Browse published articles attributed to Marilyn Bohn, with full-archive search.
As a kid did you love to play a game where you would all pile on top of each other and the bottom person would be yelling, "Get off, I can't breathe"? Do you ever feel like the paper in your home is making it so you can't breathe? Paper piles in homes and offices can become a heavy weight if not ...
It is important to all parents and caregivers who have young children to be able to take a break away from the children and go out together. I can remember the first time we got a baby sitter for our little baby girl. We went somewhere close in case we needed to rush home. We weren't needed, but ...
One thing I have noticed as a professional organizer of homes and offices is that most people hold onto magazines and catalogs way after they have 'expired'; which creates clutter. It seems today everything has an expiration date, from food, medicines, children's car seats, batteries to parts in ...
I worked for The Department of Services for People with Disabilities for ten years. I was a caseworker for people who were low functioning. There are many types of disabilities, mental as well as physical limitations. This can be a challenge for the parent or guardian when traveling at any time and during the holiday rush it can be an even bigger challenge. With preparation and organization those with disabilities can travel just as well as anyone else. Here are some ideas and tips to make your holiday traveling easier and less stressful.
Do you feel you practically live in your car? Americans spend an average of 2 ½ hours per day in their cars. They are often command centers when we run errands, act as a shuttle driver to take children to school, chauffeuring to sport activities, music practice, or running back to school to take ...
Vacationing with kids in a car is no vacation. Or another way of saying this is “being cooped up with the kids in the car is the pits”. If you don’t plan on popping in a DVD and letting the kids watch endless movies here are sanity saving ideas for your car trip. Long trips can be boring for kids and every two seconds (well maybe one) they are asking, “are we there yet”? Plan ahead before the trip to make your drive pleasant for everyone—of course this works best with school age children. ·Get a map and show the children before leaving where you will be traveling.
One of the biggest complaints I hear as a professional organizer when working with busy women is, "I just can't get on top of the laundry, there are always piles and piles. When my kids need clean gym clothes or the purple blouse for purple day at school those are the clothes that are always ...
If my friends could see me now! I had a friend who used to tell me how cluttered my fridge looked on the inside. Have you ever saved food and then it molded so you had to toss it out? Me too. It’s hard to throw it out even if we probably won’t use that last ¼ of a cup but we don’t want to be ...
Do you remember the days when computers were just getting started and we were looking forward to becoming a paperless society? It just didn't happen, in fact we have just as much if not more paper now than before computers.
I worked for The Department of Services for People with Disabilities for ten years. I was a caseworker for people who were low functioning. There are many types of disabilities, mental as well as physical limitations. This can be a challenge for the parent or guardian when traveling at any time and during the holiday rush it can be an even bigger challenge. With preparation and organization those with disabilities can travel just as well as anyone else. Here are some ideas and tips to make your holiday traveling easier and less stressful.
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true. I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper in our homes and offices: 1. Create a filing system that works for you. I use Freedom Filer that is based on placing everything in color coded categories. The first step is to gather up all your lose papers.
We love looking back at photos of our family Christmas memories—how about you? Some years my five daughters would "pose" for pictures taken from the back showing their long hair. The bonus of these pictures was we didn't have to wait for makeup to be applied. (If you have girls you know ...
I have a friend with the sig Simplify above her kitchen sink. Another friend was tell a group of women that she has signs all over her home that say Simplify. Her husband asked her, "What does Simplify mean to you??" We all laughed about that and the sign that used to say "Simplify, Simplify" ...
As a professional organizer I work with women and seniors clearing clutter in their kitchens. This is a problem room for many people. Clearing clutter can be done pretty easy if it is done a little at a time and isn’t allowed to get out of control. One great idea that works well in clearing ...
Do you cringe when you hear the word goal or New Year's resolutions? Or are you goal driven and you relish the thought of writing goals and crossing them off? I am one of the latter. I write down what I am going to do during a day, if I do something that is not on my list I sometimes go back and write it down just so I can cross it off. And I know others who do the same thing. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment which is motivational.
Anytime is a good time to be organized. But now it may be more important than ever. Even if you aren’t facing any greater financial challenges than you did last year here are some reasons being organized can save you money and time. I am a professional organizer and I had a woman call me and ...
