Organizing Mistakes (Part Three: Once and Done Mentality)

This post continues a series on mindsets and marketing ploys that sabotage attempts at real organization. Missed the first or second post?

If you’ve glanced through magazines, read articles, or even paged through books on the subject, it seems that most people find “getting organized” to be a project: buy the bins, throw out/donate a bunch of things, then arrange them in a cute way, and voila! You’re done.

I heartily disagree.

Home or office organization is an ongoing task. It’s not only about achieving an uncluttered, rational filing system for your belongings and paperwork. Organization truly lies in a system that can be perpetuated with minimal effort. 

(Is this too much common sense for ya?) 

Let’s use cleaning floors as a parallel. Perhaps you move into a new home where the floors were sorely neglected. It’s a project to either replace the floor covering or get the grime off, but it’s possible. Your end result is a clean floor. Great. 

But, steps are needed to continue to keep the floor clean. It won’t magically repel dirt going forward. You must take steps to prevent it becoming soiled (say, taking off shoes at the door) and regularly sweeping or mopping. You might find that in the winter, you need to put out an extra rug to catch gravel. In the summer, you may have to put a mat outside to keep grass clippings at bay.

Similarly, with organizing, you will probably have to adapt and flex your system as you find new needs or challenges that need to be addressed. 

The good news is that by maintaining your system, you’ll never have to make organizing a project again. And just like cleaning, if things fall a little behind, it won’t be that hard to catch up. We all get sick, have intensely busy times, and get off routine for a variety of reasons, so it’s more important to maintain a reasonable level of organization than ditch the idea because you haven’t achieved organizational nirvana.

And this is one of the times that I’ve fallen behind. In fact, I’m writing this post instead of picking up my living room, which looks like this:

And my kitchen counter, which looks like this:

 

      Ugh.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and to continue my goal of making my home an enjoyable place to be, you better believe I’m going to be caught up before tomorrow evening. 

How have you been viewing organization? As a project or ongoing task?

Additional Resources: Cleaning Chart, Nightly Routine

Organizing Mistakes (Part Two: Rearranging Clutter)

Today we continue the series on mindsets and marketing ploys that sabotage attempts at real organization. Missed the first post?

As you know (have I said it enough?), I’m not one for buying a lot of bins or containers to house unorganized things. This is because pretty containers just beautify your clutter.

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Christina on Pinterest

One of the several photos I've pinned sarcastically to highlight the beautification of stuff. However, where are you supposed to work, and who has perfectly sized and color coordinated fabric scraps?

Aside from kids’ toys--which inevitably become a jumbled mess in under 10 minutes--putting disorganized things in pretty containers can give you a false sense of security. Especially if those boxes are all the same.

You probably won’t be able to find things any faster.

You’ll definitely be less willing to sort through a pile tucked in an opaque container, because out of sight means out of mind. (Certainly doesn’t work for leftovers!)

It’s not a system that you’ll be motivated to maintain, because until the container is overflowing, you’ll find it handy to just dump things in there.

So, what’s the bottom line? You don’t just need places for your stuff. You need less stuff.

And rather than hear me say it six more ways, here’s a fabulous (and eloquent!) article on finding just the right balance of possessions and space.

Organizing Mistakes (Part One: January Whirlwind)

Welcome to Part One of a new series. I’ll be identifying common errors that sabotage our attempts at organization.

(For those of you who grew up in my era, cue the mental Beastie Boys soundtrack. Indulge for a few seconds. …And, now we’re back.)

Whether you are struggling to get organized or just want to be more organized, I’d imagine that you are tempted by the first culprit I’d like to address: the January whirlwind.

No matter where you look, the instant that Christmas is over, everyone is trying to restore order.
Stores reduce prices in attempts to move inventory. The radio station quickly (and frustratingly) switches back to their typical playlists at 12:01 am on December 26, leaving you with no more musical joy for holiday gatherings that happen after that moment. Magazines instruct invite you to tidy up your home, using photos with plenty of white in the palette. Everyone packs up the formerly adorable decorations that have now just become “clutter”. And there are New Year’s organizing resolutions aplenty.

