Under the Topic of "Thought I'd Share..."

Here’s a quick tip about using a back-of-the-door organizer in a child’s bedroom. In the pic shown, you’ll see how we use it in my 4 ½-yr old daughter’s room, on the back of her closet door, to hold a variety of items. It has tights, underwear, socks, bathing suits, and dance clothes (the things she wears less often are on the top, and daily-reached items are on the bottom half). We have the same set-up for my younger son.

All the pockets are labeled above with stick-on labeling tape from my electronic labeller, and can be removed easily because the organizer is nylon.

Ironically, although it is meant to be a shoe organizer, there are rarely shoes in it. We keep those at the bottom of the clothes closet. I have two rods hung inside, where the bottom one has everything she can reach and might need on a regular basis. In addition, she has a 3-drawer bureau holding pajamas, tops and bottoms. The entire set-up allows her to get dressed and to put away clothes on her own 90% of the time.

I was reading an article from a July Woman's Day magazine about organizing. It seems that every issue of the family/woman/lifestyle-type magazines these days have at least 1 piece on organization tips. This one, in particular, though caught my eye because it was advice from Peter Walsh (as seen on TLC's Clean Sweep) whom I like.

In the article, he advises to ask yourself important questions to help you declutter:

• "What do I want from this room?"


• "What feeling do I want when I walk into this space?"


• "What kind of life do I want to live in this house?"

Once you have the goal in mind, you then look at all your stuff and check if it helps you achieve that vision. If yes, then keep; if not, then get rid of. I like the philosophy and how he links a bigger concept with the actual decluttering. Most clients fear the getting rid of part, but I think ultimately find it liberating to be surrounded with less stuff to move, clean and handle.

He also states "If you're feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed or stressed, if your intimate relationships are in tatters, if life is completely on top of you, maybe you need to look at the world you've created and what you've surrounded yourself with". Therein lies the connection of psychology with organizing. I'm no psychiatrist, but I do know that your environment has a significant impact on your mental health!

Your Labor for Upcoming Labor Day...

I have a task for you. If you were scheduled to go to a workshop on organizing, what would you want to hear about? Organizing is a large topic, so narrow it down. Tell me what specific sub-topics or categories you'd find useful to learn about. Then e-mail me your ideas!

Orderly Car, Orderly Life

Whether you operate "Mom's taxi service" or work full-time using your car as a mobile office, car organization is often overlooked. I consider our vehicle an extension of my home, so you won't find it a disorganized, messy place. We spent way too much money on our cars to have them be dirty or cluttered inside!

If you work from your car, it might be helpful to keep/use the following:

· a “To Be Read” folder with you; review during stops or waiting for an appointment
· a small spiral notebook, handy for jotting down notes or phone numbers
· a visor and/or console organizer, to hold pens, paper, sunglasses, loose change, cell phone, & other smaller gadgets so everything’s at your fingertips
· pocketed organizers that hang on the back of the seat to hold maps, brochures, product literature, umbrellas, business cards & snacks
· a plastic coupon envelope/organizer to put fast food, car wash or store coupons, etc. in, so you have them while out & around town (also handy for keeping receipts you collect while in the car so tax deduction paperwork’s easier)
· a compact office-on-the-go, using a covered handled basket or box with office supplies. Store basic items such as letterhead & envelopes, business cards, stamps, calculator, pens, pencils, stapler & staple remover, scissors, paper clips, etc.
· a large sturdy crate or plastic basket in the trunk, to contain files, product samples, literature or other items for parties

There are also a lot of products on the market that help keep the family minivan organized. You can find trunk organizers, back-of-the-seat storage organizers, between-the-car-seats activity storage holders, visor organizers, and a variety of gadgets to hold cell phones or coffee cups. One of the many organizing product websites that has a variety of auto accessories is Stacks and Stacks.

Bottom line is, if you spend time in your car, it is worth it to keep your vehicle organized so you're surrounded by an organized, orderly space. Bon voyage!

Orange and Black Already?!?!

