A Fresh Start Organizing

Taming Your Paper Piles the Pendaflex Way

2010-07-19T23:59:16Z

Recently I was asked by Pendaflex to review a set of filing products on my blog. I love my organizing products and the incentive of a $20 gift card to Target (or the Red Dot Boutique as my sister in law fondly calls it) made the decision an easy one! As always, whether compensated or not, I will always give my honest opinion of anything that helps my readers and clients function better!

Pendaflex introduced a line of products to help tame your paper piles. Knowing that many of us are innately pilers and not filers, this product line was very intriguing. I have blogged before of my desk issues, so I thought this may be useful to not only my clients but myself. Hey, even organizers need a little help staying organized!

The tray is made out of clear plastic that is supposed to sit on your desk. I love the concept of a place to call home for your piles of papers, but I am not a huge fan of the style of the tray. It is a little on the modern side, or maybe just a little to “office cubicle” like. I guess since I work more with homes and home offices, I like a little more style to my products than most. But if you are going on function then it serves its purpose. I am always trying to meld style and function…this one leans more toward function.

The tray comes with 6 heavy duty dividers with label tabs on the side and front, so you can tell what your files are from any view. Again, I LOVE the concept, but I would love to see this come in a few other colors than rainbow. If I were in a standard office (I’m talking cubicle) I wouldn’t care as much. I am hoping Pendaflex comes out with a designer line!

In my goodie box from Pendaflex I also received the View Folders from the PileSmart line. According to Pendaflex the Pilesmart line was created by experts to help keep “pilers” desks neat and organized. The View Folders are a great way to keep papers that need to be ready to go with you. The files folders are even semi transparent so you can not only read the label but see what is inside! (I only say semi due to the color of the folders. I know those whose eyesight isn’t a perfect 20/20 may think the color is harder to read through, but I think it is VERY clear for a color!) This is great for those who have the fear of file folders due to the “out of sight out of mind” because seeing inside the folder will jog your memory of what is really inside!

Again, the colors are bright and fun, but are not my favorite. I am hoping that Pendaflex will make a designer line that doesn’t look like the colors belong in a teenage girls room!

Last in my package was the Pendaflex PileSmart Binder Clips. Love that there is a label on the end of the clip! I have always used a binder clip and then put a sticky note under the binder clip to label what the pile is. But if it gets buried under other papers you probably will have the out of sight out of mind problem with the clipped papers, even though your labeled it! This allows you to label the clipped papers and still see what the label is even if buried! Love it!

Unless you have a huge desk with yards of open desk space, if you are a piler, stacking is the only way to function in your space! This series of products are the best I have seen to not only help keep your piles neat and organized, but allow you to see what you have hidden deep in the depths of your piles! I think I will use the set for a while and see if I can get over the style/colors of it! I have to remember that even if I don’t love the colors of it, piles of papers all over my desk isn’t any better!

With some families gearing up toward back to school in the next few weeks, a system like this would be great for your kids to keep their work organized and their desktops clear! Can I get a Whoot! Whoot!?

Organizing With Hooks…They Will Hook You In

2010-06-16T05:44:41Z

Hooks are a great tool in organizing. Having a home for things is a vital part of keeping an organized home. They work well for towels (no need to fold and hang over a towel rod), keys, leashes, and frequently used bags/backpacks/jackets/sweatshirts. I love to find great new hooks that are add decorative charm, but are at an affordable price.

Esty is a great place to find unique, affordable, adorable decor for you home. For those of you who don’t know, Etsy is a place where those who craft and make handmade items sell their goods. It is a website you can get lost in looking at all the great items people have created! I wanted to share with you some of the fun hooks I found on Etsy.

I use hooks all over my home. Truly they have made my life a lot easier. There is less on the floor for starters! Things are just easier to see.

I recently realized I outgrew my jewelry storage and needed to come up with something new. I used hooks in my bedroom to hang my necklaces. It to me is now the “art” in my bedroom. I am not sure my husband finds it art, but I love the way it looks and now I wear more of my necklaces than I did before.

