Check out a new company “Renewbidoos” at renewbidoos.com. This is some cute stuff and they take custom orders. So, grandma’s old, tarnished teaspoons and teapot they can turn into wind chimes. That favorite bottle of wine from a romantic night long ago can become garden art. No longer a dust collector!! Turn trash into instant gifts for your family that has history and meaning.

The assessment normally takes 2.5-3 hours. Some clients ask more questions and don’t mind it going longer. They may plan on doing it themselves and will pay the extra to get that knowledge. I guarantee that you will have more knowledge and drive once I leave.

The clients I’ve done these needs assessments with have been so appreciative to have so much of my expertise in writing. They know they can get started on their own, or we can schedule time to work together. Here’s what one client said about our time together recently:

“Jennifer’s visit to my home turned wishful thinking into reality. I had run out of energy and desire to conquer the ever growing pile of business papers collecting next to our family computer, and the boxes of photos, books, and unused teaching materials in the basement. I was also frustrated at the ongoing miscellaneous items that kept piling up on the counters and tables with nowhere to go with them.

Jennifer systematically went through each room, hallway and storage area, and came up with wonderfully creative ideas for downsizing, de-cluttering, organizing, and rearranging my home to make it more serene and user friendly. As we (Jennifer and I) sat at the kitchen table discussing goals, projects, and tasks, my daughter and I began to transform the counter top into a more functional and eye-pleasing workspace just by removing unneeded pieces and appliances. Cooking dinner that evening was so much more efficient and relaxing. I became re inspired to tackle the piles, and visualized how all of the suggestions could give me the home environment I desired. Thank you Jennifer for your keen eye and no nonsense approach to clutter. I look forward to an ongoing working relationship with you until my goals for home organization are reached. ”

Mary C – Neenah

What are you waiting for? Schedule your needs assessment today! 920-725-2502.

More often then not, that pile gets dumped on a table, a counter top, or the pile/pack combo sits in lump somewhere for WEEKS pleading for you to look at it. How much time do you spend moving it, stepping over it, stressing about it, telling the kids to take care of it?

This year try something new. Tell the kids that the papers are going to be gone through right away. Get it done BEFORE you do a fun activity. Decide what the piles will be. If there are a lot of papers, I suggest that YOU be VERY SELECTIVE in what you look at. Enjoy this process. Ask the kids to pull out the special projects and homework assignments they are really proud of. Go through those first. Then decide what else you want to tackle. If there are lots of are projects (which bulks up many memory boxes), ask the kids to pick their favorites, and you keep only a couple additional if you see some really good ones.

The point is— get through this NOW. Just do it— NOW. Don’t let that mole hill turn into a mountain!!! Happy summer.

A Cutesy Tote Does Not Solve All

If your home has serious organization issues, you may find yourself wondering: How did it get this way, or I don’t even know how to begin. This proves that process ultimately trumps pretty. “It’s not about focusing on pretty. The ultimate goal is to make your home work better. If we don’t fully address the issues, they all come creeping back.” Jennifer Strachan said, owner of In Its Place Professional Organizing Services of Neenah. To begin, Strachan focuses on the home’s high traffic areas that need the most TLC. She then defers to Julie Morgenstern’s (a global, Oprah-approved organizing expert) SPACE acronym:

• Sort
• Purge
• Assign (a home)
• Containerize (store for easy retrieval)
• Equalize (maintain and re-evaluate system)

“Having these stages really helps people take a step back as they decide what really needs to be done with a certain area,” she added. “Let’s say we’re working with a closet. We all know what closets are supposed to hold based on their location— which means your hockey stick could probably find a better home. That concept alone really helps when going through the sorting and purging steps.”

It’s All About Making Decisions

In order for anyone to stick to a home organization plan, it needs to be realistic and intuitive. As the owner of Organizing Unlimited in Menasha, Sheryl Ruedebusch focuses on the overall vision of a room or space, followed by an assessment of the current function and, lastly, an action plan. She calls this the CDR, or Creating Desired Results, method. “I’ve noticed that people tend to get hung up on clichés or what they see on TV; decluttering does not mean you’ve got to throw out everything that you haven’t used,” Ruedebusch said. “Tome, clutter is defined by postponed decisions. And the CDR method helps you make sense of those decisions as you put things where they need to go.”

Let’s Do This

Process and strategy are everything. But we all learn through example — that’s why we’re giving you some proven tactics to streamline your home’s common catch-alls.

