Tag: Family Organizing

Got Kids? or a Spouse? Organize Together!

     This Article is dedicated to 3 friends, L., K. & A.  I started this as an “Organize your kid’s bedroom” article in response to a request from L.  Thanks to K. and A.,  I realized today that the same suggestions I have for organizing with kids would work for organizing with other adults, too! (Perhaps your Spouse? Parent? Sibling? Who knows?!)

     I also tried something new this week, posting visuals on my Pinterest page, so click here for more inspiration!  http://pinterest.com/colleencpo/kid-s-storage-ideas/

So, friends, here are your answers!

  1. Organize WITH your loved one, to get their input, their cooperation and to transfer organizing skills.  Yes, it may take longer, but they need to know where things belong, and to learn how to organize for themselves.  However, and you don’t need to tell them this, keep in mind the few things you may come back for and dispose of permanently, after the fact.
  2. Recognize your differences.
    1. We see trash, they see treasure.  We’re both right.  But you can’t just throw away their treasure. 
    2. You and your loved one may have different learning styles.  You are both right, but may have different ideas.  Respect both. 
    3. Our children and loved ones are constantly evolving, as are their interests and their stuff.  What is important now may need to move to make way for other things in 6 months or a year.   (Another friend called it “keeping it lean” to describe the clutter control in her daughter’s very small room.  She keeps only what is for current interests and purges the rest!) 
  3. Start with the easy stuff: dirty clothes, dirty dishes (though these shouldn’t be in there in the first place!!).  And start small. If the whole room is overwhelming to both of you, plan on tackling just the dresser or closet or bookshelves today.  Conquer that, then move on to the next area.  Set a timer, and you both get to take a break when the timer goes off.  Then back to work!
  4. Always have a destination in mind for items to purge.  Options include elsewhere in your home, give to family, donate to charity or local non-profits like the Library or sell (Game Crazy or Play It Again Sports).
    1. Discussing respect and taking care of stuff, one of my cub scouts said he “recycles some of his toys this time of year to make room for new things and to help the kids who don’t have any toys.  So sweet, and so true!
  5. Keep the process objective and unemotional.  Try “I read an article / Mrs. Klimczak / my Professional Organizer suggested we spend some time organizing the bedroom.  We can make some space by clearing out outgrown summer clothes, off season clothes and sport equipment, etc.  This makes room for new items you’ll get for Christmas.”  (Sounds better than what we want to say, “Ugh, that’s it!  We’re throwing everything out!”)
  6. Show your loved one the benefits of being organized.  Just last week, I taught organizing to 45 elementary students.  During the class, we talked a lot about the benefits of organizing.  
    1. For example, “Cleaning out your closet and drawers of clothes you don’t wear makes it easier to find your favorites / get dressed in the morning / get to practice on time. “
    2. Or “When we organize our hobby stuff, like baseball cards or jewelry making supplies, we make sure not to lose or break them.  Then we can find what we need when we need it.”
    3. Or “You really love your Nintendo DS / cell phone / IPod / Ninjago figures (I have sons).  Let’s create a spot for them so you can always find them.”
  7. Every Kid’s room should have:
    1. High shelves for display of childhood treasures, trophies, etc.
    2. Low shelves for books and toys, low so they can reach them and put things away.
    3. A dresser they can access, safely open and close all drawers.
    4. Closet space for hanging clothes.  We hang school clothes in the closet on hangers.  High closet shelf storage is great for off-season clothes, childhood treasures in clear, well labeled boxes.
    5. Lots and lots of hooks (like command hooks) for hats, accessories, medals, belts, etc., hung low for easy access.  Your children may be vertically challenged, so their storage solutions should be down on their level!
    6. Under bed storage for bedding, small toys in bins, off-season clothes, etc.

Organizing can be fun, and it is always useful!  Organize with your family members to make your home more livable, and teach each other a few things while you are at it!

 

Clear Clutter for National Recycling Week

This week is National Recycling Week.  Make a conscious decision to free your self and home from clutter while benefiting others and the environment.  Clear your house for Fall, for the Holidays or just because!

     Recycling goes way beyond the bags you put out with the trash every week.  It means re-using or re-distributing stuff, and almost everything is recyclable or reusable.  Recycling is the right thing to do.  It cuts consumption of energy and resources, saves money, keeps stuff out of landfills and toxins out of the water supply.  Looking at 5 common clutter challenges, here is how to make Recycling the easy thing to do, too:

Clothes and Donations:  I bet you have bags of donation clothes in the closet, by the door, in the laundry room or in your trunk.  Cast-off clothes and donations are easy clutter elimination and the ultimate recycling.  You may have designated stuff to donate or give to others, but it is still cluttering up your home.  Load up your trunk and drop off those bags of clothes / shoes / books / whatever.  Then come home, take a breath, appreciate the clearer space, then get back to work!

Returns are also a form of recycling since returning items you won’t use keeps stuff in circulation instead of letting it stagnate in your trunk or closet.   Take returns back to their stores, put some money back in your pocket, and revel in the clear space. 

Plastic and Paper Shopping Bags:  Got bags?  Under the kitchen sink, in the laundry room, on a hook by the door?  Working with a client recently in a small storage space we ended with 6 bags of plastic grocery bags to be recycled.  As an organizer, a problem I have with bags in general is that you can’t stack them or see inside, which make them a terrible way to store stuff.