I use a key hook with mail slots for easy access to my keys. The mail slots are used more for things I need to get me out the door. My iPod is one of them. Eye glass cleaner (my husband was hugely up-sold one day at the mall) is adorning the top section.

I also use them to hold backpacks and sweatshirt for school. My boys were notorious for dropping their backpacks in the middle of the passthrough in our kitchen. I installed the hooks so there was no excuse as to not having a place to put them!

I had always used a towel rod to hang my bath towels. I would waste spend time diligently lining up the folded towels to they sat perfectly even…and then I decided to throw in the towel – literally! The hooks mean less work!

My kids have the same set up, except I did make the mistake of not installing the hooks low enough for my little one to reach. He has found that if he climbs on the toilet seat he can reach the hook…but he is not a fan of it. Word to the wise, for kids hang low!!!

I have hooks behind the doors of my kids rooms for their hats, hooks in the garage for baseball bags, tennis bags, and other sports bags. I have a hook inside my kitchen cabinet under the sink for my towels. Hooks in my office for my work bags. I could go on and on…

Do you use hooks? What other uses have you found for hooks?

Is Your Home Summerized?

2010-06-17T03:27:05Z

I subscribe to numerous blogs. I am always looking for great information and inspiration! One of my favorite blogs is The Nester. She has real life decorating tips at affordable prices. I love her DIY inspirations and lessons. Even her Meet The Nester page is awesome! She rocks!

Photo from The Nester

The Nester, as she is called, has a great series of posts on “Summerizing” your home. As she tells us, this is not a mathematical equation, this is a way to bring the summer in. It is a feel of the home that reflects the summer season.

COOL

Summer is here, it is hot, and not it is time to cool it down…

The Nester helps us realize we make our homes warm and cozy for winter, but for summer we should look to cool things down. She recommends a crisp, clean, light, and airy decor.

Her tips are to:

Neutralize
Add Some Blue/Green/Gray
Incorporate White
Change Out Stuff
Lighten Up

CALM

The Nester talks about her love of tchotchkes and how this time of year she likes to pear it down and puts a few away. I love how she explains that at this time of year the stuff makes her home feel “hot, loud and jumbled”. I think her best advice is to “quiet the house”!

COLLECTED

As we found out, The Nester LOVES home accessories. This love can make a room feel clutter and crowded. She has found that collections, grouping like items (ohhh, that sounds like an organizing phrase) brings a calm to the room. LOVE her!

Now you know why I LOVE The Nester! Simple, easy and achievable decorating to make your home Summerized! How will you Summerize your nest?

*Photos from The Nester! Even the photos make me giddy!

8 Things to Organize With Your Kids This Summer

2010-06-11T21:06:50Z

I love the idea of summer. I really love the thought of lazy days, the freedom from schedule and the fact there seems to be something fun to do everyday! I have summer lovin’ for about 3 weeks and then I want to send the kids back to school!

I know I am not the only one who feels this way. I have lots of conversations with moms who, about 3 weeks into summer vacation, are so sick of hearing their kids fighting, whining and saying, “I’m bored”!

We want our kids to get a break from the stress of school, but to what extent? Lazy summer days can quite possibly bring out the worst in a family! Giving our kids a relaxed schedule is ok, avoid a non-existant one.

Summer is a great time to work with your kids on some organizing projects that will help get the home and family more efficient come back to school time. Use some scheduled time with your kids to get these projects accomplished with ease.

A few rules in working with kids on any organizing project:

Remeber to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Don’t expect kids to last longer than an hour (for older children) or a half hour (for younger children).
Be positive. For every negative comment you give your chance of finishing the project with the help of your children will diminish. Use encouraging words and give praise. I need to remind myself of this rule on a constant basis!
Give them fair warning. Do not expect your child to jump when you call them to work on a project. Let them know what time you plan on working together. Think about their typical day. If all the kids are playing outside and you call your child in to do work, the chances of a positive attitude from your child will be slim to none!

