10 Baby Steps To Getting and Staying Organized

By Elvie Look 

Do you purchase magazines that talk about ways to get organized? Do you look through them, enjoy the pictures, but do not seem to have the energy to do them? Do you look around your home and wonder "where do I start?" Do you feel the task is over whelming? If you do feel over whelmed, chances are you will do nothing.

So, let's do baby steps. Here are ten small things you can start on that can make a difference, and will give you the feeling of accomplishment, not failure. You don't even have to do these all today. Try doing one step a day for the next ten days:

Paper: seems to mount up and soon get out of control. If you have a paper delivered to your home everyday, plus flyers, plus mail and magazines, this can instantly become clutter. Blitz through your home collecting up all newspapers and magazines and put into your recycling bin. You should keep only current reading material in your magazine rack or basket. I keep one magazine basket in both of my bathrooms, and one in the living room. Rotate your magazines, and put your older issues in a donation bag or into your recycling bin. Collect up all mail, paper receipts, notes, appointment slips, etc. that you have tucked into cupboards, on the counters, your purse, on the table, and put them all in one central location like your desk. You can even organize them into piles - like with like. All your receipts in one pile, bills in another, etc. Just by putting into one central location will eliminate that scattered feeling.

Kitchen Counters: Clean off your kitchen counter top. If you have papers there, collect them all up and take them to your office or your desk. You can deal with them later, but if you have a clean kitchen counter, it will feel and look instantly gratifyingly, clutter free and organized. Take time now to remove everything that does not belong on your kitchen counters, wash up the dishes, scrub the sink and make it shine.

The Floor: is not storage space. Do you have clothes lying around? Go through now picking them up and putting them away in their respective rooms, closets or into the laundry hamper. While you're at it, throw a load of laundry in. If you have clothes that need folding, do that and get them put away.

Toys: If you have children you should get them on board with collecting up toys and putting them into their toy station or play box.

Entrances: Attack your entrances by organizing your foot wear neatly, hanging up all your coats and removing anything that does not belong in this area. If you have sports equipment, homework and backpacks, put them into the rooms they belong.

Home for purged items: Create a bin or box for "donation" and one for "garage sale." Have a place for them. As you clean up and organize, you have a place to store things that you no longer wear or use. This prevents them from accumulating in your closets and becoming clutter in your home.

Start Purging: Now set a goal everyday to be "purge conscious." Getting organized doesn't mean stripping your home of things you love or use. You just need to be conscious of the things you are not using or are outdated, cracked or broken. Make decisions daily and put these trinkets or items into your bins. You still have time to retrieve them if you change your mind and made a mistake. But put them into the bin and just see if you will even miss them. Just by purging one thing everyday will take away the overwhelming feeling and start you on the road to de-cluttering your home and closets. It could be a shirt you never wear, a trinket on the side table that is just collecting dust, or a bowl that has a chip in it.

Bulletin Board: Create a bulletin board to post your messages, appointments, coupons, phone numbers, pictures, receipts, "to do" lists, instructions, etc. Just by making a home for these in one central location removes a lot of clutter.

Stay Organized Organizing Secret: Every activity must have a station. Every thing must have a home. Take a moment to consider what is becoming clutter - most likely it doesn't have a home or activity station. Give consideration to some place you can make a station for that activity. For example, If you con't have a desk or office for doing your bookwork, then it will pile up onto your dining room table. Make a station for this activity, either a nook where you can put a table or desk. Or, a basket with a lid that can store all of supplies like your cheque book, calculator, pens, stapler, bills. If it has a home, it won't become clutter.

Stay Organized Organizing Secret: Make the most of every step. Never walk by dirty dishes on the coffee table, or wrappers, empty pop cans. If you are going by, pick it up and take it with you. If you are going downstairs, take a load of laundry, if you coming upstairs, bring up the folded clothes and put them away.

Elvie Look is an Entrepreneur, Expert Organizer, Cook and Seamstress. She provides organizing solutions, tips, menus and recipes at: http://www.elviesessentials.com

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Downsizing Your Home - Downsizing Your Life

By Elvie Look 

When situations turned and we had to move, I was faced with downsizing. We had to leave out 3 story home in the country for an apartment in the city. Then a couple years later we had to downsize again to a single floor home. After 10 years we were faced with yet another move, this time to another province and a small bungalow. Again I was faced with having to downsize and simplify. Here are 9 things I learned in those 3 moves:

1. Purge

When you are looking at moving, you have to purge. We all accumulate things that you have to reconsider when looking at the expense of moving. A huge key to purging is to do it as soon as you know you are moving, do not wait until close to moving day. Otherwise the task is overwhelming.

I found it helpful when you purge to keep thinking about your new space and your new life. Think about having more time and less work when you purge, it makes the job so much easier. For example, I am passionate about sewing. When we were faced with moving, I had a huge stash of fabric that I accumulated over the years. I kept only extra special and unusual fabric and gave away about 70% of my stockpile. I even gave away unfinished projects. Just be realistic to what you can complete within 3 months or even a year. Once it goes you forget about it and feel quite free.

