Organizing Photographs

Among those things that just seem to pile up are photographs. Some of our clients struggle with finding ways to store not only the photographs that they have personally taken but containers of pictures that have come to them from various relatives living and deceased. It is hard to know where to begin when overwhelmed with multiple generations of photo images, but there are a few techniques that work for most people.

Decide on a time to tackle sorting the photographs.

Decide on broad categories for sorting. Some examples are vacations, birthdays, special events, school activities

Set out containers labeled with each of the broad categories. The containers may be bags, boxes or baskets. Just make sure they are large enough to accommodate the volume of pictures you are sorting.

Sort the photographs into the categories. While you are sorting, try not to linger or reminisce over the photos. Discard duplicates and similar shots that did not turn out well.

Take the broad categories and sort into individual events, birthdays, vacations, etc. and order them chronologically or according to your fancy.

Estimate what you need to store your photos and purchase supplies. Some choices are frames for display, albums, labeled photo boxes, photo sleeves in binders. Whatever you choose for storage, make sure it is acid free archival material and contains no PVC. Magnetic pages are usually not a good choice for storage. Digital storage is always an option and programs exist for storing, cataloguing and retrieving photographs.

Once you have your photos organized get in the habit of developing photos immediately and storing them in the appropriate space. Schedule 15 minutes every week to follow up on photo organization.

Enjoy reviewing the images and share them frequently with family and friends.


Beverly and Kristen
www.keytransitions.net

Virginia Tech

This week I planned to write about organizing photographs. But as I considered the best ways to bring order to a mound of treasured pictures, my thoughts drifted to the images that have been flashing on my television screen of the murdered students at Virginia Tech. I thought about the horror and chaos that abruptly entered the lives of the victims, their families and their friends.

In the face of activities that seem so out of order on a bucolic college campus, it is hard to think about bringing order to material possessions. People are always more important than things and organization is a means to an end, not the end itself. It brings more time, more peace, more pleasure.

Even in the current tumultuous environment at Virginia Tech, there are behind-the-scenes organizers planning press conferences, gathering and cataloguing evidence, putting together memorial tributes.

When all the activity ceases, the family and friends are left with shards of remembrance, pieces of hopes unfulfilled. How do they heal and move through the pain? This is one of those times when a single organized approach does not meet the need. Everyone grieves in his own way and in his own time. This is the time to offer support and allow room for mourning.

I sifted through my memories to find the thing most helpful to me when my son died in his teens. The act that stands out is the kindness of a couple who had lost a child. They cried with me and told me, although it seemed impossible at this time, that I would survive the unbearable pain and find a way to live a life that honored my son’s memory. Their words rang with conviction and the agony of having been there. Now, I can bear witness that they spoke the truth.

So, today I don’t want to write about organizing pictures of the past. I want to wrap my arms around the families and friends of the victims and share their pain and confusion. I want to offer them the hope of healing.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Managing Memorabilia

Memorabilia, reminders of our past activities and reminders of those we love, are often the most difficult clutter culprits to discard. They are so laden with memories and emotional associations! Why else would crumbling flowers and dusty plaques occupy so much valuable space in our lives? There is no denying the warm feelings that flood each of us as we gaze at old love letters and hold in our hands the musty stuffed animal a special someone won for us at the fair, or relive the thrill that accompanied the winning of a coveted trophy. But often these items are packed away to rust and decay. They will not see the light of day until we are gone and a surviving relative unpacks our hidden treasures wondering what in the world prompted Grandpa to hang on to a broken hammer and an empty bag of Fritos. What had personal meaning for Grandpa becomes fodder for speculation as it is tossed in the trash.

So how do we bring some dispassionate organization to this very personal clutter?

Here a few things our clients have found helpful in clearing and organizing memorabilia.

Ask yourself “Do I really need to keep this object?” If you have a bowling trophy from your first league game at age 10 and the bowling ball and the bowling shirt, can you take a picture of the grouping and let go of the items? This will allow you to have the visual proof of the experience and will be a lot easier to hold as you relate the story to friends and relatives.

Ask yourself, “Is this an item I would like to give to a friend or relative for whom it will have meaning? A hand embroidered sampler may be truly appreciated by a younger family member. A set of golf clubs that have gone unused for years may be an incentive for a new activity for someone who is considering learning the sport. If you cannot think of a particular recipient for the item, you might invite some friends and relatives over to select items for themselves. Sharing the meaning of important objects in your lifetime is a gift to yourself. You might even attach a brief written description of the item and its significance.

A good example of this is a rocking chair my mother-in-law, Virginia, gave my daughter when she was pregnant with her first child. The story that went with the rocker was that it was a gift from Virginia’s father-in-law, a man who seldom gave gifts, when she was pregnant with her first child. The signs of wear on the chair arms were a result of the older children holding on as subsequent babies were comforted by the rocking of the chair. Now, as my daughter rocks her baby, she shares that memory passed on from her grandmother.

