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Browse published articles attributed to Maya Willis, with full-archive search.
Women often depend heavily on what they have stored in their purse. However, there is sometimes a fine line between having everything you need in your purse and having so many things that the purse becomes heavy and uncomfortable to carry. It is also pointless to have everything in your purse if it is so disorganized that you can’t find anything.
Having multiple online accounts to keep track of is becoming increasingly the norm for most people. Most of us not only have more than one e-mail account, but also multiple accounts on blogs, forums, healthcare sites, eBay and a myriad of other online features and sites that we visit on a regular basis. Additionally, there are online banking accounts, and most people pay at least some of their bills online. Although having everything conveniently accessible online can be quite handy, it does make it difficult to keep all of this account information straight.
Sometimes it seems like the hardest part of getting organized is just finding the time to do it. Especially if it's been years since you've made a dedicated effort towards organization, just the thought of tackling such a big job is enough to make you put it off until another day. However, dealing with disorganization on a daily basis can be very stressful, so it can be well worth your efforts to just bite the bullet and set aside the time to get the job done right. It's OK to Just Do a Little Bitr
Busy schedules can make it difficult to plan weekly menus that are quick, easy, nutritious and economical. If you are trying to cook every evening for your family to save money and eat better, a little planning can go a long way towards keeping things simple. Sale Itemsr One of the best ways to insure that your food budget stays under control is to always stick to what's on sale. Not only will this help you save, but it is also generally the best way to get the highest quality food. For example, when shopping for produce, whatever is in season is usually the best budget buy.
A storage shed is a very hard-working area of your home, but one which can easily become cluttered and unmanageable. Cleaning and organizing your shed before the gardening and yard season gets into full swing can be a great way of saving time and aggravation. Once your shed is organized, you will be able to find everything you need, quickly and easily, while gaining even more storage space. Take Everything Out of the Shedr The first step towards organizing your shed is to take everything out. Choose a sunny day for this task, without any danger of rain.
Before the busy spring planting season gets here, it can be a good idea to get your existing gardening tools and supplies organized and ready to go. Not only will you be better prepared by getting this task done early, but you'll also have a chance to buy anything that needs replaced or replenished. Plus, it can be a great way to spend a dreary late winter day, allowing you to dream about the warmer days of spring to come. If getting your gardening supplies organized is on your list of things to get done, here are some tips that can make the job a bit easier. Sort and Itemize
If your home or office has become disorganized, you might be too overwhelmed by the situation and not even know where to begin. Often the main obstacle to getting organized is just mustering up the enthusiasm for getting started. If things have really fallen into disarray, it can be difficult to know how to go about cleaning up the mess, and it might seem hopeless. If this is the case, planning a daily organization strategy can often be the best place to start. Planning Your Initial Strategy In order to succeed at anything, you have to create a realistic plan.
Sometimes when attempting to organize your household you might discover that the problem lies in your family's overall processes, habits and lifestyle. For example, even the most perfectly organized laundry room may not be a match for the fact that your family simply creates too much laundry. Although you might not think about it very often, today's busy lifestyle has made most people a bit more careless than they used to be. For example, have you ever caught yourself tossing a clean shirt back into the laundry hamper just because it was slightly crumpled and needed ironing?
Mailing and packaging supplies can often be a source of home clutter. Although these useful items are a necessity in most homes, they can be challenging to keep organized. In some cases, you might simply want to keep the envelopes, stamps and stationery that you use for personal communication better organized. However, if you run a small business out of your home, the need for organizing mailing and packaging supplies becomes even more challenging and important.
If you have a lot of craft supplies but a very small space in which to keep them, it's important to come up with highly efficient organizational strategies. By keeping your craft materials well organized, you'll undoubtedly find that you will participate in your chosen craft more frequently, while enjoying it more. If your craft supplies are currently somewhat of a mess, here are some tips you can use to organize them in even the smallest storage space. Assessing Your Storage Needs
Table linens can certainly add a beautiful finishing touch to any table. However, families today tend to not use table linens as much as families did in the past. As such, you might feel a little unprepared when purchasing formal or even casual table linens for your home. Plus, once you buy them, how do you care for them, organize and store them so that they always look their best? If you're confused by the subject of table linens, here's some tips that can help. Choosing the Perfect Table Linens
If you are like most people, chances are you read a variety of different magazines. Although some magazines can simply be read and then discarded, other magazines can be useful for a longer period of time. For example, you probably wouldn't want to discard your sewing, woodworking or other crafting magazines after reading them. If you have a number of different magazines that you want to keep for reference purposes, organizing them in a neat and efficient manner is probably one of your conce s. Here are a few tips you can use to keep your magazines safe, neat and easily accessible.
