Organizing Tips
Every storage room has its different problems to consider. Some have very low ceilings. Some may be hard to get into. The walls and corners might be angled. There are a number of questions to ask yourself before you purchase shelving for your storage room.
Show or Stow?
1. Do you like things displayed on open shelves or stowed behind closed doors? This will help you determine if you want a cupboard or shelving.
Measure Carefully
2. Next measure the space. You need to get storage that uses all the area and not buy storage that leaves some of the area unusable. This happens when one storage unit is too large and another storage unit can’t fit into the remaining space.
Lids or no lids?
3. Next ask yourself, will you open a lid to put things into a container, will you reclose the top of a box? If the answer is no, cut the flaps off the box or purchase containers without lids. You want to make it as easy as possible to get the items into the correct box.
Make it easy to get to the bottom container
4. Lastly ask yourself, if your bins are stacked will you unstack them to put something in the bottom container? Will you restack the containers on the storage unit? If your answer is no then buy large containers that fill the vertical space between the shelves so you can maximize your storage. It is usually good to have two or three containers on each shelf so they are easy to move and not too heavy.
How to place items on the shelves
Now you have your storage units and bins.
- Store items you use frequently at eye level.
- Store heavy items on the bottom shelf
- Store items close to where you use them
- Store infrequently used items up high or in less accessible areas.
Hockey bags?
Trying to store hockey bags? Try placing two shelving units that are 4 or 5 shelves high, with 24” or 36” deep shelves, one in front of the other and securely attach them together. This will hold one bag per shelf with room to leave it open to air out and place some items beside the bag to dry.
With the right shelves and bins, it is easy to sort your items into categories, place them in a labelled container and locate them in your storage room. Remember to keep only what you need and love.
Book a complimentary 30-minute virtual chat with me to get started planning your storage area.
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.
Sometimes when we are organizing we make the organization look like art. We organize books by the colour of their spine, hang baskets on a wall in an interesting pattern or use brightly coloured baskets to hold exercise equipment. Let’s look at the reverse of this idea. Can artwork help you get organized?
This piece of artwork provides storage opportunities.
I attended the National Home Show in Toronto Canada a few years ago. I saw this great piece of artwork. If you have a small home this artwork is dual purpose. It can be used to hold CDs, video games and equipment, and books. Plants would look lovely on this tree especially ivy or other hanging plants that would give it “leaves”. It would be fun to decorate it for any season or special event.
Here is a creative use of a sign. This piece of artwork has hooks added to it to organize cycling gear. When the cycling gear is removed you have a lovely picture on your wall.
Let me know about artwork in your home that helps you stay organized.
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
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
Pinterest can be a great resource. It has ideas on how to organize everything and anything. It has DIY solutions in all price ranges and skill levels. Pinterest is a good resource for visual learners, you see the design on your screen.
So why don’t I like it?
The problem that arises for me, as a Trained Professional Organizer, occurs when clients see something on Pinterest and ask me to create that system for them. Just because it is on Pinterest doesn’t mean it is the right solution for you. It is the right solution for the person who posted it.
Evaluate the idea and think about how you do things before you copy it. Just because you like the way it looks or because it is trending doesn’t mean it will work for the way you think and do things. Deciding how to organize your books, jewelry etc needs to be done in a way that you can find what you need when you need it and in a timely manner.
Organizing your books by colour looks great on the wall, will you be able to find the book you need? If you did it with a small number of books or only pick 2 or 3 colours of books you could adapt the idea and make it work.
Books sorted by colour create an interesting design for your wall
If you organize your jewelry hanging it from the horizontal bar of a hanger using binder clips to attach the jewelry may be a good solution if you don’t have a lot of jewelry. If you hang all your jewelry and then slide the hangers on a rod to look for a certain piece of jewelry the jewelry might become tangled as they sway when the hangers are moved. How would you attach your rings? You might end up this your jewelry stored in many different locations and not be able to find what you want.
If you have a small amount of jewelry and space on your wall to place your hanger this might work for you.
A recipe may look great. Is it something you can make in a big batch and freeze so you can get 2 meals for the time you are spending in the kitchen? Are the ingredients something you have in your cupboard or will you need to make an extra trip to the store?
Enjoy using Pinterest use it wisely to help you save time, money and effort.