Consider displaying items in ways that will give you enjoyment. A display box of collected pins might be a colorful decoration in the den, a shadowbox table top may hold significant collectibles, a quilt fashioned of children’s clothing could tell a tale of special events in the child’s life and warm your legs as you watch TV.

If you are dealing with inherited memorabilia, ask yourself, “Am I holding on to this only to honor a memory of a loved one?” If you are, consider selling the items languishing in storage and donating the proceeds to a charity in the deceased’s name.

When you are sorting memorabilia, deal with each item as quickly as possible. If some things are too painful to handle set them aside and revisit them later. It helps to have an objective friend or professional organizer to ask questions and provide feedback during the difficult process of organizing treasures with such personal meaning.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.com

Paper

I am experiencing a little mental whiplash. Just as we are dealing with a client with a mountain of paper to organize and reviewing invoices for our business tax filing, my brain got jostled by an article in a technical journal that touted the “paperless” society we are rapidly becoming. The techno-savvy probably have a leg up on the rest of society in finding ways to minimize hardcopy, but most of us are still drowning in paper. The major reasons for paper accumulation according to our clients are:
1. I hold on to things longer than necessary for fear I will need information and not have it.
2. I don’t have time to take care of mail and other papers when I get it so it gets lost in a pile.
3. I have no idea what to keep so I keep everything
4. I have a lot of interests, so articles and resources about projects pile up

These are all valid problems but can be handled with a little knowledge and planning. Here are a few suggestions for getting your papers organized.

Today:
Designate a landing spot to put the mail you receive today. Put it in three piles: bills, correspondence and junk mail. Discard the junk mail immediately, shredding any items containing personal information.

Create a file for correspondence and place your correspondence in the folder.

Leave your bills where you can see them until they are paid or until you are able to make a file with payment dates that you can maintain. One idea is using an expanding folder with pay dates 1-15 and 16-31 and a place for stamps, envelopes and address labels or, if you pay online, a list of addresses and passwords

Then:
Maintain the landing spot on a daily basis, filing and discarding as you receive documents.

Create file folders for broad categories. For example you might use Financial, Medical, Household, Personal, Current bills and Miscellaneous. After you have done the initial sorting you can refine the categories so items can be more easily found. Starting with narrowly defined files can waste time and supplies.

Start with the most current pile first and put into the file folders. As you go through your papers you can discard the older documents as long as the information is reflected on the more current documents. For instance a more current credit card bill may reflect a payment on a previous statement.
If there is not any order to your current paper storage, pick a spot to start and work your way around the space counter clockwise. When going through a filing cabinet mark where you stopped with a sticky note and jot down any thoughts or questions you had up to that point.

Set aside time to tackle the papers each day until you have completed the project. If your paper dilemma is overwhelming, consult a professional organizer who can help you develop a plan or assist you with hands on organization of your files and a strategy for managing paper. She can also assist you in determining retention timelines for your important documents.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Kitchen Organization

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), people identify their kitchen as the most cluttered room in the house. That is not surprising because that is the room that is used on a daily basis and usually by multiple members of the household. When I was a young mother chasing after children, maintaining multiple schedules, fixing meals, putting healthy snacks in accessible places, putting the good china where unsteady hands could not break it, I didn’t think about how organized my kitchen was. I just wanted it to be functional. It was not until much later that I learned that functionality is the key to organization. Some of the basic principles I adopted to survive the harried lifestyle of a young parent are the principles that help maintain an organized kitchen.

The first step is to take a look at the uses for your kitchen space and the work flow that accompanies each use. Most frequent uses are preparing meals and snacks, cooking, eating, clean up and social gathering. You might also pay bills, do crafts, get homework in your kitchen. I know of one guy who, much to his wife’s chagrin, repaired small engines in the kitchen space, a real organizational challenge solved by a designated work space away from the kitchen table.

Once you have a good idea of how you function in the kitchen, put things you use to accomplish a task close to the spot where the task is performed. For instance, china and utensils are placed close to the eating area, pots and pans are near the stove, cleaning items are proximal to the sink and dishwasher. The storage space in your kitchen will dictate the options you have for organization, but there are also many products that can create storage space where you need it. A small counter shelf, wall shelf or book shelf might be a good alternative for storing frequently used cookbooks near the preparation area, for instance. A canister or tray might be used near the coffee pot for coffee additives and condiments. Judicious use of under counter appliances and storage shelves can also be helpful.

The last step is to make sure that everyone who uses the kitchen knows the storage plan and the organizational system. Do dirty dishes go in the sink or in the dishwasher? What are the expectations for clean-up and what items can be accessed by children in the family without expectation or threat of bodily harm?

If you find yourself unable to come up with ideas to improve the organization in your kitchen, a fresh pair of eyes might see areas for enhancement. Ask a friend or a professional organizer for help. A better functioning kitchen will save your time and your sanity.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net