Organizing Tips
When you start organizing your bathroom or bedroom you may find cosmetics. Here is an infographic with information on how long to keep your cosmetics before throwing them out. Thanks to Natalie Brown a staff writer at BuzzFeed News for posting this information. For more ideas on bathroom organizing read her post 7 Easy Bathroom Organizing Ideas You’ll Actually Want to Try
Have you found any alternative uses for expired cosmetics? Share them in the comment section
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer 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. 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
A reader sent me this link to a great article on cleaning, Alyson Voss a Freelance Writer – Lifestyle. I hope you enjoy these tips on how to keep your house clean.
In the day-to-day hustle and bustle, keeping the house clean can seem about as likely as winning the lottery—but it doesn’t have to consume hours of your daily time. Aside from the occasional in-depth cleaning sessions, you can stay on top of daily dirt and grime in just 30 minutes a day (or less!). With just a little organization and pre-planning, you’ll breeze through basic cleaning tasks in no time.
Follow this checklist to get your home in tip-top shape in just 30 minutes.
Set the stage
- Conquer clutter: Keep random objects out of your way by assigning each family member a “collection station” (use a large laundry basket or unused trash can) for corralling things that don’t have a home. Everyone is responsible for emptying their stations once they’re full.
- Gather your weapons: Use a cleaning caddy to bring your main supplies from room to room as you clean. Stock it with Lysol Disinfectant Spray, disinfecting wipes, cleaning cloths, and any other necessities. If your home has multiple levels, create one full caddy for each.
- Map out your route: Systematic patterns can shave serious time off your cleaning. One recommended method is to start each room at the top, to the left of the doorway, and move clockwise and down. Use a logical room-to-room path with no backtracking to save even more time.
Start your engines
- Focus, grasshopper: When you’re ready to start speed-cleaning, focus on the task at hand by putting down the phone and turning off the television. If you can’t stand the silence or need motivation, tune into your favourite radio station or kick up your most energetic iPod playlist.
- Skip the little things: Give yourself permission to ignore tedious, time-consuming tasks that don’t need to be performed daily. Extend tasks like dusting off knick-knacks, scouring spice racks, rearranging shelves, and wiping down window treatments to once a month.
- Wipe away germs: Instead of breaking out the spray and scrubber for every surface, use Lysol disinfecting wipes to quickly clean frequently touched or trafficked surfaces that are already relatively clean. You’ll save time, and you can give these areas a proper weekly cleaning with Lysol Disinfectant Spray to maintain pristine conditions.
- Banish the broom: If you vacuum carpets but sweep hard flooring, save time and energy by leaving the broom in the closet and vacuuming everything. It’s just as effective and eliminates one bulky tool. Invest in a 50-foot extension cord, and you can vacuum room to room without unplugging and re-plugging.
- Finish with a refreshing scent: As a final touch for each room, use an air freshener. Your home will look and smell amazing.
The more often you follow your speed-cleaning checklist, the easier and faster it will be. You’ll save hours of time, and the dirt, germs, and odours won’t have a fighting chance.
Need help getting your home organized so it is easier to clean? Contact Mind over Clutter to help simplify things to make cleaning easier.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer 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. 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
The level of organization a person needs to be productive or less stressed or happy varies from person to person. Once you have discovered what works for you, you will be able to maintain your system. Problems arise with being organized when the system doesn’t work with how you think, your schedule, your routines or your motivation. Working with a Professional Organizer can help you establish a system that meet your needs.
Here is a video about one way to organize a home. Some of the ideas may work for you. Let me know if you tried any of the techniques in this video.
How to organize your home on a tight budget
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer 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. 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 – 5 minutes
My guest blogger is Ron Thiessen of Thiessen Farms . He has been farming all his life. As a child he worked with his dad and then took over the farm. He sells his produce at markets and has developed a Community Supported Agricultural Program (CSA) of over 200 families who buy a share of his crops and pick up their produce every week at his farm from May to October. He is located in Jordan Station, Ontario , Canada. He has written on organizing your seeds, choosing your crops and charting their progress.
Crop Planning and Choosing Seeds
Brad’s Atomic Grape Tomato
“Elongated cherries in clusters. The colour (and flavor!) is a full-blown assault on the senses – lavender and purple stripes when immature, turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. Really wild! … this amazing variety a good candidate for market growers …” (from www.rareseeds.com)
When we saw this new tomato in a seed catalogue it immediately became a must grow variety for Thiessen Farms in 2017. It looks and sounds amazing!
And when we found seed for the hottest-of-hot peppers – Ghost, Carolina Reaper & Trinidad Scorpion – there was no doubt that they would be on the list too, along with Glass Gem corn, Superschmelz kohlrabi and Golden Wa Wa cabbage.
I’ll admit it. We’re suckers for a cool sounding name and a fancy description. That’s why our seed list has grown to more than 450 varieties of over 60 different vegetables and herbs. But it’s really a cheap thrill. For a few bucks we get to try something new. Sometimes it will turn out great and become a favourite. Other times it’s a disappointment and we never grow it again. But it’s always fun experimenting!
The first week in January is always seed ordering time. We pour over the seed catalogues devouring the particulars of all the vegetables, herbs & flowers, choosing the varieties we will grow in the upcoming season. The selection of seeds is overwhelming making it a delightful yet daunting task.