2. Purge Again

No, this isn't a typo. When you enter your new home, you begin unpacking all the boxes that require the essential items. Once you are basically settled, the rest of the boxes are stored in the basement or garage until you get to them, in a month, year, or even longer. The fact of the matter is, that is a clue you should purge them. I wonder if you can just get rid of them without going through them? Hmmmm. If you can you are amazing. I couldn't. I only allowed myself to bring in things I knew I would need and reminded myself I lived without it and didn't even miss it. Don't allow the unnecessary back into your great new space.

3. Downsize Furniture

We all accumulate many things over time, and when we live in a larger home, we fill the space. Now when faced with moving and downsizing, you need to downsize your furnishings as well. Many sell their homes furnished, and then purchase new to fit their new location.

Or, reduce what you already have. To do this, you need to measure your new space, and then measure your existing furniture. I draw out the space and furniture to scale on grid paper.

I used to have 3 bookshelves all full with books and a U-Shaped desk. I paired it down to one desk and 2 bookshelves, purged books, and this even allowed me room for an exercising station in my family room.

4. Add Shelves To Dead Space

Our bungalow was built in the early 50's and I don't know how they existed with so few and so tiny closets. Honestly, some of the shelves are 6 inches deep. We fixed the storage problem by adding extra shelves in the closets, the pantry and cupboards, and some decorative shelves.

5. Look "Up" For Storage

It is amazing with a little ingenuity how you can make extra storage. Our kitchen was the size of a matchbox and very little counter space. We cut a hole in the wall in our breakfast nook which went into our garage, and built a cabinet to display our dishes. Years later when we were finally able to renovate our kitchen, this unit got recycled to my cousin's. She did the same thing, cut a hole that backed to a closet, and she loves her new cupboard.

We have a very tiny garage and had nowhere to store all of our camping and scuba gear. So we cut a hole above the garage, made a door and stairs to access this space to the attic and now have a wonderful place for this as well as seasonal clothing and my canning jars. The ladder swings up and down on a pulley, and is secured with a safety chain.

When we finally renovated our kitchen, I made use of the space above the cupboards for extra storage. Usually this space is drywalled off, or left open and everything gets dusty. I designed glass doors and lighting, and this replaces my need for a china cabinet, which I did not have room for in my tiny dining room.

6. Look "Down" For Storage

I am not a fan of things under my bed, it feels cluttered. But when you are faced with a smaller home and live in the north where we are required to have 4 full sets of seasonal clothing and bedding, ya just have to do what you have to do. So I purchased bins for under the bed that have lids and highly recommend them. I store my seasonal shoes, yarn, and gift wrap now under the bed. They make great bins with wheels and lids that have hinges to keep the dust out and make everything accessible.

When you purchase furniture, look for ones with hidden storage, such as coffee tables, ottomans, beds, or even chairs as shown here.

7. Introduce Organizers

Keep your eyes open for organizers that will fit your space. You can fit them into little corners or below your clothes in the closet. It is amazing how much they hold.

8. Rotate

We used to run a picture framing business, so I had so many beautiful framed prints, more than I had wall space. After purging and only keep the very best, I stored half in my storage closet, and after a year or two, change-up the pictures. I also do this with my vases and accessories. You don't have to display everything all at once. By rotating your things, you don't feel the urge to shop as much, everything feels new and fresh.

9. Be Content With Less

I no longer have walk-in closets or a jacuzzi tub, downsizing means a simplified life. And a simplified life means more time and less stress. With less things, you have less to fix, maintain or clean, thus more time to do things that are really important. We have learned to be content with less and are enjoying a simpler life.

Elvie Look: Your Professional Organizing Coach who is helping people get organized with her easy tips and suggestions. These systems help the busy mom, businessman or woman,  entrepreneur or student learn the keys to organizing in simple, actionable and manageable steps. She teaches how to get organized and maintain your organized space while carrying on your normal busy life. She is the author of "21 Steps From Chaos To Calm. http://elviesessentials.com

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Organize Your Office And Reduce Clutter In Your Home

By Sasha Jenkins 

If your home, particularly your office, has become too cluttered it may be time to eliminate some of that clutter and get more organized. There are a few basic and simple things you can do to organize your home and your office.

Organizing Your Office And Paperwork

The office is an area that can get particularly cluttered with mail and paperwork. Get a document organizer to help organize your paperwork. You can find document organizers for both digital and paper files, so you can scan documents and keep them online or get a file cabinet where you can store them. Sometimes a combination of the two is the best fit.

If your desk is buried under a pile of paperwork you may benefit from a desktop document organizer. This type of organizer can help you keep your paperwork neatly sorted and safe. There are a few types of organizers that fit into this category, so shop around until you find one that fits your desk and your style of work. Everyone works a little differently; if you don't take this into consideration when buying a desktop organizer it may not work for you the way you had intended.

There are stacking organizers that allow you to easily access and store paperwork in different levels so you can sort your documents and neatly store both the organizer and the documents right on your desk. There are also desktop organizers that allow you to sort and divide your documents horizontally instead of vertically. It's just a matter of preference.

