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Reading Time – 5 minutes
The technical side of organizing involves a series of steps:
- Sort items into groups of the same type of objects
- Part with items you don’t need, love or use
- Assign a place for things to be stored
- Containerize items to keep them together so you know how much you have
- Evaluate your system and see if it needs some adjustments to work better for you.
S P A C E is used to remember the basic steps of organizing.
For me the fun side of organizing involves thinking outside the box:
- using old items in new ways
- rearranging furniture to make a better flow in the room
- storing items in fun containers
Today I am going to show you 5 ways to use a shoe organizer.
Storing clothing items
- Store scarves, hats, gloves or mitts. The clear pockets make it easy to get out the right things. In the summer a shoe organizer near the entryway is a good way to store sunglasses, sunscreen and hats. Always a convenient place to keep your masks.
- In your closet, you can store belts, scarves, socks, bras, shoelaces anything that you like to easily grab and go. What clothing items have you stored in a shoe organizer? Oh, yes shoes.
Store cleaning supplies for you or the home.
- Shoe organizers are a good way to store all your shower needs, shampoo, conditioner, soap etc. Take what you need into the shower.
- They are also great in a laundry room. Put your cleaning solutions in the pockets, stainer mover, furniture polish, tile cleaner, rug cleaner, spot remover, clothes pegs, lint brush
- Make it your home repair center, picture hanging kits, sewing kits, fuses, light bulbs, small tools, tapes, glue, felt furniture pads.
Use it in your craft room.
- The picture shows quilt squares. The pockets can hold paintbrushes, glue sticks, scissors, tape, ribbon, pencil crayons, markers, rulers, and paints. This list is endless.
Use it in your office.
- I took this picture in a bookstore. These are maps being stored in a shoe organizer.
- You can use it for office supplies, pens, pencils, stapes, business cards, rulers, tape measures, tape, glue, envelopes, cards
- You can sort photos into the pockets
- It can be an easy place to store your receipts by month or category.
What about your plants and gardening items?
- It can hold your plants.
- It can hold your gardening supplies, tools, plant food, seeds, insecticides
Pinterest.com
What is your favourite way to use a shoe organizer?
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 physical activity 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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
One of the biggest roadblocks in getting organized can be decision-making. It can be hard to decide where to store things, what to keep and what to let go of, what type of storage you need, where to donate items. where to start. You might not have thought of getting organized in this way. Is making a decision difficult for you?
Is it fear that makes decision making difficult
In an article by Hellen Bittigieg, she talks about: Steps to eliminate your fears and conquer the clutter
- As you sort through your items notice the thoughts that come up and begin to acknowledge them, say okay now you’ve got my attention.
- Notice where you feel the fear in your body, stomach, chest headache?
- Analyze the fear and try to understand where it’s coming from then thank it and move on
- Replace fear with trust
- What if I need it someday replace it with all my needs are abundantly supplied
- I’ll keep it just in case – replace it with what are the odds I’ll ever need to replace it?
- I can’t give that away it was a gift – replace it with my real friends always love and support me
- I can’t decide so I’ll just keep it – replace it with I’ll make a decision and trust that everything will be okay
- What if it’s worth something someday – replace it with it will never be more valuable than joy, health, friendships etc
Do you need practice making decisions?
You make decisions all the time. What are you going to eat for breakfast, what are you going to wear today, when are you going to exercise? These are easy decisions because you make them all the time. They are not life-impacting decisions whether you choose cereal or eggs, shirt or sweater, exercise at 6 am or after work. The important thing is to see yourself as a decision-maker. It is a skill you have and do well. Appy that skill to deciding what to do with your possessions so you can get organized.
What if I make the wrong decision?
You can put too much pressure on yourself to be 100% certain about your decisions. There are very few decisions where you have a crystal ball and can see exactly what decision is perfect for the future. Make the decision that is right for you now. Keep the possessions that help you to become the person you want to be. Let go of the possessions that hold you back. Some things are meant to be in your life for a while and then move on to help someone else.
I don’t want to be responsible
It might be easy for you to make decisions that no one notices. When it comes time to make changes people will notice the decisions you are making. You might decide to have less stuff in your home, to spend money on experiences, not things, use your time to build relationships, not shop. Set goals about the changes you want to make in your life. When you are being intentional about change, it is easy to take responsibility and explain your decisions to others because you are the one making the choices to make your life better.
See yourself as a brave, wise decision-maker who intentionally chooses the best choice at the time to make your life better.
