A fresh new year is just ahead of us and what better way to start 2023 than to adopt some new, healthy habits! You can start by joining Garrison Concierge in January for a brand new program called…
International Life Practices: Wellness Habits from Around the World
This special program will introduce and explain multiple wellness habits from other countries that are known to improve health and happiness. Come learn about Fika, Lykke and Shinrin-Yoku, just to name a three of these helpful practices that are generally inexpensive and simple to adjust to.
The winter temperatures ahead might be freezing, but Garrison Concierge will bring great warmth to the season with uplifting news and opportunities for your well-being.
Yes, it’s been a long time since the last newsletter was mailed out, but client work has continued— as well as multiple professional and personal projects in the last few months. It has been a busy 2022 and will continue to be quite active through the holidays coming up.
Ever since the vaccines came out, comfort levels for many people have improved with considerations about resuming sessions from early 2020, which have still been held under more cautious meeting practices. I am about to have my third booster by the end of October to keep the trend of positivity and caution. Meanwhile, sessions are already booking through December, but there is certainly still enough time to reserve some hours for your next organizing project between now and December 31st, using the “Winter Freeze” discount mentioned below. You can email or call to schedule some session time at garrisonconcierge@gmail.com or 917.536.2033.
Current News!
Garrison Concierge is in the planning stages for new “live-in-person” programs to be offered in 2023. If you are curious about the programs that happened earlier in 2022, you can visit the link below. 2022 Events
In addition to the live programs and workshops that Garrison Concierge will always continue to offer, there is a new one-on-one session program that will offer time to explore and experiment with lifestyle methods to promote better well-being, both physically and emotionally in your daily routines. You will receive an introductory coaching session and well-being packet, packed with information on what you may be interested in incorporating into your lifestyle in effort to reduce stress, frustration and be able to embrace a more relaxed way of daily life. There are definitely some simple ways to bring more peace into your lifestyle that are mapped out through this new program… all of which are quite pleasant. Well-Being Sessions
You can also reel in the organizing skills for your next project during the winter months with a special “Freeze” discount of $40 off of your next session of three hours or more. To find the coupon, click the link below. Winter Freeze Discount
In addition, if you prefer to have a private Sole Focus one-on-one program session, you can make some progress by choosing which program you want to have in the cozy comfort of your own home. To read through the list of private sessions offered, please click the link below. Sole Focus Programs
The next program, “GREENGANIZE!” is coming up on Tuesday, May 10th at 6:30pm at the East Fishkill Community Library. Registration just opened up! The program is free, however, they take reservations to keep the seating limit. Here is the direct link to register:GREENGANIZE!
New programs are in the works of being planned and scheduled for the rest of the year and the website will be updated in the coming weeks.
May 11th is National Clean Your Room Day!
O r g a n i z e Y o u r R o o m a n d R e n e w E n e r g y
Let’s celebrate some spring cleaning tasks together!
1. Garrison Concierge will be offering a discount on kitchen pantries with a flat fee for the whole month of May! Pantries are always fun to organize and refresh during the spring months. If you have an unruly pantry, you can have Garrison Concierge pop over for a bit of a makeover and get your food straight for better accessibility to face the hungry summer months. This is especially nice for mothers with kids being home more during the hot months ahead. For a flat fee of $75, a standard-sized pantry can be reworked and decluttered as part of your spring cleaning tasks.
2. Garrison Concierge will also be offering a flat fee discount on standard-sized bathroom sink cabinets at $50 or a standard-sized linen closet at $75.
Winter temperatures might be freezing, but Garrison Concierge brings great warmth to the season with uplifting news!
