11 Professional Organizers Share their Favourite Tips.
I asked my colleagues from the Professional Organizers in Canada Cyber Chapter to send me their favourite organizing tips. This is what they said.
Patti Schneider from Time to Organize Coach™ in Huntsville, Ontario tells us :
- Don’t organize anything without tossing, recycling and donating first!
April Miller owner of April Miller Professional Organizing in St John`s Newfoundland shared:
- To ensure better maintenance: Organize according to what works for you, not according to someone else’s system.
Elana Kleinman owner of EK Organizing in Toronto, Ontario
- For maintenance, do a 5-10 minute scan of your home before bed and return everything to its assigned home. This prevents end-of-week (month?) organizing marathons:)
Ruth Beattie-Ostrom of HOME, Hard Organizing Made Easy from Parry Sound, Ontario shared:
- A fun tip to involve children to help maintain the house: set the timer for 15 min and everyone (including mom) puts items back in their place.
Kym McFadden owns Space-Ese-Solutions Inc in Burlington, Ontario.
- If you don’t use it, lose it. Recycle, donate or toss it in the garbage. I generally tell clients for clothing wear it within 6 months and all other items use it within 6-12 months or out it goes. Then go have fun! If it is close to bedtime read books together.
Nathalie Bureau owner of Nathalie Bureau L’Art de l’Organisation/Organized Living from Saint Boniface, Quebec tells us:
- Using the space vertically is one of my best tips
- Sort food packages in a drawer using hand made separators or dividers.
Adele Lapointe of Chaos to Clarity from Burlington, Ontario simply said:
- Like with like
Karen McIntosh Murdock, Your Organized Friend in Edmonton, Alberta
- If grieving clients are having trouble releasing sentimental belongings I recommend that we take photos of the items, write down the stories surrounding the item and make them into a photobook.
Bev Chandler owner of C & C Organizing from Regina, Saskatchewan shared:
- Keep the things you use the most, close at hand.
Adriana Romkes from Dundas, Ontario tell us:
- Less is more
My tip, Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario
- If you are having trouble letting go of things figure out if it is because you are clinging to the past or fear the future. Once you solve that mystery it will be easier to part with unused items.
Share your favourite organizing tip with me in the comment box.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
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Good tips! One that I would add: Create stress-free mornings by getting ready the night before.
I agree, I have done that all my life and made my children it too. So when we got up it was dress, breakfast and ready to go. It is amazing how getting out the door in the morning stress free sets the tone for the whole day.
These are all so good, it was hard to come up with one of my own, but here goes: Don’t put off organizing because you don’t think you have time. Pick something small, such as a single drawer or shelf. If you have time, do another one. If not, you’re still one step ahead of where you were!
Great advise. Organzing is a process and starts with small steps and grows into a habit over time.
I’m a big fan of Nathalie’s tip to go vertical! You really maximize storage space when you go up.
I am too. I think about 70% of my clients will hear that suggestion from me to use the vertical space in their home.
Great tips Julie! It’s neat that even with so many different professional organizers everyone gave different tips. Just shows that everyone is different and what works one time or for one person, might not be the advice that works another time or for someone else.
What a great comment Hilda. I used everyone who submitted a comment because there were no duplicate ideas. Professional Organizing is about finding the Professional Organizer who has the right style, understanding and personality to meet the client’s needs.
Great list, Julie! I like to say to myself and to my clients “focus & finish” because clutter is unfinished projects & chores–be that unsorted mail, unread magazines, unfolded laundry, unwashed dishes, or half-finished craft projects. I like doing all my ironing once a week & putting the ironing board away rather than look at it every day. Thanks for posting to POBC.
I really like your tip focus and finish. Sometimes getting people to do last small bit is difficult because everything looks and functions so much better than before. If they did the last little bit I think they would find maintaining their systems would be much easier.