Glad® ForceFlex Plus Advanced Protection Bags instead of a box so you can take your trash straight to the curb after cleaning up. And don’t forget to recycle items whenever possible! Check out Glad’s guide to what can and cannot be recycled to learn more.

Box 2: Give Away/Sell

Next, designate a box for items that are still in OK condition, but that your household could do without — like old books or toys, for example. Whether you want to give these things away to family/friends, donate them to charity, or sell them in a yard sale to make a little extra money is totally up to you.

Box 3: Storage

This box is for things that you can’t or don’t want to get rid of, but that you aren’t in need of on a day-to-day basis (think things like seasonal decorations). It’s also a good idea to make an inventory of items that you’re putting in storage as you go — that way, you won’t be left wondering what exactly is taking up space in your garage or attic down the line.

Box 4: Put Away

Lastly, have a box ready to place any items that need to be kept in your house, but relocated to their proper place. If you want to get really organized, you can have a few smaller boxes — one each for places like your bathroom, kitchen, or bedrooms — and sort misplaced items into their “homes” to save yourself the hassle later. 

Want one last decluttering pro tip? If you have the need for it, you can add a fifth box to this method: one for items that can be repaired/replaced rather than tossed out or donated, like a watch that needs a new battery. 

Making the decision to declutter your home can feel like a huge step in and of itself, but actually getting started is a much larger obstacle. Particularly if you have a big decluttering job ahead of you, knowing where to begin the process can be overwhelming — which is why coming up with a decluttering game plan is so essential.
​
Before you dive in, figure out what your decluttering goal is. Do you merely want to get rid of visible mess, or do you want to create entirely new household organizational systems to use going forward? Knowing what your end goal is can help you prioritize tasks and figure out your next steps.

Another trick to kickstart your decluttering? Start with what you feel is the easiest room first. For example, if you know you need to do an overhaul of your entire wardrobe, don’t tackle your bedroom and closet first. If you begin with a simpler decluttering job — say, cleaning out and reorganizing your spice rack — it can empower and motivate you to tackle bigger decluttering projects.

I think we are all guilty at times of hanging on to things we don't need just because they make us feel comfortable. Or because we've always done it that way. Or because we see others do it that way. Most of us collect things. Most of us try to multi-task – usually with decreased or no success. And... we often think these collections or hobbies or hands on memories make us happy. Sound familiar? Welcome to the club.


My wife is very organized. And while she's never really been a collector, she's been an even greater inspiration to me over the past few years to really declutter my life and make me happier, more productive and less stressed along the way. How? Well, are you ready for some advice? Jump aboard...


Junk is junk. Yes, it may seem true and it may actually be true in some cases that
“one man's junk is another man's treasure” or “I may need that some day.” I'm here to tell you that, while you may need that “thing” some day, it's not likely and, if you really do, then you can re-buy it. So, if you have a “junk drawer” (and most of us do or did or grew up with one so we think that is just the way it has to be), it's time to let it go. Whatever is in there has probably been in there for 5-10 years, right? And you still haven't needed it. So toss it... or better yet toss the whole drawer's collection and use that drawer for something – anything – way more useful. Growing up it was the last drawer on the right before the refrigerator in my parent's kitchen and was always in similar locations in our kitchen with my wife till she said “no more.” I haven't missed a single item and neither will you. Toss it... you'll feel better when you repurpose that drawer for something far more productive... trust me.


You really can't take it with you. Collections are interesting to look at, but it's time to let it go. I had dozens of signed posters and collectible memorabilia from my favorite rock group. But most things were just taking up space in the garage waiting for what... I don't know. My wife challenged me and I did it... basically got rid of nearly everything I had collected over a 20 year period. I made a few hundred dollars selling some of it, made some fellow collector friends happy by gifting some of it to them, and actually threw the other 98% away. I realized that all I really wanted was the music – and I have that and continue to collect it free and space free digitally through acquired live recordings. That's the history and interest for me. And my garage is much emptier for it, I don't miss any of it, and I enjoy the few things I did keep and the hundreds of live recordings that take up zero space... daily. No regrets.


