Repurposing Containers

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BagWould you consider purchasing containers as the “fun” part to organizing?  You wouldn’t be alone.  Containers are multifunctional and practical.  They serve important functions in organizing.  They provide boundaries for stuff.  They hold and keep like items together.  They prevent pieces and parts from getting lost or misplaced.

I recommend being creative and resourceful when it comes to containers.  Instead of purchasing, I advocate repurposing containers that we already have in our space.  It’s very economical and environmentally conscious.

Here are several ideas for repurposing the zippered bags that blankets, comforters, and sheets come in.

  1.  Store manuals and instructions
  2.  Keep by washing machine for stray socks
  3.  Use as wet bag for beach towels and bathing suits
  4.  Store games and puzzles that have squashed boxes
  5.  Keep in car for muddy shoes or wet clothes
  6.  Store camping equipment
  7.  Use as container to collect items that need to be dry cleaned
  8.  Use as sports bag for uniforms, equipment and footwear
  9.  Store comic books or other books
  10.  Keep in suitcase for dirty clothes

Ideas for the small zipped pillow case bags:

  •  Travel first aid kit
  •  Cd’s or Dvd’s
  •  Take out menus
  •  Travel bag for toiletries
  •  Pencil case

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What containers have you repurposed?  Please share.

© May 2014  Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

Repurpose & Organize

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re-purpose mugsI’m often asked by a potential clients if they can purchase any organizing products in preparation of our work appointment. My answer is usually no. (The exception is when we’re working in a brand new space.) The reason for my “no” answer, is that in the process of organizing we uncover, discover, locate, unearth, and find plenty of items that can be re-purposed as suitable organizing products. Re-purposing items in our spaces allows us to be more economical and environmentally conscious.

Here are a few examples of how I re-purposed products in my home:

1. Re-purposed coffee mugs holding
brushes, razors, and pens
re-purpose mugs 2. Re-purposed notepaper boxes
holding ziplock bags and garbage bags
re-purpose stationery boxes3. Re-purposed bread container holding
measuring cups and small baking tools

 

© May 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All rights reserved

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Organizing Process

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stepsYou may have heard the phrase that organizing is a process, not a task.  What does that mean exactly?  A process involves more than one step, for example doing the laundry.  A process also involves three distinct phases, planning, doing, and follow-up. A task, on the other hand, is completed in one step, for example unloading the dish washer.  It’s important to note the distinction, because tackling an organizing process as if it were a task, causes frustration, stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed.  Devoting time to each of the three phases of the organizing process (planning, doing, and follow-up) will enable clarity, focus, and direction.

The planning phase of the organizing process is concerned with goals and objectives. What is your organizing goal? What do you want to accomplish? How much time is required? How much help and resources will you need? Is it worth calling in a professional?

The doing phase of the organizing process is the physical work needed to make the goals and objectives happen. It usually involves a process all it’s own, involving 3 (or more) steps:
sorting
discarding
assigning a home.

The follow-up phase of the organizing process is concerned with the upkeep and maintenance of the order once it’s established. This phase of the process is best accomplished by establishing personal guidelines, habits, and systems.

So, the next time you say to yourself, just get organized. Stop. Think. Devote some time to each of the three phases of the organizing process. It will provide clarity, focus, and direction.

© May 2014  Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

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Organizing Mail

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mail boxDo you ignore the the daily acts of collecting, sorting, and processing the mail?  Dose it go away?  No!  It just keeps piling up.  I find that a routine helps me keep the mail organized and prevents piles from forming.

My mail routine:

  1.  Sort into my mail vs. my husband’s mail (he gets to open and process is own mail)
  2.  Open it as soon as I bring it in the house, if not then, by the end of the day
  3.  Put open pieces in their predetermined homes
  •  Bills go in bill pay box by computer
  •  Coupons go in box on top of fridge
  •  Flyers, advertisements, and solicitations get briefly viewed then recycled
  •  Junk mail gets immediately recycled
  •  Statements or the like, get filed right away
  •  Mail to read gets put in my “to read” location
  •  Mail that requires action goes into my action folder

Organizing guidelines help me stay on top of the mounting mail, as well.

Here are my guidelines:

  1.  My timeframe to open the mail is right away or by the end of the day
  2.  I have predetermined homes for pieces of mail to land
  3.  I immediately recycle as much as I can
  4.  I’m not the mail opener for the whole household
  5.  I consciously make an effort to reduce the amount of mail I receive

Mail is delivered 6 days a week, whether we view it or not.  So, stop ignoring it, and establish organizing routines and guidelines in order to stay on top of it.

© March 2014  Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

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tiny house key

Daily Organizing

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DoorUpon returning home from getting my hair cut, I realized how many little things I organized.  I can name 10 steps I took:

  1.   Hung up my keys
  2.   Hung up my coat
  3.   Put my gloves and hat away
  4.   Took of my boots and put them on the mat
  5.   Put my pocketbook away
  6.   Took my check book out of my pocketbook and put it back where it belongs
  7.   Put my book away (I brought a book to read at the hairdressers.)
  8.   Wrote my next hair appointment in my datebook
  9.   Tossed the hair appointment notice
  10.   Collected the mail and put it in it’s “to sort” location (I won’t go into the steps I took to process the mail.  That’s a whole other blog entry.)

So, are you asking why I’m discussing the details of my return-home-routine?  The small habits and routines we do on a daily basis help us keep our belongings, information, and environment organized.  Without my routines, there is a greater chance of misplacing things, of appointments getting missed, and of items getting lost.  Having a home for my keys, pocketbook, checkbook, etc. is the first step to creating order, but unless I take the time, each time I return home, to actually put them there, the order doesn’t last.  It works the same for my next hair appointment.  Having a datebook for me to write in my next appointment is the first step to creating order.  The follow up steps are to write my appointments in the datebook, and to reference it daily, so I won’t miss appointments.  Therefore, I’d like to wager that if you’re willing to preform daily organizing habits and routines upon returning home, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an organizing success.

 

© February 2014, Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All Rights Reserved

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