So far, you will be able to catch Garrison Concierge “live”with three different programs coming up next year in February, March and May. For more details on each of the scheduled programs, please click this link: 2022 Programs
You can also reel in some GC organizing skills for your next project during the winter months with a special “Winter Freeze” discount of $40 off of your next session of three hours or more. Here is the discount link: Winter Freeze Discount
In addition, if you prefer to have a private Sole Focus one-on-one program session, you can make some progress by choosing which program you want to have in the cozy comfort of your own home. To read through the list of private sessions offered, please click this link: Sole Focus Programs
Here we go… again! It’s a new year with those pesky resolutions that we all hope to follow through with… this time! Can you feel the calm in the image below? That’s probably how you want your life to be at this very moment, right?Calm. Well… keep reading…
During these winter days of ice and clouds and snow showers, looking ahead to possible projects is helpful to get through such cloudy days— both in weather and in physical or emotional clutter.
Create something to look forward to.
Really, when it comes down to it, we can all have goals for the entire year already planned. If the horrible 2020 taught me anything, it was that the “why wait?” question should be “why EVER wait?” As we are all still in this health-protocol-era-of-time, we absolutely have to figure out feasible ways to keep anxiety, depression and lingering isolation to a minimum without exposing ourselves to risky situations. While I am still working with a few clients in safe environments, like many people, I have also chosen to work on home or personal projects during the coldest winter days and outdoor labor, exercise and/or relaxation in nature on the warmer days.
I actually decided to get a jumpstart on my own goals and started one of them on Christmas Day, which was to start a venture on becoming a pescatarian. Already, I have had three successful weeks of enjoying new vegetable recipes with occasional seafood dishes. I then took a look around my house and for the bathroom and kitchen, I decided that we were in need of two new bath towels, a new shower curtain with new rings and two new bottle brushes— because sometimes, the simplest items can significantly increase the quality of life. I can easily state this as truth because ever since our new shower curtain on its new rings was hung, my frustration and anxiety of trying to open and close the curtain has slipped from a top ten down to an absolute zero— and my husband no longer has to hear me cursing. Speaking of husbands, my husband and I recently enjoyed going through all of our recipe binders, weeding out recipes we weren’t too fond of and replacing them with new, exciting ones to experiment with.
Create the calm… before the chaos tries to hit.
Meanwhile, I am currently organizing documents for tax filing and have studied my calendar for late January into early February to make appointments with myself to finish painting the other half of my office as soon as possible because I am already so pleased with how the first half worked out so nicely. (The main reasons that I didn’t finish the entire room was due to fatigue and a pinched nerve in my back from which I desperately needed to recover.) Might I now mention that making appointments with yourself can be the key for reaching certain goals. If you also study your calendar, you might also be able to carve out time to dedicate to yourself and take advantage of making improvements or adjusting to a new habit.
Speaking of calm and habit… get out in nature! Either just to feel the sense of calm that is naturally provided in a forest, a meadow or near a water site, it is scientifically proven that being out in nature can help lift spirits and improve heath, both physically and mentally. Also, for a lot of people, gardening projects are always a delight to look forward to. Personally, I planned ahead for these gloomy moments by signing up for multiple plant, seed and supply catalogs from various gardening companies back in late October. Sitting upstairs in my new arm chair now placed in our cozy snug, (another goal that I absolutely fought for before the new year actually hit,) I can enjoy page after page of colorful flowers, herbs and vegetables to plan out my spring and summer months under the sun. Humans need to have something to look forward to— always.
Create the fresh start.
A new year does mean a fresh start. It’s an appropriate time to not only start to work toward new ideas, but to also think deeply about what was learned in the past and how to improve for the future. There are some worksheet exercises that I like to use for clients, as well as for myself. For myself, I tend to shoot for using them every six months because situations and emotions can sometimes change significantly enough that you can see it on paper to know what has improved or deteriorated. Worksheets don’t always work for everyone, but they don’t hurt to try either. If you were to do a search, the first two worksheets below are also often referred to as the Balance Wheel of Life.
Here is another PDF worksheet referred to as the Wheel of Life Inventory, which is three pages long.
Do you like Post-It Notes?
