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Do you feel like you have too many tabs open in your brain?
Image by Jason-Salmon
Psychologists have described flow as an ecstatic feeling, being totally engaged with an activity you enjoy. Good productivity habits minimize interruptions in flow.
The average American uses up to 3 mobile devices daily. The untethering of people to these devices has made productivity shoot up. Multitasking slows down your productivity because moving from unfinished task to unfinished task means every time, you need to look back to see where you left off and where to start and all those seconds add up to minutes decreasing your productivity by up to 40%.
Only about 2% of people can successfully multi-task Share on XSlow down to be more productive
People also need time to think and reflect on their work so they can be more intentional and less reactive.
Sometimes, task switching is unavoidable – an important phone call at work or children hurting themselves at home. Whenever it’s possible, try to limit distractions and block out time to work on a specific task, and only that task.
Multi-tasking is seen as a badge of honour but really, it slows down everything and creates open loops in the day. Reteaching yourselves and your children how to focus on one thing at a time is going to be the single most critical skill for the next few decades. When focus remains on a single task, it can be completed, producing a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
Physical vs mental multi-tasking
Brain research indicates that you can have several motor programs running at the same time. (Your Creative Brain ) So you can steer your car, talk to passengers and adjust your rearview mirror simultaneously. Unfortunately, you can only focus your conscious mental attention on one of these things at a time. You can multitask physically, but not mentally. We think sequentially so we should work sequentially.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. 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 teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and reach your goals. 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
Don’t ditch your desk calendar: The benefits of handwriting events and tasks
My guest blogger this week is Jessica Pyykkonen.
Even with hundreds of available apps to help organize your life, a paper desk calendar may be just what you need to stay on top of your work schedule. Despite dire predictions, desk calendars are thriving in the digital age. Furthermore, desk calendars may even be gaining some ground. Between 2014 and 2016, the sales of calendars jumped 8 percent and the sales of planners grew 10 percent.
Why are people sticking with or rediscovering paper? As organizational guru David Allen says, “There’s still no tool better than a paper planner.” Scheduling with pen and paper even offers some advantages over digital calendars. Keep reading to learn about the benefits of analog scheduling and discover tips to improve your desk calendar.
The brain-hand connection
Typing and handwriting may seem similar, but our brains handle the two activities differently. Because handwriting requires you to make sequential strokes to form each letter, it activates large regions of the brain involved in thinking, language, and working memory. The same is not true for typing a letter on a keyboard.
In one study, pre-literate children were split into groups and taught how to draw letters by hand, trace letters, or type letters on a keyboard. Later they looked at the same letters while their brains were scanned in a functional MRI machine. Networks of the brain known to support successful reading activated in the students who’d written the letters, but not in the students who’d typed or traced.
The benefits of handwriting are also evident later in life. Older students comprehend lectures better when taking notes by hand rather than on a laptop. Moreover, adults are better able to learn a new alphabet when they practice letters by hand rather than on a computer.
What does this research on the brain-hand connection mean for your work calendar? You may remember your appointments better if you write them down on paper rather than typing them.
You could even think of jotting down tasks and appointments as exercise for your brain. “One of the advantages of moving away from the keyboard and doing something that requires greater flexibility in how we use our hands is that it also requires greater flexibility in how we use our brains,” writes Nancy Darling, a psychology professor at Oberlin College.
A desk calendar also provides a place to doodle. Scribbling idly may seem like a waste of time, but it’s a powerful way to improve concentration during boring tasks. In one study, people who were randomly assigned to doodle during an intentionally dull phone call remembered 29 percent more of the information transmitted on the call afterward. Doodling also quickly calms the mind, and most people find it enjoyable.
Dash digital fatigue
Of course, using a paper planner or calendar offers a way to step away from screens during your busy work day. If you feel like you spend too much time on mobile devices and are drowning in notifications and alerts, you’re not alone.
Devices are designed to be addictive. Our brains secrete the feel-good chemical dopamine when we hear a notification, and we experience real symptoms of anxiety if we can’t respond. American adults spend nearly 11 hours per day staring at screens, and iPhone users unlock their phones up to 80 times a day.
