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DIY Entry Organization

  
I was visiting a friend the other day and was impressed with her innovative entry. She turned a blank wall into a place where her family can hang their coats, hats, bags, etc. She framed pegboard, painted the frames dark blue, and added hooks at various levels to accommodate her children's varying heights.

She placed three identical pegboard organizers in the space, making it more decor rather than just utilitarian, as a large pegboard would have been. If I remember correctly, the pegboards were about two feet wide and 4-5 feet high. To finish it off, she added containers under the pegboards to hold shoes.

A great way to turn unused space into a very practical entry solution!

More on DIY entry organization:
DIY Storage - Entry or  Side Table
DIY - Turn a Hutch or TV Cabinet into an Entry Organizer
Entry Closet Door Organizer



 

DIY Gift Wrap Organizer

In my ongoing search for clever organizing ideas, I found this ingenious way of keeping gift wrap under control: using wire closet shelving!

This is how The Family Handyman describes it:

"Propping up rolls of gift wrap in the corner of a hall closet often means wrinkled, torn or lost rolls. Here's a way to keep the rolls neatly organized and easy to reach.

Make a wrapping paper "corral" by screwing a small section of wire closet shelving vertically to the side of a closet wall. Just slide the rolls in!"

Don't you love it?

More on DIY storage:
DIY Cord  Storage:
DIY Closet Storage from Flea Market Finds
Turn Your  Clutter into Storage - DIY Ideas

Turn Bathroom Cutter into a Welcome Basket for Guests

  
It's amazing how quickly we can accumulate little samples and other small items in our bathrooms! When we moved in April, I saw just how many such items I had and would probably never use.

Why not get them out of my bathroom and provide a little spa basket for our guests? What a nice way to welcome visiting friends!

Not having guests at the moment? Stash the basket under the sink or in the guest room to declutter your guest bath counter for everyday use.

More on decluttering the bathroom:
Organizing Products I Use - Under-the-Sink Drawers
Safe, Space-Saving Storage for Hair Appliances
Decluttering in 5: 20 Decluttering Tasks You Can Do in 5 Minutes or Less

 

Organizing Products I Use - Organizing Sandal and Flip Flop Storage

As I went through the summer and end-of-summer sales, I began accumulating enough sandals and flip flops to create a mess in my closet! I've posted a solution using dry cleaner hangers, but I didn't want to sacrifice that much closet space. What to do?

I chose an over-the-door shoe organizer. I could get a pair of shoes in each of the twenty-four pockets. I haven't filled all the slots by a long shot, so I have plenty of room to grow without creating a mess in my closet! Not that I necessarily want to fill up all twenty-four pockets with summer shoes! 
 

Such a simple and inexpensive solution to shoe clutter!

More on Organizing Products I Use:
Organizing Products I Use - Shoe Organizers (but not for shoes)
Organizing Products I Use - Repurposed Furniture
Organizing Products I Use - Two-Shelf Dish Organizers

 

Destressing Christmas Already? ... Yep!

   
If you really want to destress your holidays, start now! Twelve Tips to Destressing Christmas has a plethora of ideas to help make your celebrations meaningful and joy-filled.

Things like being intentional about your celebrations, creating memories, planning meals, smart and green gift-giving, decluttering, and much more!

Give yourself the gift of a destressed Christmas!

More on Christmas:
Labeling Storage with Digital Pictures
The Very Best Apps and Websites for Holiday Gift List Organization
Recycling My Christmas Tins into Pantry Storage

Another App to Keep College Students Organized

  

Here's another app I found to help keep college students organized: Timetable. Enjoy the following review by Linda Gorman of the Daily Orange:

"You’ve probably said it before, but this time you’ll mean it: This is the year you’re going to get organized. No more scribbling assignments on your hand or digging for syllabi crumpled at the bottom of your backpack.

Organization is tough. But if wall calendars and color-coded subject folders aren’t your thing, don’t throw your hands up yet. If you have a smartphone, you have a whole host of tools at your disposal to make the scary business of getting organized a little more manageable. One of the best tools available is the top-rated, recently updated Android application, Timetable.

Timetable, available for free from Google Play, offers students a simple way to keep track of courses and assignments.

From a centralized dashboard, users start out by entering their courses, called “lessons,” into the app, including details such as location, time, teacher and subject. From there, students can add tasks or exams for each lesson with due dates and details about the assignment or test. Lessons are displayed as colored modules on a daily or weekly calendar.

The calendar is useful, but the real utility of the app comes into play when changing the default settings to allow notifications and auto-muting.