If you need help growing into this person join my 9-week coaching program From Clutter to Freedom
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you to manage 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
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading Time – 5 minutes
People ask me, “Do I have a disease?” and I usually say, “NO, you have a M.E.S.S”. When your life becomes disorganized it is usually caused by one of four situations. If you are feeling overwhelmed, try looking at your M.E.S.S. this way.
Shelves make storing items easier
M – Mechanical
Clutter can be caused because you don’t have the right type of storage. It is a mechanical problem.
- A drawer may be broken,
- There aren’t any shelves to put things on
- There aren’t any closets
- Your containers are too small or too big or you don’t have any
Solutions to a mechanical problem are simple. Look at what you want to store in the room. Decide if you are a visual person and would like things stored on shelves where you can see everything. Maybe being able to see everything bothers you, it is visual clutter to you. You would want to store things in cupboards or drawers.
The next step is to decide what type of containers you need to hold your stuff. Some people like to have clear containers other people like to use colour coded ones and still other people like them all to match. Whatever type you like make sure they will fit on the shelf or in the cupboard or drawer and hold the items you are storing. Buy the containers after you know what is going to be stored in the room. Make sure it fits into your budget.
Samsill Pop,n Store Container
E. Emotional
- Some people are very sentimental and find it difficult to let go of things. Try to remember that it is the relationship that you have with the person that is important not the item they gave you.
- Depression makes it hard to have enough energy to make decisions and organize your items
- Anxiety can clutter your mind so you find it difficult to make decisions
The solution to this situation is more complicated. You need to discover your relationship with your S.T.U.F.F. You need to recognize that you have Simply too much and take steps towards realizing that. Next, Take Time to set your goals concerning reducing what you have. The U is for Underlying causes. Examine what makes it difficult to let go of things. F is for how you Feel about having stuff. Do you feel comforted by having things around you or do you feel overwhelmed by too much? The last F is for how you Feel about having less. Does the thought of having less make you afraid or does it feel like you have space to breathe? I can help you with this process book a chat with me.
S. Situational
There are things that happen in your life that can put you into a state of chaos temporarily
- Having a baby
- Moving
- Divorce
- Seasonal Celebrations – Halloween, Christmas. Passover,
- The end of school or the beginning of a year
- Renovations
The solution to these situations is to remember it is a temporary situation. When things get busy ask for help.
S. Systems
If you have systems in place for getting things done then the work becomes easier because you don’t have to think about how to do it, who will do it, and when it gets done. Develop systems for
- laundry
- meal planning and grocery shopping
- collecting the garbage and getting to the curb or dumpster
- gift-giving
- feeding the pets
- doing homework
The solution for this situation is to spend some time planning. Setting up routines doesn’t make you a boring person. It is the opposite. You end up with more time to be creative and do things you enjoy.
You probably don’t have a disease that is causing you to be disorganized just a mechanical, emotional, situational or systematic problem that is contributing to your temporary disorganization. Determine which is the main cause of your disorganization and your problems can be solved so you have a great S.P.A.C.E.
Which situation causes you the most problems?
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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
When I started Mind over Clutter in 2006 I thought I would talk with my new client, discuss their goals for the job and start organizing with them.
We would:
- Sort the items in the room into groups of items with the same function.
- Part with items that were no longer needed, used or loved
- Assign a home for (storage) for items that were being kept
- Buy containers to help store things efficiently and
- Evaluate how the system works
I was wrong. I soon learned that disorganization is never about how much stuff is in the space, it is about how the client relates to their stuff and feels about having stuff or having less stuff. Developing a mindset to be able to let go of items that no longer serve you and have items that help you to become the person you want to be is an important step in the organizing process.
Take some time to examine your mindset about your stuff. A lot of the time we do tasks without thinking about them. Setting up these habits makes it easier to get things done without spending a lot of mental energy thinking about the many repetitive tasks that need to be done each day, week, month and year.
Gregor defines mindfulness as, ” the act of being present, cultivating awareness by taking stock of our surroundings, emotions, state of mind, words, actions. It is all about being engaged with oneself fully.” Try this exercise. Take 5 minutes a day for yourself. Shut out all the disturbances of the day, the actions of others and words, spoken or written, Take 5 minutes to enjoy your surroundings, discover your emotions about the things in your environment and your state of mind living with your possessions. Once you have discovered your relationship with your stuff, it will make it easier to make decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.
If you need help getting started book a complimentary virtual organizing chat with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually through 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 physical activity 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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Every year you set yourself resolutions, some you keep some you might not but if there is one resolution that should be attainable for everyone is the January de-clutter. In fact, there really is no better time to sort through, organize, and de-clutter than the post-Christmas holidays. You and your family have no doubt accumulated an awful lot of new stuff and you need to make room for it. Don’t let your new belongings sit on top of the old ones, use this time to donate the stuff you no longer use or need and make room for your appreciatively received new goodies.