Obviously, if you are still with me, you know that I believe getting organized is a good thing.

But more important is staying organized.

You know that it takes anywhere from 21 to 30 days to make an activity into a habit. You also know that changing your personal behaviors requires extra motivation and discipline. And if you have a family, you know you’ll also have a bit of convincing, training and reinforcing that you need to do.

Is this a wholesale decision to make on December 31? No, not at all. While I am wild about doing things as well as possible and as fast as possible, this is not the time nor the situation. Planning and patience are required.

January Do’s and Don’t’s

• Do not run to the store and wildly purchase bins or specialty containers.
• Do not empty out large quantities of cabinets or cupboards with the goal of wiping down and rearranging them. You will burn out. Quickly.
• Do not assume that one week of vacation and a full iPod will be enough to perfect the organization in your life.
•  Do set a timer and tackle one shelf or one drawer at a time.
• Do realize that small, successful steps will pave the way for you to make larger changes. It’s okay to start with a central place for keys and progress onto emptying the bedroom-turned-storage-closet. Later, much later.
• Do take time to identify the problem areas or “subjects” (e.g. paperwork, children’s belongings, kitchen storage) in your house and brainstorm ways to improve the problem with family members.
• Do take the list of disorganized issues (above) and assign each area to a month of the year. Work on each issue for a month and evaluate the impact.
• Do realize that staying organized will require ongoing effort. We’ll talk more about this later.

So, how are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?

Spiritual and Mental Clutter

Though I've posted links to Glynnis Whitwer's blog before, I was especially moved by her post today on quieting our hearts, minds and souls so that we can hear God's voice.

I hope you find it meaningful.

(Disclaimer: Though I enjoy Glynnis' blog and often read her devotionals, she has no idea who I am!)

Decluttering Success

A (very) belated Happy New Year to you!

For the third time in as many months, I feel like I’m on the cusp of “catching up”: bills paid, little snippets of paper under control, cleaning mostly up-to-date and only a handful of items on the to-do list. I hope I don’t jinx myself in terms of getting sick!

One of my proudest accomplishments: I’ve recently purged a number of items from our home via eBay, Craiglist and Freecycle. Though the proceeds have been minimal, I am delighted that these items have been given a second chance and will not be heading to the landfill for a while longer.

To date, we’ve parted with:

The above-pictured Ikea chairs (Freecycle)

A papasan dorm-style chair (Craigslist)

A spare set of yard sale golf cubs (Freecycle)

Four teddy bears that I was once collecting (eBay)

A necklace I never wore (eBay)

A highly breakable crystal bowl not compatible with young boys (eBay)

As a result, the basement is a lot less cluttered. I also have a few bucks in my PayPal account!

If you are highly motivated to pass on some of your earthly treasures this year, here are a few tips that I’ve gathered from my personal experience. I’d love for you to add your ideas in the comments section.

Choose the right listing venue

You must first decide if you want to dispose of your item quickly, or if you are willing to be patient in order to make some money.

• eBay is a great way to get broad exposure for items that are relatively small and easy to ship. Though competing with many other sellers, you can offload almost any item in new or good condition that appeals to the average person (jewelry, accessories, clothing, children’s items, household items, etc.) 
• Craigslist is a great option for items that are inconvenient to ship or that are showing a little bit of use, such as furniture, large quantities of clothing, large toys, etc.
• Freecycle is a great way to get rid of nearly anything, and quickly. Your only investment is time in reviewing the myriad emails and putting the item out on your porch.
• Facebook is a growing way to announce that you have items to part with. It’s also a terrific way to find a lender if you need to borrow something for the weekend.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes

Who doesn’t love free shipping? If you are listing an item on eBay, offer free shipping. However, please save yourself frustration by first packing it up and taking it to the post office or UPS store and having them give you a price to ship it as far away as possible. (I always seem to end up selling to people on the West Coast.)  Build the shipping into your cost and be realistic.

