Happy Fall Y’All! 5 Tips for Fall Organizing

/6 Comments/in , /by

5 tips for fall organizing

 

Sad to see summer go?  Tired of the heat? Happy for the change of seasons? Looking forward to that first fall day? It’s that transition time, mostly known as Indian Summer, where we welcome fall.   Take advantage of this transition time by organizing at your home and office.  It’s time for fall organizing!

 

  • It’s time to start and end activities.  Put away your summer swim bag, the sunscreen and goggles.  Create a bag or notebook for kids’ school papers or new responsibilities like homeroom mom.   Right away you will have a spot for all those papers.

 

  • Freshen up your clothes.  Look through your closet and let go of clothes you did not wear this season.  Put them in a shopping bag and immediately drop these off at a donation location. Do the same for your kids clothes and get their drawers  in great shape for school time.   Everyone will be happier and less stressed getting ready in the morning.

 

  • Host your family meeting and go over family responsibilities at home. Perhaps chores got lax this summer or everyone wants to shift chores.  Take 15 minutes to write out your chore chart and place it where everyone sees it each day.  Include homework time in your chore chart daily.  Plan some end of summer fun and check in about upcoming Halloween plans for your family.

 

  • Set aside an hour to freshen up your office.  It takes just a few focused minutes to eliminate all the extra paper and other stuff that has accumulated this summer.  It could be shoes to take home, resources you no longer need or books to return to colleagues.  Taking just an hour to refresh your space helps you be more efficient and effective at your desk.

 

  • Think through your daily routines at home and work.   Start a new strategy for handling the biggest time takers, such as email and paper management.   Decide on a pattern for when and how long you will get these tasks done daily.  Getting a fresh perspective and a great routine helps you get these tasks done more easily.

 

The change of seasons helps us take advantage of refreshing our spaces.  It energizes our organizing!

 

Get a daily dose of organizing and productivity on my Facebook page

Join my newsletter to keep posted on monthly organizing and productivity tips.

 

 

 

Quick Start Back to School: Back to School Supplies

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

organizing school supplies

 

Your kids just got out of school and it is already time for Back To School.  It’s hard to get started, so I have created this series Quick Start Back to School to get everyone going!   The first post is about Back To School Supplies.

 

Back to school and it’s all about back to school supplies! Every year your kids bring home unused school supplies at the end of the school year. The sales for supplies start in mid July.   Maybe your supplies are in many different spots in your home.  Quick Start Back to School by first organizing your school supplies.

 

Choose a central location for office and back to school supplies.

  • It should be easy to access for everyone.
  • It should have shelves or drawers to help store different categories of supplies.
  • It’s one stop shopping at your home this way.

 

Gather  and sort your supplies.

  • Keep paper together, writing supplies together, notebooks and dividers together.
  • Use plastic bins (shoe box and sweater box size) to corral each group.
  • Overloaded with supplies?  Donate to local charities having school supply drives.
  • Label bins and place on shelves or in drawers.  Label the outside of the storage area.

 

Organizing school supplies

Itemize your back to school supply needs.

  • Find online resources for school supply lists on your district website.
  • Compare your list with your existing supplies.
  • Use a smart phone app to compare prices at stores.
  • Go shopping.

 

Set up your supplies.

  • Stock backpacks with supplies.
  • Set up your homework station.
  • Consolidate remaining supplies in your new station.

 

Check the ads and be prepared with your list! Quick Start School Supplies gets you up and running for this school year.

 

What’s your best tip for school supply organizing?

 

Check out my pinterest Student Success board.

 

Organizing saves you time, money and energy! Join my monthly newsletter and get a boost!

 

 

Recycling and Reselling Your Stuff

/0 Comments/in /by

recycling and selling your stuff

We are all looking for ways to make a difference for our planet. We want to reduce what we have, make better use of our stuff and recycle what we are done with. We are making a commitment to make our world a better place. April is the annual celebration of Earth Day and a time we focus on ways to reduce-reuse-recycle.

However….what if you could save the planet and make money at the same time?  There are lots of sites dedicated to recycling and reselling your items.  Here are some sites that help you do just that!

Swop.com

SwopBoard is an online marketplace to buy, sell and give back to local schools. You can buy, sell and donate money to schools through your sales.

Sell Your Phone On Ebay

Get cash selling your phone on eBay. Simply select your device, see its current value, and list it and sell it.

Ebay Sells for You

Selling professionals handle everything – taking photos, describing your items on eBay, answering any questions and shipping to buyers.  You get 70% of proceeds.