Yesterday in the grocery store, I saw a Halloween display. Good God, can we at least make it through August only hearing about back-to-school?!?!

BUT....If you have kids of trick-or-treating age, it's not too soon to start thinking about costumes. If you decide now, you can avoid high prices, out-of-stock inventory, and last-minute creations/purchases of their chosen outfit. The popular ones, especially, seem to be gone by the time you actually go out to get a costume.

I bought a couple of costumes in larger sizes, at big sale prices, last year right after Halloween. Then I put them in my big Rubbermaid storage bin labelled "Halloween". Since my kids are little, I can 'convince' them that the costumes in the bin are THE ones to wear this year!

Back-to-School > Time Management

I thought this was an excellent and helpful article from HealthDay News (copied from Yahoo):
Sleep experts are reminding parents that establishing regular sleep habits should be included on children's back-to-school lists.

Children should gradually start adjusting their sleep schedules about two weeks prior to the start of the new school year, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Children need adequate sleep in order to be alert and energized and able to perform their best at school.
"Kids tend to sleep and wake up later during the summer, making the transition to the school-year sleep schedule difficult. As tempting as it is to enjoy sleeping late in the final days of summer break, getting up earlier for school will be much easier if kids begin adjusting their sleep schedules now," Richard Gelula, CEO of the NSF, said in a prepared statement.

The NSF offers the following sleep tips for the start of the school and the rest of the school year:

• Beginning two weeks to 10 days before the start of school, gradually adjust children to earlier sleep and wake times in order to set their biological clocks for the new schedule.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule on weekdays and avoid extreme changes in the routine on weekends.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading before bed.
• Do not have televisions, computers, video games or other electronics in the bedroom. Don't let children watch television or use electronic devices during the half hour before bedtime.
• Limit caffeine intake, especially after lunch.
• Make sure children eat well and exercise

The NSF also offered sleep advice for parents:

• Set a good example. By adopting good sleep habits, your children are less likely to develop bad sleep habits.
• Talk to children about the importance of healthy sleep and the consequences of sleepiness, such as drowsy driving.
• Parents need to understand that children, including teens, need more sleep than adults.
• Children who have trouble waking in the morning on more than three days a week, or who snore, may not be getting enough sleep. They may need to be evaluated by a specialist.
• Ask teachers whether your child is alert or sleepy during class. If there appears to be a problem, take steps to improve your child's sleep.
  

Hi! It's official -- I am recognized by the state of MA as an organizing-obsessed resident!

Here is my new vanity plate along with the magnetic sign I have on our minivan. So if you are driving around the South Shore and see me, honk your horn!

Storing Bed Linens

Having just switched to a King-sized bed from a Queen on Monday, I am in the midst of sorting through bed sheets. In our house we now have 2 twin beds, the new King, and a Queen sofa bed. Three sizes of sheets and four different rooms. I have heard of a variety of bed linen storage techniques, and thought it apropos to talk about.

• In general, I suggest keeping bed linens for a bed with that particular bed, i.e. under it in a rolling under-the-bed bin or very close by. This helps to avoid mix-up. I use linen closet space to hold towels and bins of bathroom-related health & beauty aids as well as extra supplies.
• I don't have convenient storage in my LR for the sofa bed, but all the Queen-sized linens are in my bedroom (in a doored cabinet serving as a TV stand). We rarely have company and make up the sofa bed, so having these bed linens in a bin labeled "Sofa Bed Linens" there is really fine. I can always carry the bin downstairs to the LR for the 1-2 times a year I use them.
• I also kept it simple with the kids' twin sheet sets -- plain white; white makes laundry easy/interchangeable and bleaching keeps them clean. Sorry, no Dora the Explorer or Sesame Street sheets, kids!
• One tip I've heard (which I've tried) is to take an entire matching set of one size and put it into one of the set's pillowcases. That is an option you can try -- I found it great to grab n' go once assembled but since I had a bunch of individual items as well as sets, I ended up having random extras. I also read a suggestion from a woman who assembled sets with a ribbon, which seemed a bit too Martha-Stewart-ish to me.
• For more tips, I found this article to be helpful (on HGTV's website): organizing linens

