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I love getting thank you notes. I like reading what my friends have to say about the gift or service I have done for them. I like the beauty of the cards and I love getting “good” mail. The fact that my friends took the time to write me a note makes me feel important.
I received a call from a friend a few years ago who told me she was re-reading her thank you notes that she had saved forever. She came across one of mine and she called to tell me about it. It was sweet because I got to chat...
•How To Declutter Your Childrens School Papers
Wouldn’t you love to have the paper contract for your child’s school? You would be rich. Our kids bring home so much paper every day from school and we wonder what should we keep and where do we put it all? Here are wonderful tips from a mother of five who is a professional organizer.
The paper kids bring home is in one of three categories:
1. Paper you must review—permission slips, requests for signatures/money etc.
2. Child’s art work
3. Assignments and homework you will want to...
•How To Catch The Excitement To Organize Clutter
Have you ever watched a television program where the people on a beautiful boat are deep sea fishing? They are all decked out in “boat attire” with their white shorts and colorful shirts holding very long fishing poles. When someone gets a bite the pole dips down into the ocean and everyone cheers and yells, “You’ve got one”. And the excitement begins. Everyone focuses on that fish being reeled in to the boat.
Sometimes the fish gets away to the dismay of the fisherman and his companions....
•Seniors Learn To Clear Clutter and Downsize the Easy Way
Are you thinking about downsizing to move to a smaller home? You can downsize even if you don’t plan on moving. Reducing the amount of possessions on a regular basis will help avoid the physical exertion and emotional trauma of doing it all at once.
Are you living in a home that has become too large for you and it is harder to go up and down the stairs? Are you afraid of getting rid of things because you are afraid you’ll be getting rid of your memories?
Clearing the clutter from a house...
•How To Organize Clutter With 14 Uncomplicated Tips
Greek mythology is fascinating and the story of Pandora’s box is a spell binding myth.
Prometheus was a Titan who was a champion of human-kind and was known for his wily intelligence. He stole the secret of fire from the God Zeus and gave it to mortals. But the theft of fire angered Zeus and as one of his punishments he ordered Hephaestus to create the first woman, Pandora, as part of the punishment of mankind. (Now that doesn’t seem quite fair that he considered this a punishment does it?)...
•8 Must-Have Tips For Holiday Clutter Clearing
I like the song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. It is upbeat and happy and something I can sing along with. Santa makes a list and checks it twice. If you have ever sewed this is the advice given to sewers—“measure twice, cut once”. When you leave your house I bet you check to make sure you have the things you need like your wallet, tissues, cosmetics, keys and other things twice before leaving your home. December is a busy time of year because of all the delightful opportunities to celebrate...
•9 Tips to Put Joy Back Into Joyous Noel
A few years ago I had horrible back problems. I had a bulging disk that was pushing on my sciatic nerve. It hurt so bad I couldn’t sit, or lie down for very long. I would pace the floor and moan and groan. I went to an orthopedic surgeon and he said, “When you can’t walk I can do surgery”. I went to a neurologist the day before Thanksgiving and he said I had to have surgery and I needed to go to the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. I told him no, I wouldn’t go in then because it was...
•10 Spicy Tips for Organizing Clutter In The Guest Room
“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads”. Ahh… such sweet dreams. When you have guests coming to stay at your home during the holidays is it a dream come true or is it a nightmare? Are you frantically scooping up piles of laundry off the bed and clearing the clutter so there is just enough space for one suitcase and hoping they...
•9 Terrific Tips on How To Declutter for the Holidays
Let’s face it; holidays can be a pain in the neck. I know there are those out there who love everything about the holidays, the hustle and bustle, the frantic preparations, sleepless nights, meal preparation, shopping and tucking gifts away only to forget where they are hidden. But some of us enjoy the hustle and bustle on our own terms. As a profession organizer I have 8 tips on how to declutter during the holidays to make them happier and less stressful.
Essential tips to a sizzling...
•Mrs. Claus: 7 Sassy Ideas on How to De-clutter
As a child I loved dolls. I had endless tea parties with them sitting with me around the kitchen table. I dressed and re-dressed them in the clothes my mother made for them. She was an expert seamstress and I had wonderful outfits for each doll. I never remember my mother staying up until 2:00 a.m. or later on Christmas Eve finishing my doll clothes or baking and whatever else people stay up to do on that magical night of the year. Now I know it was because she had learned how to declutter her...
•3 Streamlined Ways to Organize Clutter
The fall leaves are turning bright yellow, red and orange. The hills look like a masterpiece painted by an artist. It is such a beautiful time of the year with the riot of color in the mountains and in the valleys. The air smells fresh and the cooler days and nights are glorious. So what’s not to like about fall? For me it is the hay fever that comes with more pollen and “stuff” in the air. About August I start hoping for snow to settle the air so I don’t have to carry around a box of tissues...