So you may be thinking what exactly can I work with my kids on? Here is my top ten list of child friendly organizing projects:

Art/school work organizing. You probably have a stack of school work and art work that came home from school throughout the year. Now is a great time to weed it down to what is really keepsake worthy. Having your kids help pick their favorites is actually a huge help. If you set a limit on how many they can keep, they will be sure to find the best of their best work! See my post on Taming Your Budding Artist for more tips on organizing your children’s art work.
Organizing toys. Toys can seem to muliply overnight like fleas. Now is a great time to get their toys cleared and organized. I know this may scare you, but once the kids get going, they will be more apt to keep the good and let go of the unused. I have found that kids have toys so burried that they forget about toys. Having the time to uncover these will most likely keep them occupied for hours. It will be like Christmas morning all over again! Check out more information on Organizing Their Toys.
Kids Clothing Organizing. Now that they will be most likely to live in a bathing suit and t-shirts, get rid of the clothes that are so stained, too small, and unloved. I must say, it is essential to have your child present when weeding out their clothes. Donate, pass down or create rags from the clothes you purge. Check out more information on Organizing Kids Clothing.
Organize the video games. My husband and I tried as hard as we could to avoid the whole video game thing. We cave a few years ago and it is amazing how fast the “stuff” can get out of control. Controllers, disks, little cartridges, stylus’, and cords seem to get intermixed and lost as fast as you buy them. Unless you have no problem paying $60 everytime a video game is lost, getting this area of the home under control is vital! Check out more information on Organizing Video Games.
Organize Your Pantry. This is not a joke. This is a good project to get the kids involved in. This is where my kids and half the neighborhood live in the summer. Have the kids help you clear out the food that is no longer loved, that is stale, or empty. I love an organized pantry and so does everyone who comes to my home! It is my pride and joy to let those who enter my home feed themselves as they please. Check out more information on How to Organize Your Pantry.
Organize the sports equipment. Summer usually means a lull in sports. There are camps and all-stars and other sporting commitments, but for the most part sports takes a back seat during the summer. Now is a great time to weed out the old, unused, and broken equipment and make a list for any items that need to be replaced. Check here for more information on Organizing Your Sports Equipment.
Organize your summer gear. Whether you have been out of school and in summer mode for a month now or just getting out of school, it is never to late to get your summer gear in order. Designate a goto place for your beach and pool gear. Have an easy to access place for pool towels and beach blankets. Have sidewalk chalk and bubbles ready to keep your kids occupied! Check your stock of sunscreen. Remember sunscreen usually lasts about a year.
Organize their homework zone. I have noticed my son is slowly emptying out his backpack where he does his homework. There are broken pencils, useless erasers and loose papers have taken over! Take some time to clear their space and take inventory of what is left. School supplies will start invading the stores sooner than you think! To make sure you can take advantage of school supply sales and inventory (have you ever tried to find spirals in your child’s favorite color when the store has been picked over?!?) Check here for more tips on Organizing your Child’s Homework Station.

Some days it feels like we make each day a Disneyland day. Our kids wind up feeling like they need to be entertained at all times. For a well balanced family, you need downtime, work time and time for fun. Break these organizing activities down with your kids. Take your time and the organizing changes you make will be long lasting. Remember our job as a parent is to make sure to raise high functioning adults. These summer projects will help teach your children how to make and keep an organized home!

Have an organized day!

Organizing Made Easy With Smead

2010-06-09T01:51:34Z

If you have read my blog before you may know I have a crazy love for organizing products. From personal experience, I know that there is no one product that works for everyone. Think about the calendar. How many choices are there out there? Within different types of calendars there are a plethora of choices! But I love to research and have as many options for my clients as possible.

I was recently approached by Smead to review a few of their products geared towards making your office more easily organized! Did you think I wouldn’t jump on the chance? Touch, feel, smell, see organizing products and then get to tell people about it? You bet I jumped on the chance! And to boot, I get a little token of appreciation for doing so! Sign me up.

