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Tips of the Season
June - August – Summertime and the Living is Easy!
Simplify your summer and the rest of the year with these basic organizing
tips.
Start
Small
Choose one area that is most frustrating to begin organizing.
Begin with 15 minutes a day to organize. What can you do
in 15 minutes? Organize a drawer, sort mail, return phone
calls, weed out a file folder, or simply apply that 15
minutes to the same area everyday and see how much progress
you have made after a week!
Always
assign a “home” to items.
Have you heard of the saying “a place
for everything and everything in its place”?
Items need a specific place to be stored – where
they are always located to find them, where they are
always returned after being used. A “home” can
be something conventional – like a shoe rack
for your shoes, placed in an unconventional spot – by
your back door!
Store
items at their point of use
Wherever you use an item the most, is where its home should
be. If there is not already a storage space nearby, create
one specifically with that use in mind. If you use the
same item in multiple locations (like scissors or tape),
place that item conveniently in each room.
Categorize
as you organize
Think of categories when you start to organize. Items that
are similar, used in a similar way or for a certain job
should be grouped together. For example, to pay bills,
you need stamps, envelopes, and your checkbook, so keep
these together. Keep all types of glue or tape in a basket
in the garage. This way you know what you have and where
to find it all!
Decisions,
decisions
Decisions are the basis of all organizing! Whether categorizing
items for use, or deciding whether you will use the item
or paper again, be ready to make decisions about its use,
how frequently you will use it and where to store it! In
addition, be ready to decide to toss items! Remember that
saying – “less is more”!
Visual
clues
If you can’t see it, you don’t know if you have it! As you organize,
arrange your items so that you can easily view what you have. Clear containers
available at any discount store in a variety of shapes and sizes make this easy.
Separate items so that each container holds one type of item. Use labels on the
containers too! And you do not need a label maker – just a good set of
sharpie pens and labels of uniform size. Label the container and label the home
on the shelf where it will return.
Please call me if you would like a one-on-one partner in
your organizing efforts!
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