Organizing

Car Organizing Tips

Published: January 4, 2017

Keeping your car organized can be simpler if you can create the habit of cleaning it out on a regular basis. Having the right storage supplies in your car can help you to maintain a clean and organized interior.

Here are some items that can help keep your car better organized:

A trash container. This can simply be an empty bag, but using a plastic cereal dispenser with a lid can make it much neater. The important thing to remember is to empty it regularly.

For those who park in a garage, I suggest having a small trash can in your garage to easily dispose of the car’s trash.

If you frequently drive alone, a passenger seat valet may be helpful to keep items organized.

If you have backseat passengers, a back seat car organizer can come in handy.

A car phone mount works well if you’re frequently using a mobile phone in your vehicle.

You may want to invest in trunk organizers to better manage items in the trunk. If you’re often moving items in and out of the trunk and into your home, try storing a laundry basket inside the trunk to hold shopping bags and groceries.

For organizing items in the door pockets or glove box, consider a wedge organizer.

For children, use small plastic baskets or caddies to hold their toys, coloring books, and other items.

Keep your essential vehicle documents organized in an auto insurance and registration document wallet.

Have a first aid kit in your car at all times.

Keep a roadside emergency kit in your trunk.

It is a good practice to store bottled water and emergency food such as energy bars in your car.

Be prepared for weather changes with an ice scraper, umbrella, and possibly an extra jacket or change of clothes. Store these in a bin or bag in the trunk.

By making a list of what you need and use frequently in your car, and then creating a place for all of these items, it will be much easier to remain organized. Making a habit of emptying the car of trash and non-essential items on a regular basis will help to eliminate clutter inside your car.

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How to Prepare for an Organizing Session

Published: December 28, 2016

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Many people ask me, “What do I need to do before you come over?” In response to that question, I’ve written this article to let you know what you do and do not need to do prior to your first home organizing session.

Do:

Discuss with your family: Before a professional organizer arrives to help reorganize your home, please discuss the process with the rest of your family. It helps if you know your family’s wishes for reorganizing certain spaces, and also if there are any spaces that they deem “off-limits” to reorganizing.

Sleep well the night before: The process of organizing your belongings can be emotionally draining, you will be making many decisions, and it is best if you are well-rested.

Dress casually: During home organizing sessions, we will be moving items around and possibly kicking up dust. I suggest you wear something comfortable that you don’t mind getting dirty. This is extremely important for garage, attic and basement organizing sessions.

Eat breakfast or lunch: Whether a morning or afternoon session, make sure you’ve recently eaten. It is important that you are well fueled to best tackle the organizing process.

Reserve this time only for organizing: Do not schedule any work, calls or visitors during the scheduled organizing session. Eliminate as many distractions as possible to make the most of the time.

Arrange for childcare: Unless we’re organizing your child’s space, it is best to have your children at school, daycare, camp, or being watched by a babysitter or other family member during an organizing session. If older children are home, please ask them to not disturb you during the organizing session.

Put dogs in another room or outside: I love dogs, and I’m not allergic, but they do tend to get in the middle of organizing projects. Please put them in another room or outside during the organizing session.

Do Not:

Pre-clean: I’ve worked in various conditions and have seen it all. Cleaning is something to do after organizing, not before.

Pre-organize: You called an organizer for expert input and assistance, you do not need to do any pre-organizing. It actually helps me if I can see how you actually live, and how and where items fall in your home. If you hide it all in a closet, it will be harder to assess what needs to be organized.

Apologize for the “mess”: I am there to help you organize it, no apologies or excuses are needed. Life happens, and sometimes situations beyond your control can cause disorganization and clutter to arise.

Be nervous: I am a non-judgmental and experienced professional organizer. I know the methods and processes to help you. I love coming up with organizational solutions and helping others. I won’t yell at you, I am there to help you to re-gain control of your space.

My Best Organizing Advice

Published: December 21, 2016

My Best Organizing Advice Blog Title
Whenever I tell someone that I am a professional organizer, they often ask me for my best organizing advice. There is no one “best way” to become or remain organized, it really does depend on each person’s learning style and lifestyle. During my 5 years as a professional organizer, I have found that the following concepts are the organizing strategies that I consider to be my best organizing advice.

Declutter first, then organize.

By removing items you no longer use or need, you will make the process of organizing and storing the remaining items so much easier.

Buy storage products after you’ve decluttered.

Before you’ve decluttered, you don’t know the size, amount or type of storage products that may be needed. For example, it is not wise to buy 80 plastic shoe boxes if you’re going to declutter and reduce your shoe collection to 30 pairs of shoes. Too many empty storage products can also contribute to clutter and disorganization.

Place similar items together.

It is much easier to search for an item if all similar items are located in one place. For example, I helped an artist to organize all of her paint brushes into one storage shelf. Before, she was wasting time and energy searching in several areas when she needed a paint brush, now she can access them quickly and easily.

Tackle one space at a time.

Although you may want to get everything organized at once, it is best to prioritize, and start small, focusing on one drawer, closet or room at a time. Once you see progress in one area or room, you’ll feel more motivated to organize the next space.

Place items near where they will be used.

Think about the activities that take place in a room and how you move about that room. For example, if your children do homework at the dining room table, it may be helpful to keep homework supplies in a dining room hutch.