Now don’t get all crazy that I can’t right an unbiased review with $$$ on the line! I will let you know if I don’t think a product is good or not (check out I’m Not Martha in my blog categories!) I am also always striving to make my desk life better. Remember my post about my disorganized desk?!?! So trying new products for office organizing was exciting! (Yeah, I know…I need a life!)

The first product up to bat (yes, baseball is on the brain from Little League) was the Viewables Color Labeling System . According to Smead, “no more typing or handwritting tiny inserts for your hanging folder tabs. Print color-coded labels that affix to our patented Viewables tabs that are readable from the front, top and back…”

I am a big fan of a streamlined file system. I really personally prefer all file labels on one side, not the 3 tab or even 5 tab. I feel it lets you be more flexible if you need to make changes in your files. What I like about this system is that it allows you to do just that! You can put the tabs in the same position and the color coding helps break up the categories of the files. It is actually quite a beautiful site when completed! (Wiping a tear from my eye, sniff, sniff). The best part about this system is that it allows you to choose from different fonts and colors! What person doesn’t appreciate a little customization!

The fact you can read the label from the top is awesome. My file drawers sit to either side of me. Two happen to be on the bottom of my desk and only one is at close to eye level. The fact you can read from the top makes it faster to see what files are what and retrieve what you are looking for so much more efficiently! My biggest complaint is that it is not MAC compatible (yet I hope!) I had to play around with it on my old beat up PC. I will let you know if it becomes MAC compatible!

The second product up to bat was the SuperTab. I am a huge fan of the larger label area! I can’t tell you how many times I have had to rename a file just to get the label to fit! Although it was sold in many colors and options of cuts (1/2 or 1/3), my one concern was that I like my files lined up to one side. You can use the 1/2 cut folders and flip one half to create a right or left tab. I hope Smead will hear my linear voice and make them in the option of right or left tab only!
The last batter was the new Stadium File. I LOVE this product. For all of you who need to have your stuff out in the open, this is the product for you! There are 12 file pockets (most come in 3 to 5) that are sized to fit files or documents. You can separate out 12 different categories of stuff! This is where I can see the 1/3 cut file folders coming in handy!

I know many of you are pilers. I am a piler at heart, but try to avoid it at all costs! I know myself and a pile is trouble. But, like you, I am really worried about if it goes in a file, I will forget it! This stadium file system has tiers to allow you to see the different files, genius for the out of site out of mind person! This would be a great addition to a busy kitchen counter for those pesky papers like: permission slips, bills, invitations, class rosters, action papers, and more!

These products are a great addition to a home, home office or office itself! Not only are the useful, but they are affordable to boot! All three products are less than $20 and easy to find. You can find these and other great organizing products from Smead at Office Depot, Staples, and Amazon.

Have an organized day!

When Clients Blog…An Organizing Session in Review

2010-06-07T23:58:53Z

I had the opportunity to do an organizing session with a client that will soon be featured in our local paper The Orange County Register. I was blessed to be able to work with Robin Barr of Cold Sores BeGone. She is an amazing woman who turned a problem into a profit! Her cold sore remedy really works and is all natural to boot! In addition to her business, she has two blogs, Robin Barr Buzz and Saddleback Buzz. She is dynamic and eager to learn – a great client to have!

She was kind enough to take our session for article and write a blog post detailing her side of the story! Check it out here…

Robin Barr

BEFORE

AFTER

I would love to hear what you think of it and your comments on how the project turned out!

Have An Easy, Breezy Move

2010-06-05T21:02:35Z

I know a professional organizer’s job is to help you clear the clutter and excess in your life, so when U*Store*It asked me to write a post for them, I thought people might think I have moved to the dark side (of over saving that is). I normally would advise clients to eliminate the unnecessary items they store, but is some cases, a storage unit is a necessity!

