"Improve Your Health By Getting Organized"

When I do presentations or classes, I usually mention the benefits of organizing. Since I am touting organization as a great thing, I figure I should back it up. Why be organized?

I came across an interesting take on this in an article by Susan Stevenson. I have never really talked about the health benefits per se, other than reducing stress which impacts your physical health. Thus I am sharing an edited version, and plan on including some of the points the next time someone asks me why it is so important to be so organized. (FYI, the caps are author's)

One of the best reasons to get organized is that excessive clutter and disorganization can actually be HAZARDOUS to your health.

1. CLEAR THE AIR More than 60 million people in the United States have asthma or allergies. According to the American Lung Assn, reducing DUST is one of the most effective ways to control asthma and allergy triggers.
2. PUT A LID ON IT Use CLOSED storage, such as clear plastic bins and decorative photo boxes. Before purchasing the containers, though, be thoughtful of the SIZE, depending on what and how much will go into them. If the containers are too small, the lids may not fit properly, or you may need too many of them. Boxes that are too large for their contents may "attract" other items that do not belong and become catch-all containers.
3. PURGE YOUR PERIODICALS Piles of MAGAZINES and NEWSPAPERS catch clutter and are difficult to clean. Keep a newspaper only until you get the next edition. If you have a collection of magazines that go unread month after month, let them go. Many periodicals provide their subscribers online access to current and past articles.
4. GET COOKING A 2002 Food and Drug Administration report stated that food consumed outside the home was approximately 47 percent of consumers' food budget, compared to 33 percent in 1970. This food was also less NUTRITIOUS -- higher per meal in calories, total fat and saturated fat, as well as was lower in fiber, calcium, and iron.
5. MAKE A LIST Keep a list with you of groceries that you FREQUENTLY buy. You will be able to get through the store more quickly, and with more money in your pocket, if you have and stick to a COMPLETE list. To help you get your list started, some grocery stores allow you to see your in-store purchases online, using your savings club card number.
6. PLAN YOUR MENUS Many books and online services provide menus with grocery lists to help with meal PLANNING.
7. TO YOUR DOOR Consider having your groceries DELIVERED and avoid the after-work-before-dinner crunch at the store. This will help prevent forgotten items, and may also decrease IMPULSE purchases.
8. LEAD THE WAY Tripping over TOYS can be an occupational hazard of parenthood. Floors littered with toys can also be hazardous to little feet. And older children's toys left scattered about can present a choking hazard to younger children. Here a few things you can do to help your little (and not-so-little) ones keep their toys off the floor:
   > SET A GOOD EXAMPLE Those little eyes are watching to see whether you DO what you tell them to do. The best way to teach your children to put their things away is to do it yourself.
   > REQUIRE IT OF THEM Children as young as 2 years old can be TAUGHT to put their toys away. Before they can get out a new group of toys, or play with toys in another room, have them put away the first set of toys. Even if you do the majority of the putting away, make sure they HELP.
   > MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM Give your children clearly DEFINED spaces to put their toys and clothes. To make it educational, color code containers by child or type of toy, or LABEL them with the contents or the child's initials.
9. TAKE IT EASY For many people, STRESS is a part of life. Too much stress, however, can contribute to ulcers, migraines, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Stress can also can also interfere with bodily processes and AGGRAVATE existing medical problems. Many things in life are beyond our control, but being PREPARED can help make unpleasant experiences less stressful.
10. CARVE OUT A SPACE FOR A HOBBY The Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health both recommend LEISURE activity to help relieve stress. If organizing your whole house, or even a whole room, seems too overwhelming, clear out a little nook in the garage, the family room, or your bedroom, where you can do something you really ENJOY.
11. LET SOME THINGS GO Do you feel like you need a bigger house to hold all your STUFF? The more you have, the more you have to clean, store, organize, pack, unpack, etc. Take a fresh look at the things around you and ask yourself whether they are truly useful, beautiful, or enjoyable. If not, move them out to make ROOM for the things that are most special to you.
12. ONE STEP AT A TIME Are you stressed out by this list? Don't try to do it all at once. Start with the area that would have the biggest IMPACT in your home. Just get some MOMENTUM, and maybe by this time next year, you will be living in a healthier, happier home.

Hi! It's 6:15am! Yeah!!!

