Tag Archive for: Organizing Skills

Decluttering with your kids

/4 Comments/in /by

decluttering with your kids

Summer is the best time to partner with your kids in decluttering your home.  You have a little more time during the week without the pace of school.  Your kids need a little something more to do around the house.  Most especially we all need an annual time to declutter what has built up throughout the year.  There are many philosophies on decluttering with your kids.  All have merit.  It’s time to think about what works best in your family.

Working alongside your kids

 

Many of us as kids were just sent to our room to “clean up.”  It might have been a frustrating experience. Where do we start? What does our room need to look like in the end?  What do we do with all our stuff?  Work alongside your kids to get their rooms organized.  Start with trash.  There’s a lot of it!  Trash includes anything broken, stained or unusable.  Coach your child through categories.  It can be general, like toys, clothes and media.  Then work through sub categories, like XBox and Wii, Barbies and Barbie clothes, or vehicles and animals.  Start to pare down once everything is grouped together. It’s much easier to let go of stuff if you know what you have.  Keep working steadily with your kids until they start disengaging.  It’s good for you to continue without then at this point and work until the space is complete.  By working together, your kids will learn the organizing process, learn to simplify and learn that less is more!

 

Working without your kids

 

Sometimes kids’ spaces are too overwhelming for them to be a part of the organizing process. As the parent,  you know there need to be changes.  Go ahead and organize their space without them.  It will be a blessing to them that you are working at organizing.  You can delete toys and place  these in black garbage bags in the garage to be sure you have not eliminated a precious item.  Start by grouping items together, then deleting what is excessive.  Create spots to store the items so that your kids can easily access them and label each spot.  Your kids will need a “tour” of the space and some reminders on how to stay organized.

 

 Kid keepsakes

 

Most kids have school and other papers in their space. It’s best to have a keepsake box for them. It’s a place to stash what they think is precious for their keepsakes.  If your child is an artist, think of a display area for their work.  Many parents are using clothespin lines for art display.  If your child creates lego structures, think of adding ledge shelving for display.  Honoring your kids’ keepsakes is another way of connecting with them.

 

Other decluttering tips:

 

  • Your children can share their blessings by decluttering before a birthday or holiday. Encourage your children to donate to local philanthropies that are important to your family, such as a women’s shelter or relief fund.
  • Sell the items online or at consignment and have them also learn about money.  Go through your children’s clothes at summer and winter intervals to be sure only what fits is in the drawers or closet.
  • If you store clothes for the next sibling, keep these in uniform, labeled containers with the size, season and gender on the outside of the container.
  • If your children are not ready to part with certain toys, the toys can “go on vacation” on an upper shelf or other storage area to be brought out later.  Expect to work together for 30 minutes, and then finish up.

 

Great kid storage options

 

IKEA small bins

IKEA small bins

 

 

Kids keepsake boxes

Kids keepsake boxes

 

 

toy organizing

Container Store busy boxes

 

 

More organizing ideas for busy parents here!

Make It Happen Mantras

/1 Comment/in , /by

organizing

There are so many great organizing quotes! Here are a few that especially bring a smile to my face.

 

Done is Perfect.  Donna Smallin coined this phrase in her book Organizing Plain and Simple. Don’t get caught up in perfection, just get your job done!

 

Well begun is half done.  Mary Poppins has many professional organizer traits!  In her song, A Spoon Full of Sugar, we all learn that getting started is half the job.   And then you are already half way complete!

 

Just do it! Taken directly from Nike, but I couldn’t resist!

 

Drain the swamp, regardless of the alligators. Many obstacles keep us from completing a job.  Find a way around the big teeth and get the job done.

 

Keep it simple sweetie! Be sure as you organize and as you live your life, the priorities and path are clear for you.

 

Hugs and happy organizing.  My favorite of all!

 

What is your favorite saying to get the job done?  What organizing quotes inspire you?

 

Mantras and more! Join my newsletter for a dose of organizing ideas monthly.