People often ask me how they can find more time in their day to do all the things they want or need to do. Do you have time to do fun things with your family and friends? Do you have time to do all the things you have scheduled to do every day? As a professional organizer I suggest it may be as ...
1.When I get a raise I put the amount that actually shows up in my pay check (after taxes etc) in savings rather than in checking. 2.If I am writing a check I round up to the next ten and either put that in savings or let it build in my checking account. (IE: If the item was $45.79 I would ...
What do these three people have in common? 1) These grandparents' grandchildren live in a different state than they live in and the children only visit twice a year. 2) The grandparents live in a condo with limited space, 3) another grandparent is 'obsessed with having a picture perfect home'. ...
Traveling to foreign countries can be a lot of fun and a great cultural experience. With research and planning the trip can be double the fun and less hassle. You will come home with great experiences to put in your memory bank and to share with friends and family. Things to know before you ...
As a professional organizer, when I speak to women’s group I am often asked, “how can I get my children to pick up after themselves” or “how can I get my husband to put his tools away or pick up his socks and put them in the hamper”? I have suggestions on how to motivate children but when it ...
Do you consider yourself a failure when it comes to organizing? Do you feel like giving up (or have you given up) trying to clear clutter in your home? As soon as you get a space cleared on a book case or on top of a flat surface does someone in your home come along and fill it up? Fill it up syndrome is alive and well in our home. It drives me crazy. One thing I do to thwart this syndrome is that I don’t allow the stuff to “live” there; I move it to its designated home. I find it is easier to just move something that to complain about it.
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true. I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper in our homes and offices: 1. Create a filing system that works for you. I use Freedom Filer that is based on placing everything in color coded categories. The first step is to gather up all your lose papers.
My friend's daughter is a ballet dancer. She had surgery on her tendon on her right ankle and then when it was almost healed she fell down the stairs and hurt her other ankle. This put her out of commission for several weeks and she wasn't able to try out for "So You Think You Can Dance' which ...
Clearing clutter is always a priority in my life as a professional organizer. Sometimes I go room to room and look at everything and think, “If I was moving would I take this with me”? Sometimes I think “why on earth would I want to take it with me, I don’t even like it any more or it has been there so long I never really see it”. Whether you are planning a move or just thinking about thinking about a move this is a good technique to use to clear clutter in your home before you actually plan a move. 5 moving day tips to take the sting out of moving: 1.
How many times have you said to yourself I wish I could stay organized? I am a professional organizer and I tell the women I work with it is possible to keep organized but I don’t think it is possible to stay organized. The word stay gives the impression that once a task is done it is done for ...
• Keep all pet supplies handy. In a basket keep all supplies together, brushes, combs, flea collars or powders, soap, leashes, or extra toys. You may find it more handy to keep a brush near where you actually brush your pet, or keep soap under the sink where you bathe your pet. I have used ...
Children are a lot of work! For the last week I have been taking care of my grandchildren who are visiting from out of state. What a delight they have been and what a challenge it is to keep up with them. My 3 ½ year old grandson said to me “grandma, I love you”. I told him I loved him too and he said; “grandma I don’t love you very much, I only love you a little”. I have laughed at that so many times.
Identify theft is a serious crime. It occurs when personal information is stolen and used without our knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. According to the Federal Trade Commission here are the Common Ways ID Theft happens: 1.Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for ...
Are you a great procrastinator? Do you say “I’ll just do it tomorrow?” And then tomorrow never comes and before you know it you are in the position that clutter is taking over your space? Well you are not alone! Clearing clutter can become a thing of the past by stopping clutter before it ...
I was at a friend's home waiting for her to come out of the house so we could go shopping. The man next door was using a leaf blower to clean off his drive way. He was blowing dirt, not leaves. As I sat and watched him I thought why I hadn't I ever thought of that. A leaf blower was just that to ...
I worked with a client a few weeks ago and we set up a filing system in her home office. Then we organized every other room in her home. She called me to say she felt free because of all the organizing we had done. She could now find everything and by putting things away where they belonged she ...