Timetable automatically silences your phone during scheduled lesson times. Never again will you slink down in your chair and pretend you have no clue whose One Direction ringtone interrupted your short-tempered professor mid-lecture.

For those who want more information right on their home screens, Timetable offers push notifications about upcoming deadlines, as well as widgets with details about the day’s lessons or tasks.

Timetable’s user interface is clean, intuitive and highly customizable. Users have a choice of color themes for widgets and for the app itself. Students can specify the days of the week that Timetable will use, as well as the information about each lesson and task, such as subject, teacher, location and more.

If you have multiple Android devices, it’s possible to take your schedule with you wherever you go. Timetable syncs your account to the Cloud to keep data consistent and current on whatever tablet, phone or notebook you’re using.

Getting organized and staying organized is important, and it will give you a leg up on your classmates. Entering classes, assignments and exams into Timetable is a great way to get the semester off to a good start."

More on organizing for college:
3 Apps Every College Students Needs to Get Organized
Organizing Your Dorm Room
Getting Organized for School - Backpack Checklist

Containing Your Cords with Binder Clips!

 
Sorry I haven't blogged for a few days. I went on a ladies retreat with our church over the weekend and helped organize it. So I'm a little behind! 

It was a lovely time at a lovely location, called Wilderness Edge. And we were in the wilderness! Perfect weather in the 70's - especially timely since we have snow in the forecast this week! Let's get on to our blog post, shall we?

I discovered an inexpensive way to get those cords under control: binder clips! A couple of binder clips lift those cords off the floor, removing that horrible eyesore!

Just attach each binder clip to your desk, using a screw threaded through a washer. Isn't that ingenious?

More on DIY organizing:
DIY Cord Storage
Organizing Your Bracelets – Go Vertical!
Organize Toys Using a Wire Garden Planter

 

Organizing with Velcro

 
Here's another great organizing idea I found when searching the internet. Kuzak's Closet suggested using adhesive Velcro dots to keep organizing baskets from moving around your drawers. Great, simple, irritation-busting idea!

More organizing tips:
Organizing Your Kitchen  Cabinets - Fake Pull-Out Drawers
Organizing Sheets and Pillowcases
DIY Under-the-Bed Storage

September - National Preparedness Month - What Are Your Potential Emergencies?

  
As a result of moving to Montana, my husband and I have a different set of emergencies to anticipate than when living in Ohio or Maryland. As a result, we had a conversation recently on how to prepare for such eventualities.

First, we identified those emergencies we might face.We thought we might encounter no electricity, no water, extreme temperatures, high wind,  and heavy snow. No longer do we need to prepare for tornadoes, though, as we did in the other two locations.

Next, we identified the ramifications of those emergencies.It could mean no heat, no connection with the outside world, lack of water, no indoor cooking facilities, being stuck in snow, being cold.

Third, we identified action items to prepare for these possible emergencies.- We plan to get a kerosene heater to provide heat should our electricity go out.- We decided to get a battery with which to charge our phones and computers. We already have car chargers for them.
- We will begin to fill empty containers with water and a little bleach so we would at least have water to flush the toilets.
- We'll stock up on nonperishable items should we not be able to cook at all - tuna, canned veggies and fruit; and a manual can opener.
- We'll make sure to have a full back-up gas canister for the grill should we need to use it as our main source of cooking.
- I bought a pair of heavy-duty snow boots. My husband already has a couple of pairs.
- By the end of September, we should winterize our car - have blankets, hand and feet warmers, water, etc. in each car should we get stuck somewhere.
- Our snow shovel is accessible.
- We have coats, gloves, etc. that are appropriate for snow removal.

What emergencies might you face in your area and how will you prepare for them?

More on preparedness:
Prepare for the Unexpected - Winterizing Tips
Getting Your House in Order - A Great Wintertime Project
Organizing for Safety During the Holiday Season - A Simple  Tip

Organizing Your Kitchen Cabinets - Fake Pull-Out Drawers

  
I've been searching around the internet for great organizing ideas, and found this one: fake pull-out drawers. Using plastic containers as you would drawers allows you to pull out the container and find what you need easily. Good-bye standing on your head to find those things in the back.  Nothing gets lost or forgotten. Brilliant idea!!

More on kitchen storage:
Organizing Products I Use - Spice Organizers and Turntables
Redbook: Clever Storage for Plastic Wrap, Foil, and Reclosable Bags
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen

Turn Old Furniture into an Island or Kitchen Table

   



Better Homes and Gardens ideas for repurposing old furniture: "Improve the functionality of your kitchen -- without spending a lot -- by transforming an old furniture piece into a work space.

