Your Most Organized Year Ever

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Your Most Organized Year Yet

Each year as we start the new year, we think of ways to make a change and improve our lives.  Did you know that organizing is one of the top three goals each year?  Throughout the month of January, I will be offering 31 tips to help you have Your Most Organized Year Ever.  Implement just one of these tips, tools, techniques or tweaks this year. 

 

Lots of stuff out all the time?

 

Is the cleaning lady coming and you have to pick up?

 

All surfaces in your home and office filled with clutter?

 

Your organizing systems are in place and you are ready to take the next step to stay organized.  There’s an easy remedy to maintain your organization. It’s to distribute daily.  It’s taking five minutes a day to get items back to their homes.  Push through your fatigue at the end of the day and get your clothes put away, your papers into the command center and write your list for the next day.  Put away purchases the day you bring them home or to the office.  Make it Your Most Organized Year Ever with daily distribution.

 

Feeling challenged to get started?  Check out these Home Sweet Organized Home ideas on pinterest.

 

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How to Be More Organized in the New Year

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7 (4)

 

Each new year we reflect on the last year and want a fresh start.  About a third of us want to be more organized this year.  There are lots of skills to learn to be more organized.    It takes more than just organizing skills and decluttering to be more organized. It takes new perspectives.  These perspectives are to be intentional, be mindful, be consistent and be less hurried.

 

Be intentional

Each purchase you make, each item you bring into your home, and each project you put into motion must be intentional. Be sure your actions align with your intentions this year. If your intention is to be more organized, few items should cross your threshold without a specific purpose in  your life.  By being intentional this new  year you will find less paper, stuff and mind clutter.

 

Be mindful

Keep alert to what derails you this year.  As you are proceeding on with new and existing projects, stay in the moment of that project.  It’s easy to start but hard to complete or follow through.  Those projects include both home and work projects. Distractions of all sorts take you off track. Give yourself the opportunity to be more organized this year by being mindful.

 

 Be consistent

It’s hard to do the same whatever over and over again. But that’s what makes for steady progress and lasting maintenance.  You can have the most organized files, home, or office, but it’s the maintenance that makes for ongoing organization.  Consistency comes from having a routine to accomplish your tasks.  It is having a structure in your week that gives you a time to get organized and stay organized.

 

Be less hurried

Time is the most important part of organization. When we are hurried, everything falls apart. We rush in and out of our homes and offices, leaving no time to organize our stuff, let alone put it where it belongs. When we pace ourselves well, we can leave ourselves time to organize our papers before a meeting, put away our purchases where they belong and get ready for the next day.  Whether it’s with meditation, prayer or through physicality, set in motion ways to help yourself to be less hurried this year.  The impact on your organizing will be rewarding.

 

 

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Your Most Organized Year Ever

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Your Most Organized Year Ever

Each year as we start the new year, we think of ways to make a change and improve our lives.  Did you know that organizing is one of the top three goals each year?  Throughout the month of January, I will be offering 31 tips to help you have Your Most Organized Year Ever.  Implement just one of these tips, tools, techniques or tweaks this year. 

 

Not enough storage in your home or office?

 

Wondering how to take better advantage of organizing any space in your home or office?

 

If you see wall space or height in a space, it’s time to use the stratosphere to organize.  Go vertical. Check out if you can add a five shelf book case or add an armoire to use the space more effectively.  Add an adjustable shelf to your attic or garage to add space.  Add racks on kitchen shelves and under your bathroom cabinets.  In office storage, add adjustable shelving for office supplies.  Add command hooks to walls to take advantage of flat surfaces. Make this your Most Organized Year Ever by using vertical space for storage.

 

Love organizing quotes and inspiration? Check out more here on Pinterest.

 

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Your Most Organized Year Ever

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your most organized year ever

 

Each year as we start the new year, we think of ways to make a change and improve our lives.  Did you know that organizing is one of the top three goals each year?  Throughout the month of January, I will be offering 31 tips to help you have Your Most Organized Year Ever.  Implement just one of these tips, tools, techniques or tweaks this year. 

 

Tired of running between spots to get finished with a project?

 

Not finding tape and scissors to get things done?

 

Starting a project but need to check several places to get the tools to get it done?

 

Keep items you use together stored together.  Think of “zones” that you can create to make it easy to get tasks accomplished.  It could be the lunch making or baking zones in your kitchen.  It could be the baby doll and pretend area in your child’s room.  It could be make up, accessories and scarves in your closet.  It could be the bill paying area with checks, envelopes and stamps.  Be creative and use your instincts to make it easier to get things done.  Make this Your Most Organized Year Ever by grouping items together that you use together.