You may be suffering from spending too much time on technology without realizing it. The more time teens spend online, the more likely they are to say they’re unhappy. Adults randomly assigned to give up Facebook for a week ended up happier, less lonely, and less depressed at the end of the week than those who used Facebook.
Former tech employees are even raising an alarm about the negative impacts of the technology they helped create. A group of them started an organization called Center for Humane Technology; they feel too much technology erodes mental health and social relationships. Stepping away from your laptop and phone to schedule on paper is one way to decrease your time on digital devices at work.
Plan and personalize
Using a desk calendar may help with big-picture planning and organization because it’s easy to see all your appointments at a glance. Many people prefer the tangible feeling of paper. For instance, 92 percent of college students prefer to read print books versus reading on a digital device.
Furthermore, whether you love minimalist, elegant, or cute desk calendars, your calendar becomes as unique as you are once you put pen to paper. Personalize it exactly how you want and don’t be afraid to transform it into an efficient, artistic extension of your brain. Once you have your calendar, stock up on different highlighters, sticky notes, and colorful pens.
Long live the desk calendar
Digital devices aren’t going anywhere. Chances are you use some sort of online calendar, and you may want to continue doing so. But don’t ditch your desk calendar just yet. Many people use both a paper planning system and an online calendar because each offers different benefits. Writing down appointments helps you remember them better, gives you an opportunity to step away from screens, lends itself to big-picture planning and organizing, and offers a myriad of personalization options. Moreover, putting pen to paper may help you stay calmer and more focused.
Check-out this article for more information about the benefits of handwriting, Is handwriting dead? Hardly. We need it more than ever.
Do you agree with this article? Paper or electronic what works best for you?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, 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
Here is a great article about living with the overwhelming need for stuff. If you have a hoarding disorder or live with someone who has a hoarding disorder this information may help you to better understand the situation.
Hoarding living with the overwhelm of stuff.
Looking for some more information on hoarding disorder? Go to the Institute of Challenging Disorganization website. Share your stories with us.
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 enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
My guest blogger is Haley Kieser from Zog Digital helping us to reduce our clutter in environmentally friendly ways.
The moment you realize you’ve accumulated way too much clutter and then need to take action, is common. It happens.
It might be the cheap coffee table you bought (it was too good of a deal to pass up) or the endless number of T-shirts you’ll never wear. Or maybe you’re moving and need to get rid of old kitchen appliances and mattresses. No matter what your clutter consists of, it’s important to know how to get rid of it.Let's keep our clutter out of the landfill and recycle it in environmentally friendly ways. Share on X
Why? Let’s look at Hamilton but it could be anywhere.
To keep Hamilton beautiful, of course! If you live near or close to Hamilton, these are the best alternative ways to get rid of your waste. (Other than the local trash collection.)
Let’s get started.
1. Donating your clutter in Hamilton
Donate clothing in good repair to thrift stores and older items can go to textile recycling. Let’s keep it out of the landfill
Is there any better feeling than giving back to the community?
Anytime you purge your closet, or your kids outgrow their clothing, bag up what needs to go and bring it to a thrift store.
But don’t stop at clothing!
Thrift stores collect all sorts of personal items. Such as books, toys, dishes, jewelry, and much more.
Some organizations like Habitat for Humanity will even collect construction and building materials.
Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. If you’re unsure about what you can donate, give them a call.
Another great way to donate is the old-school hand-me-down method. Shoot a message to family and friends to see if they could use your old coffee table or winter coat.
2. Host a garage sale or sell online
If you enjoy meeting people and bartering then a garage sale is for you.
If your clutter still holds value, why not cash in on it? Host a garage sale or sell your items online.
One of the best times to have a garage sale is in the summer. Before you begin setting up, always check the weather.
Tip: Set a fair price for your goods. Don’t let the thought of making money distract you from your main goal – getting rid of your clutter.
Get cash before the event in case the buyer needs change. Additionally, if you have time, promote your garage sale on social media up until the event.
If you have leftover inventory list everything on Craigslist. If time doesn’t permit, donate the rest.
Hosting a garage sale is a great way to make some cash and can even be fun. Get the family involved, play some tunes, and hang out with each other for the day!