Also, be sure to take good photos of what you are offering, even on Craigslist. I’ll be turned off by seeing the item in your dank-looking basement, wondering just how creepy you might be. Take a few extra minutes to make it presentable. An honest representation about whether the item has been in the home of a smoker, or about stains/wear is also something I would expect before buying.

On the other hand, don't be ashamed of your ugly, beat-up possessions. There is probably a do-it-yourself-er that would love to get their hands on project materials. Remember that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Time it right

Hands down, it seems like Sundays are the best day for Craigslist and Freecycle pickups. Post your items on Thursday or Friday night so they are gone before the next workweek begins. This is also a good timeframe for eBay auctions. People are more prone to be available to place last-minute bids when they are home, especially on these dark winter evenings.

  

So what are you looking to get rid of soon? How will you get the word out?

Deja Vu

It's déjà vu all over again. -Yogi Berra

It seems like this house has been on an every-other-week cycle of sick-recovering-sick-recovering. And most amazingly, it's been Mommy who's been down for the count more than anyone else. (And we aren't talking sniffling, sneezing, etc. We are talking full-out stomach sickness, twice.)

I am totally learning how to ask for help from others. Getting over the guilt of having to call family members home from work to do "my job"...not so much. 

There are a number of growing edges for me in this situation: 

• There is no choice but to let the housework go.
• I must accept help from others without being able to quickly reciprocate. It's fascinating how I display this pattern of having to "even the score" with those who assist me. Like I'm afraid they will reject me if I need too much.
• My boys really can rise to the occasion when Mommy struggles to do more than lay on the floor. I was so impressed with their emotional IQ on this. (More in a future post.)
• I've been reminded again that I cannot keep running on fumes, and maybe a 9pm bedtime isn't cool, but it's what I need right now.
• We must wield the bottle of hand sanitizer as a mighty anti-germ-warfare weapon every time we get in the car from an errand or play date.

Allow me to share with you my new triage plan for personal sanity in times following illness:

Deal with the dishes
I get really grossed out thinking about what grows on the dishes that accumulate on the counter during these spells of illness. The first thing I tackle is unloading and reloading the dishwasher (washing hands often) and cleaning the counters and table.

Gather laundry
More heebie-jeebies lurk on towels, dishcloths and clothing (especially if your kids are snotting on your shirt...and don't pretend that never happens in your house!) I at least try and wash everything on hot and dry it, even if it sits in baskets for a few days before being put away.

Sanitize
Finally I wipe down all the bathrooms and any surfaces that we tend to neglect--doorknobs, light switches, remotes, etc. because heaven knows you've been stumbling around and watching more TV than usual.

Rest
Just step over the clutter and go to bed. It will be there in the morning!
(And for whatever reason, it's just easier to clean when there's daylight.)

So what's your game plan when sickness has thrown your household into chaos and confusion?



Today's disclaimer: For those of you familiar with the roots of déjà vu, I do not believe in reincarnation.

A New Theme

As promised, some changes are underway, though please don't expect them to be fast or furious.

You may have noticed at the top of your page that I have a much-shortened "mission statement": Musings on managing the stuff of life.

When I was a young girl, there were times when I'd lament to my mother, "I'm bored." She explained (warned) me that someday I would not be bored. In fact, during this season of mothering three and one-year old boys, there's not much I wouldn't give to find myself bored for an afternoon!

While I was driving the other day, I reflected on some of the technological changes that I've seen in my 32 years. (I heard a radio report about seminars for seniors who wanted to text their grandkids and learn to use iPads which started this line of thought.) I remember playing Duck Hunt on the neighbors' Nintendo, which was so much more advanced than our Atari--you know, color and all. Someone handed down their electric typewriter. My family bought our first PC--a Gateway 2000--when I was a freshman in high school. I received my first cell phone right before I got my driver's license; it rang from my Christmas stocking. Then came my own first desktop computer, my laptop, my netbook, etc., etc. It's just amazing, really.