•One-Day Organizing Makeover
Stepping into your home you about break your neck as you trip over shoes left in the middle of the floor. You throw your keys on the table that you will be searching for later. You’re going to be late for work because you can’t find anything to wear. Where is that favorite tube of lipstick? How nice it would be to read a magazine if you only knew where it was. Your child almost missed the field trip because you didn’t know where you had put the permission slip. Sure, you could be organized—if...
•Clear Clutter to Reduce Risk of Fire in Your Home
One Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. I was looking out my kitchen window watching a fireman dressed who was dressed in his blue uniform carrying what looked like a heavy back pack on his back walking up the steep street in front of our home. I wondered where he was going and why he would be in uniform on a Saturday morning. It was already a hot 80 degrees heading up to 98 degrees in the afternoon.
About 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon that same fireman was at our front door. He and his fellow...
•8 Ways to Save Time to Revitalize You
We were out and about in the car the other day buying supplies to make the cutest bags that will we are giving for gifts. We wanted to check with some other stores before driving all over town to see if they had the supplies we needed. Fortunately I had my planner with me that includes my address book. I had every phone number for each store we were planning on going to. Some of the stores I hadn’t called in over a year but because I had their number in my book we saved hours as we found out...
•6 Trusted Tips To Get Your Car Ready For Winter Driving
I was teaching a class the other night on clearing the clutter in our homes and lives. We all spend a lot of time in our cars going to appointments, picking up dinner, taking the kids to their activities and doing a hundred other things. Since our car has become an extension of our home it is another place where we can clear clutter in minutes that will make a dramatic difference in our lives.
Back in the 70’s we owned a Volkswagen Bus. We loved that blue beetle and I loved piling the kids...
•Get Rid Of Clutter Fast and Easy With These Simple Tips
Let’s face it, there are some things that we don’t like to do either because we think they are hard or we don’t know where to begin or how to do them. A few years ago I was making one of my daughters her freedom quilt (this is a red, white and blue quilt I give them on their 21st birthday). I was appliquéing blue snowflakes onto a white background. I hit a wall and I couldn’t continue making the quilt. Just the thought of sewing on it almost made me ill. Another daughter suggested I make only...
•Two Tips To Help You Indulge Yourself While Organizing Clutter
Have you ever noticed how many things come in two’s? I am making a quilt called “Mile A minute”. I start out with one piece and add it to another piece so I go from a onesies to a twosies and on and on. I know people who give measurements in recipes by saying “you take a pinch of this and a pinch of that”. We love playing the card game Pit and we start out trading with “two for two”. There is a television station that has a program called “Take 2”. I have doubled two and am giving two...
•Fall Clutter Control in Your Closet
An aunt visited us a few years ago just after we had our living room carpet replaced with blue carpeting. As we visited she said she didn’t like the color blue. I was amazed that anyone could not like the color blue. After all the sky is blue and the ocean is blue.
Now I have no room to talk as I don’t’ like the color brown—in textiles anyway. I like beautiful wood. I think I have finally figured out why I don’t like this color.
When I was a little girl all the girls (including me) wore...
•Seven Timely Tips to Organize Clutter for Busy Women
Children are a lot of work! For the last week I have been taking care of my grandchildren who are visiting from out of state. What a delight they have been and what a challenge it is to keep up with them. My 3 ½ year old grandson said to me “grandma, I love you”. I told him I loved him too and he said; “grandma I don’t love you very much, I only love you a little”. I have laughed at that so many times. It’s a good thing we love our children and grandchildren very much because they take up...
•8 timely tips to help you stretch your time
We all only have so many hours in the day to do everything we want to do. Have you ever said, “Where did the day go, I didn’t get anything done”? Here are 8 tips on how to get more done in a day and maybe you can push that snooze button one more time.
1. When you can, multi-task to save time. For instance, put in a batch of wash while you cook breakfast or read to a child. Have a cake baking in the oven while you write a letter. When multi-tasking do things that don’t take all your attention...
•Stress Free Moving Tips by Clearing Clutter
Clearing clutter is always a priority in my life as a professional organizer. Sometimes I go room to room and look at everything and think, “If I was moving would I take this with me”? Sometimes I think “why on earth would I want to take it with me, I don’t even like it any more or it has been there so long I never really see it”.
Whether you are planning a move or just thinking about thinking about a move this is a good technique to use to clear clutter in your home before you actually plan...
•Get More Out of Life Clear Clutter Using a Day Planner
Have you ever forgotten an appointment or an important date? Do you think of things you need to do later but don’t remember to do them because you have no place to write them down? Do you have one place to write your most frequently used phone numbers and addresses? How would you like a memory prompter? Do you need a stress reliever in your life? Do you want to clear the clutter in your life? Obtaining a day planner and using it can clear the clutter and organize your life.
“The worst pencil...
•How To Declutter Your Home In 6 Steps Using Creative Storage
Do you feel like your home is bursting at the seams and you need to clear the clutter to breathe? Do you have a limited amount of space so your things look cluttered but you need everything you have? Here are 6 ideas on how to declutter your home so you can breathe easier and utilize “hidden” space for storage in your home.
1.Take a good hard look at your “stuff”. Get rid of things you don’t use, don’t like or that have bad memories attached to them. If you have limited amount of space you...
