As the holidays approach, many people will be spending more time entertaining and using the kitchen. Now is the time to organize or simplify your kitchen so that you can properly entertain.
I have a tiny kitchen and it is a challenge to cook while having guests over. I am hosting a small family holiday gathering in a few weeks and one of my goals is to organize some of the everyday kitchen items to make them more attractive. If they have to be left out, which they do because of limited closet space, I am going to do my best to have them look neat and pretty.
The kitchen is used everyday, so I find it to be one of the hardest rooms to keep clean and neat. It is often the place that we drop our keys, jackets, loose mail, etc. The kitchen table specifically is just a magnet for clutter and papers.
Some things to consider about the kitchen:
1. Do the items in here really belong here?
2. Do I have a place for keys and mail? Can I create one?
3. Do I have too many dishes? Can I downsize? Coffee mugs are one thing that seem to collect and multiply. It may be time to clean them out.
Good luck as you all work on your kitchens this week.
Remember, nothing has to be perfect, even for the holiday guests! My goal is always to make it look just a little bit better!
Have a happy holidays!
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Garage Organization
Garages are meant for cars...however, most of us have many things besides cars in our garages. Some even have so much stuff that there is no room for a car!
As the weather is starting to get colder, it is a great time to do a little cleaning in the garage - before it gets too cold and it is put off until spring. This week, take some time to prep for a couple hours of garage cleaning this weekend.
Consider the following:
(1) Are there specific areas of my garage that I can clean up or clean out in minimal time?
(2) Do I need a waste removal service to get rid of old construction materials or can I just put them out on the curb?
(3) How can I use vertical space? Do I have a few minutes one night this week to hang up those wall mounted bike racks for the kids' bikes?
(4) Would bins help me to store some items that I don't use regularly?
(5) Could pegboard be used to get some of the tools off the floor or cabinets?
Even if you don't have time to do a full garage cleaning, consider doing a bit before the winter chill sets in. I know that once its cold out, I hate spending any additional time in the garage than I have to. If you can make it easier to pull your car in and out, or to locate some of the things you use more regularly, go for it!
I just added a new board to my pinterest with garage organization tips! Check it out!
Happy Organizing!
As the weather is starting to get colder, it is a great time to do a little cleaning in the garage - before it gets too cold and it is put off until spring. This week, take some time to prep for a couple hours of garage cleaning this weekend.
Consider the following:
(1) Are there specific areas of my garage that I can clean up or clean out in minimal time?
(2) Do I need a waste removal service to get rid of old construction materials or can I just put them out on the curb?
(3) How can I use vertical space? Do I have a few minutes one night this week to hang up those wall mounted bike racks for the kids' bikes?
(4) Would bins help me to store some items that I don't use regularly?
(5) Could pegboard be used to get some of the tools off the floor or cabinets?
Even if you don't have time to do a full garage cleaning, consider doing a bit before the winter chill sets in. I know that once its cold out, I hate spending any additional time in the garage than I have to. If you can make it easier to pull your car in and out, or to locate some of the things you use more regularly, go for it!
I just added a new board to my pinterest with garage organization tips! Check it out!
Happy Organizing!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Holiday Decor
Greetings All!
As the holidays approach, you will likely see more and more things in the stores to help decorate your home. However, it is important to remember that the more things you buy, the more things that you are going to have to store until next year.
I run into the problem where I buy lots of decorations (usually on clearance after the holiday) and then cant find them the following year! The reason: no good method of organization.
So this year, I am going to do two things:
First, I am going to decorate as much as possible with disposable (recyclable) things. For example, a bowl of colorful, seasonal fruit on the table makes a lovely fall centerpiece that can be eaten! Pine cones are another fall decoration. Similarly, I will look to use mistletoe at Christmastime. Poinsettas are another good seasonal plant (though we usually avoid them because of children/pets - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/poinsettia-plants/faq-20058304 and http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/poinsettia/) - while not terrible, still not good).
Second, I am going to use the big storage bins for organization after the holidays and clearly label the contents - not only the holiday but what specifically is inside.
I am also going to remember that a lot of times at this time of year, less is more!
Good luck with your organization as we approach the holidays!
As the holidays approach, you will likely see more and more things in the stores to help decorate your home. However, it is important to remember that the more things you buy, the more things that you are going to have to store until next year.
I run into the problem where I buy lots of decorations (usually on clearance after the holiday) and then cant find them the following year! The reason: no good method of organization.