Kids' Clothing Management - Too Big, Too Small and Just Right

I worked on my son's 'wardrobe' this afternoon, taking an early look at what he would have for Fall and school. Mind you, he's 3, but he gets himself dressed, and all his everyday clothing needs are within arms' reach. It is better for him to have it organized and better for me to know what he needs or doesn't need. Juggling the ever-changing sizes of children (especially if you have more than 1) is a challenge. In fact, I get a lot of mothers asking for advice on this topic.

In both my kids' closets, I keep a bin named "Clothes Too Big". Between gifts from relatives and donations from friends, we have on hand clothing that currently doesn't fit the child. If there is an item of clothing from my daughter (who's older) that my son can wear, it goes in his "Clothes Too Big" bin. Periodically (usually at the beginning of a new season) I take the clothes out of the bin to review whether or not it will make the active clothes in the bureau. Also in the bin are clothes that are currently out-of-season but that will fit him when they are appropriate again. (NOTE: I do store kids' cumbersome winter coats & accessories with adult seasonal storage).

I also have another open-top bin for "Clothes Too Small", or in our case, "to donate". This bin's contents are self-explanatory; when the bin gets full, I transfer the clothes to bags for donating to Big Bro Big Sis, and return the empty bin to the shelf. This method would work for whatever your destination is for the clothes that no longer fit.

I try to keep things really simple with my method: I don't have multiple locations where too-small clothes will go; I don't try to store multiple bins labeled with the size; I keep the clothes and bins in the closet so they're handy. Kids' clothes don't take a lot of space on hangers, so there is enough room either on the shelves or even in bins on the closet floor. Another option is using under-the-bed storage. Maybe this can work for you!

Prioritizing Your Choices and Therefore Your Time

I wrote about time management in a post titled No Time for Time Management. Managing multiple tasks and my family's time is something I am very proud of, but also is a skill that I feel strongly that others can achieve.

I recently read an online article by Jacqueline Hale about prioritizing and time management at OnlineOrganizing.com, and loved the sentiment. I wanted to share it with you:

CONSCIOUS PRIORITIZATION: Conscious Prioritization involves determining what it is you really WANT in your life and balancing that with what it is you really HAVE to do in your life. For example: You have to sleep, you have to take care of your children and you probably have to work. Other than that your time is your own. Now I know what you’re thinking, but no, you really don’t have to clean your house. No, you really don’t have to be involved in the parent teacher association. No, you really don’t have to be a den mother, a little league mom, a Girl Scout leader, a volunteer, or a deacon at church. I’m not telling you to resign from everything but I am telling you that there are a FINITE number of hours in the day and I’m encouraging you to spend them on activities that bring you the greatest enjoyment!

Maybe this will give you some food for thought, or confirm that you are
managing your time effectively! Remember, it is about choices.

Labels...not on bins, but on me!

Here's a post that's pretty random but was in my thoughts just the same.

I had a client whose husband always referred to me as 'the Organizer lady'. It always made me smile because that made me sound old, and this man was about 10-12 years older than me. Or clients will tell someone on the phone when I'm there that 'The Organizer is here', which makes me feel important like The Godfather, that the client has to get off the phone out of respect.

Am I a 'neat freak'? That to me sounds like I clean the bathroom floor with a toothbrush (which I have never done) or never let my kids get messy (which I have done).

And no, I am not Obsessive-Compulsive or have any other behavioral disorders.

When I tell people that I'm an organizer or they see my car's sign, I get some interesting reactions. Other than pleasant curiosity or admiration (LOL), I get 1) "You are a party planner?"; 2) "You are a labor organizer like for the SteelWorkers Union 156?"; or 3) general laughter. I actually had one guy tee-hee-hee when I told him what my business was. Defensively I asked why he was laughing, and all he said was "So you like, go into people's houses and organize them?" Um, YEAH! True story.