     Keep a dozen plastic bags, and maybe 2 dozen if you happen to have a pet and need the bags for dog walks, etc.  Take the rest back to your local grocery store for recycling.  Re-use plastic bags as packing material or to re-line your messy garbage cans.  They’re also great for organizing projects – write “trash”, “recycle” and “donate” on 3 with a Sharpie, stand them up, and have the kids fill all three on cleaning day.  When they’re full, take action on the stuff in the bags, then fold them up and keep them for the next project!

     Get used to carrying your own shopping bags.  I always carry one small one in my handbag for most of my shopping stops, and for bigger trips, I keep my reusable bags where I need them, bundled in the car.

 Boxes and Cardboard:   Take a peek in your garage, attic, basement or hall closet.  Recycle those empty cardboard boxes and open up some storage space!

     Last week, I cleaned out our basement Holiday closet where we store Halloween and Easter decorations;  Halloween costumes; gift wrap and extra shipping boxes; and purchased gifts.  It was looking neglected, to say the least!  So I put away the Halloween decorations and costumes, purged a dozen extra cardboard boxes, and broke down the keepers to store them flat instead of assembled.   There’s lots of space now!

Electronics:  Many towns have E-waste recycling available now, for old computers, TVs, DVD players, etc. Check with your municipality to see what’s available near you.

Junk Drawer Contents:  As your professional organizer, I will let you have a junk drawer.  JUST one.  So, let me guess what is in your junk drawer… Dead batteries, old eyeglasses, dried up pens, broken crayons, pennies, random photos, household tools and repair items, expired coupons and take-out menus, twist ties and rubber bands, empty toner cartridges, scotch tape, old cell phones, pop tabs.  Sound familiar?

  Dedicate a use for each drawer, like office supplies or couponing or tools and hardware or kid’s crafts, so it is less likely to become a junk drawer.  Label it to make it easier to remember and maintain.  Almost every item I listed above can be Recycled or re-used.  Old batteries to Home Depot or Walgreens.  Eyeglasses to your local Lion’s Club.  See your old apple phone back to Apple for recycling and credit towards your next purchase. Sorting a junk drawer with your kids can be a great teachable moment.  Show them how to sort stuff, toss the trash, and organize what is left. 

      Use National Recycling Week to help your home by clearing clutter, and help the planet by doing it responsibly!

(c) Copyright 2011          M. Colleen Klimcak, CPO

Is Your Routine Stuck In A Rut?

     I talk about Routines often, OK, all the time.  Why?  Because Routines are great! Creating a Routine helps us prioritize and order our necessary tasks.  Sticking with our Routine takes care of regular maintenance items.  Routines free us from time-wasting decision-making.  They are vitally important to our every day success.

     However… there is a darker side of routines.  Buried in “Routine” is “rut”.  As in, “When we do the same thing over and over again, we can get stuck in a rut”.  We can lose sight of Why we do what we do, and then our routine starts to run us, instead of the other way around.  Sometimes, we have to look at our current practices and make sure they’re working for us.  And if they aren’t, it’s time for a change.

How do you know your current Routine works?

  • You feel comfortable with your schedule most days.  Even when you are busy, you don’t worry that you are forgetting a task or appointment.
  • You allow for flexibility in your schedule, to accommodate travel time between appointments, special events or requests, spontaneity and minor emergencies.  Then you get back on track.
  • You can easily explain your time management practices to others.
  • You get things done. 
  • You have time for work, relationships, hobbies or passions, etc. 
  • You are good with deadlines and appointments, and you are on-time most of the time.

      If you are wincing at any of the above questions, it’s time to re-assess your time management and Routine. 

 “How’s that working for ya?”     

     I’ve been working with a client who struggles to complete tasks. I suggested she use a planner and to-do lists to help her get things done.  She asked me Why she had to make a change?, because she really did not want to.  As her professional organizer, my obvious answer went something like “well, let’s see, life without a planner or lists – how’s that working for ya?”

             If you are missing deadlines, forgetting or re-running errands, spending more money than you need to, or feeling overwhelmed and out of control at least once a day, your current practices are not working, and YES, it is time to re-assess your time management and Routines.  I know new practices may seem intimidating, but soon they will be routine, too.    

     Do you know the story of the Frog and the hot water?  The adage says that if you put a frog in hot water, he will jump right out.  But if you put the frog in cold water then slowly heat the water, he’ll not jump out, and will boil.  We notice an abrupt problem, but not always a gradual decline.  

Don’t Boil the Frog, or yourself.  Review then re-commit to your routine regularly.   

      Lately, I have not stuck with my own Routine components of 1.  getting in the shower upon waking (very important for me to get in early, so I can get my boys up and ready for school); 2.  taking my vitamins every day (I feel so much better when I do the right thing); and 3. exercising (also, so important and usually the first thing I abandon when the schedule gets busy).  So I need to get back to all three of those things, and I started this morning. 

     I also realized that the things I have let slide are for my own health, and since it is bad when Mom gets sick as there is no one left to tend the family, I am also committing to completing the vitamins / exercise / weight watchers log-in tasks by 10 am every day. 