How to start your New Year declutter
To successfully undertake a declutter you need to be organized with a plan and agenda, and you need to stick to it. Here are some ways to help you organize your decluttering.
- List your areas for decluttering; do not just wander aimlessly around your house opening random cupboard doors looking for inspiration. List where you want to declutter and start with the easiest area first or the area that bothers you the most.
- Have a deadline; decide on a time that you want each area decluttered by and give yourself sufficient time to do the work. It could be an hour, 10 minutes a day, or a full afternoon dedicated to one space. Whatever works for you.
- Develop a system; when it comes to going through all of your stuff put in place a system of what you are going to do with your items. A good place to start is by having four stations, donate/recycle, sell, trash, keep. Everything should go into one of these piles but your keep pile should be dramatically reduced. Remember if you haven’t used it in a year – donate it.
- Make sure everything has a place; if you are keeping it make sure it has a place to live and it stays there without causing mess or clutter. If it doesn’t have a place then make a place that is easily accessible and close to where you use it or don’t keep it.
Benefits of decluttering
If you still are not tempted to declutter, consider some of these benefits to help persuade you.
- Reduce stress and anxiety. Mess, clutter, and chaos in your home can have a negative impact on your stress and comfort levels. It can cause a sensory overload, you might feel embarrassed or stressed at the prospect of not knowing where things are.
- Easier to clean and tidy. With so much less stuff in the way, it will be easier to keep your home in order and keep things clean and tidy, which will inevitably make life easier when hosting and entertaining.
- Positive impact on selling your home. Having a clean, tidy, decluttered home will make selling your home easier. If listing your home is something you are considering doing a declutter is essential as all top realtors such as https://jenjewell.ca/ will conclude.
- Help to remove allergens. Dust, pet hair, and pollen can gather in all kinds of places and there is no better place than on tops of items sitting around taking up space and gathering dust. Getting rid of clutter should help to improve the airflow of your home and remove gathering dust and allergens.
If you need help with decluttering and organizing your home, purchase my online course, Create an organized home.
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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Looking for a Gift of Time to give this Holiday Season?
Mind over Clutter.ca has 3-hour packages designed to help with any number of tasks in the home and office. Consider purchasing an:
- Income tax receipt organizing package
- Holiday cleanup package
- Streamlining your office package
- Organizing for the New Year
New this year a virtual organizing package consisting of:
- An initial meeting to discuss the project and make a schedule
- Followed by 3 guided work sessions to coach and mentor you through the work
Value
Packages can be designed to fit the individual needs of the recipient. This gift helps remove stress and clutter without creating more clutter. Working with a professional will help them to meet their goals successfully. Purchase your introductory package in 2021 for $150.00.
Contact julie@mindoverclutter.ca to purchase your clutter-free gift of time.
What is the best holiday gift you received this year?
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, office, mind and 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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time 10 minutes
Multitasking is a myth. The brain can’t complete 2 high-level tasks at the same time states Chris Adams, in “Can People Really Multitask?” So what are we really doing when we work on 2 things at the same time?
Task layering
People believe they can multi-task because the body can do a physical activity and a cognitive activity at the same time. So people are able to walk and talk, run and listen to a book etc. The new term I have heard for this is task layering. We certainly can do task layering, don’t get it confused with multitasking. Task “layering” is defined as strategically deciding to do tasks that require different “channels” of mental functioning such as visual, auditory, manual or language. Read more about task laying that actually works in this article
Multitasking
The brain does not do two cognitive tasks at the same time. The brain switches between tasks, very quickly. Every time the brain switches tasks it must determine how much of the task has been completed and what the next step would be and then continue with the task. This time contributes to the slowing down of completing the two tasks. If the brain works on one task at a time it completes it without delay. Try it, put an article in front of you and something to write. Do them both at the same time and record how long it takes you to get the two tasks done. You will notice that you will keep going over the material to see where you left off as your concentration shifts between the tasks. Next, do each task separately and time how long it takes to complete both tasks.
How to stop multitasking
In order to stop multitasking, plan your work schedule and remove the distraction of other work, e-mails, tweeting, phone calls, television, music etc. Your work schedule may have lots of shifts in tasks. Some people like to schedule a 60 -90 minute work session and then change tasks. Other people may schedule 30-minute sessions and change tasks. What works for you? Some people need to have music or white noise on to help them concentrate and block out distractions. Other people find music distracting. What helps you to keep your focus on one task at a time?