Why so perky, you ask? I'm not really -- it's all fake. I'm up early and the coffee is barely hitting my veins so it's definitely fake. It's 6:15, and yet already I have:

• made my husband breakfast


• made my husband his lunch for later


• turned on the heat, lights; opened the curtains


• turned on the computer and checked my 2 email accounts


• made coffee -- this is a big deal because we have a grinder and French press


• warmed up my husband's car and moved my car (FYI it is 25 degrees outside, so for this I should get bonus points)


• printed out a recipe


• answered a couple of emails


• put my son back to bed after hearing us up


• almost finished this post

Phew. Impressed??

I get up at 5:30 with my husband, which makes the above all possible. It is really quiet now, and it gives me time to think about things. I still have getting 3 people bathed, dressed, fed and out the door to look forward to in a couple of hours, but for right now it is peaceful. Just thought I would share -- does anyone else get stuff done in the wee hours of the morning??

Quick Tips for Organizing Kitchens (HGTV)

Hi! I found these easy-to-implement and common sense tips from HGTV for kitchen organizing. As always, they are nothing new but when I see tips written out in a short and easy way, I like to share. Hope they are helpful!

1. Bag Your Clutter
Get a handle on excess plastic grocery or shopping bags with an inexpensive bag holder. Available as cabinet mounted or freestanding units, these holders contain bags while making them easy to access. Place the plastic bag holder next to the garbage can for extra convenience. When the holder becomes full, recycle the whole bunch. Check home stores or SimpleHuman.com for these chaos taming holders.

2. Go the Distance with Cabinet Space
Get more mileage out of your kitchen cabinets with some creative dishware rearranging. For example, stemware glasses can be stored by placing every other glass upside down. To begin, pull all your dishes out of your cabinets to see what you have to work with. The most frequently used items should be on the bottom shelves of a cabinet that's most convenient to you. Consider rearranging the cabinet's interior shelves to accommodate your different size dishes. If your shelves are stationary, nesting bowls and casseroles is a great space saver.

3. Wrangle Your Utensils
A crowded utensil drawer, while remaining unseen most of the time, is still a crowded utensil drawer. If digging in an overloaded drawer for a potato masher is more work than mashing the potatoes, it's time to invest in a compartmentalized organizer. Found at major home stores, the drawer organizers (also called cutlery trays) come in a variety of sizes and materials. Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out (www.juliemorgenstern.com), recommends expandable, fine mesh containers — easy to fit and easy to clean. Resist the urge to pile everything back into the drawer. Instead, make sure you can clearly see and reach everything without having to dig.

4. Curb Your Plastic Container Obsession
Before ready-made plastic containers became popular, most of us recycled our grocer’s pasta salad container for leftover spaghetti. This led, and still leads, to cabinets and drawers full of mismatched containers and lids. Declare a moratorium on these tired reusables and invest in something like GladWare's Containers with Interlocking Lids. Different size lids snap together, and each container nests inside another, giving you more cabinet space.

5. Clean Out the Fridge
This is one project you won't want to put off. Discourage unappetizing fridge smells by tossing last week's lasagna before it develops a moldy surprise. In fact, reevaluate the condition of all leftovers and check expiration dates on milk, juice and canned goods. Produce and lettuce often go bad quickly, so you may have to adjust the temperature on your refrigerator if you notice premature wilt. Give the fridge a thorough wipe down, then organize foods by type, with the most frequently used items in the front. If you haven’t already, acquaint your fridge with a box of baking soda.

6. Set Up a Baking Zone
A baking zone in the kitchen is ideal for the cookie dough enthusiast and allows you to take quick inventory of your baking needs. Devote a counter and upper or bottom cabinet to the following: cookie sheets and loaf pans; a kitchen mitt or hot pads; and flour, sugar and other baking necessities in plastic containers (and placed away from the oven). If your mixer is stylish, leave it out on the counter; otherwise stash it with the mixing bowls. Consider other organizing zones for: beverages, cleaning supplies, mail and recycling and trash.

7. Purge in the Pantry
Take 30 minutes to reassess your food storage, whether it's a pantry, your kitchen cabinets or a freestanding cupboard. Start with the obvious: purge all expired foods. Next, sweep through your canned goods for extras you can donate to a local food pantry or a neighbor. Depending on the space, you may want to use a lazy Susan for spices and sauces or an over the door shelf to increase storage. Load up your pantry by grouping food by category or by time of day (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) if you prefer.