An organized kitchen pantry simplifies your work in the kitchen, allowing you to find the things that you need without a lot of effort. Organizing the pantry doesn’t take a whole lot of effort. If you have the right tools and an hour or so of time, then you can turn any pantry (or even a closet near the kitchen) into a useful storage area that will help you stay organized and make the most efficient use of your time. A properly organized pantry can free up cabinet space in the kitchen while giving you plenty of room to store plenty of food and other supplies. Installing Shelvingr
As the colder weather approaches, it eventually becomes time to take your bulky winter coats and other winter wardrobe items out of storage. When this happens, many families struggle with how to store them in a convenient and yet space-efficient manner. Because these items are bulkier than summer clothing items, the result is often over-stuffed closets and a general lack of storage space. If it's time to make your seasonal wardrobe switch, here are a few ideas that can make the entire process easier and a lot less frustrating. Organizing Coats
If you love books, chances are that you have numerous books and publications in your home. In most cases, this means you have them in various locations, such as on shelves, beside the bed, in the children's room, and maybe even stacked on a table or the floor. It's important to keep your books stored in an organized fashion, not only to keep them protected but also to make it easier for you to enjoy them. If your books are scattered all over your home, it's time to create a home library that you can enjoy and be proud of. Getting Started
If you never seem to be able to get organized, perhaps it's because you've never taken the time to truly understand your personal priorities. All too often, people try to do things not because they have to, but because they think they should. For example, do you feel as though you have to iron every piece of laundry just because that's the way your mother always did the laundry? If so, you might be spending a good deal of your time each day on things that really don't need to be done or things that simply aren't important to you.
A large stuffed toy collection can make it significantly more difficult to keep your child's room neat and tidy. In fact, sometimes even a small stuffed toy collection can be challenging. Most stuffed toy collections consist of some animals that a child plays with on a regular basis - or even sleeps with each night - in addition to many other animals that they play with less frequently. In some cases, a child might not even play with most of their stuffed toys at all. If you are faced with the dilemma of organizing a stuffed toy collection, here are some tips that can help.
If you find that your family is constantly struggling to keep paperwork, instruction manuals and other paper items organized, a filing cabinet could be just the solution you've been looking for. Instead of stashing paperwork in various locations around your home, keep all your items organized and easily accessible by using an inexpensive filing cabinet. Here are a few filing tips you can use to get household paper clutter under control. Finding the Perfect Filing Cabinet
Organizing your wardrobe is a great way of maximizing its usefulness. Without proper planning and organization, it can be difficult to mix and match clothing items to put together great outfits. In fact, sometimes it can be difficult to even find items in your closet if you don't have them well organized. Take an afte oon to organize your wardrobe and you'll save time every morning when you get ready for the day. Take a Clothing Inventoryr Careful assessment is the first step to organizing almost anything, including your wardrobe.
If your family is like most families, time and bathroom space always seems to be in short supply in the morning. With everyone rushing around getting dressed and taking care of their personal care regime, things can get pretty hectic, disorganized and chaotic. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get your own personal care regime under better control, as well as help your other family members do the same? By using these tips, you'll be able to transform hectic mornings into something much more manageable and less stressful. Create a Schedule
Unless you live in a climate that has similar weather all year long, you undoubtedly have different summer and winter wardrobes. Although some people simply leave all their clothes in the same closet year-round, this method can make it difficult to utilize closet space in the most efficient fashion. Instead of overcrowding your closets, it can be helpful to rotate your clothing and accessories on a seasonal basis. If the arrival of springtime has you thinking about what to do with all your wooly winter clothing, here are some organizational tips and ideas that can help. Sort First
If you have a budding Albert Einstein or Madame Currie living under your roof, providing him or her with adequate study space is an absolute necessity. Even if your home is a bit short on space, a personalized study area is very important for a child. Whether you set aside a corner of your child's bedroom or designate a special study area in the home office or dining room, having a dedicated study area can be extremely conducive to the learning process.
If you are moving, you already stressed. The last thing you want is to find your favorite wall art or family heirlooms broken or damaged when you unpack them at your new home. Here’s how to avoide that unwelcome scenario. Start Early Pack early so you have plenty of time to pack carefully. If you are rushing, you may skip steps which can result in broken glassware or a hole in your favorite painting. So start gathering your supplies early and start packing as much as you can ahead of time. Provide Cushioning
Although you often hear a lot about getting your home, office and yard organized, it's also important to remember that it's hard to get things accomplished when your mind is cluttered and disorganized. In today's busy world, it can sometimes seem as though there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. If you always seem to be running late and never seem to be able to get projects done on time - or even done at all - perhaps it's time to get your thoughts organized. You might be amazed at the difference a little bit of mental organization can make in your daily life.
Working in the kitchen can be much more efficient and enjoyable if you have implemented good organizational strategies. A cluttered kitchen can be difficult to work in, which can create stress instead of harmony. Take the time to organize your kitchen cabinets and countertops, and you will find that you find more enjoyment in cooking. Create Work Stations in the Kitchenr Especially if your kitchen is small, creating work stations can be a great way to maximize space and create a more efficient kitchen environment.