Here’s how we make our choices …
1. We know what we grew in previous years.
We keep a master list – a spreadsheet that names each crop and variety we grew last season, the amount of seed we have on hand, the year purchased, the company it came from, and the number of days from seeding until harvest. This gives us someplace to start. When the seeds are ordered, all this data is updated & any new varieties are added and those we will not be growing are eliminated.
2. We keep good records – an awful lot of records.
We have a chart where we record every seed we sow in the greenhouse – the date we seeded, the amount, the date the first seeds poked up through the soil, the date we transplanted them and how many, and a spot for random comments. We have more charts where we record everything that gets planted out in the fields – whether it is direct seeded or transplanted from the greenhouse, the variety, the amount, the date. Throughout the growing season we make written notes – both quick observations that we jotted down on the run and more formal evaluations of the different vegetables and how they grew, and produced, their yields, taste, plant health … Photographs are also very helpful for this and so easy to take with cellphones. We find these records invaluable and refer back to them often.
3. As commercial growers we look to our customers for information
What crops sold well and which ones did not, what caught the customers attention, what vegetables are they asking for … We have more charts. For each day at the farmers’ market we record what we brought, how much we sold, the prices and the weather for the day. There are similar charts for each Community Support Agricultural Program (CSA )pick-up. These give us a clear picture of what to grow and how much based on actual sales.
4. What would be fun and interesting to grow!
We always try to grow something new that we have not done before. Recent examples include kalettes , cauliflower artichokes and fava beans.
The seeds are arriving almost daily now
Close to 500 packets of seeds – different sized envelopes, some paper, some foil, even a cloth bag or two, and at least one larger 25 pound sack (snow peas). Add in any leftover seeds from other years, various jars of seed that I saved myself, and we end up with well over 600 different containers of seeds.That’s a lot of seed to deal with and to keep organized!
Proper storage is necessary to keep the seeds viable
Cool and dry storage being the most important conditions. We keep the seeds in our workshop in small, plastic shoe boxes. A label on the lid notes what seeds are inside. These plastic boxes are then stored in larger plastic bins all with secure lids. This keeps them dry, clean & safe from curious animals (ie cats, or even mice – in case the cats are not doing their job!).And there the seeds wait until it’s time to plant them.
What have you learned from Ron Thiessen a commercial grower that will help you to organize your garden this year?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home 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
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, 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
I was given an 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 and 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 advice 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 countertops?
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, sweep/mopping the floor, take out the trash or recycle. 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?
Think about the things that should be done twice a month.
For some people, it is grocery shopping, changing the beds, cleaning the house, and 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, and 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?
Lastly, look at things that only need to be done twice a year.
Perhaps they are seasonal tasks. Put away 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 needed 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, and appliances had been cleaned with only a little extra effort needed 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 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. 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
I asked my colleagues from the Professional Organizers in Canada Cyber Chapter to send me their favourite organizing tips. This is what they said.
Patti Schneider from Time to Organize Coach™ in Huntsville, Ontario tells us :
- Don’t organize anything without tossing, recycling and donating first!
April Miller owner of April Miller Professional Organizing in St John`s Newfoundland shared:
- To ensure better maintenance: Organize according to what works for you, not according to someone else’s system.
Elana Kleinman owner of EK Organizing in Toronto, Ontario
- For maintenance, do a 5-10 minute scan of your home before bed and return everything to its assigned home. This prevents end-of-week (month?) organizing marathons:)
Ruth Beattie-Ostrom of HOME, Hard Organizing Made Easy from Parry Sound, Ontario shared:
- A fun tip to involve children to help maintain the house: set the timer for 15 min and everyone (including mom) puts items back in their place.
Kym McFadden owns Space-Ese-Solutions Inc in Burlington, Ontario.
- If you don’t use it, lose it. Recycle, donate or toss it in the garbage. I generally tell clients for clothing wear it within 6 months and all other items use it within 6-12 months or out it goes. Then go have fun! If it is close to bedtime read books together.
Nathalie Bureau owner of Nathalie Bureau L’Art de l’Organisation/Organized Living from Saint Boniface, Quebec tells us:
- Using the space vertically is one of my best tips
- Sort food packages in a drawer using hand made separators or dividers.
Adele Lapointe of Chaos to Clarity from Burlington, Ontario simply said:
- Like with like
Karen McIntosh Murdock, Your Organized Friend in Edmonton, Alberta
- If grieving clients are having trouble releasing sentimental belongings I recommend that we take photos of the items, write down the stories surrounding the item and make them into a photobook.
Bev Chandler owner of C & C Organizing from Regina, Saskatchewan shared:
- Keep the things you use the most, close at hand.
Adriana Romkes from Dundas, Ontario tell us:
- Less is more
My tip, Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario
- If you are having trouble letting go of things figure out if it is because you are clinging to the past or fear the future. Once you solve that mystery it will be easier to part with unused items.
Share your favourite organizing tip with me in the comment box.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
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 tweeted “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, 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
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.
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
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 containers to make recycling easy.
Paperwork area
6. The desk/paperwork centre, which can be located near the telephone or computer, holds recipes, notepaper, a whiteboard or bulletin board, and a charging center for cellphones.
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.
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?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. 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
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.
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 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 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.
How do you keep your dresser drawers organized?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. 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