Stay Organized

Now that you know how to organize your spaces, do it, and keep doing it everyday.


Remember - if something is broken or you don't use it anymore - GET RID OF IT!!!


This is probably the most IMPORTANT thing to remember, clutter happens when you have a lot of things that you don't use.


So... go get organized!

Organizing Your Bedroom

Here's 3 simple tips that are great to remember.


1 ~ Keep it simple. When it comes to your night stand have just the essentials there, an alarm clock, a small photo frame, or a book - if you like to read before bed.


2 ~ Dressers. Keep your light clothing in the first drawer and the heavier items in the lower drawers.


3 ~ Under the bed. Take advantage of this space. Use it to store your shoes or extra blankets.

Organizing Your Garage

Garages can by full of clutter and very disorganized.


~Start By Decluttering!
Put your items into piles or bins based on what you use if for, for example, put all your gardening tools together, all of your tools in one spot, and place all of your shovels and snow gear together. Do this with all of the items you have and if your not sure where to place something put it in a to-be-determined pile. If you find things that are broken throw them away, and if you have items that you no longer use - find a new home for them, either donate them or give them to a friend, or maybe even have a fall garage sale if you find many items that you no longer need.


~Put Everything In It's Place!
Now that you know what you've got, it's time to store these items somewhere. Cabinets, shelves, racks, hooks, and tool boxes are the perfect fix. You can go to a home supply store to buy these items if you don't already own them. Buy things that are useful for you and your needs.


~Take Care Of Your Tools!
If your tools are all over the garage or piled up on a shelf somewhere it's time to put them away! Your tool box/chest is the perfect spot for them. A peg board can be very useful for the tools that you may use often, such as hammers, a pliers, wrench, tire pressure gauges, or whatever else you use.


~Sweep It!
Before you put everything away sweep out all the dust and dirt that has accumulated over the months. If you have a vehicle that is leaking fluids use a product that will soak it up and then sweep that as well.


Now that your garage is looking nice a clean; put your things away!

Tips On Organizing Your Closet

Organizing your closet is super easy! Do what works for you. Here are some tips that I found that really help me.


Throw away or donate clothes that no longer fit you. Empty out your entire closet and try on your clothes. If they still fit put them in your "KEEP" pile; if they don't put them in your "DISCARD" pile. You can do this for your shoes as well.


Keeping clothes that you wear seasonally in your closet year round can take up a large amount of space. Go threw your clothes and store your winter/spring/summer/fall clothes someplace else. Vacuum storage systems are great for this.


Using boxes and bins to store your shoes, scarves, hats, and other accessories is a great way to free up space. Boxes and bins can be purchased at a reasonable price at a local store.


Hooks are great for planning your ensemble for the next day. This will make getting ready in the morning a snap.

Organizing Your Kitchen Cabinets

Staying organized can be difficult but keeping your kitchen organized doesn't have to be.
Here are some tips.


Empty The Cabinets
Empty out all of your cabinets and clean them.


Throw Things Away
Throw away things that aren't used anymore. Give them to friends if the item still works or donate them.


Assign Categories
Group items into categories and store like things together. Keep your plates, bowls, glasses, and mugs in the same place. Also, storing items that you use on a daily basis on lower shelves makes them easier to access. Store holiday plates and crystal on higher shelves.


Sliding Cabinets
Making those hard to reach spaces more accessible can be a challenge, but there are tools  that can help. There are systems that can be purchased that can make this easier, racks can pull out.


Small Appliances
Appliances that are used on a daily basis can be kept on the kitchen counter.


Pot Racks
Hanging pots and pans on a pot rack will free up room in your cupboards.

Organizing Your Bathroom

If your like me, your bathroom is small and the amount of space you have for storage is limited. De-cluttering your bathroom is essential to getting more space. There are many different storage containers that can be used to create more space.


Needed Items to Organize Your Bathroom
Ziploc bags or cosmetic bags are great for small things to be stored in, if you have clear bags it makes it easier to see what is in them and then you aren't looking though many bags to find the one thing you want. Also, having garbage bags on hand is good, too. Throw away anything that you know you will no longer be needing. Having some cleaning supplies and gloves are good if things get messy. Also have a tap measure. This will be used to measure your drawers so you know what size containers you will need to purchase.


Throw Away The Trash
Go though each drawer and throw away the things that you no longer need or don't use anymore. Once you have decided to throw something away put it in the trash and once your bags are full move them out of your workspace.


Organize
First, group all of your items into categories like hair products, personal hygiene and toiletries, and nail products. You can put these on your counter tops or on the floor.


Clean
Clean your drawers and cabinets once the products have been removed and placed into the proper categories.


Storage containers
Once your space is clean you should measure the dimensions of your drawers. Write these dimensions down and then take them with you when you go shopping for containers. You don't need to buy new containers if you know that you already own a container that will work. Containers come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. A drawer organizer is great for make-up and will keep your drawers neat. Having organizers is a great way to keep everything in it's place.


Labeling
This can be fun and helpful when wanting to keep order in your bathroom. You can use a label maker or sticky labels that can be cut to the correct size. Labels are great to keep order and to help you know what is in each container and where things need to be placed once you are done using them.


Hair and Cosmetics
Hair and make-up products have over-taken my bathroom, maybe yours' too. Drawer organizers are a good thing to have to keep all of your make-up in. If you have a lot of brushes and hair curlers, keeping them in a small cosmetic bag will reduce some of the clutter and keep everything in one place. Having another bag for hair ties, barrettes, clips, and bobby-pins, is a good thing to have as well.