8. Make a Recipe for Organization
Recipes have a tendency to overrun a kitchen, especially if there's a foodie in the house. Tackle your recipes by tossing any you haven't used in ages (or that recipe for flan that turned to mush). The size of your recipe cards can determine which system you should use. Index cards work well in a labeled recipe box or a small photo album. Full sheet recipes do well in a three-ring binder. If you prefer room to grow, choose the binder and simply tape your index cards to larger sheets of paper. Handy dividers make for easy organizing either by ingredient or dish type.

"Desperately seeking a clutter cure" from books?

A while back I wrote about the numerous books available on organizing (see earlier blog post). You will understand, then, why I laughed reading a magazine article titled "Desperately seeking a clutter cure" in Domino Magazine.

The author wrote: "Anyone who suffers from thing-mania knows that if you've resorted to buying books about it, you're way beyond an easy cure. The books themselves add to the problem! So my advice -- if someone were to invite me to write a guide -- would be: Hire somebody." And all the Professional Organizers applaud! LOL

And don't forget, January is Get Organized Month!

Organizing Tax Time Throughout the Year

Thought about tax time yet? If you are planning on receiving a rebate, you're probably are; if not, you might wait until the last day you have. If you enter into a search engine "organizing taxes" you will get 6 million results. Clearly, having paperwork organized for the tax return process is important. But having a complex, pre-done, purchased organizing system is not necessary.

I think client sometimes hold on to everything because they don't know what to hold onto, and are afraid they'll need it. At the beginning of the year, set up your system so that you are consistent throughout the year, and can access everything easily come tax time next year. Wondering what kinds of paperwork you need to keep? There's lots of lists out there in cyberspace, but you can check out this one.

For each tax year, get a hanging folder and add a tab labeled something like "For 2008 Taxes". Think ahead to what the tax returns require, then simply create a file folder for it. If you deduct for a home business or your husband's work expenses, set up a file titled that and anytime you get receipts or documented expenses in that category, stick it in there. Keep track of daycare costs for tax purposes? Make a folder titled "Daycare Payments". Don't worry about organizing the contents -- just getting in the right folder is sufficient now. All the file folders go into hanging folder(s).

Do this filing throughout the year, and when tax time comes around the following calendar year, pull out the hanging folder. You may still need some additional files or paperwork (i.e. W-2 forms you receive) but otherwise everything is together. It is at this time I grab the pile of receipts or papers within each folder and tally them up. Once they are paper clipped, I add a sticky with the total to make the data entry part easier. Remember, you don't have to do any organizing, totalling or such to the things you put into the folder until the year is over.

Good luck!

Organizing is Progress & Maintenance

In the past, I've talked about 'maintenance' tasks versus 'progress' tasks. To review, maintenance tasks involve the repetitive daily things you do such as laundry, cleaning, and taxi-ing the kids around; progress tasks get something accomplished towards a goal, like learning a language or a sewing project.

Organizing involves a little of both type -- you may do a giant decluttering project once in a while (progress) but the impact of that organization affects daily life (maintenance). If I keep up with my files and paperwork on a regular basis, then when I look for something, I will be able to find it easily. Being organized requires you to be proactive to the extent you can be better reactive.

Some food for thought this morning...enjoy your day!

Teeny Tiny Toys

I just worked on our finished basement's playroom (toys, specifically) -- an area that was already organized, but needed some retooling. Why? Because my daughter received a bazillion new toys for her birthday, and storage needed to be addressed. Apparently the gift givers don't know me very well, because they chose to give her toy sets of the teeniest, tiny pieces -- The Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, various princesses, etc. In other words, the kind of toys I hate dealing with.

After having to use wire cutters to get Barbie out of the package and all the plastic animals with accessories free, I sat there wondering how long it would take to lose these items. Many of the Littlest Pet Shop things were only as big as my pinkie fingernail. They are an organizer's nightmare! I find that opaque, lidded bins with labels hold sets well. I have one bin all for Barbies and accessories, one for My Little Pony, etc. The key is to have lids that the child can remove themselves.

