Entries Tagged 'Home Organization' ↓

Ask any professional organizer, home organization and storage bins or “homes” go hand in hand.  We declutter and then we store the remaining items in some type of organizing basket, bin, holder, box, whatever we can make a container out of.   Having a ‘home’  with a label for our stuff helps us by:

·         Keeping a cap on how much we can store

·         Allowing us to find what we need when we need it

·         Reminding us where to put belongings back after using them

But sometimes people are afraid they won’t remember what they have if they can’t see their stuff.  Now I do believe we really can’t see our stuff when it is out in the open but in big piles either.  The idea is to go through your belongings, decide what you do and don’t need and then store the remaining items in a way that works for you.  If you feel you need to see your belongings:

Ø  Use clear containers so you can see inside to the contents from the outside

Ø  Use labels on the outside of storage bins

Ø  Remove cupboard doors

Ø  Use baggies for storing small items

Ø  Use pictures on the outside of bins

Ø  Use color coding that you identify with

Ø  Store belongings on hooks

Ø  Store belongings on open shelves

When it comes to home organization, you need to use the products and tools that work for you and for the way your mind works.  The only “right” way is the way that works for you!

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Home organization and how we go about it is different for every individual.  It really bothers me when I work with a new client and they have had a family member who has made them feel bad about needing help with organization.  Probably well-meaning, but nevertheless, a family member who believes that my client should have been able to “do it on their own. “

Our brains are not the same.  We are all individuals and we are all born wired in our own way.  What may come easily to my neighbor may be difficult for me to do and vice versa.  It doesn’t make either one of us wrong or dumb, we’re just different.  I really believe we all have our strengths and abilities that just seem to come naturally and easily to us. 

I always say I am not creative.  But then I realize, yes, I am creative when it comes to many aspects of my business.  I think what I really mean to say is I’m really not crafty.  I walk into a craft store and I don’t really see the possibilities in what can be created there.  One time I was helping my daughter clean her room and I went to scoop up some fabric scraps saying it was garbage.  My daughter said, “No, I can make a pillow out of that.”  Who knew that could have been a Barbie pillow?  That was a light bulb moment for how different minds see things differently.  She saw the potential in what I thought was garbage.

So don’t ever let anyone make you feel bad if home organization isn’t your strong point.  We can’t all be good at everything and that’s why we hire people like doctors, lawyers, accountants and tax preparation specialists to help us.  No one makes us feel bad when we hire them do they?

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Home organization can give us the benefit of calmer surroundings and less stress, and it can also help us with our bottom line.  And who doesn’t want a better bottom line?  When we have too much stuff that turns into clutter is can cost us in a variety of ways:

• Emotionally it can be stressful and draining to be surrounded by clutter
• Financially we may be purchasing duplicate items which cost us money plus add to the clutter problem
• Relationship stress-clutter can cause friction between family members under the same roof

I’ve been reading a book called, “Making Peace with the Things in Your Life” by Cindy Glovinsky.  She had a very interesting example of the price of our clutter and I am going to quote word for word:

“Translate the space your Things take up into monetary terms:  divide your montly mortgage payment or rent by the number of square feet in your dwelling to calculate the cost per square foot; estimate the square footage occupied by a particular type of Thing-newspapers, for example-then multiply the cost per square foot by the square footage occupied to calculate the cost of housing the Things.  If your mortgage payment is $1000 per month for a dwelling of 1500 square feet, the cost per square foot is $.67.  If your newspapers take up nine square feet, you’re paying about $6 per month to house them.  If they take up a whole 10 x 14 foot basement, you’re paying $93 per month for them.”

OK-WOW; now that’s a good way to look at it and an eye opener!  So, is it worth it to keep holding on to so much stuff or is it time to free up some space and money with a good decluttering session?  Go for it!

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G-Sale!       Yard Sale!  ——->       Moving Sale!       Garage Sale!        Rummage Sale!       Estate Sale!

So many sales, so much stuff, so many temptations and  it’s only .75 cents!  How’s a person to keep a delicate balance between home organization and sizzling summertime sales?!   Let’s face it, it’s fun to find a great deal!  There can be real satisfaction in showing off, “Look at what I got and guess how much it cost me?!”  This summer my mom was visiting and we did stop at a garage sale and I did buy something-2 big planting pots for $5 total.  It just so happens that I had needed pots to try my hand at growing tomato plants with my daughter.  Even better, they’re plastic and not terra cotta pots which I have had crumble outside in our NW weather. 

