Category: Green Organizing

A Routine’s Last Steps Are The Most Important

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Recently, a client asked me how I schedule things. And since that means different things to different people, I delved a little deeper and asked a few more questions while we worked.

We were working through a pile of The Smalls in her home office. Do you know The Smalls? Imagine the things that come out of your pocket, like a pocket full of change or receipts or sunglasses or cough drops. It’s the bowl of weird things that ends up on our dresser or by the bathroom sink or in a heap on the table by the door. Safety pins, charging cords, random pens from the bank, tags from a sweater. The odd little small stuff that can drive us crazy. The Smalls.

As we were working through The Smalls, what she really wanted to know about was How to Create Routines. Routines in general, but in this case, a routine for maintenance, for example, better managing and eliminating The Smalls.

So, she was asking how to create routines? And specifically, the Maintenance Part of routines.

I love this question, we should all ask this question. And this particular client asked the question that day, but I have worked with dozens of clients answering the same question for themselves.

And as a refresher – What are routines? Using a morning routine as an example, a routine is a short list of 5-7 tasks that we must complete every morning (or afternoon or evening or when we go to a certain place or do certain things) to survive (sleep, eat, bathe, drink water) and also maintain a basic level of functionality in our life (start laundry, pay bills, buy groceries, exercise).

How do I know she was asking about maintenance? I see this client once a month. When I arrive in the morning, she is always awake, showered and dressed. The cat and dogs have been fed, dogs have been out, and she usually has some laundry started. There are many parts of her routine that are solid. I know she has mastered survival tasks in her routine. If this sounds familiar, I would guess you, also, have conquered survival, the basics, the essentials. So what is missing?

For this client, she was asking about a routine to take care of The Smalls and other clutter in her house before it got to the troublesome level.

Next level, then, is getting good at our routine maintenance tasks. After survival tasks are complete, what are those maintenance tasks we must complete every day, again, to maintain a basic level of functionality in our life?

Unfortunately, since maintenance is often less urgent than survival, we can sometimes let those tasks slide in the rush of our day to day. The danger, of course, is that since routine tasks are tasks we must complete over and over again, we can get lax in the execution and completion of them. And as we relax our standards, we stop maintaining our maintenance. The switch, then, the point is, we need to understand the vital importance of “done” or “complete” in our routine maintenance tasks, and commit to “done” and “complete”.

We need to define for ourselves what done is, what done looks like.

I worked with an adult client many years ago who said that no one had ever explained to him what “clean your room” or “organize your desk” meant, even as a child. And if that is not something that you are used to, or, like this fellow, if it doesn’t come naturally for you, or if that is not the way your brain works, then being told to clean your room or organize your stuff is meaningless.

When my sons were little, instead of just saying go clean your room or go organize your dresser, I talked with them about what steps to actually take. When they were really little, pre-readers, I made a sign with pictures, like a picture of a bed to remind them to tidy up their bed, a picture of a laundry basket to remind them to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, a picture of a hanger to put their clean laundry away, put their books away, make sure the floor was relatively clear before they went to sleep (because who wants to step on a Lego in the dark, am I right?!). When it was clean, we would stand in the doorway and I asked them to take a mental picture of what “done” looked like, so they could get back to “done” on their own some day.

First, we need to know what “done” and “complete” look like and entail.

Another example: We get up and get ready for our day. Great. If we turn around, though, what does our home look like behind us? You know Pigpen from Peanuts, who always had the little cloud of dust behind him? What does it look like behind us? We got up, but did we take 30 seconds and make the bed? We took a shower, but did we take 11 seconds to hang up our towel or put it in the hamper?

What does the bathroom look like when we’re done? “Ready to leave” is one thing, and it is all about us as a body, and it’s very important, but is your space ready for you to leave? Truly “done” or “complete” requires the extra 30 seconds that we spend in the bathroom before we finish in there in the morning, where we hang up our towel and we straighten the shower curtain and we wipe the fingerprints and the dirt or anything off the sink, and we have put all of our stuff away that we use every day. Those last few steps are what maintains that minimal functionality in our spaces.

Because we’re going to have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Those last steps are also part of the routine tasks. We have routines around times and events to make them run more smoothly, and to set ourselves up to succeed next time, too. And those last steps are vital to that end.

In my presentations, I talk about my routine around taking my supplements every morning. I mention that I used to forget to take my supplements, but I anchored the supplement habit to my morning coffee habit and now I always remember to take my supplements. Adding a few details here, I take a few supplements that need to be on an empty stomach, and as I start my coffee, I take those right away. Then I leave the other batch, the later with food batch, on the counter so seeing them will help remind me to take them. Later, when I am headed out the door for my day, a glance at the counter while I grab my second cup of coffee will remind me to take the rest if I haven’t already. “Done” and “complete” look like a clear counter. Maintaining the maintenance, and also leaving a clean slate for the rest of my day. Because I am going to have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Another global example: Bill-paying. Your bills are paid – awesome! Hopefully, you have a routine around paying bills on time, a date in the calendar to take care of those! Again, awesome! And yes, that is an achievement we can celebrate! And… did we file the papers that were left after the bills were paid? Or empty the overflowing paper recycling bin in the office, or run the handful of papers that need shredded through the shredder? Or look ahead at when we are set to pay bills again and put that on the calendar, too? These final steps of the routine task of Paying Bills often get overlooked, and then their neglect adds to our mess or disorganization going forward.

