How To Never Lose Your Keys Again

in ,

How many times have you been in this situation? You’re rushing around your home getting ready for an appointment, running a bit late when at last you are ready to go when you realize you don’t have your keys! Panic strikes.  Your heart drops and you think “where the heck did I put them?” In this state of panic it’s even harder to think straight and remember anything.  If only you had some system of organization for your keys to prevent this scenario ever again.

What you need is a home for your keys.  It could be as simple as hanging a hook inside your front door or placing a bowl or tray on your front hall table (f you have one) in which to deposit the keys each and every time you come home. The keys need to have a place to be deposited and not simply lying on a table – they need to be contained in something.  And most importantly, this new home for your keys needs to be very visible to you and easy to access as soon as you walk in the door.  Once you have the home for your keys set up you then need to build a new and consistent behavior as soon as you walk in the door. This does take practice but with effort and a sincere desire not to relive the “I can’t find my keys” scenario, it will work.

Organizing Your Time

in

Time management can be tough. We recently had our daughter come for a visit and she talked about how she is so busy she finds herself on a seemingly never ending treadmill of getting out of bed, getting ready for work, running errands on the way home, cooking dinner and before you know it, it’s 10:00 pm and she still has not even begun to wind down from her day only to have the same cycle run again, never feeling caught up or in control. She doesn’t even have any children yet so even the thought of having kids is frightening when she doesn’t feel there is enough time in the day for just herself. She seems quite perplexed as to how people manage with children. We hear this often. Running the same game, cycle or treadmill each and every day.
frazzled
With so many people around me telling me the same thing, I thought I would Google “how can we manage time more efficiently?”. One of the first answers that popped up was the use of time management sheets. We all, at some point in time, find ourselves on this same repetitive path. One day feels like it just melts into the other. From my own experience and training there are 3 things I know for sure. The first one is, you’re always going to have stuff to do. Secondly, there will be days, no matter what you do, when you feel like a gerbil on a treadmill. And lastly, there are definitely ways to positively change these last two points. Well, all right, you’re thinking. How do we do that?

First it’s helpful, even for just 3 days, to keep a notebook and pen with you at all times and write down how you are spending your time. You want to be as precise as possible, so I’m talking minutes here, not just hours. Once you log your time for a few days and look back on your log you will begin to see a pattern of exactly what various activities take up your time. You can then make some decisions on how you can perhaps delegate some tasks to others, “unplug” yourself during certain periods of the day, learn to say “no”, prioritize, group similar tasks together for more efficient use of your time, and let go of those tasks that really serve no positive purpose for you. Change the way you use your time and make a positive change in your day!

Dining Room Lost In Translation

in ,

Sometimes things get out of control.  Homes especially. Even more so when you bring a home business into the mix together with an illness in the family, whether it be animal or human.  With this particular client, he had a thriving home business and a love for animals.  When one of those animals became ill, all sense of order and organization in the home was lost as the focus was on the health care of the family pet as opposed to the state and organization of their home and business.  Sometimes priorities just change.  When we received the call from this client, his beloved pet had unfortunately passed away after several months of serious illness, and he was now ready to tackle the rather large project of getting his home and business back in order.  Here is a photo of his dining room before we began our decluttering and organizing:

Dining Room before organizingThere is a table underneath all that stuff and we were  determined to get at it so that our client’s life could return to normal.  After many bags for donation, items for disposal and paper and household items relocated we found the dining room table!

Dining Room after organizingSometimes we just have to accept that life throws us some curves along the way and when things get out of control, help is only a phone call away. Give yourself permission to ask for help to restore order when there is none. Things will always fall back into place, especially with a little assistance along the way!

Gift Wrapping Centre & Craft Storage Organization

in ,

So many of my clients request a wrapping centre and craft storage that I thought this would be a good opportunity to share what we did to organize one of our client’s storage rooms. With limited space, wrapping paper and craft products are often relegated to a closet making it difficult for clients to access and find what they need for wrapping or creative ventures.  This client in particular originally had quite a bit of craft and scrap booking products, as well as a large amount of gift wrapping and party items which needed to be contained and stored for easy access and return.  Budget played a major role in this re-organization and we were able to utilize the client’s existing storage units which is always a bonus.

It was essential that the storage was contained within a closet in the finished basement.  Hereare a couple of photos of the closet before we started the project.

Storage area Before OrganizingStorage area Before Organizing

As you can see, there was little organization and the closet was in a state of chaos.  Although the closet went quite deep under the stairwell, there was no access without moving everything out and then back again.  This system (or lack thereof) was not working.  After first sorting and editing the items we were able to see exactly what the client had to store in terms of volume.  With input from our client we were able to create a vision and solution that was workable for the way our client functioned within the space.  She specifically requested that her gift bags were hanging so she could quickly view and pick the right one for the right occasion.  Here is a photo of the closet after our re-organization. The gift wrapping centre storage unit is on the left and the scrapbooking storage unit is on the right. The second photo shows another angle so you can see how access to under the stairs is now possible.

Storage Area After OrganizingStorage Area After Organizing

Finding space can be challenging but with a little creativity, a vision and the right process of organization a workable system can be created and maintained.  Our client can now easily open these drawers, locate what is needed and return items with ease.  Don’t forget to label your drawers so that others in your household can also easily use the new system too!

Organize Your Kitchen Drawers

in ,

I’m so excited to finally have the opportunity to freshen up and organize my own kitchen cutlery drawers! Although there wasn’t anything specifically wrong with the way they were originally set up, there is always room for improvement so when I went shopping for new ideas at Solutions I found the perfect products that I could fit nicely. My kitchen drawers are a bit of an odd size (which I also find is true for many of our clients) so I had to be creative in purchasing various components that would fit together in the space.