So this year, I am going to do two things:
First, I am going to decorate as much as possible with disposable (recyclable) things. For example, a bowl of colorful, seasonal fruit on the table makes a lovely fall centerpiece that can be eaten! Pine cones are another fall decoration. Similarly, I will look to use mistletoe at Christmastime. Poinsettas are another good seasonal plant (though we usually avoid them because of children/pets - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/poinsettia-plants/faq-20058304 and http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/poinsettia/) - while not terrible, still not good).
Second, I am going to use the big storage bins for organization after the holidays and clearly label the contents - not only the holiday but what specifically is inside.
I am also going to remember that a lot of times at this time of year, less is more!
Good luck with your organization as we approach the holidays!
Friday, October 30, 2015
The need to get rid of stuff...
One of the biggest challenges that I face when trying to organize and clean my home is the battle of clutter. Clutter is often the result of too much stuff. I look around and I easily acknowledge that I have too much stuff. Our family has many things that we just simply do not use. Yet we store and organize and clean and dust these things. Why is it often hard to get rid of these type of things? I think that I often rationalize that they may one day become useful or that I may need them one day. Realistically, when and if that day comes, more likely than not I will not be able to find the particular item in question.
I have read in various places that all your possessions should fall into three categories:
(1) Be useful - as in you use it regularly.
(2) Be truly necessary - as in passports and tax returns.
(3) Be treasured - as in something sentimental. This is not something you are simply keeping because someone gave it to you. This is something that brings a fond memory or makes you smile when you look at it or pick it up.
A lot of items in my home are kept for sentimental reasons as well. However, when I really sit down and think about it, these objects often do not bring me fond memories nor do I treasure them. I am keeping them simply because someone I care for gave them to me. Ultimately, this is purpose defeating because when you have too many of these items, it is too difficult to appreciate the truly sentimental things - like my daughter's handprint and footprint.
My goal this week is to try to get rid of things that are (a) not used regularly and (b) that do not make me smile when I look at them or hold them.
Hopefully this will help me continue on my path to home organization...one step at a time.
Good luck in your journey!
I have read in various places that all your possessions should fall into three categories:
(1) Be useful - as in you use it regularly.
(2) Be truly necessary - as in passports and tax returns.
(3) Be treasured - as in something sentimental. This is not something you are simply keeping because someone gave it to you. This is something that brings a fond memory or makes you smile when you look at it or pick it up.
A lot of items in my home are kept for sentimental reasons as well. However, when I really sit down and think about it, these objects often do not bring me fond memories nor do I treasure them. I am keeping them simply because someone I care for gave them to me. Ultimately, this is purpose defeating because when you have too many of these items, it is too difficult to appreciate the truly sentimental things - like my daughter's handprint and footprint.
My goal this week is to try to get rid of things that are (a) not used regularly and (b) that do not make me smile when I look at them or hold them.
Hopefully this will help me continue on my path to home organization...one step at a time.
Good luck in your journey!
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Organizing on a budget
Hello all!
Attached is a very interesting video that I stumbled across when searching for ideas on how to effectively organize things on a budget. So many of the organization systems available at specialty stores such as the Container Store are very pricey. I want my home to look nice, but I do not want to spend a fortune on the baskets and bins necessary to organize different types of things. This video addresses this issue and provides some good examples of the use of dollar store bins and baskets purchased at Goodwill.
I firmly believe that organizing your home should not cost a fortune. There are many types of organization systems, and one that you put together yourself from different bargain finds can be more customized and more tailored to your individual taste.
I know I will be heading to the local dollar store soon to see what baskets/bins I can pick up for the house. I also plan on repurposing some containers that I already own.
One last thing that I like about this video is the idea to label everything. I think people are more likely to make the effort to put something away when they know exactly where it goes. A simple label will make that happen and give everything in your home a place!
Happy organizing!
Attached is a very interesting video that I stumbled across when searching for ideas on how to effectively organize things on a budget. So many of the organization systems available at specialty stores such as the Container Store are very pricey. I want my home to look nice, but I do not want to spend a fortune on the baskets and bins necessary to organize different types of things. This video addresses this issue and provides some good examples of the use of dollar store bins and baskets purchased at Goodwill.
I firmly believe that organizing your home should not cost a fortune. There are many types of organization systems, and one that you put together yourself from different bargain finds can be more customized and more tailored to your individual taste.
I know I will be heading to the local dollar store soon to see what baskets/bins I can pick up for the house. I also plan on repurposing some containers that I already own.
