Picture Submission #1

Here is one of the submissions I received and what I would do with it:

1.       Lower left, under desk:  Looks like they have a lot of papers and odds and ends (with the plastic bin and the box). I would keep an eye out at garage sales and second hand stores for a filing cabinet. Hit the dollar store for some folders and files and sort that out into a more reasonable system (whatever works for them). Until you get a cabinet, I would suggest a box, maybe one with a lid? The plastic tub, I would have to know what was inside to figure that out, but it could be reorganized and put on the box/cabinet.

2.       These papers and books could be better organized into folders and standing on end instead of stacked for the sake of finding things in the pile. Some of them may be incorporated into the cabinet/box as well.

3.       A and B: The first box looks like it might be able to be moved to the shelf. The CD’s, combined with 3b’s CD’s should be moved into a shoe box or a CD case (whichever is easier for the person). Maybe this, too, can fit on the shelf or possibly the desk where 3b currently is.

4.       I am guessing this is an extra tower that is not in use. Maybe it could be moved to the back corner behind the current tower OR to a storage location elsewhere in the house.

The rest of the papers and what not should be sorted into the shelf folders or the box/cabinet and placed in a system that works best for the person. Some people prefer alphabetical. Some prefer things to be placed in order of most used to least. There are many ways to sort things, but when they are sorted, it makes it easier to find them. So I say sort them to what works best for you!

Took me a while to figure out what I would do here. I would start by marking off some area’s in chalk on the driveway (pick a nice day when there is NO rain due and plan on getting it all done that day). Areas such as “Storage” “Donation” “Lawn/Yard Care” “Auto” “Tools” “Sports”. Start taking things out and putting them in the areas they fit. Feel free to add more categories as you go along.

The key here is to remove it all while sorting and THEN put it back in. Getting rid of some stuff or moving it to another area (if it is better in the basement for example) would be paramount. There is too much stuff in this garage to try and do it in steps. Sometimes, a job is just too big.

That’s it for this week, folks! Be sure to send me more submissions! Happy Organizing!

Before and After plus Shelves!

As you can see, I have these photo's stored on picasa as well, but I thought I would tell you a little about them, so you can see some of my work.

This is a friend's kitchen pantry. We took everything out, cleaned the shelves and arranged as so. She was right there telling me what she used and didn't use often. We put the less used things on the higher shelves since she is vertically challenged.

This is a set of three stacked plastic drawers in her home. The first one being her craft drawer (which she said she could never find anything in). We organized that with bags standing up so that she can remove things and look through things without going through whole piles.

Next is her paper drawer. She has all these lovely pads of various sizes and colors and I'm not sure she even remembered they were there! It took a similar look, standing the paper on end so it was more accessible.

Last is the school supply. As you can see, it had some of the extra paper and crafting in it, so it was drastically trimmed down. Later we were even able to add her plastic containers of crayons to the drawer as well.

This set of drawers was a Hodge-podge of a bunch of things. I first combined all the extra school supplies in those drawers into one. Next was the music instruments and art supplies and lastly the games and misc things left.

We filled a small garbage bag with items from the drawers that were useless (including some very old candy). She can now, mostly at a glance, locate the items she wants in her 2 sets of drawers AND her pantry. All of this took about two hours total. She had some containers saved up for me and some bags for me to use. Add a few boxes and a sharpie and I had all my supplies!

Now the next two pictures she did on her own. I was so impressed I had to include them.

She home schools her children, so this was a place for their books and things for various subjects. She bought most of the material for this at the dollar store. The boxes for each subject are covered in shelving paper and the shelves themselves in tiles. I think it looks fantastic!

My next post will delve into pictures people have sent in and how I would go about organizing them. Until then, send me more pictures AND more questions!

What Now?

Ok. So you gathered your containers and whatnot. You've removed everything from whatever it is you want to organized and gotten rid of some things. You've cleaned off the shelves and they're empty. At this point, you might be asking yourself, "What now?"

Now is where the fun part (at least to me) comes in!

 

First, I group things either by category or usage. What does that mean? Well, I’ll explain it with an example: Say you are organizing a pantry or a closet.  You can choose to either combine things by category (e.g. baking items, winter accessories, cleaning supplies, breakfast food) or by usage (e.g.  Top shelf for the things we get down rarely, middle for the things we use daily, etc..). I prefer to do both, but sticking to a single way to organize is probably simpler for most people.

Second, I physically group these items together, putting ones in containers that need to be (e.g. gloves, hats and scarves in a box; extra sponges in a bag; bottles of extract in a Tupperware container, etc). Once grouped, you can tell where they will fit best. Even if you don’t group by usage, be sure to make it a factor to some degree as you sort the items. After all, you wouldn’t want the cereal on the top shelf if that is what you have for breakfast every morning, and you wouldn’t want the gloves and hats hidden behind a bunch of other things in the winter time.

Third, Figure out where things fit the best BUT are still able to be removed and used.  It is OK to leave spaces between things. It just means you have more space for that spare bottle of air freshener that was on sale. It is also ok to try something in one place and move it later when it fits better somewhere else. You know where it will go best. This is why input from you is always important when someone else is organizing things for you.

Fourth - and this one is optional - label the space. You can get sticky white labels at the dollar store or even use small post-it notes and tape. If you want everyone else to know where the winter hats and gloves are, write it on the box; This helps the rest of the family know where to put things back. A side bonus is it can help small kids to learn to read.

In closing, be sure that things you use frequently are accessible and that you know that each thing has a place.  Stand back and enjoy!

