Working With A Professional Organizer

Not everyone has the time or the patience to keep their spaces as tidy as they would like. People are busy and do not always have the time to deal with clutter and over time it will begin to build up. If the task becomes overwhelming, there are people that one can turn to to help get the mess turned around. Professional organizers are out there and have the experience to get the clutter under control.

When an organizer arrives with you they will go over the area you want organized. Usually, together the two of you will devise a plan of how you want the space to be and what types of storage system will be needed. The organizer will make sure the storage system will do what you want to do and be functional in your life.

Once a plan has been established, all of the items in the space will be temporarily cleared out. With the room being cleared, it will be easier to start over and have a fresh start. Everything that was taken out of the room will be sorted through and will be divided into three different piles. Those piles will be keep, toss and donate. All of the toss and donate items will be done right away so there is no chance they will make it back into the room on second thoughts.

With the keep pile now created, the system that was earlier decided on for how to store all of the items is put into motion. This could be storing many of the items in bins, creating a shelving system or a combination of things. The items are then brought back into the room placing the most important and most used items in the front and the middle of the unit. The less used and less important items are placed in the lower and higher areas. 

After the room has been put back together, another assessment will be done. This is to be sure that the room has flow and is truly organized. The entire process from start to finish for your whole house can possibly take a few weeks or more depending on the depth of the unorganization.

A professional organizer needs to have great organizational skills. These people also need to have patience to deal with customers and to also make sure they are doing the best possible job they can. Most organizers begin by doing some work in the homes of family and friends and then branching out from there.

A trained professional organizer can be a great asset to someone who does not have the time to do it themselves and also to someone who just does not know where to start. With a little help, the house can be clutter free once again.

Make Room in Your Home for the Important Things

The key to all of this is to have a serious plan about what it is you want from your home and your life and how you can best design your décor and your set-up to make that possible. Too often, our homes get in the way of what we want to do and make it harder for us to be effective and productive.

In fact, our homes should be enablers and facilitators that make what we want to achieve that much easier. So where does this discrepancy come from? Why do so many of us fail to have congruence between what we want to achieve and the layout of our homes? The answer is simple: too many of us just don’t know what we want; not just from our décor but also from life in general.

And again, marketing and media in general are largely influential, as we are constantly being shown different ideals and different ways of living – and hinting that they are the very best way for us to enjoy our own lives. We can end up being pulled in absolutely every direction by a hundred different marketing messages and a hundred different desires. We never feel quite satisfied with anything meanwhile, because we’re constantly being told that something else is the key to happiness.

As they say: if you don’t stand for something, you may fall for anything! Instead, have a motive about what it is you really want to achieve in life and how you want to get there. If you can do this, then you may come away with a simple mission statement and you can then go about designing a house to help you accomplish that mission statement. Of course, this might turn out to be more than one thing. But the idea is to know who you are, what’s important to you and how you’re going to serve that goal.

Turning Your Home Into a Means to an End 

For example, let’s say that after a lot of reflection, you realize that the things that really matter to you are your family and your love of music. This makes for a very simple and straightforward décor. You will probably want to create a space where you and your family can spend time together – perhaps a media room where you can all relax on a big sofa and watch TV or perhaps a big dining room where you can enjoy big meals together. And you might also make a music room. Or just decorate your room with things that speak to your love of music.

Now, when making buying decisions or thinking about how to design your room, you should always stop and ask yourself if it will really help you to enjoy those things more, or if it will just get in the way of them. Will it really bring you happiness? Will it make more work for you, so you actually spend less time doing the things you love? Will it distract from what you already have, or diminish from it? With this mentality, you’ll no longer be swayed by marketing because no marketing will be directed at you precisely. You have your own vision of what your home should be and now nothing should be able to move you away from that.