Here’s what I found for my general cutlery.

organized cutlery drawer

I really like how this maximizes the space by allowing to invert the utensils.  It even has removable spacers that can slide forward or backward or  simply take them out completely as I’ve done for our knives.

My second drawer is where I keep all my special knives and other cutting utensils.  As a result of the different lengths of the knives I had to go with a different type of system than I did for our general cutlery.  For this I purchased separate components that fit together well in the drawer and accommodated everything I had.

organized utensil drawer

Don’t be afraid to use two different products for two different drawers and remember to take measurements and take your tape measure with you to ensure proper sizing.  Your systems  don’t have to match as long as they are functional and efficient for your space. What do you use to create organization in your drawers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Valuable Travel Organizing Lessons

in ,

I’m going to tell you something that I never thought I would say. On my recent trip abroad, I was not organized! There.  I said it. And it’s true. Although I knew we were going away,  I was so busy with the business that I lost sight of the fact that I needed to get organized for our trip.  Needless to say,  I felt rushed, forgot to pack some essential items and didn’t have time to handle certain household matters before we left.  As you can imagine, being a professional organizer this was not acceptable and I felt so utterly out of control the whole getaway felt chaotic and stressful.  This has never happened to me before but it has taught me some valuable lessons.

First lesson:  Forgive yourself for not being perfect!  In this crazy hectic life that we sometimes lead, the best of intentions can fall to the wayside.  It’s OK to not be perfect and sometimes good enough is in fact good enough. Sometimes it has to be.

Second lesson: Always pack your prescription medicines in your carry on luggage.  I knew this yet in my haste they made it to the wrong bag.

Third lesson:  If you’re leaving for a warmer or colder climate, make sure you try on your seasonal clothing before your leave.  In my case I had lost a fair bit of weight and much of my warm climate clothes were falling off of me.  Not a huge deal if you enjoy shopping in an unfamiliar place.  I generally don’t enjoy shopping at all and having to do so under duress is even worse.

Fourth lesson: Smile. Relax. Don’t forget to ask for help.

It will all work out.

And in fact, it did.  I survived, did a little shopping, even had time to check out some new organizational products along the way.  Smiles and relaxation were plentiful with the support and encouragement from those around me.

The point is, even professional organizers are not perfectly organized in their own lives.  So cut yourself some slack, do your best to be organized but give yourself permission to not be on the mark 100% of the time.    Life can (and will) get in the way sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

Donating to Schools

in ,

With all the cutbacks in funding, I think we can all agree that schools are always in need of supplies no matter how small. I’m currently working with a client who has an old, unused sewing room jam packed with everything from fabrics to old Vogue patterns, costumes and all sorts of sewing accessories. Although many local craft guilds would give their right arm to get some of these items, another idea is to donate to your local school.  In addition to sewing related items,  schools would love to receive these other things as well:

  • postcards, greeting cards
  • old magazines
  • wrapping paper
  • small wood scraps
  • craft materials
  • sequins and buttons

So, after the holiday rush is over and you are settling in to (hopefully) a couple of days off, take some time to go through some of your unused items and see what you have to donate to your local school.  Not only will you create some space in your own home for what’s important to you now, but you’ll also help develop some creativity in your community school as well.   So donate and feel great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Simple Holiday Gifts

in ,

We live in a consumer society where the word “gift” is such a loaded question. Gift giving should not be a stressful experience. It should be something that comes from the heart and says “I’m thinking of you” and not a test of how much someone cares or loves you. This holiday season don’t worry about your gift being too modest or falling short of someone’s expectations. Why fall prey to the commercial manipulations of the holiday season? Here’s 5 simple gifts for the holidays which you can be proud of giving:

1. Gifts of your time & friendship
2. Warm cookies on a cold winter day
3. Board games to bring families together
4. A favorite book, re-wrapped to share and be treasured by others
5. A “voucher” for a home-made dinner you serve up to a friend

Push back against the blatant calls of the gift industry and don’t have your gift to someone special be found languishing at next years’ garage sale. Strive to keep it simple, pure, from one heart to another.

At its best, a gift is a quiet nod to the old ways—when thought mattered more than price tags and meaning outlasted the season. A handwritten note tucked inside a book, a shared laugh over tea, or even something playful and personal can say far more than a glossy box ever could.

A small, thoughtful surprise like Turn Your Face Into Stickers can add a bit of cheer without tipping into excess, a modern twist that still keeps the spirit light and human. The point isn’t novelty for novelty’s sake; it’s choosing something that carries a story, a smile, or a memory. Long after the wrapping paper is gone, those are the gifts that stay put—no receipt required, no garage sale in sight.

How will you keep this year’s holiday gift giving pure and from your heart? Let’s hear your ideas! яндекс

Unique Holiday Gift Ideas

in

With the holidays just around the corner it’s time to turn our minds to holiday gifts. Consider clutter-less gifts such as tickets to film events, certificates to restaurants, movies, weekends away, sporting events or children`s parks or recreation. How about buying your niece or nephew a 12 week gymnastics package? Or start an education fund? What are some clutter-less gifts that you will think of giving this year?

Organizing Your Photos

in ,

Everyone has family photos. Especially if you have children, you probably have tons of photos but not much time to get them organized the way you like. Life gets in the way. Here’s a few things to think about before you start. Sort backlogs of photos by collecting show boxes or plastic containers and write a year on each one. Sort photos into their correct year. This can be done in brief sessions – even twenty minutes a night will make a big difference by the end of the week. Along the way eliminate any ugly photos, blurry images and duplicates. Once the pictures are sorted by year, decide how you want to sort them further. By event? By theme? Chronologically? Then you can choose how you want to show and/or display them. You will have a better idea of what size box, album or frames you’ll need. Good luck and let me know how it’s going!