How I keep my sanity while packing!

It occurred to me one day while preparing my hospital bag that I was procrastinating on the task of packing up.  I had made a list and was planning to pack a couple weeks before my due date, but somehow I felt myself pushing off the duty farther and farther.  I did not want to gather items at the last minute, but I certainly was not accomplishing the necessary milestones to avoid that pickle.  I just couldn't get motivated. 

So I asked myself, why was this so hard?  What part of this task was bothering me so much?  Eventually I hit on the sense that I dreaded gathering up all the toiletry items.  My clothes were not such a big deal, but the thought of measuring what we needed now, or leaving that until later really bothered me.  I HATE packing toiletries for any trip.

Then I remembered something I used to tell my clients: have a toiletry bag stocked for travel and refill it when you return.  Packing is so much easier when you can simply throw a pre-organized bag of personal products into your suitcase!  So I decided to take a taste of my own medicine and proceeded to curate a group of items that would solely be for travel.  Since that time I have packed in half the usual time for two trips and no longer put off the task with dread!

Here is what we have in our toiletry bag.  When we return from the trip I take ten minutes to be sure everything is refilled and then the bag is ready for the next vacation:

The contents of my toiletry bag...his and her supplies.  Some items I refill myself, others I purchase new when I run out.

While not the highest quality, this bag has plenty of interior and exterior pockets to keep items separate.

When packed this bag takes up little space and is always ready for a last minute trip!

Do you have an organizing maintenance routine?

One way to keep clutter at bay and prevent a huge clean-out every five years is to put together a simple organizing maintenance schedule for your home.  If you follow a few rules and a rough routine you can eliminate a lot of time going through years of accumulated items and clutter.

1. Above all else, establish a one in, one out rule.  If you bring a new item into your home you must choose an item to donate or throw away.  This strategy works great for toys, clothes, tools, movies etc.
2. Do not exceed the parameters of storage you have set for a certain category.  For example, if you have chosen to store garden tools in a shed, do not let them spill over into the garage so you can keep collecting more.  Choose what to pare down until everything fits back in the shed.
3.  Establish a yearly maintenance routine.  Here is a rough example:

a.    Winter/Spring

                                          i.    Go through clothes

                                         ii.    Go through papers

                                        iii.    Go through main living areas

b.    Summer/Fall

                                          i.    Go through attic, garage and basement

                                         ii.    Go through bedrooms

                                        iii.    Go through toys (right before holidays)

Consistency is key to a good routine.  If you adhere to your guidelines and make a commitment to address every room in your home at least annually you will find yourself staying better organized and maintaining a better understanding of what is in your home.

Say goodbye to Stray Stuff

Sometimes things just disappear.  Socks, power adapters, an earring…at one point or another we have misplaced the mate to a pair.  I always encourage clients to have a spot to temporarily store things that have lost their friend.  Bins in the laundry room or utility area usually serve nicely.  But just like every other area in the house, these spaces need to be weeded every once in a while.

I once organized with a client who had two kitchen garbage bags full, and I mean FULL, of mismatched socks.  She had been stashing these wandering travelers away for two years.  She and I came to the conclusion that they were not worth the space they were taking up or the money she was supposedly saving by not buying new socks. 

If you are going to create a “Lost and Found” area in your home, weed through it on a regular basis.  Set a rule, that if after 6 months or a year the item has not been re-united with its counterpart, it goes out the door.  As much as we want to we cannot always wait indefinitely for the other half to appear. 

Here are a couple products that we have found useful in preventing separation:

Sock Clips

Sock Clips

Cable Tags

Quick tips to an organized trunk

An organized trunk makes many tasks and unexpected events easier to handle.  It is wonderful to have a clear space to put groceries and know exactly where your jumper cables are.  If your trunk is a mish-mosh of items and needs a little TLC use the simple steps below.

1) Place a tarp on the ground and empty the contents of the trunk on the tarp.  Immediately remove and throw away trash, anything that is broken, ripped or dried up.  If you have not used an item in the last year get rid of it (this does not apply to seasonal emergency items like a blanket or small snow shovel).

2) Sort the remaining contents into categories based upon use.  You can try categories like emergency, car maintenance, seasonal tools etc.  Think about how and when you would use something, then place all items with a similar function or use together.

