An Organizing Insight

Staying organized is not always easy. Even organizers have trouble spots. For me that is clothes. I think as soon as I give that orange blouse away, I will find the perfect suit to go with it. So things hang around longer than they should. One day I was going through the painful task of culling clothes from my crowded closet, when I pulled down a skirt set I loved but had not worn in a while. I discovered that the elastic in the waste band had hardened and stretched. I had to toss it or repair it. Then it hit me! I needed to do what I tell everybody else to do--only keep those things I use and enjoy. Bags of clothes went to charity that day.

The insight I took away from that experience is that not being organized is a real drain on my energy and a waste of good stuff. Everything I keep requires time and energy to take care of it or time and energy to clean it up and haul it away. Clearing clutter and staying organized conserves my time and energy. I am amazed it took me decades for that to hit home.

If you have questions about organizing or want to expose yourself to some insights about the things that keep clutter in your life, take a trip to the Meyera Obendorf Memorial Library in Virginia Beach on the morning of Saturday, January 30th. A panel of professional organizers will be there from 10:30 to 12:00 to answer any questions about organizing. The organizers are members of Hampton Roads Professional Organizers and are offering this service as part of National Get Organized Month activities. I hope to see you there.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Tips for Managing Holiday Gatherings

Getting together with friends and family is one of the joys of the season. It can also be a trial when personalities clash or the event arrives before you are ready. Whether you are hosting the gathering or attending it, here are a few tips to lessen the stress.

Deciding what to wear is one of the great stressors for gals who often plan the wardrobe for the whole family. Make that decision long before the day of the event and hang the entire cleaned and pressed outfit, including underwear and accessories, on one hanger. When it is time to dress, there is no second-guessing, the right underwear is not in the dirty clothes hamper, and you do not have to scramble to find the missing snowflake earring.

When giving a party, be ready a half an hour early. I have never hosted a party when someone did not arrive before the stated start time. If it is a dinner party, have a few help-yourself appetizers set out for the early arrivals to nosh on while you put the finishing touches on the meal and table setting.

Be prepared for an unexpected guest by having a place setting in reserve and a plan in your head for where you will seat the extra guest. Under the best circumstances, no unexpected visitor will show up, but if one does you are prepared and cool as a cucumber as you squeeze him in next to Grandpa.

A hostess gift is a nice gesture, but do not expect the hostess to set out your home baked goods or wine. It is her choice whether to share your gift or save it to enjoy later. I saw a party brought to a standstill last year because a guest insisted that everyone taste his homemade snickerdoodles and peppermint Schnapps, even though the party had a carefully planned Felice Navidad theme. As a guest, follow the host’s lead and let it go his way. As a host, just say “ Thank you for the lovely gift. I am going to certainly enjoy this later.”

Steer clear of confrontation by having a few stock phrases for irritating and disagreeable encounters. Some of them are: “ I can’t say I agree, but what an interesting idea.” or “ Let’s talk about this another time” or “Look, there is Leo. I have been looking for him. Excuse me.” Then go somewhere else quickly.

Planning and preparation are the first to steps to organizing and they are good ways to take stress out of holiday gatherings.

Have a terrific holiday and may all your gatherings be happy ones.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransition.net

Bring Organization to Your Bedroom

Here are a few hints to bring a little organization to your bedroom:

List the things you do in the bedroom. Then determine the best place to accomplish that task, given the space available. Think of the bedroom in zones (Sleeping Zone, Dressing Zone, Play Zone, Study Zone, Relaxing/Socializing Zone)

Group the items that are needed for that activity together in that space as much as possible.

• Create a reading station near the bed that includes adequate lighting, book mark, and a place for book and glasses. Great reading lamps and organizers can be found at Office Max.
• Store children’s must have bed items in a bedside table or an under-bed rolling storage box that is easy for them to access. Underbed storage containers are available at Home Depot, Ikea, Lowe’s and Wal-Mart.
  

Use decorative pegboard with various size hooks to keep belts, scarves, small purses, and even, jewelry displayed for easy access. Local hardware stores will custom cut to your specifications or you can buy it in pre-cut sized. Pegboard and peg board accessories can be found at local hardware stores and Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wal-Mart.

Simple, stacking, jewelry trays from places like Bed Bath & Beyond, Homestoragewarehouse.com and Lillian Vernon will fit in most dresser drawers.

Egg crates and ice cube trays also make good containers for small items (earrings, tie tacks), that allow the items to be easily seen and can be stacked in a dresser drawer.

Increase space in your closet by using thin, flocked hangers available at Bed Bath & Beyond, HSN.com, Target and Wal-Mart.

Store everyday and athletic shoes in rolling bins available at Lowe’s and Wal-Mart

Keep shoes accessible and easy to locate by storing in clear plastic boxes that are labeled or even have a photo of the contents attached. Clear shoe boxes are available at Bed Bath & Beyond and Dollar Tree. A clear shoe organizing system is available at Neatboxes.com.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Create Routines to Stay Organized

One way to stay organized is to work organizing routines into your usual activities. This is the time of year that many of us are tucking light-weight clothes into less accessible spaces and putting our winter clothes where we can more easily get to them. Save time next Spring by culling out the obsolete items in your Spring/Summer wardrobe while you are shifting them to another space. Discard worn out clothing and collect the items in good condition that you have not worn this season to give to charity. Many churches and charitable organizations are happy to accept lightweight clothing anytime of year for donation in tropical climates.

