Tag: Get Organized Month

Start With The Easy and Obvious. Just Start.

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Let’s Start with Starting. 

Some days, our most important word is “start”.

I received a text from a client this week. She is delightful. I work with the most amazing people.

She is an in-person organizing client.  We were scheduled to work together later that day, and she was thinking through her project list and what she wanted to accomplish that day. She has a few high priority projects and determining where specifically we needed to spend our time since we would not be able to accomplish all the projects in the time we had scheduled. She didn’t know if we should start on putting away the Christmas decoration bins or start on the basement storage space or start on the clean and dirty laundry in the primary bedroom and walk-in closet.

And, of course, this is a great question to ask. Where to spend our time? But more importantly, of course, is that all of those options start with the word start. Because if we want to make progress in any direction we have to start. 

In this case, we started with the easy and the obvious, with the big project RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, which was laundry.

If you also wonder where to start on your organizing projects, here is the answer:

  • Start with the easy and the obvious.
  • Start with a project that is small.
  • Start with a project that is completely straightforward and un-emotional.
  • Start with the project that you’ve already made progress on or is almost done.
  • Start with the obvious. If you want to organize your kitchen today, load up the dishwasher and clean out the sink first before you open one cabinet or drawer. 
  • Start with the easy.  Take out all the trash and recycling.  Those are already-made decisions and getting that all out the door can jump start our motivation.
  • Start with what is on the floor in front of you, because that will make taking a next step easier.
  • Of course, You can always start with the hard and intimidating, too, but that is a topic for another article!

Just so you know, this article is not just about physical organizing.

My organizing work also utilizes the skills I’ve learned in coaching because in the best organizing sessions, the conversation stays solidly with the client, the client gains awareness, we utilize clear communication and powerful questions, and we set my client up to continue to succeed.

This client texted me that she was overwhelmed. She had small children home this week due to the cold and snow here in Chicago. The holidays wrapped up less than a month ago.  January activities are in full swing. I say all of this because, hey, who among us hasn’t felt overwhelmed?

She was asking for guidance around prioritizing work and projects.  She is clear on what her projects are but was sorting out where was the best place to start.  She was crafting her plan for our time together based on needs (hooray!!!).  And for our purposes that day, the answer was Start with the Easy and the Obvious.

So regardless of if we’re working on organizing a bedroom or in coaching, setting our professional goals for 2024, the process and questions are similar!

We determine needs – in my client’s example, the needs were physical spaces that needed to be organized, for better functioning of her home and therefore some peace of mind. 

Next, how do we prioritize? What shall we do, first , second, third, etc.? Let’s make sure that what we’re working on, in organizing or in coaching, is important. That it will move us towards our goals, will improve our lives. Let’s think it through.

For this client, we could look at our three options, Christmas bins, storage space or clothes, and we could acknowledge that all three were important but taking care of the clothes and laundry would help immediately.  So, we started with the Easy and the Obvious right in front of us.

And once we know what to do and when, let’s actually make the work happen.

SO THEN WE START.  And the twist here is that STARTing is the easy and obvious step to take.

My client started the work when we set the appointment for this week a month ago. 

She started the work when she reached out to me earlier in the day to tell me that she was overwhelmed but still willing to work.

She started the work when she texted me to talk through priorities.

And when I got to her house, after we talked through things a little bit longer, we DOVE IN and made great progress on the clothes / laundry / bedroom project.

If you, too, are wondering where to start on your organizing projects, let’s review.

  • Start with the easy and the obvious.
  • Start with a project that is small or impersonal or already started or almost complete.
  • Start with what is right in front of you.
  • Just start.

What does that look like for you this week?  Sure, this has been about an organizing project, but let’s ask the question about you personally.

What is easy and obvious? What simple things can you change to make things better in 2024? 

  • Want to eat healthier?  Bring home healthy foods.
  • More exercise or movement?  Every time that idea occurs to you, stand up and move around your space.
  • Improve your relationships? Text a friend.
  • Better sleep in 2024? Got to bed.  No really.