Family Manager Lists

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

In my life, making and having a great list can make things so much easier.  On the Family Manager website, www.familymanager.com, there are many lists for  productivity, family chores and peace of mind.  Creating a list gets it all off your mind and you can really live and do “in the moment”. But what if there were lists made for you so you don’t have to think about it all yourself or that go beyond your own ideas?

Weekly Hit List:  Save your sanity with an orderly list of task.  Family Manager divides your tasks in the the six major departments of life. Using this list, you can write down all the tasks and priorities for week.  Seeing it all written it is easy to review what is to be done, deleted or delegated. 

Who’s Responsible for What,  Age Appropriate Chores List and Kids Chores Chart:  Who said Mom is always responsible for all chores?  A full list of all the possible jobs for family members. Use this list for family members to choose what they prefer or do best.  Assign points for level of difficulty of the chores and then create your own chores chart  to post in the kitchen for all to see. 

House Rules Contract: Family communication begins with agreeing on family guidelines and expectations.  Use this contract as a guideline for your family’s discussion. 

Lists are an easy way to make anything more visual, from the files in your file cabinet to the gifts purchased for holidays.  What lists work for you and your family?

Organizing a classroom

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

It is an honor and privilege for me to partner with teachers in setting up their classrooms.  Teachers and classrooms are set up to maximize a productive, nurturing environment for learning.  In our work together, we create a custom space for the teacher to reinforce concepts and classroom management.

Setting up your classsroom begins with room/space arrangement. Start with the global view of what do you want to accomplish in which space.  Typically there is a teacher work zone with the desk, files, and bookshelves.  The student spaces include personal desks and small group spaces.  There is storage for supplies and the daily lessons.  Final room touches include the bulletin board and the wall decor.  By asking yourself questions and centering on the curriculum,  the classroom takes shape. 

Take each zone individually to maximize productivity for the task and to store items. 

For the teacher work area, have a space for computer, a small quantity of school supplies, easy access for adminstrative tasks, easy access for the day’s curriculum, and a small space for personal items such as snacks.  For the admin tasks, think of the papers you will get daily and need to be filed, returned to the office, or send back to parents. Each should have a “slot” to drop these in and then take a few minutes to act on the appropriate paper.  The cascading file tote from The Container Store works well for admin papers. Be sure to label it with your categories of paper, including administrative, parents, or filing.   By using the wall space you are keeping paper off your desk too! 

Curriculum and lessons need a specific spot.   You can use vertically stacked letter trays  or plastic drawers to hold each day’s lessons.  Keep lessons in the space you are using these, in the front of the classroom, at your small group work station,  or in the file cabinet for the following week.  Again, lots of labels needed! You can categorize by day of the week, curriculum concept (such as sequencing), or curriculum area (such as math). 

Storage in classrooms follows the same concepts as all organized storage. Keep like things together and items you access frequently easy to reach.  Use containers to keep floppy, small items each to store.  The most difficult aspect of storage is to keep ONLY what you use.  Review your cabinets frequently to get items back to where these belong.  Curriculum resources can be found on bookshelves behind the teacher’s desk. 

Keeping your classroom organized occurs with good routines.  Have your students help you maintain the order in the class by returning items to their proper homes.  You are teaching more than curriculums of math, science or language.  Organizing is a life skill  that is very important to share.

Here’s what made a difference for this teacher:

Since I moved to a new classroom this year, I had to do more than just rearrange and re-organize.  I had to rebuild.  Ellen helped me to begin by thinking globally.  What do I want the big picture to look like?  What will I need to accomplish today to feel as though I have been productive?  She also helped me to narrow down and focus on one task at a time while prioritizing which one needed to come first, second, and so on.  Just another set of hands makes a great difference, but sometimes having someone to guide you (and sometimes push you to get the work done) is what leaves you with the feeling of complete success.  From arranging student desks to connecting extension wires, from desk drawers to cabinet shelves, and from storing unused materials to decorating walls, my feelings of overwhelmed and impossible changed to prepared and confident with a little help from a fantastic organizer.  Thanks professional-organizer.com!  Ellen, you’re the best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ideas for products

  http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=21884113&itemIndex=1&CATID=74538&PRODID=10018814. 

