Organizing Tips
I have organized a lot of sewing rooms and craft rooms. I know my clients enjoy their new spaces and are very talented people. I never thought about it from a mental health perspective. Annabelle Short from Wunderlabel has put together a great infographic. I hope you enjoy it.
Sewing can help you express your creative side and gain better peace of mind. And in addition to granting you greater mental health, it can actually keep you healthy as well. If you want greater peace of mind and less clutter in your life, check out this infographic from Wunderlabel to see the 16 ways in which Sewing can make you healthier!
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
1961
I was given article by Janet Barclay of Organized Assistant that was from 1961 in the Toronto Daily Star. It is advice to a new bride on how to keep the honeymoon going forever by keeping her home neat and tidy with organization and know how. It was a delight to read.
Here are some highlights
- “Because you are working there is little time for housekeeping chores so they must be done consistently. If you get in the habit of leaving things until later the apartment will soon be a mess an you’ll be frazzled and bad tempered.”
- “Enlist your husband. With a working wife he will likely be only too glad to pitch in for a few minutes a day”
- “Plan a grocery list. Bridegrooms are usually helpful if you can plan the shopping for Thursday or Friday night or during the day on Saturday.”
Forming habits and sharing responsibilities are good advise for then and now.
The article continues by describing a way to stay organized. We can learn a lot from this writer in 1961.
Have a daily cleaning schedule.
It helps to have habits so work gets done without having to put much thought or energy into it. Making beds, tidying up dirty dishes, clean up messes as they happen. But do you need to quickly dust , including pictures with a special cloth with the polish already in it, wipe off the stove, refrigerator and counter tops?
Silver had to be polished regularly to keep it looking clean and shiny
The next thing in the article talks about things to take care of every 2-3 days.
If you have a list of things that need to be done once or twice a week it makes it easier to stay on top of things instead of spending a lot of time on the tasks later. Do laundry, sweeping/mopping the floor, taking out the trash or recycling. But do you need to polish several pieces of silver 2 to 3 times a week or clean the bathroom thoroughly?
Scheduling things weekly makes it easy to give others a chance to take responsibility for keeping the home organized.
Planning menus for the next week can make grocery shopping easy and more economical. Anyone can make supper if the menu is planned and the food is available. Carpet cleaning companies suggest vacuuming rugs once a week to extend the life of your carpets. Perhaps doing your laundry is a once a week task. Checking the refrigerator to see what food needs to be used before it goes bad will also save you money. But do you have to mend the socks for the man of the house, get the dry cleaning ready, wax the kitchen floor, clean the oven including the racks or change the sheets?
To keep floors shiny they needed to be waxed and you couldn’t walk on the floor until the wax was dry.
Think about the things that should be done twice a month.
For some people it is grocery shopping, changing the beds, cleaning the house, repairing things that are broken. Make a list that suits you and keep up with your organizing. But do you need to clean the windows, clean out your appliances or clean out your coffee maker regularly?
What would be good to do once a month?
Perhaps you would want to do more extensive cleaning in one room each month. Cleaning walls, window coverings, windows , blankets or furnace filters . If you spread out the work over a year, you will have cleaned each room by the end of the year but you will never have to spend a lot of time all at once. No need for a spring or fall cleaning blitz that can cause people to procrastinate because the job seems so big and overwhelming. Some people like to do food preparations, browning meats, dicing and freezing vegetables and / or baking once a month to make food preparation on a daily basis easier. You may decide to organize an area of your home each month. Some of these monthly tasks that may take minutes, some may take a couple of hours. Plan what works for you. But do you need to oil the furniture or take down and wash the fixture?
Furniture needed to be oiled to protected it from drying out and cracking.
Lastly look at things that only need to be done twice a year.
Perhaps they are seasonal tasks. Put way or get out patio furniture, toys, car tires,bikes etc. But do you need to wash rugs, clean Venetian blinds or take all the clothes out of your closet and give them a good cleaning and airing?
