Category Archives: Organization

While You’re At It

habits, Help, motivation, Organization, routines

quick declutteringWe’re busy. It can be hard to find time to tackle an organizing project. So, I have another suggestion, similar to my previous post about quick decluttering. Take a look at your shelves while you’re doing something else.

  • While you’re brushing your teeth, take a glance at your medicine cabinet. Do you need everything that’s in there? Are there bottles of expired medicine / lotions / etc.? Get rid of what you don’t need.
  • While you’re doing the laundry, take a look at clothes you’re putting away and the clothes already in the closet. Does the item still fit you (or the appropriate family member)? When was the last time it was worn? Is it the right season (should it be stored with the other off-season clothes)? Or should it go in your donation box (which you have right there, in the closet)?
  • While you’re putting away the groceries, take a look at your fridge and pantry. Better yet, take a look at them while you’re making your grocery list. What is expired or about to expire? What can you work with to make a meal out of this week?
  • While you’re dusting or putting other household items away, take a look at what you have and where it is located. Do you still need it? Is this the best location for it? If not, where else could it go?

You get the picture. As you’re taking care of one task, take a few minutes to see if there’s anything you can get rid of or find a better home for. You may be surprised at what you find.

If you want some guidance in decluttering, schedule a call with me or send me a message!

Don’t Get Organized!

habits, Help, motivation, Organization

don't get organizedMaybe the thought of getting organized is just too daunting. Maybe you just don’t know where to start.

So don’t get organized. Start getting rid of stuff. Pick a pile or a corner of a room or a shelf. And clean stuff out. Do you need that piece of paper, knick knack, memento, book, toy, or whatever it is? If not, off to the donation pile, trash or shredder it goes.

There’s no need to spend hours perfectly organizing your house so it looks like it belongs in some home magazine. But by starting to clear the clutter, item by item, you can make a dent in organizing your stuff.

If you want some guidance in decluttering, schedule a call with me or send me a message!

Maintenance

habits, motivation, Organization, routines

maintenanceMaybe the title of this post should be constant vigilance instead of maintenance. Because once you’ve purged items in your house and organized your stuff, you have to be on constant watch that it stays that way. Otherwise, you’re back where you started.

Taking a car load of items to donate feels great, as does an organized pantry. But it’s important to identify what is coming into your house and why. If you’re often out buying clothes you don’t need or kitchen gadgets you rarely use, or picking up all the free items at a conference, you’re just inviting clutter into your home. Identify why you’re buying these items or if you really need them.

Ask yourself the following questions before letting anything come through the doors of your house.

  • Do you really need it?
  • Do you have a place to put it?
  • Do you already have something similar that will serve the same purpose?

If you answer yes to the first two questions, it’s probably ok to bring it home, as long as you know it has a home. If you answer yes to the third, then you don’t need it.

Keep these questions in mind every time you bring something into your house. This helps you keep the clutter under control in your home.

If you want some guidance in decluttering, schedule a call with me or send me a message!

What’s Important?

habits, Help, motivation, Organization

what's importantAs I write this, I have an infant at home. My days are busy taking care of her. This means that some days I spend more time staring at my clutter than dealing with it. It also makes me thankful that we purged our house of anything we didn’t need or love before she came along. Some days we’re lucky if we get the dishwasher emptied or the laundry put in the dryer. I consider other days successful if I get the laundry dried and we just pull the towels out of the dryer as we need them.

But then I think to myself, I’m a professional organizer, I should be able to maintain an organized home, even with an infant. I also live in the real world and know that people are busy, we’re tired,  and some days we’d rather watch the latest DVR’d show than put away the laundry.

So what would I recommend to someone in my position?

Identify what’s important. Each day I figure out what important or key tasks I need to accomplish. Our kitchen is tiny so if we haven’t emptied the dishwasher, it’s probably a priority or making dinner will be difficult. If I can’t find a clean onesie for my infant, I’d better put away her clothes so I can get her dressed.

I also try to stay on top of the piles. Deal with the mail as soon as it comes in the house, put dishes in the dishwasher on a regular basis, put away the laundry with each load. This keeps the piles to a minimum and allows me to spend more time playing with my little one.

So what’s important for you to accomplish today? If you want some guidance in identifying your daily priorities, schedule a call with me or send me a message!

Just One Thing

Help, motivation, Organization, time management

just one thingJust one thing is how I get through a week when I’m feeling overwhelmed. When I add three tasks to my to-do list for every one task I cross off. I just pick one task to accomplish each day. I know I can send an email, pay a few bills, or put away the clothes in the laundry basket. If that’s all I get done from my to-do list in any given day, I’m ok with that. And sometimes, just one thing is all we need to get us moving forward in what we want to accomplish.

If you want some guidance in identifying your daily priorities, schedule a call with me or send me a message!

Just GO!

habits, Help, motivation, Organization

get organizedJanuary is Get Organized or GO month for the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). Maybe you’ve been thinking about all the piles you have in your house that you’ve been meaning to deal with if you just had the time. Or just thinking of what you’re going to do with all the gifts and decorations you accumulated over the holidays.

Now is the time to start figuring out what is important to you and what you want to organize. What is the most critical project or the most irksome? What would make your day-to-day life a little easier if you would just take care of it?

This doesn’t mean you need to tackle it all in one weekend. 10 minutes a day, 1 hour a week or a Saturday afternoon is sufficient enough to make progress. The key is just getting started, taking that first step. Often, we’re so overwhelmed by all the stuff to deal with that we don’t know where to start or it feels like too much work.

So pick a corner, a shelf, or a pile, set a timer for 10 minutes and just GO!

If you want some guidance in identifying your daily priorities, schedule a call with me or send me a message!