THE CLOSET

Experts reason that we wear 20 percent of the clothing in our wardrobe 80 percent of the time. “With the exception of eveningwear and classic outfits, look to donate the clothes you haven’t worn in years,” Ruedebusch said. “We’re all reluctant to get rid of clothing. But think of the pleasure donating can bring to someone else.”

Recycle all wire hangers, and opt for a uniform clothes-specific assortment. (Bed, Bath & Beyond’s swivel hangers for skirts and dresses are great.)

Use every square inch of space. Hang shoe racks on the back of the door. Classic belt hangers with multiple hooks are also a good solution for hanging camisoles, bras or scarves.

Assemble a few key outfits on hangers including accessories. Not only does this save on some hanger and hook space — it makes last-minute packing and outfit changes a snap.

Strachan recommends thinking long-term when it comes to closet organization. “I had a client that changed an entryway closet into a pantry, so they had no place to hang their coats. They reasoned, ‘Oh, we can put the coats in the front door closet.’ Did they? No. That’s why I try to be realistic by asking my clients: Is this something you’ll stick to after the honeymoon period, after a long, hard day?”

THE KITCHEN

Ruedebusch organizes around four key elements of the kitchen—cooking, food prep, holding food and cleaning. “You want to store the items you use most often, first; then you can dump, donate or store the rarely used pieces in a more remote location.”

Arrange your cupboards according to these elements. Put your everyday dishes and silverware by the dishwasher, the cutting boards near the knives and so on. Specialty appliances, like rice cookers, juicers and breadmakers can be stored in secondary places—like garages, basements, or even entryway benches.

For those who are always hunting for the oregano: Try alphabetizing your herbs and spices, and arrange them in a cabinet rack.

Plastic drawer trays are your best friend, and often come cheap from dollar stores. Pickup a few different sizes to streamline your large utensil drawers.

Organize the food in your fridge by type: drinks and small containers on the top rack, leftovers/prepared meals on the middle and whole/unprepared goods on the bottom. Strachan also orders her deep freezer according to food and prep type. “I don’t necessarily consider it efficient. It’s more like me being lazy, and not wanting to sort things over and over again.”

THE HOME OFFICE

Whether you dig bankers boxes, desk drawers or a covered bin, filing systems really are indispensible —and should be divided into two categories: important documents for later reference (taxes, investment information, paid documents) and documents that need tending to (bills and invitations).

Rather than housing a to-be-burned-in-the-fire-pit box for confidential papers, invest in a paper shredder.

Binders are great for organizing special projects, committee work and warranty information for autos, electronics and appliances.

Instead of going crazy with Post-it reminders, organize an office command center—complete with a bulletin board and dry-erase board. This can absorb any and all paperwork you might have hanging on the refrigerator as well.

Recently, I had a career appointment with my son and his high school guidance counselor (that will make you feel old). I was in the waiting area and decided to read a magazine. There is a big stand with lots of choices. Well…you can guess where this is heading…I saw one dated 2006 AND had a label listing the date. I’m not sure why except maybe someone was trying to shame them into getting rid of these. (Later, I found out they get the old magazines from the school library which get dated).
Keeping outdated items such as magazines when you run a business leaves an impression. An impression you don’t want the public to have. I would rather see ONE current magazine then five that are more than a year old.

On the flip side, if you are drowning in magazines because the deals were too good to pass up, donate some of yours to organizations such as schools, hospitals, clinics, and group homes which don’t have the funds to purchase magazines. If you make it a regular thing to one group, they would probably welcome you donating the new and discarding the old (on a regular basis). It will take you a few minutes at home, a few minutes there and travel time. Believe it or not—it’s volunteering—you can feel good about giving your magazines away, know that others will appreciate them, and you will be appreciated clearing out the old stuff. A win/win for everyone!

“Dear Jennifer:

I would like to thank you on behalf of the Brown County Home Builders Ausiliary for speaking to our group on February 16, 2010. I want to compliment you on your presentation, it was very informative and you did a wonderful job explaining the process of organization.

It made you think about what you could do to streamline your life at home and office, to be more of a productive person with time management when you are organized.

It was a pleasure meeting you and we thorougghly enjoyed the evening. Your enthusiasm for your profession shows how much you believe in your company. Wishing you success with your business in the future.

Sincerely,
Paula A. Pyle”

The next time you are at the store, play this game BEFORE you checkout. Without looking, see if you can name all the things in your cart. After you have named everything you can, look at your list. Did you name everything off the list? Were there “non list” items you forgot about? It’s these things that you should put more thought into. Is it really needed? Do you have something similar to it that could be used? Will you miss it if you don’t buy it?