Medicine Cabinets
Medicine cabinets are a perfect spot for clutter. Most cabinets have three shelves; the bottom being the biggest. On the bottom shelf put your larger items like bandages, deodorant, or mouthwash, things you use often. On the second and third shelves put facial cremes, cleansers, lotions, or eye care products. Organize your medicine cabinet to your own liking, these are just some ideas. The main thing to remember is to have a system and follow it.


Cabinet Storage
Cabinets can become very cluttered with other things. Have storage bins and caddies for your hair supplies like hairsprays and gels. The back of your cabinet can hold your duplicate items and things that you may need but don't use on a daily basis. In the front of the cabinet put things like toothpastes and other dental hygiene that you will use at some point in time. In the cabinet having some empty space is good for when you buy new product. You can use this space of those things.


Cleaning Supplies
Have your cleaning supplies in a separate caddy. Have items that are used just for your bathroom. When they are in your bathroom, you are more likely to clean your bathroom on a regular basis. Having a separate caddy for your toilet paper and paper towels is great, too.


Once everything is organized and in it's place, finding things will be easy! It is normal for your bathroom to get messy, but now that you are organized, everything has a place and can be easily put away. Just remember, you are only organized if you keep yourself organized. This is something that you will always have to do and making it a habit of it will make the cleaning process feel less like a chore.

How to Organize Your Living Room

A living room can be the center of your family life. If most of your time is spent here, it will tend to become cluttered and dirty. These simple tips for organizing your space will put the family back in your family room.


A WASTE BASKET
It may not be the most attractive thing you want in your living space but it's practical. If your living room is cluttered it may help. Waste baskets come in many shapes and styles, so choose one that fits into your decor.


FLAT SURFACES
There are many flat surfaces all around your house and flat surfaces accumulate many things. Items such as books, magazines, papers, and brochures, should be put in their place. Bookshelves and filing cabinets are a great place to put these things.


CORDS
Keeping your cords underwraps keeps your living room looking sharp and put together. There are many gadgets that can be used to keep your cords under control. Adhesive strips and a cable tube are some good options to start with.


PLAY ZONE
When you have kids they become the center of your life. Your child may take control of your living room, you may have toys everywhere, very fast. Keeping them under control is easy. Designate a corner of your living room to the toys. Use bins and bookshelves to keep order.


COFFEE TABLE
A coffee table is very stylish but may not always be practical. Having a coffee table without any storage is foolish, but even I don't have a "functinal" coffee table. One easy way to gain storage is to add totes or bins underneath, it's perfect for magazine, book storage, or just miscellaneous stuff.


BEHIND THE COUCH
We all have that area behind the couch that is just bare, PUT SOMETHING THERE! A trunk, bookshelf, table, whatever you want. This will create more space. A trunk can store extra blankets or pillows. A bookshelf gives you another place to put candles, picture frames, or a lamp for that extra bit of light you need.


HOUSE PLANTS
If you have a green thumb - which I don't - you may have too many plants in your living space. Spread them out, place them in other rooms. Place your plants on stands; they come in mnay different styles, varieties, and sizes.


Keeping your main living space organized can be difficult but these few tips are great ways to stay organized.

Home Office Organization Tips

Does everything in your house have a home? This is a question you should ask yourself. Everything in my house does have a home and I try to stay organized. Being and staying organized is difficult and can be hard for many people, including me.


I am organized, for the most part. Everything has a place but getting those things to their place always seems to be my problem. My mail tends to pile up on my desk for months before I sort through it and put it in its place. I know that doing this just once a week would reduce the hours I spend putting mail away, when I finally do it.


Honestly, the piles and piles of mail on my desk make it impossible for me to use my office space as an office. Keeping your office clean and organized will lead to a more productive day. Find a "home" for all of your clutter. The less clutter you have the more productive your work day will be. Each day take five or ten minutes to keep your work area clean and organized. This will prevent the long hours it may take in the future if you don't keep up with the cleaning process.


Working from home is common in today's society. Having a defined space for your business tasks is essential to having a productive day. In this space you should have all of your files and documents together. Filing is important! I have a filing cabinet and it’s very useful. Make sure that business and personal documents are kept separate. Having a separate space for these items will make it less confusing and there will be less information you will have to look through later.


Filing is important but if the system that you are using is insufficient than you may be making it harder on yourself to stay organized. The system that you use for filing will vary based on your business. Finding a system that works for you is very important. It may take a while to "get it right", but when you do you will know that this system works for you, and staying organized should be simple.


Not only can paper documents make clutter, but digital documents can become cluttered on your computer as well. Having a folder for your work documents makes your work life easier. Have sub folders within your work folder. Label these based on what your projects are called, so that they are easier to find. Another great suggestion is to create a separate user account; this can prevent someone from accidentally deleting files and projects. Having a separate work e-mail address is a good thing to have, just to separate your work and personal lives. Cleaning out your files is important, too. At least twice a year go through your files and destroy any documents that you no longer need. Depending on how much you file you may need to go through your files more often.


Adding personal touches to your home office make the space more enjoyable like pictures, plants, or cool gadgets. Remember that your office should be a place that you enjoy. It may not be a place that you want to spend all of your time but you should feel comfortable there.