Decluttering Seminar

    
I will be giving a seminar on Decluttering on Saturday, November 13 from 3 - 4:30 pm at the Kent Free Library. We will be discussing creating a vision for your room, sorting, managing paper clutter, maintaining your new look and more!  

Kent Free Library is located at 312 W.Main Street, Kent, OH 44240. There is no charge for the seminar, but call to register - 330-673-4414. 


More on decluttering:
Three Steps to Decluttering

The #1 Cure for Accumulating Clutter

Starting Small with Clutter

How to Avoid a Clutter Explosion When You Walk in the Door

I'm Honored to Receive the Top 50 Freshmen Advisor Award!

   
Isn't it nice when life is difficult and something comes along to encourage you?  Recently we've had some trying days as foster parents of four teenage girls, and my father's health is failing, making for some hard days.

Several things have happened in the last week to encourage me, one of them is being given the Top 50 Freshmen Advisor Award by Accredited Online Colleges. 

"The Freshmen Advisors Award recognizes the top web thought-leaders that offer young students advice that advances the college life experience. Your website has shown commitment to assisting college freshman on their (organizational) transition into college and this award is intended to commend your efforts."

They are referring to my book Three Steps to Time Management for the College Student which helps students determine their passions, priorities and gifts which will act as filters for new and present activities.

Thanks for sharing in my encouragement!


More on college:

Organizing For College - Dorm Room

Review - AgendaWorks Planner

Review of Three Steps to Time Management for the College Student

When to Find Organizing/Decorating Items on Sale

     
Everyone's watching their pennies these days, but don't let that stop you from reorganizing or redecorating! Here's a list of when different items go on sale (not just organizing/decorating items), so you can plan your strategy! Thanks to Happy Hacker BBS II for this list:

JANUARY: Christmas decorations (up to 90% off in some cases); Linens; Bikes; Outdoor gear; Furniture; Winter coats (up to 75% off in some cases); CDs and DVDs; Cookware; Swimwear; Toys.

FEBRUARY: Winter clothes; Houses and Condos; Humidifiers; Small Consumer Electronics; MP3s and digital cameras; Treadmills.

MARCH: Video games; China; Computers.

APRIL: Electronics.

MAY: Towels; Athletic apparel; Cordless phones; Small appliances; Mother's Day materials.

JUNE: Tools; Father's Day materials; Computers; Swimwear.

JULY:  School supplies; Computers; Furniture; Swimwear.

AUGUST: Pool toys; Sandals; Patio furniture; Air conditioners; Camping equipment; Dehumidifiers.

SEPTEMBER: Summer clothes; Inflatable pools; Gas grills; Shrubs, trees, perennials.

OCTOBER: Lawn mowers.

NOVEMBER: Baby products; Toys; Halloween items.

DECEMBER: Christmas items (after Christmas Day); Wedding dresses; Cars.

Isn't this great information?



More on saving money:

Reorganize and Decorate with Little Cash or Carbon Footprint

When a Bargain is Not a Bargain

Swap Parties - Decluttering, Saving Money

Three Steps to Decluttering

Short on Space for Bathroom Towel Racks?

        
If you're short on horizontal space for towel racks in your bathroom, here are a few ideas:

Coat racks

 

Coat Hooks

Over-the-Door Hooks

Do you have some space-saving tips?

More on the bathroom:

Magnetic Paint - An Innovative Space Saver!

Better Homes and Gardens - Inexpensive Storage and Organizing Solutions

Clever Cleaning

National Preparedness Month - Are You Ready for an Emergency?

     
September is National Preparedness Month. A couple of years ago I wrote a series on being prepared for emergencies. Rather than reposting all those, I thought I'd just put up the links for your convenience. 

- National Preparedness Month - Making a Plan

- National Preparedness Month - Determining Potential Emergencies

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #1: NOAA Radio

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #2: Landline Phone

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #3 - Water 

 - National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #4 - First Aid Kit

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #5 - Additional Supplies

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #6 - Food

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #7 - Medications and Medical Supplies

- National Preparedness Month - Emergency Kit #8 - Emergency Documents

- National Preparedness Month - Evacuation Plan

- National Preparedness Month – Evacuation from Work, School, Daycare, and Neighborhood Communities 

- National Preparedness Month - Wrapping It Up: Surge Protectors, Utilities, and More

It's quite a lot to do, but it's a great feeling to be prepared!

