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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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Email
NAPO-NE

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!

Lessons Learned From Clients

June 6, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Being a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) is educational and rewarding. As a member I receive valuable training, business support, and resources. One of the best benefits is the collaboration with other Organizers. There are several smaller groups within the association, and one that I belong to is Golden Circle. We meet 4 times a year to discuss a specific topic, to offer each other support, to get to know each other a little better, and to socialize. Last month we met to discuss lessons we’ve learned from our clients. Everyone had such valuable insights to share.

One important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s not easy to accept reality, especially when it means that our dreams are unattainable. For example a client of mine had collected large amounts of books with the dream of spending hours enjoying her books. Although she wanted my help to sort, reduce, categorize, and organize these books, the reality was that her eyesight was going, and she would never be able to read the majority of her books. My practical, organized self, encouraged her to reduce and let go, until she said to me one day, “What if the doctors are wrong, and my eyesight improves?” That is when I realized that she wasn’t giving up on her dream. So, I needed to respect that, and not be a dream crusher. Coincidentally, it was not an easy reality for me to accept.

Here are some lessons we (Professional Organizers from NAPO-NE Golden Circle) have learned from our clients:

It’s necessary to give up our right to be right.
We’re like Velcro. We throw out solutions and some stick and some don’t.
Everyone is good a something.
We’re done when our clients are done.
There is value in talking and communicating, not only physically organizing.
Our clients motivate us to walk the walk, and organize and reduce in our own homes.
Everyone organizes at their own pace.
It takes courage to ask for help.
We never know someone’s whole story.
If we can remain neutral, we allow our clients to arrive at their own best solution.
We affect each other in powerful ways.
We all need personal support in our lives.
The first step for change is a shift in perspective.
You’re not a hoarder if you can see the floor.
Running a home is a business in, and of, itself (the business of living).
Sometimes it’s about me, the organizer.
We don’t know what we don’t know.
Organizing is not always a priority.
It’s all relative.
GRATITUDE!

Another lesson I’ve learned is that simple solutions are often the best solutions. To read more, click here.

How To Get Unstuck When Organizing

May 15, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Organizing is action. So the best way to get unstuck is to take action.

When I was working with a client who was downsizing, she got stuck when we addressed her books. I found her standing in front of her two bookcases, with a puzzled expression. When I asked her what she was thinking, she said she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to start or what steps to take to reduce the number of books she had. This feeling of not knowing what to do, stopped her from taking ANY action. So, I guided her towards action. I picked up a book and asked her what she wanted to do with it. She could keep it, donate it, recycle it, or, if the book belonged to her husband, she could ask him what he wanted to do with it. We created 4 stacks and sorted all the books from her two bookcases. By providing her with 4 categories and the direction to sort the books into one of those 4 groups, she was able to take action and become unstuck.

A similar situation arose when I was working with a client who was avoiding a room in her home that had become a catch all for stuff that her family didn’t have time to deal with or put away. She dreaded going into this room, and got depressed looking at it. Needless to say, I was surprised and proud of her, when she declared that she was ready to tackle this room. Let me clarify. She was ready to tackle this room with my guidance and help. So, once again, I guided my client towards action. I picked up a basket of things and asked her to tell me who they belonged to. That is all I wanted her to do. We had 5 piles by the time we emptied the first basket, items that belonged to her, items that belonged to her son, items that belonged to her daughter, items that belonged to the house (ie. house hold items), and items that didn’t belong to anyone (ie. give away items). As we made our way through more baskets, she marveled at how easy it was to get unstuck and take action once she realized what action to take.

I understand it is not always easy to get unstuck and figure out how to start an organizing project. So remember a good place to start is to take action, and do that by sorting items into categories.

How to Tackle Clean Out Projects

April 30, 2016/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Spring 2016 Newsletter

Side Notes:

*** Clearing the Clutter, and Closet and Wardrobe Organizing are the two classes that I have left in my spring line up. If you’d like to attend a class please contact the class location directly. Hope to see you in class.

*** Are you curious about the Minimalist Movement? Join me at the movies for the Minimalist film on Tuesday, May 31st at 7:30PM.

*** The National
Association of Professional Organizers annual conference is in May in Atlanta, GA, and I’m going. Can’t wait!

*** Question: What is your favorite room in your home, and why? Please share your answer.

Quick Links

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Email
NAPO-NE

Hi ,

I look forward to spring every year. It makes me smile to see tiny new buds on the trees, pretty spring flowers in bloom, and hear the songbirds chirping. It also makes me smile when spring motivates people to tackle organizing and clean out projects.

How to Tackle a Clean Out Project

Do you have a clean out project that you want to tackle? To me, clean out projects are different than organizing projects, because the goal is to get rid of all the stuff that has been collecting in a storage area. It can be an attic that is overstuffed, a basement that you want to make into a usable space, or a shed that you can’t fit one more thing into?

Are you procrastinating? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the project? Are you not sure where or how to begin? I’d like to help you by sharing some tips on how to tackle a clean out project.

Clean Out Tips:

1. Make plans to set time aside to tackle your project. Recruit helpers. Think about how you want the space to look at the end of the project.

2. Schedule 3 hours of your time and treat it like a doctor’s appointment that can’t be rescheduled without a large fee. Stay focused and avoid distractions during your scheduled work time. If you need several, 3 hour time slots, plan ahead so you don’t get stuck with an unfinished project.

3. Start by sorting items into six different piles; keep, donate, recycle, sell, give/return, and trash. Use bins, bags, or sections of the space to sort items into. Label each pile clearly.

4. Once everything is sorted tackle the keep pile. Organized what you are keeping by designating a specific home for all the items going back into the space.
5. Address all the other piles and schedule time to donate, recycle, sell, give/return, and trash the remaining items.
6. Compliment yourself on a job well done. Thank your helpers.
7. Schedule a follow up in this same space; 6 months is a good time frame.
8. Schedule your next clean out project.Share your clean out project results with me.

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.

Another incentive is when you know that you are helping local organizations in your own community. I visited

The Hometown Saver Store in North Attleboro for the first time this week. They are a new thrift store with an interesting twist. They give back a portion of their sales to 5 local organizations, North Attleboro Animal Shelter, Veterans of North Attleboro, Lenore’s Food Pantry, Council on Aging, and North Attleboro Schools. What an interesting concept.

They accept clothing, house hold items, books, electronics, toys, jewelry, furniture, and more. It’s a great time to do some spring cleaning, and support local organizations.