The first time I tried this with my daughter, I was amazed at how well it worked. Do you know about the phenomenon about how much more money is spent when your children go shopping with you? Maybe it’s not a phenomenon, but, to me, it’s an art form. Store owners should really cater to kids—they have ways to convince mom and dad to buy things without us really noticing. When my daughter does it, I call it campaigning. She will talk out loud, “Oh, mom, doesn’t this look good?” or “I didn’t know that Oreo came out with a new flavor”. She’s a walking advertisement. It’s rare that she flat out asks for stuff—she just campaigns.

While shopping with my daughter, who was nine at the time, she saw a gorgeous sleeping mask. She wanted it so bad. Her argument was that it was only five dollars. I was thinking about all the stuff she collects in her room—she did not need a sleeping mask and it would probably be forgotten after a few days. I decided to allow her to put it in the cart and I would think about for awhile. Before we checked out, I asked her, “So what do you think about that thing you wanted? Is it needed now?” Without me cueing her on the name of the product, she could not think of what it was. We had brief discussion about the power of something looking pretty and making us desire it. We put the mask back.

Remember, to cut back on clutter and make it easy to stay organized, be careful about what is brought into the house. Play the “What’s in my cart” game and see what you come up with. You have nothing to lose, a less cluttered home is gained, you may save a few bucks, and it’s a great way to work your brain!

I have a nice shredder that can chew up 10 sheets at a time.  I bought it at an estate sale so I don’t know how well it had been cared for.  I brought it home, plugged it in and used it for over two years without doing anything to it.

Upon clearing out some files, I had a good stack of paper I needed to shred (yes, I dread it, too!).  Some of the paper was longer, and I found the shredder was getting jammed before the long sheets could get through it.  This job took way too long.  After I got done, I decided to look at the underside of the shredder.  There was a ton of paper caught in the teeth.  Hmmm…then I noticed the little oil can symbol on the top of the shredder.

Okay, I guess I should oil it.  With what?  I referenced the manual and it talked about a specific lubricant for the shredder OR you could a vegetable based oil in a non-aerosol container with an extension nozzle.   Alright—this was a solution that allowed me to do this now (how long does it take to get back to a job when it’s put off for one reason or another??).

I actually used my “Mr. Mister” that replaces “Pam”.  It pumps air into a cylindrical container that creates a fine mist with no aerosol chemicals.  I bet a medicine dropper would work also (and would be cleaner).  The manual also said to NEVER use flammable synthetic oil, petroleum based or aerosol lubricants because it could combust.

Here is what my manual says:

1. From the top of the shredder, squeeze the recommended lubricant across the full width of the blades.
2. Move the power switch to AUTO position and allow the blades to run at least 3 seconds.
3. Move the power switch to REVERSE position and allow it to run for at least 3 seconds.
4. Repeat steps 2-4 above at least times.

Basically, the blades need to move back and forth to get the oil on it. Wow—what a difference that made. Papers aren’t jamming up as easily. The job goes quicker. It’s easier. If it’s easier to do it’s more likely that the job will get done in the future (in a timely manner).

Before you decide to oil your shredder, double check the manual or online to see what should be done. I remember one client’s shredder having the oil can crossed out (do not oil?).

Here is more on shredder maintenance:

www.papershreddersinfo.com/maintenance.htm

One other tip—put a bag in the container to collect the shredded paper. The above link mentions shredder bags (which I did not know about!). I use a paper bag and then the whole thing can be recycled. You may need to cut the bag to fit but it will save you time when you have to empty the messy paper out of the shredder container.

I hope these tips keep your shredder happy and chomping up those never ending papers like there’s no tomorrow.

“They each have their own spots,” said mom Katy, 31, of Neenah, who has a 7-month-old daughter in addition to Chester, 2 and Abby, 4.

In the house, many of the kids’ items, from back packs to toys, have designated spots, which often eliminates the need for a search and rescue mission for missing articles.

“I explain that they need to put them back there so that when they want them again they know where they are,” Shaffer said.

Her children are learning skills such as responsibility, stewardship and cleanliness, skills that are helpful now and later down the road.

“(It) teaches them responsibility and prepares them for life to be self-sufficient,” she said.

Shaffer grew up learning similar skills.

“My mom always had a place for all our stuff, and I remember growing up being told if you can’t find a place for it, then you must not need it,” she said.

The added benefit to raising organized children is that it helps to cut down on some of the stress in the house, Shaffer said.

