Here’s a comment from one of our happy subscribers:
“I wanted to share that I used your video tips on organizing Chloe’s room. She got a vanity yesterday, so it’s a full room now, and we redid her closet where all of her shirts hang now, even t-shirts, as she has no dresser. I enjoyed purging, and can’t wait to start the bathroom undersinks! Thanks for all you do!” -Maggie S.
Just recently I was walking through Staples when I had an Ah Ha moment hit me! Now keep in mind, as a professional organizer a trip to Staples is very exciting for me! Right or wrong. But as I looked around at the great variety and colors of folders, files and other organizing products, I realized why it is that so many people that I help already have products on hand. They looked great in the store, they purchased them but they just didn’t know what to do with them. As a matter of fact, it’s very common for professional organizers to come across unused organizing products and books on how to get organized as we help people declutter and organize their spaces. We know the effort and good intentions were there.
I started thinking about why this happens. The stuff looks great on the shelves (and it is great), but it’s a matter of taking your own work styles and habits into consideration. Just because you purchase an organizing product doesn’t mean you will be and will stay organized. Why is that? Because not every product works for every person. As an organizer, it’s my job to ask questions when I am working with someone. I can give them the best system that works for me, but if it doesn’t work for them then what good is it really?
So take into account how visual you are. Take into account whether or not you feel your files will be lost if unseen in a filing cabinet. Take into consideration if you are a piler or a filer. Think about whether you want your files to be all one color or a fun rainbow when you open your filing cabinet. There’s not just one way to be organized. But there is the right way for you!
Since the kitchen is such a vital center of the home, I look at my kitchen as an important area for home organization, which also means keeping it clean-multiple times a day. Ug. Did I mention that the worst chore to me is cleaning out the dishwasher? But, since staying on top of the kitchen is a necessary evil, I love it when I find shortcuts and easy fixes! So, here is one that I love for keeping your flat stove top clean:
Take a bottle of the spray oven cleaner that you would use to clean the inside of your oven, spray it on the burners and then turn them all on for a few seconds. Turn them back off, let the stove top cool a bit and then just wipe clean!
This past Saturday I gave a talk in my local area about Goals and Time Management. Some of us that were there currently do a lot of our business work from home and realize how important it is to be organized with workflow. So we talked a little bit about how easy it can be to get distracted by other tasks such as housework or even by time consumers like facebook since it can be so much fun-facebook, not the housework! So I shared with everyone a picture that I had recently about how I should prioritize my office work. Knowing just how easy it is to get caught up doing all the little stuff, like making phone calls, checking facebook, cranking out emails, while the more important and longer tasks may take a back seat.
So the picture I had in my head was a triangle. With the tipy top being where I should start by concentrating on the most important/critical task. A critical task could be a project with a deadline, a task I need to complete that affects someone else getting their work done, a task that affects my bottom line or maybe even just a task that I am putting off or procrastinating on. It happens.
Then coming down from the triangle as it gets wider, would be a flow of all the other smaller, less critical tasks. That’s where the phone calls, texts, facebook updates can fall into place. It’s easy to knock out the little stuff, but are those tasks really getting you closer to your goals? Organize you workflow priorities and see things get done!
Have you ever heard of SMART Goals? I recently read an article about SMART goals and I thought, ”Now that is a great way to get organized with a concrete plan!” So here’s an overview and I will use an organizing goal, but of course!
S: Specific Be specific about what you are setting out to do. Don’t say, “I’ll get the house organized.” Say, “I will organize four drawers in the kitchen.” Choose the four drawers you are going to work on.
M: MeasurableMake sure you can measure your progress. Write down which drawer you want to organize each week and check it off when it’s been done.
A: AttainableMake sure you can take certain steps to get to your goal. This can mean planning which day you are going to organize the drawer that week and mark it off on your calendar so you have time set aside. It’s not going to happen by chance. You are making a plan to make it happen.
R: RealisticMake sure your goal is do-able. Saying you are going to declutter and organize a huge kitchen in two hours after you have worked all day and you’re tired is not do-able. Saying you will declutter and organize one drawer every Saturday after breakfast for 30 minutes is do-able.
T: TimelyYou should be able to reach your goals in a certain amount of time. Set a date that you want to reach your goals and place it on the calendar. If you are breaking goals up into steps, put each step on the calendar.
You can organize your goals to get organized-now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Well, it’s heading to the end of January. It’s been a few weeks since we were all feeling in the holiday spirit and feeling optimistic goals and a fresh, new year right around the corner. Well, how are you doing so far? Have you met one of your goals or are you making progress toward meeting one of your goals yet? It’s easy to ramp up those plans over a good glass of champagne. Then comes along the normal day-to-day activities, the deadlines, the requests on your time, getting dinner on the table and just wanting to veg out on the couch at the end of the day because you are just so darn tired.
But this isn’t the time to give up, oh no way! This is the time to make sure you are doing several things to keep up your momentum:
Make sure you have written down your goal-this will help make it happen. Put it where you can see it-make it bold!
Make sure you have written down the reasons you want to reach this goal-this will keep you motivated! Why is this important in your life?
Make sure your goal is reasonable and attainable. Did you bite off more than you can chew?
Make sure you have broken your goal down into little bites, little steps, a bitty bit at a time.