3. Hire someone to do it for you
For items that aren’t as easy to donate or even throw out, like an old over or cabinetry, hiring a service to pick it up may be the best route.
A full-service junk removal company will come to your home or business and do all the work for you. All you have to do is tell them what to get rid of.
Before choosing a company, make sure they have an environmental program in place, where they donate or recycle as much as possible.
If you’re constrained by time or have too much clutter to deal with, this will let you rest easy knowing you disposed of your clutter responsibly.
Note: You will have to pay for a service like this. Yet, they’re not very expensive. Especially if you have a handful of heavy items, it’s worth the money.
Decluttering your home or business can be a huge task and should be applauded. The next step is to take care of that clutter responsibly.
Use the motivation to become organized to keep Hamilton beautiful!
Need help to identify what’s clutter and what isn’t? Let us help you.
Before you go, here are some additional resources:
Use these links as inspiration to find out if your community has similar resources.
Share your best tip for reducing and recycling your clutter 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 youcvirtually 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. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. 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 1 minute
I enjoy travelling and have travelled to Europe, the East, Australia, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
I am going to give 2 tips for travelling with an organized purse. (It works for backpacks and briefcases too)
- Buy a purse that has a light lining. When the inside of the purse is dark it is very hard to find anything, organized or not. A lot of items are black or dark in colour, make-up, pens, phones, keys, wallets etc.
- Try purchasing a gadget called Grid It. It comes in many sizes but the small one fits lovely inside a purse and keeps all the small items that you need for flying and travelling neat and tidy. It is wonderful for holding a pen, earbuds, adapters, candy, phone, and keys. You pull it out of your purse everything is contained on the Grid it and you pull out the items you need and put it back in your purse. No digging around in the corners to find the thing you want.
How do you keep all your small items easy to find and use? Share your tips in the comments.
Use it to organize your electronic devices when you are travelling
Great for organizing items in your purse when you are travelling
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
Reading time 10 minutes
How to Store Pharmaceuticals
My guest blogger is Laura Schwecherl who is writing for Health Perch a digital magazine from the USA. Many of the tips in this article apply no matter where you live. BY
Cholesterol-lowering pills and allergy eye drops may reside on the bed stand. The medicine cabinet probably holds a cluster of medications (antacids, asthma inhalers, antibiotics) and a few stray ibuprofen may even float around the bottom of your handbag. More than one-third of American adults regularly use over-the-counter medications and 65 percent of all adults in the U.S. (roughly 131 million people) use prescription drugs. Not all of us know how to store and dispose of medications safely.
We’ve got your medicine cabinet covered with a comprehensive guide on storing and disposing of prescription and over the counter drugs. Read on to learn how to stay out of harm’s way.
The Best Way to Store Your Meds
Up to 50 percent of chronic disease patients (for instance people with arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, and diabetes) fail to follow directions and take their medicine as prescribed. A simple misstep can lead to higher health risks and medical bills.
One way to avoid this problem is to stay organized. While some households store meds in a number of locations, it’s easier to keep track when they’re all in one place. Try to make medicine taking a part of your daily routine (whether it’s right after breakfast, before dinner, or before bed—whatever your doctor suggests based on the requirements of each medication) and stick to a schedule. Pill organizers are another great way to prevent confusion if you or a family member takes multiple pills a day. It’s also a great idea to take an inventory of your prescriptions at least once every six months.
When choosing a place to keep prescriptions, seek a spot that stays cool and dry, such as a kitchen drawer away from appliances (heat and moisture can damage pills). For this reason, a medicine cabinet in the bathroom may not live up to its name, unless the bathroom is well ventilated with fans or windows.
Travel poses its own obstacles. If you’re travelling in the car, don’t keep medicine in the glove compartment, which can get very hot. If you’re flying, pack prescriptions in a carry-on bag in case your luggage is lost or temporarily delayed. Pack medicine in the original bottle and take a copy of your prescription to avoid any trouble with security.