As you are gathering clothing to store, think about how you will need it next year. The slightly heavier pants tops and other clothing may come out in April while the skimpiest things in your wardrobe may not see light of day until June. Group the clothing according to when you expect to be using it again and you can bring it out for use a little at a time if you are dealing with a busy schedule. Also consider packing together items of like colors so that when you bring them out next Spring you can easily group them in your closet. Next year when you are looking for just the right white blouse, you can quickly review what your choices are and save time making the selection.

If you are lucky enough to anticipate travel to warmer climes in the middle of winter, put the items you expect to take with you in a suitcase as you go through your wardrobe. You will have a head start on vacation packing and will have an idea what you need to supplement your travel supplies so you can take advantage of special shopping finds.

Even if your closet space is large enough to accommodate all of your clothing and accessories, you will save time having seasonal clothing grouped together. The more clothes you have to look through to make a choice, the more time it takes. By limiting the items you need to consider before making a selection, you save yourself time.

If you follow this process every season as you rearrange your closets, you will establish a routine way of keeping your closets organized - and saving yourself time every time you chose an outfit to wear. Then you can use that time to organize the remaining clutter in your life, or to just enjoy the things you love.

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

Avoid Closet Clutter Traps

The closet is full of clutter traps-on the floor, on the shelves, on the hanging rods. Here are a few hints to help your closet stay organized.

Avoid creating systems that look good but do not work for you. Shoe racks and shoe shelves can be a big help in organizing footwear, but if you can’t find the time to put the shoes in the rack or stack them on the shelves, you still end up with shoes scattered on the floor. Try using cubbies for shoes; it is just as easy to stick a pair of shoes in an open cubby as it is to drop them on the floor. Also try rolling bins for clunky everyday shoes like sneakers and Crocs. They can fit under a high hanging rack and conceal the jumble of shoes.

Do not overstuff hanging racks. Make more room by using double hang racks (upper and lower) when possible. Also use flat flocked hangers that take up less space than wooden hangers and are kind to most fabrics.

Use dividers on shelves to separate folded clothes and purses. If you have surplus hanging space, use hanging dividers. They come in many configurations and meet most clothing and accessory storage needs. An over the door purse holder will free up limited shelf space.

Keep a basket or bin in or near the closet for clothes that you find need repair. Check it one a week to replace buttons, tack hems and make other repairs.

Keep a small wastepaper basket in or near the closet for tags and fasteners you remove from new clothing and laundry bags.

Use hooks on pegboard or vacant wall space to hang belts and scarves.

Look at these web sites for inspirational closet system and accessories that work with you to maintain organization.

www.ikea.com
www.stacksandstacks.com
www.shopgetorganized.com
www.thecontainerstore.com
www.bedbathandbeyond.com


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransition.net

Sock It to Me!

Socks are great for protecting feet on warm days and warming feet on cold days. They are supposed to travel in pairs but often get separated between the dirty clothes hamper and the stack of clean clothes. Their small size, odd shape and sheer numbers make them a challenge to get organized and keep organized. Here are few tips and tools for making sock finding easier.

Consider separating socks by use, then by color. For instance, work socks could be separated into blue, black, brown. Athletic socks could be separated into white and other. The categories can be further separated by style if you have longer socks, shorter socks, specialty socks.

While you are sorting the socks into categories, separate out any loners who have gotten separated from their mates. Also separate out any worn socks, socks with holes and socks you have not worn in a year. (An exception might be thermal socks you save for the coldest winters)

Discard the worn, holey, unused socks. We suggest holding onto the sole mates through three washings to see if their partner turns up. If no mate appears toss the lonely sock or put it to another use. Socks make great puppets and dust cloths.

Now that your socks are separated and mated, how do you keep them together and organized? I like to keep my socks rolled together in pairs. I sort them by color and store them on a shelf in dishpan containers from the dollar store. Each container holds a different color. I have no trouble keeping my socks together and finding the pair I need when I need them.

Some folks prefer to fold their socks in pairs and there are several storage containers made specifically for folded socks. One of these type containers is a four inch wide clear plastic rectangle that fits nicely into dresser drawers. These can be lined up in rows to separate colors and types of socks. Another tool for organizing is an expandable diamond drawer organizer that gives a ready view of socks stored in the drawer. One client who uses this system say sorting by color isn’t necessary since he can view all his clean socks at a glance.

There are also some handy devices for keeping socks together when you throw them in the laundry and subject them to the washer and dryer cycles. One of our clients keeps plastic clothes pins handy for her children to clip socks together before tossing in the hamper. Soc-locks are handy little circles that grab pairs of socks without damaging the material and can be tossed in the washer and dryer.