The first clothing that I bought with my own money was purchased in order to fit in. Then it was a uniform for my first job, then career clothing for my first real job. A wedding dress followed, then maternity clothes, then baby clothing, and now I'm buying clothing that fits a woman with a "new" shape, if you know what I mean.

 With life seems to come the accumulation of stuff. Some of it--no, a lot of it--is material possessions, but there are also friendships, memories, ideas, hopes. There are things we need, things we want, things we hate to part with. Things we have no idea we had (more on that at the end).

We have infinitely more choices than men and women in previous generations. Yet, with so many products, devices and amusements available to us, we must work hard to squelch the clutter and reclaim the important and meaningful aspects of life.

So here, in this blog corner, is a place to make conversation about how to manage the stuff and find balance.

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A Do and Don't for Today


Do: Think about subliminal messages. A quote from this article was so pointed that it really got my attention today: "The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff."

Don't: A retired couple I worked with during a downsize was going through their attic and figuring out what had to go. Amongst the memorabilia they found a life-sized statue that their son had created in a college art course!

Simplify Your File Management

It's just another one of those silly things that you will do later. When there's time.

But there never is.

Or, at least, you never take the time.

What in the world am I talking about? The file system on your computer.

How much time do you waste skimming, searching, and double-clicking in a day? It all depends on the quality of your file system.

Back when I was a working girl, I shared a lot of network files, and I saw the good, the bad and the ugly. The worst offenders were the unfiled files hanging out at the end of the network folder, where you could have scrolled horizontally for about five minutes. (For all the policies and procedures, there never was one about saving files to the main folder. Ugh.)

Here is a great article from a techie perspective that really hits the no-no's of file management. Warning: it's a very complete post.

The system on my home computer got a little loose, especially after I stopped working from home. In general, I try very hard to use basic common sense with the folder structure and file names. I'm doing a little better now, but when my desktop looked like this, the 17 items started making me a bit crazy and I knew it was time to do a little cleanup.












Though I am no computer geek, I'd like to share my own two cents about file management.

• Ask yourself if you really need a shortcut on the desktop for things that you can easily find on the Start Menu. (Remember you can customize this as well as the task bar.)
• Try to limit the number of folders or files to what fits on your screen without scrolling. If there are more than 10-15, see what you can group and make more folders or sub-folders.
• Group files by project, rather than format. Think twice before you make a high-level folder called "labels" or "letters." (This may be okay if it's a subfolder under a project with date information.)
• Use a YYYY/MM/DD format in file names (as appropriate) so that you can easily sort correspondence such as memos, invoices, quotes, etc.
• If you use Outlook or another task-management software, schedule a meeting or make yourself a monthly task to take 15-20 minutes to review your file system. Use this time to find a home for stray files, delete unnecessary drafts, and do other tune-ups. You will make up for that time later when you can quickly put your cursor on information that others wasted time looking for.
• Remember that any organizational system should grow and adapt as the way you work grows and adapts. If your company just changed from a team-based organizational structure to a function-based structure, your file system needs to change, too.

Do you have some other advice to share? Please do.


p.s. If you are looking to improve the way you use your time in a day, check out this idea.

Visual Clutter = Emotional Zap

When I was little, I wanted to be an architect.

Like many of you, I played Legos for hours and hours, probably several months' worth of my childhood. My patient mother vacuumed around the pieces spread across the living room floor. Every time I built a house, it was comprised of rows in the same repeating color pattern--red, yellow, white, blue, black.

What can I say? Order is in my DNA.

Now that I am (supposedly) a grown-up with my own home, I still like to look around and see order: clear counters, clear floorspace, and clean lines. Somehow it gives me a little boost to look around and see that order.

[Not my actual house, but it's nice to dream.]