Any table or chest can be enlisted as an island stand-in, provided it can be adjusted to the right height.

This narrow table, painted white and outfitted with a beveled-glass topper, now serves as a delightful dining area in this tiny kitchen."

More repurposed furniture:
DIY Storage - Turn Old Benches into a Shelving Unit
DIY Storage - Entry or Side Table
DIY - Turn a Hutch or TV Cabinet into an Entry Organizer

Getting Organized for School - Planning Dinner

  

Happy Labor Day! Hope your day is enjoyable! For some this is the last hurrah before school starts. For others, school has already been in session for a while.

Whenever school starts for you, reality sets in at the time! Summer is nice - schedules are more flexible, days are longer, vacations break up routines. But if you're a parent of school-aged kids, it's kind of nice to restore some of those routines again when school starts.

One of the biggest items to consider is dinnertime. Studies show that kids who eat dinner with their families several times a week are less likely to get involved in drugs and crime. It's a nice way to catch up with the family and can be the central focus of the day.

But. .. it takes planning, doesn't it? In order to save precious time, I recommend planning menus for the week and shopping just once a week. Each extra trip to the grocery store is a real time-drainer! Meals don't need to be elaborate, just tasty and balanced, to keep everyone functioning at peak energy.

Create an arsenal of quick, easy favorites - enough choices so you and your family don't get bored. If you need some help, check out our Hassle Free Dinners and Three Steps to Planning Dinner.

More on quick dinners:
Dinner in 15 - Citrus Salmon
Dinner in 10 – Lime Dill Chicken
Dinner in 10 – Chicken with Cranberry/Mandarin Sauce

 

It's a Great Time to Rethink Life!

  
When I had kids at home, I would rethink life when school started, in January and at the beginning of summer. Each of these times marked when schedules changed. In light of these schedule changes, I'd think through my schedule and our family's schedule. All of us were active, and if I didn't intentionally rethink life, things would start falling through the cracks and we'd miss important events or need to be in several places at once!

I'd think through my passions, priorities, gifts and how these lined up with my schedule. I wanted to make sure that I was investing my limited time in those things that were most important to me. And it gave me an opportunity to remove those things that no longer mattered as much. A great time to evaluate!

As an empty nester, my schedule is not nearly as complicated as when we had kids at home, but I still want to be very intentional about how I spend my time. At every age, it's important to align your life with your passions, priorities, gifts and the legacy you want to leave future generations!

If you're inspired to rethink life, I'd love to help! A simple step-by-step plan is included in all my time management books. Here's where they are:

Three Steps to Time Management books (printed and downloadable)
Three Steps to Time Management books (on Kindle)
Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks

Or, if you'd like some coaching to walk you through the process, drop me an email at Bev@1-2-3GetOrganized.com and we can set up a telephone or Skype call.

Live life intentionally!

 

Keeping Sheets and Pillowcases Together

  

"Never lose a pillowcase again! Here's how: If the clean set isn't going directly onto a bed, fold and stash it in one of the pillowcases to keep everything together". (Redbook)

I've shared this idea before, but the picture is so much nicer on Redbook's post! I've been storing my sheets like this for a few years now. I used to tie ribbons around sets of sheets a la Martha Stewart, but I love this idea so much more! You never have to wonder if the sheets match, especially if you have a bunch of white sheets, for example!

More on closets:
Ruthless Closet Purging - Getting Organized for a Move ... Or Not
Three Steps to Organizing Your Closet (ebook)
Three  Steps to Organizing Your Closet (Kindle)

 

Dinner in 15 - Herbed Tilapia

  

Herbed tilapia has become one of my favorite dishes since growing my own herbs. One night I just picked a handful of various herbs - cilantro, parsley, chives, and basil. I cut them up with scissors, sprinkled some olive oil in a nonstick pan and threw in the herbs for a minute or so on medium high heat.

Placed the tilapia filets on top of the herbs and cooked until I could see white around the edges. Turned them over for another few minutes. Seasoned to taste. If you're not a big fish fan (I'm not) tilapia is ideal - it doesn't taste real fishy. If you don't have fresh herbs, used dried ones to your taste.

In the meantime, steam some frozen peas, slice some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and cut up some watermelon. A quick, fresh meal!

More quick dinner ideas:
Hassle Free Dinners
Three  Steps to Planning Dinner
Dinner in 15 - Citrus Salmon

DIY Cord Storage

Cables and cords out of control? "Coil spare chargers, cables, and extension cords inside cardboard toilet-paper rolls — and store them upright in a box to prevent tangle meltdowns." Thanks, Redbook.
   