I was teaching an adult education class to some very bright, very busy adults and we were playing a game I called “Why I can’t get organized”. All ten students said their biggest problem in clearing the clutter was they didn’t have time. Fortunately I have 9 tips that will help you find the time ...
I just have to say I go all agog when I get to go to The Container Store. (We don't have one here in Utah). I know it's sad but true. I use containers all the time in every room. I can go so far as to say I love containers. They are great to store things in, contain things in, make things get ...
Summer is winding down—although you won’t know it by the unseasonably high temperatures outside but the calendar says it is. And State Fairs are blooming all over America. Fairs are so much fun. We just attended the first day of our state fair. We were eating our chicken in a pocket for lunch at some tables under the shade and I couldn’t help but notice all of the decluttering going on. There were people constantly picking up the littlest scraps of paper and throwing them away.
I remember driving from Oregon to Utah every summer in a small old car. My mom would pack up the back seat with boxes and suitcases and place on the top a mattress. It must have been a crib size as it was a small 1940's Ford. That is where I rode during the LONG trip. We would play I spy games, ...
If you are traveling by car here are a few organizing tips to get your car ready before leaving and other trip ideas to make traveling pleasant and safe:I was driving to Colorado for a week to do some organizing. The car tires looked low so I went to a shop to have the tire pressure checked. I ...
When you think of clearing clutter does a closet, drawer or room come to mind? How about getting rid of the clutter in your medicine cabinet? This could be as important as getting rid of clutter in other parts of the home; it could actually be a health issue. The bathroom is not the best ...
Organizing can be effortless--honest. To me it can even be easy, but I will not use that word because every time someone tells me something is easy it ends up being hard for me. I have some more simple tips to help make organizing everything and everyplace in your home effortless. When phones ...
When did life get so hectic? Are you always rushing around hunting for things, are you accruing fines at the library, do you have clutter because there just aren't places for what you own? If so, you are not alone! I was talking to a friend and she shared with me that her life has been overrun ...
Messy rooms, disorganized closets and jumbled junk (I like to think of them as resource drawers) add unneeded hassle to our already hectic days and lives. I sat by two colleagues at a meeting today and the one was telling us about the flood she recently had in her office when she was on ...
Is your kitchen a place you enjoy being in or is a place you go to because you have to be there to prepare meals? Because it serves a variety of purposes it needs to be organized to meet the needs of everyone in the family. A variety of storage solutions will help keep it organized and save time ...
About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet ...
Last week at my rug hooking group we were chatting about Organizing ideas for Christmas and about our favorite memories and organizing ideas surrounding Christmas cards. One woman said she likes to write a little family history even though she knows no one likes getting them. I take exception ...
I don't believe in using this phrase: "Do as I say, not as I do". Well, I have to eat my hat—or is it eating crow? Sometimes I can't believe myself. My confession is this…… Twice, not just once, I am chagrined to say, but twice this week I have committed to doing two things at the same time. ...
Is your home larger than it was 30 years ago and yet you still don’t have a place for everything you own? Do you struggle to find a place for all the things you have to keep? Could it be you have too much stuff? My philosophy is to surround yourself with things you like, you love, you use and ...
No, I am not a gardener. Whew, it just feels good to say that. Here in the Northern Hemisphere it is time to plant gardens and mow the lawns. We wait until after Mother's Day which was on May 11th this year to plant tomatoes and other warm loving veggies. Any earlier than this and they can get ...
Containers are the answer to a clutter free world. Well, that may be over simplifying it, but containers go a long way when you have an organizing dilemma. Do not go out and just start buying containers thinking then you will be organized. Containers can become clutter too. Here are eleven ...
Long before people came to the Americas and took over the land the Indians lived in beautiful harmony with the land. They “lived light on the land”. Many tribes traveled from place to place depending on the food sources, weather and other conditions. They traveled with their homes and all of their earthly belongings. They respected the earth and had only what they could use. I can safely say as a professional organizer that the majority of us “live heavy on the land”. We have homes we chuck full of things.
I love organizing tips. Even before I became a professional organizer I was always reading organizing tips to see how I could do something faster, and more efficient. Here are three favorite organizing tips from my friends that can also help you to be organized. Edna does three things on ...