Monday, March 22, 2010

Back to getting organized... Secret #5

Good afternoon!

I hope all is well in your world. We still have snow on the ground here, but it is slowly melting away. I was hoping to have a picnic on the new dock down at the lake, but I guess that will have to wait until next week, or at least for a warmer sun filled day.

Ok... Back to getting organized and staying organized.

5. A place for everything and everything in its place.

We need to have a designated place for everything in our lives. No more junk drawers!! I bet you know where your makeup is. It has a home. I bet you know where your jewelry is. It has a home. Do you lose your car keys? I lose mine all the time. Why? Because I don’t put them where they go, which is in the front pocket of my purse. Where do your car keys go? You should have one place for them (in your purse or next to the door is best) and you'll never lose them again. Where do your old newspapers go? Pens? Pencils? Magazines? Children’s toys? Pet’s toys? Everything should have a home, a place to go when it is not being used.

Determine what organized looks like. To me organized is not cluttered. An organized home is a welcoming, calm, clean, place to be where things can be easily located and retrieved. An organized home is a place I enjoy living in and don’t mind visiting.

We need to find a "home" for every item in our home. If we have homeless items in our lives we need to find a home for them. If there are things sitting on your kitchen counter that don’t belong in the kitchen, they are homeless. Do you have things on your bed that don’t belong there? How about things on your desk that don’t belong? Now is the time to make a decision about where these items will live. Take action, file it, throw it away, give it to someone who will love it and use it, or find it a home, now. Don’t just keep moving these homeless items from one homeless shelter to another.

Some people love labels. Labels may help you keep things in their home, so you might want to use labels.

Think about how you use the items in your home when you are finding homes for things. You want your homes to be easy to get to and you want to be able to find what you have put away easily. Put items near the point they will be used. Store all the laundry items in the laundry room or near the washer and dryer. Keep your dish washing detergent next to the dishwasher. Put your pots and pans, pot holders and cooking utensils next to the stove. I know you are thinking duh??? But not everyone puts things in the most obvious place and then they are surprised when it is not convenient. Trust me, I know, I have put things away and then could not find them. Planning is a good thing!

It’s okay to duplicate items in different homes within your home. You will need a pair of scissors in your kitchen, and you will also need to have a pair in your home office. I also like to have a pair of scissors in my knitting corner(s). You might also like to have duplicate cleaning supplies in each bathroom. I know I do. It saves me time when I am cleaning the bathrooms and I don't have to lug around a cleaning tray.

That's it for today. See you soon with secret #6.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for stopping by my blog...I am now following you too.

    I have a lot of organizing to do, but I really need to just give away a bunch of stuff. Why is it so hard to do that...I always say I may need it one day.

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  2. I'm loving the organizational tips. your right with this one. I'm thinking I should have listen to my Dad long ago. Thanks for the tips

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  3. O my word! If you read my blog when I posted it, you will know I needed this! Thank you!

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  4. I'm all about organizing! I find that now that I've been making an effort to create a proper home for everything, it totally unclutters my brain! I can find things, I don't waste time looking for them, and my environment stays clean and neat. I'm less stressed and I actually enjoy opening up a newly organized drawer and it makes me smile. Crazy I know, but it's the little things that really affect my life! : )

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  5. I wouldn't make it through the day if I wasn't organized. Everything would take me ten times as long.

    The other students in art school used to make fun of me for being so organized but I always had my projects completed long before them because I had a plan!

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  6. great organizing tips. okay, it's officially spring now..time for me to clean up!
    great blog post!!!

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  7. Tangerine, I understand where you are coming from. It is hard to get rid of some things, but just back your ears and do it.(a southern saying) You will never miss most of it.

    HelloKendra, I am excited that you are enjoying the tips.

    The Krishers, I wish you the very best in getting organized.

    Lisaroy and Sweet Harvey - I couldn't agree more. It is a huge time saver and I like being able to find the things I need when I need them.

    Kim - Thanks for your comment. I hope you get your spring cleaning done.

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