When my home doesn't have much visible counter or floor space, I notice my pulse quickening as I pigeon step over toys, shoes, dishes, or, like today, swim accessories.

I'm learning that I just have to take the five or ten minutes to clean up before we do the next thing. And, unfortunately, this means forcing the issue with younger ones. I want to have the kind of house where we pick up before we leave for an errand, or go outside, or go up for naps. If we do this, Mommy will be more emotionally prepared to play and less emotionally distracted.

Maybe you can get on my case and ask about my progress...thanks!

As a side note, we had our carpets professionally cleaned a few months ago. I am still wishing I could have kept the special carpet comb that the gentleman used to make all the fibers stand up and look so tidy. But, on second, thought, it might become a very unhealthy obsession.

Decluttering Friendships

Today I have a slightly off-topic post for you.

I'm seeing articles everywhere about people trying to get rid of excess stuff in their house. I agree that too much stuff in your house can be a problem. Junk takes on a life of it's own. But what about clutter in other areas of our lives?

Let's begin with some quotes from people I don't normally seek advice from:

"I just wanna throw my phone away/Find out who is really there for me" - Katy Perry, Part of Me

"The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away." - Barbara Kingsolver

In this day and age we are busy and hyper-connected. Outside of meetings for work, there are meetups, fundraisers, kids' sporting events, church commitments, etc. With social media providing constant updates, people can develop anxiety about missing out on the latest news. (Ever see the episode of The Office where Ryan can't bring himself to turn his phone off and has to leave the trivia contest?)

What really annoys me is when people purposefully schedule a time to be together, and then all they do is sit around and check their phones. Constantly.

Call me old-fashioned, but when I take the time to get dressed (with kids "helping"), go out, possibly find a babysitter, and spend money on coffee or food, I want to have a real, in-depth conversation.

A lot of people ask why I don't have a Facebook account. No, I'm not one of those people who thinks Facebook is the devil. I'm just not sure that having 200 "friends" would really connect me with people in more meaningful ways. At least, not in ways that are worth the time sifting through the unnecessary info. Yes, you know what's on their mind, what their kids just did that's cute, and see pictures of it all, but then what do you talk about when you're together in person? And really, I'm not that interested in what you had for lunch.

Someday I'll be on Facebook, so I can monitor what my kids are doing there and (maybe) catch up with people from the past. But while my boys are in this precious, small stage, I just don't want to take time away from them (or my peace and quiet while they sleep) to add this into my life.

Don't worry, I still have friends. They are the ones who come over for dinner, who I meet at the park, who email, call or text because they want to know how I'm doing.

On a set day each month, I get together with one of my friends. We schedule ahead because our friendship is a priority and we know not planning means time slips away all too quickly. She and I have grown so much closer as a result.

I don't want to stand on a soapbox today, but I do want to encourage you, if you are feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep up with everyone and everything, to consider who is really there for you (of course, you need to be there for them, too). As an only child, my parents lovingly told me "it's about quality, not quantity." Whatever you think about only children, I believe quality is especially important with friendships.

Invest in the friendships that you want to last. Don't just figure you are busy and will do it sometime. Focus your time and energy on the relationships that are fun, rewarding and challenging. Share tough stuff, laugh together, and get together face-to-face.

Recipe Roundup, Reprised (Part 2)

Hooray! About half of my recipe project is complete, and I'm excited to share it with you.

I decided to go with a three-ring binder approach--one for desserts and one for everything else. I started with "everything else." Here's my super-cute binder from Target. Oh, if I had all the money in the world, I would spend most of it there...

One of the things I'll never forget my Mom teaching me was that you could easily identify the "good" recipes in family cookbooks by finding the pages with food splatters and stains on them. The sheet protectors will prevent this (hopefully) but then again, no bad recipes will make it into the book, either.

