Organizing and Controling Children's Books

If you find that bookshelves are just not working for your kids, try storing their books in an open basket or container. This makes it easy for kids to flip through and easily find a book they want. This also makes returning books simple.

As you can see from my picture, this system also puts a limit on the number of books. I rotate my children's books and store the others in their closets in containers. When we pull out a new selections of books, they love looking at the "new" ones all over again.

Less stuff out means less stuff to clean-up!

3 Quick Organizing Tips for Christmas Cards

What? Christmas cards now? Hey, I'm a Professional Organizer, remember?

3 Quick Tips:

1. Buy cards at the end of the holiday season when they are on sale. Store the cards with your fall decorations and begin addressing them in October. Do you see why I had to post this now?
   
2. Keep a card list on the computer or designate an address book just for your card list. Revise your list throughout the year as you receive mailings.


3. Still feel overwhelmed? Consider not sending out cards during the busy holiday season. Instead, send Thanksgiving cards and let people know all the things you are thankful for that happened in during the year.

It's easy to get caught up in all the "tasks" of the holiday season. Keep your heart and mind focused on Christ. Everything else will come along.

Make a Decision

Find it hard to get through the clutter? Use my 3 T’s to help you make decisions.

Take out the stuff that just you just don't use or need.

Take action on the items that need action from you. If you keep saying “I need to do something with this” but then just add it to your pile or to your “to do list”, chances are it won’t get done. Pick a day and time that you will act.

Take back stuff to where it belongs or "lives".

Quick and Easy Tips for Reducing Clutter When You Don’t Have a Lot of Time

Clutter comes right along with disorganization.

I found these two definitions of clutter:

1. A confused or disordered state or collection
   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
2. An untidy heap or mass of objects
   Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006

Here are some quick and easy clutter-reducing tips to put into practice, even if you just have a few minutes.

1. Grab a basket, box, or bag and walk through one area of your home. Collect those items that belong elsewhere. When your container if full, deliver the items back to their home.
2. Overwhelmed by too much clutter? Focus on one area of a room at a time and work your way around the room.
3. Take time in the morning or evening for clutter-control—what is out of place? Doing a little at a time is easier than waiting until it’s an overwhelming task.
4. Pay attention to the items that gather in the same spots over and over. Do you need to make adjustments? Does the mail and paper collect on the kitchen counter? You could add a basket to collect the incoming items until you have time to address them or add a Household Information Center. Are shoes always underfoot? Add a shoe rack or a cubby that makes putting away and retrieving effortless.
5. Get the family to pitch in. Remember to give the kids (maybe husbands, too) specific instructions; “Pick up your stuff”, becomes “Hang your jacket and backpack on your hook and put your shoes in your cubby.”

July Newsletter Article.........Tips for an Organized Family Vacation

Do you have a vacation coming up that you have been looking forward to? As it gets closer, are you starting to feel a little stressed? Are you thinking of all the planning, packing and travel and feel overwhelmed? Do you think to yourself, "Why is this called a vacation again?"

There are some steps that you can take to help you get the most fun out of your family vacation, while also minimizing the stress. After all, we take vacations for enjoyment and relaxation, right?

Planning
Assuming you have already chosen your destination and travel dates, it's onto planning what you will be doing on your vacation and what you need to do to get ready for it. Consider creating an itinerary for your travels but be flexible. Keep alternative activities in mind to allow for unexpected changes. The main goal is to have fun, even if things don't go as planned.

Get the whole family involved in the planning. You may want to hold a couple of family meetings to let everyone know what is going on and what part they need to do in order to get ready for the trip. What major activities does the family want to do and what are some of the smaller activities? Get everyone's input.

Finalize and confirm your reservations. Always be sure to ask, "Am I getting the best rate?" Or, "Do you have any specials right now that I can take advantage of?" You'd be surprised by what you can get just by asking. Take advantage of any discounts through your AAA membership if you have one.