Get someone in on your goal with you. Garner some support for your efforts and the desired end result. Get a cheerleader in your corner!
Every day is an opportunity to work on your goals, to move forward. You are alive-anything is possible!
Did you know that January is national “Get Organized” month with NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers)? Yep, that’s right, a whole month for office and home organization! A new year, a new month, a time for new year’s resolutions with “getting organized” at the top of many people’s lists.
So, the definition of ‘resolution’ according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary:
the act or process of resolving: as a : the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones
I find that very fitting in relation to organizing. When I go in to help people get organized it is because they are overwhelmed, stressed and don’t know where to begin. It’s all too much. But decluttering and organizing really is all about breaking things down into processes, steps so it won’t be so overwhelming. That’s what I am there for, to break things down, provide support and show people the steps that are needed to reach their goals.
Important steps:
Create a goal
Set up supplies
Sort belongings
Make decisions on what to part with and what to keep
Give belongings a home
Remove the items you are parting from the home
Maintenance
Think about your home organization goals and remember to break things down into steps so you aren’t overwhelmed!
It doesn’t take much for our cars to get cluttered, especially when we have kids. I don’t know what it is about every little available crevice that makes kids feel like they need to stuff wrappers, chewed up gum or pieces of paper in them. But they do. So today I was sitting at the drive through line at the bank. I realized I had some garbage and there was a handy garbage can right next to the car. So I took a minute to start grabbing wrappers to toss while I had to sit and wait anyway. One less thing to do later and I took advantage of wait time. This is something you can do when you are filling your car with gas as well.
So you can declutter your car and lighten the load at least a little bit at your next stop!
Home organization is often at the top of many people’s new year’s resolution goals. And why of course I think it’s a great one! It’s one thing to have a goal but it’s quite another thing to have a plan to make it really happen. That’s where people get stuck, they have good intentions and all but then they don’t know what steps to take to make it happen. So, what I thought I would do today is show an example of a home organization goal and how you too can make it a reality!
Write down your goal so you are clear about what you want to accomplish. “I will clean out my closet and part with old clothing I am not wearing.”
Write down the reason you want to reach this goal to keep you motivated to accomplish it. “I want to be able to reach into my closet to find clothing that fits and looks good on me withoutstress or stepping over clothing.”
Write a date on your calendar to complete this task so you have a commitment and an appointment with yourself. January 20
Write down the activities you need to do to accomplish this task. Estimate how long each step will take to the best of your ability.
a) I will pull all my clothes out and place ‘like’ items together so I can see how much I have. Pants with pants, shirts with shirts, skirts with skirts, etc. 45 minutes
b) I will go through all my clothing and part with articles that do not fit, do not look good on me, or are ripped or stained. I will throw away clothing beyond repair and place remaining items in bags for donation. 2 hours
c) I will place all clothing that I am keeping back in the closet together according to ‘like’ items. This will make it easy to find what I need quickly. 15 minutes
d) I will take all useable clothing to a donation drop off site. 30 minutes
Breaking it down and seeing approximately how long each step will take makes reaching your home organization goals more manageable!
Something has really been on my mind a lot lately about home organization. As I think about how we stay organized, I realize so much of it has to do with flow. The flow of things coming into the home. The flow of things going out of the home. The flow of knowing where to place something when you are in the middle of dealing with it, such as mail, or when you are done using something.
So what I often see when I am working with people on their organizing project is that there is no flow. Things just get stuck. If it’s mail, it ends up in piles on counters, on tables and on couches. It’s not being processsed by recycling, shredding and filing-it just sits. When it comes to clutter of too many belongings, it’s because decisions weren’t being made on what to do with stuff so it just sits. It sits on shelves, in closets and fills up garages. Here are a few decisions that can be made to keep the flow moving with your belongings:
Does it need to be filed?
Does it need to be recycled?
Does it need to be shredded?
Do you need to take it somewhere to have it fixed?
Does it need to go in the garbage?
Does it need to be taken for hazardous waste drop-off?
Do you need to return it to someone else?
Do you need to donate it?
Do you need to sell it?
Do you need to pass it on to someone you know who could use it?
Think about the different ways you can keep the flow going and home organization will be so much easier to maintain!
After looking at how I have been organizing my home office workflow in parts 1 & 2, I thought we should look at some common time wasters that can seduce us from our work and tasks at hand. When working from your own home office, there can be many distractions that come up. Let’s look at some, you may have others that I haven’t listed as well. Feel free to leave a comment!
Taking personal phone calls. It is very easy to just pick up the phone when you see your favorite person is calling you. It’s also easy to get sucked into a conversation that takes way longer that you anticipated.
Texting. That chime can be irresistable-I know it is for me! Turn it off if you are working on one of your critical tasks.
Checking and responding to email. Maybe there will be a joke or something positive you come across, it can be like a little surprise! But you should resist checking email frequently and check it in batches at designated times in your day.
Errands. It can be so tempting to jump in the car to get things done more quickly when the kids are off to school. But before you know it, the day is gone and you didn’t get anything done. Yet another night spent in the office.
Housework. I’m really trying to let this one go and clean later in the afternoon/evening when the kids are home. I don’t feel as guilty cleaning when they are home as I do sitting in front of the computer. If I have a pile of laundry to fold on the bed and I do take a break to take a phone call, then I fold quietly while talking.