Storage units are great to store holiday decor, seasonal clothing, important documents, and family photos and memorabilia. For those who live in small spaces, these long term storage items can be safely kept in a climate controlled environment. For many, people store their long term storage items in garages, basements or attics. These spaces are rarely climate controlled and can do more harm than good to your precious items!

Moving can be a challenging time in your life. Storage units can be very helpful in making the process easier. Check out my post on 5 moving tips to make your life a little easier on the U*Store*It blog!

5 Tips for An Easy, Breezy Move

Also, check out these great tips for hosting a garage sale!

Mom Tip: Garage Sales

Do you have any moving or garage sale tips that make these two tasks seem less ICKY?!?!

Easy Summer Recipes – Simplify Your Kitchen Time

2010-06-04T05:36:23Z

Now that Memorial Day weekend is past, summer seems to be kicked into full gear! Weekends are for bar-b-ques and entertaining outdoors. What no host wants is to be stuck in the kitchen while others are getting to enjoy. A good host is one who enjoys the party just as much as the guests. Your guests want to spend time with you, that is the purpose of having them over!

Get in and out of the kitchen quickly this summer with easy recipes like this one from Real Simple. With easy preparation and quick grilling you will be the hostess with the mostest and still be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Enjoy your summer with yummy, easy recipes! I will keep them coming. Let me know if you have tried them and what you think!

Getting Organized for Your Caregiver

2010-06-02T21:10:55Z

I am always on the lookout for new and exciting products to help my clients get and stay organized. I also believe that one product doesn’t not solve the problem for all. I was introduced to The Caregiver Organizer for My Child book by one of the authors, Karen Berg. I must say, this is a good tool for parents to use with anyone watching their precious children. If you only have time for one organizing project, organizing your information for your precious children should be priority number one!

This e-book is full of great suggestions for making the lives of your caregiver easier. Also, there are full detailed sections on how you want them to handle discipline, detailed reports for the nanny to fill out, what to do with the pets, and even how to work the remote. There are so many things you would never think to tell the person who is watching your child, and this helps to remind you of all things they should know.

I have been the type to stand and detail all the things the sitter should know, without writing it down. How foolish for me to think these people will actually remember what I have told them! Handing them this book filled out will save the hassle of trying to pass knowledge on my way out the door!

If you regularly have someone watching your children, an organized approached to passing information on to them is a must. I highly recommend this book and know it will make your life easier and convenient. I guess that is after you have filled out the pages!

Karen has passed on a discount for the book! Use this 25% coupon code when checking out: CAREGIVER25

If you purchase this book, let me know how it has changed your life! And guess what…for those in the sandwich generation, stay on the lookout for The Caregiver Organizer For My Aging Parent (under Products) coming soon!

Easy Breakfast Recipe

2010-05-27T17:53:35Z

I have a love for decorating blogs. I love to find fresh design ideas and wish I had loads of money, time and space to create newly decorated spaces everyday. I guess sometimes I do that in organizing my clients homes, but not like this. I always say I am a wanna be interior designer.

One of my favorite websites and blogs is by Heather Bullard. Check out her blog and you will be able to see why I absolutely stalk, obsess, worship adore her and wish I could have her decorate my home.

Yesterday she did a post about an easy frittata recipe. I had to share it with you! For my readers you will know I am all about ease and convenience. I love to be in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible! This recipe will do just that, but also make you look like you slaved for hours. I am a lot like the Rice Krispie Commercial that shows a woman throwing flour on her face to make it look like she worked so hard to make the dessert!

Click on the picture to get the recipe. I am putting this one in the recipe bank for my next brunch! Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Home Office Inspiration

2010-05-26T00:54:10Z

Sheic Space -

Last week I had a fun opportunity to be interviewed by Angee Robertson of Sheic Space on Blog Talk Radio. We discussed my home office and a little about my business. I also gave a few tips for home office organization and productivity. Click here to listen!

Here are a few photos of my office! Now remember it doesn’t always look this good. I wrote about my office falling apart here.