This week I put the challenge out to you! Send me your pictures of things you just can’t figure out how to organize and I will do one of two things: I will either do a blog post on how I would organize it (with your permission) or I will send you an email back with instructions on what to do. Please also send me some information on what it is and what is inside.  Email me at theorganizationguru@gmail.com

The Matierals to Work Your Magic With

If you look to the right, I am trying to keep up to date with some of my before and after pictures. Unfortunately, I didn’t think of this before a good number of my jobs. But I will endeavor to do so from here on out so that I may share my ideas with you. 

I promised you tips on the cheaper side of organizing. One thing you need to get past is the word “cheaper”. This word is not instantly synonymous with poorer quality! More expensive doesn’t mean better. There are many things you may already have, or can easily get, that cost little or no money and can help you with your organizing. Let me show you some:

Boxes: Boxes you have bought stuff in, or things shipped to your house. (Those amazon boxes are great to save). You can ask for boxes at a grocery store, or pack your groceries into them, and some drug stores will have extra boxes of all sizes. If you’re local to Cincinnati, try Aldis. They’re always willing to part with boxes. Shoe boxes are great! My van has an old Duracell display box in middle of the seats to keep small things in and prevent them from sliding around. Important: Don’t make the mistake of saving too many of these and becoming a box hoarder!

Plastic Containers: No, not the big ones you have to pay lots of money for. How about the ones you have in the kitchen that you lost the lid for, or the ones they sell at the dollar store, or old baby wipe containers? There are lots of plastic things we could use that we normally just recycle. Recycle them in your drawers and closets instead!

Baskets: The ones people have given you. Ones you have just sitting around. You can even buy several sizes and types at the dollar stores. Another great place to find these are at Goodwill, a thrift store or a garage sale. I got my bread box for a dollar, and it’s a nice one!

Ziploc Bags: They don't have to be Ziploc brand, just any bag you can group stuff in and close. They come in all sizes, they're cheap and great for things big and small; anything from beads, to crayons, to belt buckles.

Milk Crates and other Crates: If you have any of these lying around and want to pretty them up, you can get cheap shelf paper and cover them.

It may take some gathering and some time, but it’s worth it to save you $200 on containers just to organize one closet. Yard sale season is an organizer's smorgasbord!

I will leave you with one last organizational tip. It is a simple one, but one that is oft forgotten: ALWAYS start organizing by removing everything from whatever it is you want to organize.  Common sense, huh? It’s not as common as you think.

Until next time! Send me your ideas and your questions!

The First Steps

Greetings and welcome to my blog. My intent behind this blog is to help people get organized. So, in light of that, I would like to organize these statements about organization for you (say that three times fast!):

Organizing takes money! 

This is false. All those ads and people you see who tell you that in order to get organized you have to go out and spend a ton of money on big, little, and medium plastic containers are wrong. In fact, I aim to prove that what you need can either be found in your home or at a dollar store (and not one of those “we round it up to the nearest dollar” stores. A true dollar store, where everything is a dollar). But I get ahead of myself. More on this later.

Organizing takes SO much time!

This is true and false. Yes, it takes a lot of time, but you don’t have to do it all at once. A friend of mine was complaining about how she needed to organize her closet, but didn't have the six hours needed to do it. My reply was, “Do it in 15 to 20 minute bursts”. Now, for those out there who are completionists, this may drive you mad. You'll feel like you have to schedule six hours to complete that closet. Or, you can do what I do - because I'm a completionist as well -  and break the job up.  

For example: If you are working on your closet, divide each side into fourths. Make each shelf its own task. Make the floor another one entirely. This way you can feel you completed a job without completing the closet. 

I could never organize it so that it looks nice! 

SO untrue! I am here to tell you that organizing things is easy. I can help anyone organize anything with just a few minutes and some dedication on your part.

So, you’re pumped! You’re psyched! You want to organize something!  In order to organize, you need to ask a few questions about yourself and the job. First, ask yourself, “Am I willing to do it?” This is the question that stops most people. If that answer is "no", then hire a professional to do it for you. (If you're in Cincinnati you can even hire me!) If the answer is "yes", here are some other questions you need to ask.  I will start with the second one and continue these in my next post.

Is there too much stuff for this space? 

If the answer is "no", then you are good to proceed. If things are pouring out of the closet and you can’t shut the door or see the floor, you need to go through it all. Going through stuff can be hard. Grab a friend if you have trouble letting go of things; he or she can help you with a more impartial perspective. Look at items and ask, “When did I last use this?” And, “Will I use this again soon?” If you haven’t used something in a long time or if it isn’t useful in the foreseeable future, it's time to get rid of it. Donate it, trash it, give it to the friend who is helping you. (Disclaimer: this does not apply to things like holiday decorations or items you normally only use once a year)

If it is something you do use, how often do you use it? Do you have something else that could take its place? (Example: 4 different types of razors underneath your bathroom sink) if so, time for it to go!

When it comes to clothes, if it is a size too large or too small for you, it can stay. Otherwise, time for it to go. Those jeans from high school aren’t going to fit you if they don’t fit you now.  No, legwarmers AREN’T coming back into style, especially not in neon green. Yes, you could use them for a costume, but will you?

There are good ways to trim down your life and, be honest: If you’re not a monk, who couldn’t use getting rid of some things?

Thank you for stopping by, and I promise more good times to come. If you have something specific you would like to request or a question you desperately need answered, feel free to comment or contact me. Happy Organizing!