The one year rule. Have you used it, worn it, looked at it, played with it, or even touched it in the last year? If not, why is it still taking up space in your closet, garage or house? My closet was full of clothes I didn't wear but thought I might wear “sometime.” Here's some advice... if you haven't worn it by now, you never will. Worse, we sometimes keep clothes we hope to fit into better next year. Ha. If that happens and we lose the 10 pounds or 50 pounds, then we can reward ourselves. For now, reward yourself with the good sense to realize you'll probably never wear it or use it or touch it. Trust the one year rule... toss it or donate it. I did... and now I wear everything in my closet.


Why are you really hoarding it? Furniture, broken electronics you plan to fix. Hmmm.... do you really have the time? And with furniture... do you need it? If not, then give it away, sell it, or toss it. Surfaces have to be dusted. We sold an armoire and two night stands that were great, looked great, but we didn't need them and they were a dusting nightmare. Now our master bedroom looks and feels more spacious and dusting our house because we've shed those and other similar items is a breeze and takes only minutes daily to keep looking great and guest ready at all times. We missed the night stands for a couple of weeks... then we never looked back.


Don't worry, be happy. I have found that ridding my life and home of things around me that I was keeping for no real good reason has made me more relaxed and productive. I spend less time looking for things, I put things in their proper place rather than just “setting them somewhere” and I have more time because there is less to clean. I still put things where I shouldn't out of pure laziness, but I do it far less and my life, wife and marriage is happier because of it. Plus, I'm teaching my 6 small children much better habits because I'm living it, not just talking about it. Seriously, toss it or sell it or give it away. But if you don't need it daily or weekly or monthly, then do you really need it? Get rid of it. You won't regret it.


Summary / call for action


Decluttering and letting go is very hard for most of us and nearly impossible for some. I realize that. But I challenge you to toss something – one thing – from each room in your house tomorrow and see how it makes you feel. Lighter? Fresher? More productive? I've thrown out or donated hundreds of things in the past 2-3 years and only regretted a couple of items... and then that regret disappeared quickly. It's a good, freeing feeling.


Thoughts? Can you take the challenge? Have you decluttered yourself and you life? What tips would you add? And if you were thinking of doing this or feel stressed, then I hope this read has helped you. Ask me questions... I'm happy to help. Contact me for any advice or support you might need.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were reporting to a PMO director and you wonder what value this person brings to the table? You romanticize about how much more productive you would be if you didn’t have to jump through his hoops. Better yet, you consider how much better off you – and all the other PMs - would be if you were running the show. Or at least if you got to handpick his successor. Am I striking a chord here? Of course I am.


I’m going to state what I think a good PMO director needs to bring to the table. I’m hoping on the couple of occasions so far where I’ve run the show that I did bring these things to the table. At least I know I tried. And I will say that sometimes the organizational chemistry and process flow doesn’t always allow for the utopia that I’m going to describe. But getting somewhere close would be nice.


#1 – Manage the PMO, not a bunch of projects


The PMO director really needs to be a leader of people, not projects. I’m so tired of seeing PM’s who are spending most of their time leading the big projects also acting in the role of PMO director. It’s just not right. The PMO director needs to establish processes, identify training needs, knock down barriers, make connections, and fight for the PMO’s presence in the organization. He needs to be putting the proper tools in the hands of the PMs like reusable templates, the proper planning documents and an easy to use project management tool like Dooster or some similar tool that makes project collaboration easy. It’s how the viability of the PM processes is maintained. You can’t rely on the CEO to suddenly think what you’re doing matters. Not when so many projects fail or have major issues. No, someone must be championing the organization. That’s the director. If he’s leading five projects of his own, he can’t do that. No one can.


#2 – Know your organization


The PMO director must know the organization. He must know how get information, favors, resources, and support. Unless it’s a startup situation, it’s very difficult to bring in an outsider as the director and have them be immediately useful. It’s better to bring outsiders in as PMs and promote a good leader to this role.