Other places we can put this idea into practice:

Managing The Smalls by identifying them as smalls and setting our space up for maintenance. Add a garbage can nearby to toss everything you can, keep a jar there for loose change or an envelope for receipts. And take the 5 seconds to toss the trash and file the receipts.

Your work space at the end of the day? Set a timer for the last 5 minutes of your work day and set yourself up to succeed tomorrow. Done looks like cleared and waiting for us and tomorrow’s work.

After traveling, unpack completely and put the suitcase away. AWAY. Complete.

Making dinner and eating dinner, sure, but also cleaning up after dinner. Because tomorrow morning, we’re going to need to start the cycle again and a clean kitchen is a better place to start our day.

I worked with a different client the other day, and the timer on her phone went off when we still had 15 minutes of our appointment left. Because … she is wise and she knows we need to put stuff away. We made a few last labels with my label maker, put the bins of clothes in the closet, took out the trash, loaded the bags of donation into the back of my car, talked about what her next steps are to continue to making progress. We do the work, and then we have our routine around maintaining maintenance. Taking those last few moments to set ourselves up to succeed next time.

Consider your routines this week, and determine what Done and Complete look like for you, and then commit to maintaining the maintenance and setting ourselves up to succeed next time!

This Week, Clear Clutter and Prepare for Cold Weather!

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The day this episode comes out, the day this article and newsletter drop, I am hosting a free “Clear the Clutter Webinar” via zoom, check my website, socials or newsletter for the link!

I want to talk about clearing clutter today.

Clearing clutter reaps benefits beyond a clearer surface. We live lighter, we’re less distracted visually, we are safer in our homes without things in our way as we walk and without clutter gathering dust, mold or mildew, germs and small critters. Taking positive action to improve our physical spaces provides positive boosts to our mood and energy level as well.

I feel like it’s time to clear some clutter. We don’t need a reason, but there are good reasons to clear clutter this time of year!

Yes, it is the change of seasons.

Yes, the clocks have changed, and the evenings are getting darker and darker earlier. And we’re nesting, as we spend more time inside our homes.

Yes, the holidays are approaching, but I am not going to focus on those today!

So, for cooler weather, for wellness, for the holidays, because it’s the right thing to do! Sometimes, we need to move physical clutter to create movement in our brains and calendars and energy, and now is as good a time as any!

As though in support of this topic today, I received an email from an author I follow (Jon Acuff, if you know you know!) that a great year in January starts in November. (I am paraphrasing, but it resonated with me!)

Let’s do this!

I started writing this article on November 1.

That morning, I put away the Halloween Decorations and washed my front door, because – ew. Lots of little finger prints and such from our visitors the night before. I also sent a bag of candy in to Greg’s office for the communal candy jar because we DO NOT need all of that candy in the house because we will just eat it. I intentionally enjoy the clear and undecorated look of November before adding Christmas decor on December 1, so after all the surfaces were clear again, I smiled and took a couple deep breaths.

So, de-decorate from Halloween if you haven’t yet.

Next up, the kitchen cabinets. Shelf by shelf, category by category, review the food in your cabinets for expiration dates. Toss anything that is expired or stale, then put stuff back grouped by category so you can find it again when you’re looking for it.

Now do some Pantry shopping. What is Pantry shopping? It is what it sounds like. It is intentionally using up what you have on hand, in the pantry, before going to the grocery. As you review your items in the cabinet, take note of items you already own that you can use in your menu plan for the next few weeks. Clear some cabinet space and save money by using foods you already own. In addition, with a few thoughts ahead for your holiday cooking, use this as an opportunity to inventory and plan your holiday food shopping.

Next stop – your refrigerator and freezer! Did you know, November 15th is National Clean Your Refrigerator Day? Let’s tackle the fridge and freezer like we tackled the cabinets! Start with the easy and obvious. Review your food, and toss anything that is expired or even questionable. Make note of any prepared food that you need to use up, and add the foods in your fridge and freezer to your menu plan for the next week to make some space and save some money. And, make note of what you might need to replace or stock up on.

Now that the kitchen is looking better, we can turn our attention elsewhere.

Let’s get clothes and shoes ready for the Cold.

Have you switched your clothes and closet for the season yet? Sadly, it is time to put away those summer items and bring out the sweaters. If your dresser and closet are crowded, the easiest way to make some space is to pull out strictly summer items and store them until Spring. For storage, tap underutilized storage space like the closet top shelf or under your bed.

It is also a great time to do a final check – clean your summer bedding, if you have it, and pack it all away until Spring. Or, take items to the drycleaner and set a reminder in a few weeks to pick them up.

How about your landing and launch pad spaces, front or back door? I just checked out the baskets by our back door. In warm weather, the baskets contain baseball caps, rain ponchos and umbrellas. I tossed anything that needed to go, brought out the hats and gloves and scarves, and put away the baseball caps and ponchos. The door where we come and go from is now ready for cooler temperatures.

Also, as you swap out the warm weather shoes and outerwear at those landing and launch spaces, or in your closet for colder weather items, now is a great time to collect any summer shoes or sandals, in my case, check them over and take them in for repairs now so they will be ready for you in 6 months!