One last thing that I like about this video is the idea to label everything. I think people are more likely to make the effort to put something away when they know exactly where it goes. A simple label will make that happen and give everything in your home a place!
Friday, October 9, 2015
Check out my new FaceBook Page!
Greetings everyone!
I am still working diligently to get my home organized. While it is not easy, I am finding that every little bit helps and that making even one thing better and easier to navigate is something! In other words, my current trick is to stay positive.
In the meantime, I have also created a new FaceBook page. Please take a look at the following if you have a moment:
https://www.facebook.com/messtosuccesshomeorganization
I hope to link different articles to the FaceBook page to make it a collection of home organization tips and tricks.
Thanks for reading!
I am still working diligently to get my home organized. While it is not easy, I am finding that every little bit helps and that making even one thing better and easier to navigate is something! In other words, my current trick is to stay positive.
In the meantime, I have also created a new FaceBook page. Please take a look at the following if you have a moment:
https://www.facebook.com/messtosuccesshomeorganization
I hope to link different articles to the FaceBook page to make it a collection of home organization tips and tricks.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Tips and Tricks....Flylady.net
Greetings - I hope you have all had an enjoyable week! I have been continuing my efforts to clean and organize my home. While I initially made some great progress with decluttering, I hit somewhat of a standstill in the past few days. So I returned to the internet for some motivation.
Today, I took another look at flylady.net, an old favorite website of mine. Flylady has great tips and tricks for staying on top of clutter and generally for staying organized. She relies on the concept of doing a little bit each day to avoid allowing things to pile up. This way, no particular task seems too daunting.
Flylady breaks things down into Flight Plans so that each day you are tackling a different section of your home. She also includes reminders about preparing meals and other household tasks that need to be done.
While I am not so disciplined as to maintain my own Flight Plan, I think the concept is a good one that works for many people! The website also motivates me to try to be a little more disciplined with my house chores to avoid letting things get out of control.
Flylady has a section called Zones in which she breaks the house down into zones and assigns weekly tasks for that zone (in addition to the daily chores). I like this idea because it allows you to focus on a particular second of the house for short intervals.
I find that I am most productive during the first half hour to hour of cleaning, and that as time passes, my level of productivity and resolve, as well as my mood, drastically decrease.
As for me, today I will take another look at the Flylady site and see if I can get myself back on track with my goal to declutter and organize my home. I find that it is often doing the little things regularly that save me the most time in the long run - time to remind myself of that.
Good luck to everyone out there facing the same daunting task of home organization!
Today, I took another look at flylady.net, an old favorite website of mine. Flylady has great tips and tricks for staying on top of clutter and generally for staying organized. She relies on the concept of doing a little bit each day to avoid allowing things to pile up. This way, no particular task seems too daunting.
Flylady breaks things down into Flight Plans so that each day you are tackling a different section of your home. She also includes reminders about preparing meals and other household tasks that need to be done.
While I am not so disciplined as to maintain my own Flight Plan, I think the concept is a good one that works for many people! The website also motivates me to try to be a little more disciplined with my house chores to avoid letting things get out of control.
Flylady has a section called Zones in which she breaks the house down into zones and assigns weekly tasks for that zone (in addition to the daily chores). I like this idea because it allows you to focus on a particular second of the house for short intervals.
I find that I am most productive during the first half hour to hour of cleaning, and that as time passes, my level of productivity and resolve, as well as my mood, drastically decrease.
As for me, today I will take another look at the Flylady site and see if I can get myself back on track with my goal to declutter and organize my home. I find that it is often doing the little things regularly that save me the most time in the long run - time to remind myself of that.
Good luck to everyone out there facing the same daunting task of home organization!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Who I am and why I have too much stuff...
Hello Everyone! My name is Paula and I have created this blog for two reasons: (1) to share my experience organizing my home with like-minded individuals who struggle to keep a tidy house; and (2) to hold myself accountable and stay motivated as I try to transform myself from slob to neat freak.
While I may not be a true slob, I have never been particularly neat. When I was in my twenties and living on my own, I was able to justify this by saying that my apartment had a "lived in" feel. It was always messy to the point that I was embarrassed to have people over without (significant) advance notice so that I could do a major pick-up. I reasoned that I had a lot of things and no time to organize (I worked full-time while I was going to school full-time). I made a lot of excuses...mostly to myself.
