Keys to Successful Organizing

Have you tried to organize and just couldn’t complete the job? Or have you organized a space only to have it return to the same muddle it was in originally? That has happened to most of us. And when it happens we blame it on lack of time, lack of energy, lack of discipline. It is definitely true that staying organized takes a little time, a little energy and a little discipline, but most often the reason for failure is the wrong motivation and/or the wrong system.

The best reason to get organized is that doing it gives us something we want.

Each of us is different and we want different things from the life. We may want time to achieve business goals or time to spend with family, or, in the case of young parents, time to sleep and bathe. It helps to frame our goal for organization in terms of what we want to achieve. It might be:

• “I will organize my paperwork so that I can have information at my fingertips to impress my clients,” or
• “ I will organize my kitchen so we can have family meals together in a pleasant environment,” or
• “I will organize the bathroom so I can take a shower and get dressed in less than ten minutes”, or
• “I will organize my garage so I can park my car there and avoid going outside in bad weather”

If we consciously formulate the goal with what we want to achieve for ourselves, it is easier to stick with it. We get a return on our investment of time and energy.

Once the goal is formulated, it is time to pick the system for achieving it. The system needs to suit how we intuitively deal with storing and sorting. Those of us who find joy in color-coded, uniform rows should chose a different system from those of us who consider it organized if clutter is out of sight and we can find what we are looking for in less than five minutes. The point is to find something that works for you and achieves your goal. Getting organized should help you save energy and find time. If your system requires more time than you can manage, it is time to find a new system.

I have two friends (actually I have more than two, but I only need a pair for this illustration.) Both of them manage to pay their bills on time and deal with appointments and invitations, but they have very different methods for handling mail. One of them sorts her mail everyday and puts it in a mail organizer according to the date she needs to respond with an action. The other dumps his mail in a basket and sorts it twice a week and handles responses. They both feel good about their ability to manage their mail. It doesn’t pile up and what needs to happen happens. They each have an organization system that works for them.

So when you organize, do it to benefit yourself and do it in a way that suits your personal style.

Good luck organizing your world!


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Avoid Paper Clutter

Avoid Paper Clutter

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, paper is the number one clutter problem in American households. When you really think about it, that covers a lot of territory. There is mail, receipts, documents that record marriages, births, deaths, legal transactions and agreements. There are newspapers and periodicals and even reminder lists and post-it notes. We haven’t even considered the mounds of paper generated doing homework, creating white papers and documenting our thoughts for current readers and future generations. There are warrantees and receipts to keep track of. There are insurance policies and tax records to maintain. There is not one system that works for every one but here are a few hints to help keep things under control.

1. Minimize the paper you receive by contacting the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry to opt out of receiving pre-screened credit card and insurance offers from lists provided by Equifax, Experian, Innovis and Transunion (http://www.optoutprescreen.com)/. You can also contact Direct Marketing Association (http://www.dmaconsumers.org/) to discontinue receiving direct advertising from companies affiliated with DMA.
   
2. Sort mail as you receive it and retain only the documents you need to maintain your records.
   
3. Do not save newspapers and periodicals for an article you need for future use. Clip the needed material only and recycle the rest of the paper.
   
4. Keep warranty information clipped to appliance instructions and the purchase receipt in a file or three ring binder for handy reference.
   
5. Find a home for the paper you keep and them keep the volume under control by setting limits that meet your personal needs. Examples include:

• No more magazines than the magazine rack can hold
• No receipts over a year old other than those for tax and warranty purposes.
• Only insurance policies that remain in force

If you are currently overwhelmed by the paper in your life, start with one area and work on it until you get it organized. It may be culling the magazines or managing the mail. Just pick a place and start. Then keep your solutions simple and make sure they fit the way YOU live.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

AVOID LAUNDRY ROOM CLUTTER

Whether you have a laundry room or a laundry closet, there is lots of opportunity to create clutter in that space. The tinier it is, the more likely that you are challenged to keep it neat. Throw in a little “help” from tiny hands that are interested in how the dryer works and you have a pretty good chance for a mess to accumulate. Here are a few tips for keeping on top of washing, drying and folding clothes.

