Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Organizing for Spring


Spring Organizing



Spring Organizing

Spring is the perfect opportunity to not only clean, but get organized. If getting organized is on your list of things to accomplish this year, check out the following quick tips to get you started:


  • Clearly define the purpose of each space in your home or business (what's working, what's not working, how would you like the space to flow?).
  • Prioritize which space to organize first, I suggest starting with the easiest.
  • Based on the definition of each space, put together a plan that will make you and others that share the space satisfied, but remember the key is to create a space that promotes productivity.
  • Make it happen. The easiest way to make it happen is to just do it! Start off by creating zones (things to keep, things to get rid of, and things to donate) before sorting.
  • Assigning homes. Once you are left with the things you plan to keep, be sure to assign those items a home. When assigning a home to any item always think about placement, if it's too difficult for you to put the item back in it's assigned home, you may need to find another home for it.
  • Finally label, label, and label again. A label maker can be your best friend. By labeling homes for items you have clearly communicated to yourself and others where those items belong.
Organizing can be a difficult task, but well worth the time. The piece of mind you gain is priceless. Please share your ideas or tips on what has worked for you. If you know someone that may benefit from these tips please share.


Monday, November 11, 2013

Shredders

Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. One way to  avoid being a victim is to shred personal documentation on a regular basis. Always have your shredder handy when sorting documents or going through your mail. There are several options to choose when purchasing a paper shredder:





  • Strip-cut paper shredders cut documents into thin strips, and offer the lowest level of security. They are typically less expensive than other types of shredders. This option is better than not having a paper shredder at all.

  •  Cross-cut shredders are the most popular type of paper shredders and offer a much higher level of security than the strip-cut variety. This type of shredding can be useful if you have documents with sensitive information such as bank account numbers and credit card numbers. 

  • Micro-cut shredders offer the highest level security available. It is impossible to retrieve information from a document that has been fed through a micro-cut shredder, which is one of the reasons they are so popular with government agencies and large corporations. 
Do you have any tips or ideas to share? Please comment, share or even subscribe.

Monday, May 20, 2013

6 Easy Garage Organizing Tips

Do you park your car on the streets because your garage is bursting at the seams with clutter? Do you avoid your garage because you feel overwhelmed every time you go inside? You are not alone. According to The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) nearly 50% of American homeowners surveyed admitted their garage was disorganized.

The following are 6 Easy Garage Organizing Tips:
Organized Garage


  1. Define-Clearly define the space. Do you plan to use your garage for storage only, or will you use it for storage and vehicle(s)?
  2. Planning-Plan to start this task early in the day to ensure you are not working at night.
  3. Sorting-Take everything out of your garage and place on your lawn. Be sure to create zones (trash, keep, donate, garage sale, etc.). For the items you plan to keep, be sure to keep like items together and create categories.
  4. Clean-Once everything is out of the garage be sure to clean it. Clean cobwebs, wash windows, and hose down the floor. If you have oil stains on your floor check out DIY Life for tips on how to clean your garage with items you may already have in your home.
  5. Storage-When choosing storage for your garage use as much vertical and ceiling space as possible, particularly if you plan to park your car inside. When considering storage in your garage think durable, hardy storage, such as metal shelving, wall racks and bins. 
  6. Label-After all items have been contained and stored, labeling is the final step. It may take some time to label every bin, shelf or container, but it will be totally worth it.

Remember the key to any organized space is having items that you use on a regular basis easy to get to.

Do you have any other tips, questions or success stories? Please share.


Monday, February 25, 2013

How to Organize Your Desk

Organized Desk


The most important piece of furniture in any office is the desk. Keeping your desk organized is crucial to being highly productive. Highly productive people have systems in place to help them find what they are looking for when they need it. When it takes you extra time to look for files or other important documents you need, your focus drops, and that's where the real time is wasted.

Most people get frustrated in small spaces, and feel they don't have the space to be as organized. The following are a few steps you can take to organize your desk, whether small or large: 

  • Create a bin or storage space on your desk to store active paperwork only
  • Store important documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, adoption paperwork, social security cards, and divorce papers in a fireproof lock box or in a safety deposit box. Make sure you have photocopies of these documents on hand, but originals stored in a secured location.
  • Position your computer, printer, and supplies within arm's reach
  •  Use color coded cord organizers to tie and secure cords 
  • Store bulky supplies that you rarely use into accessible storage away from your desk

The key to an organized desk is having items you use on a regular basis within arm's reach, while creating as much open desk space as possible.

Small office desk
Fun tip: Bring color to your desk by purchasing colorful office supplies, check out Martha Stewart Home Office for an array of items to choose from.


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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Tips on Jewelry Organization




Jewelry Organization



Jewelry organizers keep your valuables cushioned and protected. Depending on the space and amount of jewelry you have, when storing your jewelry the key is to have the ability to look at all of your jewelry at once. Top trays that slide out, and give two layers of storage in a single drawer are ideal, but If you don't have one, there are a plethora of options to choose from. Before choosing a jewelry organizer do the following:

  • Get rid of broken, missing, and unused pieces
  • Create zones for different types of jewelry (necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, etc.)
  • Decide if you prefer to store pieces by color or type
  • Decide where you will store your jewelry (in closet, bathroom, bedroom, etc.)


Fun Tip: As always, shop around your home first before making purchases. The following is a kitchen drawer organizer used to store jewelry.

Jewelry organizer 


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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Quick Tips On How To Organize Your Closet


The Organized Closet



Organized Closet

Hangers

Hangers are the easiest way to give your closet that organized look. By having  hangers that match your closet instantly looks updated. Get rid of all mix matched, bent, and out-of-shape hangers, and sort clothes before choosing which hangers work for you. There are a variety of hangers to choose from. Wooden hangers are the sturdiest and help retain shape. 



Shoe Racks

Another easy way to update your closet is to purchase a sturdy shoe rack. Depending on the size of your closet, choose a shoe rack that makes it easy to see all of your shoes at once, and takes up the least amount of space. Compact shoe racks that sit on the floor of your closet provide a better view of your shoes, while hanging shoe racks are ideal for small closets. Another alternative would be shoe boxes.


Belt & Scarf Storage

Belts can be stored on belt hooks or rolled and stored in a decorative box. Scarf holders can be purchased, or you can just tie several of them to one hanger. The most important is that they are visible and easy to get to.

The key to an organized closet is to make everything visible and orderly.

 Tip: When deciding on storage be creative and look around your home for items you already have, this will save money and time.




Please share, comment, subscribe, and remember when things are organized life is clarified.


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

File cabinet tips

Types of file cabinets


When it comes to file cabinets there are two types to choose from, vertical or lateral. Both come in a variety of sizes.

Vertical file cabinets

Vertical file cabinets

Vertical file cabinets are the most common type of file cabinets used. Vertical cabinets take up less floor space and store the most paper.








Lateral file cabinets

Lateral file cabinets are best used when floor space is not 
a concern. These cabinets are much wider than vertical and ideal when filing 
documents of greater width. Lateral cabinets are not deep, and generally used in
businesses to store files ranging in width. 

Lateral file cabinet

Use separate file cabinets for personal and business files. All files should be divided up, labeled  and kept organized. Files can be sorted and stored alphabetically, numerically, color coded, by date, by subject, geographically, or by using your own system. Keep current files reachable and inactive files stored away in basements, garages or attics.

Fun tip: Organizing can be fun and stylish, to create a unique file cabinet try a stenciled file cabinet like this one below, check out Two Twenty One for this DIY project.

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