What is a Professional Organizer? Professional Organizers are people who provide information, products and assistance to help others get organized. The goal of a Professional Organizer is to guide, encourage and educate clients in the principles of organizing by offering support, focus and direction. Professional Organizers can provide an objective view, inspiration, structure and solutions that increase productivity and reduce stress. |
NAPO CHARLESTON
Organizing the Lowcountry
Organizing the Lowcountry
Tips and Tricks From the Pros Shopping Keep a magnetic list pad on the side your refrigerator with a magnet pencil or pen to be able to jot down items for each errand task (ex., groceries, toiletries, school supplies). Then just rip off the top sheet with your list and go! Shop for toiletries/houseware items on a once a month routine with a Master list (instead of when you are on your last sheet of TP!) and keep stocked. This saves you from making those late night or last minute trips to the store. Know what you have so you know what you need. Take routine inventories of the different areas of your life. Groceries, Clothes, Toiletries, Office Supplies... This decreases the frustration created when you don't have a good writing pen, a pair of black hose or gift bags & tissue when you need it. There will always be a sale... somewhere! Many consumers make sale purchases with the belief that they are saving so much money, only to find that there is no space to store them and that the items become part of their clutter problem which wastes more money, energy and space then they've saved in the first place. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Closets and Drawers Save those extra strong (better department store) boxes. The gift, jewelry and small shirt boxes make excellent drawer dividers. The lids serve that same purpose as well. Space Determines Stuff... If you want your clothes to fit into your available closets without being crushed and wrinkled you need to pair down to only that which can fit in the closet! Put every item on a hanger and leave just a little room between each of them. If this can't happen in your closets or if you feel frustrated whenever you try to get dressed, it's time to take a look at what you love and fit into and start eliminating those items that you only "sort of like" or hope to fit into sometime in the future. Be bold...make a decision! It'll feel so good...after you're done. Once your closet is sorted and organized, every time you purchase an item, get rid of an older item in your closet. This reduces the chance of your closet becoming over stuffed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Office/Paper Management Paperwork is a problem we all deal with. Start addressing your paper as you come in the door. Keep a recycling bin where you enter your house with the daily mail in hand. Toss in whatever catalogues, ads and other junk mail you've gotten... on the spot...and you're done with it. Now open the rest of your mail right away or as soon as you can. Throw away all the outer envelopes (unless you need the return address) and inserts and keep what's important. Use the return envelopes as folders to hold mail you need to respond to and take them where you'll be working with them. NO build-up and NO "paper monster." If you have piles of untouched reading material around, realize that you are not going to get to it and dispose of it. Start anew by only buying or subscribing to what you know you will have time to read. As with a PDA, handwritten calendars with to-do lists, notes and address book should all stay in one planner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kitchen/Pantry When organizing a food pantry - designate each shelf for a category. For example; all baking goods should be in one defined area and cereals/snacks in another (the latter can be placed on a lower shelf so that the kids can have easy access). All back-up ingredients or extras should be placed in the back of that particular shelf and brought forward when needed. Go through your pantry every six months to discard anything that is stale or has expired. Plastic drawer/Kitchen - keep all plastic cups, bowls and other non-breakable kitchen items that your children use on a daily basis in a bottom drawer in the kitchen. They will not only like that they have their own space but it also helps them to start working in the kitchen without a lot of guidance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linens/Folding Folding towels the following way creates a lot of space in the linen closet. Hold-up the towel length-wise. Fold the left side half-way. Fold the right side the whole way meeting the opposite edge of the towel. Then start folding down making 3 pleats/folds. The towel is not only neat but compact. You will be able to stack a lot more on your shelves. Do the same for hand towels and face cloths. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Car/Travel Have a bag in your car with the basics (kleenex, germex, wipes, gum, bottled water) so that it's handy for you or the kids anytime. