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What little area in your home or office is so disorganized that it’s really creating havoc in your life? Why not tackle it this weekend? Here are some little projects you should be able to complete in 3 hours or less. And by taking the time now to tackle those areas, it will save you time and stress in the future. Junk drawer Hall closet Bedroom closet Supply cabinet Desktop paper piles That stack of reading you’ve been wanting to read.
A question we hear a lot is “what do I do with all of these business cards?” Here are my suggestions: Purge cards from people you don’t even remember. Purge duplicates. Spend a moment on each card, and decide if you really want, or need, that person’s contact information. Purge those that you don’t need. The top 3 suggestions will probably weed out at least 1/2 of the business cards you have, if not more. Enter the remainder into a contact management database such as Outlook or ACT!. Toss the cards after they have been entered into the database.
If you don’t believe that you can be taught organizing skills, think again. My oldest daughter was recently preparing for a trip out of town. She began planning (organizing) for the trip about 2 weeks ahead of time by starting a list of things she needed to bring or do before the trip. She had learned these organizing skills by living with me. Some of the skills were taught and some of them she just observed me doing. As a professional organizer, I got such a kick out of her list that I just had to share her outline. Things… read more »
It’s imperative that whatever organizing system or container you set up is super easy to use or it won’t last. Here are some common mistakes people make: Leave room to grow. You buy a container that is the exact size for what you have and you don’t leave room for growth. Within no time, your stuff will be laying next to the container instead of in it. Too many files. Don’t make your filing system overly complicated or the filing just won’t get done. Rather than having a folder for each of your 3 cars, just have one folder for… read more »
While I suggest going through your mail daily and at least discarding junk mail, if you’re not doing that, make it a point to go through your mail weekly. Mail management is a real issue in our world today and a problem that I see with clients daily. It can easily get out of control and leave you feeling overwhelmed if you don’t stay on top of it. Assign a place for your mail to land. It is very important that your mail have a home where it always lands when you bring it in the house. Action system. You’ll… read more »
While working on a client’s basement last week we spent 5 hours going through Christmas stuff. That seems almost unbelievable since she didn’t have an excess of Christmas stuff, doesn’t it? You may be asking yourself why in the world it would take two people 5-hours to sort through and organize just Christmas stuff. The truth is that getting organized takes time. But the time, energy and money that is spent getting organized is just a portion of the time, energy and money that you spend by not being organized. Because we took the time to try out all of… read more »
Have you ever wondered where you would find a fork, or where the fork should go when you’re finished with it? I doubt it. That’s because the fork has been assigned a home in your house. Getting organized simply means finding a home for everything, so that you can find it as easily as finding a fork, when you need it. And you know exactly where it goes when you’re finished with it. Another crucial part of staying organized is de-cluttering on a regular basis. This means you revisit every area of your home, office or cubicle to see if… read more »
When I found the hanging jewelry organizer, I was ecstatic! With two daughters, there was jewelry everywhere. And more importantly, when you wanted to wear something, it was always very difficult to figure out who left it where. That all changed with this hanging jewelry organizer. This is a perfect example of what professional organizers are referring to when we talk about creating systems for your stuff. Now the stress and aggravation we used to feel when searching for that perfect necklace is gone. We all know where the jewelry goes, so it’s easy to return it there. It’s also… read more »
What? Why would you say that? Because there is seldom a home that we walk into that doesn’t have lots of cute organizing containers. I always say if a company makes a basket and puts a cute little bow on it, people are going to buy them up like hot cakes. The problem with buying these cute little containers is that you are making an uneducated decision. You think to yourself oh that’s so cute, I know I can use it for something. The problem is that you don’t have a plan for it. You think your CDs might fit… read more »
So many people ask me if my home looks perfect because I am a professional organizer. The answer is a resounding no. Being organized, and functioning efficiently, does not have to look perfect, it just has to work. The bottom line is that you take the time to assign a place for everything to live. That way you know where it goes when it comes in, and you know where to find it when you need it. Eventually it becomes second nature and you don’t have to even give it a thought. Getting organized reduces your stress, increases your productivity… read more »