Merriam-Webster (online) said that organized means "following a set method, arrangement, or pattern". True. That does describe me for the most part. It definitely helps to define what I do professionally, too. Ultimately, though, to sum it up:

I just want to find or find out what I want, when I want, where I go to get it.

Ye Olde Junk Mail

Unless you move a lot, junk mail seems to gain a power of its own. Stop the insanity before it gets inside! I found this tidbit to be help in managing the clutter proactively.

From OnlineOrganizing: Are you tired of the barrage of JUNK mail you receive? Catalogs, pre-approved credit cards, advertisements, unsolicited offers -- how many trees do we kill each day in the name of marketing?! While you can't prevent all junk mail, you can do your part to get off of the mailing LISTS that generate much of this excess paper.

Here's the link of helpful ways to get off the lists: END THE JUNK MAIL

And fellow organizer and friend Janine Godwin of Nooks and Crannies Professional Organizing did a blog entry on junk mail too: READ HER BLOG POSTING

Comments about Furniture Placement

I've worked on organizing every room in a house, but I find time and time again the following, mostly in living areas: 1) placing furniture around the edges, 2) hanging art too high, out of proportion, and/or separate, and 3) surrendering to what's been done/they've gotten used to instead of aiming higher towards what they'd ideally like.

Try to organize by function, and place furniture and accessories accordingly. Here's an observation followed by a suggestion: people tend to furnish around the perimeter of the room, leaving lots of floor space. Unless you are hosting aerobic classes, do you need all that empty floor? You need walking space and get-around space and possibly space-for-kids-to-play space, but try to think a different way.

Put furniture based on zones or into sections in large rooms so that it becomes obvious what the purpose of the items is. For ex., a couch, chair and TV form one area; a bookcase, reading chair and lamp form a sitting area; a storage unit of toys and some kids' furniture form a children's play area -- all within ONE living room. It can be done, and is done all the time in new, large homes as well as older, smaller homes (mine!).

Interior designing your artwork: large stuff can stand alone; smaller stuff can get grouped with other pieces giving the appearance of a larger impact. Hang artwork around eye-level and try to have it connect to (or be centered with) other furniture or items in the room. If you are re-organizing a room, do the artwork and decorative pieces LAST after everything is set with the foundation of furniture and lighting.

Try new placement options: a sofa or cabinet at an angle; using the backside of a couch or desk to create a virtual wall or room divider; shifting around furniture to see if a new layout would work. Start with what you'd love it to be, then work backwards in what realistically you can do. Have fun!

Cleanliness is next to...orderliness

Sometimes people figure if they clean up, they’ll get rid of the clutter. But there’s a difference between cleaning/staying neat and organizing. Cleanliness/neatness means your space looks good short-term but can get messy again. Organization refers to keeping things in predictable places or arranging things in an orderly manner for the long term.

So you can be organized and clean or organized and messy, but I truly believe you can't be entirely clean without being organized. Confusing, yes, and a bit extreme, possibly. But here's my rationale.

In general, I try for organized and clean. My house and personal life have a ton of organizing systems, but at times there are toys to put away, surfaces to be wiped, a bathtub needing scrubbing, etc. These, however, are things that can be fixed quickly and are routine tasks that will have to be done over and over again in the future. Clean is a short-term status; as soon as you're done cleaning, time and people make the space less clean afterwards.

Still with me? Ok. I've also had lots of clients who eventually become organized but still are a bit messy. The systems are in place, objects are in order, and time is managed but basically tidying up isn't a big priority. The most important thing is that the harder part, organization, is set. It forms the foundation, and allows a person to focus on the pure short-term maintenance tasks like cleaning the toilet or doing laundry.

You can not clean everything if you can't find it, if it is not filed, if there are piles or random items pushed in closets or are avoiding overstuffed drawers. Your house will never be totally clean if you don't remove boxes of stuff, throw away unwanted objects or empty out your junk drawer. Think of it this way: the clean house may look clean from all internal appearances, but the closets might be filled to the brim, the shelves have an assortment of objects, and residents can't find what they need when they want it.