3) Once you have everything sorted give the piles one more look to make sure you did not miss anything that can be discarded or donated.  

4) Next you need to decide how you want to store these items.  If you want a low cost solution utilizing open cardboard boxes are best.  However, it is always a good idea to invest in quality containers that will last and are easy to move.  Anything in your trunk will take a beating so make sure the storage is sturdy.  Here are a few ideas:

Folding trunk organizer

Cases with handles

Sweater boxes

Smart store totes

Frosted totes

Less is More

Because I am an organizer many people think I hate stuff, that I despise things and belongings.  When working with a client one-on-one I am able to dismiss this assumption pretty fast.  I don’t hate stuff and I do not disregard other people’s precious items.  What I try to help people see is that relationships and quality of life are so much more important than anything we own.  Organizing is often not about the physical stuff so much as it is about our perception of those things. 

If disorganization, clutter or a lack of systems negatively affects you and those around you, you are being held captive by what you own and allowing it to control you.  This will cause stress in your life and ultimately your relationships.  Sometimes people have simply acquired more than their space can comfortably contain, but the belongings are relatively current.  Other times clients are drowning in an avalanche of memorabilia or things associated with memories.  This habit will hold you in the past, keep your present from being enjoyable and even your future from moving forward. 

It is essential to visualize what is most important to us, and also those around us.  When we can clarify and then agree on what that vision is we become more able to live and exist with less.  Remember less is truly more!

A quick guide for proper closet heights

Many people struggle with a closet that does not have the appropriate space between hanging bars.  Even worse, some individuals have invested a lot of money in a new closet system only to see their shirts overlapping their pants below.  Don’t make the same mistake!  I found this great little guide to help remind us of the distances needed to have ample space between clothes.  It may seem like a lot but do not forget that you need to account for the length of the clothing as well as the hanger it sits on!

What to do when organizing another person's things

Sometimes we are forced to organize the space or possessions of another person.  You may think that is an obvious statement given my work with clients and their stuff.  However, I am talking more about working with someone close to you, or working with someone who cannot be there and do the work themselves.

My husband works very hard and also goes to school part time for his master’s degree.  His time is very precious and he has not had much of it over the last year and a half to go through old papers or make his desk a productive work-space.  As I have taken on these tasks myself I have learned a few best practices to add to my repertoire, specifically how to work with someone close to you, all the while preserving his final say and respecting his space and belongings. I hope you can use these strategies to perhaps help your children or spouse.

1. I usually let him know that I am attempting to organize something or some space and tell him up front that I won’t be throwing things away unless they are obvious trash.  This alleviates any fear he may have that I am just looking for an opportunity to get rid of his stuff.
2. I try to sort into categories I think make the most sense to him and not me.
3. I try to put the categories in storage places I think will be most intuitive for him and not me.
4. I label everything, including files, drawers and bins so he does not have to guess where things are.  This is crucial if someone needs to learn a new system of storage but did not create it.
5. I ask for five minutes of his time to show him where everything is and get his feedback on the placement.  If he wants something moved, it gets moved.
6. I wait until another time to ask him to look through the “trash” with me.  If there is a lot I break it into several little “sessions” so he does not feel overwhelmed.  We are more likely to sit down and do it together if it does not seem like a task that will take all afternoon.
7. I try to be patient of he asks me where something is instead of showing exasperation as he learns the new storage arrangement.  Remember that person was not there when you put everything away and they may need some grace and assistance.  

Family Meal Planning Made Easy

I grew up in a busy household of five children.  As you can imagine this fact made dinner no small matter at my house!  Over the years I learned some strategies to make the process of shopping and meal planning easier. 

Create a printable list: Writing a shopping list for the entire week can be a daunting task as you try to figure out what meals you wish to make, not to mention remembering the staples you need to re-stock your pantry!  We came up with a printable list in Word (Excel is fine too) of all the foods we typically buy, with extra space to write in amounts or exotic foods.  This may take a couple edits to truly be all encompassing.  Foods were arranged in categories (not alphabetically) so we were not walking back and forth through the store wasting time.  This list was printed off the computer and hung up every week.  During the week if we ran out of something or were getting low my siblings and I would circle the food item.  By the time shopping came around almost all the work was done.  My mom simply circled the foods that we needed to buy for meals. 

