The smart home

I checked my mail the other day and saw the new 2012 IKEA catalog sticking out of the pile.  This time it wasn't the trendy and organized room on the front cover that caught my attention but the quote:  “A home doesn't need to be big, just smart.”

To me this sentiment sums up what an organized home is.  Organization doesn't have as much to do with the size of your space as it has to do with how you use it.  You can have all the room in the world in a huge home, but if you fill it with clutter all the organization products you buy will not help.

On the contrary, you can have a wonderfully organized space even if it is small, or smaller than you would like.  While creative storage is more necessary in a small space than in a large home, it is more important to carefully choose what stays in your home. By setting higher standards for what you keep you will free more space and save it from unneeded clutter.

Think about that today as you go through your home and look for ways to make it smarter!  Remember, size is not the solution but what you put in 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!

Quick and easy drawer organizers not from the store

I was in the process of setting up my home office when I hit a snag.  There were no containers to separate and divide the space in my desk drawers.  It was silly to drive out to the store right at that moment to buy partitions and inserts when I had other tasks to attend to, but I didn't like the idea of placing all my supplies and necessities in the drawer where they could all mingle, get mixed up and become frustrating to use before I was able to shop.

I sat in my chair, letting my eyes wander hoping to get some sort of revelation.  My gaze fell to one of the check boxes I just received in the mail.  That was it!  I had about four check boxes from various accounts in my possession.  Why did the boxes need their covers?  Instantly my problem was solved.  I now had a neat little space for my extra pens, my phone charger cable and usb drive (not to mention the battery charger) and a place to neatly stack my index cards and sticky notes. 

My drawers were now easy to use and I could see everything at a quick glance.  The large hard drive and various other over sized items didn't bury my little office supplies because they were neatly stored in the check box covers.  This reinforced the truth that organizing solutions don't have to be pricey and from the store...Two months later I have not gone shopping for dividers because my drawers work just fine with a home-made solution!

What to do when hobbies create clutter

Too many hobbies can lead to a lot of stress producing clutter.  Do you have a wide range of interests?  Chances are that if you do, you often change focus from one to another often and quickly.  While it is good to have variety in our lives, the rapid change and varied hobbies often lead to clutter in our physical environment.  As you take up different projects and acquire materials for them, the old usually get left behind, unfinished and without a home. 

The key to effectively managing your interests and the stuff they produce is to go for quality over quantity.  It is better to have a few hobbies you can manage and keep under control than many that dominate your space.  Additionally, set deadlines for interests that include project outcomes, like a scrapbook, a piece of knitting etc.  The deadline should be realistic.  Some things take months to complete.  If you keep postponing the deadline then you know the project is not important enough to make time for.  Prioritize what is most important to you so you don't end up with many interests and not enough time.   

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!

De-clutter your desktop

There is only one thing you must know for maintaining a clutter free desktop: Keep only items you use regularly on the surface of your desk.  The desktop is prime real estate and should only be home to things essential to your everyday work, such as laptop, writing tools, phone and maybe a few active files.

If you must keep active paperwork on the desk, put it in file folders for each project and place the folders in some sort of desktop file holder.  Some file holders come with drawers and cubbies for pens, paper and frequently used office supplies.  Others can be open file stands or enclosed file boxes,  ensuring there is a product out there to suit your specific needs. 

Simplicity is best, so try to keep the essentials down to a minimum.  Adding shelves above a desk is a great way to store resources you access regularly, and drawers can be used for items you don't need at your fingertips.  Once again the rule is to only allow items that are essential to your everyday work a place of honor on your desktop.  

Being organized makes life so smooth!

Being organized and living your life in an orderly manner really does make your day so much easier!  I am getting married in a few weeks, and my fiance and I were discussing the things we have left to do.  From almost day one of the wedding preparation he and I used a time line and task list to remember everything we had to do.  

Having this tool was so helpful!  With it we were able to work on every task in a timely manner, always seeing where we were at and knowing where we were going.  This whole process has been more relaxing and less stressful then it would have been if we had left everything to the last minute, or didn't have a clear picture of what needed to be done.

This realization today was a nice, personal example of how approaching life in an organized fashion really does make everything easier.  Of course there are going to be little fires to put out...life always has a way of throwing those my way.  But at least I will be prepared!