Avoid Bathroom Clutter Traps

Throughout the house there are certain areas that just seem to accumulate clutter. One of those areas is the bathroom. It is a limited space in which we accomplish varied tasks and need to store a variety of items. The things we store in the bathroom fall into four categories: medicines and pharmaceuticals, toiletries and make-up, supplies, and appliances. The key to orderly storage and easy access is to group by function and not by type. For instance, you may use a hot lather machine, disposable razors an aftershave and occasionally, a styptic pencil to shave in the morning. You may also have an electric razor that you use routinely or occasionally. If you create a shaving kit and store these items together, you can more efficiently pull them out when you are ready to use them -and put them away when you are finished. Otherwise you may be tempted to leave an item or two on the counter space. Grouping the items according to function saves time and energy. Try grouping them in a clear shoebox and storing on an enclosed shelf or deep drawer.

Apply this same principle to fashion a first aid kit that includes Band-Aids, antiseptics, bandages and an analgesic. Gather and store supplies for dental hygiene. You can also put together a makeup kit with the cosmetics you use on a daily basis, so you can apply and fly to your next appointment.

There are many storage items that are available to organize your bathroom accoutrements. Also look outside the traditional bathroom storage systems to coral functional items. If you take a lot of pills or dietary supplements the four-drawer spice rack with slide-out and flip-down drawers provides a handy way to organize the bottles. Look at cabinet plate organizers or over the cabinet mail racks to separate and store flat bubble packs. Also investigate slide-out wire racks in various dimensions to store supplies in narrow spaces and under the sink.

If you need a place to sit, a place to store and a flat surface to keep a few things handy, take a look at the telephone bench/storage cabinet at www.Solutions.com. It has a cushioned seat, a flat table surface and two hidden storage compartments.

Whatever innovative solutions you design, remember to keep items together to perform a task and keep the kits you create close to the point of activity. That will make it easier to avoid clutter.

Check out the products mentioned at the following web sites:
www.Solutions.com
www.Grandinroad.com
www.taylorgifts.com


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransition.net

Resolutions Are About Change

You resolved to get organized in 2008. It was New Year’s Eve and everything seemed possible. You have looked at every program on organizing that cable television offers. You have surfed the Internet for expert advice and you have bought books on organizing. Now it is weeks later and you haven’t gotten started. What’s the problem? You have the knowledge, so it is money, time, motivation or vision.

Money is really no excuse, so let’s just get that out of the way. There are creative, inexpensive ways to get organized that cost little or nothing. Some of our favorite organizing tools cost a dollar. There are also many items that already sit in closets and drawers that can be used to create an organized system. Boxes, baskets, crates, paper and plastic bags can be used to compartmentalize items for better access. Just organize within your financial means. Fancy can come later.

The problem of not enough time is a little harder to overcome. Time is limited so you have to eliminate some activity to make time to organize, or you have to become more efficient in using the time you have. Eureka! Isn’t that why you resolved to get organized? So you could be more productive and have more time? No more searching for hours for that important paper that you need. No more missing deadlines for project submissions or paying bills. No more desperate mornings trying to find something to wear and settling for whatever doesn’t need ironing. So setting aside time to organize is an investment that collects dividends of more time. You just have to get motivated to do it.

Lack of motivation is one of the hardest problems to overcome. You may be comfortable with your mess. If you are successful and happy, you may be wary of a change. You may not look forward to having to deal with family members and housemates to maintain a new system. You may suspect that you will fail. There are many theories of change and how to overcome resistance to it. There are too many to go into here, but you may enjoy looking at writings by Kurt Lewin, Tannenbaum and Hanna. or Beckhard and Gleicher

One of our favorite models for personal change is the ADKAR model by Prosci, which outlines the building blocks that individuals must have to be motivated to change
1. Awareness – of why the change is needed
2. Desire – to support and participate in the change
3. Knowledge – of how to change
4. Ability – to implement new skills and behaviors
5. Reinforcement – to sustain the change

You are aware you need to get organized and you want to do it; you made a resolution. You have obtained knowledge about how to change. So the question is do you have the ability to make the change.

We find that many of our clients do not have the ability to envision a system that will work for them and will fit within the time and financial resources that they can devote to getting organized. This is what most frequently keeps them from getting started. If this is the problem, try thinking small. Instead of asking “How do I organize may closet?” ask “How can I get my belts off the closet floor and make them easily accessible?” Small steps that result is small successes are powerful reinforcers for continued movement toward the larger goal.

Sometimes you just have to ask for help. Talk it over with a friend who is successful at organizing or call a professional who will work with you to develop a vision and a plan for achieving it

You may also have physical limitations that interfere with getting the job done, or time commitments that cannot be altered. These are other circumstances in which help from friends or a professional organizer is a good way to achieve your goal.

Resolutions are good things. They help us target personal goals to improve our lives. Keeping the resolution is a matter of finding ways that work for us to implement the change and make it part of our daily lives. Good luck!

As the Cableguy says “get’er done”

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net