More on preparedness:

Getting Organized for Tornado Weather

An Emergency Entry on Your Cell Phone

Can Your Loved Ones Find Your Important Documents?

Memories, Small Spaces and Double-Duty Storage

  
This past spring I helped organize a client who lives in a very small space. She is very sentimental, so she needed a way to keep her sentimental things around her while using her space well.

One item she found while shopping is a picture frame that doubles as jewelry storage. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see that the picture frame swings out. Behind the frame are hooks for necklaces, and storage for earrings and rings. This particular frame comes from J C Penney.

My client has numerous grandchildren and is continually collecting little gifts for them. A trunk that has been handed down in the family now stores those gifts, making them accessible, but hidden. As a result, pleasant memories are associated with this trunk in a couple of ways.

A wall-hung coat rack which belonged to her dad now serves as their entry way coat closet, since their house does not have one. An ottoman in the living room opens up to reveal extra storage.

Thankfully, my client's house has a large attached garage. Those things which are used occasionally can be stored there, and don't need to take up real estate in the house.


More on storage:
 Color-Coding Your Storage

Containerizing Your Kitchen

Don't Make the #1 Organizing Mistake

Three Steps to Decluttering

  

Creating Buffer Zones in Your Day

Don't you hate it when you show up for a meeting or appointment, only to find that it is running late because earlier appointments ran late? I know I do!

When you are the one in control of the schedule, here are some ideas to keep this from happening:

- When scheduling appointments or projects during your day, plan in some buffer zones. This means adding an extra few minutes to allow for these activities to take longer than expected.

- Don't fall into the trap, though, of relaxing your efficiency since you've planned in extra time. Try to finish in the time you estimated without the buffer zone.

- If you end up with a few extra minutes between appointments or projects, have a ready list of to dos that take short snatches of time. These will refresh your brain since you're changing focus for a few minutes between appointments or projects.

- Always carry something with you to do should you be kept waiting. Or if the person with whom you are meeting is chronically running late, call ahead to see if he/she is on time.

By adding buffer zones to your schedule, it's less likely you'll keep others waiting by underestimating time requirements. And you'll reduce your own stress because you're not constantly running behind. 

What a difference a few minutes makes!


More on appointments/projects:

A Dozen Tips for Efficient Appointments

Scheduling Appointments

A Dozen Ways to Take the Stress out of Big Projects

Three Steps to Time Management at the Office

  

Getting Organized for School 2010 - Online Homework Help

           
I'm reposting this very helpful information for those who have school-age children:

Mary Meehan in her article School Rules: Tips for Parents offers some homework resources for kids:

- "Infoplease is a free reference site including an encyclopedia, dictionary, almanacs and a "Homework Center" that covers English, math, history, geography, science and social studies. Plus it has a "Skills" section to help improve study, writing, speaking and research abilities. 

- Need help with homework or a school project? Discovery Education provides "Homework Help" to students in all grades with links to loads of sites. The links are conveniently organized according to subject. 

- Homework Spot offers links to Web sites grouped by grade level.

- Scholastic's "Homework Hub" offers free tools, tips and activities arranged according to grade and subject. In addition, it provides an online store offering Scholastic brand products. 

- Homeworkhelp.com offers live, online tutoring with personalized programs for fourth to 12th grade students. Users must purchase levels of membership ranging from $30 to $175.”

Source: School Rules: Tips for Parents by Mary Meehan, Dow Jones MarketWatch.

Related topics:  
Getting Organized for School - Backpack Checklist 
Getting Organized for School - Creating a Hub 
Time Management for the Stay-at-Home Mom
 

Getting the Most Bang Out of Your Produce Buck

I love having fresh produce available at local farmer's markets! I'll hate to see them go. I came across the following article regarding fresh produce, which I thought might be of interest to you. I learned a few things!

Fresher Doesn’t Always Mean Healthier

"Frozen foods can be not only cheaper but healthier - especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables in the winter and spring months. As Birdseye realized, fast freezing means more nutrition: One study found that vegetables such as green beans and spinach lose 75 percent of their vitamin C after being stored in the fridge for a week. 

And at Arizona State University, an analysis found that ready-to-drink orange juice has less than half the vitamin C of frozen OJ and loses all of its C within 4 weeks of opening the package. So freezing really does help foods retain the vast majority of their nutrients. 