Another challenge was fitting in the new stuff -- large plastic 'homes' for tiny pets, ponies and the like, princess figures and castles, girlie-girl stuff. While my kids were distracted with the new things, I took the time to weed out toys to give away. I now have a few big trash bags (black so the children cannot view the contents!) of toys to donate or throw.

I moved more games and things to my kids' eye level so that I don't have to get items for them. Still out of reach and under my control are scissors, glue, painting, Play-Doh, and misc. art/craft kits. I generally try to keep gender-specific or special items in each child's rooms; if the toy is something both kids enjoy, we put it in a common area. It is helpful not to jam pack kids' bedrooms with toys -- keep it to a minimum -- and instead have books, special things, and clothes. This helps to keep the bedroom a quieter place, and helps toys go back to a designated place instead of all over the house.

At least I have a while until Christmas and the next onslaught of toys!

Remembering that Special Day

My daughter has a birthday this weekend and, after all the party planning and details, I am looking forward to it going well. We are not doing it at our home (much to my delight) but it still involves goody bags, 30+ preschoolers, lots of adults, and scheduling of fun activities.

Let's talk about birthdays, specifically remembering everyone's. Obviously, remembering family's birthday dates are fairly easy -- and if you have a small child, he or she is your 'reminder service' on an hourly basis. How can you forget?

When I had a daily planner (3-ring, digest-size type) with paper, I used to write down not only birthdates and anniversaries but a note to myself to send a card, written 3 mailing days prior. Now I have it in my PDA and the computer shows not only the recurring birthday but lists the year (great for kids; not so nice for those of us getting older!). When I look over the month, I enter in 'tasks' that come up as to-do items on the PDA screen to remind me to send a card.

I thought these reminder ideas on RealSimple.com were helpful.

Dozens of websites offer complete reminder services for birthdays. The information is stored online, so you never have to worry about losing your dates if your computer crashes. Here are six standouts.

Yahoo! Calendar...With a free membership at Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), you can take advantage of the site’s calendar feature, which allows you to schedule all kinds of appointments with alarms sent to your Yahoo! Messenger account, mobile device, or e-mail address. If you choose to share your calendar with friends and family, they can view your dates and add their own. Cost: Free.

BirthdayAlarm.com...This service features an easy interface, e-mail or text-message reminders, a selection of e-cards, and an option to send flowers.Cost: Free e-mail reminders; 50 cents for each text message.

BigDates.com...BigDates will remind you of a birthday via a cell-phone text message or an e-mail with suggestions for cards and gifts. You can even sign up for a service that will send a paper card to someone through the U.S. Postal Service ($3, plus postage). The downside is that it’s slightly impersonal; you don’t get to compose the message in your own handwriting.Cost: Free for the first three months; $6 a year after that.

HappyBirthday.com...Boasting a tasteful, simple, and thoughtful interface, this site assigns each member her own Web page so she can direct friends and family there to input their birthdays, rather than having to collect the information herself.Cost: Free.
SmarterChildAOL Instant Messenger users can create birthday alerts by adding SmarterChild to their buddy lists. Send a message to SmarterChild consisting of the word reminder. You’ll be prompted to answer a few questions if it’s your first time, then taken through the setup. At the appointed date, you’ll get an IM reminding you of your duties. Also available with MSN and ICQ.Cost: Free.

BirthdayPal.com...Birthday Pal keeps track of as many birthdays as you like and will send up to four different reminders per birthday. It also automates the process of birthday collection by sending an e-mail to friends requesting their dates.Cost: Free.

Clutter & Your Health article

Hi! I wanted to share an information article with you by my friend and colleague, Janine Godwin, of TX's Nooks and Crannies Professional Organizing. Click the link here.

Hope you enjoy!

Organizing While Traveling

Since I just returned from a trip and I have traveling on the brain, I thought I'd mention a few tips and organizing suggestions that helped us out.

• when packing, lay out clothing on the bed in categories, spread out in front of you first. When you are sure you have gotten it all, then put into the suitcase or bag in the most efficient way


• pack extra underwear and socks for kids; you'll be so glad if you need them!


• mentally go through your getting-ready ritual to identify the items you'll need in the morning; do the same for nighttime (think eyeglasses, medicine you take at night, etc.)