The interesting thing about this article written in 1961 is how much things have not changed. A lot of things they suggested to do daily, weekly monthly or yearly have not changed. Doing a little each day, week, month or year makes it easier to stay organized. Having the tasks scheduled makes it easier to avoid procrastination. Although we hardly ever use silver, we have self defrosting refrigerators and self cleaning appliances, we don’t do a lot of ironing, we have now added to our schedules, software and hardware maintenance, cleaning more than one vehicle, pools, lawns, etc.
Cleaning Schedule / Organizing Schedule
When my mom died my sister made a cleaning schedule for my dad. It was similar to the ideas in this article. It was based on what needs to be cleaned each week and then one additional thing to clean each week which changed each week, and then a thing to do each month with each month different. By the end of the year the entire house, walls, drapes, cupboards, baseboards, appliances had been cleaned with only a little extra effort need once a month.
Some of you may sit down and make a list of things to do each day week, month, semi annually and annually. For others make the lists as you go. At the end of the year you will have good ideas of how to schedule cleaning and maintenance tasks to have a life that runs smoothly and leaves more time for fun, joy and happiness.
What things did your parents or grandparents do, that you still do, to keep your life and home running smoothly?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
I asked my colleagues from the Professional Organizers in Canada Cyber Chapter to send me their favourite organizing tips. This is what they said.
Patti Schneider from Time to Organize Coach™ in Huntsville, Ontario tells us :
- Don’t organize anything without tossing, recycling and donating first!
April Miller owner of April Miller Professional Organizing in St John`s Newfoundland shared:
- To ensure better maintenance: Organize according to what works for you, not according to someone else’s system.
Elana Kleinman owner of EK Organizing in Toronto, Ontario
- For maintenance, do a 5-10 minute scan of your home before bed and return everything to its assigned home. This prevents end-of-week (month?) organizing marathons:)
Ruth Beattie-Ostrom of HOME, Hard Organizing Made Easy from Parry Sound, Ontario shared:
- A fun tip to involve children to help maintain the house: set the timer for 15 min and everyone (including mom) puts items back in their place.
Kym McFadden owns Space-Ese-Solutions Inc in Burlington, Ontario.
- If you don’t use it, lose it. Recycle, donate or toss it in the garbage. I generally tell clients for clothing wear it within 6 months and all other items use it within 6-12 months or out it goes. Then go have fun! If it is close to bedtime read books together.
Nathalie Bureau owner of Nathalie Bureau L’Art de l’Organisation/Organized Living from Saint Boniface, Quebec tells us:
- Using the space vertically is one of my best tips
- Sort food packages in a drawer using hand made separators or dividers.
Adele Lapointe of Chaos to Clarity from Burlington, Ontario simply said:
- Like with like
Karen McIntosh Murdock, Your Organized Friend in Edmonton, Alberta
- If grieving clients are having trouble releasing sentimental belongings I recommend that we take photos of the items, write down the stories surrounding the item and make them into a photobook.
Bev Chandler owner of C & C Organizing from Regina, Saskatchewan shared:
- Keep the things you use the most, close at hand.
Adriana Romkes from Dundas, Ontario tell us:
- Less is more
My tip, Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario
- If you are having trouble letting go of things figure out if it is because you are clinging to the past or fear the future. Once you solve that mystery it will be easier to part with unused items.
Share your favourite organizing tip with me in the comment box.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, 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
Kiersten Bush is my guest blogger this week.
Laundry is a chore, but there’s no way around it. There is, however, a better way to do laundry, one that will save your clothes, save your appliances, and save your energy. To do that, it’s necessary to get to know your clothes a little bit better by studying the tags.
Tags aren’t just a window into the fabric makeup of your clothing. Every tag has to have certain care information that tells you what temperature water, what wash cycle, and what dry time to care for your clothes. Those same tags also tell you whether or not laundry additives like bleach are appropriate, or whether you should skip self-wash and self-dry altogether and go straight to the dry cleaner. Use this infographic to learn more about the right way to do your laundry. How to read laundry tags
Thanks to Kiersten Bush of http://ghergich.com for writing this article. You can contact her at
kiersten@ghergich.com
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
Author Sandra Felton
Sandra Felton, the organizer lady, is the author of this very practical book to help people bring order to their life. The book helps people to “reach their organizational goals in the simplest way possible. This is why I recommend the book. The book is full of people’s stories, quizzes, tips and practical solutions to suit a variety of personalities.