Here’s an exercise that is not actually a worksheet, but still uses paper. Since I first heard of and used this activity years ago, I have found that it can also be helpful and is particularly insightful with a group of people. Referred to as a Life Audit, this activity can be restructured to simply include one person, yourself, by using this three-page worksheet: Life Audit Worksheet–without sticky notes!
A new year is a good time to think about yourself— partly, because we should all think about our own being from time to time, but also because the better we feel, the better we are able to interact with and help others. If you have any opportunities away from obligations to family members and/or are able to give yourself mental health days from work, have long weekends or even just a few hours per week, take advantage of those moments. Those moments are what I refer to as “cushions”. Cushions are soft, calm moments in which you can recharge your mind, your body and your surroundings.
Whatever the case may be for you in 2021, perhaps the key words and phrases that you might try to keep in mind are the following…
why EVER wait?
create the calm
yourself
making appointments with yourself
something to look forward to
balance wheels & life audits
cushions
Incidentally, if one of the 2021 goals you were hoping to reach happens to be about starting a healthier, greener lifestyle, I just happen to be giving a live presentation tonight (Wednesday, January 13th,) called “Greenganize” at the Boardman Road Branch of the Poughkeepsie Public Library at 7pm. You can go to their websiteto register as it is a limited seating event following strict health & safety restrictions. If you happen to miss this live event, email me at garrisoncierge@gmail.com for a PDF of the material that will be covered. GREENGANIZE!”(official GC term) : This program focuses on the growing interest in going green, or at least adopting a few healthy habits in helping out the environment with natural methods of cleaning and organizing.
As a long winter now approaches, Garrison Concierge will work as long as allowed under any potential protocols. If the time comes when non-essential workers are not able to continue offering services in person, an update on how to continue having a great momentum of organizing with Garrison Concierge as your guide can be discussed.
In the meantime, we can all reflect on the image below as a peaceful idea of how to still get through the future months safely outdoors with others. There will still be ways to enjoy the winter.
As for an update on programs offered by Garrison Concierge, please scroll below the lovely campfire photo.
The “Greenganize!” program that was postponed from last April to October, due to Covid, was again postponed due to the venue being overwhelmed as an early voting location. So, as long as the venue does not get shut down due to possible Covid spikes in the future, we have set up a new date on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Stay tuned for more information on how to register in December and early January to attend.
The special Garrison Concierge “Greenganize!” program, which focuses on learning how to live a greener lifestyle with healthier cleaning and organizing habits is set for Wednesday 1/13/21 at 7pm at the Boardman Road branch of the Poughkeepsie Library.
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Stay tuned for more new announcements for 2021 as Garrison Concierge moves forward with the ideas from 2020 that were abruptly halted by the pandemic back in the spring, as well as even more new ideas and offerings that are to begin in January, including two new programs!
Please follow and like Garrison Concierge on social media using these links!
Garrison Concierge Announces Plans for the Autumn and Holiday Months
I am so happy to welcome such a lovely season of vibrant color and positive thinking. I hope the pumpkin on the chair photo adds warmth to everyone as we now feel our crisp air returning and our mountains bursting with the rich colors of autumn. __________________________________
After such rough and strange spring summer seasons of handling my own organizational tasks at home and spending countless hours gardening, Garrison Concierge has just begun to slowly and carefully return to client work sessions as of September. Of course, the months ahead rounding out the end of 2020 are to continue with sessions, but with an eagle eye focused tightly on any Covid updates, etc.
Now, as the first week of October has arrived, Garrison Concierge will be on a vacation through October 12th to enjoy a family wedding and a visit with a new grandchild. Upon my return, it will be full steam ahead with clients who are booked through part of November in various locations. But, there is still flexibility from mid-October through December for more sessions to be added to the calendar.
Check Out the Next GC Speaking Presentation!
The special Garrison Concierge “Greenganize!” program about learning how to live a greener lifestyle with healthier cleaning and organizing habits is set for Wednesday 10/28 at 7pm at the Boardman Road branch of the Poughkeepsie Library. Here is the link to register for this special program: REGISTER HERE You can find out more information on the GC Events Page. If you care to read through the entire newsletter from the Poughkeepsie Library System where the presentation is listed, here is the link where you can find it on page four: The Rotunda Also, if you click on the word “Greenganize!” above, the link will take you to my programs page were you can find a lot of other programs to read about.