 

Love organizing quotes and inspiration? Check out more here on Pinterest.

 

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5 Basic Rules of Organizing

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5 basic rules of home organizing

 

 

Wouldn’t it be nice to know the rules when you start a new project? When you put together that new bookshelf, it would be great if there were big bold letters that tell you to double check the front and back of the segments?  Or when you are making a new dish, would you love to know that no matter what it will be delicious?  When I think about organizing, I think there are some basic concepts that will lead to your success.  Here are my favorite 5 basic rules of organizing.

 

Eliminate what you don’t love or use.

It seems simple enough this rule. Eliminating and editing are the first steps to organizing.   What interferes are the “what if’s” in life. What if I need it in a year? What if I lose 5, 10 or 15 pounds?  We can “what if” ourselves into keeping everything.  If you truly love an item, but have not used it, keep it in a less accessible spot.  It’s possible to eliminate what you don’t use or love using the 4 box method.  Get clarity with this rule and your organizing will yield great results.

 

Store items at their point of use

The concept of keeping items where they are used frequently is nothing new. A little creative storage can be a good thing.  Keeping items at their point of use means you can easily find what you need and easily put it away.  You can create zones in a room to help you stay organized too.  The kitchen is a great area to keep zones in mind. The breakfast zone is where the bowls and cereal are stored together.  The coffee zone is where the Kcups, mugs and sweetener are.  You get the idea that storing what you use together makes life easier.

Create limits and boundaries

When there are no limits, stuff becomes chaotic and stuff is everwhere.  Having natural limits and boundaries for your stuff makes it easier to be organized.  Your clothes limits include your dresser and closet.  Keeping  within these limits helps you with maintenance too.  There’s less laundry to put away.  Create natural boundaries with storage for items in your home or office.  Have one drawer for extra office supplies, one location to keep school supplies and one shelf for extra pantry items.

paper get rid of it. you know you want to

 

Get rid of paper. You know you want to.

Paper has us all overwhelmed! It’s the number one organizing project in almost everyone’s home.  Our goal is not to store paper, but to get rid of as much as possible.  Seek out other options for the information on paper.  Can you find that information somewhere else?  Can you make a note in Evernote instead?  How long do you need to keep that paper?  Use this chart to help you eliminate more paper.

 

Keep it simple sweetie

By far my favorite mantra to share!  Keep it all simple, whether it is stuff you are doing, stuff you are organizing, relationships you are in, and ways to live your best life.  How do we keep it simple? By shedding the excess stuff, by eliminating toxic relationships, and finding ways to live life simply.

 

Check out how these organizing rules come together on my Pinterest board Home Sweet Organized Home.

 

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Financial Organizing: Best Financial Apps

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organizing your finances best apps

Organizing your finances is important.  But let’s make it as easy and as seamless as we can.

 

In the early 2000’s, we started experiencing the ease of online banking.  Many people were reluctant at first, and some continue to doubt the safety factor.

 

However, what’s not to love about our smartphones, tablets and computers when they can make something less painful?  The best financial apps can make financial organizing easier.

 

Your bank App

Not only can you make deposits without going to the bank, you can transfer money rather than send a check.  Having your bank app on your phone means you can check deposits and account balances.

 

Reminders

The trick to keeping current on bill paying is to set a reminder to pay the bills!  Reminders are great for paper or online bill pay.  Set the reminder as a recurring event each month to act on your finances.

 

CreditKarma

Once a year it’s great to check your credit score.  Your credit score impacts how interest on loans, how much you pay for insurance and mortgage rate.  Keep up annually with this free app.

 

Red Laser

I love to shop when I know I am getting the best price for an item.  Using Red Laser, I can price an item by scanning the bar code and see where to purchase it most cheaply.

 

Grocery IQ

There’s always groceries to buy! Why not share the responsibility by sharing the list?  Grocery IQ builds a list that can be used by multiple smart phones.  Whoever is on the way home can stop and get the milk now.

 

Expensify

Expense accounts can be time consuming!  Simplify the process with this app that includes scanning your receipt and adding it to your expense form.

 

I’d love to learn your favorite financial apps too!

 

Loving all the money mojo? Join me on pinterest Financial Organizing

 

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Home Organizing: Organizing A to Z

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home organizing a to z

“In every job there must be done, there is an element of fun.

You find the fun and  ~ snap ~ the job’s a game!”

~ Mary Poppins

 

 

Have a little organizing fun this summer with your family.  Our A- Z organizing days are little projects everyone can work on together to have a more organized home.  Set aside 30 minutes at a time to declutter and organize these spaces.  Just a little time spent makes a big difference!