Make Lists
Lists will definitely help you reduce your stress while you are planning your family vacation. Rather than trying to remember it all, I suggest creating master lists on your computer that you can print and use each time you take a trip. You will be able to greatly reduce your planning time for the next vacation and lessen the chance of forgetting any details.

Start with the list of the things you need to do to get ready to leave on your vacation. Do you have to make arrangement for the mail and paper? What about pets and plant watering? Will you be using a house sitter?

Next, make lists for the items you need to pack. Give children their own lists to be responsible for. Help create lists for younger children by using pictures, numbers, and words of the items they can gather.

Keep your printed lists with you so you can easily jot down ideas whenever they come to you. Take time to update the master lists as needed.


Start Packing
Have a designated packing area and let the kids help pack their things. Many times I have to go back and redo some of my kids' efforts, but they love to feel helpful and they are learning life skills. One tip is to pack the kids' clothes together by outfits. Roll each outfit together or use gallon-sized plastic bags and label them.

Limited on space? Plan to stop at a laundry mat during your trip. This is a good way to cut the amount of clothing you will need to pack by at least half. Remember to allow space for souvenirs. Have the suitcases ready to go one day prior to departure.

Don't forget the books, crayons, and games to help keep children entertained in the car or on the airplane. Create a vacation scavenger list that children can either draw, take pictures, or buy postcards of the items on a list throughout the trip. They can add journaling and then they will end up with their own vacation scrapbook. I also like to bring a few surprises along. I remember when my parents did this for me and my brother; it added to the fun and excitement of our family vacations.

Relax!
It's vacation after all! Remember your objective of taking the trip. If things don't go as planned, be determined to have fun regardless. Traveling with children can be a trying event at times. Allow for some time that you might be able to get a few quiet moments. For example, when we go camping, I try to get my morning walk in before everyone is awake. I love this routine at home and on vacation because it gives me time to think, pray, and reflect. I find this helps me ready my heart and perspective for the day (I am not the best morning person!).

Returning Home
Allow at least one day for everyone to readjust before returning to their normal schedules. Start unpacking and get clothes washed. Or, leave the dirty clothes in the suitcases and plan a trip to the laundry mat to tackle several loads of wash at once. While you wait, you could even get those developed vacation pictures labeled and into an album. As you are unpacking, gather all the memorabilia in one place. That way, if you plan to put together a scrapbook, it's all together - just add pictures.

Make arrangements to keep your first few days home after a vacation low-key. Avoid making appointments and other commitments if you can help it. You'll be busy with laundry, putting items away, grocery shopping, and probably a little bit of recovery. Allowing this extra time in your schedule will help you get those post-vacation tasks done in a reduced-stress environment.

Enjoy your summer, vacations, and family!

What to Do After a Flood or Flash Flood

The Clean-up and recovery phase is now taking place in affected flooded communities. The American Red Cross and FEMA provides helpful information and tips to to help flooded property owners.

Your home and its contents may look beyond hope, but many of your belongings can be restored. If you do things right, your flooded home can be cleaned up, dried out, rebuilt, and reoccupied sooner than you think.

If you or someone you know is the victim of flooding, read: What to Do After a Flood or Flash Flood.

My Favorite Time Management Tip: Routines

Do feel like you just don't have the time to get certain tasks done? Let's face it; we are all busy. I say it's about choosing (or not) to make time for those tasks. And, many times you can't wait until you "feel like doing it". I don't recall a time I ever felt like doing the laundry or making dinner. These very well might be a couple of tasks some of you enjoy, but not me!