 Create a menu of your favorite foods: There are so many different ways to customize this step so it works for your family!  At my house we designed a categorized list of all the meals and sides we enjoyed.  The list was divided into pasta, soup, meat dishes, vegetables and starches.  My mom could easily make meal combinations without wracking her brain.  She then wrote out the meals for the week on the family wall calendar. 

For people who are more visual you can create your own magnetic calendar for meals.  Below is one of my favorite examples but the possibilities are endless:

Use the same ingredients several times: If you are on a budget it will take a bit more creativity to make meal planning work.  I have found choosing meals that have similar ingredients in succession prevents waste and uses up the leftovers that would normally sit around in your fridge.  If you need to buy herbs try to make several meals in a row to use up the fresh greens before they spoil.  Or if you are making chicken use the leftovers to make soup the next day.

How to help your child clean their room

One of a parent’s big challenges is helping a child into the consistent habit of cleaning up his/her room.  This can be especially daunting when the child is young and easily distractible.  Many parents will tell a child to clean a room, only to come up 30 minutes later and find that not only is the room no better than before, but the child is playing with all the toys.  Giving your child a step by step process for cleaning a room when they are young is key to helping them maintain the habit as they get older.

Children are just as overwhelmed by clutter as adults, and the problem is multiplied when there is not a home for anything.  They are told to clean up yet they do not know where to start and they don’t know where anything should go.  Before a routine is set up the room should be (ideally) purged of unnecessary toys and a system of storage put in place.  Make sure to label all containers!  You have now set your child up for success by assigning everything a home.

Second, create a checklist for them to follow.  When you say, “Go clean your room”, there should be a process they can follow and replicate easily without your presence.  You may need to be there the first few times to keep them on track, but eventually your child should be able to execute the plan without you.

The checklist can have pictures if your child is not of reading age and the list should be short.  The most effective ones I have seen direct children to groups of toys and go something like this:

1. Put away all your books
2. Put away GI Joes
3. Put legos in bins
4. Spend 5 minutes putting clothes in drawers
5. etc

Remember to keep it simple and make the number of steps appropriate to the age of the child.  The younger the child the simpler the list and steps should be.  Make the checklist fun and decorate it.  You can laminate it and hang it on the door knob or just put it on the wall.  The bottom line is to give your child a structure so cleaning a bedroom won’t be as daunting anymore!

Making sense of memorabilia

It's usually on the very top shelf of your closet or buried in the basement.  It's usually in a cardboard box, sometimes beaten up and ripped by multiple moves, or sometimes clean and crisp because it has never been opened.  When I come across this little treasure with a client I usually hear, “Oh I know what this is...Wow it has been a long time!”  Have you guessed?  It is a collection of childhood, school and special memories known to most of us as personal memorabilia.

We often keep these items because they are associated with a special or significant time in history and our lives.  We have the best of intentions and clients are often reluctant to let any of these items go.  But they are perfectly content to pack the everything back up to be stashed away, often times where the box will remain untouched for many more years.  This has always perplexed me.  How can something be so important to us but not fit into our lives now?  If we are not going to enjoy it in some manner why are we keeping it?

If you have things that you simply cannot bear to part with consider making it a part of your everyday surroundings.  This solves two issues: boxes of items you never use will not be creating clutter and you can now enjoy the things you consider so dear!  Here are a few ideas I have suggested to people for the various memorabilia I have run into:

Newspapers from important events – Get them matted and framed for display.

Collections or heirloom decorations – Display only a few at a time in your house or office and rotate the items frequently so you can enjoy them without cluttering the house.

Old kids clothes/blankets – Have the clothes made into a quilt or blanket that can be enjoyed now or given as a gift.

Old toys – Be realistic.  Are you ever going to use it or will your kids use it?  Probably not.  Keep only a the most precious in a safe place, and take pictures of the rest before giving them away. 

Trading cards – If you choose not to sell or give away the collection put the cards in an archival album so they can be viewed and enjoyed.

The bottom line is if you are not going to make room for these types of items in your life it makes little sense to keep it all hidden away.  Why keep something in a box if you cannot enjoy it?

Preparing for school papers

School is officially here, and with it comes the often daunting task of keeping up with school papers.  Homework assignments that need reviewing, the permission slips for another field trip, the sports schedules and the list can go on an on.  The paperwork often gets lost, stuffed down in the bottom of a messy backpack or submitted after its deadline.  Staying on top of school papers doesn't need to be hard and frustrating!

