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Reading time – 3 minutes
Organizing your home office can lead you in many directions. Perhaps:
- your inbox is inundated,
- your files are filled or
- your time management is missing.
You need to start somewhere so let’s start with the S.P.A.C.E. that houses your office.
Look around your office and start:
1. Sorting the items that are visible into groups of papers, books, office supplies, client files, products, advertising materials etc.
Start with the visible clutter first.
2. Pair down each pile with the items that are current and recycle or shred the rest.
3. Assign a convenient place to store your resources. If you use them often keep them near your desk, if they are used infrequently store them further away but still in your office. If they are never referred to but are needed for tax or legal purposes they can be stored in another room.
4. Take each of those piles and select the best Container for keeping the items organized, binders, magazine holders, bins, boxes etc.
Organize with binders
Organize with bins
Organizing for the person who likes to see everything, the visual person
5. Evaluate your new S.P.A.C.E. to make sure it will help you be more efficient, productive and profitable this year.
Share one of your office organizing tips 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 guides and supports you to manage your time, and 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
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, or 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. Share on XPossessions
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, and 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, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 5 minutes
What is spring clearing? Is it a typo? I attended the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organizers annual conference in London England a couple of years ago. It was enlightening to learn and share organizing ideas with Professional Organizers from England, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, Japan, Dubai and the United States. This is where I picked up the phrase “Spring Clearing”.
If spring clearing happens first then spring cleaning is much faster. Share on XStart with clearing out the items that are:
Broken
They are the easiest to let go of but may be hard to get transported to the waste depot. If you can’t take them yourself can call a junk removal company or make a trade with a friend or neighbour. They can take your things to the dump and you can ….. bake a pie, mow their lawn, help with their gardening, and have them over for supper…..
Donations
There are things that you might not have used in a while, your children have outgrown playing with certain toys, you have a new one and you can let go of an older model of the same item, or interests and hobbies have changed……. Take these items to thrift stores or call and see if they will pick up your donations. Learn more about decluttering.
Want them but don’t need them
This group of items is hard to let go of. Try to let go of 2 or 3 items that have some sentimental value but you don’t need and you don’t have space for them. It takes time and practice to be able to let go of these things. With time it will get easier and you will enjoy having fewer things that are taking up space that you can use in a new way opening up new and exciting adventures in your life.
Here is a video of my adventure doing spring clearing.
A flood started the clearing process and then I just continued deciding what things were around my home that I didn’t need.
[pb_vidembed title=”Mind over Clutter does spring clearing” caption=”” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmsLCPSrjyU” type=”yt” w=”480″ h=”385″]
If you need information on where to donate and recycle items send me your email address and I will send you a 9-page resource document.
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, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
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, 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