I touched on routines in the past and I think this time organizing tip is one worth revisiting and elaborating on. It's about picking a day or time of day to do recurring tasks or activities. By doing this you take control and decide, based on what works best of you and your schedule, when you want to get stuff done. Here are some examples:

1. Meal planning for the week Sunday night and shopping on Monday.


2. Paying the bills every Thursday or on the 15th and 30th of each month.


3. Washing 1 load of laundry everyday or all of it on Wednesdays.


4. Planning your next day the night before or first thing in the morning.


5. Checking email at nap time and after the kids go to bed.


6. Returning phone calls between 9 and 10 a.m.


7. Vacuuming on Mondays, dusting on Tuesdays, and washing the floors on Wednesday.


8. Starting meal prep 1 hour prior to dinner time.


9. Opening and sorting the mail everyday after dinner.


10. Filing your "to file" pile the same day every week.


11. Waking up 30 - 60 minutes before the kids to get yourself ready for the day.


12. Exercising on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
13. Eating out with the family on Thursday nights.

To start out, you may want to actually write your routines on your calendar-it's like setting an appointment with yourself. That way you are purposely giving yourself time to do a task that needs to get done.

Remember, it's not about cramming more and more into your schedule, it's about making the most of your time so you have time for what's important to you. Don't forget to allow for some down-time in your schedule, too! Balance is important!

What are some of your routines that work for you? Share them with us!

Procrastination: What's Holding You Back?

(This article is from my March 2008 Newsletter)

When I first started in the field of professional organizing, I read It's About Time: The 6 Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them by Dr. Linda Sapadin with Jack Maguire. Dr. Sapadin reminds us that everyone procrastinates occasionally. We do it when we face challenging situations. For some, it's a chronic behavior. Once we can identify how and why we procrastinate, then we can work on breaking the patterns and replacing them with productive behaviors.

These are the six styles of procrastination. Here's a quick overview:

Perfectionist-"BUT I want it to be perfect!"

• Reluctant to start, or finish, a task because it has to be perfect.
• Quite often spending far more energy on a task than is required.

Dreamer-"BUT I hate all those bothersome details!"

• Difficult challenges can provoke resistance.
• "Hard to do" gets translated into "I can't do it."
• A challenge to turn big ideas into reality.

Worrier-"BUT I'm afraid to change!"

• Have an excessive need for security, which causes a fear of risk.
• Focus too much on the "what ifs" and may avoid finishing projects all together so that they don't have to leave the "comfort zone" of the familiar and move to new territory.

Defier-"BUT why should I do it?"

• A rebel.
• Some are openly proud of setting their own schedules that nobody else can predict or control.
• They are establishing their individuality.
• Some are more subtle (maybe less consciously aware) and is called "passive-aggressive" behavior.

Crisis-Maker-"BUT I only get motivated at the last minute!"

• Need to live on the edge.
• Procrastination is a form of adventure which includes intense emotion, constant challenge and emergency action.

Over-Doer- "BUT I have so much to do!"

• Says "yes" to too much because they are unable or unwilling to make choices and establish priorities.
• Try to do too much at once and so some things may get done very well, but other things never get done.

Dr. Sapadin adds that each person displays their own distinct mix of these styles. We might have our major styles along with some that are displayed less often. Very rarely does one display only one of these styles.

What are your procrastination styles? Which one(s) do you find yourself doing when it comes to organizing? Take note of when you find yourself procrastinating. What specific challenges are you facing at those moments? What is the first step you can take to curb procrastination?

5 Quick Tunes-Ups for the Kitchen

1. Go through your spice cabinet/drawer and toss those items that you haven't used in the last year.
2. Take a good look at your cooking utensils. Are there duplicates you can donate or broken items to toss?
3. Straighten up the drawer with the storage bags and plastic wraps.
4. Clean off the top and sides of your refrigerator.
5. Are there dishes, glasses, or bowls you don't use that are taking up space? Do you know a college student or someone else who could use them?

Pick a Date, Take Action!

Setting an appointment with yourself might be the starting point you need to get started on that organizing project. I find that just by writing a task on my calendar, I am more likely to complete it. Rather than adding one more thing to your countless to-do lists, decide exactly when you are going to take action. Someday just never happens if you don't decide when that some day is.

Don't Forget the Labels

Make sure to label as much as possible when organizing. This can sound minor but this step is important. Imagine taking the time to get items stored away in containers and then months or a year later wanting to retrieve something. How many containers will you have to go through to find what you are looking for?