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.html?Section=Storage&ProductCategory=45

http://www.staples.com/Staples-Plastic-Side-Loading-Letter-Size-Trays/product_SS645820?cmArea=FEATURED:SC2:CG22:DP1203:CL142133

Family Dinner

/1 Comment/in , /by

dinner organizing and family dinner

 

In our minds, the thought of family dinner brings back a picture of the 50s family gathered around the table feasting on pot roast and mashed potatoes.  With the busy lives we lead we may not be able to make that pot roast ourselves, but we can continue to make family dinner a priority. In a recent Time Magazine article, the Magic of the Family Meal, authors cited the family dinner as a primary part of family life. The communication that goes on not only smooths family life, this article even went on to say it prevents kids from doing drugs! This is reason for us to be sure we have our sacred family time.   http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/fashion/04dinner.html

So how to accomplish this daunting task? Here are several suggestions to make this a simple part of your everyday family life.

Start with a plan. 

Be sure family members can be home together to have dinner.  Making dinner a priority means some thing else may not be a part of your week.  Include grocery shopping (and possibly coupon clipping) in your calendar in order to prepare dinner.

Include your family team in meal planning and preparation.  During a family meeting, have family members request their favorites and make a list.   Family members can partner to make meals and clean up after meals.  With your chores chart, assign a night to the pairs.   If starting dinner is a sticking point, make it a standard operating procedure for whoever comes in the door first starts dinner.

Families look forward to dinner and the yummy foods. 

With your family list create a 3 week rotation of easy to prepare meals. Recycle your 3 week rotations in a notebook to reuse later in the year.  Post the weekly or 3  week rotation on the refrigerator so your family knows the plan and chats about the yummy treats coming up.

Keep It Simple Sweetie applies to family dinner.

It is about gathering together, not culinary creativity.  Sandwiches, breakfast food, and crock pot dinners are all great ways to get dinner done.  Affordable healthy take out from fast food restaurants can be a part of the plan too.

Family traditions start with dinner time. 

Friday night can be frozen pizza night, Sunday is Dad’s Grill Day and Wednesday night might be Breakfast for Dinner night.  Our kids remember these times!

Your pantry should be the go to spot for those crazy nights when everyone is running late.  Include pasta, bottled speghetti sauce, tuna and other staples that can be turned into dinner in 30 minutes.

Plan for leftovers. 

Recently I read about a family who dedicates Sunday to going to the park each Sunday in the summer.  Dad grills burgers, chicken and other dinner meats for the week, while Mom relaxes and the kids play games.  On a weekend, double recipes and freeze half.  Cook an entree that can be used in two different dishes, such as taco meat for burritos and later in the week taco salad.

And here are a few other resources too!

www.5dollardinners.com

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/

www.menufortheweek.com

http://www.makedinnereasy.com/

http://www.sixoclockscramble.com/

http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/

 

What is your favorite way to get dinner done?

Organized Office

/0 Comments/in , /by

Whether it is your home office, your small business office or your corporate office, getting down to business at your desk is a chore if it is piled with papers! Establishing a comfortable area for paper work and other office activities is important for productivity.

Create a Work Zone

As you begin, determine what tasks you are doing in your office and the tools needed for these tasks. By making these decisions at the outset, you are preparing your space for accomplishment. Create areas designating the best access for most frequent activities. As for room arrangement, place your desk in a position that allows maximum use of natural light. Position the desk in a direct ion that allows for direct viewing of all who enter without you having to turn.

Desk drawers should have only what you use at the desk in them. Store your additional office supplies in another area. Keep specific categories of items individually stored in different drawers. One drawer should contain checks and bill paying items, one drawer stationary and note pads, one drawer with a pencil tray holding pencils, pens, tape, stapler and scissors. Again, keep just enough to use and not over stuff the drawers. Place books on book shelves, magazines or reading material in a basket to grab and go. Be sure that your telephone, computer and other essentials are placed easily in reach.