Start.  Just start.

Make Healthier Habits Stick

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to meet a great group of women and talk to them about how to make their healthier habits really stick in this New Year! Regardless of what your goals are, progress has to start with small, convenient and simple steps in the right direction, instead of big and sometimes not sustainable changes!

SIMPLE CHANGES! 

What will simple change look like? (And please take these ideas as merely suggestions!  There are lots of ways to make your Goals work for you!)

  • “Get to”, not “have to” – changing our mindset.  Talking to a friend who runs marathons (I know, right?!), he plans when he “Gets to” go for a run every day.  He may have to creative or cut the run short, but he was always looking for the opportunity to run. I often think of exercise as “Have to”, but “Get To” motivates me more!
  • Find Your Tribe, and Spread the Word.  What are your goals?  Make your success a group effort by finding like-minded folks with similar goals or people who are already doing what you are doing, or by sharing your goals with friends who will support your efforts! 
  • Plan your Day.  Set timers, if those help you.  Set timers to take vitamins or supplements and to drink water.  We have our phones with us all the time anyway, use them!  You can customize your timer, too, so your wellness timers sound unique and help you remember!
  • Make Room in Your Home For Your Better Habits.  In my recent presentation, I challenged the participants to pare down easy clutter – coffee mugs or extra water bottles, holiday decor or storage containers – and find some space for whatever is needed for those healthier habits!
  • If wellness is your goal, Meal Planning ensures healthier eating and saves $$ and time!
    • Make your meal plan for the week, or just start with a few days.
      • Plan your meals and snacks;
      • Check your grocery inventory on hand, and plan to use first what you have on hand;
      • Hit the grocery (or place an order on-line to limit impulse buying) to fill in the gaps between your plan and your inventory.
    • Daily, take your supplements, eat your healthy breakfast and plan for or pack your healthy snacks and lunch. (Remember, make healthy choices more convenient and you will be more likely to make them!)  
    • For example, snacks can be healthy AND something I look forward to!  If I prep my snacks in advance, in the morning or perhaps all my snacks for the week on one day, I am more likely to stay on track!   always think “protein and produce” when it comes to snacks, so servings of nuts in small re-usable bowls or snack bags plus cleaned and prepped fruits, veggies and hummus in reusable bowls, hard boiled eggs, etc..

So, we have set up our days, routines, habits and spaces to nourish ourselves and our new habits.   Yeah Us! Let’s Do This!

How To Stack & Store Stuff!

January is Get Organized Month! How To Stack and Store Stuff!

Getting organized is a process, and choosing and using the right containers for storage is a really important step in the process!

During my presentations, I talk a lot about Containerizing and how to do it the right way! (BTW, “Containerize” is a word introduced by Julie Morgenstern in her book Organizing From The Inside Out). And for ease of writing (and reading, I expect!), I am talking about large storage containers during this article, and not the little ones in your kitchen cabinets.

Why Containerize?

-To protect your items.

-To maximize your vertical space.

-To keep your items conveniently portable.

-To provide boundaries and limits for collecting.

-To enable retrieval of similar or related items when needed.

To Protect Your Item, choose the right containers that will offer physical protection and structure for your stuff. Consider heat and cold variations when you are storing your stuff (as in, snow globes will FREEZE and SHATTER if they’re kept outside), protection against bugs and moisture and dust. Cardboard is almost NEVER the right choice for long term storage of your belongings because it is susceptible to moisture, dust and bugs plus it degrades over time and usage.

Containerize your really heavy or fragile items to protect them from falling or from harm. And store both heavy and fragile items in small containers with only a few other things (but not together, of course!).

Maximize your vertical space. Containers are great for utilizing your vertical space well, since you can stack containers into tall stacks. When you are storing filled containers, store the heaviest and widest containers at the bottom of the pile, and don’t just keep piling. For safety sake, most stacks shouldn’t be over 3 or 4 containers tall.

