It’s the only way to keep on top of things.
I once went to a local restaurant and bar to have dinner with my husband. That night the place was very crowded and we opted to sit at the bar to have our dinner. Little did I know that we would enjoy a most enlightening “floor show.”
There was only one barmaid on that shift that night. Her duties were to keep the bar surface clean of used bottles, glasses, cutlery, plates and napkins. She also set places with trays, mats and cutlery for each newer diner and served them their meals when they were delivered from the kitchen.
In addition to these activities she was the bartender for the entire restaurant. Each server would deliver their respective orders and she then made each drink and set them up on a tray for delivery.
Sounds like you would get tired just watching her, right? Well, on the contrary, she was a joy to watch. Every movement she made was coordinated with another task to be accomplished. She would pick up used items with one hand and wipe the counter with the other. As she moved past any area she assessed it, did what was needed and fluidly moved on to the next thing. No server was left standing at the drink ordering area unnoticed. Everything was cleaned and tidied with as little extra movement than necessary.
If we could all be so focused, things would always be as they should be.
I think she was naturally organized and very competent. The next time you are in a space and you see something out of place, put it away. Small changes make big differences. Clutter is made up of little things that belong somewhere else. If you sweep an area and put it right every time you are there, it will most likely stay that way.
Goals. We all have them. We need to have them.
Do you know the goals for your living space? Is it convenient for you and your family to live there? Could your house be “company” ready within a 1/2 hour notice? Are things routinely put way; laundry, clean dishes, or table clutter?
Well, if you can’t answer yes to several of these questions you need to set some goals.
The Messies Manual written by Sandra Felton suggests that you should write the goals down on paper.
“The hardest part is keeping one’s goals in view when the going gets rough and the end is not in sight. That’s why it is so important to write it down. If it is written, you have made a stronger commitment”.
My personal goal (which I wrote in the margin of the book as suggested) is: I wish my home to be free of clutter, well organized and clean. I wish to keep only what I need to be comfortable, what I require for my soul and what I need to access for information or posterity.
The book also suggests reaching your goals by incorporating the three Cs into your plan. The three Cs are change, commitment and control.
Change can be difficult. It involves exploring uncharted territory.
Trying new approaches to old routines is one way to start. If your stored dishes are on the other side of the kitchen, far from the dishwasher, it is time to move them. Commitment means you consider these goals part of your daily activities. The goal is as important each day as getting up and getting dressed. Lastly, control is vital. If your goals are to be met, then whatever is standing in your way has to be prioritized.
Ms. Felton says, “You have only a limited amount of time and energy. Spend it where it will help accomplish your goals”.
Just finished a workshop remodel. It was an ideal time to do this because my client had just finished up a large kitchen project. Therefore, ALL of his tools were out in the workshop area, because he had used ALL of his tools.
A clean, ready to use, work area!
We began by putting the boxed tools, drill bits, router, cordless drill, staple gun, etc. back in there original cases. I then used my handy P-touch labeler and labeled all the boxes. The boxes are the same black plastic material and several of them are the same size.
When I was done with the labels, each box said what it contained as well as an up arrow to indicate how to open the lid. I then lined them up on a shelf and they looked so orderly and accessible, it was refreshing.
Peg board came next. The pegboards were arranged so that items that were similar to each other were gathered together. Levels with levels, saws with saws, etc. I then took a picture of each pegboard and printed them out, mounted them on cardboard and covered them with cling wrap and attached them to each pegboard. That way when ALL the tools are out of place again my client can see where to put them back without having to remember. Visual reminders are great.
Peg board
We then organized the drawers in the workbench. Previously the nails and screws in their original boxes (a good thing) were on a shelf. Every time he wanted a nail or screw he had to move the boxes around to find what he wanted. They fit perfectly arranged with the writing on the boxes facing up. Now no more shifting them to find what he wants.
We utilized 2 old hollow core doors and a few 2×4s to make two workshop benches, added castor wheels and reworked the space to be more effective and workable.
View more before & afters in the photo gallery!
Last week I was asked to donate to a silent auction item to benefit a fundraiser for SmileTrain and the local Baltimore food banks sponsored by Legacy Associates LLC.
As a personal organizer I put together a lidded bin filled with organizational items. The bin itself can be used to store off-season clothes.
I put in some nesting hangers. They take up so much less space in your closet.
Then I thought about all the magazine subscriptions people have and added two magazine holders. They are also great for the white and yellow pages phone books. It was fun coming up with items that everyone could use.
Drawer organizers were added, the kind with small separate compartments for socks or tights.
Two photo boxes were added to keep those vacation and family pix in order. Also I included an accordion folder with 13 separate dividers. There lots of ways to use this handy file system, as a bill paying system or a place to store appliance instructions.
Then I added a bag of coins rollers. Roll up those coins and you can buy something you wouldn’t have been able to purchase otherwise.
A 2010 day planner was a no brainer. All your appointments, phone numbers, dates to remember, are all in one place.
Finally I added a package of markers. I use them to date spice containers and perishables with date of purchase. Then you never have to guess if an item is out-of-date.
It was fun to gather seemingly unrelated items and know that ultimately they can be used in any household.
Let’s take some time to talk about your home library.
- Do you have so many books you no longer have shelf space for all of them?
- Have they spilled over onto chairs and tables, or in piles on the floor?
Too many books create a great deal of visual clutter. It’s time to assess.
This particular project may take awhile, so set aside the time. It will be worth it.
