Organizing Maintenance

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We were fortunate to have had such a mild winter, but aren’t you happy spring is here?  I am.  I especially like all the vibrant colors of spring, but we couldn’t have those colors without a few rain drops.  As we enter the month of April with all its rain showers, I want to talk to you about faulty windshield wipers.  Specifically, how I see those wipers as being just like the lack of maintenance in the process of organizing.

 

Like Faulty Windshield Wipers

We all know what it’s like when our car windshield wipers don’t work; they leave smudges and streaks; they create vision problems; we have to keep spraying and cleaning; they’re frustrating.  Those smudges and streaks are like pockets of clutter and piles of stuff.  Those vision problems are like stress and its side effects.  The constant spraying is like our procrastinated efforts to organize.  And the frustration is just that, frustration.

Skipping, ignoring or slacking on the maintenance part of the organizing process is like faulty windshield wipers.  The clutter and piles mount, causing stress, and it’s all just frustrating.  We have to maintain the order once we’ve established it, or disorder and clutter creep back into our lives and space.

Maintaining order takes time and some self discipline, but the key is to not give up or let the situation get out of control.  My top 5 maintenance tips are…

 

1.  As soon as you enter your home give yourself 5-10 minutes to put whatever you brought home away.  You do this with your groceries, why not with everything else?
2.  Attach new organizing habits to existing routines. For example, before brushing your teeth at night, put out your outfit for the next day.
3.  Reduce daily.  For example, immediately toss junk mail, recycle food storage containers, and re-purpose unmatched socks.
4.  Keep papers and mail vertical.  This helps prevent piles from starting and growing.
5.  Ask for help and delegate.  Who says you have to do it all alone?

Please share with me what works for you.

Organizing Holiday Decorations

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I’m not sure about you, but I’m questioning, how can it be 2012 already?  Where does the time go?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little extra time?  I know how we can accomplish this…
by being organized. 
When we’re organized we can preform tasks more quickly, which will then free up minutes.  Those minutes will add up, and voila, a little extra time in our day.
I’d like to share with you my three tips on organizing holiday decorations.  These tips help me streamline the process of putting out and putting away my decorations.  Thus saving me time, which, in turn, gives me a little extra time to enjoy family and friends.  That’s something I want to do, especially this time of year.  My three tips are in  video format.  I hope you find them helpful.

Asking for Organizing Help

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Have you ever heard the phrase, “I’m a  plumber in need of a plumber”?  One of my clients made this reference to me.  She felt that she had some organizing skills and knowledge, but she needed to call me in to help her get the job done.  Do you ever feel that way?  You just want some help getting the job done!  If so, it’s okay to ask for help and get help when you need it.  Just ask me, this is how I can help.

1.  I’ll help you get the project started.

2.  I’ll help you plan out the project.

3.  I’ll help you break the project into managable steps.

4.  I’ll help  you schedule time to get it done.
5.  I’ll offer non-judgemental input and practical solutions.

Cal me for a complimentary phone consultation, 508-699-6652.  I’ll be happy to help you get the job done.

 

 

©2011 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All Rights Reserved

Staying Organized

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Do I dare say that spring is here at last?  I’m not sure, but I certainly hope so.  I think spring is a happy season.  It brings renewed energy and desire to take control of our surroundings and lighten our loads.  If, for you, that means getting and staying organized, then the article below is written just for you.

 

Creating Guidelines

 

As a Professional Organizer I’m often asked by the homeowners I work with, “How can I stay organized?”  They explain that they spend time creating order and buying cool organizing products to help them stay organized, but in two months, things look just like they did before.  In addition, their cool new organizing products are not helping or worse, they’re not even being used.

The best way to answer their question is to share this example.  Imagine you have  magazines all over your house, piles of them here and there, and you have a hard time throwing them out.  You decide something needs to be done with them.  So, you purchase a few magazine racks to help corral them.  Great!  Problem solved, right?  No!  In a few months the magazine racks are overflowing and magazines are finding their way to other parts of your house again.  So, what can you do?
You need to complete the organizing process.  I call it the ‘creating guidelines phase’.  By purchasing the magazine racks you have created a place for them to be kept, but now you need to create some guidelines for yourself pertaining to those magazines.  The guidelines help you  decide how long to keep each magazine and when you have enough magazines.
Guidelines take the form of questions, and I find it helpful to write them down.    Here are a few examples:
1.  How long will you keep a single magazine issue?
2.  What are the deciding factors for keeping an issue longer than the given timeframe?
3.  What is the maximum number of magazine issues you will keep at one time?  (As many as will properly fit in the magazine racks?)
4.  Once that maximum number is reached, will you practice the one in, one out rule?

5.  What will you do with the magazines when it is time to get rid of them? (Recycle them, donate them to a daycare, leave them at your doctor’s office, give them to a senior center?)

6.  How frequently will  you go through the racks to prevent stockpiling?

Answering these six questions and establishing a system to process your magazines, enables you to keep them organized.  By practicing the process and having a little self discipline you should be able to stay organized.
These guidelines can be modified to fit other items in your space.  If you are struggling with the creating guidelines phase’ I recommend using the six sample questions listed above to help you establish organizing systems for the things and paper in your life.

 

©2010 Janine Cavanaugh, Professional Organizer.  All Rights Reserved

Intangible Gifts

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I compiled a list to offer as an alternative to giving ‘stuff’ or ‘things’ for the holidays. Let’s face it who really needs more ‘stuff’ that others choose for us? What about the children in our lives, do they really need more ‘things’, and do you really want to make more space in your home for all those ‘things’? As a way to reduce clutter and eliminate waste, I’d like to suggest intangible or consumable gifts for the holidays.

Intangible & Consumable Gift Ideas © Janine Cavanaugh, Professional Organizer

Restaurant and coffee shop gift certificates
Food or beverage gift baskets
Tickets to a concert, sporting event, play or show
Movie passes
Gift certificates for a massage, facial, manicure or pedicure
Flowers, floral arrangement, or live wreath
Memberships to a fitness center, gym or the YMCA
Phone card or phone minutes
Passes to a museum, zoo or aquarium
Donations to a charity in receiver’s name
Game or movie rentals
Gifts of your time to a senior relative
Day pass to a spa
Home made coupons for baby sitting, household chores, or together time
Plans for a weekend get away
Grocery store gift cards
Utility or heating bill assistance to someone in need
Behind the scenes adventures at an aquarium or zoo
Firewood or fire starters
Homemade goodies or preserves
Ski lift tickets
Passes for bowling, indoor golf, or paint ball
Art, music, or dance lessons
Edible arrangements
Candles
Household goods basket with detergent, soap, sponges, etc.
Music downloads
Gas station gift cards
Calendars or date books
Bath and shower products
Perfume or makeup
Cologne or shaving products
Chocolate or candy