      If you notice things slipping, make sure the task that is slipping is still important, and then spend a few days focusing on completing that task until it again becomes Routine. 

Break Your Own Rules:  occasionally break your routine to get non-routine tasks done.

      Last Thursday, I realized that my regular routine was not allowing a couple of really important projects to get done, so I ditched the Routine and powered through those important things just to get them done and into someone else’s hands.  Then I caught up with my regularly scheduled life.    

     If I find that I am regularly breaking out of my daily Routine just to get things done, then I have to ask myself 2 questions:  1.  Do I allow enough time in my daily schedule and Routine to get all my tasks done?  And if not, 2. Do I need to reconfigure how I spend my time?  Which leads me to….

 Life Changes, and so should your Routine. 

     Our schedule has gotten crazy lately with 3 boys in 3 sports, in addition to everything else we do.  I love that my boys are involved in sports, but our 3-7 pm block of time, the time I usually use to make dinner, catch up on paper work, make client calls and take care of home business is now spent at games. 

     I recognize this fact, and have consciously decided to let Routine slide on some days to get business tasks like billing and writing done. I assure myself that volleyball season is fleeting, and in 6 weeks, when all is done, I’ll be sad it is over.  For now, though, forgive me if I respond to your phone call or email from the bleacher seats (thank goodness for my smart phone)!

            Sometimes changes are more long-term, not just a sport season but for life, like a new baby, new job or retirement, etc..  Use that transition time to reflect on your daily tasks and determine how to make things get done, around your new schedule. 

     So, Routines are the best time management tool ever, but even the best tool needs occasional adjustment.  Be aware of how you spend your time, and how you want to spend your time, and make sure the two match up!

Favorite Party Organizing Ideas

     We had a birthday party (for me!) a few weeks ago, and I had some time while tidying up to think about my favorite party organizing tips.  So here they are, my gift to you:

  1. Pantry shop (def.: use up what you have on hand and try not to grocery shop) for a few weeks before your party, to clear up stuff and make room.
  2. Clear the decks:  My counters are always cleared off, but even more so before a party because I tend to need every spare inch of flat space for prep, assembly and serving. 
  3. Make it easy for folks to help you (should they offer), or at least easier on you:  Cake plates, spoons and forks, serving items and ice cream scoopers, plus matches for the birthday candles are always set out on a counter before a birthday party, so you or a helper can grab everything when it comes time for Cake!
  4. Embrace your party food leftovers:  we eat leftovers at least for a couple of days, we love that!  We also spread some around, though, for example:  a class participant suggested keeping a stash of used margarine tubs and take-out containers for distributing party leftovers to party-goers as they leave the party.  She doesn’t mind not getting those containers back.
  5. Clean up when the guests leave.  Yes, right away.  Trust me.  You are still awake and alert, you can load the dishwasher and clean up surfaces tonight, and have clean dishes by the time you wake up.  My wonderful hubby and I have been throwing parties together now for more than 17 years.  He starts the dishes, I collect all food and stuff from around the house, he continues to clean the kitchen, I clean up the floors and put the furniture back where it belongs.   The house is back to normal in an hour.  I would hate to wake up to a still messy house and kitchen the day after a party, that would put a dark cloud on the memories of an otherwise lovely event. 
  6. Revel in your party-clean house.  I buy fresh-cut flowers and light candles for parties, so we enjoy them and the extra shiny party-clean house for many days after. 
  7. Lower your standards the day after:  My birthday party was a lovely evening, very relaxed and fun, and it made me realize yet again how blessed I am by my family and friends.  The next day we got up and got to Mass at our regular time, but after that… well, I admit, we were very tired and did very little for the rest of the day.  We relaxed, watched TV, ate leftovers and generally slugged out.  It was also lovely. 
  8. We can learn from every experience, so I also like to review what worked at a party and what could work better.
    1. I am committed to cutting our paper plate usage for sit-down dinners, right now I can comfortably seat and serve up to 20.  I am tempted to get 4 more sets of dishes and flatware, to give us 24, but we’ll wait and see.
    2. Buy or borrow?  I have a very small 4-cup coffee maker, and as I’m the only coffee drinker here, 360 days a year that is enough.  It becomes a challenge for parties, though.  So three possible solutions – buying a bigger coffee maker for once-in-a-while or a bigger coffee carafe so I can brew little pots all morning and save up, or borrowing one of the first two options.  Now, I just need to figure out how to make weaker coffee so my parents will actually drink it…
    3. Buy or borrow?  I have 4 13×9 inch baking dishes, and until a party last spring, that has always been enough.  I plan to borrow more or use disposable, if I ever need more.  I really only want to store 4 in my cabinet.
    4. Chafing dishes, chocolate fountains, punch bowls – share these large items among family members, and clear up some cabinet space.

      Above all, when you plan your parties and events, remember that getting together to enjoy each others’ company is the whole point of entertaining.   The rest is just details!

Money: Cards, Coupons, Returns & Rebates

Saving Money, Part 2:  Use Well What You Have

     I’m always on the lookout for ideas to organize shopping efforts, save some money and decrease stress!