First, I suggest that you gather all the books together in one place. Then begin with a pile system sorting the books by category: fiction, reference, non-fiction, biographies, cookbooks, etc.
Wow, that was a big job in itself!
Every bibliophile thinks that all books are sacred. However, you don’t have to own every tome you have ever read.
Start with the reference books. I’m sure some of them are obsolete, technology has changed so much that any reference book older than five years is probably out-of-date. Recycle them. If they are hardback remove cover and recycle pages with regular paper. If they are paperback they can go just as they are.
Move on to the fiction pile.
Are any of the books “comfort” books, books you’ve read over and over?
You can keep those. Evaluate the rest, maybe you didn’t even like it that much. Nursing homes, senior centers and some retirement communities would be delighted to have them, donating is a good way to recycle books.
This same process should be applied to all the piles.
If you have never and probably will never make a single recipe from a cookbook, give it away. When this culling process is done you will have more shelf space, dusting will be easier and you will have room for the purchase of a new book you can’t live without.
Recycle or Give Away!
Another resource you can use is The Baltimore Book Thing, Inc., website http://bookthing.org, they accept books, stamp them not for sale and anyone can go in and get a book for free.
Are you trying to deal with an inheritance?
Have you inherited a house full of a lifetime of furniture, memorabilia, collections and general household items. As a personal organizer I have helped many people with this problem. The process of going through the accumulations of a loved one can be daunting. It’s a vast, time-consuming and heart-wrenching thing to have to do. You can’t take it all home with you, you probably already have a house that is well-outfitted and probably full anyway.
What do you do with all this stuff?
After the initial process of discarding items that you know are not saleable, then what about all the rest. There are many charitable organizations (Good Will, Disabled Veterans or The Salvation Army) that will accept donations which will then be tax deductible.
What remains are the things that meant something to your family member. That is really the problem area. If you don’t want to keep them yourself or give them to someone else in the family there are resources you can use. There are auction houses in the Baltimore area that will come to the home and evaluate the value of these things. They can then schedule a home auction to sell large pieces of furniture, china, silver, stemware and collectibles. They do the advertising and handle the actual auction. For this help they will take a percentage of the profits of the sales.
Another alternative is to try to sell them yourself on ebay or Craigslist. The profit will be yours but shipping headaches should be considered in the actual profit margin.
Whatever you choose to do, it won’t be easy and you may find that you need the emotional and physical support of someone else to help you make the best decisions.
Remember, help is out there.
My services can assist a with a cleanup, even if you are out of town! Here’s how:
I recently worked on a house here in Baltimore. My client used to live here in town but moved to the west coast many years ago. Her elderly father kept a house and lived here until he passed away at the age of 92. My client was unable to make the trip back east and needed someone to package his clothes to donate to charity. She arranged for me to get a key from her father’s last caregiver.
I went to the house whenever my schedule permitted. Sometimes I went during the day, sometimes in the evenings. It didn’t matter because I didn’t have to coordinate my work with anyone else.
My job was to go through four closets and two dressers full of clothes. Every shirt, pants and jacket pocket had to be checked because her father had a habit of putting cash in pockets. I didn’t find any cash but I still had to check each pocket.
When I finished each session I would take the bags of clothes to the Good Will or The Salvation Army on my way home or if it was too late, I took them the next day on my way to the house.
I documented my progress by taking photos of the filled bags and empty closets and drawers. These photos I would email to her each evening.
During this process I was also instructed to look for a favorite ring of her father’s. I found it, photographed it and left it on a dresser top for my client to retrieve when she returned to the house.
Our working relationship was the perfect solution for the distance problem. I also did other work in this house but I will save that for another blog.
View more before & afters in the photo gallery!
If you are starting a home business office there are lots of things to consider to make it an efficient and comfortable place to work. Having a dedicated space is ideal.
If you do this, a part of your residence can be claimed on your income taxes as a business area. That means however, that you don’t use that space for anything other than your business operations. The IRS is strict about this and we REALLY don’t want any problems with the IRS.
The next thing to consider is the equipment you will need to outfit the space for your needs. Do you need a photocopier, fax machine, dedicated phone line, computer and a printer?
The next thing to decide is how much space is available to house these items. I like a stacking shelf system that is near enough to an electrical outlet to plug into a surge suppressor without an extension cord.
Another consideration is your filing system. For papers you will need to access often I recommend a mail sorter with labels. These can be hung on a wall so as not to take up valuable floor space. After the bin is full or you feel you can file the papers, a stationary file cabinet or file bins are the next step.
Desk placement is also important. You don’t want the glare from a window shining on your computer screen all day. Position the desk facing or perpendicular to any windows and utilize artificial light to illuminate your work space.
When people ask how did you become a personal organizer, I say, I started with myself. I’m naturally organized but not methodical. So even though there were places for most things, I didn’t put them back after I used them. My best advice is don’t put anything down until you’re ready to put it back where it belongs. When you open a canned good, put the can opener back in the drawer not on the counter. When you finish wrapping that present, put the tape, paper and ribbon back were they belong, preferably all in the same area.
Get it out – put it back!
www.flylady.net talks about the “shiny sink.” The plan is to keep your kitchen sink shiny for one month. Miss a day, start again the next day.
The shiny sink is a reflection of your smiling face in the morning. A great way to start your day. Go to her site and watch the video.
Quick Tips | admin | 
September 13, 2009 8:12 am | 
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