Here are a few additional photos I found to be very inspirational! I love to start an organizing project with a vision in mind. Maybe these photos will help you envision the office of your dreams to actually become a reality!

Do you have a home office that would inspire us? Please share!!! If any of these photos above inspire you to create the home office of your dreams we would love to hear how you go about your plan of action!

Organizing Tips: Ask the Organizer

2010-05-21T23:37:17Z

Reader Question:

Wondering if you have a helpful organization idea of what I could with my kid’s bday cards and holiday card for them, etc. ??? It seems to be an area that creates clutter because it doesn’t have a “home.” Help!!

A Fresh Starts Answer:

Great question! I first would make sure the cards are worth keeping. Cards with just a signature in them are in a sense meaningless. Those cards with sentiment inside (cute notes, poems, funny stories) are worth the effort in saving.

Also, who are you keeping the cards for? If it is for you, then think of who is special in your life. If it is for the child, really think about how much they will cherish these cards in their later years. They may not even have a clue as to who the people were at their first birthday.

For Christmas cards, I really would think about how often you would go back to look at them again. Some people reminisce often and love to go back. Others never look at them again, but feel guilty tossing pictures of their friends children on these expensive cards.

In regards to anything, if you have the space and will use/love/need the items again, then by all means you can keep it. If you are keeping out of guilt or obligation, rethink your need to keep!

Once you have culled through the cards and decided which ones are storage worthy, you can group them together in bundles of events. I like to tie the cards together in a ribbon with a tag attached with the details of the event. I would highly recommend storing in an acid free box to help preserve the cards. You can find these wherever scrapbooking supplies are sold. Michaels, The Container Store and Creative Memories (online) are great places to look. I would try and keep them by year if possible for easy retrieval. Remember if you are trying to do this through the years, leave room to grow. If there is no room to grow, you may need to let go of a little more!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!!!

Organizing Tips: Decluttering Questions to Ask Continued

2010-05-23T13:46:22Z

No matter what the space is, no matter what the clutter is, no matter where the clutter is, there are questions you can ask yourself to help let go of this “stuff” that is holding us back. We need to be real with the “why” we held onto something that is not making our lives better. Remember, clutter is unnecessary and unused items that create a disorderly state. All this stuff needs to find a good home. Finding the best home is a big part of the problem of clutter. Usually we need to make room for new, but don’t let go of the old to do so.

Ask yourself these questions with any area you plan to declutter:

Was this purchase a mistake? (If so, you don’t get your money back by holding on to it.)
Does it take more time and effort to manage it than it is worth?
Does it make others unhappy to see it? Am I putting things before people and relationships?
Do I need it? Is it redundant (do I really need 3 measuring spoons sets)?
Do I love it? Does it make me happy or unhappy to see it?
If I were moving, would I pay to have it packed and moved?
Would I buy it again?
Would I be able to buy it again? Can I borrow or purchase another one if needed, without spending a fortune or have difficulty finding it?
Is it broken, and if so, am I really ever going to fix it?
Am I ever really going to finish the project?
When was the last time you used it?
If I knew that someone else would really benefit from having this, would it make it easier to let it go?
Is this adding value to my home or business?
Is this item getting in the way of my ability to find what I actually need, when I need it?
Will this help me make or save money?
How much space does it require (the more space it takes the more critical I should be in my decision to keep it)?
If I keep it, will I remember I have it? If I remember I have it, will I be able to find it?

One point I try and make with all my clients is to really dig deep and ask yourself these questions. Don’t try to convince yourself it is OK to keep it. Like a horoscope you can manipulate your answers to justify keeping things. But if you really want to make a change in your life, to actually clear the clutter and have a calm, beautiful space, then you must face the music.

What are you finally willing to part with to make room for the great in your life?

Organizing Tips: Decluttering Questions to Ask Continued

2010-05-23T13:46:37Z

In my last two posts I gave you questions to ask yourself while decluttering. I touched upon clothes and papers. Both are a challenge, because we tend to keep papers we don’t really need and we hold onto clothes we no longer wear. I have many clients needing help in both clothing and papers. One other area clients call for help is their memorabilia. This can be one of the hardest areas to deal with.