Coming up in November / December!
Stay tuned for more new announcements for 2021 as Garrison Concierge moves forward with the ideas from 2020 that were abruptly halted by the pandemic back in the spring, as well as even more new ideas and offerings that are to begin in January, including two new programs!
I might also mention that through the summer months, people may have been missing the regular postings on social media pages of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Each page will soon resume with fresh new posts including photos, tips and news by mid-October. So, please follow and like using these links!
In light of the latest national and local news updates and precautions, Garrison Concierge is concerned for the well-being of clients, particularly those who are 60 years of age or older.
As of this week, Garrison Concierge can begin to offer “virtual organizing sessions” through phone calls, and in future weeks, will try to have FaceTime re-worked for business purposes for those who have accounts. All “virtual phone and/or FaceTime sessions are able to be offered as prepaid through checks sent to POBox or through ChasePay or Zelle direct payments or can be billed accordingly by hourly basis.
Also, beginning next week, for current senior clients or clients with health issues, Garrison Concierge can offer specialized concierge services of delivering groceries to your doorstep. This is strictly a services rendered services to cover both the purchases and the time spent collecting and delivering them. Depending on the number of errands, the locations and the amount time spent, fee ranges begin at $20-$30 for simple and quick errands up to $60 for multiple or complex errands per delivery. Payments are expected at time of doorstep delivery by cash or check only. Please call or email ahead of time to check errand/delivery scheduling and give a detailed list of needed items, location(s) of where to find them and any other special instructions.
CONTACT = garrisonconcierge@gmail.com or 917.536.2033
Here a couple of notations from my March posting that have been updating, due to the state of our emergency.
MARCH – the Frequent Sessions Card will have to be put on hold for the remainder of March and possibly all of April. No holes will be punched for the rest of March and possibly all of April or until further notice, depending on health news updates.
APRIL – The “Greenganize” presentation that is set for April 22nd might have to be rescheduled, due to the fact that libraries have all closed. I will check on this with the Boardman Branch to see what the status is on April 1st and post an update then.
In the meantime, I have put together some references for everyone to take note of and hopefully benefit from with ease and maybe even pleasure.
As long as we do not become ill and can somehow stay afloat financially, this time that so many of us may have to spend at home may actually be a perfect chance to handle some tasks that we have procrastinated… such as organizing possessions, making repairs or improvements, or even things that are far more simple, such as making phone calls, writing letters, cleaning out computer files. You name it. If you have complained about not having enough time to handle certain special tasks, you may have just had that fall into your lap. Or, if you have found yourself complaining that you don’t have enough rest or leisure time, please seize this moment. It’s better that the time fell into your lap, rather than into your lungs, of course.
To find out more about information as to what to do with spare time spent at home, please click the stuck@home2020 link below for tips, ideas and serious considerations.
Because March is National Nutrition Month, Garrison Concierge will extend the February offer for a discount of 15% off of the hourly rate specifically for kitchen organization through March 30th! This is a great time to take advantage of improving the flow of your cooking and eating space. A kitchen is the area of a home where an abundance of time and energy is spent. The last thing anyone wishes for it for that space to be frustrating to cook meals and/or to have an undesirable area to eat what has been cooked. Be more kind to your body with proper food choices and fresher storage options and make improvements to your kitchen space, easing frustration to make the heart of your home more enjoyable. Email with this direct link: email
GREENGANIZE PROGRAM coming up on Earth Day!! Facebook event details HERE!
Special Earth Day Program!! April 22, 2020 – 7:00pm Poughkeepsie Public Library – Boardman Branch 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
“GREENGANIZE!” (official GC term) : This program deals with the growing interest in going green, or at least adopting a few healthy habits in helping out the environment with natural methods of cleaning and organizing.