Whew. Kitchen is looking better, areas where you come and go look better, your bedroom and closet is looking better, too. And… moving on…

Get your house ready for the colder weather:

  • It’s time to switch all the ceiling fans to clockwise for colder weather. Clockwise pushes the warm air back down.
  • By the time this episode drops, we will have checked the smoke detectors because we change the clocks this weekend.
  • We, or I will say, my hubby put away the patio furniture, rain barrels and gardening paraphernalia weeks ago. And the air conditioning unit got tarped until spring.
  • Now is the time to clear the outdoor walkways, and get your sidewalk salt ready!
  • Get your car ready for the cold, too – find that snow brush and ice scraper, and add some granola bars and a blanket to your car!

A few final words about recycling! In addition to Clean Your Refrigerator Day, November 15th is also America Recycles Day!

Cardboard – can we just talk for a minute about recycling your cardboard? We had boxes stashed on two different shelves, saving them for “later”. We had WAY too many and almost all of them went into the recycling bin. My typical answer about the question of cardboard is that more will always come. We can confidently break down and recycle what we have, because more will always come.

Anything else easy and obvious? Return items that need to be returned, drop off those bags of donations.

Spend some focused and dedicated time this week clearing clutter in important spaces, either in small bursts or one or two longer sessions, and reap the benefits for weeks to come!

PSA: It’s Time To Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

Public Service Announcement this week!

In the past few years, I have moved away from writing and sharing specifically organizing articles and topics, but three different reminders came to me recently, and I feel like this is a great topic for this time of year. And I will be sharing a video, too, probably on my you-tube channel, as a trial run.

Let’s talk about… your medicine cabinet. Maybe your linen closet. Your kitchen cabinet. Your dresser or bedside table. What do all of these areas have in common? These are the likely places in most homes where medications, supplements, toiletries, etc., build up. And settle. And slowly expire while no one is watching.

To clarify, I am going to talk about bathroom medicine cabinets today, but also more globally about medications in general. Because not everyone stores their medications in the medicine cabinet.

In my presentations, I share the definition of clutter as “Clutter is anything you don’t need, use or love, and isn’t loving you back.” And seeking the proper reference for that quote sent me down a google rabbit hole, so if you know who said it, please tell me and I will share the proper credit!

Barbara Hemphill, considered one of the originators of the professional organizing industry, says “Clutter is Postponed Decisions”, which is also so true!

We can see that clutter is in itself annoying and troublesome. Having clutter, seeing clutter. But next level, clutter also covers up what we DO need and DO use and DO love. We need to check in on our medication and clean out our medicine cabinet, so as the weather gets colder, we can find what we need when we need it!

My three recent reminders were a conversation with an accountability partner, a client medicine cabinet project, and a reminder about Covid 19 home tests!

On my biweekly call with one of my accountability partners, she mentioned she is participating in a clutter challenge where they tackle one area a day for 5 minutes. And the recent area was the medicine cabinet!

Then… I worked with a client and spent 2.5 hours getting through and organizing her medicine cabinet, under the bathroom sink and a bathroom cabinet – three garbage bags and done!

And then, I received an email that we can again order Covid Tests free through the USPS, and I know, without even checking, that we don’t have any. I filled out the online form and my free tests are on their way. When they arrive, I will put them away in a specific place in the hall linen closet where that type of item lives.

Obviously, I am meant to talk about Medicine Cabinets, etc. this week!

Let’s get to it!

Clear Some Work Space:

Clean off the bathroom counter, reviewing all the items first and purging anything that can go.

Collect some garbage bags, a note pad or grocery list and a freezer bag or two.

Open the medicine cabinet, and take note of where things are now. As in, where do you always reach for your toothbrush, or where do you always keep the first aid items so you can find a band-aid in a flash?

Take it all out. Yes, take it all out. Wipe down all the surfaces. Yes, all the surfaces. It is likely you have not cleaned out the medicine cabinet in a while, or ever, and the surfaces could be sticky and dusty from years of neglect.

Collect All The Things:

Collect all the medication from those different areas, or tackle them individually. Your choice. But please consider the different areas as part of a larger theme, and tackle them all within a short amount of time because there is typically SO MUCH OVERLAP.

Too many spaces for storing our medications can lead to duplicates, a forest of partially used products, and items that expire before they can be fully used up. And with many storage spaces, we still can’t always find what we need when we need it!

Purge, and Take Notes of What You Purge:

Review, review, review. Pick up and look at each item. Item by item, review expiration dates, intended use, and just how it looks.

If a medication is expired, you likely need to let it go. Into the trash if it is an OTC item, and into a baggie to be dropped off at a hazardous waste collection site or event if it is a prescription medication.

And If a medication doesn’t look right, doesn’t seem like the right color, isn’t the consistency you expected – it likely needs to go, too. Better safe than sorry. Sometimes an item expires to you, too. For example, a client had bottles of Infant Tylenol and teething gel, and her “baby” is 6 years old.

Make a note of what you purge. If it is an item you still need to have on hand, add it to your shopping list. There are some items that you likely NEED to have on hand. Cooler weather is coming, and with it, a higher possibility of illness.

Location and Containers Matter:

Once you have reviewed your items, it is time to put them away. Consider how and where you want to put things back. Consider who is using the medications, or if the medications need to be kept out of the reach of children or pets.