What do you think? Is multitasking productive?
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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 3 minutes
Work-life balance is a big catchphrase right now. At times, it seems impossible when you are working from home. Work is always there and home is now a workplace, a relaxing space, and an entertaining center.
Schedule everything
1. The best way to gain/have/maintain work-life balance is to schedule everything. It will seem daunting at first because you need to schedule exercise, work, your children’s activities, beauty appointments, laundry, grocery, shopping, time off, cleaning, yard work, sports, entertainment etc. Once you have completed this activity you have a better understanding of what your day is like, how your week will function and what is going on in the month.
Follow the plan
2. In order to be successful you must be ridge with yourself and stick to your schedule. If you allow yourself to give up “life ” time for work you will probably never get it back. Some people say they can’t be creative if they are scheduled. Think closely about that argument. Perhaps you don’t know how to schedule your time or maybe you don’t want to have enough time to get everything done. Remember scheduling allows you to be creative within each block of time and activity. Scheduling helps you to set up routines for getting tasks completed. This helps you to spend less mental energy worrying. Use that time and energy on more important things.
Create happiness in your life
3. Work-life balance is important because it allows you to be functioning at your best. Your stress is reduced if you can accomplish the things that are important to you, have the relationships you want, and are accountable to those who are depending on you. Happiness and contentment can be yours for the taking.
What would be your 4th tip to create a better work-life balance? Post it in the comments.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. 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 physical activity 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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 3 minutes
In Harold Taylor’s newsletter www.taylorintime.com , May 2014, he talked about Organizing your Mind to create the life you want. His advice is still true today. Getting your mind in the right place so you can concentrate on the things that bring you joy, fulfillment and contentment will help you create that life that brings out the best part of you.
By Harold Taylor
Organize your mind than your desk or house
It’s more important to organize your mind than your desk or house. You can always walk away from your desk or house, but you can never walk away from your mind. We must first accept the fact that time is not life, as many of us in the past may have suggested; it is merely the medium through which life passes. And life, as you experience it, is not something that happens to you, but something that happens because of you. You create the life you will experience – good, bad or indifferent – by what you believe, how you think, and what you do.
Mind-clearing session
To create the life that you want, you must first organize your mind. And you do this by clearing it of all the worldly clutter that keeps it preoccupied and constantly distracted. One way of doing this is to engage in a 15 or 20-minute mind-clearing session each morning after you get up and are fully dressed. Don’t do it while you are still in bed and half asleep. This is too important. It will determine how the rest of the day goes. And life takes place in a series of days.
Complete your morning ritual of breakfast, getting the kids off to school, putting out the garbage or whatever your morning routine entails. Then sit comfortably in your favourite chair, and without trying to rid your mind of the random thoughts that will invariably invade it, do the following six things in succession.
6 Steps
- Relax, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and just be aware of the miracle that is you.
- Give thanks for all that you have and have had in the past. Don’t rack your brain trying to think of everything – just those that come to mind quickly.
- Forgive anyone who has hurt or offended you.
- Offer up ten-second prayers, blessings or good wishes for at least three other people each day.
- Think positive thoughts about all your future plans, opportunities and endeavours,
- Decide and confirm how you will spend the next hour of your life. This may already be scheduled in your planner or you may choose something different.
The reason for doing these six things will be explained in the next article in this series on holistic time management. But the reason will probably become clear to you as you progress through each day.
Whether you call this session meditation, mindfulness, or “being in the now” is immaterial. What is important is that you continue to do it each day, modifying it as you go along, until it becomes your unique morning routine. And how you spend the next hour of each day will eventually create the life that you will lead.
Organize your mind than your office or home. Harold Taylor Share on X
I think there are some great suggestions to help you focus on the life you want to create. Is anything missing? Let me know in the comments.
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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Start wearing outfits for the last time this season
Which clothing should I keep?
Find a decluttering style
- category, one category at a time eg. look at all your pants, then shirts etc
- as they wear them – you put it on, don’t like it, donate it
- spending a little time every day and removing a few pieces of clothing
- having a box in their closet and when they find something they don’t like put it in the donation box
- spending an afternoon or evening and going through all their clothes at one time
- one room at a time – you may have clothes in a number of places
Consolidate: only clothing in your closet.
Organize based on your activities
Organize a colour palette.
Decide what percentage of clothing to declutter.
Capsule Wardrobe
What do I do with the things I don’t need?
Did I miss anything? Now I’d like to hear from you.
Need help?
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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