She focuses on planning. I recently twitted “hope is not a plan”. She outlines how to develop a plan that is right for the person, how to work with the plan getting each space in the house organized and how to live with the plan and maintain the new organized life.
Here are some of the tips that appear in her book.
Bathroom
If a bathroom is shared by several children and is cluttered with their things, get them their own coloured basket for toiletries. Each child can take it back and forth to the bedroom leaving the bathroom clear.
Garage
Use the walls to hang up smaller items you need more often. Put up a peg board in the garage and use S- hooks to hang up gardening equipment, tools and sports equipment.
Laundry Routine
If you do laundry for a number of people, refuse to wash unpaired socks. Insist that everyone pins each pair of socks together with a sturdy safety pin or those little plastic circles into which some sock pairs will slip. If they aren’t paired you won’t wash them. Now no more pairing socks. Another good idea is to colour code socks. Buy a different colour band or sock for each individual and let him or her match their socks.
Sandra Felton encourages,” spending less time and energy on the mechanics of living and giving more time for more significant pursuits.” Her books help people to be successful at this.
If you need help getting organized book a complimentary 30 minute chat with me on Zoom.
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
When you begin to organize your kitchen, think of dividing it into centers. Here are some suggestions.
The area with the most counter space
1.Use the cupboards above and below the counter as the meal preparation centre. It is the home of items needed to prepare and cook food – cutting board, knives, bowls, graters, pots, pans, casserole dishes, strainer, etc.
Store everything you need to make your meals in one area.
The area with a smaller amount of counter space near the fridge
2. The drink centre contains coffee, tea, hot chocolate, drink mixes, cups, glasses, sugar/sweetener, coffee maker, kettle, tea pot, etc. Try storing your glasses and mugs in this area instead of with your plates and bowls
Plan a drink center in your kitchen
The area near the dishwasher or sink
3. The dish centre contains dishes and cutlery and should be near the dishwasher for fast and easy unloading. Aim to store items at an age-appropriate height so children can participate without needing assistance. If you like thinking outside the box, store your dishes in the base cabinets until your children are tall enough to reach the cabinets above the counter. Some homes have a pantry. Instead of storing food try storing your plates and bowls in it. Everyone will be able to reach them and it may help to have less traffic near the food preparation and cooking areas.
Area with counter space
4. The baking centre contains food items and utensils specifically for baking – spices, flour, nuts, chocolate chips, spatulas, cookie sheets, casserole dishes, pie plates, cake pans, etc.
Recycling area
5. Establish a recycling/garbage centre for easy collection. There are great products that fit under the kitchen sink and hold 2 or 3 container to make recycling easy.
Make recycling easy.
Paperwork area
6. The desk/paperwork centre, can be located near the telephone or computer, holds recipe,, notepaper, a white board or bulletin board, a charging center for cellphone.
Miscellaneous Drawer
The miscellaneous drawer contains small tools and items which you need quick access in the kitchen – screwdriver, tape, twist ties, scissors, pen, marker, etc. Don’t let the one miscellaneous drawer turn into 2 or 3 drawers.
Use one drawer to store items that are handy to have close at hand, marker, tape, screwdriver
Determine what centers you need in your kitchen and plan your space to hold everything so it is easy to reach and use.
How do you store your plastic food containers?
Start by determining any special uses of the bedroom other than sleeping and relaxing (e.g., home office, baby’s crib and supply storage etc.) This will let you plan how to use the space in your bedroom. Conversely if your bedroom has items in it that shouldn’t be there remove them.
Get your clothes off the floor
1. Store your clothes in the closet on hangers or shelves or in a dresser. Double your hanging space by installing a lower hanging bar. A lower bar also makes it easy for children to tidy up their rooms and select their clothes to wear. Add an extra shelf up high in the closet to store off-season items.
