Organizing Habits
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Tag Archive for: organizing tips for families
Organizing Decorations
If you’re like me, you like decorating for the holidays. It gets me in the holiday spirit, and I enjoy adding sparkle and cheer to my home. However, taking those decorations down, packing them up, and storing them until next year is an entirely different story. That part of the process always seems like such an unwelcoming chore. So, I’ve done my best to simplify the process and make it as painless as possible.
The first suggestion is to have a designated location in your basement, attic, garage, or other storage area, for the holiday decorations to live undisturbed until next year. This prevents them from just being shoved anywhere, everywhere, or wherever they’ll fit. My designated location is on plastic storage shelves in my basement.
The second suggestion is to use clear bins and large easy to read labels. This allows you to easily spot what is stored inside and where it belongs. I print large color coded labels, and tape them to the inside of the clear bin. This allows me to easily read the label because of the large size, and to easily recognize the holiday because of the label color. It also prevents the label from falling off, fading, curling, or becoming illegible. I place two labels in the bin on opposite sides, so that no matter how the bin is placed on the shelf, I can view the label.
The third suggestion is to store holiday decorations in layers with bubble wrap in between each layer. This is much faster than wrapping each individual decoration. It works best if you put decorations that are similar in width in the same layer. Also, place plush and soft decorations in between wooden and breakable decorations, and only store fragile or collectible decorations in their original boxes.
The fourth suggestion is to store holiday decorations based on where they are placed inside or outside the house. For example I have bins of Christmas decorations for each room in my house. This way I can easily decorate one room at a time, and pack up one room at a time. It helps me streamline the processes.
The fifth suggestion is to keep all decoration accessories in the perspective holiday bins. I keep the extension cord, the light timer, extra light bulbs, tree ornament hooks, and the tree skirt in the same bin as the tree ornaments. This way I’m not searching for these items when it’s time to decorate each year.
I understand that putting away holiday decorations can be a drag, but I hope these suggestions will help prevent procrastination.
©January 2015 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
Proud member of NAPO
Clutter Free Gift Ideas
Do you like giving and receiving gifts? It can be fun, meaningful, and heartwarming. Unfortunately, it can also make our home feel like it’s bursting at the seams with toys, clothes, and electronics. After the gift giving season is over do you dread having to make room for all that stuff? Do you detest having to shift things around, box things up, move things to the basement, or get rid of things, just to fit comfortably in your home once again? Would it be nice if you could avoid all that? I have 25 organizer friendly gift ideas that concentrate on giving and receiving consumables and experiences, not stuff. Therefore, you won’t have to struggle with all that stuff, you can just make plans with family and friends and enjoy.
25 Organizer Friendly, Clutter Free Gift Ideas
- A cultural experience to a play, performance, or theater
- An adventure or fun family outing
- Activities, clubs, classes, or lessons
- A day pass, membership or special program at a zoo or aquarium
- A useful automobile related gift like car washing or detailing
- A helpful housework booster
- Tickets to a sporting event
- Movie passes or movie night
- Salon treatment or spa day
- Gifts of time or a financial contribution
- Food in one form or another
- Donation to charity in recipient’s name
- Fitness Membership or classes
- Books or music for electronic devices
- Tickets to a concert or musical performance
- Involvement in nature clubs, groups or organizations
- Shopping for charity
- Membership or passes to a museum
- Gifts of your time and memories
- Small acts of kindness
- Volunteering at a local food bank, homeless shelter, hospital, etc.
- A small dose of nature like cut flowers, floral arrangements, or live wreath
- Assistance for necessities to homeless, seniors, or anyone in need
- Count your blessings and share them with friends and family
- Gift certificate for my services
If you have other clutter free gift ideas please share them with me.
Proud member of NAPO
Happy Holidays from the Helpful Organizer, Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
©December 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All Rights Reserved
Clutter Aerobics
Have you ever heard the term clutter aerobics? Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? For some, I’m sure the term evokes two of their least favorite things, clutter and aerobics. For me, it evokes a desire to crank Katy Perry on iTunes and take action. Clutter aerobics is when you set the timer for 20 minutes and zoom around and de-clutter. This is an inventive way to get two benefits from one activity. As you de-clutter, you’re also getting an aerobic workout by zooming around. The idea is to work quickly and without interruption for 20 minutes daily or at least 3 times a week. This schedule will allow you to keep the clutter at bay and get your heart pumping, to Katy Perry, if you so choose.
Your de-clutter activities may include, putting items back where they belong, picking up items from the floor, shredding and recycling as many papers as you can, taking care of dirty and clean dishes, removing items from the kitchen counter and finding a home for them, taking care of dirty and clean clothes, picking up items from the front and back entryway, clearing off the desk, finding a place for everything that has collected on the bathroom counter tops, and clearing the kitchen and dining room tables.
One way to really make progress is to schedule your clutter aerobics on your weekly calendar. Make a list of the de-cluttering activities you’ll work on each day or week. The more clutter aerobics you do, the more progress you’ll make, the less cluttered your home will be. Isn’t that worth pursuing? Another way to really make progress is to get the whole family involved. You may have to change your music choice to One Direction, but that’s not so bad.
© November 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
Proud member of NAPO
Organizing is a Skill
I’m often asked, “How come some people are so much better at organizing than others? Is there an organizing gene?” I’m happy to say that there is no organizing gene. Organizing is a skill, and just like other skills, some people are better at learning it than others. For example, typing, speaking a foreign language, and playing golf are all skills. Yet, some people master these skills much faster than other people. It’s the same way with organizing. Some people master it much faster than other people, but everyone can learn the skill of organizing.
The key to learning any skill is practice. Suppose you wanted to learn how to play the piano. What would you do? Would you sign up for piano classes? Would you purchase a practice keyboard? Would you seek instruction from a professional? Would you read up on the subject? Would you practice, practice, practice? Yes, you would most likely do all, or most of these things, so that you could learn and improve.
Just like with other skills you need to practice organizing. You need to devote time and energy into organizing on a regular, preferably daily, basis. I understand that you may not want to practice organizing, because you feel as thought the outcome of your efforts won’t last. Unfortunately, that is the case with any skill. What would happen if you stopped practicing the piano for 3 months? Would the efforts of your previous practice show? What would happen after 6 months, or 12 months? Also, what is the outcome if a beginner stops practicing after 3 months, as apposed to an experienced piano player? The skill level you’ve mastered makes a difference.
So, how can you practice organizing? Listed below are a few tasks you can do daily to practice the skill of organizing. I’d recommend concentrating on mastering one or two of these tasks, and then moving on, after a few weeks, to include one additional task, and so on.
1. Put all dirty clothes in hampers.
2. Put all clean clothes where they belong.
3. Put shoes, coats, and accessories where they belong.
4. Open and process all mail.
5. Clean all dirty dishes.
6. Prepare your outfit for the following day.
7. Prepare breakfast, and lunch for the following day.
8. Make one phone call, or do one task from your to do list.
9. Clear flat surfaces, like tabletops, desktops, counters, dressers, and floors.
10. Have 10 minutes of uninterrupted conversation with your family.
I’d like to hear about your progress. How is your organizing skill developing?
© October 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All Rights Reserved
Proud member of NAPO
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