     Last week, I saved a total of $59 at the grocery on a large order that cost me $133.  Coupons saved me $16, and using my Jewel Preferred Card saved me $43 off the “regular price”.  I paid my bill with gift cards I purchased through my parish school.  Buying those gift cards pays me a small percentage towards tuition and the school a small percentage.  Win-win situation (just have to remember to go and buy the gift cards)!

     I also saved over $12 on a $78 Target bill, using coupons ($2), a few small returned items ($6), $3.90 instant rebate with my Target Red Card, and my own shopping bags ($.05 off a bag).  The returned items were small things I had purchased but decided I did not need.

     I should mention that while I like having food, clothes and stuff, I don’t like shopping at all.  I am also frugal but busy, so my efforts are a continual give and take of spending time to save money, or spending money to save time.  So, do what I do, and consider time spent organizing an investment, and accept a little extra hassle to reap monetary benefits!  Here are some ideas:

Use store memberships and loyalty cards to receive savings for spending money you would have spent anyway.

    1. We went to the movies last week.  I used my AMC Stubs card, and found that I had $10 credit accumulated toward my next transaction.  The nice man behind the counter suggested that I go to customer service and swap the little piece of paper for a $10 gift card with no expiration. Cha Ching!  Stocking stuffer, birthday card stuffer, whatever, $10!
    2. Some people don’t like the hassle of loyalty cards; i.e., signing up and maintaining, remembering them, etc.  If you have a SmartPhone, I suggest the KeyRing App.  Take a picture of your membership and loyalty cards with your smart phone, and the app keeps and categorizes all the info.  Next time you want to use a card, check the App and find the right card, and the store scans the picture on your phone.  Lighten your wallet and keep your data.  
    3. All Retail: One friend buys only with cash because she doesn’t like the idea of her purchases being tracked.  I personally don’t care who tracks my purchasing, I have nothing to hide.  And if you want to give me free stuff for the privilege of noting what brand of toilet paper I choose, so be it.  I’ll take the 5% off, thank you very much.

Use coupons:  Retailers and manufacturers print the coupons, you might as well reap the benefits.

    1. All Retail: Use coupons for things you regularly buy.   Buying stuff just because you have a coupon will not save you money in the long run, if you end up spending more total, or not liking or using the product.
    2. Groceries: Compound your savings by perusing your local sale ads before you shop, and using coupons with in-store specials.  I have noticed this cross marketing in my newspaper coupons recently:  “Here is a coupon, and your local Jewel has the item on sale, too for a total savings this week of $            . “
    3. I keep my reusable shopping bags and coupons together in my car.  I cut coupons once a week, and file them in the holder while waiting in the car for my kids to get out of practice.
    4. Groceries: Please note: I am not endorsing Extreme Couponing (see “Only Buy What You Need” below). Flipping around the TV channels, I have come across the Extreme Couponing show.  I’ll just say Yikes!  Your home is a home, not a warehouse!  There is no way I can or want to eat 40 boxes of one type of breakfast cereal before it expires.  But that is a blog for another day…

Buy only what you need, and return stuff if you’re not going to use it:

    1. Groceries: Use a shopping list, post it on the fridge at all times.  Look in your cabinets and use what you have before going out and buying more stuff.  Plan to keep 2-3 weeks of food on hand, and use up the rest.  I have clients who had 2-3 month’s worth of canned goods cluttering up their cabinets before we organized.
    2. Other Retail:  Return stuff that you don’t need.  I walked into 3 stores last week and did not spend a cent.  I actually put money back in my checking account and netted a few more singles in my pocket.  To make this possible, file your receipts by month, and keep them for up to a year. 
    3. If I purchase items with my Target Red Card, I don’t need to keep a receipt to return them.

Pursue the money that belongs to you:  reimbursements, rebates, checks. 

    1. Ask for your rewards from credit card companies (we just requested a Cash Back check last week).
    2. When working with clients, we often find un-cashed checks in their paper clutter.  Cash your checks, the money is yours!  And if the check is a month or 2 old, the check-writer really wants you to cash it, to clean up their balance sheet! 
    3. We often buy items because the advertising says “Final cost after Mail-In Rebate:  Really cheap or Free!”  And that is great, so long as you actually follow-up and mail in the paperwork.
    4. If you have expense accounts or reimbursement paperwork to file, get that done, too.  Many companies are shortening their acceptable response time for submitting reimbursement, so get your money back while you can.  It is your money.

     Be organized with your shopping and spending efforts, and make the most of your money!  Cha-ching!

Get Organized and Save Money

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     In this uncertain life, not to mention economy, it pays (literally) to be prepared and organized. A small investment now in time and resources can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars annually.

Make Some Money on Your Unwanted Items:

  • Sell your clutter. Clutter is defined as anything you don’t need, use or treasure. Turn those unwanted collectibles, furniture or clothes into cash at a consignment store or garage sale or on eBay. And while you’re at it, get rid of the storage unit that has been holding all of this clutter. Let your clutter become someone else’s treasure.
  • Return your clutter. Return any items that you purchased months ago but have not used. One of my clients, who still had clothes that she purchased months ago in a shopping bag, realized just how uncommitted she was to those items and took them back. She received a refund of at least 50 percent of what she paid. Money in your pocket is better than clutter any day.