First, choose a spot in your home, most likely your kitchen or entry, that is easily accessible to you and the kids.  If the school papers are not located in an area convenient and central it will be difficult to use your new system without a lot of effort.  Second, choose a paper storage method best suited to you and the age of your children.  There are many options and creative solutions available so it is essential that you think through the way in which it will be used and if everyone involved will be able to implement the system effectively. 

Paper trays stacked on top of one another are a popular solution.  A desktop file with manila folders works for some families, and still others who like their counter tops free of paper will use wall mounted magazine files.  Once you have picked your storage solution assign each child, you and your spouse a slot and label them.  Now you are ready to go!  When a child comes home with documents for review they go in your slot.  When you have completed the task the paper goes back in the child's slot or filed depending on the action needed.  The kid's slots can be used for any documents they are responsible for, or used as a temporary landing zone for art and other school papers that will need to be filed or added to the family calendar. 

Third, maintain your system.  Paper building up in the slots should be routinely purged and tossed or purged and filed.  The school paper management system will quickly become unwieldy if it is not inspected for excess on a regular basis.  Now enjoy the new home your papers have and your clean fridge and counter tops!

Keeping your fridge paper free

Is your fridge covered with a collage of recently created summer camp projects and artwork?  Have you been showered with all the papers from your children's wonderful days at camp?  Pretty soon you'll have school art papers to display again and the fridge is full!

Papers on the fridge can make it difficult to get at food and it also creates a look of clutter in the kitchen.  Instead of displaying art and projects in the kitchen, get a bulletin board for each child and put it up in their room.  On it they can can hang all their precious summer projects without taking over the kitchen.  As another option you can cover a sturdy piece of cardboard with colorful or plain fabric and let them decorate it for a personal touch.  Goodbye buried fridge!

Organizing for Spring

After a long, winter hibernation we can look forward to the beginning of spring this weekend! However, along with the warm air and sunny days comes the task of helping our homes recover from the colder months now behind us. There is a sense of starting fresh even though 2010 began almost three months ago (yikes!). Here are some of the areas you could focus on as you start your spring-time organizing and cleaning:

-If you personally do your home’s spring cleaning it can be quite an overwhelming chore. Creating a simple list of what you need to do in each room is always the best way to proceed. You can methodically clean each room in an order that makes sense to you and you are less likely to forget anything. Create the list in Excel and you can use it over and over as well as edit the spreadsheet.

Go into each room and list the areas that need to be addressed. Some good ideas would be: launder draperies, scrub trim, dust sconces, dust radiators, wash floors and walls etc.

-With new school sports starting in the spring and a whole new slate of potential commitments, it is important to assess your current schedule. You do not want to be a slave to over-commitment. List all your present activities and projects and consider what is already happening before you allow another activity on your schedule. If your calendar is packed commit to dropping a current activity before adding a new one. Always go back to what is most important and vital to you to help facilitate a good decision.

-Create more space in your closet by rotating out the heavy, dark winter clothes. Not only will your closet look more perky but you will have more space overall. You won’t have to wade through a ton of clothing to find the one article you need. Designate a spot in the basement or attic for plastic bins and storage wardrobes for seasonal clothing. Don’t forget to organize your new clothes into the closet, keeping shoes, belts, hats, shirts, pants and other garments in their proper areas.

Top 8 items for a home command center

Top eight items a home command center needs: Family wall calendar- Every family member should have their activities listed on this calendar. Consider using it to plan meals as well. Message board- Have a dry erase board for phone messages and reminders. Magnet board- Sometimes you can find a magnet/dry erase combo. This is great for holding small papers in transition. Key rack- A simple key rack will keep every driver’s car or house key at the ready. Cell phone storage- There are several products out there that provide a home for cell phones and their charging cables. In/Out bin- You should have a spot for all incoming mail and outgoing mail. Go through the mail everyday to keep it from building up. Bill holder- Use a wall pocket or a basket to keep bills that are waiting to be paid so they do not get lost in the mail shuffle. Make sure you mark the due date on the envelope. Personal spots- Use wall pockets or small corkboards for each family member to put reminders, permission slips and school schedules. A great example of these components is the “Daily System” found at PotteryBarn.com.