Assign a day and time on your calendar to do each task.

Setting deadlines with yourself and having each task on your schedule is the key to getting things done.

Create habits to help stay organized.

Getting and staying organized is not a one-time task. Create new daily and weekly habits and routines in your life to keep your space and schedule organized. For example, schedule 15 minutes at the end of each day to tidy up for the next day.

The True Cost of Clutter

Published: December 7, 2016

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The true cost of clutter is often overlooked. Clutter in your life can cost you in many ways including time, energy and money. I work with many home organizing clients focusing on decluttering, and it is inspiring to see how their the overall lives change for the better after decluttering.

Here are just some ways clutter can cost you:

The time and energy lost while searching for things in your home.

The time and money lost re-buying something you already own.

The cost of renting a storage unit.

Late fees from misplaced bills.

Utilities being cut off from unpaid bills and reconnection charges.

Tax penalties due to disorganized papers.

Lost cash.

Misplaced checks.

Missed appointments and cancellation fees.

Misplaced invitations resulting in missing events.

Lost gift cards.

Not using an item before it expires, and then needing to buy it again.

Items being ruined because they have not been properly stored.

The cost of moving to and maintaining a larger home to hold all of your stuff.

Items that you are holding onto that could be resold.

Items that you are holding onto that could be donated for a tax write-off .

Rooms that can no longer be used as intended.

Strained family relationships.

These are just some of the costs of clutter. The stress and overwhelm of living in a cluttered environment has an all encompassing effect on lives. If you’re ready to declutter your home and want expert advice, please contact On Task Organizing for a free phone consultation.

How to Help a Disorganized Family Member

Published: November 16, 2016

How to Help a Disorganized Family Member title
I frequently receive calls from people who want to help a disorganized family member. Sometimes, one person’s disorganization leaves the rest of the family picking up, feeling frustrated and arguing about the clutter.

“My family member is disorganized, what should I do?”

This is one of the most common questions I receive. I wish there was an easy answer, but your relative needs to see the benefits of getting organized and WANT to make a change in their life before a professional organizer can truly help them.

Here are some suggestions to help you to assist your family member:

Give them their own space

Designate a room, or portion of a room as theirs alone to maintain and organize. This may be difficult for you, but if they feel ownership and control in one area, it may lessen arguments.

Discuss where things should go

In common areas of the home, work with them to decide where things should go. Some people need to be able to see everything, so try clear bins with labels to make it obvious where things should be stored. Others need items tucked away, so adding hooks, bins and labels inside closets or cabinets may work better for them. If all things have a home, it is easier for the person to maintain organization.

Create a clutter collection bin

Have a bin or basket where you collect their belongings at the end of each day or week, and make them responsible for returning it to their room or space.

Become an example yourself

This often works well for parents trying to influence children to be come more organized. By getting your own personal spaces better organized, you will model how being organized can save time and lower stress. I often find that once a parent does a major reorganization of his or her own spaces; it inspires children to get organized in their bedroom or playroom.

Suggest they contact a professional organizer

If your family member expresses the desire to get organized, but just needs some help, they may want to contact a professional organizer for non-judgmental expert assistance. This can reduce family disagreements during the decluttering process. Most professional organizers, including myself, require that the person in need of organization speak with the professional organizer ahead of time, and be motivated to make a change to become more organized. Forcing organization on anyone just doesn’t work.

Giving someone “the gift of organization” without their consent and motivation to change is like giving someone the “gift of a personal trainer” without them wanting to start an exercise program.

Ways to Organize Makeup

Published: November 9, 2016

Organizing makeup and cosmetics can sometimes be challenging because of the number of small items and the variety of container sizes. One of the best ways to keep your makeup area organized is to continually discard old makeup or colors and types of cosmetics that you just never use. If you limit your collection to those cosmetics you love and use frequently, and it will be much easier to manage.

Remember that makeup and skin care products do have expiration dates. Expiration dates exist because makeup is prone to bacterial contamination, discoloration and drying out. Some items such as mascara should be used within 3-6 months, other cosmetics such as lipstick should be used within 2 years. If you have owned any makeup product for more than 2 years, it is time to discard it.

Be sure to purge any cosmetic bags and containers you do not use. Many of these are offered free with purchases, but they often add to clutter. Give away or donate any of these freebie bags that you don’t use.

When it comes to storing makeup, it really depends on the amount of space and location available. I suggest storing makeup in a bathroom or bedroom near a well-lit mirror.

Here are some options for storing cosmetics in your home:

Use small acrylic drawer organizers inside bathroom drawers to help sort cosmetics by color or type.

Use a makeup organizer and store it on a countertop, shelf or inside a deep drawer.

Repurpose an old vase, mug or other container to hold your brushes.

If you lack counter space, you may want to hang up a magnetic board, and glue magnets to the back of your cosmetics to keep them accessible and neatly displayed.

If you frequently travel, try some of these storage options:

Small cosmetic bags for traveling or placing in a purse.

Large makeup bags

Train Cases

Remember to empty your travel bags as soon as you return home from a trip so that a cosmetic item isn’t misplaced or forgotten about before it expires. I hope these tips help you to better organize your makeup collection. How do you store your cosmetics? Please comment below.