Keep in mind, too, that often medicine cabinet shelves are adjustable. On the recent client project, I took out one shelf and adjusted the other shelf to better accommodate tall items that she was struggling to store. I have a very short shelf in my medicine cabinet for combs and toothbrushes, which leaves more room on other shelves for taller things.

Another idea, years ago I worked with a client who was a nurse and suggested she sort her medicine in her cabinet into two baskets, one for chronic issues like daily medications and supplements, and one for acute issues like “I have a cold, I have an upset stomach”. This idea resonated with her, and we put the daily basket on the lower shelf because it was easier to access and right at eye level!

As you assign a home for your medications and supplements, please consider that warm damp areas are THE WORST place to keep your medications and supplements. Extreme heat or damp can negatively impact the quality and efficacy of a medication. And bathrooms and kitchens tend to be warm and damp. If you need to store medications or supplements in the bathroom or kitchen, make sure they are out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources like your stovetop or oven.

I rarely tell people to buy containers, but medication needs to be easily identified, within code, readily accessible and within reach. With these qualifications in mind, we can see that medications and supplements can benefit from storage in specific containers. I love these containers, clear storage containers, for storing and accessing medications. Measure your space and order accordingly. My favorite source is Amazon, but you can find similar items at your big box home good stores or The Container Store.

I am sorry to say: wicker is gross, at least for medications and toiletries. It harbors dust and moisture. Wicker doesn’t contain leaks, wicker baskets are typically not a standard size and they are impossible to deep clean. Please consider clear containers for storage.

Next steps!

Now, how to responsibly dispose of medications that you need to part with? Over the counter medications are typically safe to put in the trash. DO NOT flush any medications as they should NOT be in our water supply.

October 26, 2024 is a National Take Back Day. National Take Back Days happen in April and October, and are national initiatives to help the public properly and safely dispose of unused and unwanted medications. Check out the DEA website or google Take Back Day October 2024 for locations and events in your community. In addition, many municipalities have permanent drop-off containers for every day. For example, I can drop off unwanted prescription medications at my local police department.

The other important next step is to re-stock any medications that you needed to purge, so that you have the items on hand when you need them. You know you and your household the best, but there are also some medications that we are all recommended to have in hand, such as an antihistamine for allergic reactions, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) for fevers, etc. Check out this article from the Cleveland Clinic for recommendations, including the above suggestions and also cold and flu remedies, gastrointestinal relief and first aid supplies, etc., or google the question for yourself.

This is a great project to work on, in general, as it improves your health and also saves money by helping you focus on what you have and what you need and purging the rest. And who doesn’t like clearer spaces in your bathroom or kitchen?! Give it a try!

The Daily List Right In Front Of Me

I worked with a new client recently. It was truly a pleasure to meet and work with them. It is great to meet someone who, like many of us, is already on this journey to more intention, more productivity, to figuring out what it is they want to accomplish today and also in life. And who is ready to try different tools to help them do that.

Maybe you have the exact perfect tools to help you do exactly what you want to do, and that’s awesome. Good for you. I love that for you.

I’m there, too, but I’m also always looking for new ideas because I try them out for myself and collect those ideas and share them with all of you, my community.

I worked with two productivity coaching clients this week in their work spaces.

One client realized for themselves in the last month that a daily to-do list could help them get more done, so they are exploring a daily list. This person is a graphic designer, and they created their own visually appealing daily one-page. The list is not too structured. There were check boxes and empty lines so they could write their lists of tasks and projects and intentions and make it completely different for themselves every day, depending on what their day held.

Their process includes printing tomorrow’s form today and taking a few minutes to jot down tomorrow’s plan as they wrap up today. Doing this ahead of time means they are more likely to capture tasks they want to complete first thing in the morning, or perhaps there are timed events on the calendar already that they want to remember, like “8 am, take kids to school”, “10 am, Zoom call with potential client”, “Noon, physically create that product or buy supplies, etc.”

For this client, they also add personal stuff, like take a shower, start some laundry, stop at the grocery, make dinner. You know, the things that we have to do in life.

The other client I worked on the Daily List with is further along in her business and her productivity coaching journey. She has consistent, well established and supportive routines around most of her personal tasks, so her Daily List is specifically for business related items. Many of these items are hosted on digital to-do lists, too, or shared with her assistant, but this client really values this Daily List “in [her] face ALL THE TIME” to keep her on track. (I know she is a listener, so she’s going to know I am talking about her).

And this client and I have worked together over time. She is an established business owner and has figured out more processes and systems. Her personal tasks and routines happen consistently, so her Daily List is for items like: team management and helping the team members to thrive; strategic planning and big picture planning for the company; working with her assistant to plan the week, etc.

When I was first starting my business 21 years ago, I had a wonderful mentor who was already an established professional organizer, Pamela. She shared with me then her daily one-page planning sheet, with areas for calls to make, personal metrics like exercise and water consumption, appointments, tasks, etc. I used a similar form for many years. Now, I use digital tools and reminders, but a good list in my bullet journal – in front of my face – is sometimes what is required for me to get things done on a busy day!

What do all of these people and strategies have in common?

  • Many of us benefit from having visual and tangible reminders in front of our faces!
  • We recognize the value of carving out time today to plan for tomorrow.
  • We make sure to check in with today’s list multiple times a day to keep us on track.

I want to dive a little deeper into a few more important characteristics of the Daily List that will help you succeed.

Realistic Time Estimates.

