Keeping projects on the table, counter, desk, or tool bench, because you worry that once they are out of sight, they are out of mind, is a common concern. This two step process will help you organize ongoing projects and get them done. It has been successful for me. Step 1 – Keep an ongoing project list on the fridge, and put the projects away. Step 2 – Block out time on your calendar to work on your projects. Schedule increments of time that allow you to have the project completed when you wish it to be done.
While 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 It held current and relevant information, but also held some outdated information that was no longer of interest to me.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 Here is a list of what I discarded: 8 outdated or duplicate business cards, 1 outdated jewelry catalog, 12 magazine clippings on products, tips, and ideas (I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I clip from magazines, but in my opinion, it’s better than keeping the whole magazine.), 1 outdated skincare catalog, 5 old purchase receipts (shred them), and 8 notes of websites to look at or items to try.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:
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!
Summer 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.
https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/15-Years-LOGO.jpg00Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/15-Years-LOGO.jpgJanine Cavanaugh, CPO®2015-07-31 21:03:182016-04-26 01:18:55How to Get Organized to Sell Your House
What happens when you open a junk drawer? Do you ignore the mess and slam it shut as soon as you locate what you were hoping to find inside? When I open a junk drawer my fingers start itching to dive in and organize. I fully understand that this is my own personal reaction, and is not one that is commonly shared, but I’d like to alter your reaction to a junk drawer. I hope to accomplish this by providing you with the knowledge on how to successfully organize a junk drawer, and other disorderly spots. Supplying you with the tools needed to master the organizing process will give you a means to act instead of react.
The organizing process is a means to create order from disorder by following 3 steps.
The first step of the organizing process is sorting and categorizing. The idea is to separate all the items in the junk drawer into categories that are similar in function and/or purpose. One helpful tip is to label each category and don’t allow yourself to leave the project. For example, it may be tempting to put the medication that you find in the junk drawer in the medicine cabinet, but once you remove yourself from the organizing process, it’s easy to get distracted. Instead create a category labeled “Belongs Elsewhere”, put the medication in that category, and continue sorting all the items in the junk drawer.
The second step of the organizing process is removing the detritus from each category. It’s noticing items that are better kept some place else (i.e. find home category), items that have an existing home some place else (i.e. belongs elsewhere category), and items that are no longer wanted, needed, or used (i.e. give away, recycle, and toss categories).
The third step of the organizing process is placement of what is going back into the junk drawer. The idea is to focus on function and pay close attention to how convenient it is to find what you need when you need it, and how convenient it is to put items away. A helpful tip is to have a specific home for each category you’ve created, and if a category has too many items, subdivide the category. Use organizing tools and products to facilitate easy access and function. I’ve used a drawer organizer to help organize the junk drawer.
This organizing process can be used to create order from disorder in any space.
By following the 3 steps you can organize all your spaces, places, and stuff.
One of the reasons we hold onto paper is because we need or want to reference the information (on the paper) in the future. However, what happens when we can’t put our hands on a piece of paper quickly and easily? We waste time hunting and searching for that paper, or we attempt to find the information from another source. Is there really any need to save paper that we can’t find quickly and easily? No! So, what will help us find specific papers when we need them?
An organized paper storage system will help us locate what we want, when we need it, and help us remember where paper is stored. Creating an organized system can be quite an undertaking. The initial step in this undertaking is to have a paper storage container (ie. file cabinet) that holds alphabetical files that are labeled with file names. It is essential to customize the file names to reflect our specific, personal retention needs. The best way to do this is to create file names that uniquely describe what information is stored inside the file. This is much more efficient than using generic or standardized names. For example I use the file name “Kia Soul” instead of Auto, Car, or Vehicle.
Another example of a customized file that I have is my “Fashion File”. It holds all the girly things that I want to reference, look into, check out, or use. It contains 5 separate categories, hair, jewelry, nails, skincare, and wardrobe. The types of papers that I store in each category are as follows:
Hair – contact information for my current stylist, pictures of hair styles that I like, products I want to try
Jewelry – receipts of jewelry purchases, business cards for jewelry consultants, jewelry catalogs
Nail – business cards for local nail salons with times and directions
Skincare – business cards for skincare consultants, products I want to try, lists of chemical free products, skincare catalogs
Wardrobe – contact information for image consultants, tips for my body type, fashion styles I like
By establishing and using this unique file name, and other personalized file names, I have created an organized system that helps me remember where my papers belong and where I can find them when I need them. This approach could work for you. If you do use it please share with me what file names you use.
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