5 Things You Do That Prevent You From Getting Organized

in , ,

At ClutterBGone we help you become organized and take advantage and maximize the space you have. During our initial on site consultation we get excited because we see a number of ways that you could easily become more organized without investing more time or money.

This normally involves a bit of discipline but if you can commit to the procedures and the basic principles of organization, you will see immediate results.

Here are 5 things we see you do in your home or office that actually stops you from getting and staying organized. See if you can spot yourself in any of these examples.

1) Keeping Junk Mail
Whether you still have door to door mail delivery or need to travel to the “super” boxes to get your mail, you have probably noticed that most mail delivered these days is of the “junk” variety.

Junk mailWith many of us now receiving and paying our bills on line what’s left to actually be delivered is usually flyers announcing a new home for sale or special offers for the product of the day. So many of our clients keep this “junk” type mail in a pile somewhere to be looked at later. Why? Are you really going to go through that stuff or do you end up keeping it piled somewhere, afraid to through it out “just in case”?

Do this instead: Once picked up, ensure that anything you are truly not interested in is deposited immediately into the recycle bin. In fact, I have seen where some super boxes have a recycle bin attached to them so this type of mail doesn’t even make it to your house. Why don’t you be the one to start this in your neighbourhood!

2) Not asking for help
So many people feel that if you ask for help you show weakness. When this happens you delay and proscrastinate until you get so overwhelmed that you finally do realize assistance is required. It is not a weakness to ask for help. It takes a strong person to realize that their own space is out of control.

In my view asking for help is a sign of strength in knowing your limitations. Often a fresh set of eyes can see things differently and help you pare down, sell, donate and get organized a lot faster than you could by yourself.

3) Saving items for emotional reasons

Let me share something with you. Both my husband and I were saving items from our deceased parents for sentimental reasons. In the end we realized that these items did not represent our parents. Our memories and experiences with them do. I had several hand embroidered pillow cases from my mother hiding away in my closet from years and years ago. I knew they would never be used.

I did not need to keep them all to remember her or her creativity. So I kept just one and created a treasure box of memento’s from both of my parents that I now proudly display on a wall in our home rather than having boxes of items stored away that I will never look at. This is a much better way to honour my parents’ memories.

4) You don’t think you have enough space
Everybody is downsizing these days and you find space is at a premium. So why are you taking up your valuable space with items that may not be all that important to you? Stuff you don’t actually use on a regular basis?

Maybe it’s time to consider paring down a little more and surrounding yourself with possessions you love. Less is more these days. You can also think more vertically to find more space in your home.

Basic closets come with one closet rod. It is really easy, and economical, to add another closet rod to double your space. No room to store your winter duvet? How about a storage box under the bed or those suction bags that compress larger items?

5) You’re not keeping it simple
Sometimes in efforts to get organized you find yourself creating more work and a complicated system that cannot be maintained.

Chalk drawing - KISS, keep it simple, stupid

Use the KISS approach. Keep it simple. You could spend days thinking of how to organize or down size but really there are many great systems and ideas out there that require minimal time and dollars.

Stop for a moment and take a real hard look at what you are trying to accomplish. It does not have to be that difficult. If you need outside help and want to learn more about how we can keep it simple, contact us here.

5 Crucial Facts About Time Management & Your Organizing Project

in

time managementYou know that old saying that time does not stand still? How true is that! Time waits for no one and when you are trying to get organized time can feel like it is flying by. Here are a few facts regarding time management that will make the job of organizing quite a bit easier.

1) Be flexible

My husband is always telling me that plans are fluid. I don’t agree with that but do suggest that you need to be flexible when it comes to time management. Other things can come up that require your attention while you are in the middle of a project and while it can be irritating there are times when other things come first, like family.

2) Turn off the technology

This seems obvious but today we are tied to our phones and other electronics. They seem to rule our life but if you want to get something done uninterrupted, leave the technology in another room and put your phone on “do not disturb”. There isn’t too much that cannot wait an hour or two while you do what is required. If you don’t leave the technology alone for a while the project is going to take you twice as long.

3) Set a goal

Without a goal how do we know what we want to accomplish and how successful we were in completing that goal? Set the goal, keep it small to start and get it done! After you have completed the first goal you may be surprised at the feeling of accomplishment that you have and will be eager to tackle something a little larger in scope.

4) Find your productive time

I am not a morning person. There, I’ve said it. I don’t know many people who are. Define what time of day you work best and tackle those organizing jobs at that time. There is no sense in trying to get something done when you just don’t have the energy or enthusiasm. We all have a different time of day when we work and think best so schedule projects at these times if you can.

5) Keep your list manageable

Many of us keep a list, either written down or in our head, of things that need to be done. If the list gets too big we think we will never get everything done and give up. For organizing, keep the list to two or three things. Start with your kitchen “junk” drawer and move on to a closet. When you are done you will have the feeling of accomplishing something and then can create a new small list and go from there. software engineering jokes

Managing your time is critical to any project we take on. Understand how to manage your time and you will accomplish a lot more in less time. If you want to learn more about how our services can assist you with your organizing project, give me a call at 905-642-5669 and we can chat.

5 DIY Organizing Projects

in , ,

Once in a while I post a couple of ideas that I’ve come across that will help you get and stay organized. They are simple DIY projects that are easy to create and easy to maintain.

Here are a few of my favourites.

1) Wall storage bins from old crates

Shoe cratesMany of us have old wooden crates hanging around the house from old soda crates or used produce cartons. They make great storage bins for shoes, seasonal wear, like hats and scarves or even storage compartments for homework and sporting goods like skates and helmets.

Simply cut the top off, if required, and paint to match your décor. Once they are dry you can mount to a wall by drilling through the bottom of the crate (make sure you hit a stud) or by attaching to a supporting piece of wood that you have already mounted to the wall. Use a level to ensure that they are perfectly mounted. Personally, it would drive me bananas if it was at all off level, even an 8th of an inch! I’m a tad OCD that way.

2) Organize your jewellery with old china

I saw this on Pinterest recently and realized that I too have a few old pieces of china that have been handed down that I wasn’t taking advantage of. If you have the space, dedicate one drawer to your jewellery and the place one type of jewellery into each cup, saucer or whatever.

Earrings in one cup, rings in another and so on. What a great way to store and organize your jewellery and to make use of that china that you have had packed away.

Jewellery Organization3) Shoe ladders

These are great for those living in tight spaces with a lot of shoes. Simply find a small ladder – you can find these rather inexpensively at yard sales and antique stores – and paint it to match your décor.

Lean it against a wall and use the rungs to hang your shoes. Decorative, chic and easy to access your shoes.

4) Shower Curtain Rings

This one I have done myself. Take a clothes hanger and attach shower curtain rings to it. You know the ones I mean. The ones that the late John Candy sold in Plane, Trains & Automobiles. They can be found at many stores (including the dollar stores) for less than five dollars. Now run one scarf through each ring and you have all of your scarves in one place to hang wherever you need them.

5) Bull Dog Clips

I have a little bit of room between my desk and the wall in my office. Not a lot, but just enough room for my computer cable and cell phone charging cable to slip and fall down when they are unplugged. I have to get down on my knees, get under the desk and feed the cords back up.

Clips for CablesBy using bull dog clips or even hair clips attached to the back edge of the desk you will prevent the cords from falling down that crack again!

So there you have five simple DIY tips – or life hacks as they call them – to help you get and stay organized.

If you would like to learn more or need a little more help in getting organized contact me here and we’ll chat.

Hello world!

in

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!