How to Fight the Urge to Buy Unnecessary Clutter

Run through these mental questions whenever you’re considering a new purchase and think about how it is going to fit into your lifestyle on a daily basis. Where will it go? How will it look next to the last thing you purchased? At the same time, try to be savvy to the tricks that advertisers may use to try and get us to buy things we don’t need. In particular, always make sure that you take some time out before choosing to buy something.

The vast majority of purchases are made based on an emotional impulse and this is what can cause us to become impulsive. If you go away and think logically about what you need and what you don’t, you’ll often find you are a lot smarter with your purchases as a result. 

A List of Things to Do 

A helpful habit in the fight against needing to keep buying new things and a good way to practice the concepts discussed in this chapter, is to make a list of things that you want to do – using items you already have, or without needing to buy anything new. This might sound like something you shouldn’t need… Surely you already know the things you want to do! But the reality is that we often forget.

Most of us have lots of books on our bookshelf that we have yet to read, games we never finished playing and even films that we haven’t watched! And these days, you can download books for free, play games for free and more.

Then there are the activities we never seem to have time for that might be to do with our hobbies or just getting our lives straight. Maybe you’ve been meaning to go for a drive, maybe you’ve been meaning to build some furniture, or maybe you like the idea of trying to learn another language.

And yet, when you get a free hour you forget all these things and end up just lying in front of the TV. And when you see something else advertised, you suddenly want to buy it. Why are you buying a new book, game or DVD when there is so much that you already own that you have yet to use? Why are you saving money to buy a big swimming pool when you’ve never been out to your local park? Or checked out the free museum down the road?

Having a list of ideas for your evening’s entertainment can really change this. The next time you’re bored, you can simply check your list for ideas of things to do. The next time you are tempted to buy something new, check the list and realize that you have plenty to be excited about without spending more money or cluttering your home. Stay focused and make a home that helps you achieve your mission!

Decluttering and Organizing Your Clothing

When it comes to clothing, most of us have far more than we really need. If you take a good, honest look through your closet, you will find that you have much more than you use. In fact, most people wear only a small percentage of their clothing over and over, and neglect the rest.

Why You Should Declutter Clothing

Having too much of anything takes up not only physical space in your home, but mental space as well. When you are looking for something to wear, having too much clothing makes you feel like you are searching through endless piles of stuff and yet still cannot find something suitable. When you declutter, you will be able to quickly find outfits that you love. This will save you time, and keep your stress levels low.

How Does It Make You Feel and Look?

As you are sorting through your clothing, think about how the item makes you feel. Do you look at it and feel excited to wear it? When it is on your body, does it make you feel and appear attractive and ready to take on the world?

Clothing is much more than a cover. It is a part of who you are, and how you feel in it is the image of yourself that you are presenting to the world. You may decide to keep only the clothing that makes you feel confident, and causes you to be proud of who you are.

Are You Keeping It Out of Obligation?

Many of us are harbouring clothing out of guilt, given to us by well-meaning friends and family. Unless someone knows your taste 100% of the time, clothing generally does not make an appropriate gift. Too often we are given an item and then feel stuck with it for an undisclosed amount of time, and we never quite feel right getting rid of it.

Have You Worn It in the Past Year?

A rule of thumb is that anything not worn in the past year or more, you may possibly decide to sell or donate. The reason for the rule of a year is because certain items of clothing and accessories have particular yearly events that they are appropriate for, and you will likely want to keep some of those special items.

Also, many locations have seasons that are very distinct in temperature. You will have clothing that you don’t ever wear in summer, but faithfully make use of every winter… or vice versa. If you didn’t wear it in the past year’s appropriate season, it may be likely that this item is no longer needed, or that it no longer flatters who you have become.

Once you have made choices about what to get rid of, you may decide to discard any damaged items, sell a few select items and donate the rest to those in need. Organize what is left, and you will see what a difference it makes in your life when you have in your closet only what you need and love wearing. Enjoy your new organized closet and never search for hours for a lost item again.

Five Positive Benefits of Decluttering Your House

Clutter not only drags you down mentally, but it is also lead to wasting money. How exactly does clutter waste money, and how does getting rid of it help you possibly save money?

