Let’s face it, spring cleaning usually has a lot to do with spring cleaRing. Some annual rituals are obvious-- store the boots and bring out the sandals, bring the lawn furniture out of storage, put the holiday decorations away-- but there are some additional practices that will make it easier to stay organized, year-round.
You may hate the way the clutter accumulates in your home or office, but it’s possible you may be making some simple structural choices that cause it. A truly effective organizing system is built on movement. Some choices prevent movement and allow clutter to take up residence.
Today I want to boldly confront one of the most controversial issues of our time: file folder color choice. I know there is a school of thought, that says if your file folders are a variety of stimulating colors, they will encourage more use, but I want to make a case for the classic manila folder. There are reasons why it works.
Beware the inbox. On the face of it, an inbox makes sense. It provides a single collection place for your unsorted items. The problem is that you gain a false sense of organization, because while there is an easy plan for entrance, there is no easy plan for exit. The best solution may be no inbox at all.
Being organized requires a balance of three limited resources. The first two are time and space. Much has been written about how to work within the limits of time and space, but there is a third resource that attracts less attention. That resource is energy. It is possible to clear your space, organize your time, and establish sensible systems for both and still not be able to stay organized, because you lack the energy to maintain those systems.
So what does hair coloring and organizing have to do with each other? Organizing is never as simple as black or white, keep or toss. There is a lot of gray that must stay, but must be stored away. We’ve all been there. We can’t take that cluttered room anymore, so we go in with a trash bag and start tossing the old periodicals, the empty component boxes, but then we get stuck on a half finished craft project, the old documents, the expensive gift we never liked,
Just as a doctor asks several key questions before making a diagnosis, so does a professional organizer. In a home office, one of those questions is “where is your trash?” If the client proudly points to a decorative little bin that is overflowing with paper, then I know we are looking at some easy structural solutions and some larger conceptual challenges.
If you find yourself not having the right item for the right need at the most critical times. Here are my top three recommendations: 1. Edit 2. Edit 3. Edit If everything is important than nothing is important. The less you have to remember, the more likely you are to remember it.
There must be thousands of resources out there offering the “easiest way to get organized,” (including mine) so I thought I would offer up some advice on the absolute worst ways to get organized. Here are seven surefire tips!
In 2013 every household should have a donation depot. The global economy and online shopping has made it cheaper and easier than ever to buy goods. We need a system to make it as easy as possible to purge excess items as fast as they accumulate. This requires an adequate dedicated zone, so that it is almost as easy to donate clothes and other unwanted items as it is to recycle.
Last Saturday I awoke at 5:30 to organize my garage. Oh, I hit the snooze button a few times, but I still did get up pretty early to make time for a task that just never seems to rise to the top of my priority list. Why, you may ask, would a professional organizer need to organize his garage? Shouldn’t it already be organized by now? It’s a fair question. The answer has to do with an organizing process
It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but it also tends to be the most stressful. Here are some simple organizing tips to reduce some of that holiday stress. Clear your closet That’s right. According to one recent survey, 31% of those polled claim they feel more satisfied after reorganizing their closet than after having sex. Clearing your closet feels great and can actually be fun. It’s a great time of year to donate clothes and other items to
There have been several occasions, when I have explained to my clients the importance of keeping action items visible and they respond by saying, “Yes, that makes sense, but there are other items I just want to hide.” They’re not talking about hiding cash from thieves or inappropriate materials from their kids. They’re talking about hiding items from themselves.
I am actually making a case against baskets. I realize that for many with visions of a home beautifully organized into pretty little matching baskets that this is organizing heresy, but hear me out. More often than not, baskets are clutter traps. Items go in, but they don’t come out. We have a false sense of control because an ugly collection of items have been contained in a beautiful vessel. But
Perhaps this image of the turkey with the place settings is the type of picture that comes to mind when you think “dining table,” but more often than not, there is a different reality. Does your dining table become a depository for things like mail, schoolwork, knick-knacks, holiday décor, and craft projects? The dining table is often the model of disorganization, but it can be a model for organization. Here’s how.
If being organized has been a lifelong challenge, then new habits are necessary to get and stay organized. Sometimes, however, organizing challenges can be overcome just by addressing the structures we choose. Staying organized requires easy, reliable movement from one stage to the next. Circulation prevents accumulation. Here are some examples of structures that we hobble ourselves with, just like a hobbled horse.
Professional Organizer Matt Baier and his team declutter and organize homes and offices in Stamford, New Canaan, Greenwich, Westport, Darien, Norwalk, Fairfield, Westchester County, and New York City.
Matt Baier Organizing, LLC
Professional organizer • Stamford, Connecticut
14 Forest Lawn Ave. #B6, Stamford, CT 06905
Phone: (203) 253-8414 • Email: matt@mattbaier.com
Home Organizing Greenwich CT, Darien CT, New Canaan CT, Stamford CT & Westchester County NY
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