With one of the recent clients, we discussed realistic time estimates.

I know I have spoken about realistic time estimates in other podcast episodes and articles. It is very important to identify just how long regular tasks take. For example, I believe I take quick showers in the morning. With this article on my mind this morning, I decided to actually time my shower. And if “quick showers” means 5 minutes or so… well, it turns out I DO NOT take quick showers. Or, I take two quick showers, meaning this morning’s shower was more like 10-12 minutes.

Please don’t judge.

But this is useful information. I can use it to form my plan for my day. If someone says “Let’s go do that thing” I can say that realistically, it will take me 20 -30 minutes to get ready, instead of my optimistic (and incorrect) belief that it will take me 10 minutes.

That is just one very simple example. We all have beliefs around how long we think tasks take. Or commutes. Or cooking a meal. But if we don’t factor in the rest of the steps, or if we aren’t aware of how long things really take, we are setting ourselves up to fail.

Time Cushion and Rest.

Another characteristic of a successful Daily List is factoring in rest or at least a time cushion.

I stumble on this one all the time. The Daily List needs to have extra time factored in for transition time, or nature breaks or lunch or even a moment to step outside and breathe some fresh air. There is always more work to be done, but I will get back to it happier and more refreshed if I factor in a little extra time for rest or delays or flexibility.

Identify Routine tasks.

My clients and I also talked this week about our different types of tasks from day to day.

If you like a detailed list, there are economies we can achieve with topping our list with the 5-10 tasks we need to accomplish every day to just survive, aka. our daily routine. “Take shower, brush teeth, work out, take vitamins, eat breakfast, pack lunch”. Perhaps “make bed, start laundry, walk dog”. Basics. But for some of us, we like to cross these tasks off the list, as well, just like the work specific, family specific or other responsibilities. However, we don’t likely need to rewrite them every day. We can park them at the top of the list because they are different than our daily work today.

Priorities.

And once we have figured out how to manage those routine tasks, let’s look at prioritizing the rest of the items on the Daily List.

Maybe it’s just me, but I usually have more on my list than I can possibly get done in a day.

Again, asking you not to judge, here. I know this AND it still happens. So it is very important that at the start of every day, I review the list and determine what can feasibly happen in the time I have today, and then I put the tasks in order of importance and urgency. “Launching my new website” is super important, but will take many more hours than I have today AND no one but me is waiting for that task’s completion. Following up with clients, moving more urgent projects along, taking care of tasks that other people are relying on me to complete so they can do their work – yes, those will end up at the top of today’s list, along with realistic time estimates as to how long I expect the tasks to take.

So, to recap, perhaps you would benefit from a Daily List IN FRONT OF YOU every day. Perhaps it’s paper, perhaps it is digital. You do you. But there are characteristics that will make the Daily List and the process successful:

  • Planning ahead, like the day before, to wrap up today and look at tomorrow.
  • Checking in on the Daily List regularly.
  • Realistic Time Estimates for our regular tasks.
  • Factoring in time cushion and rest.
  • Recognizing the difference between routine tasks and the rest of your Daily List.
  • Prioritized tasks, so that the most important work gets done.

Hope this helps!

Got Paint?

I just shared this information in my weekly newsletter, and I wanted to park it out here for future use!

Let’s also talk… paint! As I wrote a newsletter about garages, my friend Jen asked “Where  Can I Dump Paint?”  Excellent question, friend, and here are some answers:

  • Paint should be stored inside your home away the extreme temperatures found in a garage.  Paint should never freeze.
  • Check out this non-profit organization, Earth Paint in Wood Dale, IL to recycle your household paint:  http://earthpaint.org/.  
  • Check with your local Habitat for Humanity regarding donating still-usable paint.
  • In the Spring and Fall, check your metropolitan area for paint and hazardous material recycling events.
  • If you live in Evergreen Park, contact Waste Management At Your Door to schedule a pick-up of paint, hazardous materials or e-waste, https://wmatyourdoor.com/
  • If you have to purge paint:
  • Paint should never be poured in the ground or down the drain.
  • If you have water-based or latex paint and can be patient about its disposal, pry the lid off and leave it to dry out in your garage out of reach of children or pets. Once dry, the can should be disposed of in your regular weekly garbage collection.
  • To expedite the drying process or if you have oil-based paint, you can purchase paint hardener (like this) to add to the old paint, wait 20 minutes until it is hard as a rock, then dispose of the can in your regular garbage collection. 

Clutter Hot Spot: Your Tech Accessories

The challenge with this hot spot is that there isn’t always just one spot.

Sometimes the tech pieces

are

all

over

the

place!

The original inspiration for the Clutter Hot Spot series was client interactions in January. And in one week, I had 3 clients who had tech accessories stirred up into every space we were organizing!

IF we ever hope to find them again, we need to assign JUST ONE HOME for our less-often used tech accessories.

In my office, our ONE tech accessory home is a desk drawer. Right next to me as I write this article. It’s not exciting or big or complicated. It holds tech items that we might need again. In preparation for writing this article, I looked in there earlier today. The boxes for my Apple watch and airpods are in there (new-ish). Extra lightning charging cables (we buy these a few at a time), charging cubes, earphone covers, users manuals, the extra cord that came with my new monitor in its labeled bag. Also, mesh bags for corralling tech accessories when we travel. A few items I came across are now obsolete, like my last two Fitbits and their very specialized chargers, and those are all now in the basket in the garage waiting for a E-Waste collection event.

