Tag Archive for: de-clutter

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How to Decide When It’s Time to Organize

Helpful Organizer BlogHow often do we organize? Do we let the mess and clutter build and build before you reclaim order? How do we decide when it’s time to organize? The answers to these questions vary for each individual, based on tolerance and desire.

Every individual has their own personal level of tolerance for disorder, meaning how much mess they are willing to live with before they clean it up. If we have a low tolerance for disorder, we don’t allow mess to happen or spread. However, if we have high tolerance for disorder, we find that clutter grows and spreads before we realize it’s out of control.

Additional, every individual has their own personal desired level of order, meaning how much clutter they can live with before they take action and remove it. If we desire a high level of order, we have systems in place that prevent clutter from happening. However, if our desire for order is low, we allow the mess to get out of control.

The best solution is to determine when it’s time to organize, and then take action before the mess and clutter get out of control. Here are 3 basic guidelines we can use to determine when it’s time to take action and organize.

  • Time Guideline
  • Quantity Guideline
  • Visual Assessment Guideline

A Time Guideline is when we use a specific time or day as the cue to take action and organize. Here are a few examples. Every night before eating dinner, we put away what’s collected on the kitchen/dinning room table. Every night at 8:00PM, we organize and prepare for the next day. The last Saturday of every month, we take care of recycle items and donate items. Every September, we clean out the garage.

A Quantity Guideline is when we use a specific unit of measure to determine when it’s time to take action and organize. Here are a few examples. When our inbox is an inch deep, we process all the mail. When the shred box is full, we empty it by shredding it’s contents. When the magazine rack is full, we remove and recycle 5 magazines. When we have two weeks worth of old newspapers, we recycle them.

A Visual Assessment Guideline is when you use a specific visual cue to determine when it’s time to take action and organize. Here are a few examples. When we can’t see the desk, we organize the desk. When the floor of the walk-in closet is hidden, we organize the closet. When there are too many items on the kitchen counter, we clear it off and put things away.

Based on our personal tolerance and desire we’ll be drawn to a specific type of guideline.  The key is to find guidelines that work and stick with them, because trouble occurs when we don’t establish any guidelines, we ignore our guidelines, or we’re unable to maintain our guidelines.

So, the best way to decide when it’s time to organize is to first look at our tolerance for disorder and our personal desired level of order. Second, establish organizing guidelines. Third, follow the guidelines that have been established. Remember, the best guideline is the one we will DO.

 

© February 2016  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

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De-clutter in 5 Minutes

Organizing tipHave one empty container in each room of the house.  At the end of each day, go room by room, and put any clutter that has accumulated into the empty container.  At the end of each week, remove the contents of each container by putting items where they belong and tossing what you don’t need.

Client's cluttered living room

Remove Clutter

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Helpful Organizer Newsletter – January 2016
 

***    My spring class schedule is available on my website.  I’ll be teaching classes on the following topics,  Downsizing, Closet Organizing, Steps to Organizing, Controlling Clutter,  and Organizing Paper.  If you’d like to attend a class please contact the class location directly.
***   Two fun facts are that the New England chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and the national association is celebrating its 31st.
 
***  Question:  Why is organizing important to you?
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Hi  Janine,

Thank you for helping me build, grow, and sustain my business. As I celebrate my 8th year as a Professional Organizer (January 2016), I am truly grateful for your support.  I feel very fortunate to be entering another year in a profession that allows me to use my expertise to help others.

Winter Organizing Projects

 

Now that the snow and cold temperatures have arrived it’s a good  time to tackle some indoor organizing projects, after all, January is Get Organized (GO) Month.  An organizing project that I like to do during the winter is remove clutter.  When I remove clutter from my filing system, it’s easier to use.  When I remove clutter from my closet, it’s easier to see my clothing options.  When I remove clutter from my desk area it’s a happier space in which to work.

One helpful way to remove clutter is to set a size or numerical goal before you begin.  For example, a size goal could be to fill a paper bag with files that need to be shredded, or to fill a trash bag with clothes that need to be donated.  A numerical goal could be to remove 20 items from your desk area.  Setting a goal helps give you focus during your project, and helps you know when you’ve succeeded.
One wonderful benefit of removing clutter is that you’ll spend less time on housework.  In fact, it’s been documented that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of housework in the average home.

If you’d like a personal helper call me for a complimentary consultation at (508) 699-6652 or email me.  I’d be happy to help you.

Recycle Resource

Finding new ways to recycle, for myself and my clients, makes me happy.  Everyone is more motivated to get rid of something when they know it is going to someone who is truly in need.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?  What about boots?  Are you ready to pare down (pun intended)?  If you are, you can assist two local organizations at once.  Keep North Attleboro Beautiful and Attleboro Enterprises, Inc. have teamed up to recycle used shoes and boots.  The donated footwear will benefit those in need, raise money, and provide  job training skills.  You can read more about the endeavor in this newspaper article.