Keep your items conveniently portable. I have no intention of moving from my home any time soon. BUT, if I did, it would be super easy to move the contents of my crawl space. Most of the contents are seasonal items and decor, and all are pared down, categorized, containerized and well labeled, so moving would be a piece of cake.

When containerizing, don’t pack really big containers full of really heavy items. Those 18 gallon Rubbermaid containers are great for storing holiday decor, bedding or clothes or toys, but not books and photos and papers – those heavy dense items would make the big containers too heavy to conveniently move and stack.

Containers provide boundaries and limits for collecting. Containers provide reminders of what is the reasonable amount of stuff to keep. Think about your dresser. It seems reasonable to keep one or two drawers of t-shirts (or socks or underwear), right? But if we don’t containerize our stuff in a drawer, it is difficult to determine how much for something we actually own. Containers provide a gauge for quick estimates of content.

When you’re explaining to your kids (or others) how much of something to keep, you can say ‘one container’ or 2 or whatever of memorabilia or stuffed animals, etc.

Containers enable retrieval of similar or related items when needed. Label your containers, so you can find things again. Affix a label to two sides of the container, one end and one side. DO NOT label the top, for as soon as you stack your containers, you will not longer see the top.

Label your container (and DO NOT write the containers’ contents on the container!), and be willing to change them if the contents change. I have spent 17 years now searching for good labels. So far, the best combo is a Post-It note and a Sharpie marker covered over with clear packing tape.

Decide if you want to see the contents of the container or not. Clear containers provide a clearer view, but are often more expensive and less sturdy. In addition, we may want an opaque container for a more uncluttered look in your storage area.

If you are packing away seasonal decor this week, or looking to get organized for 2020, give some thought to the right containers for the job!

The Unexpected Benefit From Email Problems!

Did you know?  It’s “National Clean Out Your InBox” Week.

An interesting phenomenon occurred a year ago.

I had a handful of tech issues.  My website was down for a few days, and in getting it back up and functioning, my email then disappeared for a few days (Heres’ a shout out for my web guru at Amplify7 who saved me!).

It was a fun time, let me tell you.

Ok, it wasn’t.  A terribly frustrating and unproductive 10 days.  But that is not the point.

The interesting part was this:  apparently, when my business email addresses were down, they generated “undeliverable” auto-replies to emails, newsletters and retailers that tried to send me messages.

And for those few days, the “undeliverable” auto-replies served to unsubscribe me from most of my daily / weekly blog followings and newsletters, as well as retailers and their daily advertisements.

Oops…

Since I send out an email newsletter every week, I understand how this happens.  When I check my statistics for each newsletter, I am prompted by Constant Contact to delete any “undeliverable” email addresses as well.

It was interesting, though.  Once the challenges were resolved, I was so appreciative to return to my normal productivity that it took me a few days to realize WHY my inbox seemed so uncluttered and calm.  For example:

…Actual emails from actual people rose to the top of the list like rich cream to the top of milk.

…I could actively seek out information I DID want without looking at the information I didn’t want.

…Distractions were diminished, and there was just LESS.

 

I DO NOT recommend shutting down your email just to clear out your inbox. With far less drama and frustration than I experienced last year, you can achieve a similarly Calm and Clutter Free InBox with these suggestions:

  • Unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe.  This is a favorite suggestion for this time of year.  My friend Jan calls it the gift that keeps on giving.  Let go of subscriptions that no longer appeal to you, remove yourself from retailer mailing lists, or choose to receive fewer emails on the preferences page.  A client is having her teenage daughter help her with this on their regular commute to school.
  • If you have GMail, there is a Promotions Tab that automatically filters out email advertisement and promotions from your general in-box (google or you-tube for directions if you don’t have this yet).  If you are using another email platform, check for this type of option, though unsubscribing may still be the best option.
  • Learn from my most recent (just this past week!) email challenges – what is it about this time of year?  Set up your email addresses with recovery information that get’s texted to your phone or is directed to a different email.  I had these safeguards in place, of course, but when Yahoo switched over to a new business email platform last week, POOF!  those safeguards were gone (all is well again, thank you Customer Service).
  • I occasionally suggest creating an alternative free email address (like gmail) just for subscriptions and retailer messages, but ONLY if you plan to check it at least once in a while.  Some folks use these alternate email addresses for their bill-paying and notifications, but again – ONLY if you will check them regularly.
  • Passwords.  Oi.  This will be a future article just on getting our Passwords under control, like Password Management Apps to track such info.  For Clean Out Your Inbox week, I’ll remind you to keep track of your email passwords and log-in info, and while you don’t have to grant others access, let at least one trusted person know where you keep your info.
  • Don’t use your in-box as a to-do list, a place holder, a keepsake box, or… well… anything other than an in-box.  The term “in-box” leads us to believe there should be an “out” box as well.  Items should come to our in-box, be completed, and then moved OUT of the IN box.

Spend just a little time this week cleaning out your In-Box, and reap the benefits for a long time to come!

Out With The Old, In With The New… In The Kitchen!

Are “get fit”, “eat healthier” or “lose weight” goals of yours for 2017?  And those have been really easy to accomplish, right?

Or…not?

We have good intentions, of course, but perhaps we’ve hit some bumps on the road to getting healthier!  We can succeed when our kitchen works with us towards our goals!

Here’s a tip:  A cluttered kitchen leads us to unhealthy habits.  Conversely, cleaning up your kitchen helps you create and keep healthy habits.  And I have data to back these statements up, click here for more info:

So, out with the old and in with the new!

Out With The Old:

  • Clear your counters.  Give yourself space to prepare healthy food.
  • As you clear the kitchen, pull out the rogue holiday items you find, and put them away with your holiday decor in the attic or basement.
  • Clear the Cabinets:
    • Clear the holiday snacks out of the cabinets. It’s been over a month, let them go!
    • Save money and free up space: Don’t shop!  Use what you have on hand this week!
    • Check Expiration dates.  Toss the really old stuff, and add the close-to-expiring items to your menu.
    • Check open items for staleness (is that a word?), and toss the gross stuff.
  • Clear out the fridge – again, checking expiration dates and investigating all those mysterious plastic containers.  Same for the freezer.  Add found items to your menu this week, to use up what you have on hand!
  • Clean out your utensil drawers – take everything out, wipe out the drawer and let it dry, then put the items back in the drawer, after editing of course! Purge old or broken items, and duplicates.

In With The New:

  • Re-populate the cabinets and fridge with healthy food items.
  • If you must buy snacks and things, for the other people in your house who ARE NOT trying to eat healthier, limit the variety and location to a single bin or shelf, and populate the rest of the kitchen with healthier options.
  • Healthy Habits:
    • Meal Prep is one of the best habits you can create for eating healthier.  Pack healthy lunches for the week, leave them in the fridge, and then grab and go when you head out in the morning!
    • Meal prep success relies on storage containers. Which leads us to …Plastic Containers.  Oh boy.  Pull them out.  Match up the bottoms and tops.  Toss the broken, stained or lonely/ unmatched containers.
    • Drink more water! Corral your reusable water bottles, pare them down to your favorite 3 or 4 (I once found 37 in a kitchen.)  Store those water bottles where they are convenient and likely to be used!  And take one with you every day!
    • Save time, money and calories this year, and take your own coffee with you!  Store those go-mugs and coffee where they are convenient, too!
    • If your healthy habits include smoothies, put all your smoothie equipment in a basket next to  or near your blender.  Do the same with any of your smoothie ingredients, like a fruit basket in the fridge, or a bin in the cabinet above the blender.
    • Bring out the healthy foods, store them front and center.  Make healthy eating convenient!

Spend some time in your kitchen this week,

clear the clutter that is holding you back, and

make your kitchen work for you!