If you never seem to know what your spouse or children's schedules look like, perhaps it's because you haven't taken the time to create a family calendar. Having one calendar devoted solely to your family's schedule can make the difference between chaos and organization in a household. Although each family member might already have their own calendar, a combined calendar will make it easier for everyone to keep track of family activities. If you've never created a family calendar before, here are some helpful tips to help you get started. Paper or Digital?
Lack of efficient storage space is often a key problem for many people when they try to get their home organized. Although it’s certainly important to reduce clutter and discard anything you don’t really need, you also need an efficient way to store the things you plan to keep. If you are currently trying to get your home better organized, it might be time to look at shelves. Shelves can be used in a wide variety of ways to store and organize items in a neat and easily accessible fashion. Here are a few shelving ideas you can use to help bring a bit more organization to your own home.
If you're like many people today, you probably possess far more personal possessions than your parents and grandparents did when they were your age. Quick and convenient access to almost anything one needs to buy makes it easy to accumulate a lot of household and personal possessions. To make matters worse, many people find that they have a tendency to use shopping as a kind of emotional therapy. If they become unhappy, depressed or stressed, a shopping trip to their local department store sometimes is the cure used in order to feel better.
If finding your cleaning supplies is sometimes more challenging than the cleaning tasks themselves, then perhaps it's time to get your supplies better organized. In some cases, finding an organizational strategy that works for your cleaning materials is simply a matter of convenience. However, in other cases finding a good storage solution is a matter of safety, especially in homes with small children or pets. If you want to streamline the cleaning tasks around your home by getting your supplies in better order, here are some organizational strategies to try. Read the Labels
In today's challenging economy, most people cannot afford to waste money or resources for any reason. Just as is the case with everything else the average family needs to buy, the cost of food continues to rise. Although food is a basic essential that nobody can do without, there are ways that you can reduce waste and save money on food purchases. Cleaning and organizing your refrigerator and freezer is one way to make sure that you make the best use of your food and money. Here are a few easy tips you can follow that will help you get your refrigerator and freezer organized efficiently.
Moving is rarely an occasion that one would describe as fun. In fact, moving can be a huge challenge. Nonetheless, one in five American families will move this year. If your family is among them, you can make the move less frustrating by organizing your belongings before the move. Yes, organization is the key to taking the scary, confusing aspect out of tossing everything that you own into a moving van and hitting the road. Moving is a daunting prospect, but being organized before the move can take the stress of moving down a few notches. The mover-tested tips that follow can help.
Regardless of whether your kitchen is large or small, there's a good chance that you're not maximizing the usefulness and efficiency of your kitchen cabinet space. Kitchen cabinets just seem to have a way of getting cluttered and disorganized, no matter how hard you try to keep things under control. If your kitchen cabinets seem to frustrate you every time a door is opened, it's time to maximize the space and increase your kitchen's overall efficiency and space utilization. Here are a few tips you can use to help get your cabinets better organized. Purge Unnecessary Items
If you ask most people about their most difficult challenge when organizing their home, you're likely to hear paper mentioned as one of their primary problems. In today's busy world, most people simply have more paper in their homes than they know what to do with. Although many of us dream of achieving a "paperless" lifestyle, for most of us, it's just that - an unattainable dream. However, just because you're forced to deal with a lot of paper in your life, it doesn't necessarily mean it has to clutter your home and cause problems.
It has been said that moving is one of the most stressful of life’s events, only slightly less stressful than divorce and death of a spouse. However, getting organized in advance of the move can greatly reduce the stress and make the move much easier. Here are four tips to help your next move go smoothly. • Don’t Move what you Don’t Want or Needr
Keeping the family medicine cabinet well organized is important for safety reasons in addition to simple convenience. After all, if you allow the medicine cabinet to fall into disarray, you might not be able to locate the supplies you need in the case of an emergency. It's also easy to overlook outdated medications or a shortage of a particular medical supply if things are not kept neat and organized. If your medicine cabinet is a mess, here are some tips you can use to get it back into shape fast. Start With a Good Cleaningr
Most families enjoy decorating their home and yard for the various holidays throughout the year. However, it can often be difficult to keep holiday decor organized, easily accessible and yet out of the way throughout the year when it's not being used. If your basement, attic or garage is stuffed to the gills with messy and disorganized boxes, bags and bins of holiday decorating supplies, here are some easy organizational tips you can try. Decide on an Organizational Strategy
If your household is like most, it's likely that you and your family members are drowning in a sea of paper. Although computer experts have long talked about the "paperless" office of the future, most families and businesses have a long way to go in order to achieve that lofty goal. In many cases, the trick to effective paper control involves throwing out a lot of what you really don't need. However, there are some documents that are simply too important to throw out. In fact, many of these documents deserve their own special organizational strategy in order to keep them safe and secure.