So, how do you keep from bringing home too many goodies when the weather is good and the prices are better?

• You could actually just pass on by those brightly colored signs.  Put on your blinders and keep on a drivin’.  If you don’t know what you are missing-then you don’t know what you are missing.
• Keep a list with you at all times of the items that you know you really do need, want and have a place for.  Consider the garage sales as a treasure hunt to find the things on your list at a good price.  My new pots fit right into this tip.  This will help you pass by items that may be tempting when you know they aren’t on your list.
• Have a summer garage sale budget.  Keep the money in an envelope and when the money is gone, your garage sale days are over.

Always keep items moving out of your home as you bring items into your home to keep that balance between being organized and being overwhelmed and enjoy your good deals!

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The home organization process should come with a disclaimer:  “Beware, chaos before the calm.  Please do not be frightened by the process as closets, rooms or drawers are torn apart.  It’s all part of the process.”  When I help a client get organized, I have the ideas and a vision for the work that we will be doing, what it will take to get there and what the outcome will be.  I have to remember to give people the above disclaimer as we get started.  Sometimes I don’t remember until I start pulling stuff out and realize what it must look like to the client now that their belongings are being pulled out, all of a sudden there’s a lot of stuff !  But it’s all a part of the process. 

When you are disorganized, you have probably shoved a lot of belongings onto shelves, into boxes and maybe onto closet floors.  In order to get to the bottom of it all, it has to be pulled out.  You have to see what you really have. Now, you want to make the amount of items that you pull out manageable and not overwhelm yourself and your time constraints, but you have to pull it out.  Here are some organizing tips to help you along the way:

• Just choose one section or area to get started.  If you get it done and want to continue, move onto the next area.
• Pull things out and place items of the same type or “like” items together.  Place decor with decor, place shoes with shoes, place wrapping paper with wrapping paper, etc.  When you see how much you have of each item, it will make decisions about what to let go a lot easier.
• Once you part with the excess, then place what you are going to keep into labeled bins or baskets and put them back for storage.

Decluttering and organizing can look a little crazy at the start, but in the end it’s worth it when your space is calm and neat again.  It’s all part of the process.

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How do you maintain home organization balanced with recreation during the summer months when kids are home from school?  The last day of school is a GREAT day for kids, but it can be a stressful day for moms as we wonder how we will make it all work.  And I’ve heard there are two kinds of moms-the summer moms who are joyful that school is out and they have open days ahead of them.  And then there are the school moms who counts down the days until the first day of school is back in session.   Or maybe there’s a middle mom too.  But all types of moms still have things to get done while kids are home from school. 

Here are a few easy organizing tips to help you get through the summer:

• Keep a list in a folder of upcoming summer events & ideas in your area to choose from:  Library events, library summer reading programs, concerts in the park, easy hikes, petting zoo, swim schedules, etc. 
• Be prepared for fun at home for the kids while you get a few things done inside.  Create an outdoor toy bucket or bin filled with water balloons,  bubbles, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, paint brushes for buckets of water (for some reason painting on stuff just with water is fun for kids).
• Keep sunscreen ready by the door the kids go out each day.
• Each day assign someone a chore, you shouldn’t have to do it all yourself. 
• Have a list of sitters and phone numbers at the ready, you can even have a younger sitter act as a mother’s helper to entertain the kids while you are at home.
• Take some time every day with your kids so they are getting the attention they need-a little bit goes a long way.  Heading to the beach and getting away from it all can be rejuvenating for you and help you be more productive later as well.
• Older kids may be willing to earn some money doing some work for you while they are home as well-let them.

Whether the months of summer are too long or whether they are too short for you, you can be prepared and organized for some fun as well as for getting things done.

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Delegation can go a long way toward home organization.  Sometimes it is difficult to let go of being the one to get it all done.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that anyone else will do the tasks or chores as well as we do.  You might worry that something will get messed up, forgotten or simply not look at nice as when you do it yourself.   Or that it is just faster to do it yourself. 

Sometimes though, delegating duties will bring nice suprises.  It can be surprising to learn that your kids may see something in a different light or have different ideas on how to do something that are even better than your ideas!   When it comes to delegating duties to kids, in the big picture, you are teaching them life skills to help them toward  their own independence. 

