A Place for Everything...

Hey there clutter-busters!

I was inspired over the weekend to start blogging again. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to work with a family of 6! Our goal was to tackle organizing the kitchen cabinets. It's important when starting a project to look at the "big picture", meaning, what do I hope to accomplish by completing this project?
Here's what we did to assess the situation:
Step #1: Open all the cabinets and look inside
Step #2: Begin identifying what is non-essential (e.g. if you only use a cooler in the summertime, you don't need to take up valuable "real estate" in your cabinet to store it in the fall/winter months).
Step #3: Weed out non-essential items and find a "new home" for them
Step #4: Begin organizing cabinets by purpose (e.g. plates/cups or baking items)
Step #5: Clean up space and organize the items
Step #6: Make a goal to tackle 1-2 cabinets in a 2 hr period. You can re-evaluate the project after the 2 hrs to set aside another day to accomplish more. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you to stay motivated.

So, as I tell my clients, there truly is "a place for everything" we want to keep, it just means finding an appropriate "home" for it.

Happy Spring! Happy De-cluttering!

Jen

Cabin Fever...

If you're like me, Cabin Fever can set in during the winter months. It's either too cold to go out and/or you don't feel like piling on all the layers of clothing. Well, do I have the solution for you! This is the time of year that you can stay in & tackle that project that you've been delaying/putting off. For instance, you have a stack of paper hanging out that you need to go through. Set the timer for 30 minutes and go through the stack. Make 3 piles: (1)Action (2) Recycle and/or Shred (3) File. Do yourself a favor and take another 30 minutes to tackle 1 of the 3 piles you just made. Let's say you choose #2. Bring the shredder into a comfortable area and shred to your hearts content. You will be able to see immediate results in an hours time. I also recommend that you take a photo of your "project" before you begin. For us "visual" people, actually seeing the stack removed from it's starting place spells SUCCESS! I will be rooting right along with you as you tackle these winter projects. You CAN do it!

That's a wrap!

Ok, it's 4 days until Christmas, so maybe you're like some lucky souls that already have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree. Or, perhaps you're a bit like me, you still have gifts to wrap and may even be a bit overwhelmed by all the various "to do"s to cross off your holiday checklist.

To help ease some of that anxiety, I would like to recommend that you create a "wrapping station". My "WS" is my ironing board (for height) with my gift wrap, tissue paper, boxes, tape, gift tags, a pen and some ribbons & bows.

In addition, I suggest that you place an envelope in your "WS" so that you can put all of your holiday receipts into it as you begin your wrapping marathon. That way, everything will be in 1 place and it will cut down the stress later on.

Here's wishing you a happy and stress-free holiday!

It's that's time of the year...

...to hang up your stockings, trim the tree & wrap the gifts! In the hussle & bussle of the holiday season, it's important to be as organized as possible. Gather up all your coupons and put them in 1 place, preferably a clear zip-lock bag. Remember that many online vendors are now accepting "promo codes" for holiday purchases, so go to Coupon Cabin or Coupon Sally (there are literally tons more to find!) for the best discounts! A friend just downloaded a $20 off coupon to Burlington Coat Factory...now we're talkin! As Santa would say, make a list (and check it twice) of the people you need to buy gifts for. You may even want to assign a monetary value to each to help keep your costs within budget. Afterall, it's not fun to go broke over the holidays, so plan, prepare & have fun while you're at it! Happy Holidays!

Fall foibles and handbag solutions...

Do you get annoyed when you can't find that one item you need and remember it's in your "other bag"?!? Well, do I have the solution for you. To combat this problem, I use a small zippered bag (you get to choose the size & style) that I keep my frequently used items in (e.g. Tylenol, tissues, chapstick, lip gloss, etc). Whenever I need to change my bag, I just remove the smaller bag and put it in the new one. Presto! It's that easy and it's a real time saver when you're in a hurry and need to pick up your bag & go. Try this out and let me know if it worked for you. Happy Fall!

15 minutes is all it takes...

...to complete a simple task. In order to reduce the overwhelming-ness (is that a word?) of de-cluttering/organizing, why not start with 15 minute segments. Identify a small task to tackle, set the timer and work at it for 15 minutes. For example, I sorted through a glass filled with loose change, picture hooks, paperclips and other random items the other night. It took me about 15 minutes to sort through the glass, put the change in a container and make a home for the paperclips. By accomplishing smaller tasks, you will empower yourself to work your way to tackling larger projects. You can do it!

Book recommendations...

Happy Spring!

I hope you're off to a great start to the season. I recently attended a prospective members meeting for NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). At this meeting, I learned of two books that may interest you:

"It's hard to make a difference when you can't find your keys" by Marilyn Paul

AND

"Organizing from the inside out" by Julie Morgenstern

As I continue to take steps in building my business, I would welcome any books you may know of as well.

Thank you!