Labels also help with items used on a daily basis. Labeling not only helps us to retrieve items quickly, but it also makes returning items to their home that much easier. Labeling comes in handy for everyone in the household.

I use the example of using labels for children's toys and belongings. I create toy custom labels; each label has the word, a colored picture and is laminated. Having the word and picture is especially useful for pre-readers and those just learning to read. But these labels also help out the babysitter and maybe Dad, too. Kids aren’t the only ones who shove and stuff thing where they don’t belong.

For more information on how you can order my custom toy labels, contact me today!

Have a place for everything.

You know you are on your way to being organized when you can locate what you need when you need it. Take a moment to think about those items which you know exactly were they are; I bet you can name at least three things. Chances are you always return these items back to the same spot. Do this with the other things in your home and you will succeed.

Give Me a Break

Today, being the beautiful day that it was, I found it quite challenging to accomplish some of the original tasks on my list. Instead of writing my blog post this afternoon, I took extra time with my son at the park. After lunch, I did a little bit of weeding in the front flowerbeds instead of folding the laundry right away. Before dinner, I took my daughter on a short, but most enjoyable, shopping trip. Now, it's 11 p.m. and I'm finally getting back to one of today's tasks not yet accomplished....my blog post for today: Tuesday's Tips.

As I reflect on today, I realize that I gained much more by taking time for myself and for my family than I would have if I stuck strictly to my to-do list. I'll remember that my four-year-old was surprised that the chocolate candy melted in his hand as he sat on the swing in the hot sun. I KNOW my daughter will talk about the time we went shopping together to pick out a few new summer dresses but came home with two bags of new clothes for her (thank you Children's Place Outlet!). I don't think I would have rememberd that day that I got everything on my list done.

Organization is also about making time for what is important in your life. Because I do a pretty good job of staying on top of most tasks, my schedule allowed me some flexibility today. I know tomorrow I will feel more energized and ready to go because of my "break".

Do you give yourself permission to take a break? If you are like me and find it hard to make this happen, schedule it!

Laundry Duty

I offered my class, Organizing With Children, last week. A mother of six asked me questions about laundry. Not surprisingly, she found that this is one of her biggest area of frustration. I shared a few ideas for her and thought I would share them with you as well. These organizing tips would work well for other large families or small families.

1. Each child should have their own laundry basket, bag or container in their room.
2. Set up a schedule for you laundry day(s) and ask each child to bring their own basket to the laundry area.
3. Once the clothes are washed, dried, and folded, have the child pick up his or her basket to be returned to the room and put away.

Getting the kids involved in this reoccurring household tasks encourages responsibility and teamwork, not to mention it gives mom or dad a huge helping hand.

Read more on Laundry Organizing Tips.

Letting Go

Question: When your parents and/or grandparents die, how do you add their stuff to your mix without being cluttered with things? I know I can’t keep it all, but it’s hard to make those decisions on what to keep and what not to.

As you probably know, getting organized and decluttering takes time and energy. Add grief to the mix, and you can become quickly overwhelmed. The first and most important step is understanding that grief will impact your ability to deal with clutter and make decisions.

Coping with the loss of a loved one takes time and is different for each individual. And so, going through a loved one’s possessions will be a very different experience for each person. According to Hospice Care Inc, an organization for patients and families dealing with life-limiting illness, “We will all experience the death of someone close to us, and along with it, the grief that is a natural and normal response to loss. Grief lasts longer than most people expect.”

They mention several points about grief. They are:

• No two people grieve exactly alike, even if they live in the same house. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
• There is no exact timetable for grief. It takes as long as it takes, often longer than we expect.
• Children grieve differently from adults. They may be very sad for a short while but can maintain other normal activities. Their grief returns with each new developmental stage or life event.
• Grief affects our ability to think, remember and concentrate.
• Grief can affect how one expresses feelings and attitudes.
• Grief from prior losses may resurface when someone we care about dies.
• The stresses of everyday life can delay or worsen the grief reaction.
• Grief is a natural reaction to loss.