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
Reading time – 1 minute
Three Steps to Organizing
- Consolidate items into groups
- Containerize groups in sturdy, proper sized containers that are labeled
- Condense items so you have the appropriate amount of items in each group
Remember to donate items to charity and not to put them in the garbage.
Follow Two Routines
- Do four things in the morning
- Do four things in the evening
Five Habits to Keep Clutter on the Run
- If you get it out, put it away
- Apply the 30 second rule – if it takes 30 seconds or less to do something, do it immediately
- Follow the camping rule – leave the room the way you found it or better
- Look, really look at your surroundings to see what is out of place
- Use “little minute” to clean – those few minutes while you are waiting for someone, on hold on the phone, watching a pot boil
Let me know your tricks to help you stay organized.
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 – 2 minutes
There are so many books and articles about organizing a room. It can become very confusing. How to start, what to do first. All those words on the page. Here is an infographic to visually show you the sequence of tasks you need to do to reach your organizing goals.
Let me answer your questions. Book a complimentary 30-minute chat online.
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 – 10 minutes
If you want to try and get your wardrobe organized once and for all, then you have come to the right place. Here you can find out the mistakes you could be making with your wardrobe, while also finding ways to actively try and fix the issue. If you want to find out more, then simply take a look below.
Start with a Big Clear-out
It is suggested that you have a big clear-out as this is the best way for you to try and get things nice and organized. You need to decide what you want to sell, what you want to keep, what you want to donate and what you need to throw away. Try things on as you go. If you leave a big pile of clothes to try on until the end, the task may seem overwhelming. Some clothes may have fit once upon a time and may not fit anymore, an item may need to be repaired, your tastes may have changed, or you never know, there could be a gem that was lost at the back of the closet that does fit you. If you can be mindful of how your body and style change with time, it will help you to keep only the clothing that suits you and prevent you from having a lot of items that do not fit anymore or items that are dated.
Adopt a System for your Wardrobe
Try to adopt the policy of one item in, and one item out. For every new item you buy, you need to make sure that you give one away. If you want to test yourself, then make it two items that you give away. If you have a good clear-out, when you bring something new home, it will fit nicely in your closet, match other clothing, be the correct size and make it easier for you to get dressed in the morning.
Make Some Money
You might not like something anymore, that doesn’t mean that someone else will feel the same way. To reduce your shopping buy something new only when you have made money from selling something old. Make sure that you use sites such as eBay when you’re researching what your items might sell for. There are also consignment shops that focus on high-end pieces as well. If you are trying to sell clothes to a store, they should be no older than 6 months. Stores, like Plato’s Closet, want to have current fashions and items that will sell quickly. You may find that you are able to make more than you think, and it is a fantastic way to remove frustrating clutter.
Organize Everything
If you can take the time to organize everything then your wardrobe will look neater and you will save a lot of time choosing your outfit. When you need to get changed in a hurry, having your clothes organized can work wonders. There are many systems for organizing a closet.
You can group clothing by type, pants, shorts, shirts, ties, sweaters, blouses, dresses, suits etc. Next, you can group each category by colour. This is a great way to see how many you have of each colour. In my closet, I have enough black items (pants, tops, dresses). So when I go shopping I don’t even look at anything black.
You might prefer to put your clothes into outfits. Placing a top, bottom and third piece together makes it easy to pick your outfit for the day. This system allows you to see how many single piece items you own. Those items are the ones that don’t get worn often because they don’t go with anything. That is a good category of items to donate.
Thirdly, you might organize by purpose. Group together all your work clothes, workout clothes, party/fancy clothes, casual clothes and lounging clothes. This system lets you see how much you have in each category compared to how much time you spend doing these activities. For example, if you work 40 hours/week, workout 5 hours/week, spend 15 hours/week doing things and 1 evening/week getting dressed up you can see that your wardrobe needs mostly work clothes, a few casual clothes, less fancy clothes and some workout clothes. Check and see if you have a balanced wardrobe for your lifestyle.
If you find it hard to stay then organize your wardrobe 3 or 4 times a year to see if it is balanced by lifestyle and colour as well as how many unused single items are hiding.