*Note: This is a very simplified version of the four-part series of Garrison Concierge’s “NOT QUITE ZERO WASTE – HOME SUSTAINABILITY: STEPS TO A LEADING A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE” workshop, found listed on the GC programs page: PROGRAMS
The current hourly rate for regular organizing services is $40, but if you are age 60 years or older, you are eligible for the new Senior Discount of $30 per hour.
Over 11 years ago, Garrison Concierge once had a reward program that ran similarly to an airline “frequent flier miles” program. The Frequent Sessions Card has been brought back to the life that it once had from 2003-2009. Now, the new program has just been offered to current client and already stirring quite a bit of momentum to have organizing sessions more frequently. Please read the fine print below.
Card Perks & Policies
The card has ten spots that reflect ten hours of organizing. The card is valid for earning points by setting up sessions that are for three or more hours. If a session is at least three hours, one spot is punched per hour. Once all ten spots are punched, the holder named on the card gets one free hour of organizing services. Holes are punched by special puncher from Garrison Concierge. Cards are non-transferrable. Cards expire on December 31, 2020.
Speaking programs, did you know that Garrison Concierge now also offers 16 of the 31 programs on the Programs Page as one-on-one programs? Find details below on how this new idea works!
NEW as of 2020!!– Sole Focus Programs—- Sixteen of the 31 programs on the list are now being be offered as private sessions for clients or anyone who simply wants individual attention for specific subject matter. Held as one-on-one sessions within the comfort of one’s own home or other quiet, uninterrupted meeting space, each session is set at a flat fee of $30. Each Sole Focus Program runs for an hour with client having the full attention, rather than having to share time with attendees in a public setting. Please look for the special orange SFP code following each program description to determine whether or not it is available for a private session. Payments for Sole Focus Programs are either pre-paid or as services rendered.
Since February is National Heart Month, Garrison Concierge will offer a discount of 15% off of the hourly rate specifically for kitchen organization through February 29th! This is a great time to take advantage of improving the flow of your cooking and eating space. A kitchen is the area of a home where an abundance of time and energy is spent. The last thing anyone wishes for it for that space to be frustrating to cook meals and/or to have an undesirable area to eat what has been cooked. Be more kind to your heart and make improvements to your kitchen space, easing frustration and making the heart of your home more heart friendly. Email with this direct link: email
The current hourly rate for regular organizing services is $40, but if you are age 60 years or older, you are eligible for the new Senior Discount of $30 per hour.
Over 11 years ago, Garrison Concierge once had a reward program that ran similarly to an airline “frequent flier miles” program. The Frequent Sessions Card has been brought back to the life that it once had from 2003-2009. Now, the new program has just been offered to current client and already stirring quite a bit of momentum to have organizing sessions more frequently. Please read the fine print below.
Card Perks & Policies
The card has ten spots that reflect ten hours of organizing. The card is valid for earning points by setting up sessions that are for three or more hours. If a session is at least three hours, one spot is punched per hour. Once all ten spots are punched, the holder named on the card gets one free hour of organizing services. Holes are punched by special puncher from Garrison Concierge. Cards are non-transferrable. Cards expire on December 31, 2020.
Speaking of speaking programs, did you know that Garrison Concierge now offers 16 of the 31 programs on the Programs Page as one-on-one programs? Find details below on how this new idea works!
NEW as of 2020!!– Sole Focus Programs—- Sixteen of the 31 programs on the list are now being be offered as private sessions for clients or anyone who simply wants individual attention for specific subject matter. Held as one-on-one sessions within the comfort of one’s own home or other quiet, uninterrupted meeting space, each session is set at a flat fee of $30. Each Sole Focus Program runs for an hour with client having the full attention, rather than having to share time with attendees in a public setting. Please look for the special orange SFP code following each program description to determine whether or not it is available for a private session. Payments for Sole Focus Programs are either pre-paid or as services rendered.
Garrison Concierge 