•Live Light Using These 5 Simple Steps to Organizing Clutter
Long before people came to the Americas and took over the land the Indians lived in beautiful harmony with the land. They “lived light on the land”. Many tribes traveled from place to place depending on the food sources, weather and other conditions. They traveled with their homes and all of their earthly belongings. They respected the earth and had only what they could use.
I can safely say as a professional organizer that the majority of us “live heavy on the land”. We have homes we chuck...
•9 tips on how to declutter paper in your home
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true.
I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper in our homes and offices:
1. Create a filing system that works for you. I use Freedom Filer that is based on placing everything in color coded categories. The first step is to gather up all your lose...
•10 Tips For Car Trips You'll LoveWith Children
Vacationing with kids in a car is no vacation. Or another way of saying this is “being cooped up with the kids in the car is the pits”. If you don’t plan on popping in a DVD and letting the kids watch endless movies here are sanity saving ideas for your car trip.
Long trips can be boring for kids and every two seconds (well maybe one) they are asking, “are we there yet”? Plan ahead before the trip to make your drive pleasant for everyone—of course this works best with school age children....
•10 Ideas To Simplify Your Life
One thing I really don’t like is to be late in sending birthday wishes to my friends. Here are some simple and effective ideas and tips to help you reduce clutter in your home and in your life that will help you remember all the things you want to get done.
In your planner have an ongoing to do list. Everything you want to accomplish write it on your list. This way you won’t have to remember it and when you read the list it will be a great reminder of what you want to do. You don’t have to...
•7 Simple Ways To Rid Yourself of Fear and Organize Your Life
Do you want to clear clutter but you tell yourself you can’t organize? There are many reasons we tell ourselves we can’t clear clutter in our homes and lives. Let’s get rid of the idea that we can’t get rid of clutter.
I was hiking up a steep trail and as I looked at the top I knew that was where I wanted to be but it looked so high and so far away. I knew where I needed/wanted to be and I knew how to get there—by placing one foot in front of another and keep on walking. It didn’t matter...
•6 Simple Steps To Reduce Clutter in the Refrigerator and Freezer
If my friends could see me now! I had a friend who used to tell me how cluttered my fridge looked on the inside. Have you ever saved food and then it molded so you had to toss it out? Me too. It’s hard to throw it out even if we probably won’t use that last ¼ of a cup but we don’t want to be wasteful so we save it. But when it has mold on it or smells bad then it is okay to toss it. (Does this sound familiar)?
How to reduce clutter in the fridge:
·Keep like items together. Keep produce...
•9 Ways To Protect Yourself From On-Line Fraud
As a professional organizer I frequently work with people who have been the victims of Internet fraud and I bet you probably know someone or have heard of someone who has also been a victim. Become proactive and protect your identify so you won’t become a statistic of Internet fraud.
We live in a wonderful world where technology is always at our finger tips but we need to use it wisely and make sure our personal identity is protected. In getting rid of clutter on our computers we also need...
•8 Tips to Reduce Clutter By Prioritizing Daily Tasks
There are days when we just feel scattered and don’t know where to start with all the tasks and things we need to do. Do you ever think “the faster I go the further behind I get”? I think we all have days like this. Let’s put first things first which means let’s prioritize what we need to do and what we want to do. Prioritizing is all about making choices.
As a professional organizer I work with people helping them to reduce clutter in their lives. As we prioritize effectively it helps us...
•Clearing Clutter By Using 8 Organizing Gizmos
Are you a sucker for organizing gizmos? They are more than just gizmos or gadgets; they save us time and money and actually help us in clearing clutter. Here are 8 ideas to whet your appetite.
1. Do you use a purse and have joked that you have everything in it but the kitchen sink yet you can’t find anything without dumping it all out on the counter or the floor? I have a friend whose husband always teases her that she has everything but the kitchen sink in her purse so she took a miniature...
•6 Organizing Tips to Reduce Clutter and Stress
Do you ever feel life is passing you by in a whirl wind of activities and personal drama’s? Do you wish for simpler days? That probably isn’t going to happen but what can happen is that you can reduce clutter and simplify your life just by making a few simple choices and maybe a couple of changes. As a professional organizer I suggest 6 organizing tips to reduce clutter and simplify our lives.
1. If you have a project you have been resisting doing and it keeps nagging at you then complete it...
•How To Simplify Your Life and Reduce Clutter
People often ask me how they can find more time in their day to do all the things they want or need to do. Do you have time to do fun things with your family and friends? Do you have time to do all the things you have scheduled to do every day? As a professional organizer I suggest it may be as easy as getting rid of clutter and simplifying your life and your schedule to help you find time for everything you have “on your plate”.
So how do you simplify your life? Here are 11 simple tips to...
•6 Organizing Habits For Clutter Control
How many times have you said to yourself I wish I could stay organized? I am a professional organizer and I tell the women I work with it is possible to keep organized but I don’t think it is possible to stay organized. The word stay gives the impression that once a task is done it is done for good. But if you have a life, live with someone, have children or have a home no matter how organized things are they just get undone. Here are six tips to help you keep organized by clearing clutter...