Save Money on Your Stuff:

  • Buy only what you need. Being organized means knowing what you have and where it is in your home. Designate a permanent location for your stuff and stick with it. This will prevent you from purchasing duplicates of what you already have.
  • Take care of what you have. Don’t allow your treasures to be lost or crushed at the bottom of your closet under mounds of stuff you don’t need. Don’t let the clutter in your garage force you to subject your car to the elements. Don’t let your prescriptions expire simply because you lost track of them at the back of your kitchen or medicine cabinet.
  • Clutter covers up what we do need, use and treasure; by clearing the clutter, you can tend to what is truly important and save money, too!

Save and Make Money with Paper Management:

  • Retain and organize your receipts. Keep receipts, manuals and warranty information for appliances, electronics and other big-ticket items, together in one place.
  • Take the time to fill out and mail the warranty cards. When something breaks down, you will have all the information you need to repair or replace the item.
  • Never pay another late fee. Store your outstanding bills in a file labeled “To Be Paid” in big, bold letters. Then set aside an hour every other week to pay those bills.
  • Take advantage of sales and deals. Retailers offer great money-back specials and rebates because they don’t expect the general public to send in the paperwork. Take the time to mail in that paperwork, and follow-up one month later. Those free product coupons and in-store checks can really add up.
  • Cash in those coupons, gift cards and certificates. I worked with a client recently who had accumulated $300 in local restaurant gift certificates. She used them up and saved some money in food and entertainment costs.

Self and Time Management:

  • Do more for yourself. Trim your son’s hair; mow your own yard; change your own oil; clean your own house; groom your own pet. If you are paying for services, you may be able to save money by doing these things yourself.
  • Ask for what you really want. Instead of more clutter, wouldn’t you love to have some time to pamper yourself with a massage? How about a donation in your name to your favorite charity? Or perhaps a gift of a day of yard work from your family is more to your liking. If you want less stuff but more of something else (time, help, love, self-care, etc.,) just ask for it.

     For me, being organized means I get to make the most of all that I have.  That means money, time, stuff and relationships.  Get organized, and make the most of what you have, too!

Maintenance: Easy, Essential & Perpetual

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Last week, I was asked “What are Your organizing projects?”.  We’re already organized, so I don’t have huge projects on my list.  My answer is “I am forever engaged in maintenance”.

I use the analogy of laundry. Laundry is never completely done, we’re always making dirty laundry.  In life, there are some tasks that we do and they stay done, and there are some tasks that we do and re-do forever, like dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.; or in an office, client care, filing, billing, etc.

My clients and I talk a lot about the value of “Done”.  Sticking with a task until it is finished so we can move on the next project.  The feeling of accomplishment, the chance to take a breath and pat yourself on the back – I love “Done”.  However, most things don’t stay “Done”.

Remember the line from The Incredibles?  Mr. Incredible: “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit?  I feel like the  maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for… for ten minutes!”

We all, including Mr. Incredible, need to recognize and embrace a vital component of the Organizing Process – Maintenance.   Maintenance is many things, but I will focus on three.  Maintenance is Easy, Essential and Perpetual.


Maintenance is Easy.  Maintenance is the easiest  part of organizing, certainly easier than getting organized.

Getting Organized takes lots of time, energy, money, motivation, decision-making and all sorts of other things we may or may not be willing to spend.  But Maintenance is what makes Getting Organized stick and stay, and takes much less time, money, energy, decision-making, etc.

Imagine your organized life.  Your clutter is gone.  Your stuff has a home, a place to be “put away”, and you have adequate storage for your items.  If this was your house, maintenance would be easy.  New stuff comes in, old stuff leaves, you put stuff away regularly and you make sure your stuff and systems are still working.  You do this a little bit daily and a lot once in a while, like at change of seasons.  This all becomes easy and routine, and you revel in having less clutter and less stress in your life.  Welcome to Maintenance.

And yet, Life Happens.  Good things, bad things, stuff happens.  Big emergencies and little upsets.  And that is why Maintenance is Essential.  I was discussing motivation with one of my tennis friends, and she said she would rather take care of things right away instead of waiting to do them “because more will always come”.  Maintenance is an investment in your future.

Being organized makes life run more smoothly, and occasionally saves us from those big and little emergencies altogether.  Maintaining our health keeps us healthy.  Maintaining our finances keeps our bills paid.  Maintaining our home keeps most major house emergencies at bay. In negative terms, there are many costs of Delayed Maintenance: Preventable but neglected health issues; late bills, collection agencies and poor credit scores; leaky roofs or plumbing problems.  Maintenance is essential, and a lot cheaper than emergencies. 

Maintenance is Perpetual.  I hear from friends and clients that it feels like organizing is never done.  We think we’re close, and then something happens and we have to adjust.

We are all perpetually in transition.  New day, new season, new challenges, new situations, new jobs, new babies, you name it.  So we have to realize that Yes, we have to maintain our systems and adjust to new things.  And that’s Ok.  And inevitable.

Sometimes I want to fight the perpetuity of maintenance.  Going back to Mr. incredible, can’t the world just stay saved for a while?   Any of these sound familiar (and not just in my house?!)?

“Come on!  I just went to the grocery!   Where did all the food go?  That was a week ago?  And we ate it?  Oh. ”

“We have to go pants shopping again because the teenager is suddenly 5 inches taller?  Really?”