Decluttering reduces the inventory you have to work with, work around, and clean. So think long-term!

"AACK! This is so frustrating!!!!!"

One of the challenges to getting and keeping a household organized is getting and keeping everyone else to comply with the organization. In other words, you've decluttered, organized and set up systems but no one else seems to be keeping things organized! Argh -- it can be frustrating because you end up doing it all yourself and feel as if it doesn't matter if no one else is going to help.

I'll admit, there have been a few times myself, where I, too, have muttered under my breath about family members not assisting in keeping things orderly. (Although imagine having a Professional Organizer for a wife or mother -- can't be that fun all the time). You end up sounding like a crazy person mumbling to yourself as you ask "why can't they just (fill in the blank) like they're supposed to? Why am I always refilling this (fill in the blank)" and possibly adding a few curse words.

It can be hard to get others excited and compliant with organizing systems you set up. It is often easier if you get their input and their help in setting them up so there is a sense of ownership and personal involvement. Explain that by helping keep their designated areas tidy, and junk free, you will all benefit.

For the kids, explain that this may mean you will be more likely to let them have their friend over to play, go to the movies, have their favorite dinner, etc. -- if they do their bit. For hubby, it may be to explain, that with a little more input from him and lessening the load of those boring mundane jobs we all hate, you will have a healthier relationship as a result of feeling more appreciated. Perhaps you can convince them that you are more happy when things are organized, and gee, hubby/kids, don't you want that?!??!

Remember that the habits your family has formed didn’t happen overnight and you won’t be able to change them overnight. But if you can make your expectations clear and the systems easy to follow, you'll hopefully reduce your frustrations.

To Yard Sale or Not to Yard Sale?

So what do you do with the stuff you don’t want to keep, that you don’t want to throw, but would like to try selling or donating. What are your options?

• Yard Sale – Pros: set up is right at your house; you could make some cash while getting rid of items. Cons: no guarantee of selling anything; your time sitting outside with your stuff on a weekend; costs of promoting the sale (via posters or ad in paper); whatever doesn’t sell, you still have to deal with.


• eBay – Pros: can do from your house; you could make some money (a lot depending on item). Cons: no guarantee of selling anything; your time to take digital photos, write listing, and monitor listing; cost of listing plus final value to eBay for whatever sells; if items don’t sell, you still have to deal with. In my opinion, the things that sell best on eBay are items of brand names and unique/antique or collectible status.


• Freecycle – Pros: you don’t have to go anywhere; just list the item(s) and if someone wants, they’ll come and pick up. Cons: no guarantee that someone will want; your time to list, monitor email responses and coordinate with person you’re giving item(s) for pick-up; sometimes Freecyclers don’t show, and then you can re-post or decide what to do with item(s); not all towns have a Freecycle group; no money is exchanged.
  
• Local Charities (i.e. Goodwill or Big Brother Big Sister) – Pros: your stuff goes to a charity; you feel good about donating; you receive a tax deduction receipt; your item(s) leave your house. Cons: you may have to bring the items to the charity; not all charities accept all kinds of things or all the time; no money is exchanged; for whatever they don’t accept, you have to deal with.


• Give to Friend/Family/Other – Pros: you get rid of usable items; people that you know receive the benefit of your donation; free exchange. Cons: might be hard to find someone who wants stuff; may be time-consuming to coordinate & make exchange; you may plan to give to friend or family but never get around to it, so stuff sits around at your house; no money is exchanged and no receipt for your donation is gained.

Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages of each option, this list certainly isn't exhaustive, and you have to do what is right for you. I strongly suggest, however, that you consider each of the pros and cons before you start decluttering, and limit the number of outlets for your stuff. Don't have 5 categories -- "I'll sell this, donate that, give that to Aunt Jane, save those for my neighbor Sue, and do a yard sale for the rest". It's unrealistic and slows down your process for reducing the inventory in your house.