Organizing Other Areas Of Your Home

If you have other areas of your home that need to be better organized, but they look particularly daunting, just start small. Start cleaning and organizing one section at a time so it isn't such an overwhelming project. Those little things add up quickly to make a big difference over time.

Another thing that can help you keep your home organized is to put things away when you are finished using them. This includes things like recycling. Read your mail, paper or magazines and recycle them as soon as you are finished. Clip articles you want to keep and store them in a designated space. Don't be afraid to get rid of things. Really think about how much you need some of the items in your home. If you truly never use them maybe you don't need to keep them.

Little changes in your habits will make a difference. Making the effort to get more organized will help you save time, reduce frustration and create a better feel in your home.

Use Sasha's online guide to learn more about the different types of document organizers available and discover how they can help you organize your home office: Document Organizers

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Simple Tips To Help Organize Your Life

By Sasha Jenkins 

Has your life become stressed and a mess? By utilizing a few simple organizing tips you could reduce your stress and get your life back on the right track.

Get A Calendar

Keeping a family calendar out where everyone can see it and has access to it can help reduce your stress and keeps everyone in the know about what is going on this week. If you find that you often have a lot going on each week and usually forget one or more task or event you really need to use a family calendar. The best ones are ones that are large enough to fit every ones schedule on the same calendar. That way when something comes up and you go to check your calendar you have a clear picture of what is happening and when so you can better schedule yourself and the rest of your family. You can even take it a step further and color code your calendar by importance of event or by person.

Write Things Down

A lot of times we forget important things until the last minute. One way to improve your memory and better organize your life is to write down important things like grocery lists, errands that you need to run or appointments that you need to keep. The act of taking time out of your day to actually write down what you need to remember makes you far more likely to remember it.

Clean Your Refrigerator

You may not know it, but there is likely something going to waste in your refrigerator right now. When is the last time you cleaned out your refrigerator or pantry? If you take the time to do a quick clean of your refrigerator, no more than 15 minutes each week, you will waste less of your groceries and have an easier time deciding what to have for dinner. By regularly tossing the things that are expired you keep a mental inventory of what is on hand and what is not. This may be one of the most important organizing tips for your kitchen.

Lay Things Out The Night Before

Often times when people wake up in the morning they are running late. To make your life a little easier lay your things out for the next day the night before. Choose your outfit and set it out so that you can easily get dressed without wasting time standing in front of your closet for half an hour. Have the kids gather their home work and books and put their back packs by the door so they are ready in the morning and nothing important gets left behind. This one simple change in routine can save you lots of stress in the morning so you can start your day off on a positive note.

Using these simple tips to help organize your life can help save you time on a regular basis.

Another great thing you can do to better organize your life is to use document organizers for your paperwork. Read Sasha's guide on organizing documents to discover how things like a travel organizer can make your life a little easier: Travel Document Organizer

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Home Organization Tips That Can Make Life Easier

By Sasha Jenkins

Everyone wants their lives and their homes to be more organized and easier to manage. In today's society there are dozens of reasons why we all get sidetracked, disorganized and stressed out. By keeping up with a few simple tasks each day you can get your home back on track and minimize your stress due to a cluttered and un-organized home.

Start With A Clean Sink

The best advice anyone ever gave me to keep my home organized and keep my stress levels down, was to clean my sink. Every night before bed I make sure that my sink is clean. You might think this is a small silly task that has no real value to you but I assure you that you will feel better when you wake up to a kitchen that doesn't have dishes hanging out in the sink to be cleaned or put away. It's a small task, it never takes more than 15 minutes and it is an incredible stress reliever. So for the sake of your sanity, go clean your sink!

A Little At A Time

Another tip you can use in any room in the house is to organize one drawer or shelf each day. Really this shouldn't take long. Clear the clutter, toss the trash, donate the things you not longer use and place things neatly back in their place. I always use a timer for tasks like this. I set it for 15 minutes and then I get to work. I never takes longer than 15 minutes.

15 minutes is all you need to get your home organized. You read that right, just 15 minutes of work on a regular basis can get your home organized and clean. Take a timer and set it for 15 minutes and then start in an area of your home that needs help. Once the timer goes off, stop. Don't worry if it isn't perfect yet, just stop and move on with your day. You can come back later for another 15 minutes when you have time.

Out With The Old

If you are like many other people your kitchen and your closets are probably the areas that needs the most help. These areas accumulate a lot of stuff. One way to help organize your kitchen, closet or other problem area is to go in and toss something once a day. Most people have something that can go, things you don't use, broken things, old food. Just pick up something that doesn't need to be there and get it out of your house either with the trash or by donating it to someone who could use it.

By doing these few simple things you will find your house to be a more peaceful, organized, inviting environment in no time.

Paperwork and offices are another common problem area for people. Using the right tools, like an effective document organizer, can greatly help in this area. Get information about the different types organizers available, from paper to electronic, and tips on how to use them effectively using Sasha's online guide: Document Organizer.

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