The Best Way to Dispose of Meds
This isn’t a simple toss in the trash situation. Discarding pills is a matter of safety: Many medicines are unsafe if taken by the wrong person. Medications that have passed the expiration date can also be dangerous.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) provides specific guidelines to dispose of prescriptions safely.
Take old, unused, or expired prescriptions out of the bottle. Place them all together without the original packaging and take them to your nearest pharmacy. This helps prevent others from getting into pills. (Every year, more than 60,000 kids go to the emergency room because they took medicine that wasn’t theirs.)
Experts have mixed feelings about flushing prescriptions down the toilet. Some question it due to trace amounts of drug residues found in surface water. Groups including the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have closely monitored this issue.
The simple rule of thumb? Only flush medications if the label or your doctor says it’s safe. (Here’s a list of meds that can take a trip down the toilet.)
To ensure safety on all fronts, head to a designated drop off site. There are also many community take-back programs for old medicines. Head to the DEA website to see what’s available near you.
Check with your local pharmacy. If you are a customer, they will take your expired medication and get rid of it for you.
Safety First!
Popping pills isn’t a one-and-done endeavor. There are some easy guidelines to make sure you take prescriptions the intended way. Additionally, you can pledge to store medications safely and learn more about pharmaceutical safety at Up and Away.
So without further adieu, here are 14 tips to make sure you store and take medications safely.
Always ask. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist. They’re the experts when it comes to the proper way to take, store, and get rid of them.
Check the expiration date. Always check the expiration date on the bottle. Expired medicines may not only be ineffective, they could be harmful too.
Look for warning signs. Check for pills that look discoloured or dried out. If anything looks funky, take a picture and call your doctor to make sure it’s still safe to consume.
Never reuse and recycle. Still, have that prescription cough medicine that expired in 2012? Always discard leftover medicine even if you think you may use it again. It’s always best to have a doctor prescribe new medicine despite any similar symptoms.
Keep it in the same container. The bottle’s tint helps protect pills from light and lists important information including the name of the prescription when to take it, and your pharmacy’s number for when it’s time for a refill.
Don’t mix meds. Many pills look similar, and it’s easier than one might think to accidentally pop the wrong one.
Remove the cotton. Some pill bottles come with cotton inside to help protect pills that are shipped from online pharmacies. Remove the cotton as soon as you open the bottle. The cotton attracts moisture, which could decrease the medication’s strength.
Separate from your spouse. Keep your medicines separate from your spouse or other family members to lower the chances of mixing.
Open in a safety zone. Open meds on a countertop so you can rest the bottle on a flat surface. There’s always a chance of a pill slipping out of the bottle, and you don’t want to lose it on the floor or down a drain.
Keep the lights on. Don’t take pills in the dark or in bad lighting. Good light helps ensure you take the right pill and the correct dose.
Lock ‘em out. It’s crucial to lock your prescriptions in a drawer if you have small kids.
Close it tight. Use that arm strength to close the lid tight. This also helps childproof the bottles.
Be prepared in case of an emergency. Call your poison control center immediately if you think a child may have taken one of your prescriptions. Save the number on your phone so you can dial it right away.
Conclusion
By now, you should be an expert on pill safety—from storage and use to proper disposal. Stick to these guidelines (and some common sense) and you’ll be on the fast track to health.
Share how you organize your medications in the comments. My 91 year old dad made an Excel spreadsheet to track the timing of his eye drops after he had cataract surgery.
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
My guest blogger is Olivia Cordell from AppsGrooves
AppGrooves, just published this article on the Best Apps for Making Digital To-Do Lists which I thought would be super helpful to busy people like you! AppGrooves has one of the most comprehensive collections of app-related analytics data, and we use it to rank the top apps on the App Store in over 600 categories that we designed. We do this to save you the time and stress of figuring out which apps are best to download and use.
Best 10 To Do List Apps
AppGrooves has filtered the best 10 apps for “To Do List” in Productivity from 1,939 apps. Check it out!
1 Any.do: To-do list, Calendar, Reminders & Planner
By Any.do
Why we love this
- An intuitive, straightforward planner! Instantly create quick memos & organize your monthly calendar in a matter of seconds
- Need to buy fruit next time you visit a grocery store? Set up a smart reminder that will alert you when you reach a specific location
- With the powerful Home Widget, you have your entire, neatly organized to-do list right on the home screen
2. TickTick: To Do List with Reminder, Day Planner
By Appest Inc.