 Gazelle.com

Gazelle gives you an online quote, you ship your stuff with a prepaid mailer, and get paid by PayPal, check, or Amazon gift card.  You can sell smart phones, ipads, tablets and more.

Thredup.com

Thredup pays you real money for the clothing and covers 100% of the cost to send your clothes.

 Chairish

Sell used furniture online with this virtual showroom.

EagleSaver

Sell your DVDs, books, CDs  and games online. 

Have a resource to share?  List it here!

I love sharing ideas on pinterest, especially about reusing, recycling and upcycling.

Don’t miss out on our monthly tips!  Join my newsletter!

 

Garage Organizing Do’s and Don’ts

/4 Comments/in /by

garage organizing

Did you know…

§  38% indicated that the garage was the messiest room in their home.

§  25% of people with two-car garages don’t park any cars in their garage and that 32% parked only one.

§  In a recent poll people 25% of respondents said they want a three-car garage, even considering the extra cost.

 

Spring is a great time to organize your garage.  Here are some simple ways to get your garage organized with do’s and don’ts.

 

DO’S                                                                         

1.    Start with a team.  Garage organizing is a big project and best done with lots of help. Your team can be your family, church or high school teens, or anyone you can corral to help.

2.    Plan for small, manageable time and space pieces. Schedule several times throughout a month to work in 2 -3 hour segments. Work in sections throughout your garage, such as floor first, left wall, back wall, then right wall.

3.    Set up pick up times for your donations.  It’s easier if a charity comes to you to pick up rather than loading your car.

4.    Establish categories and zones for your keep items, such as car, athletics, gardening, camping, storage. 

 

DON’T’S

1.    Just buying shelves and containers is not the way to start.  Have a plan so you know what to purchase and how much to purchase.

2.    Just relocate items in the garage.  Now is the time to review, recycle and donate what is not used at your home.

3.    Pull everything out of your garage and onto your driveway. It’s easy to get overwhelmed while organizing. Taking it in small increments helps you make good decisions and finish the project over time. 

4.    Keep things for an unscheduled garage sale.  If you don’t have a garage sale on the calendar already, donate and get a tax deduction instead.  

 

Remember, your garage is the most frequently seen space in your home.  Organizing your garage gives you the greatest financial bonus in money saved from storage unit costs and wear and tear of your car costs. Most importantly you have access to what you use.   

Don’t miss a minute of organizing ideas! Join my newsletter!

 

 

Easy Ways to Organize your Recycling

/3 Comments/in /by

 

organize recycling

With the best of intentions, it’s easy to get stuck when you are recycling.  All of my clients recycle paper, plastic, glass and cardboard.  They have one step of recycling all set, but other steps can foil their best intentions.  Think about easy ways to organize your recycling in order to make recycling happen.

First off, it’s important to know what to recycle!  Here are some ideas thanks to Earth911.  Did you know that pizza boxes can’t be recycled because of grease?  Check out what can and can’t be recycled.

Let’s make recycling super easy!

 

Easy to access products

Easy ways to organize your recycling

Photo compliments of the Container Store

Make recycling easy with these stack-able totes. These totes can be placed just outside your back door to drop items in after rinsing.  Generously sized, you can recycle a lot and then carry these to the curb or your car to complete this job.

 Easy to drop off locations

easy ways to organize your recycling

Schools often have paper and cardboard recycling.  Drive by and drop off paper once a week.  Best Buy has drop off for electronics.  In Houston we have Drop off Houston, a free take-back program for electronics at over 30 locations city-wide.  This includes televisions,fax machines, hard drives. computer monitors, DVD players and computers.

 

 

Easy to remember

recycling and team work

Set a reminder in your smartphone, write in red on  your calendar, or add a note to your kid’s chore chart to keep your recycling routine going.  It’s up to everyone in your family to help make recycling happen.

When I was growing up, my dad and brother would recycle newspaper once a month together. It was a great way to share the responsibility and to talk about what is important. Set up team work in your family to make recycling a priority and a family value.  It also lessens the load when you share the responsibility with many family members.

I love that our city is focusing on recycling in all ways.  Easy, convenient recycling is available in Houston and Kingwood.

I want to also thank Keep Kingwood Green for their local initiatives too!

How can you make organizing happen at your home or business?

 

Don’t miss a minute of organizing!  Join my newsletter!