Don’t Forget about Shoes
As you get older your feet change. You lose the strength in your arch and your foot flattens making your foot wider. Try on every pair of shoes to see if they fit, if they are in good repair and a style you like. Group your shoes to make it easier to find what you need. They might be grouped by season, colour or style. If you have a lot of shoes in boxes then tape a picture to the outside of the box. It will make it easier for you to find what you need without having to go through endless boxes. You might want to purchase clear shoe boxes for storage. There are many shoe organizing systems, over the door, under the bed, wall units, cupboards, racks etc. Look for an option that suits your needs and space. If you purchase expensive shoes get them repaired. Zippers can be replaced, heels can be reheeled, soles can be replaced and once they are polished professionally they will look like new. Shoes can be donated too.
Invest in the Right Equipment
Many people like matching hangers, purely because it means that you do not end up getting distracted by a messy looking wardrobe. There are many styles of hangers and sometimes you need specialized hangers for certain garments, pants, skirts, ties, belts, scarves etc. If you have a small closet you will need to use less bulky hangers. Wooden hangers take up a lot of space. Felt covered hangers prevent items from slipping off but it takes patience to get a garment hanging smoothly. If you’re not a patient person only purchase a few felt covered hangers. Whatever style of hanger you like (plastic, metal, wooden, felt), purchase a good quality one so they don’t break, crack or bend. Try using boxes in the drawers or on the shelves to keep clothing organized. They prevent items from “moving” all over and making it difficult to find what you need. They work well for belts, bags, scarves, socks, smaller items etc. If you invest in the right systems, that match your closet and personality, you will find it is easier for you to stick to your system.
Separate Clothing by Seasons
You may find it helpful to divide your clothes into summer and winter options if you have a smaller closet. Having only half your clothing displayed at one time makes it easier to find what you need. When you change the clothing displayed for the next season, it is a good time for you to go through everything, donating items you didn’t wear, don’t like or don’t fit. In some places, people have more items they wear year round and with climate change, there is becoming less of a need for 2 seasons of clothing. This means you will need fewer clothes and it will be easier to keep everything organized.
When you are deciding what clothes to keep and what to donate ask yourself:
- Do I get compliments when I wear it?
- Does it fit and do I feel good when I wear it?
- Does it send the right message about the type of person I am? (confident, fun, honest, knowledgeable, healthy, etc)
- How much is enough?
Reducing the amount of clothing you own, having a great closet space, and using good organizing devices will help you to have an organized wardrobe. I think I have addressed many concerns about organizing your wardrobe. Have I left anything out? 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, 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
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer?
Reading time – 5 minutes
When I am working with clients one of the first things they tell me is how many junk drawers they have. I can tell they usually think they should have none. Depending on how you define junk drawers they may be right. Why are they keeping junk? Most likely they are referring to the drawers that contain many items, from a number of categories, that they don’t know where to store so they put them all in one drawer. Does that sound familiar? Let me relieve your discomfort and say a junk drawer is ok.
What is a junk drawer?
When I am working with clients I know that they need a drawer to place things that they need to access quickly. It may be a screwdriver, takeout menus, a lighter for candles, string, tape for labelling leftovers or light timers etc. What is in your junk drawer? The problems arise when the junk drawer has junk in it. Spilled expired pills, pieces of ribbon, miscellaneous hardware, unwrapped candy, unneeded receipts etc. These items need to go to the garbage or appropriate recycling. Clean out your junk drawer and make it a quick access drawer. Rename your junk drawer so it is easier to determine what should be stored in it to make your life easier. What is the new name for your junk drawer?
How many junk drawers may I have?
Now that we have established you don’t keep junk. You want things accessible. With my clients, I think that junk drawers in the kitchen and home office are common. It is easy to have a drawer on the main floor, usually the kitchen, for items that you commonly use and don’t want to go to other areas of the house to get. In the office, there is a drawer that holds things that are used frequently and you don’t want to go searching for them, tape, glue, paper, envelopes, and electronics. Make sure that your office doesn’t become a junk room, storing everything that has not been assigned a storage space somewhere else in the home. I would suggest one junk drawer per floor in your home. How many junk drawers do you have?
Are junk drawers a bad thing? Only if they contain junk. Click To TweetHow to organize a junk drawer
A junk drawer should not be disorganized. You won’t be able to find what you need in the drawer. I have seen junk drawers so stuffed full that they can’t be opened. Use containers to organize items so that when you open the drawer you can access what you are looking for. There are lots of products available to keep the drawer organized:
- containers
- expansion drawer dividers
- expandable trays
- jars
- ziplock bags
Whatever your preference is, sort, remove unneeded items and then purchase your organizing product or repurpose items you already own.