How to manage time⏳, get things done ✔ and accomplish tasks! ??
Why we love this
- Thanks to Smart Date Parsing, adding notes via voice or type input automatically sets a reminder without you having to do anything.
- Smart with your productivity! Discover useful statistics that turn your working schedules into a beautiful graph.
3. To-Do List
by Splend Apps
SplenDO is a smart task list for everyday use. Truly usable, and splendid in action!
Collaborate with your friends & coworkers! Create joint task lists & effortlessly sync your mutual to-dos.
Why we love this
- The ability to group tasks in neat Task Lists makes sure your to-do list stays organized no matter how many notes you add.
- Staying organized made easy! Quickly set up due dates, view tasks that are past due & check off completed tasks to stay efficient.
- In a hurry? Instantly add tasks to the Quick Task Bar whenever you need to schedule something important.
4. To Do Reminder with Alarm
By App Innovation
Why we love this
- Remembers everything for you! Easily add reminders, set alarms & quickly sync with Facebook or Gmail to automatically add birthdays & anniversaries
- Scheduled a meeting two weeks ago? Easily send reminders to other people with a single tap
- Stay organized even while driving! The smart Drive Mode allows you to safely handle notifications without taking your eyes off the road
5. Todoist: To-do lists for task management & errands
By Doist
Stress less about getting things done. Create your task list & accomplish more.
To-do lists for task management & errands
Why we love this
- Remove the stress with colours! Use colour-coding to easily pinpoint crucial tasks and add a little fun
- Adding recurring tasks is super easy! Simply type “every second Thursday” & see notes magically appear on the calendar exactly as you want
- The intuitive Drag&Drop feature makes organizing folders & subfolders as easy as turning on your device.
6. To-Do List, Task List
By Pocket Universe, LLC
A playful to-do list in the spirit of Eisenhower’s priority matrix
7. Wunderlist: To-Do List & Tasks
By 6 Wunderkinder GmbH
8. GTasks: Todo List & Task List
By Appest Inc.
Synchronize Your To Do Tasks | List with Google
9. Tasks: Astrid To-Do List Clone
By Alex Baker
10. Microsoft To-Do
By Microsoft Corporation
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 enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or 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
Thank you for the question “How do you recommend managing mechanical “mesmerizing” tasks like data entry that can literally put me to sleep?”
I think we all have tasks that we find difficult to concentrate on and begin to daydream. Here are a few suggestions to try, let me know if any resonate with you.
- Use music with or without words, this may make the setting you are working in more enjoyable and help you feel like working
- Do this task at a time of day when you are most productive and can focus well
- Break the task into smaller tasks (batches of data entry, invoicing etc) do a little each day instead of a lot all at once
- Add white noise to your working space so you are not distracted by other sounds that can draw your attention away from what you are doing
- Set a timer – agree to work until the timer goes off and then change tasks or take a break. Do this until the task is completed. Getting up and moving can really help to let you be able to go back to the task and concentrate again.
- Give yourself a reward, when it is done I can …….
- Change the place where you do the task, perhaps you need a cooler space, better lighting, an out of the way space, etc
I hope you find that these suggestions can help you to focus and get it done quicker. If it takes less time because you are focused you will need to focus for less time.
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
Living rooms can have many purposes.
1. Decide what your living room will be used for and create areas for each activity – watching TV, listening to music, reading, entertaining, office/desk work, or relaxing.
Determine what activities you will use the room for and then plan your space.
Lighting
2. Use task lighting as needed for each activity. Floor lamps, table lamps, wall-mounted or ceiling lights help to make the room perfect for any task.
Make sure your lighting suits the task you want to do.
Choose furniture that has more than one purpose
3. Additional hidden storage can be added to the room, such as an ottoman or footstool with storage, a chest, or a coffee table with shelves or drawers. The space behind a couch is great for storing flat items such as pictures or dining room table leaves. Bookcases or floor-to-ceiling shelves can be used to decorate a wall and store items.