“Didn’t I spend yesterday doing laundry?  What do you mean your uniform is dirty?”

“Didn’t I just pay the bills?  Or clean the gutters?  Or mow the grass?  Or get my flu shot?  DO I really have to do it all again now?  Grrrrr…..

So, I get it.  I do.  But then I remind myself that it is silly to fight Maintenance.  Maintenance will still need done even if I don’t feel like doing it.  And I know things will get really ugly if I don’t do it.  We need to eat, we need to wear clothes, I need to clean my house because it will not clean itself.  I don’t always love to clean, but I do love the end product of a clean home.

We can realize the perpetuity of Maintenance, but still cut ourselves some slack, and accept “Done Enough” or “Done For Now”.  There comes a time each night when my people are safely in bed, and I turn off my brain and the light and declare myself done for the day.  “Done Enough”. For now.  Tomorrow is another day.

So embrace Maintenance, in all its forms, and keep up with your Organizing efforts.  Remind yourself of the Easy and Essential parts to help you embrace the perpetual part!  And give yourself a break and allow for “Done Enough” or “Done For Now” sometimes.

Clear Some Closet Clutter This Week!

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      Last week, I knew it was time to Swap out my clothes for Fall when I could not find something to wear in a full closet.  Chicago’s September weather is capricious, and wardrobe choices are challenging when we can wake up to frost, and are back in the 70’s by 3 o’clock.

     I have zippered canvas bags on my top closet shelf for off-season storage.  There is a card in a clear pocket on the front with “Summer” written on one side and “Fall / Winter” on the other (I know, not terribly original).  So out came my Fall faves, and away went all my summer colors and hot weather items.  I feel much better about opening up the closet to make my choices!  My challenge to you is to Spend a little time organizing your closet this week.

      Why?  Why spend time organizing?  To make life simpler and less stressful, and ensure we are using what we have in the best way possible.   To make decision-making easier, to clear out real and visual closet clutter, to review what you have in an objective and critical way, to make sure you are looking and feeling your best in the clothes you have. 

     You have two options for your plan of attack:  1.  Carve out a couple of hours and phone a helpful, supportive and honest friend (or call me, and I’ll help!).  Then take all the clothes out of your closet, review them and purge what needs to go, then put back what is left.  OR: 2.  Do your closet in bits and pieces, like shelves today, rod tomorrow, or pants today, skirts tomorrow.  “Bits and pieces” are less disruptive but take longer.

     Sort clothes in a way that makes sense to you.  With clothes, your best bets are either by color or by type.  I prefer to sort by type, with all the pants together, all the skirts together, etc.  I have clients that sorts strictly by color.  Both ways are correct, so long as they make sense to you or to me.

      Once we sort, we decide what stuff can go away.  When it comes to clothes, it is helpful to realize that some items can stay in your life, but can be stored somewhere other than your closet. 

  • Items may need to go away just for the season, like specifically summer items and shoes.
  • Some items may need to go away for longer.  For example maternity clothes can be stored away somewhere else in your home if you plan to have more children or are saving them for a family member.
  • Also in your home but not in your closet may be clothes from older children that you plan to save for younger children (I have three sons, we always have bins in storage for the between sizes).
  • Treasures:  Your bedroom closet is prime real estate, beach front property, if you will.  Dedicate it to the stuff you use and wear all the time.  Treasures are great, but should be stored elsewhere.  Yes, I still have my wedding dress, but it is safely stored in the basement.

 I am not a fashion consultant, but let me share what stayed in my closet, and moved to the front:

  • Light weight wraps and capes, for drama and color in this transition time, before I commit fully to a coat!
  • Clothes in Autumnal (I love that word) and winter colors, regardless of fabric weight
  • Scarves, for drama and color and occasional warmth to lighter fabrics. 

What left the closet, for now?

  • Clothes is summery colors, like pale yellows and creams. I really only look good in those with a tan. 
  • Duplicates of shorts, leaving just a few pairs in my drawer for the few really warm days we have yet
  • Most of my sandals, sad to say.  The flip-flops that match my swimming suits went in the drawer with the suits, in case we travel, and the rest went in the canvas storage bag.

 What left the closet and my life for good:

  • I have a friend who does not transition her closet.  She dresses extremely well, and wears everything in her closet.  The closet is not really big, she is great at using well what she has.  For the rest of us, though, we need to occasionally purge and shop, to keep our wardrobe fresh. 
  • Anything more than one size away from my current size went away.  Happily, I am smaller than I was in the spring, thanks to clean living and Weight Watchers.  And after working hard to earn this smaller size, I cringe when I put on the now too-large clothes.  Bigger is not better, nor is it flattering.
  • Some cool weather clothes went away, like the stuff that I never liked, e.g., some boot cut jeans I had because I heard the cut is supposed to be flattering to my shape.  But I can’t stand the extra fabric.  So I practiced some tough love, cut my losses and ditched the pants.
  • Loved items that were starting to show their age.
  • Summer stuff that I did not wear this summer, and won’t wear next summer.

     A word on Replacing / Shopping…. I should mention I swapped out my closet only after I looked through my September / October magazines to become aware of the styles and trends for fall.  So, now that I know what I have on hand, I also have a clearer picture of what I need to purchase to replace my purged items and update my clothes for fall. 