I have containers for:
- pens, paper, pencils and makers,
- twist ties, elastics and bread tags,
- light timer and electrical outlet power bar
- string and tape
- first aid items.
That is what I need in my junk drawer. What do you need in your easy access drawer?
Why are junk drawers bad?
Junk drawers are not bad. Everyone needs a place to put items they don’t know where to store. Junk drawers are only bad when they store items you don’t need and are afraid to let go of. Look through your junk drawer on a regular schedule and clean it out. Remove items you don’t need, take items to their proper storage place and put the real junk in the garbage. Junk drawers are bad when they give you an excuse to procrastinate and not take the time to put things away properly or make decisions about what to keep and what to let go. Does your junk drawer let you procrastinate?
Let me help you with your junk drawers. 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, 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
Yes, you read it correctly, spring clearing, not spring cleaning. I first heard about it at an organizing conference in London, England. The idea made so much sense to me. We no longer have to do seasonal cleaning. Our homes are much cleaner because of high-efficiency furnaces, paved roads, washing machines, vacuum cleaners. Long gone are days of mud floors, dirt roads, open fires to heat your home and brooms for sweeping. Organizing and clearing your life on a seasonal basis will help you to maintain your home and lifestyle.
Activities
Clearing is a process that involves clearing out things you no longer need, use or want. It is also more than that. Clearing is about examining schedules, activities and commitments Activities change with the seasons and that affects your schedule. Some of those activities you may not be interested in anymore. Clear them from your life and try something new. Revise your schedule to suit your new interests.
Commitments
There might be a lot of commitments in your life. You might be volunteering, doing things out of guilt, involved in things that are no longer a priority in your life. Look at all the commitments and clear the ones that no longer interest you, you have outgrown or can be shared or delegated to someone else. Use your time in a way that allows you to you feel, fulfilled, passionate about the cause and excited to contribute.
Spring clearing involves clearing out things you no longer need, use or want. Also clear out schedules, activities and commitments that no longer suit your life. Click To TweetPossessions
Clear items that you no longer need, use or want. When you’re decluttering decide how much is enough and start to let go of the excess. Make contributions to charities, sell items, donate them to worthy causes. Don’t pass things on to other people unless they want them. Check first before you drop something off. Recycle broken, damaged or very old items. Keep as much as you can out of the landfill.
Download your Spring Clearing Guide
Here is a sheet to help you with your Spring or Fall Clearing, download it and use it as your guide.
Spring Clearing Tips
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, 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. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer?
Reading time – 7 minutes
Start by determining any special uses for the bedroom (e.g., home office, baby’s crib and supplies, etc.) Only have items in the bedroom that serve the purpose of the room. Remove all other items.
Closet
It is easy for bedrooms to become the collection spot for all sorts of items. Piles form. When you declutter the bedroom, start with your clothing. Hang up clothing in a closet or on a rack. Place other clothing in a dresser or on shelves. Keep the clothing you like wearing, you get compliments when you wear it and that suits your lifestyle. Have a place to put dirty laundry. Double your hanging space by installing a lower hanging bar. Add an extra shelf up high in the closet to store off-season items.
Neatfreak Hanging Expandable Bar
Under the bed
Under-bed storage containers are very helpful for oversized items or off-season clothing. You can raise your bed to create more storage by using bed risers to lift the bed up.
Raising the bed can make more storage space under the bed
Bedside stand
A nightside table with a drawer and shelf or cupboard will provide more storage than a table. The nightstands in a bedroom tend to collect clutter. Frequently clear off the surface and declutter the drawers. Decide what is important to have handy. Do you need a book, tissues, medication, charging station or water bottle?
Vertical space
Use vertical space to add more storage. An armoire or high-boy may suit your room better than a long, low dresser.
Doors
Use the inside of the bedroom and closet doors to hang items. Over-the-door rack and hook products accommodate shoes, jewellery, scarves, ties, etc. Try using a shoe organizer.
There are many organizing options for storing items on doors
Bedding
Reduce the amount of bedding to a minimum. Have 2 sets of sheets one on the bed and one extra set. If you need to store sheets in the bedroom try using the shelf in your closet. Fold the 2 sheets and pillowcase and slide them inside the other pillowcase. You have a nice contained set of sheets that are easy to store. Recycle sheets with stains and holes. Donate sheets you don’t use, that are the wrong size and mismatched. Have a lightweight blanket for warm weather and a heavy blanket for cooler seasons.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics can also pile up on bedroom surfaces. Use a container to store the cosmetics and make them look attractive. Try repurposing a silver chest. Check expiry dates, remove expired items and products you no longer use. Try to relocate some of the cosmetics to the bathroom.
