Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
It may be 107 degrees outside but it's not too early to start your Christmas shopping! Trust me on this, it is a great feeling to have all your shopping complete by Halloween. Then you can just sit back and enjoy the actual holiday rather than running around like a crazy person at the last minute.
If you have a toddler on your list I'd like to make a gift suggestion for him/her: the Fisher Price Learning Home. You can read all the details by visiting this site: http://ping.fm/Rdtvg
If you have a toddler on your list I'd like to make a gift suggestion for him/her: the Fisher Price Learning Home. You can read all the details by visiting this site: http://ping.fm/Rdtvg
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Clutter Control: 4 Steps To Decluttering Your Home
Is clutter slowly but surely taking over your home? Would you like to have friends drop
by after work but are ashamed of your home's appearance? Are you overwhelmed at the
thought of how long it will take to get all the clutter under control?
Many, many people feel the same way. In this article I'm going to describe 4 tips that
will help you achieve clutter control in very little time!
*First make a list of all your rooms. Then rank them according to which one is most
important to declutter first. For example, if my main goal were to be ready to have guests
for dinner, I would probably rank my living room, kitchen, dining room, and guest
bathroom at the top of my list. My bedrooms, etc., would rank at the bottom of the list.
By prioritizing your list, you will be more likely to get the "most important" rooms
finished in case you are interrupted or run out of time.
*Second, with a trash bag in hand, walk through all your rooms in order of priority and
throw away every scrap of trash you find. If you're not sure whether to toss or keep an
item, don't waste time deciding now. Leave it where it is.
*Now repeat the process of walking through your list of rooms but this time, rather than a
trash bag, you're bringing a box. Into this box put everything you find that belongs in
another room. I like to use a rolling crate for this job. This is a box with wheels and a
handle available at office supply or teacher supply stores. When you have finished with
room one and have moved on to room two, remove from the box anything that belongs in
that room before adding things that belong in other rooms. Don't zig zag from room to
room returning items and don't worry about a specific place for each thing. Right now
you're just getting all items into the rooms where they belong.
At this point, stop and take a look around. Things already look less cluttered and more
attractive, right? You're making progress! OK, back to work!
*This is the final step. Go back through each room once more, this time with a box that
you can stack or store, not your rolling box. Put away everything that has an assigned
"home" (shoes in the closet, used glasses in the dishwasher, etc.). Any items that don't
already have a designated storage place go into the box. The box might include
subscription offers you haven't decided on yet, kids' artwork, etc. Put the box some
place where you can deal with it later. For me this is usually on the far side of my bed
where it can't be seen!
The point is to get the clutter under control now. You can organize these left over items
little by little as you have time. After some time goes by you'll probably end up throwing
away quite a bit of the box contents!
If you're not up to tackling your entire house at once, you can use these four steps on a
room-by-room basis. You could spend a few minutes using the process to declutter one
room each day, or for an emergency situation such as an unexpected overnight guest.
By regularly following these four steps, your home will always look attractive and
inviting.
by after work but are ashamed of your home's appearance? Are you overwhelmed at the
thought of how long it will take to get all the clutter under control?
Many, many people feel the same way. In this article I'm going to describe 4 tips that
will help you achieve clutter control in very little time!
*First make a list of all your rooms. Then rank them according to which one is most
important to declutter first. For example, if my main goal were to be ready to have guests
for dinner, I would probably rank my living room, kitchen, dining room, and guest
bathroom at the top of my list. My bedrooms, etc., would rank at the bottom of the list.
By prioritizing your list, you will be more likely to get the "most important" rooms
finished in case you are interrupted or run out of time.
*Second, with a trash bag in hand, walk through all your rooms in order of priority and
throw away every scrap of trash you find. If you're not sure whether to toss or keep an
item, don't waste time deciding now. Leave it where it is.
*Now repeat the process of walking through your list of rooms but this time, rather than a
trash bag, you're bringing a box. Into this box put everything you find that belongs in
another room. I like to use a rolling crate for this job. This is a box with wheels and a
handle available at office supply or teacher supply stores. When you have finished with
room one and have moved on to room two, remove from the box anything that belongs in
that room before adding things that belong in other rooms. Don't zig zag from room to
room returning items and don't worry about a specific place for each thing. Right now
you're just getting all items into the rooms where they belong.
At this point, stop and take a look around. Things already look less cluttered and more
attractive, right? You're making progress! OK, back to work!
*This is the final step. Go back through each room once more, this time with a box that
you can stack or store, not your rolling box. Put away everything that has an assigned
"home" (shoes in the closet, used glasses in the dishwasher, etc.). Any items that don't
already have a designated storage place go into the box. The box might include
subscription offers you haven't decided on yet, kids' artwork, etc. Put the box some
place where you can deal with it later. For me this is usually on the far side of my bed
where it can't be seen!
The point is to get the clutter under control now. You can organize these left over items
little by little as you have time. After some time goes by you'll probably end up throwing
away quite a bit of the box contents!
If you're not up to tackling your entire house at once, you can use these four steps on a
room-by-room basis. You could spend a few minutes using the process to declutter one
room each day, or for an emergency situation such as an unexpected overnight guest.
