Kid Clutter Welcome to the fourth conversation in the Beyond the Car Seat interview series. A house with even one kid can be a hectic chaotic mess and no where does the chaos reign supreme then in the toy department. Professional Organizer Matt Baier offers some solutions to dealing the kid clutter from the bedroom to the playroom. What are the challenges you see with kids rooms?
To understand what it takes to stay organized, it might be helpful to change the spelling of the word itself. The word “go” needs to be at the heart “organized.” To be truly organized, you need to be or-GO-nized. I know the definition of organizing, but I haven’t found a satisfying word origin. 1375-1425, late Middle English from the Medieval Latin organizare- to contrive, arrange— is not doing it for me.
Do you tend to put things where they belong or where they fit? If you put them where they belong, then you are using dedicated zones, even if that’s not what you call them. If you just put things where they fit, it can be very difficult to stay organized. Seven words I dread hearing from a client, upon gaining a clear drawer or shelf, are “what can we put in here now?” It means I haven’t done my job of explaining how being organized works.
I have a simple little theory that explains why it is so hard to stay organized. While I have never tested it scientifically, I have observed it throughout my life and in almost every home I have organized. I call it the One, Two, Four-get it! theory. It begins with two other organizing beliefs of mine. First, I believe that a clear work surface is your number one organizing tool. Second, I believe that limitations breed freedom. For example, if you limit the
Clients, who are frustrated by all their paper, often ask me “What about scanning it all and going paperless?” I usually recommend “Let’s learn to walk before we can run.” Why waste time and money scanning in the paper that is worthless? I have never made the jump to 100% paperless myself, but recently I discovered I knew someone who has. I’m always learning surprising facts about my manager, Marlie Reid. One of those facts is that Marlie is 100% paperless.
As someone who makes his living out of helping folks declutter their crippling excess of stuff, I know full well that quite often the pendulum swings too far in the other direction. I remember once cautioning a woman from throwing out too many of her keepsakes and she responded by saying “Well isn’t that what I’m SUPPOSED to be doing?” No.
A golf ball is placed on a tee, so that the ball is in a position that it can be struck cleanly. Teeing up is a step that is taken so the next step is easier. Effective organizing systems need to be, not only a series of stages, but a series of stages that are each “teed up” for each subsequent stage. For example, if your system for organizing the ugly mail is hiding it in a pretty basket, you have not teed up the next stage well.
I guess I’m kind of late to come around to the virtues of the Sticky Pad, but I have to say I’m a fan. I first saw this product in use, as I do with so many products, by one of my brilliant clients. It's so simple. Just place the Sticky Pad anywhere on your dashboard and simply rest your cell phone (or whatever) on top of it. The pad will hold stop it from slipping off, no matter what. Really!
Establishing and maintaining dedicated zones are essential to staying organized. Here are Read More
I have to admit that when I took the Neat Desk One Month trial offer, I was planning on returning it. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong. The Neat Desk is not without its problems, it’s not cheap, and it’s not for everybody, but I have concluded that for me it is worth the investment.
The other day I rushed home from work and jumped straight on the computer. My wife walked by my office and said “Take off your coat and stay a while!” You might wonder what this fascinating story has to do with organizing. A while back I wrote a post called “Envel-nope”, about why un-shed envelopes have no place in the home.
Several clients have told me, “I’d like to see your house. I’ll Read More