 

A Personalized Paper Plan

A “paper plan” is most important in this work zone. Create an area for “Action” files. This is a temporary home where papers live until either filed away or thrown away. Papers used frequently or that are a “hot topic” need a basket, vertical file, or other space on your desk. Label them according to what actions or terms fit best with your needs. These files can be call, file, mail, or pay. Or these can be named by client name, project name, or other key word that comes to mind quickly. Clearly label your files so you will always know what is in them, and just as importantly, the labels will remind you what not to put in them.

 

Organize with access in mind

 

Arrange for the placement of frequently used files to be placed in the desk’s file drawer. Less frequently accessed files can be placed in a separate filing cabinet. As for filing cabinets, use a low-lying, two-drawer cabinet that can be placed next to or near your desk for the added use of its top for other items that you often need.

 

Your filing system should be simple easy and manageable. Create categories in your files for the different major work/home areas. For work it may be clients, administrative, financial. For home it may be home/auto, personal, and financial. Use general key words that come to mind quickly, and sub categorize as needed. An example would be Car – insurance, Car – maintenance, or Insurance – Car, Insurance – Home. Think about how YOU think about the paper to find it. Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information. Use one color hanging file to easily slip information into a file. Label the file with a tab using a label maker!   Decide when papers go into an archive area. These are papers you seldom access, but need to keep.  Arrange for storage in the least accessible drawer, in a file box in the top of a closet, or at an auxiliary location.

 

Maximize your space to maximize productivity!  A clear desk makes it easy to sit down and get started on your work.

Gigi Day

/0 Comments/in /by

As an organizer, it is important to me to to prioritize. And nothing is more of a priority to me than my family and relationships. Last year, I started having Gigi Day with my grandkids.  Why Gigi Day? I am called Gigi by my grandkids and 2 of them live nearby.  Every Friday I spend the day having fun with them.  What do we do? It can be as simple as a trip to the park, the zoo or Children’s Museum. Some time it is playing hide and seek.  It is my way of spending time with them every week just to be a part of their everyday lives.  

Each summer my other grandchild comes to visit for several weeks and it is our time to spend with him.  As a far away grandparent, we are thrilled to have him play with his big wheel on the driveway, color or play with trucks.   This is time that is priceless, super valuable and incredibly important!   

These times are my small but important ways to do what is most valuable to me.   The greatest gift is time spent together, not the stuff you can buy. 

Think about what your family shares. How do you spend time together? Do you have family dinner and time to have fun? Listed here are some Houston links  for family fun. 

http://www.cmhouston.org/

http://www.discoverygreen.com/

http://www.chron.com/channel/momhouston/

http://www.houstononthecheap.com/

http://www.hmns.org/

http://www.houstonzoo.org/

http://www.grandparents.com/gp/home/index.html

 What family fun are you sharing this week?

Coupons

/0 Comments/in , /by
With our economy, coupons are an important way to make the most of your budget.   Organizing your coupons can take a few extra minutes, but the reward is incredible.  My clients feel very empowered by using coupons and it is their way of making their budgets really work for them. 
 
An easy ways to start couponing is to check out the local sites of your grocery stores. These sites have online digital coupons for you to use.   You can easily load these onto your existing store card or print coupons to bring with you.  Choose coupons for items you use regularly from the store you shop at regularly.   A major bonus (like hitting the lottery!) is to pair a coupon with a product already on sale.  Stores like CVS and Walgreens offer bonus bucks and coupons can be used with them. 
 
Keep coupons where you can use them most.   A small accordion file in your car can keep store coupons, like Bed Bath and Beyond or Chilis.  These can be categorized by your personal categories, such as food, clothes, etc. or by expiration date, or whatever works for you.  Clipping the weekly coupons from the Sunday Paper starts in your living room with clipping, then attaching to your grocery list, and then bringing these to the car.    Decide on a routine that works for you.   Most important is to keep what you use and to use it before it expires.
 