Additionally, food processors pick "fresh" produce when it's still unripe, and then it sits on trucks and boats during its long journey-sometimes thousand of miles-to your supermarket. 

But produce intended to be sold frozen is picked at the peak of ripeness - which means it has more time to suck up nutrients from the sun and the soil. So not only are frozen foods higher in nutrition to begin with, but they also don't lose nutrients sitting in trucks and then in the fridge."

More on produce:

Getting the Maximum Mileage out of Your Veggies

Organizing the Pantry

My Ongoing Quest: Not to Go to the Grocery Store

Hassle Free Dinners

   

Parenting a Disorganized Child

      

I discovered this article written by Joyce Cooper and Khan and Laurie Dietzel. Great information: 

"Kids with weaknesses in planning and organization have trouble independently imposing structure and order to tasks and ideas. So, they have difficulty organizing information in their heads, as well as organizing their stuff or planning out a long-term project. When faced with various tasks, disorganized children may have trouble thinking through the steps required, and they may tend to underestimate the complexity and the time needed.

Does this sound like your child?
• She has trouble organizing her space.
• He neglects to turn in completed homework assignments.
• She arrives at her Girl Scout meeting completely unprepared.
• He underestimates the effort involved in a big class project.
• She is overwhelmed at juggling multiple classes and projects.
If so, there are tried-and true behavioral interventions you can try — and continue to practice — with your child to help him or her with this challenge.

1. Break down tasks into component parts. For example, for a school project, divide the tasks into daily chunks, and enter these on the calendar or in an agenda book as homework. Build in an extra day or two for the unexpected, so your child gets in the habit of planning a cushion of extra time.

2. Offer organizational frameworks in advance. Discuss the most important points to be learned before your child gets started.

For a reading assignment and book report, for example, provide an outline of the major topics and subtopics from the book with space for your child to fill in specific information. Offer study questions in advance so he or she understands the learning objectives before starting to read.

3. Teach the use of tricks and technology aids. Teach your child to write a one-sentence summary on a sticky note after reading each paragraph that he can use later for his report. Also, set the alarm on his or her watch for chunks of studying time. Enter reminders or alarms on the computer for due dates. When your child prints out an assignment, consider prompting him or her to also e-mail it to the teacher.

4. Develop templates for repetitive procedures. Make a checklist of everything that needs to be in your child’s soccer bag. Laminate it and keep it in the soccer bag for last-minute checking. For young children, create photo charts with pictures from magazines for completing chores, preparing to catch the bus and gathering necessary gear for sports practice.

5. Walk through the planning process with your child. If your son or daughter chronically loses or doesn’t turn in homework, talk through the process. Is the homework getting lost at home? Is it in the bottom of the backpack? In his or her locker? Is it in the right notebook, but forgotten once class starts? Once you identify where the process is getting stuck, add a step to his or her routine to get past it.

6. Provide accommodations at home and at school. Simplify your child’s schedule by reducing the number of extracurricular activities. Ask your child’s teacher for advance notice of upcoming assignments, so you and your child can identify the most demanding times of the week or semester so appropriate adjustments can be made in his or her homework and study schedule."

More on organizing children:
Getting Organized for School - Start the Night Before

Getting Organized for School 2010: Homework

Getting Organized for School - Learning Styles

Online Printable Planner Pages

        
Looking for a place to print planner or calendar pages? Here are three options. Worldlabel is free. The others charge a fee.

Worldlabel 

Listplanit 

Calendarsthatwork  


More on calendars:
Getting Organized for School - Creating a Hub 
Product Review of Organizers - Daily Home Planner  
Product Review of Organizers - The Planner Pad
Three Steps to Time Management

How Personality Style Affects Organizing - Sensing/Intuition

     
To continue our examination of how personality style affects organizing, we're going to look at how we take in information. We do that through our senses - smell, sight, hearing, taste, and touch. This preference is called sensing.

Next, we take that information and:
- correlate it to other information, or
- grasp the meaning of that information, or
- see the big picture into which that information fits.

This preference is called intuition.

All of us function in both areas. Our preferences determine where we spend more time. 

A person who prefers sensing will notice when things are out of place. A person who prefers intuition will not necessarily notice clutter until it gets to an uncomfortable level. In fact, the intuitive may not even see the obvious at times - the trash can on the curb which needs to be brought in, for example. 