• avoid paying extra for heavy bags -- we had a large suitcase that was over the lb. limit by 4 but we still owed $50 to the airlines!


• plan ahead: we came up with general plan of attack for each day, then tweaked once we arrived based on weather and everyone's interest


• be informed of airport regulations re: carry-ons and non-permissable items. We had to throw away brand new bottles of water at Security. If at all possible, have you and family members avoid belts and tie-up shoes the days of travel (easier going through the metal detector sans shoes). See TSA guidelines for more information.


• since breakfast was included in our hotel stay, we did that for free everyday, then either had a big lunch and small dinner or vice versa to save a bit on eating out


• bring the whole Rx container if you have a medication you take daily; if you need a refill or have a question, you have all the information you need


• bring extras of contact lenses in case you lose one


• as we create dirty laundry, I put the clothes in plastic shopping bags to keep them separate from the clean ones (like a temporary hamper). Then when it is time to pack, I take the bags and put them directly in the luggage -- easy to sort upon arriving home!


• include clothes that can multi-task for various outfits. I tend to wear sneakers to travel on casual trips, but pack a pair of flats that could go with a dressy outfit. Jeans and chinos are great in that they go with almost everything.


• check as much as you can so you don't have to shlep lots of stuff around the airport; you have to get there so early nowadays that you don't want to be burdened by weight as you wait! In our family, we each have a backpack (kids included), although mine is my purse.


• if there are any plans or reservations you can make from home before you travel, do it. Often it is 99% easy to cancel but can be 100% impossible to get a normal dining time at the restaurant you want. I have placed online dining reservations in cities like Las Vegas and it was great!


• check out some fun and helpful travel accessories at the Container Store

Boundaries

A key to organization is setting up boundaries, both mental and tangible. The thread that runs through many parts of organizing -- storage, labeling, zones in a room, etc. -- is boundaries. Without distinct areas or designated homes, things spread and multiply. By using containers, for example, you set up and provide a limit of the contents. By designating places or zones for things in your home or office, you provide guidance for others to find and replace things.

When items are without spatial boundaries, they have a tendency to wander. If there is a bin or shelf that has no distinct, delineated purpose, you can put anything there. If you have an hour of time that you are not sure what to do and have no plans, you may do a little of many things or end up doing nothing productive. In fact, if you research 'time management', you will find a lot of discussion of boundaries.

You need to divide up big spaces; put loose items in small containers or sectioned organizers. Everything should have a place so that you know what goes in there and what does not. This helps to avoid the spreading and decluttering of areas (think toys, clothes, books and anything that you find yourself picking up time and time again all over the house!). It makes putting things away easier and more likely to happen.

Aren't large spaces usually overwhelming until you break them up into smaller areas, zones or sections? Or taking a week and planning by day? Doing things in smaller batches is closely connected to why setting boundaries is helpful in organization, task management, and time management.

Here are some examples of organizing products that have this essence of boundaries.

Decluttering in Cyberspace

I just decluttered my website! Here's why I say that: over the holiday, I changed the host/server of my domain, site and email account. As a result, I had to rebuild the website from scratch and enter in all my email addresses again.

I had saved the 5 web pages from my prior website so that I wouldn't have to re-type tons of text, but other than that, every page design, text choice and image had to be rethought. This re-do gave me the opportunity to 'declutter' the old site and really think through what I wanted this time around. I left off some things, and decided to go the "less is more" route for some of the pages. The irony that my professional organizing business website was too cluttered (in my husband's words) was not lost on me!

Don't get me wrong -- there are still plenty of words and information -- but hopefully the new one looks nice and is helpful to visitors. The basics are up at least (no "under construction" sign for my visitors) and I can continue to tweak it more in the days ahead. Hope you like!

To see the revised version, click www.OrderlyManor.com

Did You Know? Get Ready to Celebrate...

...these holidays in January (and you thought there was only Martin Luther King's birthday!)

New Year's Day (Resolution Time!) - January 1st - re-evaluate your goals and priorities for the next year
Clean Off Your Desk Day - The Second Monday in January - get rid of those stacks and piles of paper
Be On Purpose Month - January - do you live the life you want, or one you've been handed?
Clean Out Your Closets Month - January - your choice...avalanche or order
Get Organized Month - January - organizing activities across the nation



(as listed on OnlineOrganizing.com)