You Find Items You Forgot You Had

When you declutter, it can be like going shopping. As you clean, you will likely come across many objects that you forgot you had. You may need more pens and find close to ten. You just never know what you are going to find when you declutter. The rescued items can be organized from this point on, and used as needed.

You Don’t Have to Buy New Items Because You Lost the Old One

We’ve all been there. You have an item you need and you are sure you bought it already. You know that you have it somewhere, but you have so much clutter lying around that you may never find the item. You inevitably end up buying a new one, only to find the original several months down the road.

With piles and piles of seemingly random things being stored in your home, it can be near impossible to find what you are looking for when you need it the most. Decluttering can make your home more organized so that you never have to waste time looking for things you bought and misplaced, or buy a duplicate item.

It Encourages You to Buy Less

When you have spent a large amount of time decluttering your home, you realize what a time waster it is to have too many items. It can be the most effective way of convincing yourself to buy less. You could save some money if you take the simple step of curbing your spending patterns. Buy less, and your life may hopefully go in a more positive direction.

You May Even Think About Downsizing

The amount of real estate that clutter takes up is amazing. When you declutter, it makes you feel good and you will want to keep going. When you have gotten to a point where you are closer to being a minimalist, you will find that you truly do not need a lot of space to enjoy the home you live in. You may even possibly find yourself considering downsizing in order to save money and prepare for the future.

You Can Sell Old Items

Decluttering may leave you with not only a lot of junk, but also with many perfectly good items that you simply do not need. By selling these old items, you are not just saving money, but making some. This can be an added incentive to your decluttering efforts. Whether it be through a garage sale, word of mouth or an online ad, selling your old items can make some extra cash.

Decluttering is good for the mind, body and soul. It may also be good for the wallet. If you are hoping to save money and be more responsible with what you have, take these thoughts into consideration.

Getting Organized: How To Tackle The Big Tasks

How many times have we put off doing those large tasks because we know how much effort and energy they will require? Just thinking about doing them wears you down. Soon you might find that this large job that you once had weeks to accomplish must be done in days. In this article we will look at ways to take on big tasks so they are more manageable. We will look at the best times of the day to tackle certain things to get them finished and checked off of your to-do list.

Most big tasks can be broken up into smaller manageable tasks. To get then done with as little stress as possible, this is what could be done. If you’re looking to spring clean your home, for example, divide the house up room by room. Then list everything that needs to be done in each room. Once you have your lists you need to prioritize what needs to be done first, second and so on. 

Once this is complete you can get going. Making lists of smaller tasks and checking them off as you get them done gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Instead of one huge task you can reward yourself for doing the series of smaller tasks. You’ll see things start to take shape and feel better as the task suddenly becomes smaller.

Big tasks in some ways are a mixed blessing. There are things that you like to do and things that you may dread. When you have your list of what you want to get done for that day, if at all possible do the least desired task first. You energy levels are usually highest in the early part of the day so giving it to those tasks you really don’t want to do will get them checked off of your list much faster. Waiting until later, when you are tired and slow, will virtually increase the risk that the task will get put off. 

Big tasks seem quite daunting, however; nearly all of them can be broken down into small tasks. By doing this you’re making the large task much more manageable and even enjoyable at times. The next large task you know you have coming, plan in advance and break it up. You’ll find it isn’t so bad.

Organize Your Household Mail

Most people need to deal with paper on a daily basis. Some common examples are the following: bank statements, bills, pay stubs, newspapers, magazines, calendars, take-out menus, shopping receipts, and school permission slips. With an organized plan of action and some discipline, the paperwork can be conquered. 

Begin by taking a look at the type of paperwork that’s overwhelming you the most. Are you the most stressed by those bills that go unpaid when you can’t locate them? Or is it the amount of artwork your 

children have created and decorated your refrigerator with? Perhaps it’s the constantly changing after school schedules or meetings. 