 

 

 

 

Spring Organizing and Cleaning

/0 Comments/in , /by

One of the most powerful parts of social networking is the connections and collaborations we make! I asked my social media peeps to share their small and big changes this year.  I loved learning a little more about each of them and what the new year holds for them. – See more at: https://professional-organizer.com/WordPress/2014/01/#sthash.eBR6JZUZ.dpuf
One of the most powerful parts of social networking is the connections and collaborations we make! I asked my social media peeps to share their small and big changes this year.  I loved learning a little more about each of them and what the new year holds for them. – See more at: https://professional-organizer.com/WordPress/2014/01/#sthash.eBR6JZUZ.dpuf

spring organizing

One of the most powerful parts of social media are the connections we make!  I asked my social media peeps what helps them get started on their spring organizing and cleaning.

As soon as the trees begin to bloom, I know that it’s spring cleaning season. Life is easier when my home is clean and organized, so it motivates me to get everything back in order as the season change. To get started, I begin at the front door and work my way through the house counter clockwise so I am sure to get the main living space of my home clean and organized first. 

 

I try my hardest to maintain a clean and organized home throughout the year using the one in, one out rule.  By maintaining some sort of order in my home throughout the year, life is easier for my family and me.

 

Kristi Reddell

 

Blogger 

 

Social Media: Twitter: @momsconfession, Pinterest: MomsConfession, Google+: Kristi Reddell

 

 

I work in the MathShack, an 8×8 outdoor office. It’s packed with math books, manipulatives, education catalogs, office equipment and of course the random toy Delorean. 

 

I’m usually motivated to clean by a new piece of equipment (“Where will THAT fit?!”) or a new function. When I started tutoring, I needed space for another human!

 

To clean, I put a folding table outside the MathShack on a warm day. Then I drag everything out and go through it. When I put the “keep” stuff back in, I rearrange it so it really feels like there’s a new start.

 

Bon Crowder

 

MathFour.com

 

 

spring organizing

I start spring organizing and cleaning in March. I am motivated by the change in weather. When it starts to get warmer, I feel the urge to do a major cleaning. I get started by going through everything I want to donate. I then go through my house, room by room, and make a big pile of things we no longer need or wear. Once I’ve cleared out all of that stuff, I start organizing and cleaning.

I get my daughter involved by making spring cleaning fun. I do this by turning on upbeat music. For us, it is always some sort of Disney or kid-friendly song list. We have so much fun getting our house ready for spring.

 

Jessica Wellington

 

Freelance Writer, Blogger

 

@famfunjournal; http://www.facebook.com/familyfunjournal; G+ Jessica Wellington

 

 

 

 

 Spring organizing starts when the trees start to bloom. It reminds me that there’s lots to do inside and outside. 

 

I like a team approach so I enlist my family in working in one space at a time.   It’s not hard because I work in one room and finish up, then move to the next. 

 

Of course all year long I work on decluttering too! I have a bag I drop donations into and take them off to local charities weekly.  

 

Ellen Delap

 

Professional organizer, productivity consultant and blogger

 

@TexasOrganizer, Pinterest Ellen Delap and Google + Ellen Delap

 

  spring organizing

 

 

When will you start your spring organizing and cleaning?

 

 

 

 

31 Days to an Organized Home

/4 Comments/in /by

31 days to an organized home

  31 days to an organized home (click here for a printable checklist)

Spring time is organizing time! We have renewed energy, we look forward to creating and cleaning, and we want to freshen our home. We can cover all the territory in our home working in baby steps to keep from being overwhelmed. This list of 31 short projects gets you motivated, gets you started, and gets a lot done over 31 days.  Follow this list and do one project each day for 30 minutes to an hour.  First toss, then donate or recycle, group by categories, and create a routine that helps you stay organized.  In just 31 days you will have an organized home!

The 31 days project is grouped around rooms in your home. As you move forward, you will be breaking your organizing into small steps in order to finish in each space.  Clearing your clutter has a calming effect and you will enjoy the serenity in your home.

1.   Any 31 items.  Just walk around the house and choose any 31 items that are not useful, functional, or beautiful. 

2.   Kitchen junk drawer

3.   Under the Kitchen Sink

4.   Refrigerator

5.   Freezer

6.   Spice cabinet

7.   Laundry Room

8.   Laundry room sink area

organized

9.    Pantry medicine basket

10. Paper goods

11. Pantry

12. Extra bags around the house

13. Computer or home office desk

14. Warranty and instruction books

15. Bookshelves and books

16. Technology

organized home office

 

17. Under Bathroom Sink

18. Medicine Cabinet

19. Make up drawer

20. Undies, socks, jammies

21. Night stand drawers

22. Coat closet

23. Media cabinet

24. VHS movies

25. Linen Closet

26. Purses and bags

27. Tops, tee shirts and dresses

28. Pants and skirts

29. Shoes

organized closet

30. Car

31. Any 31 items.  Eliminating an additional 31 items will make your home even less cluttered!

 

Jump start your spring organizing this year! Keep me posted on how your work is progressing and how successful you are!

