Balance through Organization

Here's your mid-week Moment of Balance brought to you by the Work-Life Balance Institute for Women and Balance Magazine, helping you to be empowered, be inspired and be connected.

On this Sunday morning's edition of Be You Radio on LITE FM, you'll learn how to Get Organized.

Here are some quick tips to get you started:

1. You've heard the phrase "a home for everything and everything in its home". Well, it works. When you designate specific drawers, shelves or containers for particular items, it's a breeze to put them where they belong, instead of leaving them in another pile in the kitchen.

2. Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to put things away. When you have those "homes" designated, you can accomplish a lot in a little time. And taking a little time each day will keep the mess from building up and becoming overwhelming.

3. Keep just one master to-do list or notebook. Every time you write something on a scrap of paper or a post-it note, transfer it to the notebook. This way won't lose hours searching for that phone number you need right now.

You'll get lots of great tips for Being Organized - and re-claiming your time - this Sunday morning at 6 on Be You Radio on 101.5 LITE FM. Join hosts Liz Sterling and Maria Soldani from the Work-Life Balance Institute for Women, along with Diane Hatcher from TimeSavers USA and Maria Murphy of Simply Put Together for a fun and informative morning.

You can also hear podcasts of previous shows at BeYouRadio.com.

Are there issues you'd like us to address in future shows? Send your comments!

Reading is Big in Miami

All this month, The Florida Center for the Literary Arts has given us our own version of Oprah's Book Club - it's called "The Big Read". This year's selection is "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston (yes, it's on Oprah's list too).

Miami Dade College has been hosting book discussions, encouraging readers to more fully explore the novel's themes -- including oppression and empowerment, and women's dependence and autonomy during the early part of the 20th century.

One of the most exciting events associated with this year's The Big Read is "Renaissance in Harlem". It's a musical performance that recreates the musical joy of Harlem in the 1930's, along with a reading of Zora Neale Hurston's works.

You can catch performances March 13th at Miami Dade's Wolfson Campus at 7:30 p.m., and March 14th at the North Dade Regional Library (2455 N.W. 183rd Street) at 7:00 p.m.

*** If you've ever wondered, "what's the big deal about book clubs?", I have to tell you, when you hear other people's views of a book, you get a much deeper understanding of the ideas being written about and it really enhances your experience.

Some friends and I had a book club going for a while. We would turn discussion night into a party - we served food that fit the theme of the book, and if there was a movie version, we'd watch it and that would lead to another whole conversation about how different a movie interpretation of a book can be.

One of my personal book club favorites is still "1984" by George Orwell. And here are more "Big Read" recommended books. But anything you're interested in is a perfect starting point.

Feel free to share your favorites so I can post them here!