After I moved in with my husband, the trend continued. We both seemed to have a lot of stuff that was never particularly neat or organized. Again, I made excuses...we had to combine two separate, fully-furnished apartments, so we had a lot of stuff and just needed time to go through it all. We both worked full-time so it was hard to find time to organize. It never really got organized.
Needless to say, time went on and we had our daughter. Again, I reasoned that things are messy because we have a child and not enough space for all her gadgets and toys.
I recently gave birth to our son and I am at the point where I WANT THINGS TO CHANGE. We do have too much stuff and I believe that is the biggest impediment to home organization. I have done extensive internet searches for organization tips (none of which have ever really worked for me in the past - but I think it was more I lacked motivation) but the number one thing that I see on these sites is the need to clean out and get rid of stuff that you (a) don't use; (b) that doesn't fit and (c) doesn't bring you happiness.
I have always struggled with getting rid of stuff. I grew up in a very modest household and while we always had food to eat, we did not always have money for a new pair of shoes or jeans. As such, I tend to hold on to things forever. If something breaks, I hold on to it saying I am going to fix it, etc. Realistically, I am probably not going to fix it and it is just going to sit there. Similarly, I hold on to things that people give me because one day, it might be useful. It very rarely is...
My goal is for people to be able to drop by unexpectedly and for me to be able to entertain them - not fret over and apologize for how messy my home is. I know there are a lot of you out there who share my desire and I hope that this blog ends up being useful to someone besides me.
I will post tips and tricks that I find effective in my struggle to clean out and organize my home.
TIP 1: If you have a sentimental attachment to something, but don't need it, use it or want to schlep it from place to place anymore, take a picture of it. You can always look at the picture for the memory, but you can get rid of the bulky item.
TIP 2: Start small: I cleaned out my daughter's drawers and got rid of a bunch of clothes that didn't fit. This was a good project for me because I knew there were a lot of things I could get rid of that did not have much sentimental attachment. Take a look at the attached picture of one of the neat drawers. Its been like this for a few days and it always makes me happy going into the drawer - I can find what I am looking for and it shows a bit of progress.
Happy organizing!
While I may not be a true slob, I have never been particularly neat. When I was in my twenties and living on my own, I was able to justify this by saying that my apartment had a "lived in" feel. It was always messy to the point that I was embarrassed to have people over without (significant) advance notice so that I could do a major pick-up. I reasoned that I had a lot of things and no time to organize (I worked full-time while I was going to school full-time). I made a lot of excuses...mostly to myself.
After I moved in with my husband, the trend continued. We both seemed to have a lot of stuff that was never particularly neat or organized. Again, I made excuses...we had to combine two separate, fully-furnished apartments, so we had a lot of stuff and just needed time to go through it all. We both worked full-time so it was hard to find time to organize. It never really got organized.
Needless to say, time went on and we had our daughter. Again, I reasoned that things are messy because we have a child and not enough space for all her gadgets and toys.
I recently gave birth to our son and I am at the point where I WANT THINGS TO CHANGE. We do have too much stuff and I believe that is the biggest impediment to home organization. I have done extensive internet searches for organization tips (none of which have ever really worked for me in the past - but I think it was more I lacked motivation) but the number one thing that I see on these sites is the need to clean out and get rid of stuff that you (a) don't use; (b) that doesn't fit and (c) doesn't bring you happiness.
I have always struggled with getting rid of stuff. I grew up in a very modest household and while we always had food to eat, we did not always have money for a new pair of shoes or jeans. As such, I tend to hold on to things forever. If something breaks, I hold on to it saying I am going to fix it, etc. Realistically, I am probably not going to fix it and it is just going to sit there. Similarly, I hold on to things that people give me because one day, it might be useful. It very rarely is...
My goal is for people to be able to drop by unexpectedly and for me to be able to entertain them - not fret over and apologize for how messy my home is. I know there are a lot of you out there who share my desire and I hope that this blog ends up being useful to someone besides me.
I will post tips and tricks that I find effective in my struggle to clean out and organize my home.
TIP 1: If you have a sentimental attachment to something, but don't need it, use it or want to schlep it from place to place anymore, take a picture of it. You can always look at the picture for the memory, but you can get rid of the bulky item.
TIP 2: Start small: I cleaned out my daughter's drawers and got rid of a bunch of clothes that didn't fit. This was a good project for me because I knew there were a lot of things I could get rid of that did not have much sentimental attachment. Take a look at the attached picture of one of the neat drawers. Its been like this for a few days and it always makes me happy going into the drawer - I can find what I am looking for and it shows a bit of progress.
Happy organizing!
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