 Don’t miss a minute of productivity and organizing tips! Subscribe to my newsletter!

Hugs and Happy Organizing: Craft Room Organizing

/0 Comments/in , /by

Hugs and happy organizing is all about client success stories. Here you will find a craft and sewing room organizing success story.

 

hugs and happy organizing sewing and craft room

 

Sewing and crafting are wonderful ways to express creativity! What happens when we are overloaded with materials, too many projects, and a limited space?  Craft room chaos!  You can enjoy your quilting, crochet, sewing, and knitting more with craft room organizing.  Follow these simple steps for your craft and sewing room success.

  • Start with decluttering. Decide which materials inspire you and which can go on to another home.  In Houston, Texas Art Asylum is a wonderful resource for sharing your stash.
  • Group you materials by project type.
  • Group your projects that are started, and consider how you will keep materials together for each project. I suggest ziploc bags or clear plastic containers (Amazon affiliate link).
  • Group your tools together, such as scissors, needles, and rulers. Place these in an easy access spot on  your work space.

What made a difference in your craft and sewing area?

 

 

More Hugs and Happy Organizing success stories on pinterest.

Don’t miss out on upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Company’s Coming! Decluttering your home

/0 Comments/in , /by

home organizing

 

Company’s coming! What a great way to make sure you are organized! These words strike fear and get you in gear.  It’s time to tackle the guest room and the dining room.  Decluttering your home before company comes creates an inviting and welcoming space for them.  Follow these 5 easy steps to declutter and be ready for visitors.

Guest rooms become storage.  Dining rooms become work areas.  Both are easy spots throughout the year just to drop off bags from the car or other purchases you have not found a home for yet.  Set aside time on your calendar in 2 hour segments for decluttering.  You can get these areas back to their original use easily and efficiently.

 

  • Reset and distribute.  Start by grouping items and then distributing to appropriate spots in your home.  Your kids can help by being runners. You can use a basket or plastic tote to help carry items to where they belong.

 

  • Organize room by room.  Next go room by room and incorporate those items.  This will require some editing and blending of new and already owned items.  Get ready to cast off and donate what you have replaced with newer items.

 

  • Create mobile storage.  If your dining room was used as a craft room, think about storing crafts in 3 drawer sterilite rolling cart. These can be rolled to the garage for storage while your room is being used for holiday dinners.

 

  • Power through paper clutter.  If paper was stashed in your guest room, consolidate it into bags.  Use 15 minute time pockets to power through what you are keeping and what you are discarding.  Once you have culled this down, set up 15 minute periods to file. Powering through paper helps you know what to keep and what to discard.

 

  • Fun and function.  Set your table for your holiday dinner early. It will keep your table from getting cluttered again.

 

  • Freshen up.  Freshen up your guest room with new linens, a small tray of toiletries and mints, and fresh flowers to keep your room ready for guests.

 

Don’t miss out on upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

5 Small Starts to Organizing

/3 Comments/in , , , , /by

getting started organizing with 5 small spots

 

 

I am often asked where to start organizing in a home or office. It just takes starting in a small spot. Here are 5 you can start in to feel successful and motivated.

  • Car glove box! You can easily clean out receipts, old insurance papers and other odds and ends.
  • Silverware drawer! It gets a little crazy sometimes getting utensils back in the right slot. Take a few minutes to sort and clean out.
  • Sock drawer! There are just too many socks sometimes. Match up the socks, and toss the rest. Be brutal!
  • Top drawer of your desk! We just slip papers in there, just too easily.  Spend a few minutes tossing what is old, unused or broken in there, decide what really belongs in this space, distribute the rest, and then you are more productive than ever.
  • Email inbox and processed folder. You don’t have to keep all the emails in your inbox.  Add a subfolder called “processed,” “read,” or whatever you what to name it, for the emails you have read and want to keep.  Keeping your inbox just for incoming mail will be more effective and efficient.

What small stuff do you do to get organized?

Need an organizing boost? Get my newsletter monthly!