So you’ve bought all these great organizing supplies, done some purging, created a space for everything and everything is in its place, but you still can’t stay organized. What could possibly be missing? The problem is, life doesn’t stand still and neither do your organizing needs. There must be a plan for movement.
I have written a ten part series on closet organizing, but if you’d like to see the best placement practices summarized on one sheet, here it is. This is just for a closet with shelves, from top to bottom, not one with a hanging rod. Before following these, I recommend emptying your closet entirely and purging the excess. When you reload, consider this.
I have to admit, I was a big fan of TLC’s What Not To Wear. One of the things the hosts consistently recommended for the wardrobes of the poorly-dressed, was more structure. An important part of our organizing recommendations is also structure. Here are three good examples.
On the whole, I try to avoid negative posts, but I’ve had it these guys. The organizing solutions we provide, mostly come down to editing and approach, but sometimes they are purely structural. It could partly be that you are just using the wrong supplies. Over the last ten years of organizing, we have found these three culprits used in hundreds of homes, as indispensable organizing conventions. Indispensable they are not.
After we have purged the excess stuff from a client’s home, we have a conversation about how best to organize and store what’s left. This involves a discussion about the showroom vs. stockroom approach, which I have written about before. This time, I want to revisit the showroom vs. stockroom approach, with the aid of two useful images.
We’ve all heard the classic organizing mantra “a place for everything and everything in its place.” That may be a good place to start, but to truly benefit from being organized, it’s necessary to push that goal a little further.
Are you ready for now? Usually our ideas of being ready are directed toward the future. Will I be ready to retire (in the future)? Will I be ready in an emergency (in the future)? Being organized means being ready, not just for things that will happen in the future, but for things are happening NOW. Summertime brings many sudden moments that spark stress. Here are three of them and how to get ready for now.
I have spoken before about rethinking the need for a junk drawer, but today I want to address perhaps the most important thing you can put in any drawer: open space.
A good organizing system is like a perfect piece of toast. You have to set the right compulsion level for your system, just as you have to set the right heat for your toast.
There was a TV ad that ran in 1983 for Tio Sancho Tacos, in which Tio himself boldly declares that his tacos “don’t fall apart, so they taste great.” A schlubby guy from off camera says, “I don’t see the connection.” Tio invites the schlub over to try his (inferior) brand taco on camera while Tio tries his (superior) taco. They each take a bite and the schlub’s taco explodes all over his shirt. He tastes nothing. Tio smugly asks “How is yours?” The schlub answers “I don’t know. It fell apart.” Tio gloats, “Really? Mine is delicious.” So what does this 31 year old taco commercial have to do with organizing?
A while back I wrote a guest post on my friend, Brian Bish’s blog about organizing social media. Most of what I addressed was how Brian got my social media more organized through Hootsuite. This was great for establishing a manageable, weekly foundation, but I discovered I wasn’t good at the next and most important step: social interaction. Again, I needed a simple, manageable plan, so I had Brian return this morning to help me with one. What struck me is how much his advice for effective social media is the same as the advice I give for staying organized. Here are some examples.
In my last blog post, I gave some examples of the science of organizing. I explained that what we do is not magic, it’s science. This time, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the magical ideas I have encountered over the years about organizing and professional organizers. I call these ideas organizing fairy dust.
Self_storage_unitsI have always contended that outside storage can be a huge waste of money. I received this letter from a fellow blogger, who serves up a hefty helping of further evidence. Enjoy.
Just drove back from a Thanksgiving weekend with my wife and father-in-law, after visiting Mum in Maine. For reasons that are unimportant and uninteresting, I found myself driving another car over the weekend and immediately found myself missing certain organizing conveniences from my car, including a couple of the ones I am about to list. This is, by no means, a comprehensive list of perfect car organizing tips, just a few I happen to use and like.
The term "thickening agent" generally refers to paint and food products, but you might be surprised at how many thickening agents are in your file folders. Unlike gumbo, however, your files are much better off without these thickening agents. Here are six examples:
am filing my t-shirts because I learned a terrific tip from CPO Alejandra Costello. She stores her t-shirts vertically, so you can get a better view of them. Brilliant! Here is her video explaining how she does it and the tool she uses. If you are too lazy to watch her 4:47 minute video or too lazy and too cheap to order her tool, like I am, here’s what you can do.
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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