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Children/Toys/School Toys and kids' things everywhere? Set up a simple storage system using bins (plastic, wooden, woven) with tags or pictures of what's inside them. If your children are old enough, get them involved so they're helping to make decisions about what they want to keep and where they'd like their things put . You can even have a toy sale for those they have purged. Let them keep the proceeds. Archiving the work of children: When going through school or art work, see that children join in the task; they are their own best critics and can direct you as to what they would like to keep. Choose the sized container you feel comfortable storing for each year's work (remember you may need up to 18 of these per child) and work with your children to only keep what that container can hold nicely. Archiving can be a great holiday/new years or summer ritual when the family has a break and can work together at preserving memories. With the appropriate supplies to store the work, children feel proud and appreciative that their hard work is valued and worth preserving. Organization is a key concept in the first five years of a child's life. Children love to categorize, match shapes and colors and give names to like objects. Working with your children to create an environment that nurtures a sense of order. Systems and order actually enhance a child's ability to be creative. Skills in organizing work to enhance daily living for a lifetime - teach and demonstrate them early! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tackling Organizing Projects Staying on target: Before working on any project, consider all distractions that may hinder your time and use the following checklist to help avoid interruptions: 1) Inform everyone about the project in advance. 2) Check on and prepare the job site. 3) Test equipment. 4)assess any risks. 5) Take inventory of tools and supplies. 6) Maintain proper nutrition and hydration. 7) Maintain adequate rest and sleep. 8) Be sure to take breaks A good way to lighten clutter in a space is to do three quick walk-throughs. Walk through first with a bag for trash, then with a bag for recycling and once with a bag for donated items. Realize your strengths and your limitations...consider an organizer as your 'personal trainer' to help you create a more positive lifestyle for you and your family. Involve everyone who uses the space in on the process. Write down the household's organizing goals and post them in a conspicuous place. Get help from an outside party to make a realistic and detailed organizing plan and help you implement it (post next to goals). Throw a "house cooling party" (or downsizing party). Have giveaway items on your dining room table for guests. They cannot leave without taking an item. They will be able to choose something they like - and you will know that your treasures have found a good home. If you store things temporarily in trash bags, use clear bags for storage so you can see the contents. Use opaque bags for giveaway or trash. Keep sorting sessions short and start with the simplest room. Once you start working, don't leave the room. When sorting through items, be truthful and ask yourself if you will ever use these items again. If the answer is no, find a better home for the items by donating or giving to a friend. You could also have a yard sale. When storing or reorganizing a space, put seldom used items on higher, harder to reach spaces or very low bottom shelf or floor spaces. Keep everyday items at about eye level for ease of reach. In a multi-purpose room create zones for each activity and keep the supplies and inspiration for each activity in it's appropriate zone. As you decide on the proper placement for your items, label each place. Container Shopping: Before shopping for storage containers and related organizing supplies, take a complete inventory of everything owned. Many storage items may already be present and simply need cleaning out. A great way to save money is to use what is already available, by simply making changes in the contents of each container. Consolidate whenever possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Organizing Make it part of everyone's daily/weekly routine to spend 10-20 minutes a day clearing out the previous day's accumulation to maintain the clutter free environment. If you use an item (ex., scissors) in more than one place (kitchen, car, office, etc.) then have one in each spot. One key to an organized home or office is the HABIT of putting all items back in their original home or place. And that means doing it right away and not waiting a few days or a week or two. It prevents clutter build-up and saves time when trying to find that item to use again. Know exactly where it belongs and how to find it. Find a logical place for everything you own (near where you will use the items). Need a pencil, paper clip or notepad...go to your stationary drawer in your office or kitchen (transform the junk drawer if you don't have an office) and it'll be there. Buy drawer organizers and use them! Looking for cosmetics or medical supplies...your bathroom drawers and cabinets can easily be set up so each one holds items that go together...bandaids, iodine, elastic bandages and other first aid and medical supplies in one...lipstick, eye and face make-up, and creams in another. Like items live together...it works...no more hunting! When leaving home, always say three specific words aloud when opening the door. For many people, the most common words might be- - wallet -keys -phone. Making this a habit prevents these essentials from being left behind. Work to create space for your lifestyle. There is only one you and only 24 hours in a day! Open up areas in your home and give yourself more space to live your life more fully. Love people and use things, not the other way around! Put your belongings in perspective. Are they adding to your daily happiness, or are they creating more work and more stress? Learn to let go of anything that hinders your own joyous living. |
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