•Clearing Clutter In The Master Closet
“The woman or man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there”.
I chuckled when I first read this and then I read it again. But isn’t this the truth? To reach a goal or to change for the better it does take effort. Many of us have problems with clutter in our master closets. But there are ways to eliminate clutter to make our lives easier. Here are some excellent tips on getting rid of clutter in the closet.
Take everything out on the floor of your closet. Get everything up and off your...
•Inspiring Cooperation In Others To Organize Through Clutter Control
As a professional organizer when I speak to women’s group I am often asked, “how can I get my children to pick up after themselves” or “how can I get my husband to put his tools away or pick up his socks and put them in the hamper”? I have suggestions on how to motivate children but when it comes to husbands I tell them when they find the answer to that please let me know.
So, let’s get motivated:
It is unrealistic to expect our children or our significant others to be organized at home if...
•Filing System: Find Any Paper In Under 15 Seconds Or Less
We all have a lot of paper coming into our homes constantly; either from the mail, work paper, children’s paper and other sources. In order to conquer the paper problem that many of us experience in our homes and to reduce clutter we need to have a working filing system where we can find anything in 10 to 15 seconds that is in the filing drawer.
Here are tips on setting up a working filing system which will reduce clutter in your home and in your office:
• Use hanging files. Don't use a...
•Clearing Clutter In The Kitchen Once And For All
As a professional organizer I work with women and seniors clearing clutter in their kitchens. This is a problem room for many people. Clearing clutter can be done pretty easy if it is done a little at a time and isn’t allowed to get out of control.
One great idea that works well in clearing clutter in kitchens is to have a place for everything and after using them put the items away in their “homes”.
Another idea in clearing clutter in the kitchen is to start in one small space instead...
•Being Organized Can Save You Money and Time
Anytime is a good time to be organized. But now it may be more important than ever. Even if you aren’t facing any greater financial challenges than you did last year here are some reasons being organized can save you money and time.
I am a professional organizer and I had a woman call me and say she was sick of all the clutter in her home. It made her depressed and she never wanted to be home. Does this sound familiar?
If you or someone you know avoids being home that means they have to...
•5 Organizing Ideas To Control Clutter
Wouldn’t it be great to have a clutter control wand that was magic and you could wave it over your closet, drawers, shelf’s, filing cabinet, book cases and other places that were cluttered and it would whisk away the clutter so you didn’t have to deal with it? The problem with that is what you might not think is clutter it would think was clutter and whisk it away. Since I bet you don’t have a magic wand here are 5 organizing tips for clutter control.
1. Only keep things in your home that...
•9 Organizing Tips for Quick Storage Fixes In The Kitchen
Is your kitchen a place you enjoy being in or is a place you go to because you have to be there to prepare meals? Because it serves a variety of purposes it needs to be organized to meet the needs of everyone in the family. A variety of storage solutions will help keep it organized and save time and energy.
To aide in kitchen organization having the right kind of storage solutions is important to keeping organized. Here are 9 organizing tips using a variety of storage solutions to keep your...
•10 Organizing Tips Using Containers Under $3.00
My belief as a professional organizer is that it takes a lot less energy and saves a lot more time when things have a designated place to "live" and it is tons better when those things live in a container in their home.
I know everyone has containers in their home that won't cost them a single cent. All you need to do is recycle and repurpose those unused containers lying about. Let's see how many containers you already have that you can use.
Then we will see how many organizing ideas...
•5 Organizing Tips to Simplify Bill Pay
When the weather is cold I love turning up the furnace. I am glad I wasn't a pioneer because I love my electric blanket and warm showers. In the summer it is nice to step into our home and feel the cool air when it is hot outside. But having heat and air conditioning means there is a bill to pay for these services. Bill paying can be an arduous task. Here are 5 organizing tips to simplify bill paying.
When the mail comes sort through it using my 4-D Plan. These aren't in any particular...
•5 Organizing Tips to Rid Your Home and Office of Paper Piles
Paper is one thing we keep getting more and more of in our lives and it isn't going to stop any time soon. It is so easy to get the mail, look through it and start making piles. Here are five organizing tips to get rid of paper piles forever:
We'll start with sorting the mail. Sort the mail when you have time to go through it. A decision has to be made as to what is going to be done with each piece of paper; it will not magically take care of itself. Put the mail together in a basket to be...
•Organizing tips on how to select and store sheets
I have read that we spend about a third of our lives in bed. Wow! That is a lot of time to be lying on or between sheets. Have you ever questioned what thread count means, what kind of fabric is the softest and how to decide what depth of fitted sheet to buy for your mattress? As a professional organizer I have been asked these questions. Here are the organizing tips I have to answer these questions.
When I look at sheets the first thing that catches my eye is the color or the pattern and...
•9 Organizing Ideas To Organize Holiday Photos
We love looking back at photos of our family Christmas memories—how about you? Some years my five daughters would "pose" for pictures taken from the back showing their long hair. The bonus of these pictures was we didn't have to wait for makeup to be applied. (If you have girls you know what I mean).