We hold onto things to help us remember special times and special people. Memorabilia is defined as “mementos; souvenirs. Matters or or events worthy to be remembered.” So often we are concerned we won’t remember people and events in out lives so we keep a little piece to help us remember. But really what happens to all those little treasures? Typically I see them stuffed in a drawer, shoved in a cabinet, mixed up with other items in a box and hiding on a shelf. If these are special enough to think to keep it, why is it not receiving the special treatment it deserves?

We don’t intend to not treat our memorabilia so carelessly. It is just that it can be overwhelming. If there are too many things and no specific home for it to go in, the task itself can stop you in your tracks.

When going through your memorabilia ask yourself:

Do I have anything else that reminds me of this (person, event, time)?
Am I keeping this because I love the memory, or is it out of guilt (someone gave to me although I don’t really love/want it)?
Does the sentimental value exceed the practical value?
If I took a picture of this, would it make it easier to let go?
Would future generations be interested to see what I held onto?

Once you have culled through your memories and you are left with the good stuff, you will have an easier time deciding how to display or store your memories. If we really love these items and cannot part with them, we should show we care. Having our memorabilia haphazardly stored does not show we truly love it! To make those memories last for generations, take care of them.

For information on storing your valuable memories, I highly recommend the book “Saving Stuff” by Don Williams and Louisa Jaggar. They are associated with the Smithsonian Institute and have created a invaluable resource for preserving almost any item you can think of.

Decluttering Questions – Clothing

Decluttering Questions – Paper

Manage Your Clutter

Organizing Tips: Decluttering – Questions to Ask Continued

2010-05-23T13:46:54Z

photo from Better Homes and Gardens

My last post started us on our journey of decluttering. As a recap, you don’t need to declutter to organize…but it sure does help!

Clutter has been coined by the legendary organizer Barbara Hemphill as “postponed decisions”. Clutter is really just stuff that we don’t need or use any longer but hold onto anyway. We postpone the decision to do something with it for a varitey of reasons. We spent money on it and feel guilt. We should keep it just in case. We used to love it. We used to use it. We don’t know what to do with it. We just haven’t had time to deal with it.

Whatever the reason for our clutter, it still is clutter! Most of the times we don’t realize we are holing on to things unnecesarily. That is why I am giving you a series of questions to ask yourself when you start to get organized.

Clothes don’t seem to fall into the clutter issue to most. They think since they can pack it into a closet or drawer, it isn’t clutter. But really, most of the clothes that are stuffed in these spaces is never worn. Clothes have a funny way of hanging out way past their expiration date! Clothes that are not being worn are in a sense clutter. Whether you have space for them or not, if you don’t wear it, it is unnecessary.

I love clothes. I love accessories, shoes, jewelry…you get it. But I do turn over my closet quite frequently. I will notice I stopped going for a particular shirt (probably because I never felt awesome in it). Every time I purchase something new, I try to weed out something I am not wearing as much. I want you to try and stick to this rule. But before you get to this (which is more of a maintenance level), I want you to make some serious decisions on the clothes you have jammed into your closet and dressers!

Decluttering Questions to Ask Yourself When Organizing Your Closet

Is the item is good condition? Does it have stains or tears? Is it pilling, fading, fraying?
Is the item still in style? If and when a particular trend comes back it is never the same when it returns.
Do you love the item, or even like it?
Does it make you feel great when wearing it?
When was the last time you wore it?
Did you forget you had it because it was buried behind other clothes?
How many do I currently own of this type of item? (Think white t-shirt. How often and how many do you really need?)
Does it fit NOW? Having one pair of goal pants is OK. Having a closet full of clothes you haven’t fit into in a few years is depressing and self defeating. If you do have a few pounds to lose, you will want to (and should) reward yourself with new clothes.

How many items did you find you could part with? Let’s see who clears out the most!