     Spend a little time and make your closet work for you.  You’ll thank yourself tomorrow morning!

Spend Your Screen Time Wisely

Did you Know?  September 18-24th is National  Turn Off Week , a challenge to Reduce your Screen Time on TV and technology.  

     I am blogging to the internet on my laptop, then sending a newsletter via email to suggest you spend less time this week on Screen Time and technology devices.  The irony is not lost on me!  So let me get on with this, so you can read and learn, then go and do something else!

     A Google search of “Turn Off Week” produced links from hundreds of organizations recommending less screen time for both adults and children.  Why?  As a society, we are spending lots of time, often too much time in front of Screens and technology.  Stepping away from the TV, computer and game screens enhances our fitness, health, nutrition, education and family time, just to name a few.  

     I like TV.  I have a handful of shows that I DVR every week, and watch avidly when I have the time, on my own terms.  TV is not bad.  As I start this article on a rainy Sunday afternoon, my hubby is watching football and the kids are watching a Red Box DVD downstairs.  We like TV.  But just this past week, it became evident we need to spend some more time on our school work; all three boys want to sign up for Fall sports; and the pre-teen wants to learn 2 (yes 2) more musical instruments.   Time for these activities has to come from somewhere, so Off The TV will go!

     I love technology.  I use lots of screen time for work and play.  But Technology is only a  tool.  It can educate, communicate, illuminate, entertain.  It can do lots of things, but it is a thing.  It exists to make our lives better.  So use this National Turn Off Week to make sure you are using your technology, and not the other way around. Consider Turn Off Week as a Time Management experiment, how to use our time and resources the best way possible.  

 Things to Think About and Try This Week:

  1. Remind everyone (including yourself) that Turn Off Week is a positive choice.  Replace screen time with family activities, game night, hikes and outings, etc., to reinforce that Real Life is more important than screen time.
  2. The first step to positive change is always awareness.  Need to start small?  Just pay attention to how much you and your family uses technology, and determine if you all could improve your lives by cutting back on your screen time.
  3. Use tech tools to manage your tech.  I love these ideas, for managing your Tech Time, from a Real Simple article, April, 2011:
    • “MacFreedom.com disables all roads to the internet for an allotted amount of time”;
    • “RescueTime.com  tracks your every on-line move and provides easy to read, painfully revealing charts” telling you just how much time you really spend on Facebook or shopping on-line; and
    • “LeechBlock, addons.mozilla.org, blocks certain websites either perpetually or during specific periods, to help you focus you and your family’s time better.”
    • Also, we can set our Direct TV parental controls to allow TV viewing only at certain times of the day, and on certain channels.  I will re-set our viewing hours to between 6 and 8 pm unless I lift the block with the secret code (we’ll see how that goes!!).
    • On the other hand, we can record shows on the DVR for the kids to watch later, so they are guaranteed to have something they want to watch when they do finally sit down to do so. 
  4. Set a limit for how much screen time you and your children use every day.
    • My MIL used TV tokens with her kids, and introduced the idea to my boys one week over the summer. Every day each child receives 3 tokens, for ½ hour each of TV time, Wii or Nintendo.  They can lose their tokens for minor offenses, or they can save them up if they want to watch a movie on the weekends. 
    • It was amazing to watch my 7-year-old become a savvy shopper when it came to “spending” his tokens.  He might turn on the TV, consider what his choices were, and then decide to turn it off because he didn’t really like the choices.  Before the tokens, he would have just sat there and vegged out. 
  5. Be mindful.  Decide when and what to watch, or when you will check your email or smart phone.  Then Do what you plan to do, and Move on.  Get on Facebook, check in, get off, go do something else.  Be mindful when you are using your technology tools, but also be mindful and appreciative of your family and the day around you.  

For Life:  Reduce Screen time with a few simple guidelines: 

  • Keep TVs and computers out of the bedrooms, especially children’s bedroom, for safety, better sleep, better focus, and more family time;    
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer (a challenge for me on days when I work from home); and
  • Set guidelines, like “No cell phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table”.  Neither my teenager nor we parents need our phones where we sleep, since we should neither send nor receive texts at midnight!  We can choose when to answer messages and texts, and hopefully raise awareness in others as to what is appropriate or not. 

     So, our plan?  1. We’ll all work on using our Turn Off Time wisely, for the cool activities we want to do instead of mindless TV viewing, and 2. I am going to work on my own screen time, to focus on people and not technology when we are all together.  I will check then ignore my email first thing in the morning on my iPhone, but wait to turn on my computer until the boys are off to school and I am ready to really work.   And I’ll let  you know how it goes, in a week, via technology again!   And let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for how to spend your Turn Off Week!

Don’t Just Pile, Act then File!

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     This week’s article is inspired by Mary and AnneMarie, so thanks, ladies, for the inspiration.   And thanks to all of you who offered comments and insight in the Pile vs. File debate, via email or Facebook.  And the responses also inspired a future topic (perhaps next week) of Cool Tools and High-Tech Solutions for your papers.