Let’s review the important parts of the story above:

  • One and ONLY ONE home for tech accessories you might need again.
  • The habit of putting tech accessories in that ONE home when we get them, and putting them back in there after we use them!
  • Labeling the accessory and what it belongs with to eliminate future questions.
  • Everyone in the house knowing where the extra tech accessories live.
  • The habit around reviewing the technology at least once in a while, to determine what tech accessories we need to keep and which ones need to move along to E-Waste recycling.
  • Making sure your E-Waste actually gets recycled. Check your local recycling resources for E-Waste recycling near you. If you’re near me, check out my recycling page for resources. (https://peaceofmindpo.com/2019/06/26/organizing-resources-to-reduce-repurpose-and-recycle/)

Look around your home and establish that ONE SPOT for your extra tech accessories, and commit to moving your tech clutter there as you find it!

Go-mugs, Water Bottles and Blender Pieces, Oh My!

Go-mugs, water bottles and blender pieces, Oh My!

(We attended my niece’s elementary school’s presentation of The Wizard of Oz over the weekend, and the title just came to me!)

I have presented hundreds of times to thousands of people in my time as a professional organizer. I know what jokes will work or not. And I can bring up common hot-spots and know which hot-spot mention will elicit a groan or exclamation.

Enter… go-mugs and water bottles, and to a lesser extent, blender bits and pieces. At a presentation last month to parents of high schoolers, the mention of go-mugs and water bottles sparked a lively discourse – “Some are so old the writing is all washed off!” or “That one leaks but it’s still here!” or “We don’t even know who that one belongs to or where it came from!”!

Organizing these items is another small but mighty project with a potentially big impact!

How To:

  • First, we open all the cabinets and drawers and pull out ALL THE PIECES! Bases, lids, accessories, sleeves, hooks, rubber gaskets, etc. Oi, all the pieces!
    • And since these are all portable beverage carriers, we also need to check in the cars, cupholders and under the seats. We need to look in all the backpacks, briefcases and sports bags by the door, too. Collect all the extras from EVERYWHERE and give them a good wash.
    • Next, we pair up all the pieces. Top with bottoms, rubber gaskets with lids, straws with squeezy bottles if you use those (we don’t), etc. Since we’re talking about blender / smoothie cup pieces too, we match up the cups that go with certain blender bases, as well.


  • Once we have the pieces all paired up, line them up on the counter (gulp). Yes, all of them.
    • Take a deep breath. Look at all of them. There are probably some that need to go.
    • Part with the easy ones – the unpaired bottoms or tops, the leaky ones, the childish ones and your youngest is now a teenager.
    • You can also send the ones that don’t belong to you back to their owners!
    • Decide how many is enough and how many are too many. I know this may be tough, but you can try these strategies:
      • Sort them by owner – I am the coffee drinker, so the portable coffee mugs might go in the Colleen pile;
      • As another example, each of us has our own Swell bottles, so I might put each of those in each person’s pile.
      • Utilize what I refer to in my presentations as Mug Math. Ask Yourself:
        • How many people in my house drink coffee? (1)
        • How many cups a day? (2) and
        • How often do we run the dishwasher? (Every day / every other day)
        • So, in theory, I need 4 mugs. OF course I have more than 4 mugs. But do I need 40? No. Same goes for go mugs / water bottles, etc.


  • After you have decided which items to keep, let’s think about how and where to keep them.
    • Hopefully the pile has gotten smaller by this point.
    • Next, we need to chose one and only one place in the kitchen for these items to live.
    • If you use these items often, choose a home near the sink for easy cleaning and filling. If you use them less often, choose a location a little farther away from the sink, as that space is always in high demand.
    • As you choose a home, remember you can adjust your cabinet shelves to accommodate tall items.
    • AND… next time you are offered a promotional water bottle at an event, Just Say No!


  • The Keys to Success for go-mugs, water bottles and blender / smoothie parts are: 1. A Consistent Home; and 2. Containers!
    • When we’ve looked at these clutter hot-spots these last few weeks, we know that we want a HOME for our stuff so we can find the stuff again.
    • Having a consistent home for our go-mugs, water bottles and blender / smoothie parts means we will find those items again! If we find a top or a bottom without its match, that’s ok. If we put all the part in the HOME, we can pair them up again. And a home keeps these items from floating around in other spaces in our kitchen, getting in the way in those other spaces.
    • We use containers like these shown, available on Amazon.com or at your local retailer. The containers corral the bits and pieces like lids and bottoms, but they also establish a limit for how many things we have / need!



Try your hand at this mini-project this week and reclaim your kitchen and storage spaces!

Kitchen Hacks We Plan to Keep

The topic of “The Changes we made during the Pandemic that we would like to keep (or not)” has been coming up a lot lately. For example, going to school via Zoom may NOT be something we want to keep. But having a Zoom happy hour with my college roommates who live far away is AWESOME and something we plan to keep! We can dig a little deeper into this topic, if you’d like, email me if you’re interested.

For Today, though, I’m excited to share these kitchen adjustments we instituted this time last year that will definitely stay!

