organizing process Archives • Page 5 of 12 • Helpful Organizer

Pocketbook Editing

July 15, 2017/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

How often do you go through your pocketbook and get rid of all that can be tossed? Do you wait until you find yourself sifting through a crumpled mess of old receipts and candy wrappers? Do you hold off until your arm gets sore from hefting all that loose change that’s fallen to the bottom of your bag? Or, do you simply switch your wallet and cell phone to a different pocketbook when the mess gets too cumbersome to deal with?

What about the kid’s backpacks? How often do you sort through those? What about the fridge, medicine cabinet, or pantry? What about your closet, dresser, or nightstand? I’m not going to mention mail, files, coupons, recipes, or other paper. That’s a whole new topic.

Taking time to sort through and get rid of stuff helps us stay organized. By editing the contents of our pocketbooks (and all those other areas mentioned or not mentioned) we perform an important step in the organizing process, the discard and remove step. By removing what is not wanted, needed, or used, we’re able to spend less time searching for stuff. We’re also able to easily notice when something needs to be replaced, mended, or renewed.

One important factor to consider is the frequency in which we edit. If it takes a week for those receipts to become a crumpled mess, then weekly edits need to take place. If not the mess becomes very frustrating. To help reduce our stress with a disorganized, overstuffed pocketbook (or other area) timely edits are necessary. What would you consider timely? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month?

Whatever time frame you use, consistency in editing is another important factor. Creating the habit of going through your pocketbook every week (or whatever time frame you use) helps you stay organized. It also helps reduce your stress and frustration, and helps your ability to find what you want when you need it. Worthwhile benefits. Wouldn’t you agree?

Determine, Decide, Dispose

April 15, 2017/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

How easy is it for you to get rid of stuff? Deciding what is worth keeping and what needs to go, can be difficult. I follow a three step confirming process. These three steps help me confirm what I have, and decide what I need, use, and want. The first step is to determine what I have. The second step is to decide what stays and what goes. The third step is to dispose of stuff. Let me explain how this confirming process works.

The first step is to determine what I have. This means gathering and assessing. I pick a small group of items to work with at a time. Instead of working with all my clothes, I work with just my spring wardrobe. Another example is instead of working with all my books, I only work with my organizing books. This helps reduce the time needed to complete the process, and helps prevent procrastination. Once I’ve chosen which category I want to work with, I gather the items into one location and assess them.

The second step is to decide what stays and what goes. I find it helpful to have criteria for what items stay and what items go. I call them my confirming guidelines, and they help me make decisions.

Examples of confirming guidelines:
1. It has to go if it’s broken, damaged, or missing parts, and you’re not going to fix it or pay to have it fixed within 3 months.
2. It has to go if it hasn’t been used in the past 3 years and won’t be used in the next 3 years.
3. It has to go if it is more than one size too big or too small.
4. It has to go if it’s torn, stained, or moldy, and you’re not going to fix it or pay to have it fixed within 3 months.
5. It has to go if it doesn’t reflect your current lifestyle. (Use 3 year timeline.)
6. It has to go if it’s very similar or identical to another item. Keep three favorites and the rest have to go.
7. It has to go if you’ve already purchased a replacement for it.
8. It has to go if it’s something you don’t like, or something that never worked right or fit right.
9. It has to go if the reason you’re holding onto it is not a good, valid reason. (See blog articles)
10. It has to go if it brings negative thoughts or causes self doubt.

The third step is to dispose of the stuff. It helps to schedule a day for removal, whether it is donations, items to be recycled or items to be given away. Voila! Confirming process complete.

Exit Strategy

March 15, 2017/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Do you have a plan for getting rid of stuff? If you did, would you get rid of more stuff? I have found that having a plan for getting rid of stuff helps me keep control of all the things I bring into my space. I call this plan an exit strategy, and it helps me stay organized. It can help you too. An exit strategy is the steps taken to remove material possessions from our spaces that are no longer needed, used, appreciated, or cherished. The end result of an exit strategy is that a particular item is gone from our space, and we no longer need to do something with it or think about it.

Example #1 – exit strategy for any type of invitation

Receive invitation. RSVP to invitation. Put details of invitation on calendar. Recycle paper invitation or delete email invitation.

Example #2 – exit strategy for any type of toy

Acquire toy. Play with toy. If toy breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate or sell toy within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. A wonderful place to donate small toys is Cradles to Crayons in Brighton, MA.

Example #3 – exit strategy for any type of coupon

Receive coupons. Immediately recycle any coupons you know you won’t use. Store the rest of the coupons in a specific location until they can be used. Two storage options for coupons are in a basket on the refrigerator, or in a zip lock bag in your purse. Sort through coupons on the first of every month and recycle all the outdated ones.

