Remove Clutter
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Tag Archive for: simple organizing
Host a Party
Once a year host a party or event. This is great incentive to organize and de-clutter. In fact, having guests over is the number one motivator for getting organized.
Organize with Color
Use color to help maintain order by having a color distinguish an individuals belongings. Have each person in the household pick a color she would like for her sheets, towels, lunch bag, hats, gloves, book bag, etc. This way each individual can easily see what belongs to her, and then be held accountable for keeping those things in order.
3 Step Organizing Process
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.
© July 2015 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
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
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