Secrets to a Simpler Life

If you live in my area and get the Boston Globe on Sundays, you may have seen the Magazine section with articles on organization, but I wanted to share some 'wisdom' from them. There is an article today (9/7) titled "29 Secrets to a Simpler Life" that offers solutions for a bedroom closet, home office, mudroom and laundry room. Here is a shortened list based on what I thought was significant or helpful:

• If you are having trouble parting with a certain item, remove it from your closet and put it in a storage bin [at the top of the closet].


• Invest in new ultra-slim hangers covered in a nonstick velvet that help keep your clothes in place and that increase your closet real estate.


• For the home office: use masking tape or a label maker to label each cable and cord, and gather and attach them to the side of your desk.


• Hang a bulletin or magnet board for urgent items so you can see and attend to them.


• For the mudroom: Designate hooks or a specific basket for keys. Deposit your keys in the same place every time.


• Open storage makes it easy to park baseballs, caps and lunchboxes.


• Easy access to outerwear is essential. Add a fun hook for each member of the family.


• For the laundry room: Group supplies according to use. Place detergent, dryer sheets, and stain remover in one basket.


• Invest in pretty bins for a neat and organized look. This also makes the space more functional. Now you can pull out a basket to easily access items without disturbing its neighbors.

A Product for Organizing Tooth Care Stuff

This product might be for us organizing nerds, but I really am enthusiastic about it. A product that handles dental care clutter (did you know many households suffer from DCC?)...amazing. I ordered this product, it's on its way, and I cannot wait to 'install it'.

The OXO Good Grips Toothbrush Organizer is cool because it can handle my kids' oversized, 3D character toothbrushes as well as 2 adult ones, PLUS a tube of toothpaste. [I prefer the squeezable, upright-standing toothpastes they sell now, but for some reason my husband always chooses the traditional lay-around tube -- now we can both be happy.] So now the bathroom sink surface will have one central 'toothbrushing station'. How's that for organized??

Task Management 101

As we get back into the fall back-to-school time and our calendars get busier, it is worth a look to review managing tasks and to-do's. If you’re the type that is great at thinking about tasks or events, but not so good at the follow-through, write things down.

When we write something down, it increases our ability to both remember it and put it "out of our head". If you ever have the same thought running over and over in your mind, and want the madness to stop, take a minute and write it down. If it is a task to do, writing it down will both ensure you do it and release your brain from worrying about remembering to do it. Try to have paper and pen readily available on all levels of your house. That way, if you think of something while getting ready in the bathroom or doing laundry, you can easily jot it down and then slip the paper into a pocket or bring it with you to a desk or calendar. Taking that extra 30 seconds is so helpful -- you do what you remembered to do. If you run out of something in the kitchen or bathroom, within a minute get to the grocery list and add it. There's no time like the present is apropos here.

Are you a list maker? Try becoming a scheduled item list maker, that is, noting when either tasks or events happen on the calendar. You can see where you’re going, what you're doing, and what "to do" item is needed to complete each day. Ultimately, scheduling time this way means you just have to focus on that day. It prevents feeling overwhelmed. If you like the satisfaction of writing a list and crossing off items, do so but be sure to tag each action item with a date it will be done. Have something you need to do in the future but without a date? Pick a day on the calendar and write it in. Choose reasonable time frames or pick days when you know you’ll have sufficient time. Use the calendar as a way to remind you of things -- actionable tasks -- and not just holidays, events and happenings.

Tip: don't put big things on a list -- break it into tasks. For ex., write "purchase party supplies" and "call caterer" on your calendar or To Do list instead of "organize party". Then, you'd write the date of the party on the calendar, and put all the specific things you need to do for the party either on a list or on days of the calendar.

Make yourself accountable in tangible ways to ensure you act upon them. Reminders, alarms, emails, lists, string on fingers -- whatever it takes. Try putting the item you want to take with you on your purse or keys (with something you have to take to drive away). Or try one of the new reminder products that hang on the doorknob and hold items or have note paper.

Organizing the Bedroom

Many organization principles can apply to the majority of the rooms of your home. While each room has its special challenges or characteristics, there are some general tips that can serve you everywhere. I try to include ideas and concepts that you can use throughout your house or in life. Sometimes, I focus on one area or room -- today it is the bedroom.

HGTV had a list of 5 storage tricks you can try to organize a bedroom. The crux of the online article is to do the following: Stick it under the bed; Maximize your closet; Make it kid-friendly; Think vertically; and Create access. To get the full article, click here. If you are a wannabe Martha Stewart or are just curious as to her ideas, see this list of a variety of organizing tips for the boudoir.

The bedroom is supposed to be a place of calm and relaxation, but often (because we feel like no one sees it but us), we stow lots of stuff and have clutter there. If every flat surface in your bedroom, including the floor, is covered, then serenity goes out the window. To maximize the amount of space you have in the bedroom, you often need to get creative. You could get headboards with shelves, use storage boxes under bed, or buy an armoire to give more room to store things. Mount lamps to wall instead of bedside lamps. Replace bedside tables with small chests of drawers for more storage space.

We wear 20 percent of the clothes we own 80 per cent of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case. You have to go through any closet before you organize to toss or donate anything you don’t wear on a regular basis. Sometimes just doing that will reduce the clutter and make your closet more manageable.

You can purchase a closet system or parts of a closet system to add more organization. Then you can utilize wire-basket drawers, hanging rods, numerous shelves, tie and belt racks, and plastic or decorative boxes to the space. To make better use of the closet you have, put the back of the closet door to work, add shelves above your clothes racks, install 2 rows of rods, use shoe racks, keep like things together, and find another spot to stow your sports gear and luggage.

HAPPY LABOR DAY! Hope it is a restful and relaxing day without labor. :)