More DIY storage ideas:
Trunk Storage - Prevent Runaway Groceries
Organizing Your Bracelets - Go Vertical!
Organize Toys Using a Wire Garden Planter

 

Hoarders Dos and Don'ts Guide

  
If you're a hoarder or have a hoarding friend or family member, you might be interested in the Hoarders Dos and Don'ts Guide put out by Address Our Mess, hoarding experts. 

Hoarding is a complicated issue and must be handled carefully and thoughtfully. This guide will give you some valuable insights on how to most effectively address hoarding.


More on hoarding:
Hoarding - There Are no Easy Answers
Are You Turning into a Hoarder? Find Out.
Dehorder Game - Clean Up a Hoarder Home

 

Getting Organized for School - Organizing Homework without Battles

  
I repeat this blog post every year because homework can be such a battlefield!

Having trouble getting your child to do homework? Or does homework seem to stretch out over an unusually long time? When my children were in school I came up with a solution that gave my girls control and motivation, as well as some training in time management.

While they were having their after-school snack, each girl would list out all her homework assignments on a 3 x 5 card with the estimated time needed to complete each subject. Then, depending on how much time we had that day for homework, she would plan out her homework time, interspersing homework time with play time - a video game, a game with me, a TV show, shooting hoops, playing outside, etc. I recommend 30 minutes studying and 15 minutes to play with longer study times for older kids, shorter for younger.

I found that my kids were motivated to complete their homework in the time they estimated so they could get to playing. Plus homework time didn't turn into an endless expanse of time with no end in sight.

If one of the girls would underestimate the time it took to complete an assignment, her play time was still honored. Just having a change of scenery refreshes the brain.

By giving each girl some control over how she managed her time, she was motivated to do her homework and felt a sense of accomplishment from organizing her homework. Homework was broken up into bite-sized pieces and interspersed with fun. Homework battles were greatly reduced!

A suggestion: study your child. One of my daughters, an introvert, was depleted both physically and socially when she came home from school because she had used up all her words. She needed food and time to regroup before she was ready to talk about her day. My other daughter, also an introvert, wouldn't use up her words at school and was a chatterbox because she felt more comfortable using her words at home.

A child with ADHD may need to get rid of a bunch of energy before sitting down to homework. Each child is different, and as we study our children, we'll have more insight into creating an atmosphere for their success.


More on homework:
Getting Organized for School - Start the Night Before
Getting Organized for School (and Life!!) - Getting Enough Sleep
Getting Organized for School - Discover Your Child's Learning Styles

 

Study: Clutter Inspires Creativity, Other Interesting Findings

   
I discovered the following study that claims that clutter inspires creativity. As a personality type facilitator, I've observed that creative types are often more oblivious to clutter than structured types. So does clutter inspire creativity or just not bother creative types? That's my question. Here are the study findings - see what you think:

"A tidy desk might resemble a tidy mind, as the saying goes, but working amongst clutter helps you think more creatively, according to a new study.

Messy desk lovers now have science as an excuse for their office jumble as the research shows they can dream up more imaginative ideas.

The University of Minnesota researchers believe disorder inspires the mind to break free of convention.

But the neat freaks have also been given a boost, with the same study saying tidiness promotes healthy eating, generosity, and conventionality.

'Prior work has found that a clean setting leads people to do good things: Not engage in crime, not litter, and show more generosity,' psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs said in the study published in the journal Psychological Science.

'We found, however, that you can get really valuable outcomes from being in a messy setting.'

In one experiment, office workers were asked to fill out some questionnaires.

Some completed the task in a clean and orderly office, while others did so in an unkempt one with papers strewn about and cluttered office supplies.

Afterward, the participants were presented with the opportunity to donate to a charity, and they were allowed to take a snack of chocolate or an apple on their way out.

Those in the tidy office were more likely to donate, and chose the apple over the chocolate.

But in another experiment, the messy desk brigade came out of top.

Participants were asked to come up with new uses for ping pong balls.

Overall, participants in the messy room generated the same number of ideas for new uses as their clean-room counterparts.

But their ideas were rated as more interesting and more creative when evaluated by impartial judges.

'Being in a messy room led to something that firms, industries, and societies want more of: creativity,' said Professor Vohs.

'Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights.'

Whether the environment was tidy or unkempt made a 'whopping difference in' behaviour, the study found."



 
More on clutter tolerance:
Simple Questions to Get in Touch with Your Clutter Comfort Level
Is There a Difference Between Being Cluttered vs. Being Disorganized?
Three Steps to Decluttering