Once you determine the most invasive paper culprits, next it’s time to line them up and sort them out. A successful filling system has three main components. A file for those things that need to be acted on immediately, one for those that are part of a household’s ongoing management, and one for those that are more infrequent but nevertheless crucial, such as tax records, insurance policies, and home maintenance documents. 

It is important to remember that when conquering the paperwork, make a good routine of dealing with each item the first time you handle it. Get out of the habit of looking through your mail and tossing it aside. Set aside time each day to open mail, go through paperwork in your inbox and sort and file appropriately. 

Decide if each item is something to be paid, something to be done, or something to be filed. At the end of each week, take out each file and respond appropriately by paying the bill, responding to the request, or moving items that need to be filed into their permanent locations. 

Of course, if you know something is urgent and can’t wait until week’s end, clip it to the front of your file box or place it in front in a folder labeled Urgent and act accordingly. 

Save telephone time by keeping calendars, schedules, take-out menus and phone lists into clear page protectors in a 3-ring binder. Flip through the household notebook to quickly check meeting dates or find phone numbers. 

Organize magazines and newspapers into baskets kept near couches and living room chairs for people to look at during their free time. Be sure to keep in the habit of sorting through this on a regular basis and filing those magazines you decide to keep and tossing old newspapers and magazines you wish you toss. 

Time Management Tips For Success

Are you a person who finds it difficult to stay focused and to stay on task?  Are you regularly late for important events or do you turn in projects or homework after the deadline?  If you do, you may need to improve your time management.  The good news is that there are a number of tips that can help you do so.  A few of these tips are outlined below for your convenience.

One of the first things that you will want to do is create time management goals for yourself.  These goals can be for different things.  For example, you can set a main goal of improving your time management in a specific period of time, like two weeks or a month.  You can also set individual goals for yourself, like arriving to parties, social events, work, or important business meetings on time.  No matter what goals you choose to set for yourself, they are important, as goals work to provide motivation.

Another way to improve your time management is to determine where you have the most problems.  What exactly is it that causes you to waste time?  Chances are you already know.  If not, do a little test.  Walk though a normal day and record what times you get distracted the most and what you are doing at those times.  Do you find yourself wasting time when socializing with friends, using the internet, or watching television?  If so, reduce or completely eliminate those distractions.

It is also important to note that there a number of time management tools available for your use as well.  These tools should not be relied on daily, but they can be used to help you establish a routine.  As for what time management tools you can use, you may be surprised with all of your options.  To do lists, daily planners, and alarm clocks are all great ideas.  Many modern computers and cell phones also come with time management tools, including alarm clocks, calendars, calendar alerts, and so forth.

As previously stated, a to do list is a time management tool that you can benefit from using.  As helpful as a to do list can be, it is important to also prioritize.  You will want to list your items in order of importance.  For example, if your list focuses on tasks to do at home is it more important for you to do laundry, vacuum the house, or wash dishes?  The order of your lists should all depend on importance and urgency.

One of the best ways to properly manage your time is to stay organized.  In fact, poor organization is the leading cause of wasted time.  If you are employed, be sure to keep your office desk clean and clutter free.  When doing so, you are able to stay focused and on task better.  You should be able to get more work done, as you should spend less time searching for misplaced or lost documents.  Organization is not only important in the workplace, but other areas that you frequent, such as your home or your car.

The above mentioned time management tips should be able to help you better manage your time on your own.  With that said, it is important to remember that sometimes help is needed.  The last thing that you want to do is be overloaded, whether it be at work or at home.  If you need to outsource some of your work to a coworker or if you need to hire the services of a professional housecleaner, go ahead and do so.  Once you are caught back up, you can begin to properly manage your time.  As much as we all want to complete our responsibilities on our own, it is important to remember that sometimes help is needed.

By taking the above mentioned points into consideration, you may be able to better improve the use of your time.  There are a number of benefits to having effective time management both at home and at the workplace.