Other years they would sit on the couch and hold their feet in the air to show their cute Christmas socks. Here are some organizing ideas on organizing Christmas photos:
1. Get your photo...
•13 organizing tips for car safety for the holidays
If you are traveling by car here are a few organizing tips to get your car ready before leaving and other trip ideas to make traveling pleasant and safe:I was driving to Colorado for a week to do some organizing. The car tires looked low so I went to a shop to have the tire pressure checked. I have been driving a long time and when the young man said let's see how much air the tires need I started to reach for my drivers manual. It was news to me that I could find it in a more convenient...
•All About Christmas Cards--7 Organizing Tips
Last week at my rug hooking group we were chatting about Organizing ideas for Christmas and about our favorite memories and organizing ideas surrounding Christmas cards.
One woman said she likes to write a little family history even though she knows no one likes getting them. I take exception to that. I hear that too, but absolutely everyone I know loves being caught up to date with their friends. And we all agreed we love to get cards.
One of the cleverest cards I have received told...
•10 Organizing Tips To Reduce Stress During The Holidays
You know how Santa makes a list and checks it twice? That is exactly what we need to do. Make a master list of what you want and need to do before and during the holidays. Here are some organizing tips to get you started making out your list:
1. Decide on a budget and stick to it. I know that is easier said than done, but come as close as you can. Set up a Christmas club where you bank. The plan is that you save a certain amount of money every month for Christmas. This is even easier if it...
•Organizing Tips On How To Hire A Babysitter and Babysitter Checklist
It is important to all parents and caregivers who have young children to be able to take a break away from the children and go out together. I can remember the first time we got a baby sitter for our little baby girl. We went somewhere close in case we needed to rush home. We weren't needed, but the anticipation of all that could go wrong was with us. We have five daughters and the nice thing is it got easier with each child for us to leave and have a fun night out together without bringing the...
•Organizing Ideas In Ten Minutes Or Less
Someone said to me the other day, "I don't know where to start to get organized". This is a legitimate concern. She had taken the first step; she recognized that she needs to get organized.
I have worked as a professional organizer for several years and I have found it is best to start with something small if you are feeling overwhelmed when you start to organize or even to think about getting organized.
One organizing idea is to start with a drawer in your bedroom. Start with the top...
•5 Organizing Tips To Light Up Your LifeOrganizing Tips
I love organizing tips. Even before I became a professional organizer I was always reading organizing tips to see how I could do something faster, and more efficient. Here are three favorite organizing tips from my friends that can also help you to be organized.
Edna does three things on Friday, no matter what else she does that day she changes the bed sheets, does the laundry and goes grocery shopping. What a good organizing tip to have a routine and a goal. She has done this for several...
•Clutter Control In Your Car Using 5 Simple Organizing Tips
Do you feel you practically live in your car? Americans spend an average of 2 ½ hours per day in their cars. They are often command centers when we run errands, act as a shuttle driver to take children to school, chauffeuring to sport activities, music practice, or running back to school to take forgotten homework. We make grocery store runs and stop at the local nursery for gardening supplies, we have car pool days not to mention taking kids to play dates, taking the children to the park and...
•4 Organizing tips to control clutter in your life
his week Fall softly came to our city with the sound of rain drops on my window. I was happy with the thought that cooler weather was here with the hope it was here to stay. Then I watched the weather forecast and she said we would be back to summer temperatures by the end of the week. Softly summer is creeping back to keep us hot for awhile longer.
Isn't this just how it is with clutter in our homes? It softly creeps up on us until one day we say "Where on earth did all of this clutter come...
•3 Tips To Organizing Clutter In The Kitchen For Holidays and Everyday
When you think of organizing clearing what do you think of? I know from my experience as a professional organizer many of us think of getting rid of things but this is just part of clutter clearing. I was given some plates for Christmas that are for everyday use that I love. I put them in the cupboard but I rarely ever used them. I wanted to use them and felt bad because I didn't, so I came up with a simple solution.
I simply moved them to a different shelf in my cupboard. I had one of...
•Prevent Fires In Your Home With These 11 Safety Tips
Organizing clutter in our homes is important as it creates space and gives us peace and happiness. It can also help to prevent fires. As we go about organizing clutter from room to room I suggest we also take a look at what we can do to keep our homes free from fires. October 5-11 is Fire Prevention Week. The theme is "Prevent Home Fires". Let's take a look at some of the things we can do to keep our families and our homes safe from fires.
In the Liberty Lines newsletter from Liberty Mutual...
•11 Tips On How To Declutter Your Desk
Several years ago before I became a professional organizer I was talking to another organizer and she was apologizing for not calling me back, she had misplaced my phone number on her desk. I laughed and said I didn't know organizers ever had paper clutter/cluttered desks. I was only partially joking and I have had to eat those words this past month.
I am now on a roll. I have been organizing everything in my home that wasn't organized. It sure does feel good. But I know that to stay...