  1. We (almost) eliminated paper towels and paper napkins.
    Since paper products were difficult to find I bought extra microfiber cloths on Amazon.com, and we got in the habit of using the cloths instead of paper towels and napkins. The photo shows the pile of clean cloths on the right and the basket for dirty ones on the left. We still have a roll of paper towels in the kitchen for raw meat juices but one roll lasts a long time!




2. We have a tray to corral all the sink stuff.
A year ago, we got in the daily habit of spraying down all the kitchen surfaces with an anti-bacterial spray. A spray bottle joined the other items on the small silver tray (Amazon.com) that already lived by the sink. In the picture, you can see the spray, along with lotion, hand soap and dish soap all in one compact place! (And you may notice all 4 products are from Melaleuca! If you want more info, I can connect you with my friend!)






3. I came up with a way to protect my family members’ drinking glasses (and clear clutter). Soooo… when there are lots of people living / working / going to school in my house, the counter can get cluttered with items including drinking glasses set aside by family members to use later. And, well, I may or may not have a habit of just sweeping dishes into the dishwasher, regardless of if the beverage is only half-consumed or not.

In the interest of protecting my family’s beverages, I purchased these personalized coasters (click here for my friend’s FB page of personalized items to purchase), not to force my family into anything, but to protect their drinks from my cleaning! (And they’re really good about using them!)




4. I adjusted our cabinet shelves around our new habits.
We ate. Oh, goodness, did we eat. Constantly. Suddenly all 5 of us were in our house, eating every meal at home instead of the school cafeteria or downtown at the office.

All 5. Every meal.

One of my first organizing projects was to tweak our cabinets and adjust around new habits. I cooked A LOT more, so I inventoried our pantry items and adjusted the shelf heights to accommodate a snack shelf and a can shelf.

My family was more excited about the snack shelf – just the right height for bags of chips laid on their side, easily accessible and regularly stocked.

I was more excited about the can shelf. All the cans now live on the bottom shelf where the short person (me) can easily find things. I adjusted the shelf above the cans to an inch above the tallest can which made space on the upper shelves for the snacks. Easy peasy.

5. We also have a candy basket now. Because, well, why not have a candy basket? At first, we tried to ration the candy so we didn’t eat it so quickly and then we gave up. I feel less guilty because it’s not a big basket. And sometimes you just need some M&Ms. You just do.

And we have new habits that will stay, too.

  • We run the dishwasher every night, and empty it every morning (mostly). This has been a game changer.
  • We are strategic with our take-out. We have some great local restaurants, and we’ve made a point to order from a different local restaurant a couple times a month.
  • We now order groceries on-line (woot woot!). I had always wanted to order groceries on-line but hadn’t gotten around to it. And then we were told to stay home and not go to groceries and I found the time! I go a little more often now than I did last year, but I will happily continue on-line grocery shopping with delivery.
  • Family dinners and more scratch cooking, of course, but those are topics for another article!

Anything new you would like to try in your kitchen? I’d love to hear about it!

Organizing Projects Don’t Stay Done (sorry)

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This may be difficult to read, but our organizing efforts do not always stay done. (I know, sorry about that). It’s true, though. We can do the work, work the organizing process, and LOVE the outcomes. However …

Sometimes… things slowly creep back out from their storage spaces and don’t get put back away. Or we acquire a new item but don’t dedicate a new home for that item so it lingers on the counter or in the middle of the bedroom floor, etc.

This time last year- well, we all know what we were doing this time last year. Here in Chicago, this was our last non-shelter-in-place week (not EVEN going to call it normal) before things closed down for a bit. I was agonizing over how to properly but safely celebrate my husband’s birthday, my son’s college campus was closing up until August, and trying to figure out how to pivot my business if I couldn’t actually see people in person. Well, you remember. We all have our stories.

The point, though, is that many of us responded to Shelter In Place with a flurry of organizing projects. And I LOVE THAT, of course!

However… Organizing Projects don’t stay done.  It may be time to tweak the areas you organized in a flurry a year ago.

This week, I challenge you to check in on the organizational status of areas in your home, and add some maintenance to your project list for Spring. For Example:

Kitchen:

I offered my “An Organized Kitchen” presentation last week which inspired me to take a look in my own cabinets.

Pretty, right?

I checked the dish cabinets and made sure things still made sense in there.

I checked the food cabinets, looked at expiration dates, tossed out a few stale items, made my menu for the week with what we have already and assembled a bag of food for a local food drive.

I ordered a new tea pot and a replacement blade for my blender, too.

Maintenance is quicker and easier than organizing, AND it is essential.

Clothing closets:

I know MANY of us organized clothes and closets for ourselves and our family members last Spring. I always feel the itch to review my clothes this time of year as the season changes. But if you do not always get the organizing itch, let this be your reminder – time to check in on your closets. Try things on, swap out heavy Winter items for Spring, look critically at things too old / stained / big / small and purge the things that don’t make the cut.

Be objective, friends – those lounge pants and hoodies you or your kids have been wearing for a year now? Umm, just saying, it might be time to let them go…

Linen Closets / Hall Closets / other small storage spaces :

I am lumping these storage spaces together as only YOU know how you use your storage spaces. When we attacked the linen closet or coat closet last March, we were reacting, getting by, making do. Look more critically at your small storage spaces this week and make sure they’re still doing their jobs. The process remains the same –

  • sort what is there,
  • purge what can go,
  • assign a home and containerize what you’re keeping, and
  • maintain the work as you live in your home
  • (process per Julie Morgenstern, Organizing from the Inside Out)

The good news? You may have done this project in the last 12 months, so you just need to catch up instead of starting all over.