1. Sort clothes and place in a container to transport to the washing machine. Stacks on the floor can shift and you can end up with unwanted pink underwear when a red garment finds its way into the white clothes pile. There are divided compartment laundry sorters that can be stored in larger laundry rooms. For smaller spaces try collapsible bins that can be stored flat on a shelf or on edge in little space until needed for sorting.
   
2. Keep laundry products together on a shelf or cart near the washer and dryer. Even in the smallest space you can use shelves that fit on the top of washer and dryer. Also consider use of space above the appliances for a cabinet or shelves to keep these products handy. Never store on the floor if it can be avoided. Floor storage collects dust and promotes spills.
   
3. Save time by hanging clothes as you remove them from the dryer. A portable hanging rack will work in larger laundry rooms and many hanging alternatives for small spaces are available in catalogues and on-line shopping sites.
   
4. If possible, fold clothes as you take them from the dryer. Heaping them in a pile will cause wrinkles and you will expend extra time and energy ironing. Also match socks as you go. This is a good job for older toddlers and children who are eager to help.
   
5. If you need to keep an eye on little ones as you tackle these chores, create a special play zone in the space. Some suggestions for activities include a play iron and ironing board (where your helper could iron tea towels or other items) and a basket filled with too-small clothes that a toddler could fold to her heart’s content. Any favorite toy that does not offer a chance for dirty hands or coloring utensils to stain clothing can be added to the play station.
   
6. Commit to put the clothes away at the first opportunity. Hectic schedules sometimes make it impossible to put everything away as it comes out of the dryer. One technique is to promise yourself to get the laundry stashed in its designated home before your head hits the pillow that night. You can take advantage of little fragments of time to get it done
   
   
   Using these ideas, you should be able to keep your laundry area clutter free.
   
   Beverly & Kristen
   www.KeyTransitions.net

AVOIDING FAMILY ROOM CLUTTER TRAPS

The greatest challenge in managing clutter in the family room is_____?

You guessed it-the family!

The family room is a wonderful concept- a place the family members can gather for entertainment, conversation and enjoying each other. The reality can be something a little short of the ideal. It is hard to watch TV or play games if all available seating is covered with clutter. Empty food wrappers, discarded clothing and piles of toys detract from the ambience of any space. Many friends tell me they clean the family room every week just to find it in the same deplorable condition the following week- or maybe the following day. It can be so frustrating that it becomes accepted as a room that looks bad all the time.

Is there a remedy? Yes there is, but it is not easy because it involves group effort. If you want a permanent solution to a cluttered family room we recommend the following:

The next time you clean the room record what you pick up on a piece of paper or a voice recorder.

Take a look at the list for patterns. Does Dad leave his shoes under the couch? Does Suzy leave Pepsi cans on the coffee table? Does Junior scatter Legos all over the floor? Does Mom throw magazines on the floor next to her chair?

Think about reasonable suggestions for managing the clutter. Would Dad put his shoes in a shoe storage bench next to the couch? Would Suzy discard cans in a handy receptacle? Does Junior have a storage space for his Legos that he can reach and manage? Would Mom lay her magazines in a conveniently placed rack?

Hold a family meeting and talk about the things you pick up every time you clean the room. Be open to other family members input. Tell them some of the suggestions you have for making it easier to put things away and let them suggest other solutions that appeal to them.

Set the rules. Assign tasks according to age and ability. Purchase or make the suggested systems to keep things organized and the next time you clean the room discard or give away any item that is not in its designated space. If trash is the problem, the clutterer has a penalty of the family’s choosing.

Stick to the rules and hold another family meeting to see how the system is working. Revise what you need to make the system work for everyone, but do not let any family member abdicate his responsibility for keeping the room organized

Hold a special celebration after one month of successful clutter management.


These steps work for families of all ages and all sizes. If you cannot figure out how to get started on the organizing project, a professional organizer can be a great help in developing and implementing a plan.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net