The binder dividers that I got on Amazon just arrived and I'm so pleased. It took some searching to find attractive ones that also were wide enough to stick out past the sheet protectors, but I found them. Bonus: the dividers also hold loose pages! Now I have a place other than the fridge-clip to put the recipes I want to try. Love this!














Since the photo isn't so hot (I really need to learn some tips from my amateur-turning-pretty-darn-professional photographer hubby), here are the categories I decided on:

• Appetizers, Drinks and Snacks
• Beef and Pork
• Breads and Breakfast
• Chicken and Seafood
• Meatless Meals
• Side Dishes
• Soups and Salads
• Desserts...for binder #2

I typed the recipes using separate Word files for each category, and alphabetized the recipes within the document. Based on the number of sheet protectors that I used, I have about 200 recipes. I can't wait to expand that amount!

I had a lot of fun making the template and rewriting the instructions to be as close as possible to my work style in the kitchen. I also wanted to make them a little more explicit so they make sense when my boys start helping prepare meals in a few years, and add recipes for more obvious stuff like roast beef, sandwiches, etc. I'm excited that someday I can just re-print this information and hand them a cookbook from Mom!

What do you think? I'll let you know how many dessert recipes find their way to the binder. :)

Here is a sample recipe for your enjoyment, from my dear Mom. I will never again pay $7 and up for Creme Brulee at a restaurant now that I know how stinking easy it is (and without the blow torch)!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 c       heavy cream (one pint)
5          egg yolks
½ c      sugar
1 T       vanilla
            brown sugar

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 275.

2.      Set four ramekins inside a 9x13 baking pan.

3.      Whisk together cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla.

4.      Divide the egg mixture among the ramekins.

5.      Using a liquid measuring cup, carefully fill the pan with hot water so that ramekins are about two-thirds submerged in water.

6.      Bake at 275 for 45-60 minutes or until set.

7.      Refrigerate overnight, or to serve warm, go to next step.

8.      Just prior to serving, preheat the broiler. Spread a thin layer of brown sugar across the top of each ramekin. Smooth with the back of a spoon.

9.      Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until sugar has caramelized. Keep a close watch on the progress!

 

Decluttering the Catch-All Cabinet

Haven't we had some beautiful weather this past month?

It seems like spring puts everyone in a good mood and gives us a little more energy. (I wonder why that is. Maybe because we aren't using that effort to keep warm?) This is the time of year when I get the bug to do spring cleaning. The brighter sunlight shows off the neglected corners and the fresh air beckons me to hang sheets on the line.

One of my recent projects was decluttering a cabinet that lacked a clear purpose. You may remember that we eliminated our office to make a nursery for the baby. Well, this cabinet became the dumping ground for a lot of things that no longer had a home.

Before: Lots of randomly arranged office supplies, gift supplies that needed to be put away in another room, travel toiletries in a drawer, and some photo frames/albums that I didn't know what to do with. (Please excuse the smudges on the photo. Those are courtesy of my toddler touching the camera lens.)

After: Neatly segregated office supplies (personal and for a non-profit ministry), a photo album area, half a shelf for the toiletry stuff that doesn't fit in the bathrooms, and neatly organized drawers (one for overflow toiletries and one for photo frames). Oooh, and even an empty shelf!

So, I'm wondering if anyone has a crafty or clever idea what to do with photo frames that you don't use anymore? We are doing more photo collages that hang on the wall since those can't be knocked over by kids or pets. I'd love to hear your ideas.

p.s. for the curious: this jelly cupboard is the one item that I chose to salvage from a centuries-old farmhouse that was in my family. I'm not an antique-y kind of girl, but this was simple enough that I thought it would fit with my decor. If you like the pottery on top, visit http://oakleafpottery.com/ or  http://crowhillpottery.com/

Cosmetic Bag Clutter

I decided I was fed up with my cosmetic bag the other day (and yes, some of you will laugh at this because I probably own less makeup than the average woman). 