Add a second bar to your closet to double your hanging space.
Look for storage spaces in unused areas of your room
2. Under-bed storage containers are very helpful for oversized items or off-season clothing. If your bed is very low to the ground you can purchase bed risers to raise the bed and make room for containers.
Use bins under your bed to increase your storage space.
Use the wall space in your room when there is limited floor space
3. Use vertical space to add more storage. An armoire or tall-boy dresser may suit your room better than a long, low dresser.
Use vertical space when floor space is limited
Use the back and inside of doors to store items.
4. 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.
There are many over the door products to help you store items
How do you keep your dresser drawers organized?
Use vertical space to optimise your storage space.
Use Vertical Space
- Make use of vertical space. Buy shelving units to keep your items off the floor. This will help protect them from water damage and allow for air movement in and around containers, reducing the build-up of mould. Choose shelves that are 24” deep, if your room permits.
Create Zones
- Divide your storage into zones – sports equipment, decorations, household items, electronics, and memorabilia – categories that best suit the items you wish to store.
Use Plastic Storage Bins
- Use plastic storage bins to protect your items from moisture. Use clear bins, labelling them so you can easily see what is inside.
Measure your Space then buy the Shelving Units
- If you need five shelves you may find that two storage units – one with two shelves the other with three shelves – fit the space better.
Need a Deep Shelf for Large items
- Two 24” storage units laced together will make a 48” deep shelf to hold hockey bags.
Secure 2 shelves together to make a place for storing large items
Leave Space for Tall Items to Stand
6. Place two storage units side by side, with a space in between, to create a support for golf bags.
Add your Advise
What product have you found to help keep your basement organized?
Set up your laundry room to suit your needs
Collection Area
- Keep a central collection area for your laundry close to where people change. The main bathroom, near the bedrooms, is often a good choice. Keep three hampers – one each for light, medium and dark colours Make sure everyone knows to empty pockets, because no one else is going to check.
Treat Stains
- Keep a stain remover nearby so that everyone can treat the stains on their clothing. Children may need help with the most difficult, like blood. Use shampoo without conditioner on grease stains. Once stains are treated, fold the clothing to prevent stain remover from touching the hamper. Remember to place clothing in the correct laundry hamper.
Make a Space for Folding
- Have a table or space available so you can fold and pile items as they are removed from the dryer.
Have a Rack for Hanging Clothes
- Have a place to hang up clothes – a line, door hooks or a free-standing wire rack.
Keep Supplies Handy
- Establish a laundry supply shelf or cupboard. Be sure to have a variety of supplies available so you can easily handle any stain – detergent, bleach, shampoo, stain remover, and a bar of laundry soap for quick hand-washing items. Include a basin so you can conveniently soak or hand wash items.
Add Your Advice in the Comments
What do you do to make laundry easy in your home?
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 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
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.
Spring is in the air
Perhaps Spring Cleaning should be thought of as Winter Clean up. To make your life easier start by sorting through the things you are going to store for next winter. If they are:
- broken, get rid of them
- if they were not used donate them
- if you have outgrown their use, clothing or toys, donate them
Sometimes donation sites will not take winter items in the spring. If you are finding it hard to donate your winter items, box them up and label them to donate next winter. When you see those items next winter they will be ready to leave your house making your life easier.
Now that your space is empty and ready for spring and summer items apply the same rules:
- if they are broken, get rid of them
- if you didn’t use them last year donate them
- if you have outgrown their use, clothing or toys, donate them
Donate these items early in the season so donation sites can sell them when people are looking for these types of items.
Finally, you have the things you want to use this spring. Store them close to where you use them for example,
- gardening items can be stored in the garage, a shed or near the backdoor
- patio items, dishes, candles, table cloths, and napkins can be all stored together so it is easy to entertain
- toys for playing with outside, chalk, bubbles, sand toys, trucks, bikes, scooters can be stored so it is easy for children to get them and put them away without help. This makes cleaning up before they come inside quick and easy.
Make your life easy by keeping only the things you need and love and find the best spot to store them so you can get them out quickly and put them away easily.
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