•Six Simple Tips To Reduce Clutter
As I was walking this morning there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I started thinking how each color could represent some part of organization in our homes. (I can't help it, as a professional organizer my mind works that way). The story I was told as a child about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was fun and I always wanted to find that pot of gold. Now I am older I know real gold is found here in my own home with my family and friends.
But as a professional organizer as I...
•5 Tips On How To Downsize For Seniors
As I work with families as a professional organizer whose loved ones have moved out of their homes either to a retirement center, nursing home, care center or are deceased I increasingly see what a burden their loved ones possessions are to the families in charge of taking care of these possessions which have been collected over the years.
The same thing is true as I work with seniors who are downsizing their homes prior to a move or because they want to have more space and freedom in their...
•How To Store Heirloom Clothing The Right Way
I am sick and sad. I cleaned out a storage place in my home and I found an old suitcase and large plastic bag with baby clothes included two christening dresses that I had saved. I am sick because of the condition they were in. It's a good thing I decided to organize this area or there would have been even more damage to some precious things.
Over a 30 year period I had stored these items and I am sad because of the lack of care I gave to them. They were just tossed into plastic bags,...
•2 Tips to Finding More Time in Your Day
We all want our homes to look like House Beautiful when we and our families would be much happier with a home that is just the best our own home can be. I know as a professional organizer, organizing for women it is possible to have a clutter free home where we can walk in the door and take a deep breath, close the door and feel a sense of relief and happiness because we are home.
Time management skills can help us feel this way when we come home. Keep it simple is one of the keys to...
•12 tips on how to get the laundry under control once and forever
One of the biggest complaints I hear as a professional organizer when working with busy women is, "I just can't get on top of the laundry, there are always piles and piles. When my kids need clean gym clothes or the purple blouse for purple day at school those are the clothes that are always dirty".
If this sounds familiar to you here are some tips on how to get the laundry under control once and forever.
·Have a set routine or schedule for doing laundry. Maybe washing in the evening to...
•Back To School and the Agony of Paperwork
Do you remember that commercial Staples had on a few years ago that was aired in July? It was the one where the music was the Christmas song "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". Every time it came on I just cracked up laughing. Along with the music a father was zipping around the store loading his cart with school supplies with the happiest smile on his face. The children were standing there watching with sad expressions.
I had five daughters; four of them were under four so I always...
•Time Management and Multi-tasking
I just read another article that said multi-tasking is not possible and I just have to take exception to that. It bothers me enough that I want to say it just isn't true in some instances. First let's talk about the difference between men and women and can they or can they not multi-task.
Shall we say un-scientifically 94.3% of men can't multi-task? Have men gotten a bad rap saying they can't multi-task? Lily, one of my blog readers shared the following:
"I'd normally agree men cannot...
•Vacation Souvenirs
This summer are you doing a 'Stay-Cation' (is that how you spell a stay at home vacation?) Or are you going to go somewhere and call it a vacation? Going to the beach and listening to the sound of the waves sounds glorious to me, but no such luck this year.
As a professional organizer I work with people who want to get rid of clutter in their homes and often clutter is too many souvenirs they have either purchased or been given by others when they are on vacations. And these seem hard to...
•Seven Tips to Help You to Be On Time
As I was coming home today on my morning walk I read a license plate cover that made me shake my head at with a little grin. It said "On Time Is When I Get There". Do you know people who are chronically late? It gripes me to have to wait for people who are late; it is such a waste of my time. I see it as a sign of disrespect and control.
We have a little joke in our home—we know we are a member of our family when we have to go back to get something three times after leaving the house. For...
•Scrapbooking Ribbons Earned at County & State Fairs
I have always loved going to the State Fair. I was reared in Oregon and we would drive 20 miles to the 'big city' for the fair every year. Since I was 9 years old I was in 4-H. So I always had a reason to go the fair other than for the carnival rides.
Some of my happy memories of the fair start with the year my friend and I were on the second floor of the fine arts building. This is where the bottled fruit, vegetables, jam, clothing, knitted and croquet items were. Low and behold they...
•What Paper and Documents Do I need to Keep
Is your biggest problem in your office knowing what to keep and what to get rid of? As I organize offices for women I find this is a big problem in the majority of homes. First it is necessary to have a filing cabinet that accommodates hanging folders. It is not necessary to have manila folders 98% of the time.
If you live in a small space and don't have room for a filing cabinet use banker boxes which also come in plastic and are more durable than cardboard ones. Files can be placed under...
•8 Tips on how to organize your piles of papers forever
As a kid did you love to play a game where you would all pile on top of each other and the bottom person would be yelling, "Get off, I can't breathe"?
Do you ever feel like the paper in your home is making it so you can't breathe? Paper piles in homes and offices can become a heavy weight if not contained. Rules to breathe by:
* Do not let junk mail live in your home. Open mail over a trash (recycle) can. Do not entertain it.
* Set up a filing system with tabs on the hanging files for...
•Organizing to bring the results you want
Do you do things out of habit even if the end result isn't getting you what you want? I am sure we all do this. My daughter shared with me the following experiences which all occurred to her within the last three weeks.
