Welcome to "Organizing Blog Central" -- where we give organizers around the world a chance to share their experiences, advice, and opinions about getting organized. You'll find everything here -- inspiration, motivation, tips, product recommendations, and even a few challenges to your current belief system (you can't change without letting go of a few preconceptions!)
Come back daily, as we have a dozen different blogs a day every day of the week -- on topics like home and office organizing, paper and time management, organizing your kids, simplifying you life, getting your finances in order, travel, moving, and much more!
I have had an ongoing battle with my children's socks. This is a particular area that I as an organizer am ashamed that I cannot handle. But, I have found a solution.
Having a 7 and 4 yr old, I have kept all in between and baby socks lumped together for more than a year I know. I have dumped the basket all the way out, sorted, piled it back in and repeated the step as needed for more than one solid year. I know every time I do this I say to myself I am going to take care of this once and for all. It is similar to the day I made the decision to purchase a flip fold. So I purchased a product called Sockpro Sock Holders, from...
Have you noticed that we can become very attached to our routines, traditions and rituals? Sometimes to the point where we just can't let go of them at all. How do we respond, though, when one day life steps in and everything changes right before our eyes? Our best friend has a wonderful job offer ten hours away and has to move. Our weekly group meeting has to find a new home. Or there is a tragedy that rocks our world. The most natural response is to resist, protest and struggle to find a way to make it go back to the way it used to be. We are true creatures of habit.
This year among the many things I let go in my life I had to let go of the weekly routine of meeting with my friend before our weekly spirituality group. For...
At this point, you have probably run
across some belongings that don't exactly serve a practical purpose in
your life. Of course, some items simply cannot be judged according to
their function alone. Certain objects, such as artwork or collectibles,
are kept because they are aesthetically pleasing. Others are treasured
for their sentimental value. What do to?
Quit With The Excuses Already!
It's
fine to keep things that you don't use everyday -- I don't believe in
the "you haven't touched it in a year, it's out of here" rule. But I
don't want you convincing yourself to keep an item that gives you no
real benefit and is just taking up space! After you've been doing it
for a long time, holding onto clutter becomes a habit -- and habits
(especially bad ones) are hard to break! It's easy to continue
justifying your failure to clean out the excess and unused with a
variety of different excuses. "It was expensive." "It was a gift."
"I've had it since I was a child." "I don't just want to throw it
away." "I might fit into a size 6 again." "But what if it comes back in
style?" Yeah -- right. I'm here to respond to each of these
rationalizations with a bit of cold, hard reason -- hopefully allowing
you to see that you can let at least a few things go and you'll be none
the worse off for it! ...
A large percentage of my clients face paper clutter challenges. Despite visions of a paperless society when the computer was invented, we are still inundated with paper at home and at work.
One of the biggest culprits is "junk mail" — those credit card solicitations, catalogs, circulars, and the like that you don't want or need, but that still keep coming. Experts estimate that the average person receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year.
How to stop the madness? Here are some great resources for helping you whittle down the amount of junk mail that comes into your home or office in the first place.
You're making your list and checking it twice and can't figure out what to buy that one that's not so nice. A gift card will make a great gift and give that picky one a lift. Was that gift the right choice? Let me lend you my opinion and voice.
Ok, that was just a fun introductory for one of those gifts that are so easy to buy and give and are usually readily received. However, after watching a video on my bank's website it made me wonder. The woman speaking talked about how gift cards are easily forgotten to be used by the recipient and if they are forgotten for an extended amount of time their value starts to decline or goes completely away after a certain date. You also have to be...
You've heard it before. Put on your own oxygen mask before attempting to assist others. When was it exactly that you noticed your mask had slipped?
Was it when you realized that your idea of balance was driving with one hand, and talking on your cell phone while eating fast food with the other?
Perhaps it was when you looked at all of the clutter on your kitchen table and counters, the stacks lining the entry way and stairs. You may have even contemplated tossing everything out the window!
Maybe it was when you had to work late again.
Perhaps it was when you realized that you have more on your To Do list than years left in your life to get it done? ...
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