#3 – Care about the PM’s, not the politics


The PMO director must be ready to fight for the project managers in the PMO like the PMs fight for their customers. I’m sorry, but if I’m being pulled two ways – one way by senior management and one way by the customer – it’s usually going to be the customer’s concerns that I react to first. Likewise, the PMO director should be more concerned about his organization and fighting for it rather than playing a lot of politically games for senior management – unless that is in the best interests of the PMO itself. So many PMOs fail, they need a strong leader fighting to keep it viable.


#4 – Communicate well


Above all else – just like with any project manager – the PMO director must be a great communicator. Company policies, processes, planning, etc. must all come from this individual. And he must be a good listener because there are lots of project issues that arise that PMs need help with. Their success must be his utmost concern.


Conclusion


So, can I fire my PMO director? Well, sort of. If the needs of the project managers are not being met and if the PMO is faltering because of a lack of organized, efficient, and effective leadership, then waiting will only mean projects will fail. Customers will be lost. The company bottom line will take a huge hit. And so will careers. Staying quiet is not in anyone’s best interest. If it’s a common feeling (and not just your own grudge) that the PMO leadership is ineffective, it must be taken up the chain of command. And yes, then you can fire your PMO director. It would be your duty to do so.

Everyone does digital marketing. With more instruments to work with, businesses of different sizes are relying on digital marketing tools to reach their intended customers. The field is immensely crowded, but there are still a lot of opportunities to cut through the noise and be successful.
The real challenge is refining your digital marketing efforts to ensure success. While there are a lot of solutions you can now use to amplify the impact of your digital marketing campaigns, automation is certainly the way forward. We have just the tips and tricks to get you started with digital marketing automation in this article.

Synchronize Different Platforms

Automating digital marketing efforts requires the use of an integrated set of tools and instruments. You cannot treat different parts of the marketing campaign as a separate thing, especially not if you want to amplify the impact of the campaign exponentially.

Fortunately, you now have tools like PieSync making integrating multiple platforms easy. You don’t have to manually synchronize data across multiple platforms and can instead use PieSync to automate this process.
The Pipedrive Google Contacts (G Suite) Sync Guideline shows just how easy it is to integrate the two platforms. You can automatically add contacts from Google Contacts to Pipedrive (and vice versa) without worrying about duplicates and other common issues.

Simplify Workflows

With the different platforms integrated and synchronized, you can start optimizing your digital marketing workflows gradually. The process starts with eliminating tasks that are repetitive and time consuming by immediately automating them using scripts and other tools.

This will reduce the time needed to complete one campaign cycle substantially. Once the process is completed, you will have streamlined workflows capable of scaling up your digital marketing impact by a substantial margin.

Keeping it simple is what you need to do. A lot of marketers overcomplicate marketing automation, but this isn’t necessary. For instance, triggering the delivery of a reminder email when a dropped cart is detected is as easy to do as setting up a few parameters and actions.

Watch Out for Traps

It is also worth noting that there are some obstacles to avoid when automating your marketing efforts. Some tasks, such as interacting with the customers on social media, are best kept personalized, so automation isn’t always the best solution for the situation.

The same is true with emails. While you can automate the personalization of your email marketing content, there are limits to how far you can push the boundaries. There will be times when you want to address the customers individually or create personalized content without automating parts of the process.

Last but not least, you want to avoid the trap of automating everything without sufficient reviews. Automation is a process, not a one-time thing. You want to refine how you automate different parts of your marketing campaign to produce the greatest impact.
​
Keep these tips and tricks in mind and you will find automation to be the way forward. You can expand the reach of your marketing campaigns without investing more time, money, and resources into the campaigns with the help of automation. ​

OnlinePMCourses training has been designed for you, if...

• You want to be a Project Manager...
  But you can't get the training you need

 

• You need to deliver your next Project successfully...
  So you need instant answers and a working toolkit...