If you’re like most people, you probably think of many great organizational ideas and plans every single day. Unfortunately, because of busy schedules and other time constraints, most people never take the time to implement these great organizational plans. Of course, you cannot reap the benefits of an organizational plan unless you actually put it into action. Since taking the first step is often the most difficult part of getting organized, here are a few ideas you can use to jump-start your organizational plans. Create a Realistic Plan
If you have pets, you probably know how difficult it can be to keep all their supplies and accessories well organized. If your pet supplies are disorganized, you might not be able to find the items when you need them most. It can be well worth the time and effort to get everything organized and under control. Here are some tips you can use to clean things up quick. Sort and Purge
If the upcoming spring season has you stressing about your disorganized deck or patio, don't despair. It can actually be quite simple to get your outdoor spaces into great shape. Spring is the perfect time to start fresh and get organized. Here are a few organizational tips you can use to get your deck or patio ready for the spring and summer outdoor season. Clear the Clutter
Due to the popularity of several television shows, the affliction of hording has been gaining more attention. Although hording isn't something that's new, it has recently received more attention and this has raised awareness of this obsessive compulsive behavior. However, just because a person has "packrat" tendencies does not necessarily mean that they are a hoarder. In fact, in today's challenging economy, there's a lot to be said for keeping a stash of useful items that you might be able to put to good use, instead of simply discarding them.
If your family is like most, paper clutter and chaos is probably one of your most challenging organizational issues. In today's busy world, it can be quite difficult to keep household paperwork organized. Even though the thought of a "paperless office" might sound appealing, the fact remains that most homes have far too much paper. If you'd like to get the paper mess in your home under better control, dealing with the daily mail can be a great place to start. The Disadvantages of Poor Mail Handling Strategies
If you're like many people, you probably wish you could get your life and home better organized. However, you might also feel as though you never really have enough time to get organized in the first place. Many people go through their entire lives putting off the entire organization process until "later," somehow thinking that next week, next month or next year they are going to miraculously have more spare time. In reality, being disorganized may be one of the primary reasons why you don't have enough spare time in the first place.
You’ve moved! The big event is finally behind you, but now you have a lot of unpacking to do. This part of the job can be as hard as packing up and moving itself. However, by planning ahead and being organized in the way you pack your boxes, you can make settling in to your new home a lot easier and faster. Take advantage of these tips before you start packing up to move. Pack and Label Room by Room
If you're like most people, you probably start thinking about shelves and organizing techniques when somebody mentions streamlining your laundry day. However, it's important to remember that keeping your laundry room neat and organized is only a small part of the laundry day battle. Most of the time the actual causes of household laundry challenges exist outside of the laundry room. If you have a neatly organized laundry room and still can't seem to get your laundry under control, here are some streamlining tips that can help. Choose Your Clothing Carefully
Garage sales, yard sales, or tag sales (no matter what you call them) can be a lot of fun and are a great way to help you de-clutter your home so that you can get more organized. On any give Saturday morning in American suburbia, you can find slowly-circling cars and mini-vans, making the rounds through neighborhoods in search of good buys on everything from dishes to blenders to clothing to furniture. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
If you're like most people, you probably have far more clutter than you'd like. You probably have stacks of paper and items that you don't really need but can't bear to part with stashed in various places throughout your home. In many cases, a digital solution can really help get these messes under control. If you have access to a scanner, a home computer and a stack of CDs or DVDs, you're well on your way to a neater and more organized life. Dealing with Paper Clutter
If you’ve ever moved a house full of furniture, accessories and personal belongings, you know how expensive it can be. It’s not like college, when you can just load up and old van with laundry baskets full of jean and sweatshirts and go truckin’ merrily down the road. Moving in the grown up world is more complicated and expensive, but here are a few unusual ideas you can use to save money. Boxes
"Mental clutter" can be a big problem for many people. If you find that you have lots of ideas but not much time in which to implement them, chances are you're being adversely affected by mental clutter. Symptoms of this syndrome include frustration, worry, distraction, disorganization, and a constant feeling that you are forgetting to do something important. If you've got a lot of ideas in your head but still never seem to actually get anything done, here are some techniques you can use to transform mental clutter into productivity. Make a Concrete Plan
In today's busy and fast-paced world, it can be sometimes be difficult to stay organized. Demanding work schedules, busy social calendars and family responsibilities can often take up every free moment of a person's time. This kind of hectic existence often results in disorganized homes and an inability to find items when they are needed. In addition to creating frustration, a disorganized home can waste one's time and even money. Although it requires a bit of time and dedication, finding the perfect location for every item in your home is usually the best solution to this everyday problem.