Making decisions on what items to keep and to let go can be a trying process for anyone. Here are some points to aide you in your process.

1. Give yourself time. Don’t expect yourself to be able to make major decisions immediately following a loss.
2. Don’t do it alone. Rely on the support of loved ones. Call on a trusted friend for assistance, one who is not as emotionally involved. Hire a professional organizer who is experienced working with individuals who are dealing with loss.
3. Take small steps. Break it down into doable portions and small time frames. One box at time, one drawer at a time, one closet at a time, one room at a time.
4. Objects are objects. Possessions of loved ones often bring back memories and we want to cherish those memories and so letting go of items may feel like you are losing that person all over again. Remember, your memories are your own; objects do not control your memories. Of course it is wonderful to hold onto special things, but realistically, you probably can’t keep everything. Letting go of a loved ones’ possessions does not mean you are letting go of their memory or love.

HospiceCare Inc. provides specialized services to support individuals who are grieving. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.hospicecareinc.com/.

Reclaim Your Bedroom Closet

“I wish I had more closet space” is something I often hear when it comes to bedroom closets. How about tackling your closet using my STUFF System™?

Sort
The first step is to take everything out of your closet. As you are taking the clothing out, sort items into categories. Some categories might be long hanging clothes, sweaters, jeans, etc.

Take Out
You can usually reclaim space in your closet by getting rid of the items you don’t use on a regular basis. Have piles for donate, sell, repair or throw out. Don’t keep clothing that you have not worn in the last year. Don’t keep clothing that doesn’t match anything and get rid of the uncomfortable stuff.

Utilize a System / Space
Once everything is out of the space, decide how you would like to organize your clothes. Deciding what to wear can be made easier by having your clothing visible and assessable. One way to do this is to sort your clothes by their function. That means having all your sweaters, dresses, dress pants, and etc. grouped together. Another way to organize your clothes is by colors- reds, blues, greens, browns or blacks.

Fill Containers
Take advantage of the unused space in your closet. For example, the back of the door is a good place for hanging shoe, purse, hat or belt racks. Is there space to add shelves? Sometimes less space is needed for hanging clothes and more space can be obtained by installing shelves. Use higher shelves or under the bed storage for out-of-season clothing.

Follow-Up
Don’t forget to maintain your space on a regular to basis to keep it accessible and looking nice. You might just need a quick tune up every time you put your clothes away. Take time at the change of seasons to assess what clothing wasn’t worn, what needs repair or if there are items that you just don’t like anymore. Let going of holding on to items for that “someday I might wear this again.”

April Newsletter Article.....Busyness: Three Mistakes That Might be Stealing Your Time

Do you feel like you are super-busy, but nothing seems to get done? Does it feel like your "to do" list is a life sentence? Is it just me or does it seem like sometimes we don't feel productive unless we are super-busy? But busyness is not the same as being productive! Consider these three common time-stealing busyness mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

Failure to Plan
If you go through your day without a general sense of what you would like to accomplish and how you are going to do it, you will spend a lot time asking yourself, "Now, what do I have to do today?" or "What should I do now?" or my favorite, "It's time to pick up the kids already?" A plan gives you a map to your day. Taking time to plan (in the morning or the night before) allows you to group like tasks together, identify priority tasks and the time needed to complete them; it gives you direction for your day.

What time of day are your mental and physical energies high? If possible, use that time for completing your most important projects and tasks. If you have errands or calls to make, group them together and complete them in single blocks of time. Remember, the goal is not to fit in as much as you can. Be sure to schedule some "you time" as well.

Routines are my favorite way to make the most of my time. You might already have some routines in place that you just do because it's habit. For example, Monday used to be my cleaning day because there was no way I was going out of the house on a Monday unless I absolutely had to. As your life changes, so will your routines. Now that my children are a little older, my schedule has adjusted.