 

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO

 

Life’s Too Short For Crummy Pens (The Question of Duplicates)

If you’re reading this article, you probably have clutter.

Let’s be honest, if you have a pulse, you probably have clutter.  Every person has at least a little clutter. You certainly have stuff, as we all need at least some stuff – food, clothes, furniture, books, etc. – to survive.  And when we have stuff, stuff can build up and become clutter.

 

Clutter is anything we don’t need, use or love. (Barbara Hemphill)

 

A powerful questions, as asked by a FB friend just today, is “Duplicates: how much is enough, and how many is too many? ” This friend was asking about her sons’ clothes, but the question can be asked about pretty much ANYTHING.  TShirts, socks, cars, hammers, coffee mugs, writing implements. 

We need pens.  And we needs pens in many places around our homes and work spaces.  But with just 2 hands, we only need one pen at a time.  And it had better be a good pen. I have come to appreciate a really good pen (my favorite is a blue or black Pilot G2 0.38). Few things frustrate me more than reaching for a pen and coming away with a broken/dried-up/wrong color pen.  Life is just too short for crummy pens.

 
I talk about Duplicates in my Organized Kitchen and Clear the Clutter classes.  I mention Mug Math:
 
  • Ask (# of coffee drinkers  x  # of cups per day) x # of days we take to run the dishwasher.
  • So, in my house, that would be (1 x 2) x 2 = 4.
  • Now, that’s a need.  We NEED 4 coffee mugs.  OF course we have more than 4 coffee mugs. Because sometimes we have company, or more likely, we use the mugs for ice cream or cereal because mugs have handles, or I shake things up and have hot chocolate or tea, too.
  • So, I NEED 4.  But I don’t need 40.  There will never be 40 people drinking coffee in my house at once.  When I have more than 40 people over, we’re usually drinking beer, wine or soda, some of which conveniently come in their own containers.
And the Kid T-shirt question?  My client asked the question, and we used to, too, when the kids were little. Here’s how to think it through:
  • The child wears # of shirts a day x how often you do laundry (2 shirts a day x 7 days)
  • So, for the child, we NEED 14 shirts. And since we like options, we keep more than 14 t-shirts. But not 50 or even 40.  Now may be a good time to re-choose or re-shop the favorite 20 or 25, and let the rest go. But I digress.  I hope you see my point.  We need the find the happy medium for our items – enough mugs or socks or pens that our needs and wants are met, but not so many of something that it falls out of the cabinet or clutters our dresser drawers or drives us crazy.
 
There are some items we need in duplicate: 
  • Every room needs a garbage can, box of tissue and surge protector.
  • Most rooms need a pair of scissors, some band-aids and some pens, too.
  • Charging cords – at least a couple. Definitely one at home and one at work.
  • House keys – We always need extra house keys.
  • A class participant last week pointed out that we should have a hammer on each level of our homes – in the bedrooms, in the kitchen and in the basement, plus one in the garage – so she doesn’t have to run up and down the stairs all the time.  Fair enough.
  • And there are others.  So, some items we need in duplicate, but certainly not everything.
 
 
So, how can you figure out how much is  enough and how much is too much?  Ask yourself some questions:
  • What is the relative cost of the item?  Having duplicates of things like scissors, garbage cans or pens doesn’t cost too much, and definitely saves time and hassle.
  • How often do you need to use that type of item?  Have extras of those things you use ALL THE TIME.
  • Are there convenient alternatives?  For example, scissors have a very specific function that few other items can perform.  Anything can be a book mark, not anything can cut a piece of paper cleanly in half.
  • Perhaps we just need duplicate accessories?   For example, I only need one bullet blender, but I may have multiple cups for multiple smoothies, because I may make a smoothie both today and tomorrow, and not have a chance to run the dishwasher or wash the dishes between. OR… maybe other people in the house want a smoothie, too.
  • When we need an item, how quickly do we need it?  For example, we buy extra socks. Because when we need to leave the house, missing socks really slow us down.  So it is worth it to have extras, just to make our departures easier.  Not everything requires such immediacy, though.
 
So, how much is enough?  How much is too many?  That depends on who is asking, and what you’re asking about.  But these are great questions to ask as we get organized and purge our clutter!
 
 
To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO

You’re Smart. And Smart People Make SMART Goals

Make goals ACHIEVABLE.
  • Make sure that the goal you set out to achieve is actually do able.  I can change the world, it’s true.  However… I probably can’t grow a foot taller, join a professional sports team or run a marathon in the next week.
  • Remember, too, that achievement requires action.  We can’t just sit there and expect things to happen.  Goals go nowhere without action.  Create an action plan to achieve your goals.
  • Let’s take a moment here to remember:  we can only make goals for ourselves; and we cannot force goals on others. Our goals may be in conjunction with another person’s goal, like a business plan with a business partner, or a healthy living plan for the whole family.
  • Break down your goals to make them achievable.  Big goals are a  series of small goals, or, broken down even further, a series of tasks or steps.  Set a big goal, then break it into bite-size actionable steps.
  • Make your goals achievable, but also use them to stretch you as a person! Don’t make your goals too small!

Make goals TIMELY.

  • Set a time frame for your goals.  A SMART Goal needs to be timely, time specific.  “I will achieve xyz goal by March 1st” or “next Tuesday.”
  • Every goal needs a deadline, or else its just a wish.  Set a deadline, and then make mid-goal benchmarks to check your progress.  Make the goal time-frame long enough but not too long!

National Clean Off Your Desk Day: Whadda YOU looking at?

No, really, what do you see?

This time every year, we have a chance to review, refresh and de-clutter our work space with National Clean Off Your Desk Day, celebrated annually on the second Monday in January.

I’ve published many articles about organizing your work surface, but today I suggest you lift your eyes, and organize your visual work space (your view).

Look up from your desk for this one.  What do you see? Look straight ahead, side to side. Order or chaos?  Positive messages or nagging responsibilities?  Simple beautiful things, or old and outdated things?  We are all influenced by our visual fields, but we can also become overwhelmed with visual clutter.

Let’s make it better!  Think about this statement:  “I want to see that which I want to attract.” For me, I want to look at a view that is simple, streamlined, functional and beautiful!

Spend some time cleaning off your desk space today (yes, you still need to do that!), and then Look Up! and apply the same steps (from Julie Morgenstern’s SPACE Method) to taking care of your view!

SORT your stuff into categories:
Clear the stuff off that message board or wall in front of you.   Yes, all of it.

Then, sort the stuff into categories, for example:  Photos, memos, messages, task reminders (bills on paperclips to send in or pay, post it notes with “call Bob”, or “order baby shower gift”), decor / tchotchke / kitsch, things to go elsewhere or to other people, etc.


PURGE:

Ok, friends. Time to get real.  Let’s go back to the statement “I want to see that which I want to attract.” Keep only the items that encourage, nourish and support your work.  Put away the rest, or purge it completely.

If you are not ready to part with all the stuff, consider a seasonal visual work space / view: swapping out your photos or inspirational messages every week / month or season.

(I like my Chrome extension Momentum: every day I’m provided a new beautiful photo, an inspirational quote and a space to jot down my intention for the day.  Then I see it whenever I sit down to work at my computer.)

A few words about… Post-It Notes.  I have a love/hate relationship with Post-It Notes. Post-Its are meant to be momentary reminders.  However, when we use Post-Its a lot, we start to look past them.  When I ask clients about the notes all over their work space, I’ll hear “Oh, they’ve been there so long, I don’t even see them anymore.”  Then WHY ARE THEY THERE?

So, jot a note on a Post-It Note, and then do something with it.  An event reminder?  Put it in your calendar.  A phone number?  Enter it into your contacts.  A task reminder or creative idea?  Add the task to your to do list, or the idea to your idea file.  AND THEN TOSS THE NOTE!!

ASSIGN A HOME, CONTAINERIZE and EQUALIZE:

When assigning a home and containerizing the stuff in our field of vision, consider keeping only those things that are useful and beautiful.  Keep pictures that make you smile (only a few), inspirational messages (only a few), and a handful of little items that evoke positive memories or creativity.  Add a plant, if you’d like!

Consider boundaries – limit your visual clutter to a small space in your line of sight or just one shelf or tray for kitschy items.

We want a nice view, but not too nice!  Have nice things to look at, but not so nice that they pull your focus from your work.  I love my vision board (thanks, MTO!), but if I look at it all the time, I take it for granted.  It’s more inspiring for me to intentionally look at it, and then set is aside and move on to my tasks.

Now, set a reminder to do this again every few months, to keep your View looking good!

OK, daylight’s wasting! Get on with cleaning off that Desk!

A Better Way to Hang, for National Get Organized Month!

HANGERS:

Have I ever talked about Hangers?

023Since January is National Get Organized Month, I have worked on a number of closet projects recently, helping my clients organize their clothes and closets for the new year.  As I begin to write this, I have over $500 in hangers in my van, with a return order for one client, and Container Store order to install for another.

Using good quality hangers is worth the time and money.  Why?

  • Good hangers are better for your clothing than the disposable wire ones. They provide support and leave enough room on the closet rod for each item so your clothes are less likely to get crushed and wrinkled.
  • Good hangers put some space between your clothes. For example, a client invested in wooden suit hangers for her husband’s suits, and the width of the woods and curve of the hanger provide a little space between each suit, for protection and ventilation.
  • When used together, good hangers (heavyweight tubular plastic, flocked covered or wooden) create a great visual image when you open your closet. If you are a person impacted by what and how you see (most of us are), a calming visual in our closet can help us feel cool and confident as we get ready for the day.
  • Hanging up our clothes helps us see and use what we have better.

There is a Better Way to Hang!  Here’s What to Do:

  • As your professional organizer, I will always suggest reviewing your clothes and getting rid of anything you don’t need, use or love. This hanger project provides a great opportunity to look at your clothes and purge clutter.
  • Look around your home, you may already have some of the hangers you need. If not,
  • Invest in matching hangers: tubular plastic (cheapest), the snazzy flock covered one, or even wood (most expensive). This is one instance when I suggest you shop.  You can transition your clothes slowly to the new hangers, and spread out the expense.
  • Count your current hangers (after the review and purge!), and buy the new hangers you need and just a few more. Once all the hangers are full again, you have to purge before anything else can come in. And no cheating, you are only cheating yourself!
  • Another hanger tip I heard long ago suggests “At the beginning of a season, hang all your hangers from the back of the closet rod. Then, when you wear an item, hang it back up over the front. At the end of the season, you can see at a glance what really did not leave your closet this winter. Let those items go.”
  • Use different color hangers for different family members. In our home, my oldest son has green hangers, the middle has black, and the youngest has white. We parents have our own colors, too.  This makes sorting clean laundry a breeze, and helps us find what we need when we need it.
  • Invest in really nice sturdy wooden suit hangers for your coat closet. The matching wooden hangers create a pleasing visual image when a guest opens the closet door, and the wide wood keeps space between the items.
  • Break free of old wire hangers, and recycle them at your local dry cleaners.

Spend a little quality time in your closets this week, and perhaps a little time and money at your local retailer (Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target will have the hangers you need) or on-line.  Get a new view on hangers, and improve the state of your clothes, your closets and your brain!

P.S., a few additional thoughts posted a few weeks after:

Thanks for the great feedback! I have a few more things to add, about Kid clothes hangers:
  • Tubular plastic hangers (instead of the flock covered ones) are better for kids since they can easily slide their clothes off the smooth plastic.
  • No, you do not need to buy smaller child-sized hangers for your kids’ clothing. Save the money, and use regular ones since most baby clothes will fit even on the full sizd hangers, and if not, just fold the items over the pants bar on the hanger.