Smead provided me with this Tag Along Organizer, perfect for keeping your coupons organized!  It has 5 pockets, easily labeled for grocery aisles. It is small enough to fit in your purse!
 
 
Here are a few more online ways to get great coupons! My thanks to client Pam and her niece Stacy for sharing these with me!

www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pg-brandsaver-samples-coupons.jsp

www.scottcommonsense.com/coupon

www.couponshack.com

www.grocerycouponsusa.com

www.couponmom.com

www.retailmenot.com

 www.hotcouponworld.com

 www.dealseekingmom.com 

 

www.moneysavingmom.com 

 

www.katycouponers.com   

 

www.couponclippers.com 

 

www.thecouponmaster.com 

 

www.coupondede.com   

 

 

Organizing Your Car

/0 Comments/in , /by

organizing your car

 

Your car is your office on the go and your home away from home! Whether you are a professional going to work or a busy mom or dad carpooling, having an organized vehicle can make the difference in your travels.  Organizing your car just takes a few extra minutes!

Think about what items you will need as you travel. We all need tissues, first aid kit, car insurance, and a flashlight just in case. What is needed for other travelers? Busy families may need books or toys. Travel for work may require business products and files. Take a few minutes to plan and write a list of needs for you and your family.

If you car is your mobile office, organize for stocking, storing and traveling with business tools. Carry some basic desk items such as business cards, calculator, stapler, scissors and tape in a zipper case or small tackle box. Store files in a hanging file case with a cover. Be sure to have a notebook and pen in your car for taking notes.

For kids on the go, being organized makes every trip less demanding. With access for your back seat travelers, you can place an organizer in the back seat or over the seat with a place for a water bottles, electronic games and books. For kids’ toys and more, there is the Clear away car organizer from OnlineOrganizer.com. For maps, snacks and more, look into the Case Logic Back Seat Organizer from stackandstacks.com. For movies and technology, look at the High Road Entertainment Organizer from www.thebusywoman.com. These organizing products make travel easier for everyone!

Every day items require storage too. The Creekside Cargo Mini from www.drivewerks.com keeps all sorts of items from milk to soccer balls from rolling around your trunk. For tools, purchase a durable canvas bag to contain all the tools including jumper cables. For compact disks, visor storage is a convenient, easy to access spot. What about trash? A pop up trash can made of durable mesh can fit by the driver’s seat.

What about paper? The glove compartment or center console is a great spot for this! Use a check organizer and group the papers by category, such as maps and directions, insurance, warranty/instructions and emergency phone numbers. Be sure to label each pocket for easy retrieval.

Finally, keeping your car organized requires maintenance routines. Each stop along the way and each evening empty the trash from your car. Restock the items for your business on a weekly basis. Remind family members to replace items in the storage spots. Be vigilant about your registration sticker and make a note on your calendar when to renew this. Emptying the car is more than stuffing a bag and dropping it in your garage. Finish your routine by putting the items in the trash or in their place inside your home.

What will work for you to keep your car organized?

Quick Declutter

/0 Comments/in /by

We think we need days to declutter and we only have a few hours. Make the most of your decluttering time with planning, focus and decision making.  Arranging your schedule with decluttering as a priority creates success. With your kids secure and cared for, don’t answer the phone, check email or get distracted with details. Your goal in this 2 hours is to find and eliminate items!  Schedule Salvation Army or other trucks to pick up from your door the next day.  If you are planning a garage sale or online sale, set a date on your calendar.  You now have a deadline and accountability!  Start with the most frustrating space first.  Get boxes for donation items, sale items, distribution items (things that go in another room) and garbage items.  Set a timer and get going!

Here is the most important aspect – good decision making.  Be ruthless with items you no longer use.  If it has become a burden to care for it, purge it.   If it is broken, you can can list it on www.freecyle.org.  Especially in your closet, keep only what makes you look and feel fabulous!  Be clear on your vision of what the space will look like when you are done.

What does success look and feel like to you? Do you feel lighter? Is there less to care for? Do you see clarity in your space? Share with me your decluttering strategy and your success!