Clearing clutter in these spaces: I offered this tip last year and here it is again – linen closets or bathroom storage? Corral your toiletries and use up all the partial bottles or travel sizes for the next few weeks, then recycle!

And cleaning supplies? OK, if you were a clorox wipe, bleach or paper towel collector (no judgement here), you may still have a stockpile of such items cluttering up your spaces. Take a couple of deep breaths and start using some of your stock to clear clutter and make room for more living.

Outdoor Spaces:

Last summer was definitely the summer of the backyard oasis.

Many of us worked on gardening, our garages and our outdoor spaces since we couldn’t really go too many places or do too many things!

Now is the time to sweep out that garage again, put the things away that have wandered out of storage over the winter and start dreaming again of warmer and sunnier days in our outdoor spaces. And maybe, just maybe, we get to include more friends this year!

Sooo, what areas made it onto your project list this week? As I wrote this, I also thought to share my resources page with everyone again, if you have recycling or hauling or selling questions as you clear clutter, https://peaceofmindpo.com/2019/06/26/organizing-resources-to-reduce-repurpose-and-recycle/.

What Do Instant Coffee and Travel Sized Toothpaste Have in Common?

I drank instant coffee yesterday morning. It wasn’t too bad, actually, Starbuck’s Via Dark Roast. I keep some packets on hand for when I travel, just in case there is not morning coffee at my destination.

Goodness knows I’m not traveling this week, so what gives?

(And Why?! do my posts seem to involve coffee, pictures of coffee or drinking coffee?!)

Here’s the thing. I inventoried my kitchen cabinets before a grocery trip over the weekend, and I noticed the coffee packets were nearing their expiration date. Obvious next action, use them up before they expire.

In keeping with the coffee topic, I started out this social isolation by using up ground coffee in my french press. Why? To use up open inventory and clear clutter before returning to my usual K-Cups in the morning. My Intelligentsia coffee beans are still in the freezer, they will last a long time in there.

(For more information about using up your food inventory, check out last my article from a few weeks ago, “Menu Planning: This Just Got Real”.)

HOWEVER, this is not about coffee. Today’s topic is inventory management.

I know why I talk about coffee, but Why am I talking about Inventory Management? Because utilizing the items we already have in our home is the best way to save money, save time, clear clutter, waste less, make better choices, flatten the curve, etc.

I’m also using travel sized toothpaste right now. Who knows why we have 6 of them, but I’m using up those before I start on any new full sized tubes.

I mentioned inventory management to a coaching client yesterday. She was adding “finish organizing the bathroom” to her plan for the week, and when I brought up inventory management, she said “Yes! I always seem to tuck things away in clever places but then can’t find them again when I need them!”

Yep.

So, to save money and time, clear clutter, waste less, etc., here’s what to do this week!

Find Your Inventory!

Corral all your stuff by category. For example, the toiletry category, like soaps, shampoos and toothpaste. Other home inventory categories could be cleaning supplies, light bulbs, paper goods and the like.

Check the medicine cabinet, the linen closets, under bathroom sinks or in bathroom drawers, the travel bags and where else? Where does that stuff land in YOUR home?

Bring it all together, open or still sealed, on the bathroom counter or the kitchen table if you need more space. Sort the broad toiletry category into sub-category piles, like soaps, shampoo, dental, personal care, etc.

Purge the Stuff That HAS TO GO.

If you have a 5 year -old partial bottle of conditioner that has turned lumpy and smells funny – would you actually put that on your head? (No. The Answer is No.) Purge the old and the empty, recycling containers if you can. Pet shampoo when you don’t own a pet? Old shower poofs or loofahs? Go, go, go.

Establish a Designated Location For Your Home Inventory.

Some folks like to keep a stash of toiletries in every bathroom, and I understand that … sort of. I find that having multiple locations in your home for stashing inventory is what makes inventory management so difficult. So, choose a spot or maybe 2 – one on each floor of your home, perhaps? And store your unopened inventory in that spot, to stock the spaces where you use it when you need it.

Plan to Use The Open Stuff First.

Stock your storage space like a store. Freshest (items with expiration dates farthest in the future) inventory goes to the back of the shelf, with inventory that needs to be used before it goes to waste moves to the front. If we are talking about those other categories of inventories, like cleaning supplies or paper goods, place partial containers at the front and use them first.

Check Your Stock Before You Restock.

Get in the habit of checking your Inventory before you shop.

Use the empty spot to alert you to when something needs to be replaced or reordered. If the “bleach” spot on my chrome shelves in the laundry room is empty, I know it’s time to buy bleach. If the cup of new tooth brushes in my toiletries bin is empty, it’s time to buy toothbrushes.

DON’T BUY MORE UNLESS YOU NEED IT!!

Just like retailers or manufacturers, Know your re-order point, and recognize that stuff takes longer to arrive these days, whether you go out and shop for it or order on-line. For example, over the weekend I ordered more dishwasher detergent pods. We’re not out of them yet but we will be in a week and shipping takes longer than it used to, so I placed my order.

Do your home and your $$ a favor, and spend some time setting up your inventory management this week. Get the most out of what you already have and clear some clutter while you’re at it!