“I am a very organized person, usually, and when there is a great deal of chaos I get frazzled,” she said, adding that having an organization effort in place “helps me remain calm too and allows for more time to do other things instead of wasting time looking for things or picking up after them or retelling them the basics they need to do every day.”

Start them off young

Organizational traits can begin at an early age and follow through adulthood, said Lea Schneider of Pensacola, Fla., a professional organizer and owner of organizerightnow.com.

“You are not born organized,” said Schneider, author of Growing-Up Organized: A Mom-to-Mom Guide. “You learn to be organized.”

Children model from their parents, even in areas of organization, she said, noting that parents should take time to give their children an lesson in organization.

“Instead of just fussing, explain why organizing the project, space or time will make their life easier,” Schneider said. “Demonstrate how to do it. Practice with them. Give them steps they can follow and then stand back and just supervise.”

Tackle one Thing at a Time

With busy lives, families can be lost as to where and how to begin with teaching organization, Schneider said.

That was one reason behind her book. As a mom, she knows how crazy things get when she tries to do it all for her family.

“As a professional organizer, I’ve been in lots of homes and often found myself making the same suggestions over and over,” she said. “I realized there are lots of moms looking for solutions.”

Schneider recommends tackling one area at a time.

“You can’t decide you want everything changed immediately,” she said. “That would be too overwhelming for both you and the children.”

Instead, pick what needs the most work, be it a routine to clean rooms or peaceful homework time.

Once a goal has been set, “sit down with the kids and tell them your goal,” Schneider said.

And then get the kids involved with the process.

“Ask them for ideas and take the time to listen and incorporate them as you much as you can,” she said. “The more you bring them on board, the more success you will see.”

Be Flexible and Look at the Big Picture

Teaching a child to be organized also requires some flexibility, said Jennifer Strachan, a professional organizer and owner of In Its Place Organizing Services in Neenah.

“Whatever the system is, try to make it a flexible system,” she said. “As your children grow, so do their needs and wants change.”

For instance, when her daughter was a child, Strachan converted a small space in the basement into a dress-up area.

“I really wanted to have a divided space so she knows this is where your stuff is supposed to go,” she said.

But by looking ahead, Strachan decided to put in shelves that could be used for other storage in the future.

“It has worked out great,” she said.

Be Age Appropriate

When starting with young children, consider simple tasks such as putting socks in drawers and putting clean spoons into the drawer, Schneider said. Children also can help label their toy bins with pictures.

“Very young children can begin to organize physical space by learning each thing has a home,” Schneider said.

For older children, they “can learn time management,” she said.

“Doing so, they will learn how to allocate time for sports, practices, activities, homework and chores,” she said. “Often, parents will ask them over and over to do something and they get a response of ‘later.’ This is because they can’t see the big picture of ‘later.’ Teach them how to do just that.”

Keep it Simple

The key to keeping lids on an organized-minded track is to keep instructions simple for them, Strachan said.

“You have to keep things pretty simple and easy to get to and easy to use for them to want to maintain it or they will stop doing it,” she said.

Job charts listing specific tasks are one way to help kids know exactly what they need to do.

“That can be a brain saver for Mom and Dad,” Strachan said. “Some kids just do better with reading versus listening.”

Schneider said a wipe-off board is handy for readers.

“For non-readers, you can use a picture list,” she said. “They can check off the list. This teaches them to think ahead plus to be responsible for their own belongings and time.”

Strachan uses a spiral-bound notebook, each with the names of the children. Inside are items that need to get done.

“It’s so freeing to me because I’m not worried and I will look at that sheet,” she said. “I think that kind of gets their attention. I don’t need to be constantly reminding (them).”

However, as children get used to an organization system, repetition will be needed, Strachan said.

“Don’t expect your children to figure it out the first or second time,” she said.

Stick With It

The road to an organized child may have bumps and detours but in the long run, your children will appreciate the skills they learned.

“They’re going to be on their own at some point in time,” Strachan said. “It’s not going to get anywhere if I’m doing it. I think they need to have responsibility.”

Schneider agreed.

“Teaching your child to organize their belongings, their space and their time will benefit them through school and into the workplace,” she said. “It seems to me nearly every employer in every field lists organized as a required job skill.”

Moms also can let go of the need to do it all, Schneider said.

“Being part of a family means not only embracing the joys of family life but participating in family life,” she said. “Children can and should learn how to participate in keeping the house organized and manage their own time and own belongings. It’s all part of being a family. The lessons your child learns from you will be a gift they take with them their whole lives.”