 

A – automobile
B – books
C – cleaning supplies
D – desk area
E – extra school supplies
F – freezer
G – garage
H – home office
I – inventory of the medicine cabinet
J – junk drawer in the kitchen
K – kitchen essentials (trash bags, ziploc bags, foil)
L – linen closet
M – magazines and catalogs
N – napkins and paper goods
O – office supplies
P – pet supplies
Q – quick catch up on a day you missed!
R – refrigerator, recipes
S – sports equipment
T –  tools
U – utility room
V – videos, movies, games
W – wrapping paper & gift bags
X – exercise clothes
Y – yard
Z – zip into your purse too!

 

More ideas on organizing your home on my pinterest board Home Sweet Organized Home

How do you make a job more fun?

 

Organizing Basics: Organizing 1, 2, 3

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home organizing basics

 

Organizing can be as simple as 1, 2, 3.  Really? Yes!  It comes down to great rules and routines that follow up your organizing.  Get everyone on board in your family and it’s a piece of cake.  Here are my top 3 organizing rules.

 

1.  If it takes just a minute, put it away right away.

Most times we procrastinate about picking up because “we just don’t have time” since we are on the go. We have a lot of activities, we need to get to work on time, or we think it will take a lot of time to put stuff away.   Create a rule for yourself that if it just takes a minute (or 2 or 3 minutes) just put it away asap.

 

organizing 1, 2, 3
2.  Partner up! Any task is easier when it’s two people working together.

It doesn’t matter if its creating a powerpoint presentation or unloading the dishwasher, when you work as a team everything is better.   Partnerships can take many different forms.  It can be family, friends or colleagues creating connections and working together.  It can be a virtual partnership, like when  you are on the phone or skype.  Find a partner who helps do the job well and makes it fun too.

 

 

organizing 1, 2, 3

3.  A place for everything and everything in its place.

There’s no clutter when everything in your home or office has a place.  Match up items with their point of use, what room you will use them in and with other items you use them with. Store items by location to make it easy to access them when needed. It’s when stuff has no home, its on the counter or the floor for days.  Be sure you always have a spot for an item before you purchase it too. When every single thing, that means everything, has a place there’s no clutter!

 

What are your basic 1, 2, 3’s of organizing?

 

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Summer Organizing: On the go with or without kids (Part 2)

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family organizing

Summer is around the corner! The fun of summer is our let it go attitude and our free spirit spontaneity. A little organization goes a long way to help summer fun.

1. Each child needs a specific bag for each activity they are involved in. The bag needs to be the right size to hold what is needed for that activity, but not so big they start putting a lot of extra stuff in it. There needs to be a specific place in the house where these are kept. (destination station)
2. Often-used items need duplicates. (like keep a small pair of scissors in the van)
3. Prepare a ziplock bag for each child with an emergency outfit in it. (Even older children get muddy socks or spill juice or something.) Keep in the vehicle.
4. Stock your vehicle with ziplock bag kits such as: stuff for fixing hair; sunscreen and lip balms; first aid; snacks; teeth-brushing stuff.
5. Prepare a little tub for the trunk with picnic-type supplies such as paper towels, napkins, spoons, small paper plates. So many times, we could then hit a grocery store for some healthier snacks, and saved by not doing fast food.
6. Sunglasses: For our family, it only worked to get inexpensive ones and keep duplicates. The best thing I did for myself (since I wear glasses) was to get the transition lenses so I don’t need sunglasses.

Linda B, mom of 4

As a schoolteacher, I enjoy having summers off! Even with increased flexibility in my schedule, it helps to plan for these summer months. Here’s how I do it:

I sit down with family members and compare summer calendars. Everyone has with flight/travel information, birthday plans and more!

I try to keep summer items in the back of the car so I’m ready for any swimming pool or beach days (sunscreen, towels, bathing suit, extra flip flops)!

I use summer as a time to reorganize at home. I always tackle my desk and shred old papers. I also go through all the clothes and shoes in my closet and donate to Goodwill.

I don’t over plan the summer. I like to leave some open days to fill in as the summer goes on!

Laura S.

 

Technology helps me keep it together “on the go”. We always hear that we are tethered to our devices, but actually devices help me NOT be tethered to my desk! Apps like “evernote” and “drop box” help me keep what I need at my fingertips. I use the calendar, alerts and alarms to let me tune into work as needed rather than 9-5. It even helps me get moving by tracking my steps and fitness. Adapting my phone to support a lifestyle that is always on the go has helped RELAX and UNTETHER from work more. I can go have fun knowing I can check in if needed remotely.

Leslie M.