The brushes nicely fit where cutlery used to be stored in this repurposed silver chest
Jewelry
Jewelry is another area to consider. There are nice trays that can fit in drawers, boxes to sit on a dresser and wall-mounted cabinets to store the jewelry you use frequently. Go through your jewelry and make sure you still love it, it is not broken and it is clean. Donate or sell jewelry that you no longer wear, fads that have come and gone and jewelry that doesn’t fit.
Custom Designed Closets
I always suggest that you first decide how you will store things in your room before having renovations done. Once you know what types of shelves and spaces you need to hold everything you might want to get a custom build closet. It can be a wardrobe specifically designed to your unique preferences and individual requirements. This could include walk-in spaces, lighting, and multiple interior features. You can find out more about this level of customization by speaking with a professional contractor.
In most cases, the bedroom is used for relaxing and sleeping. Find new places for all the items that don’t belong and create a tranquil space. I think I have considered all the areas in the bedroom. Did I miss anything?
Let me know which tip you liked best and add your own tip in the comment box.
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 – 10 minutes
I have had a series of snowstorms come through my area in the last couple of weeks. I wanted to think about something other than snow. This week I decided to look ahead to spring and write a fun blog on organizing your garden. I am not an expert on gardening but I hope these 5 tips will help you to feel like spring is just around the corner.
Do you need a plan to get your garden organized? Making improvements to your garden is a great way to enhance your lifestyle and make the most of your space. It can take a little while to get organized, but it’s certainly worth it in the end. To help you get your garden organized this spring, focus on these five tips.
1. Declutter
The first step to organizing your garden is to get rid of the clutter. If your garden is full of junk, debris and old building supplies, it’s unlikely to be an ambient space. Once you’ve removed the clutter you’ll have an inviting garden that you can be proud of. Remember, your garden can be an extension of your living space. Now is a good time to think about what you planted last year. Did the plants grow well in the area you planted them or should they be planted in a different spot? Do you want to try something new or stay with the tried and true?
2. Organize your shed
If you have a shed in your garden it can be nice to organize this space at the beginning of the season. Sheds can become “dumping ground” for many things that you don’t know where to store. Once it is organized it is easier to get things in and out, you know what supplies you need to buy and when it is clean it is much nicer to walk into. Separate everything into different categories your gardening tools, winter items to be stored, cleaning supplies and toys etc. The best way to get organized is to use compact storage boxes. With the help of storage boxes, you can create space, and keep everything in the right place. Store your spring and summer items at the front of the shed and off-season and less used items in the back.
3. Create separate zones
One of the best ways to organize your garden area is to create separate zones, you can create different zones using decking, steps, hedges, or plants. One of the biggest garden trends this year is building a garden on multiple levels, it’s a great way to add space and depth to a garden. For example, you might have one zone with concrete paving, and a separate area of grass. When having paving installed you’ll need to contact the best Concrete Contractor. If you’re keen to keep up with the latest garden trends, here are a few more:
- Create an outdoor living room.
- Plant wildflowers that attract wildlife.
- Make the most of your space by planting a vegetable garden.
- Pastel colours are incredibly in this season.
4. Keep it tidy
If you want to organize your garden you’ve got to try and keep the space tidy. Ensure that you regularly mow your lawn, and remove any dead plants and debris. To keep your grass nice and green it’s important to use grass feed. If there are trees in your garden you’ll need to prune these, to keep them healthy. If you have big trees and you’re not confident looking after them, it’s best to call a professional.
5. Create a design plan
To improve your garden, it’s helpful to create a design plan. A design plan can help you to establish which style you’d like to create, for example, minimal or Mediterranean. You should also figure out an approximate budget so that you can avoid overspending. Think about your lifestyle. How much time do you want to spend on your garden? Design the size of the space and choose the type of plants that will make it easy for you to have a lovely garden.
There are so many different ways to make changes to your garden. Following these organizing tips you’ll create the perfect garden. Remember, making improvements to your home is a great way to improve your lifestyle.
Share your best gardening tip with me so I can become a better gardener.
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