Before

Anyway, I don't spend a lot of money on beauty products, but one of the things I splurge on (with a 20% off coupon, of course) is mineral makeup. I am very fair-skinned and have found it to be nice and light with a more believable skin tone match than traditional foundations. The problem with this nice powder makeup is that it gets everywhere, creating a pale orange dust.

It was time.

To get everything clean, I emptied out the bag for a trip through the dishwasher. I do this often with things that might not hold up in the washer (great for baseball caps!) but I am also aware this can void the dishwasher warranty and potentially cause a fire hazard.

I also grabbed a microfiber towel and used it to wipe the dust off everything in the bag. Here's a picture of everything laid out before it was cleaned:

That lineup includes two caps that no longer have a pencil to cover, two pairs of tweezers (don't like the angled ones!) and scissors, and most embarrassing, a contact lens in package from two prescriptions ago.

After

I took a few things out of the bag that I only use on occasion--the nail scissors, double-sided tape, hand lotion--and put other things back where they belong (safety pins in the sewing kit, etc.). I still debate about putting my razor in the shower.

Aside from the dishwasher cycle and a little extra time for photography, this process really only took 10 minutes. And after about 10 days of telling myself this needed to happen, it's good to have it cleared off my mental list. And, just for fun, I took a few extra minutes to look at the over-the-counter medications in my medicine cabinet and ended up throwing about half of them away. One expired in 2007. Eeek!

What do you use every day that could handle a good cleaning?

Let's Clear Something Up...

I think it's time for me to clear up a common misconception. It's one that seems to be perpetuated by home magazines and pretty much EVERY publication in January (trying to capitalize on New Year's resolutions). It's also one that "they" don't want me to tell you:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY A TON OF BINS, BINDERS, FILE FOLDERS OR A LABEL MAKER TO "GET ORGANIZED."

I've been questioned about this by several friends and/or customers and what makes me crazy about this philosophy is that it just leaves you with more stuff to manage and find a place for. It's a very good marketing program, selling you a promise of organization, no clutter, and a perfect home if you just buy the products. (Look what I just saw an ad for!)


Okay, so maybe you do want to color code stuff for each of your kids to keep it straight, or you need a basket to corral shoes in the foyer. There is nothing wrong with that. Go shopping with a list, or better, repurpose something you have around the house. You could also pick up a pretty container at a yard sale or thrift store. A hundred pretty boxes and magazine files only encourage you to accumulate clutter rather than sort and use it. I promise! There's room for cute things, but function has to trump design.

Just remember to let YOUR home, lifestyle, and personal habits dictate what you buy.  Don't work to maintain a system; let the system work for you.

Gloves, Hats, and Mittens, Oh My!

It's been snowing off and on all day today. I was glad to spend some time with my oldest son playing outside this morning. There is something so peaceful about a snowfall. My favorite part is that it's incredibly quiet and reminds you to slow down and savor the change in routine. And snowstorms are one of those few sacred times in our modern era where you are allowed to cut back on obligations and just stay home with family. So precious.

So after all the fun of sledding and making snow angels, forts and snowballs, you come in and have all sorts of clothing to deal with: hats, gloves, boots, scarves and other stuff strewn all over the house in various states of wetness. Yuck! Kind of takes the fun out of it.

May I suggest the following ideas (none of which really apply to my house at present)?

• Have a laundry basket or other container available for things that are wet or dirty enough to require a washing. Encourage family members to drop things in here as they shed layers.
• Set up a drying rack or improvised clothing tree (a.k.a. folding chair) near a heating vent or fireplace for the items that are merely damp.
• Set out an extra throw rug or plastic mat near the door as a safe place for boots to dry. Keep this around until the snow melts and salt is no longer being tracked in.
• Use an over-the-door shoe organizer to corral small items for easy grab-n-go next time. This includes hats, earmuffs, scarves, gloves, etc. and will help keep paired items together. Consider assigning a row to each family member, making sure that kids items are closest to the bottom where they can reach them. At the end of the season, make sure everything still has its partner, and pack the whole thing away until next winter.