By regularly following these four steps, your home will always look attractive and
inviting.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Decluttering In 4 Easy Steps
I just read a good article on decluttering over at eHow by nwgirl. She describes 4 steps to eliminate clutter around your house and even from your car! You can click here to check it out.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Organizing by Creating an Easy-To-Use Filing System
Not too long ago, my preferred method of organizing my filing was to create multiple stacks of things. I had stacks on the kitchen counter, the dining room table, the computer desk, coffee table, you name it. And the stacks were not defined by category; they were equal opportunity stacks, which might include bills, receipts, sale flyers, credit card offers, and pretty much anything else made of paper. Worst of all, when anyone came to visit, I would cram the piles into grocery bags and stash them in my bedroom. Needless to say, tax time was a nightmare, so I finally created a personal system for me that might work for you if nothing else has
.
First comes the fun part: shopping for supplies. Look for two file boxes with handles so you can carry them around. My theory is that if I like the boxes and the colorful folders within them, maybe I'll actually use them. The closest I had gotten to actually organizing and filing my stacks was to write "file" or "paid" on the envelopes the bills came in!
You will use one box for papers that you will be keeping forever, or at least for more than just tax purposes. This would include warranties, insurance policies, medical information, etc. Don't try to think of all the categories you'll need. Just create a new folder when you come across something that needs its own category.
The other box is for paid bills, bank statements, deductible receipts, and anything else you'll need to get your hands on at tax time. Do not try to decide under which category to file every piece of financial paper you touch all year long! If you're like me, you will decide you don't have time to do that right now so you will stack it some place to deal with it later. Just divide your box into twelve monthly files and file things by the month in which they occurred or were paid. Believe me, it will take less than an hour to pull out and sort these neatly organized documents in April. Yes, people who use this system will be doing our taxes in April because we are relentless procrastinators!
The real key to this filing system is to put the boxes where you will be anyway. If you have to actually pick up the paper to be filed and trudge to another part of the house with the sole purpose of filing that paper, you won't do it! I keep the boxes right next to my favorite reading chair.
And this is why it is important that the boxes have handles: when company comes over you can pick up your neatly organized files and temporarily store them in your closet! No more trying to remember where you stashed that grocery bag with that rebate offer. Another advantage for people who live in a hurricane zone like I did is that you just pack up your boxes and go rather than wasting valuable time looking for insurance policies, etc.
In summary, the keys to organizing your home filing system are:
.
First comes the fun part: shopping for supplies. Look for two file boxes with handles so you can carry them around. My theory is that if I like the boxes and the colorful folders within them, maybe I'll actually use them. The closest I had gotten to actually organizing and filing my stacks was to write "file" or "paid" on the envelopes the bills came in!
You will use one box for papers that you will be keeping forever, or at least for more than just tax purposes. This would include warranties, insurance policies, medical information, etc. Don't try to think of all the categories you'll need. Just create a new folder when you come across something that needs its own category.
The other box is for paid bills, bank statements, deductible receipts, and anything else you'll need to get your hands on at tax time. Do not try to decide under which category to file every piece of financial paper you touch all year long! If you're like me, you will decide you don't have time to do that right now so you will stack it some place to deal with it later. Just divide your box into twelve monthly files and file things by the month in which they occurred or were paid. Believe me, it will take less than an hour to pull out and sort these neatly organized documents in April. Yes, people who use this system will be doing our taxes in April because we are relentless procrastinators!
The real key to this filing system is to put the boxes where you will be anyway. If you have to actually pick up the paper to be filed and trudge to another part of the house with the sole purpose of filing that paper, you won't do it! I keep the boxes right next to my favorite reading chair.
And this is why it is important that the boxes have handles: when company comes over you can pick up your neatly organized files and temporarily store them in your closet! No more trying to remember where you stashed that grocery bag with that rebate offer. Another advantage for people who live in a hurricane zone like I did is that you just pack up your boxes and go rather than wasting valuable time looking for insurance policies, etc.
In summary, the keys to organizing your home filing system are:
- Make it accessible .(in the area where you sort your mail)
- Make it portable.
- Make it easy and enjoyable to use.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Decluttering My Home
Decluttering my home has been one of the most valuable things I have ever done. Not only has it made my house more attractive, it has made my entire life run more smoothly.
I used to have huge lists reminding me of what I had to do every weekend - endless lists of chores but nothing fun or entertaining. As a result, I had no time for rest, recreation, or relaxation, and returned to work on Mondays exhausted. Then, one morning as I browsed the internet while eating my cereal, I finally came across some useful decluttering information. This site showed me the way to declutter my home easily and quickly, and get back my weekends!
I had thought that decluttering my home would take such a long time that I couldn't make myself begin. I'm a natural procrastinator anyway, so the thought of going through years of built up clutter made me want to go back to bed! There are so many programs out there that take weeks to finish that I couldn't commit to any of them. I needed a plan that I could complete quickly.
Decluttering my home has virtually decluttered my life. My "to do" list is drastically reduced so I have much more free time to spend with family and friends. I can enjoy hobbies I haven't pursued in years or I can completely relax in my serene surroundings. I invite friends over much more often because I'm no longer embarrassed by my messy house. In fact, I'm proud if it! I hope you'll visit this site so that all these benefits can be yours too.
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