Example #4 – exit strategy for any type of electronic device

Acquire electronic device. Use electronic device. If electronic device breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate, sell, or recycle electronic device within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. (Want ideas on what to do with the box that the electronic device came in?) A great place to recycle electronics is Indie Cycle, and a place to sell electronics is Decluttr.

Example #5 – exit strategy for any type of kitchen gadget

Acquire kitchen gadget. Use kitchen gadget. If kitchen gadget breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate, sell, or recycle kitchen gadget within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. (Want ideas on how to organize a kitchen junk drawer?)

An exit strategy helps us stay organized and in control of what comes into our space. Planning ahead is key to being successful. One way to plan ahead is to establish your exit strategies with a list of donation options attached.

The Best Organizing Product In The World

February 15, 2017/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

During my organizing classes, I often ask the class, “What is the best organizing product in the world?” This question grabs their attention. They stop what their doing, and look up. I see a question in their eyes, and hear it on the tips of their tongues, “What?” They really want to know. Their curiosity is peaked. After a brief pause, I tell them, “The one you will use.” The response is usually a universal, “OH!”

Many of us buy bins, containers, organizing tools, and products that never get used. We convince ourselves that these products are the things we need to make the magic happen. We purchase the items with the best intention, to get organized, but that doesn’t happen. Why do these items end up collecting dust in the back of the closet?

Usually, because they aren’t a good fit for our situation. So, what would make them a good fit? Here are some criteria to use:

Make sure the product is the correct size, shape, and dimension.
Make sure the product saves time and effort, and doesn’t add unnecessary steps to the process.
Make sure the product is convenient to use, not cumbersome, flimsily, or difficult to use.
Make sure the product is easy to take out and put away.
Make sure the product is used.

Having an organizing product that is just right for the job is very helpful. However, a bit of sorting, planning, and product testing may be needed before the purchasing happens. Here are some things to do before spending any money:

Create some order by sorting and reducing before purchasing.
Measure before purchasing.
Use a box that’s around the house to test out the effectiveness of the solution before purchasing.
Ask yourself if you’ve tried something like this before and if it worked, before purchasing.
Have the product be part of the organizing process and test that process, before purchasing.

Having the right organizing product can make a world of difference. Here are two examples:

I like my makeup holder vs. a makeup bag.

I like my utensil holder vs. having everything loose in drawer.

What organizing products do you like? Please share with me.

Organizing in the New Year

January 26, 2017/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Content

January 2017

Newsletter

Side Notes:

*** Did you know that January is Get Organized Month? What will you organize this month? Please share with me.

*** February is the start of my spring class schedule. You can obtain more details on my website. Hope to see you in class.

*** Question: What is the toughest thing for you to get rid of? Books? Clothes? Shoes? Please share your answer.

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Quick Links

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Hi ,

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it is the end of January already, but I hope 2017 has gotten off to a GREAT start for you. Someone shared this nice idea with me, and I want to share it with you. It suggests you write down good things that happen throughout the year, and put them in a jar. At the end of the year, read and remember all the awesome things that happened in 2017. I think this is a wonderful idea, but I’d like to recommend a twist. Write down organizing projects you tackle this year, and see how accomplished you are at the end of the year. A second twist is to write down all the items you donate and give away. At the end of the year you can reward yourself for giving to those in need. Whatever 2017 holds for you, , I hope your jar is stuffed with wonderful memories, meaningful accomplishments, and good deeds.

Do you make new year’s resolutions?

I do, and I’d like to share one of my 2017 resolutions with you. It is to clean up my Email files. Here is how I’m going to tackle this:

Schedule 20 minutes a week to work on this project.
Clean up one Email folder at a time, and leave my inbox folder for last. I have several Email folders based on the topic of the Email; for example, one for the National Association of Professional Organizers, one for classes I teach, one for bills I pay on line, and other categories like that.
Be ruthless about purging Emails, and only save what I’ll refer to again.
On my scheduled Email-clean-up-day, set a timer and work without interruption until my time is up.
Keep track of what I’ve done; so I can make efficient progress.
Reward myself with 10 minutes of computer-play-time at the end of each work session.

FYI: The above 6 step process can be used to tackle other organizing projects as well. Give it a try and see how it works for 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 will really use it.

This is why I was happy to find Bay State Textiles. They work with schools through their School Box Program. They share information on economic and environmental aspects of textile reuse, and then place a donation box outside the school. The box is serviced weekly, and a rebate check is given to the school, based on the weight of donations. They accept any type of textile, even stuffed animals and stained items, as long as they are clean and dry. How convenient is that? Please donate. You’ll be helping your local school and a worthwhile organization.

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!

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