So here we are at summer vacation and I have to balance business, kids, house, chores, etc.  My kids are old enough to actually do some work for me this year which is pretty exciting.  It’s also a little unnerving for a professional organizer who likes things done a certain way.  My oldest recently cleaned out my twitter account to balance followers vs. following.  She had a clever way of making notations on some accounts that I never would have thought of.  Plus, the two hours she took to do it, opened up two hours of more productive work for me.  Work that no one could do for me.

My youngest worked on Household Hub Notebooks and she pointed out a clever trick while she was working as well.  So, just because I’m mom, I guess I really don’t know everything-who knew?  So, don’t be afraid to get help to help you stay organized and get tasks done!

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Home organization means sometimes you have to declutter, you have to let some things go.  Take the above shoes.  Those were in my closet, but they aren’t anymore!  Just like other people who hold onto their belongings, I was holding onto them because I ‘might’ wear them ’someday.’  I’ve really moved into much higher heels recently as I wear a lot of dresses (dresses are nice and forgiving!) and I’m on the shorter side.  But I kept holding onto these shoes because I thought I might wear them to a consultation someday.  Of course I always passed them over every time I got dressed, consultation or not. 

I finally decided to give it up and realize that I wasn’t wearing them and I wasn’t going to wear them.  And while I was at it, I parted with really cute shoes I had recently purchased at a consignment shop.  Now I know why someone else got rid of them-they hurt!  Cute or not, it doesn’t make sense to walk around in pain all day.  There are more cute shoes out there to be had!  I actually parted with several pairs of shoes that day.  I really don’t have a ton of shoes, but I want the ones that I am keeping to be shoes that serve me as both cute and comfortable.

So when you are looking at your belongings or your clothes, really be honest about whether you are currently using them or not.  Don’t just hold onto things because you might use them someday.  You are either using them or you’re not.  Stay on top of home organization by letting go when you need to!

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Home organization doesn’t have to happen overnight and it doesn’t have to happen all on your own.  Phew!  This winter we have had the most incredible weather in Seattle, sunny and warm, and we are loving life!  So today after a great 5 mile run/walk  (getting back into the swing of things), I felt obligated to mow the front lawn after seeing my neighbors on each side do so.  And it was bad.  Patches of clover.  Bald spots.  Edging that needs to be done.  Weeds that need to be pulled.  Beauty bark that needs to be brought in.  Mowing the grass was really just a drop in the bucket.  So much work to do, so little time.  I felt a little overwhelmed.  But I thought about it and realized I can do this a little at a time.  Just like I preach with organizing.  I can work on nice days for even just 15-20 minutes and it will make a difference.    I don’t HAVE to produce a perfectly manicured yard overnight.  Especially if I want to get anything else done around here such as laundry, exercising, working and on & on. 

But I also realized that there are some areas I just may need help with.  And that’s when I sent my handyman a handy message to let him know I may need some help kicking off the yard.  I looked around at what I could do myself and what I could have Kory do and what I could help Kory with to ease the budget.  Sometimes you just have to bring on someone that can help you do the work that you can’t do as well as help make your project easier for you. 

So whether your current project is for home organization or some other task, break it down so it’s not so daunting and bring in the troops if you need them!

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To stay on top of home organization, you really have to keep small issues from becoming big ones.   How do you do that you say?  Why, let me tell you and thank you for asking! 

• Make sure that when you bring something new into your home, you give it a home too.  Give it a space on a shelf, give it a basket or a storage bin to live in.  And if you can go one step further, label that home with a label machine so everyone knows where it goes!
• If you see an area that naturally starts to be a dumping zone, work with it not against it.  If you seem to always come home and drop your mail on the kitchen counter, then set up a system at the kitchen counter that works for you and is visually appealing.
• Containerize belongings that belong together so you can find them as well as put a cap on them.  For example, place all your art supplies in a caddy or storage bin.  When it’s time to create, you will know right where to go to get started.  When items are stored together, you can really see how much you have and this will help you curb the urge to buy more.
• Let go of items regularly.  See that photo above?  Well, there were a lot more games when we got started on that project.  But with a donation bag at hand, a lot went out the door and the family was down to a manageable number of games that they really wanted which gave them more space and less visual clutter.

Stay on top of home organization by l0oking at problem areas and putting on the brakes before they get out of control-you can do it!

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