An intuitive sees possibilities and loves to brainstorm and generate new ideas. This can be threatening to a sensor who likes the practical, sensible, and realistic. The sensor will point out flaws in the new ideas unless she feels they are practical and useful.

A sensor relies on past experience, whos motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  An intuitive relies on hunches and gut feelings, which are usually reliable and accurate. Without necessarily being able to pinpoint the details he picked up through sensing, he takes those details and forms a hunch about them.

The person who prefers sensing, likes to receive information in consecutive order, whereas the person who prefers intuition can receive information out of order and can still understand its meaning. 

A sensor may be more likely to read instructions than the intuitive.

The person who prefers sensing is more present-oriented and focuses on what needs attention now. The person who prefers intuition is more future-oriented and focuses on long-term goals.

The person who prefers intuition sees meaning from the details, whereas the person who prefers sensing will see the details but may miss the meaning or bigger picture. It's a "can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing. 

So how does all this apply to organizing and decluttering?

- The sensor needs to understand that the intuitive may not realize the clutter she has left behind and may not have done it purposely. A simple "Could you put your dishes in the dishwasher, please?" would suffice from the sensor.

- The intuitive needs to make a conscience effort to look behind him to see what clutter he has left. 

- The sensor and intuitive may need to come to an agreement about how much clutter is acceptable to both parties.

- A five-minute family challenge may need to be instituted each night before bed-time so all the clutter is picked up. It is depressing for a sensor to start the day with a bunch of clutter lying around.

- If an area is not functional, the current system is obviously not working. It's time to look at new possibilities - the intuitive's forte! The sensor needs to appreciate the intuitive's ability to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.  The sensor needs to be open to new ideas.

- When generating new ideas, the intuitive needs to listen to the sensor's critiques. 

- When critiquing, the sensor needs to be diplomatic and kind.

- Together, the intuitive and sensor can make a great team - one generating ideas, the other tweaking them to make the final outcome even better. If the parties aren't too possessive about their ideas or ways of doing things, they should be able to solve the problem!

- Even if it's scary, the sensor needs to listen to the intuitive's hunches and gut feelings. If the intuitive is not used to giving his own hunches credibility, he should start listening to them, also.  

- The person who prefers sensing may want to start decluttering at one place in the room and move around the room in an orderly manner, whereas the person who prefers intuition may prefer just jumping in anywhere. 

- If a sensor and intuitive are decluttering a room together, they need to determine a plan of attack they can agree upon - moving consistently around the room, jumping in anywhere, or something in between. The sensor may want to do the orderly sweep while the intuitive categorizes items into like groups, for example.

- The intuitive's strength is to see the big picture for the room - the vision. 

- Once the vision for the room is determined, the sensor's strength is to determine priorities of what needs to be done and in what order. 

- The person preferring intuition may enjoy making a floor plan with scale model furniture, trying different configurations until he finds an option that creates a functional room.     

- An intuitive and sensor working together need to draw upon the other's strengths by listening to ideas, contributing ideas, and having a teamwork mentality. 

- If you are a sensor and are stuck, find a family member or friend who loves to brainstorm and think outside the box (most likely an intuitive) and ask for help. Vice versa if you're an intuitive. 

- Or locate a professional organizer who will fill in the blanks for you. The National Association of Professional Organizers or Faithful Organizers provide directories of organizers near you.


More on organizing:

How Personality Style Affects Organizing - Introversion/Extraversion  

Three Steps to Downsizing to a Smaller Residence 

Three Steps to Decluttering 

Three Steps to Becoming a Downsizing Professional

  

Giving Yourself Permission to Move On

    
Just because you used to love collecting Beanie Babies, spoons, or coins doesn't mean you are obligated to continue. And even though you used to love painting, gardening, or woodworking, you don't have to feel guilty because your interest in them has vanished. We change and our interests change.

By giving yourself permission to move on when your interests change eliminates clutter associated with those interests. By all means, check to see if others in your family want your collections before you discard them. But if no one is interested, don't keep them just because "someone" might want them "someday." 

I used to enjoy doing crafts, sewing, etc., but no longer have an interest. I'm happy to teach our foster daughters how to do these hobbies, but when we leave this position, I'll leave all my craft supplies behind for them to enjoy.

Keeping things because they were gifts from special people is not a reason to hang onto them, either. If you're just not interested or don't use them, say good-bye.

Find someone who might appreciate your collections or your hobby paraphernalia and pass them along. You will lighten your clutter load and you are blessing someone else! Or sell them to finance new hobbies or interests.

