Organizing Tips

• Bring several pre-printed address labels to events such as trade
  shows, fairs, etc. to enter drawings more efficiently.
  - Pamela Grover, Design Tech Consulting, Inc.
  
  

• Set up your mail intake area just like a corporate mail room so that
  your mail, the number one source of paper for most of us, is under
  control. Have a slot for each person's mail and a location for urgent
  "to do" items and another for bills to pay. Sort your mail when it
  comes in by opening it, tossing the junk, and distributing items to
  each person's mail slot. Put a wastebasket with a shredder at your mail
  station so that you can shred those credit card offers (and other
  attractive-to-identity-thieves items).
  - Mary'n Hallock, The Painless Paper Cut
  
  
• Use organizing products that are aesthetically pleasing to you, so
  you're drawn to use them!
  - Nikki Bell, Organized Interiors
  
  
• Tithe your stuff. Give away one (at least!) of every ten things. Use
  black contractor-grade garbage bags to organize/toss/donate. They don't
  break and you can't see what's inside.
  - Jeanna Watts, Storganize
  
  
• Use small sticky notes notes to write a 2-3 word/date reminder on
  date sensitive paperwork in your Action Crate. This prevents the paper
  from entering the 'black hole of forgetfulness'. The size of the sticky
  note in comparison to the entire sheet of paper sitting out is significantly smaller.
  - Kim Pastor, B Organized, Inc.
  
  
• When setting up your annual garage sale, create a '25 cent table'. It will save time pricing so many small items.
  - Terri Gilson, Terrific Spaces
  
  
• Create a household reference binder to store calendars, schedules,
  phone lists, menus, and anything you need for quick reference. Use sheet protectors and tabs, and store in a conveniently retrievable place. Have the kids help decorate title pages for their activities. Coach them on managing their activities, and you'll be teaching them valuable organizational and time management skills for the future.
  - Jessica Hoelzel, Functional Spaces
  
  
• When displaying collectibles, put them in groups of like items or
  like colors. They will have more of an impact together and look less
  cluttered than if they are spread around the room.
  - Audra Leonard, Artistic Organizing
  
  
• Once your student is accepted into the college of his/her choice, he/she needs to keep track of a myriad of important information. Help your student set up a file box to hold the mass of information coming into your home. Helpful categories might include: Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing, Orientation, Scholarships, and General Information.
  - Audrey Thomas, Organized Audrey LLC
  
  
• Caregivers should learn that they don't have to save every single art
  project made by a child. As new artwork enters the home, ask yourself: 'Is this different than other works we've already saved?' Keep only those that really make an impact. Let the rest go so you can appreciate the best. Post the
  'keepers' temporarily to give the family a chance to admire them.
  - Sara Pedersen, Time to Organize®
  
  
• To avoid sorting papers into piles, then stacking those piles, and
  invariably losing or misplacing valuable information, create temporary hanging
  files by large general categories. Put these in front of the other,
  long-term files so you can easily file the papers long-term when you
  are finished with them, and when your schedule permits. To make it
  visually easier to know what is temporary and what is not, place the large general category labels on the left, and long-term file labels on the right.
  - Dave Vogt, NeatNiche Consulting, LLC
  
  
• Never walk out of a room without checking to see if anything can go
  with you to the next room.
  - Kara Schwartz, Inspired Solutions
  
  
• Make a place in your life Schedule times for routine activities &
  chores (clean the bathroom, pay the bills, file, read). Then, let go of
  those things until it's time to do them. You don't have to worry about
  everything all the time.
  - Susi Peterson, CPO, Specialized Organization Services LLC
  
  
• You can do anything for 'just 10 minutes'. Unknown to me, my husband
  had been doing this all spring with the weeds. He walked around the yard after work
  for 10 minutes pulling weeds -- what a difference!
  - Karen Northway, Less Mess
  
  
• Many of the papers that accumulate in the kitchen are items you want
  your spouse to see, yet quite a few of them are not urgent. Rather than
  greeting each other at the door with these decisions, designate a "Discuss" folder to hold information and decisions that require collaboration but can wait until your next scheduled family business meeting.
  - Jennifer Swanson, Jennifer Swanson Professional Organizing
  
  
• One of my favorite tips deals with messes at parties and events. Stow
  a small handled bucket filled with a bottle of club soda, spot remover
  and a few clean white cloths in a nearby closet or under a skirted
  table so these items are handy for quick clean-ups for the likely
  spilled food or beverages. If available I also recommend including a
  small hand vac for dry spills.
  - Louise Kurzeka, Everything's Together®
  
  
• Tired of picking up towels off the bathroom floor? Remove your towel
  bars and replace with strong, decorative hooks. It takes up less space
  and it's MUCH easier to throw a towel on a hook than fold it in half
  and make it look pretty across the bar.
  - Lisa Wendt, Homes That Work
  
  
• Separate recipes into sweet and savory categories, as well as spices
  and herbs in cupboards for "cooking" (savory) and "baking" (sweets).
  Have separate boxes for each category, so there's half as many to look through.
  It's easier to focus on "savory" items for meal preparation (as the "sweets"
  category should be an optional parts of our daily nutrition.)
  - Candyce Stout, In Orderly Fashion
  
  
• You don't know where to start? Take a kitchen timer. Set it to 20
  minutes. Pick one room. Start in the right corner and off you go. After
  20 minutes, stop and feel good about what you have accomplished.
  Motivated to do more? Pick another room and repeat.
  - Daniela Hofer Johnson, Organized In No Time
  
  
• Resist the temptation to buy containers before you sort your stuff. The containers you need will depend on what you decide to keep and where you keep it. And you may be able to save money by re-purposing the containers you already have!
  - Diana Allard, Efficient Spaces™ Organizing Services, LLC