Multi-tasking
"What?!" you ask. "Doesn't multi-tasking give me more time and make me more productive?" Not necessarily. Besides adding more stress to your day, multi-tasking can actually make you less productive. Doing two things at once divides your attention and so each task is done with less focus and accuracy; it could take you more time to complete the tasks than if you did them separately.

I'm not saying to stop folding laundry while chatting on the phone. Tasks that are routine and require little thought are great to do while you are say, waiting in the car pool lane, sitting in the waiting room or, on hold with the cable company.

Interruptions
Throughout the day you are exposed to interruptions; it's called life. Phone calls, children needing help, email and unexpected visitors are just a few examples of requests of your time. These requests draw your attention away from the task at hand. Of course some of these interruptions are beyond your control, but there are ways to defend off distractions during a specific period of time which you want to focus.

1. Don't answer the phone. If you need to answer, keep the time to a minimum. Just kindly ask the caller if it would be OK if you give them a call later because you are right in the middle of something that needs your attention.
   
2. Let family members know that you will be unavailable during a specified time. OK, I know this is can be a tough one, but give it a try.


3. Only check your e-mail during specific times of the day. (Oh this is hard one for me!) This is one interruption that you do have control over.

So, for your homework for the next two weeks: keep a detailed journal of all of your activities. Write down what you do and how long it takes you. That includes errands, phone calls, housework, dinner preparation, etc. By doing this, you will be able to see how you are spending your time. Maybe there are activities that are using up more of your time than you realize. You might discover that with a little rearranging and planning, you will be able to carve out more time for the things you value and enjoy.

Basket Case

This month I had the opportunity to speak to two MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups. One tip that seems to be an all-time favorite for moms is the basket trick. Keep a basket in your living room and other rooms your children play for spare toys. When it is time for a quick clean-up, simply put the roaming toys in the basket. When the basket gets full, it’s time to deliver the toys back to the bedrooms or playrooms.

Busyness and Balance

65 percent of people describe themselves as “very” or “insanely” busy according to a Day Runner Survey.

I even found this website http://www.bemismfg.com/busymom/ which you can nominate a busy mom. I have learned that busy moms need to find balance and reevaluate often to see if things are still where they should be.

When asked “What is work-life balance? - How do you know when you've got it? - How do you know when you don't?”, professional organizer, Dorothy Breininger, Co-Author of Chicken Soup; Life Lessons for Busy Moms, replied,

“If you can say in any given month: I have equal parts happiness and fulfillment at work and in my personal life, you have achieved work / life balance. Take a look at the various areas of your life: health, recreation, finance, relationships, work, home, spirituality – do you feel pretty good in most of those areas and perhaps one area needs attention? Then you’ve got work / life balance. On the other hand, if you are constantly running late, paying bills late, incurring fees, have not time off or vacation, no longer ironing your clothes, missing doctors’ appointments, forgetting other special events – you may want to see what’s out of whack. Where there’s difficulty in one area of life, chances are it will show up in most areas of life for you.”

See more Life Balance Tips in an interview with Dorothy.

Home Offices

Home offices can come in all sizes and can be in various locations. But, most importantly, it has to be functional and meet your needs. Below are some examples to improve functionality and efficiency:

· Develop an organizing system. Tables and desks are often quick unloading zones for mail and school papers - the clutter can quickly pile up, making it hard to find anything. When an organizing system is in place completing tasks, such as mail sorting and filing, is easier.

· Add a tickler file and an action file to file cabinets. File cabinets often hold all the important papers but your putting hands on a needed document may not be easy and takes time. With this trick papers are easy to locate and file.

· Keep the workspace clear. A clear work space makes the desk usable once again. Take the time to make sure action files are kept in the desktop file within easy reach. Papers that are not needed as often should be filed in a filing cabinet.

· Create specific work zones. Work space is often limited so it's important to make the best use of it. Create zones for specific task, such as the work, supplies and printing zones.

View sample before & after photos