In and Out: Entryways

I've talked a lot about the importance of having a place to go with all the things you bring in the door. You need to be able to "stage" things so that you can sort and redirect them.

At the same time, there's an equally important need for figuring out what to do with stuff that needs to leave your house. Not only does this include your keys, phone, coat, purse, etc. but can also include other items that are easier to forget about: clothing to donate, cloth grocery bags that need to go into the car, items to return to family members, gifts you need to take somewhere, and so forth. You get the idea.

Nightly Routine

Call me boring, but I crave routine. Since November 4, my life has been a lot less predictable than I like. Fortunately, my babe is starting to establish a schedule and I am feeling healthy again. Recovering from a c-section, then the holidays, then strep throat. Enough!

I am thankful for a husband who really helps out around the house, but since he also works outside the home, I feel like the lion's share of household duties are indeed my responsibility. It's easiest for me to keep up with clutter and projects in small segments, so rather than having one big weekly cleaning session, I try to tackle a few things every day. So, before going upstairs for bed each night, I try to:

• Clear off and wipe kitchen counters and dining table
• Empty and reload dishwasher
• Decide on/do any prep for breakfast for the next day (so starving toddler can be quickly fed)
• Pick up toys
• Gather things to go upstairs

I find that I operate much better if the kitchen is clean and everything is (close to) in its place before I go to bed. Tripping over something in the middle of the floor before I've had my morning coffee isn't good!

A word about the dishwasher: I try very hard to make sure it gets started right after dinner if possible, even if it's just 90% full. Unloading is not my favorite thing, but it really only takes five minutes. It's important to me, because boy do I hate doing it after a quantity of dishes have accumulated on the counter and there's no room to put the clean ones as I work. Minor things in the scheme of life, I know, but as I read and shared recently "outer order contributes to inner calm."

Upstairs, Downstairs

(Hi, I am back! After several rounds of antibiotics-necessary illness in our house, and everyone finally getting close-to-enough sleep, I am finally trying to resume normal posting. So far 2012 is not as productive as I had hoped. Anyway, thanks for your patience.)

No, the title of this post is not referring to the fabulous British sitcom, cool as it is. I am, however, referring to the items that inevitably seem to wind up on the wrong floor of your home. At my house, this means diapers, laundry, mail/papers, dishes, and toys that migrate faster than you can say "boo," especially when you have a two-story foyer and it's *so fun* to throw things over the railing (if you are two)!

The other night, my darling husband was out playing volleyball, and the kids were in bed, so I spent about two hours just rearranging things in my house. The orderliness of my bedroom is now unmatched! I grabbed a handled basket and just starting tossing in everything that needed to go up or down. I tried to continue working on decluttering one room at a time, but had to make several trips to unload/put away.
After that was done, I filled the basket with things that needed to go back into my older son's bedroom and left that outside his door so that I could handle them next day. I find myself doing this more and more often. I am thankful for a piece of furniture outside the boys' rooms, where I can put two stacks of laundry or toys. At least items are somewhat sorted and ready to go back where they belong, since one or both are sleeping when I have time to fold laundry or declutter.

I am vowing to try and keep up with this project, keeping the basket handy so that when I tidy up at the end of each evening, I can toss everything in and carry it up. Items that need to go downstairs are placed on a corner table at the top of the steps so I can easily grab it on a trip down the next morning.

How do you deal with the constant up-and-down? Do you have a system like this for stuff that needs to go in and out of the car? I'd love to hear it!

Yea and Amen!

A few weeks ago I posted on the six commandments of organizing and I'm still sticking to them. But this article essentially covers them in three points. I love it!

"Outer order contributes to inner calm."  Oh yeah.

Shout Out for An Organized Lady

Overwhelmed? House full of clutter? Already planning how to simplify in the New Year?

You're going to want to keep an eye on Glynnis' blog for the next month or so. Love her ideas!!!