These items can be found at the following websites:

www.Allbrightideas.com
www.Soc-locks.com
www.stacksandstacks.com
www.organize.com

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Organized Travel with Zip Lock Bags

I just returned from vacation- a week at the beach with extended family ranging in ages from fifteen months to eighty-four years. We all had a great time and I came home wandering how I ever traveled before the invention of zip lock bags.

When I was packing to go, I put anything I thought might leak into those bags. Fingernail polish, make-up and other toiletries found a home as well as lens cleaner and suntan lotion. Jewelry and socks were stuffed into bags. And then I discovered the Big Bags! Perfect for packing the towels and linen we needed for the rental cottage. We just stuffed the used dirty items back in the bags to cart home to wash. Those big bags come in three sizes from ten quarts to twenty quarts and are great for toting an extra set of clothes for the kids or for separating wet swim suits from dry apparel. I have decided to store clothes in them this winter. They will take up less space than cartons or boxes. They even have a handle that makes them easy to carry.

The young mother in the group uses zip lock bags to organize her diaper bag and that sure makes it easier to change the baby’s diaper or find a snack or pull out a clean set of clothes when accidents happen.

Now that I am back home, it is time to go to the grocery store and stack up on the staple items. The first thing on my list is zip lock bags in varying sizes.

The Old SOFT Shoe

I read recently that the average man owns five pair of shoes and the average woman owns fifteen pairs of shoes. In this instance, I am happy to report I am way above average. All the women in my family are above average and most of my friends are above average. Because of these associations, I have witnessed many struggles to organize shoes and have my own preferences for making it easy to find, retrieve and store those lovely little foot protectors.

When thinking about arranging shoes in an orderly fashion I recall the word SOFT (as in soft shoe - a dance step). That stands for Sort, Observe, Find, and Test.

The first step is to sort your shoes. Match up pairs and put them in categories. I prefer to use the categories of sandals, flats, heels, formal shoes and boots. Within these categories, you can continue to sort by colors or seasons if you like.

Once the shoes are sorted, observe their style, condition and fit. It is unwise to keep shoes that are terribly scuffed, broken or in disrepair. It is also uncomfortable to wear shoes that pinch, cause blisters or are ill-fitting. Also look for shoes that are out of style. Separate those shoes from the ones that look good, fit right and are stylish. Then discard or make arrangement to donate them.

The next step is to find out how many pairs of shoes you have left to store and find the organizing tool that fits your needs. I like cubbies for my flats and everyday shoes, bins for my athletic shoes, shelves for my boots and clear boxes for my heels and formal shoes. There are all kinds of solutions on the market from stackable shelves to free standing cabinets and shoe wheels that minimize use of closet space.

Once you have chosen your storage system arrange your shoes so that you can see them and you have access to them. If using boxes, you may want to take a picture of the shoe and place on the box so you can easily identify what is inside. If you have to seasonally switch shoes to more accessible places from less accessible places, you can use storage boxes that have a spring/summer picture on one end and a fall/winter picture on the other.

Finally, test the system. Are you able to easily find and retrieve shoes when you want them and easily return them to storage when you’re through wearing them? If not, tweak your system until you have a great fit.

Some sites with storage solutions for shoes are:
www.stacksandstacks.com
www.neatcontainers.com
www.clear-shoe-boxes.com
www.organize.com
www.homedecorators.com
www.lowes.com
www.homedepot.com

A professional organizer can help you choose the right systems for your organizing style and maximize the space you have available.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

Bedrooms

Bedrooms are for sleeping, right? You would think a room with such a specific purpose would be easy to keep organized and uncluttered. That is not the story for most of our clients. The truth is that a bedroom is a multipurpose room and sleeping is just one of the functions it supports. The functions of a bedroom depend on the frequency of use and the age(s) of the occupant(s). So-called spare bedrooms often become the repository for homeless objects and unfinished projects so we are not talking about them today. They are a whole different challenge. We are focusing on regular occupied bedrooms where folks sleep, share intimacies with spouses, partners and friends, get dressed, store clothes and jewelry, read, study, exercise, sometimes have home offices and hobby stations. It is a truly multi-functional space. Often it is the only private space for individuals sharing a home.

Because a bedroom is used for more than one thing, the first step in removing clutter and organizing the space is to list the things you do in the bedroom. Then determine the best place to accomplish that task, given the space available. We find it helpful to think of the bedroom in zones. The most often used categories include:

- Sleeping Zone
- Dressing Zone
- Play Zone
- Study Zone
- Relaxing/Socializing Zone

Once we have established the zones, we group the items that are needed for that activity together in that space as much as possible. While we are completing that activity we assist the client in arranging, storing and purging items that go in the space.

Some hints our clients have found helpful include:

- Create a reading station near the bed that includes adequate lighting, book mark, and a place for book and glasses
- Store children’s must have bed items in a bedside table or an underbed rolling storage box that is easy for them to access
- Use pegboard or cork board to hang jewelry near the dressing area

An organized uncluttered bedroom is a worthwhile investment. Getting dressed in the morning is less stressful and going to sleep at night is more peaceful.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net