     Most of the folks who responded feel they are both Pilers and Filers of papers, meaning they pile papers for a while and then file them, with a variety of time frames, from “once a week” to “whenever I can’t find something”.  And a little pile of work to be done is Ok, but please, not too many piles!

     This month’s Real Simple reported that 83% of HR managers “say the appearance of an employee’s workspace affects their perception of the employee’s skill level and professionalism.  Want to be a go-getter?  Then go get those dirty coffee cups and messy piles of paper.”

     I find the challenge with paper is that each piece of paper represents something else.  This post-it note is not just a piece of paper, it is a place holder that represents a phone call to make, a letter to write, an action to take, a past event, a loved one.   There are 3 types of papers:

  • Active: Papers requiring action:  Bills to pay, forms to fill out and return, coupons, receipts for returns, articles to read
  • Passive:  Papers we need to hold on to for a prescribed time, perhaps to refer to or not, then purge: receipts, paid bills, kid’s activity schedules like soccer or baseball rosters
  • Archive:  Papers we need to keep forever, like mortgage papers, tax records (for 4-10 years, depending on who you talk to), birth certificates, wills, passports, etc.

Why Do We Keep Papers?

  • We haven’t completed the actions they require.
  • We think someone will care about them in the future.
  • We haven’t gotten around to doing anything with them, or it didn’t occur to us we could toss them. 

 Why Do We Pile Papers Instead of Filing Them?

  • We’re afraid if we put something away, we’ll forget where it is or that we even have it.
  • We don’t like or trust our filing systems because they are too complex, or too basic, or they were not created by us for us.
  • We don’t feel like filing, because we don’t see why it matters.  Or we are busy, lazy, got called away, the files are far away, the drawer is broken, we need to clean the old stuff out of the file cabinets before we can put the new stuff in, and that job seems too overwhelming, too, yada, yada, yada.  I do this for a living, I have heard lots of reasons why people don’t file.  The reasons against filing are legion.

 Why Does Piling Paper Cause Problems?

  • Piling papers vertically makes retrieval of information difficult or impossible.
  • Gravity.  We can only pile things so high before they topple.
  • There is only so much horizontal space in most homes
  • Visual clutter is distracting
  • Piling papers puts all papers equal, regardless of importance, type of action, value, etc.

 Why Do You File Papers?

  • Well, to counteract all the problems listed above, of course!
  • Filing things away makes finding them and everything else easier.  Papers stay where we put them.  And then we can see the beyond the clutter.   
  • File folders and holders hold paper vertically and are open at the top, maximizing space and allowing viewing and retrieval.
  • Maintenance is so much easier than catching up.  A few minutes daily is much easier than a monthly paper mess!  I am very proud of those of you who answered that you are both a Piler and a Filer. 

 First Things First:  Set yourself up to Succeed:

  • Sit down with a shredder, recycling bag and 10 minutes on the timer.  Power through your piles, re-sorting your papers into Action, To File – Passive, To File – Archival, Recycle and shred. 
  • Now that you’ve sorted your Papers, Jump In!
  • Active Papers:  Active Papers are the only papers you should have on your desk right now.
    1. Try a new way of holding your Active papers, like a standing file folder on your desk. (No Piles, remember?!?!)  
    2. Break down your Active Papers Pile into types of actions to take: title manila folders “bills to pay”, “forms to complete and send back to school”, etc.   
    3. Break down the actions into little tiny steps, if necessary.  I read an article about a woman who needs to file her expense reports more quickly. 
      • Currently:  Her expense receipts get stuffed in her wallet until it is too full, then she takes them out and piles them on the desk until the pile falls.  A couple of times a year, when the spirit moves her and / or she needs the money, she files her expenses. 
      • New Requirement:  Her employer now requires a 60-day-or-less turn around.  If she wants to get paid, she has to step up.
      • Her folders now live in a holder on her desk, and walk her papers through the reimbursement process.  They are entitled: receipts to expense; receipts to copy; copied receipts to submit for reimbursement; reimbursement requests sent; and Reimbursed Expense requests and proof of payment, 2011.
    4. Schedule time to actually act on your action items.  If you don’t dedicate time to Action items, they will never get done.  Monday morning are my Action mornings. 
    5. Once you act on a paper, ask yourself again what the next action is for that piece.  It could be Return to School, pop in the mail, give to someone else, recycle, file, etc.  Papers need to keep moving!
  • Passive Papers: Stand and deliver
    1. Once you decide a paper gets to stay in your files, spend time every day or every week filing things away.  I have spent lots of blog time on Paper Management issues, so click here for pertinent links to topics like categories, filing systems, etc. 
    2. Archival Papers:  File forever.  These are the easiest papers to deal with because you don’t see them often, and there aren’t many of them.  Unless you have 30 years of accumulated passive papers, which leads us once again back to maintenance. 

     I like filing.  I like the feeling of accomplishment, of Done-ness.   I like clutter-free, visually peaceful space that comes from filing.  I use filing as the final act of closure on my work day, before I turn off my computer and go do fun Colleen / Mom stuff.  I never have much to file, and my folders are convenient to put things away.

    I challenge you, this week, to look differently at your pile of papers.  Do a power sort and purge the easy stuff, then Act on your Active Papers and file the rest.  You can do this, I know you can.  And you will be amazed at how much better you work when the piles are gone!