Pictures
4. Too many pictures? Instead of trying to hang them all, rotate them each season. It will give your walls a facelift. Storing your pictures behind your couch is a great way to keep them handy but out of sight.
How do you store your CDs and DVDs?
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
Thanks to Brooke Faulkner for returning to guest blog this month.
Making the most of a small kitchen
Whether you have chosen to move into a tiny home, you pay an exorbitant amount to have a closet-sized apartment in New York City, or it just so happens that your dream home has a small kitchen, you are going to have to get creative with how you use it. The kitchen has always been a place where clutter seems to gather and where storage is always an issue, no matter how big or small the space. Making some custom changes to your kitchen to adapt to your personal wants and needs will help you see your kitchen as more of a place of zen than a messy cluttered den.
Hideaways
As you start to really investigate your kitchen, you may start to recognize negative space that could be used for additional storage and further organization. Start with looking at your sink area. What is that small drawer in front of the sink that doesn’t open? What a cruel design! By removing the front of the drawer, installing a narrow pocket behind it and hinges on either side, you can make a sponge and nail brush holder that tucks right into that unused spot. This allows you to hide the unsightly sponges and remove clutter from around the water tap and gain more organizational space!
Another typically overlooked area is the space between the oven and the cabinet next to it. Usually, there is just enough space to install a spice cabinet that slides into the depth of the cabinet and when pulled out can visually display every spice you could ever want to cook with. Spices and condiments take up a silly amount of space. Another option for storage to free up counter or wall space is to install a spice rack, an absolute kitchen essential, on the inside of a cabinet or pantry door. A pantry door, if your small kitchen is lucky enough to have one, is ideal because the depth of the spice rack fits perfectly inside the door frame, not taking up any additional space once the door is closed.
Cut the Clutter
Utilizing the space available to you and recognizing when there just isn’t any left will be your best approach to removing the clutter from your kitchen. Small bits and pieces tend to collect on the surfaces of counters above anything else, making your kitchen feel even smaller. For the smaller recurring items, like notes to the family, mail, or hairpins, take advantage of the inside of the cabinet doors. With a simple strong adhesive, you can create small catch-all containers that are out of view and not taking up any additional space. You can label the small containers so that other household members know how to best use them.
Organizing what lies within the cabinet drawers will also help to cut back on the number of items in your kitchen. Take for example the storage container drawer. In the typical household it contains various sizes of mismatched plastics that are haphazardly shoved into a general area. Consider upgrading to a stackable glass container set that simply has four sizes with colour coded lids. Having one stackable entity that can easily slide in and out of the cabinet could save you time and hassle for meals on-the-go and storing leftovers.
For that clumsy pots and pans drawer, take a second to look up. If your ceiling allows for it, consider installing a hanging pots and pan rack to allow for easy access and to free up one of your cabinets for additional valuable storage space. Once they are on display, you might also recognize that it is time to update the pots and pans collection of parental hand-me-downs that you have been hanging on to since college with the best and brightest new cookware.
Mess Free
The kitchen seems to be the mecca for where dirt, food scraps and oily messes tend to build up. To alleviate less mess on the floor, opt to put your cutting board over one half of your sink. It cuts down on the amount of food scraps that end up on the floor and makes cleaning up that much faster. It reduces the wear and tear on your countertops and prevents potential staining from items such as beets and turmeric root. An added bonus is that you can use it to cover up any dishes that you didn’t happen to get done if an unexpected guest stops by for a visit.
Cooking in a small kitchen, there are areas that seem to get dirty again within a day of cleaning them. Try using natural cleaning agents to get your appliances looking like new without drowning yourself in chemicals. Using flour to scrub down those new stainless steel appliances will have them shining like new after a quick rinse. Additionally, you can use lemon juice to get rid of rust spots that may be on knives that you have on display and a bit of salt and lemon juice on your wooden cutting boards will both cleanse them and rid them of any residual food odors.
No matter how small, there is a kitchen hack for it all. Before you start to complain about your limited space, take a look around and notice what small changes you could make so your kitchen world works better for you and your needs.
What is your best kitchen hack? Share it 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
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