She has a favorite chain restaurant where she likes to eat. The food is good, the service is tops and it has a fun atmosphere. Once a week she takes her two year old to activities close to one of these restaurants and they pop in for lunch after the activity. This last week...
•Making Your Kitchen Bigger Without Tearing Out Walls
I am an expert on small kitchens. It has not been my choice but it is just the way it is. Only once did I have a home that had my dream kitchen, it was large enough that we could make over 100 donuts at a time and have them rising on the counter top without them being in the way of food preparation or anything else. This was nice when the 4-H cooking club came over to cook.
If you are 'hungry' for more space in your kitchen first take a good look it objectively. Organizing small spaces take...
•Organization Is A Way of Life
People have always said to me, "you're so organized". It is true I am organized and I think it may come from living with a brother who was completely the opposite. He used to pay me a nickel to make his bed so he could find his bed when it was time for him to go to bed. And then he didn't get nagged by my mom telling him, "make your bed, make your bed". It was a win-win situation.
Organizing is not a destination it is a journey. I bought me a sign that says "Enjoy The Journey". I am the type...
•Organizing Summer's Activities—What Is There To Do?
Now the kids are home for the summer there is always the question of what to do. If you work outside the home schedules pretty much stay as they were during the school year except your child either has a nanny, baby sitter or goes to day care. With some creative ideas summer doesn't have to be a drag for the child or a headache for the parent.
1.Have a family meeting and brainstorm what family or individual activities can you do in the summer. Plan things to do that aren't just fun...
•Noise Be Gone for an Organized Life
When my girls were little they would always want to go with me when I ran errands. They were all talkers. Sometimes my ears would actually hurt from hearing them chat nonstop. Since there were five of them the constant chatter and questions could get on my nerves. Once in awhile I would tell them they could go with me in the car if they just wouldn't talk. They agreed not to talk but of course that never lasted very long. Life is just too interesting and there are too many questions to ask to...
•4 Tips To Save Time and Maximize Space In The Laundry Room
In our home I was responsible for the family laundry until my daughters were about 12 years old. I remember when my first daughter (of five) told me she was going to start doing her own laundry. I was surprised and I thought that wouldn't last long, but it did. The reason I had been taken off laundry duty was because I ruined things. Okay so I did shrink a shirt or a sweater here and there and once I even got bleach on a shirt that was not meant to be bleached. I did feel bad and I didn't do it...
•Toy Solutions at Grandma and Grandpa's Home
What do these three people have in common? 1) These grandparents' grandchildren live in a different state than they live in and the children only visit twice a year. 2) The grandparents live in a condo with limited space, 3) another grandparent is 'obsessed with having a picture perfect home'. The common dominator is they all love their grandchildren and want to have toys for them when they come to visit and play yet they don't know how to store toys without taking up a lot of space in their...
•Can food Prevent Dementia?
My aunt who was a wonderful loving, kind woman who had dementia the last seven years of her life. It was sad to see how it affected her life. The first I became aware of it was when a neighbor called me (I lived an hour away) and told me my aunt had answered her front door wearing only her underwear. This was not normal behavior for a 87 year old woman. I immediately took steps for her to have a full time care giver so she could remain in her own home.
Dementia is defined as the loss of...
•11 Tips On How to Avoid Injuries While Working Around the Home
My friend's daughter is a ballet dancer. She had surgery on her tendon on her right ankle and then when it was almost healed she fell down the stairs and hurt her other ankle. This put her out of commission for several weeks and she wasn't able to try out for "So You Think You Can Dance' which she had been planning on doing. This was a huge disappointment; she will just try again next year, baring more injuries.
I was thinking even the young have their problems with injuries and as we get...
•14 Tried and True Gas Savers, Tips
When I was a little girl we lived in a town of 1200 people in Oregon. An uncle came to visit and was horrified at the price of gas in our little town. I remember it was 41 cents a gallon and he said it was 21 cents where he lived. That didn't mean anything to me then but the high cost of gas today sure does mean something to me. We are all probably feeling the pinch in our wallets when we fill up at the pump. Here are some gas saving tips to help us all save some money to take a little of the...
•3 Steps To Fighting Back Against Identity Theft
Identify theft is a serious crime. It occurs when personal information is stolen and used without our knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes.
According to the Federal Trade Commission here are the Common Ways ID Theft happens:
1.Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
2.Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3.Phishing. They pretend to be...
•The Container Store for Smart Containers
I just have to say I go all agog when I get to go to The Container Store. (We don't have one here in Utah). I know it's sad but true. I use containers all the time in every room. I can go so far as to say I love containers. They are great to store things in, contain things in, make things get magically organized and stay that way. Having said that here are two containers I suggest not buying: (I will be bold and say, don't buy them or you will be sorry).
The shoe rack that look like they...
•How To Survive Your Family Beach Vacation Road Trip
I remember driving from Oregon to Utah every summer in a small old car. My mom would pack up the back seat with boxes and suitcases and place on the top a mattress. It must have been a crib size as it was a small 1940's Ford. That is where I rode during the LONG trip. We would play I spy games, sing and I would chatter until I am sure my mom was anxious for the trip to be at its end. This was before freeways so we traveled through every little poe-dunk town and around every river bend so it...