If you’d like to donate you can drop off your bundle of footwear at North Attleboro public schools, the North Attleboro Town Hall,  Northeast Roofing on Route 1, and with me.  I’m collecting donations for this worthy cause for the next 3 months.  You can call me at 508-699-6652 to schedule a drop off time.
From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652
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If you’ve worked with me in any capacity, I’d be grateful for a review.  Simply click on this link and answer 3 questions.  Thank you and happy organizing!

Reclaiming Order

15 minutesWhile looking for a list of skincare products that I wanted to share with a friend, I realized that it was time to reclaim order in my Fashion File.   I knew I had tucked the list into my file somewhere, but when I went to look for it, I couldn’t find it.  I quickly deduced that the main reason for this was that there was a surplus of irrelevant information in the file.  It held current and relevant information, but also held some outdated information that was no longer of interest to me.

Therefore, I allowed myself 15 minutes to reclaim order.  I did this by pruning each category of the Fashion File and making decisions on what information was worth keeping, and what was to be discarded.  Here is a list of what I discarded:  8 outdated or duplicate business cards, 1 outdated jewelry catalog, 12 magazine clippings on products, tips, and ideas (I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I clip from magazines, but in my opinion, it’s better than keeping the whole magazine.), 1 outdated skincare catalog, 5 old purchase receipts (shred them), and 8 notes of websites to look at or items to try.  At the end of a very productive 15 minutes I had located the list of skincare products that I wanted to share with my friend, and reclaimed order in my Fashion File.

By taking the time, at that moment, to reclaim order, I stopped the accumulation of paper, and prevented my Fashion File from turning into a huge, inefficient mess.  This is what I call preserving the natural flow of the organizing process.  The natural flow of the organizing process looks like this:

Chart of Organizng Flow

One very important factor to keep in mind when preserving the natural flow of the organizing process is to keep the duration between creating order and reclaiming order short enough, so that the act of reclaiming order doesn’t take too long, and isn’t an overwhelming task.  If we wait too long, or allow too much build up, the act of reclaiming order becomes overwhelming, stressful and frustrating.  If you reach this point, reclaiming order may no longer be a do-it-yourself task.  Just remember, it’s okay to ask for HELP!

 

© August 2015  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

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How to Get Organized to Sell Your House

home-sale-signSummer is an optimal time for many homeowners to sell their house, pack up, and relocate.  Unfortunately, this is a stressful process.  It’s easy for sellers to get overwhelmed by all that needs to be done to prepare their house for the market, and start the packing process.  There is so much to organize, so many details to address.  The 10 “Organized to Sell” tips listed below will help any seller focus on the details and take control.

1.  Eliminate piles before you sell.
Don’t let paper and items accumulate on tables, counter tops, or desks.  Keeping horizontal surfaces clear and clean eliminates visual clutter, and allows potential buyers to see the space without distractions.
2.  Reduce before you sell.
Over stuffing closets, bookcases, filing cabinets, cupboards and other storage areas in your home is a red flag to potential buyers.  It screams, “Not enough storage!”  Reducing and limiting the number of items you keep in these areas conveys the message of ample and abundant storage to the potential buyer.
3.  Eliminate surplus before you sell.
Why have ten of something, if two is all you really need until you move?  Pack up and remove surplus or
duplicate items.  A few examples are sheets, towels, dishes, mugs, utensils, toiletries, toys, books, DVDs, etc.
4.  Remove before you sell.
Packing up seldom used items and seasonal items helps your house appear spacious, and that is what potential buyers like.  Some examples are holiday decorations, off season clothing and footwear, archived files, and rarely used kitchen appliances, like bread makers, blenders, etc.
5.  Toss before you sell.
It is perfectly acceptable to throw away things that are broken, damaged, rusty, worn out, torn, stained, or incomplete.  Toss these items without hesitation.  If your belongings look old and worn out the potential buyer sees the whole property as old and worn out.
6.  Donate before you sell.
If you’re not using it now, you won’t use it in your new home.  Ask yourself, “Will I be wasting my time, money
and energy if I pack and move this item?”  Donating items is a great way to help preserve the environment, help those that are less fortunate, and feel content knowing that someone will value what you no longer use.
7.  Sell before you sell.
Selling items that you no longer want, need or have space for in your new home, is a viable option.  A few venues are yard sales, consignment shops, auction houses, newspaper listings, estate sales, or internet listings.  Remember to be realistic about your financial expectations when selling used items.
8.  Rent before you sell.
Renting a storage unit to hold equipment you seldom use and boxes of packed items will help free up space and give you a jump start on the moving process.  Remember space is a valuable commodity.
9.  Spruce up before you sell.
Don’t forget to reduce the clutter in your yard and outdoor living spaces.  These areas are usually the first and
last impression for the potential buyers.  So, make them as clutter-free as possible by removing toys, lawn ornaments, recycle bins, etc.
10.  Hide before you sell.
Store as many items of daily use in your cupboards and cabinets.  For example, put your tooth brushes in the medicine cabinet, your dish detergent in the cupboard under the sink, and your vacuum cleaner in the utility closet.  This is more visually appealing and is less distracting for potential buyers.

©July 2015  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®.  All Rights Reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO