Archive for the 'Organizing 101' Category

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Oops! Top 10 Organizing Mistakes

Published by Crystal September 8th, 2008 in Organizing 101. 0 Comments

One of the better articles I’ve read about organizing is “Oops! The Top 10 Organizing Mistakes” by Pamela Kramer.

I cannot agree more with her on Mistake #7: Buying Containers Too Soon!

We all do it. We get jazzed about organizing and rush out to buy an assortment of bins and racks. Then we get home and find out that our new organizers don’t fit in the closet, or the things we want to organize don’t fit in our fancy new containers. “You’re left with organizers that just add more clutter to your space,” says Lisa Zaslow, founder of Gotham Organizers in New York City.
TRY: Sorting and measuring before you shop. Pull together the items you want to organize, and toss or give away what you no longer need or love. “This gives you a sense of what you have and what you need, such as buying a rack for your 10 pairs of shoes,” says Zaslow. Measure the height, width and depth of the space you have available, and take the list with you to the store so you can determine which containers will fit.

Have additional thoughts or ideas to share? Leave a comment, or write to Crystal and let her know!

Three secrets to maintaining an organized closet

Published by Crystal September 6th, 2008 in Closets and Organizing 101. 0 Comments

My own closet maintenance strategies are actually pretty simple. Here is what I recommend:

  1. Be very strict about what you keep. Closet space is so precious! If any item in my closet does not meet the following criteria, it means that it is time to give it away: (1) It fulfills an immediate or imminent need; (2) It is not broken, expired, stained, or worn out; (3) I use it at least once per year.
  2. Keep things visible. If it can be seen, it can be found. Thus, everything should be in plain sight when you open those closet doors! If it is not realistic for every single individual item to be visible, then I group and “container-ize” similar objects and label them; I then make sure the labels are visible!
  3. Organize your closet at least twice a year.

Important note: These three strategies work best for maintaining a closet which is already at least somewhat organized. If your closet is an unsightly mess and you want to avoid thinking about it entirely, you probably first need get your closet in some kind of reasonable order! Read this article for step-by-step help.

Have additional thoughts or ideas to share? Leave a comment, or write to Crystal and let her know!

How to (finally) complete those projects around the house!

Published by Crystal June 12th, 2008 in Inspiration, Organizing 101 and People and pets. 1 Comment

We all have long lists of tasks we need to do around the house and in the yard which we continue to put off. Am I right?

Case in point: I had been meaning to clean the first floor windows of my house (screens, panes and sills) for many, many months. It had even been on my priority task list!

The problem: I just could NOT seem to get motivated to do it! Many of the tasks on my list seemed too time-consuming, too challenging, too overwhelming, and/or too boring. Most times I couldn’t seem to get my husband to help me either…

SOLUTION: A home task “co-op”!

A home task co-op is a simply group of friends who pitch in to help each other – one day at one person’s house, another day at another person’s house, and so on. The group works as a team to get things done at each person’s house!

It is both motivating and fun to have friends come over and lend a hand with your task list! It’s majorly gratifying to turn around and help your friends with their home projects too. Together you can get the job done faster, better and with more fun and laughter than you can alone!

Yes, it really works!

Last weekend, despite the summer heat and humidity, four friends agreed to assist me with a short list of home tasks. They arrived in their old tennis shoes and yard-working clothes.

Tasks included cleaning the first floor windows, screens and sills; trimming all my overgrown bushes + hauling the clippings to the woods behind the house; and scrubbing the railings, boards and ceiling of my big wooden front porch.

It took just four hours for five people to do what would have taken me three days to complete by myself! Best of all, we laughed, talked and shared home repair tips as we worked!!  I now have a great looking front yard, porch and windows!

Next weekend, the co-op will resume at my friend Julia’s house to paint her guest room and turn her weed patch into a vegetable garden.

You too can make a home task co-op work for you!

Here’s how to finally get those home tasks checked off the list:

  1. Suggest the idea of a home task co-op to your friends. You’ll be surprised at the enthusiastic response! People generally tend to be shy or reluctant to ask for help, but most people are relieved at the thought of receiving a helping hand! Isn’t the thought itself comforting!?
  2. Propose a date and time for the first work session. I suggest starting with your own house so you can provide the example. Two to four hours is a reasonable amount of time to schedule for one work session.
  3. Determine which tasks or projects the group will complete at your house. Let them know what they will be working on.
  4. Gather RSVPs for the work session.
  5. Identify the tools, hardware and supplies (e.g., ladder, paint trays, drop cloth) that you’ll need for the tasks. Borrow these items from your fellow home task co-op members whenever possible!
  6. Consider having light refreshments on hand, such as iced tea and snacks.
  7. Divide friends up into teams (if necessary) when they arrive. Ensure that everyone has something to do.
  8. Take frequent breaks, and don’t feel the need to accomplish it ALL in one sitting. No sense in overworking your friends!
  9. Celebrate your accomplishments!
  10. Decide whose house is next! Encourage that person to start thinking about the tasks he/she needs to get done around the house.

Have more ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal and let her know!

Seven steps to organizing any space

Published by Crystal April 29th, 2008 in Organizing 101. 1 Comment

Here’s my tried and true methodology for organizing any type of space – from a cluttered shelf to an entire closet or garage:

1. Identify your priorities. What are your goals for that space? Do you want to make more space by getting rid of things you really don’t need? Do you simply want to be able to find things easily?

2. Visualize your ideal space, imagining organization. Keep that dream of the end results in your mind rather than the process of getting there!

3. Dump it all on the floor. (Yes, that’s what I said!) Whether it is a junk drawer, your closet, or the garage, you need to begin by emptying it so you can start with a clean slate. 

4. Group similar things together. This allows you to see what you have and makes the decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of easier. For example, if you’re sorting your clothes closet, your similar group items might be: Daily wear (casual), Daily wear (professional), Sleepwear, Exercise clothing, and Special occasions.

If you’re sorting the garage, your similar item groups might be Sporting goods, Tools, Automotive, Entertainment, Pets, Gardening and Other.

5. Create decision piles, such as:

  • Keep here,
  • Keep somewhere else,
  • Toss,
  • Shred,
  • Recycle,
  • Donate, and
  • Sell.

6. Now execute the decisions made in Step 5. This means taking action on the Toss, Shred, Recycle, Donate and Sell piles right away before they become new sources of clutter! You may wish to move the Donate and Sell items to the garage or somewhere out of the way, and schedule them to be picked up. Immediately find appropriate places for the items that you want to keep but which belong somewhere else.  Put the Toss pile in the trash can as soon as possible! Return only the items which belong in that particular space (i.e., Keep Here).

7. Container-ize it! Now that the volume of items is more manageable, put them in boxes, bins, bags, shelves, etc. for storage in your newly organized space. Label them appropriately.

Have ideas to share? Leave a comment, or write to Crystal and let her know!

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