•Fear Leads to Cluttering
When I was about 10 years old I was in a recreation program. I loved going there everyday because it was fun and it got me out of picking raspberries. We would get up at 4:30 in the morning and start picking as soon as it was light. We kids got to leave the field at 9:00 to walk the ¾ of a mile (I swear it was at least 3 miles) to catch the bus to the center.
At the end of the swimming class which I loved we were required to dive into the pool, swim the length and back. I could swim, but I...
•Reducing Clutter Makes Home Heaven
My daughter who works for the Peace Corps was visiting three of the countries in Africa which she is country desk for. (I have no idea what that is other than it is a lot of responsibility and work which she loves). She wrote: "being in Burkina is awesome! I feel so far away! I feel like I've been gone for a long time and it's really only been one week and a few days".
"I have been to the West and the North and of course the capital. It's been great. The West is really lush, cool weather and...
•6 Tips on deciding what to keep and what to let go
"We often keep items longer than we should for sentimental reasons", says Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D. in Woman's Day magazine 6/05/07. Her surefire solutions in helping us to let go:
Find the best tribute: Instead of holding onto every single memento—greeting cards, playbills and ticket stubs—chose favorites, store in scrapbooks and toss the rest.
Use the rule of three: Decorators know groups of threes look best, so showcase only your top picks from each collection and store the rest. And I...
•Eleven Tips to Know Before Buying a Container
Containers are the answer to a clutter free world. Well, that may be over simplifying it, but containers go a long way when you have an organizing dilemma. Do not go out and just start buying containers thinking then you will be organized. Containers can become clutter too. Here are eleven tips to help you select and use the right container in your home.
• Measure the space where you are going to put the container. Measure the height, width and depth. Make a note of the room you will use...
•Organizing Children's Bedrooms
My grandson who had just turned two was at the doctor's with his mother. The doctor was impressed as he immediately started putting the toys away when she told him it was time to put them in the basket. He does the same thing in his home. I am also impressed with the way he is being taught so young. Starting young is part of the solution to helping children to be organized and keeping their rooms tidy.
Often children's bedrooms are messy and they get the blame when it might not be entirely...
•Regifting Gifts
Two years ago a good friend of mine gave me a book for my birthday. I love reading books and I put it aside into my reading queue thinking what a nice gift she had given to me. When I did pick it up to read I saw it was personally signed for her and to her by her friends. I was not sure what I should do, if I should tell her and just keep the book or tell her and risk her being embarrassed. I decided since friends of hers had given it to her she would appreciate getting it back, whether she was...
•Organize Room for More Quilting Time
I quilt, I am a quilter, I love quilting, and I love to quilt. Quilting has enriched my life in ways I never dreamed of. I have learned interesting facts about history because of quilts. I have made a ton of friends; and I have traveled because of quilting opportunities.
To make quilting fun and to be able to start and finish projects with the less amount of stress and to avoid hunting for tools a well-organized sewing room is a must. Here are tried and true ideas and tips on how to...
•Car Seat Safety for Infants and Children
One of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Proper use of car safety seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different car safety seats on the market it is hard to know what one to chose.
Car seats have manufacturer expiration dates. Dates can be as many as eight years and in some cases as little as five years. Parents should know that NHTSA...
•Organizing the Garage
Garages seem to become the dumping ground for everything we want out of our homes but can't part with so we stick it in the garage. Clutter can pile up until there is no longer room to even park the car.
Here are some simple no cost solutions to clutter clearing the garage and keeping it that way. Just like in the home everything needs a designated place and then it lives there when not in use. Designate areas or zones for all things that do belong in the garage. There are ways to organize a...
•What To Do When My Linen Closet Is Too Small
There are solutions to every problem so let's take a look at each one of them. It seems the larger the home the smaller the closet and storage places are becoming, at least for linen closets in many of the homes being built today. We all have beds so we need sheets, we all need towels yet linen closets are shrinking and the shelves are also getting narrow.
Solution: First of all make sure the linen closet is being used only for linens. Are there other essentials needed in the home that could...
•Rotating Seasonal Clothing
Seasons are changing and it is time to think about putting away your summer or winter clothing—depending on where you live---and getting out the clothes that have been stored away.
This is a good time to look at every article of clothing you have in your closet. Take out each one and check it for rips and stains. Analyze if you still like it, if you even wore it this year and if you want to keep it. The statistic is that 80% of the time we wear 20% of what we have hanging in our...
•Shelf Life of Food in Your Kitchen Pantry
Have you been taught if a can of food is bulging then it is bad and that is all you know about the safety and quality of food on your shelf? If your milk in your fridge has passed the expiration date do you still drink it until it tastes bad?
Do you know if the food on your shelves is still edible? Dates on the packages offer some clues, but these can be confusing because the United States doesn't have a uniform system of food dating. Product dating isn't federally required, except for...
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