 

• You need to study for and take certification exams...
  And you want training you can take at your own pace

 

• You know the basics of Project Management already
  But you want to improve your technical skills and leadership

 

• Or you need your people to be better Project Managers...
  But you can't block the days for a live course

PMaspire strongly focus on their learner’s good experience both in terms of context and content. LMS, when focused on organizations, can assist your business in multiple ways and through several factors. When PMaspire talks about customer-centric organizations, an extended enterprise LMS is the learning management system of the future.

​Enterprise LMS will solve many issues that your L&D team might face when they try to create customizable training courses. Enterprise LMS also helps in controlling the consistency throughout the whole project. PMaspire has been building and creating the best world-class courses with their cloud-based LMS. This Enterprise LMS, Learning Management system is a place where you can manage your entire training program.

How does PMaspire stand out among the crowd? In these four ways...

• An award winning LMS Platform. PMaspire Enterprise Multi-lingual Learning Management System received best e-Learning Platform award by BASIS

 

• Users can build and lessons and courses. Build and create the best high-end courses with the easy to use cloud-based LMS. Combine text, video, images, practice questions, and exams.

 

• Establish consistent training for your organization. One stop platform to manage your entire training program. Everyone gets the exact same onboarding and knowledge.

 

• Self-brand the LMS for a smoother user training experience. Make your students feel at home, by white-label their LMS, embed it on your own site and don't tell anybody you're using PMaspire's software. Create a custom styling to reflect your brand.

Need more convincing? Feel free to request a demo.

Not all organizations require the level of oversight, structure and management that a project management office (PMO) will bring to an organization. But many do and it will depend on the organization, the industry, the type of projects being managed, the clients, and – of course – the available budget for the project management infrastructure in the organization.


If you are putting together – or thinking of putting together – a project office, then you need to think about how to get there…from point A to point B. I’ve watched the creation of, participated in the creation of and even created a project management office of my own and for me…it comes down to these 4 key tips for making sure your project management office is successful as possible.


Put a PMO Director in charge. Hire a PMO director. My vote is that this person should come from outside – not inside – the organization. Why? Partly just because I’ve seen too many failures from organizations who took a resource manager who was in between jobs and put them in charge of the PMO. Bad call. But also, the PMO director should be unbiased and focused solely on the success of the PM infrastructure. No favorite executives or department managers. They should also not end up leading projects. The director needs to be focused on PM career development for his staff and focused on the satisfied customers that each project should be producing. He needs to help rundown big issues, remove roadblocks, implement and enforce policies, report up to senior management and gain visibility for his fledgling PM organization.


Make sure senior management is behind the PMO project. It’s absolutely critical that the PMO have the backing and buy-in of the company’s executive management team. That’s where funding comes from, that’s were adoption by the rest of the organization starts, and that’s where your customers see what’s important to the organization. If the executive team has a stake in the PMO, then that PMO much more likely to become a viable part of the organization.


Put good processes, practices, and templates in place. Having document shells and templates in place, policies that govern how the PMO will be run and how information will be shared and warehoused, and the processes it will follow to manage projects and report project status information is critical to the ongoing success of the PMO. With repeatable processes and templates in place, your organization then has the tools for success and is not leaving each project’s success up to chance or luck. Rather, the organization will be able to recognize success, why it happened and repeat it on future engagements.


Staff with experienced project managers. Finally, hire good, experienced project managers. A PMO stocked full of project managers with PMP and other certifications won’t guarantee success. It is critical that your PMO be made up of individuals with project successes under their belts. Mentoring is essential and these experienced PMs with real PM success stories (and failures…that’s how we learn) will be the best individuals to help new project managers in the organization learn how to effectively and successfully manage engagements on an ongoing basis.


Summary / call for input


Nothing will guarantee PMO success. I’ve seen bad ones succeed and good ones fail. But sticking to these four principles or steps will certainly help you lay the groundwork for a solid project management office, based on my experience. How about our