Why live with excess when you don't need to? 

More on moving on:

Getting Rid of Guilt-Producing Expectations

Guilt-Ridden Clutter

10 Types of Emotional Clutter

Three Steps to Decluttering

Getting Organized for School 2010 - Organizing Your Child's Artwork and School Papers

   
Along with school, comes all those papers! And art masterpieces. What to do with them? You want to preserve memories of your child’s school years, but you don’t want to train her to be a pack rat.

I’ll have to admit – I wasn’t very proactive in this area when my children were growing up. We’d sort through papers every once in a while, frame some, and store others, but we didn’t do it very consistently.

I researched this topic when asked to contribute to an article written by Mary Beth Breckenridge at the Akron Beacon Journal (Preserve your Children's Masterpieces without Creating a Mountain from Paper Memoirs, September 5, 2005). I found some great ideas I wish I had used.

So today’s blog comes primarily from the article Mary Beth wrote from the hints that two other organizers (Deniece Schofield and Chris Perrow) and I contributed. And I’ve added a couple I’ve come up with since then.

First, choose a receptacle for such papers. It could be a file folder, a hanging file, an art portfolio (or one made by taping two pieces of poster board together), a box, a binder with protector sheets - whatever works for you and your child.

Before storing your child’s artwork, you may want to display them. You could create a gallery in your child’s room or elsewhere by hanging a colorful piece of string or yarn across a wall and clip the artwork to the string. Voila – instant gallery.

Or use a picture frame to house artwork, swapping out the front picture when a new keeper comes along, storing the other pictures behind the most recent one. And there’s always the refrigerator or a bulletin board.

Another option is to turn the artwork into placemats (by laminating them), wrapping paper or greeting cards. A glass-covered coffee table can show off artwork under the glass. Or turn your child’s artwork into a calendar. Create a collage with several pieces of artwork. There are even companies that turn your child’s artwork into a book.

Artwork that doesn’t make it into the keeper file can be sent to grandma or to our troops, if it seems too cruel to toss them.

With your child, clean out her backpack at the end of the week. Some papers will not be sentimental and will go easily into the recycling bin. Try to encourage your child to choose only one item a week to keep. Label the back of the paper with the date and a description, especially if the picture may not be readily identifiable!

Some weeks may be more prolific than others, and it may be too traumatic to narrow it down to one item. If you don’t mind, and you have enough room, make exceptions here and there. There may be items you treasure, but your child doesn’t see the value in them at her age – keep those, too.

At the end of the month, as you are evaluating that week’s papers, look back over the previously stored papers to see if some of the sentimentality has decreased for the earlier keepers. Time has a way of diminishing the attachment. Repeat every month.

For large three-dimensional projects take a picture rather than storing the entire project. Large art pieces can be taken to a copy center and reduced to a manageable size.

At the end of the school year, determine if your storage is adequate to house that year’s keepers. If not, purge until it is. Label the container with your child’s name and the year.

For family night one night, take out the keepers for the last few years and reminisce – what a fun memory!


More on organizing for school:

Getting Organized for School 2010 - Learning Styles

Getting Organized for School 2010: Starting the Night Before

Getting Organized for School 2010: Homework

Three Steps to Time Managenent

Reorganize and Decorate with Little Cash or Carbon Footprint

        
Happy Labor Day! Hope you have a great day!

Feeling an urge to reorganize and/or redecorate, but can't afford much? Use what you have! Shop in your own home, garage, and attic. Repurpose pieces of furniture for new uses. Determine the look you want, rearrange furniture, bring in furniture from other rooms - a whole new look!

Paint is inexpensive and transformative. Paint walls, trim, furniture, appliances, even floors for a fun change. By painting several mismatched pieces of furniture, you've created a cohesive look. 

We have repurposed a no-longer-used entertainment center into storage for games and puzzles. A dresser holds fabric. Another one houses crafts. I've turned duvet covers, sheets, dust ruffles, and rugs into window treatments. We've turned bedroom storage into office storage. There's no limit to your creativity!

By shopping in your own home, you've saved money and haven't expanded your carbon footprint. And hopefully, you're using items you love.


How have you repurposed items in your home?

More on repurposing:

Don't Make the #1 Organizing Mistake

Expert Organizing and Design Tips for Your Foyer

Three Steps to Decluttering