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Organize! Spring Event

March 9, 2017/0 Comments/in Newsletter/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Organize! Spring Event

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Client's cluttered living room

Useful Things

March 1, 2017/0 Comments/in Tip of the Month/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Organizing tipThe world is full of useful things, but if you’re not using them, they are not useful to you. So, remove all those things that are not useful to you, by giving, donating, recycling, or removing them every week. This helps prevent clutter from happening and piles from building.

https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Beforelr3-e1395978011760.jpg 502 625 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/18-Years-LOGO.jpg Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®2017-03-01 16:10:392017-08-06 14:45:37Useful Things

The Best Organizing Product In The World

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

Helpful Organizer BlogDuring 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.

cosmetics organized

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

junk drawer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

©February 2017  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

 

 

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organized book caseJanine Cavanaugh, CPO

Organizing Books

February 1, 2017/0 Comments/in Tip of the Month/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Organizing tipWhen reading an organizing book think of the content as a menu where you can pick and choose what fits your unique situation. Otherwise you can get overwhelmed or discouraged with advise that is good, but just won’t work for you. Be selective and choosy. After all the best organizing tip is the one you will do!

 

Two organizing books I’ve read recently:

  • Downsizing The Family Home: What to Save, What to Let Go, by Marni Jameson
  • Re-Creating Home: Downsizing & De-Cluttering After 50, by Fran Scoville & Holly Ulbrich

 

Two of my most recommended organizing books:

  • Organizing from the Inside Out:  The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home,
    Your Office and Your Life,  by Julie Morgenstern
  • The Organizing Sourcebook:  Nine Strategies for Simplifying Your Life, by Kathy
    Waddill
https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/book-case-300x225.jpg 225 300 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® https://helpfulorganizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/18-Years-LOGO.jpg Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®2017-02-01 01:01:352017-08-06 14:47:13Organizing Books
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Organizing in the New Year

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

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Busines card colors
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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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:

  1. Schedule 20 minutes a week to work on this project.
  2. 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.
  3. Be ruthless about purging Emails, and only save what I’ll refer to again.
  4. On my scheduled Email-clean-up-day, set a timer and work without interruption until my time is up.
  5. Keep track of what I’ve done; so I can make efficient progress.
  6. 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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