Browse Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Are any of your loved ones older than 60? If so, do you know what’s happening in their lives on a day-to-day basis? You should. “People over age 60 make up only one-eighth of the U.S. population, yet they constitute one of every three scam victims,” writes Sid Kirchheimer, an advisor to ...

Let’s be honest. When it is time to start organizing your kitchen, it is fair to say we would rather have someone else do it for us. It is one of those chores we would rather not do or even think about doing. But when it comes to cooking, you certainly do yourself an injustice if your kitchen is not well organized. There is no particular time of year to clean and re-organize your kitchen. But the sooner you get started, the faster you can start enjoying your kitchen again. Some people just do not know where to start.

I was reading in the book "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff…and it's all small stuff" by Richard Carlson, PH.D. I have read the book before but not everything always sticks so I like to go back and reread as a refresher. I set as my goal to read two to three chapters a night. They are so small each ...

The final month of the year is here, and for many of us, it’s a time of wrapping things up before the new year rolls around. This year, as part of your year-end wrap-up, consider taking a few moments to revisit the systems that serve you every day, and see if you can improve them. nnClean out your paper files. Over the course of a year, most of us accumulate way more paper than we need, and much of it ends up in our file drawers. The end of the year is a great time to f

How many times have you thought or said, “I need to be more organized?” It usually comes after a moment of frustration or stress and a desire to create a different situation than the one you are currently experiencing. So where do you start? OR do you start? There’s good news and not so good news.

Do you ever wonder if you are over-tipping or under-tipping, or be tipping at all? You are not alone. Lots of people are unsure how much to tip the bell hop or the tour guide. They usually end up tipping way too much or not enough. Organize Anything has put together a handy chart of industry standards of tipping. We’ve also come up with a few ideas and suggestions on how to gracefully handle leaving a tip.

Introductio What is a Constellation? A constellation is an innovative way of diagnosing and resolving troubling issues. It draws on emotional intelligence and intuition as well as logical thought. A constellation provides insight and foresight by uncovering the hidden dynamics of a ...

In today’s economy, the last thing you need to do is spend money on items you don’t need. When clutter is reduced in a home or office, you can more easily find what you own. When people can’t find an item they know they have, they tend to throw up their hands in despair and immediately run out to buy a replacement item as they don’t have the time or effort to look for the old one. A 2004 study highlighted in Newsweek reported that Americans waste 55 minutes a day, roughly 12

Saving space by getting your shoes organized is a great way to remove the clutter around your house. At first glance, it may not seem like shoes are the root cause of clutter. But when you take the time to think about how many different types of footwear are needed for daily activities and events, you realize how challenging it can be to keep them all neat and organized. This is especially the case for people with small closets or a lack of extensive closet shelving.

A starting point for organizing any room is to identify the function of the space. What kinds of activities are going to happen there? Those activities then guide your decision-making about what to keep in the space. Bedrooms usually have three primary functions: 1. Rest 2. Changing clothes 3. Intimacy (for couples) In my work as a professional organizer, I’ve had the opportunity to see some bedrooms that include everything but the kitchen sink. How anyone could get a good

You love your home, but you don’t love clutter. A lot can pile up in little time at all. Mail, laundry, media… let’s not even think about the garage. For some, it’s tough to even think about reducing all the clutter in the home. With a little know-how, organizing your living space is a snap. Mail Dominance Mail call doesn’t have to be a disaster with the Mail Sorter Desktop. This classy, faux leather organizer brings order to messy desks. Now, envelopes, magazines, documents, pens and miscellaneous desk supplies all have a tidy home in the five-compartment organizer.

Internet marketing has evolved dramatically over the past few years. This is most evident in the world of social media marketing. For many, the process of social media advertising delivers an extremely cost effective and successful methodology for attaining one's goals. Goals, in sales, are generally defined by profit potential and that is a good thing. Why advertise if you are not going to see revenue generation as a result?rnSo, if revenue generation is the goal that you se

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.

Does the thought of de-cluttering your home, closet, a drawer or any space in your home make you uncomfortable? Perhaps you feel tired, sad or ashamed so you feel which stands in your way of de-cluttering your home. If you said yes to any of these questions perhaps you are hanging on to beliefs that just aren’t true when it comes to getting rid of clutter. I was talking with my friend who shared this story with me and I have to say we had a good laugh. We were talking about our belief systems and what beliefs we hold on to even when they are proven to be false.

At work, at home, no matter who you are or what you do -- we are all bombarded with paper. And, it’s stressful! I think that we have developed a new fear in our society -- PAPERPHOBIA -- the fear of having to deal with that stack that’s been sitting there for a week. So what do you do to regain control over your environment and your sanity?

How many times have you come home from a hard day at work, just to find another mess, waiting for you when you walk in the door? Then, you find that you have a meeting to go to, a child to take to a practice, a friends house or a meeting and absolutely 'no time' to get all of your have-to's accomplished. This is what starts the everyday cycle of stress, frustration and the inability to cope with everday life. We have goals, but never enough time to accomplish them.

A hurricane or tornado is on the way, what should you grab so that you can rebuild your life if necessary? Someone dies unexpectedly, what should they have in place to make it easier for their relatives? Many believe that a natural, weather-related, or man-made disaster won’t affect them. And after-the-fact they regret that they didn’t make any contingency plans. Even if you know that you need to have an emergency arrangement in place, the task of creating such a plan may feel daunting. Let’s see if we can break the process down into doable steps. Step #1: Establish a Plan.

Closets are areas of infinite possibility. Closets can be rearranged, re-configured or re-designated depending on what you need to use it for. You can organize your closets any way that suits your specific needs. The following 5 tips are to help you weed out the things you no longer want or ...

When I am speaking in front of a group on the topic of productivity and organization, inevitably I get this question: “I have so many tasks I need to get done that are ALL are TOP priorities. How do I figure out what to do when everything is a #1 priority? Good question. I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that there is a way out of this feeling of frustration and overwhelm so that you can choose which tasks are the TRUE priority in any given moment. I call this micro-prioritizing.

Every morning, I am blissfully awakened by the sound of Canada geese, honking their way overhead, flying in the great “V” in the sky – No, wait a minute. That’s just my son waking up and sneezing and honking his way into a new day with several allergies. So what is the connection between ...

[This is an actual Feng Shui consultation; all names and identifying features have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.] I drove up through a suburban subdivision, viewing the large homes with their expansive three car garages and driveways. Approaching my new client’s ...

During these times of economic volatility, it's a good idea to be prepared in case your employment situation changes. Whether you're currently employed and looking for a new opportunity or unemployed and searching for work, you'll want to get the most out of your job-hunting time and effort. To overcome feeling overwhelmed, I recommend creating a plan and getting organized - this will help you focus your efforts, stay motivated, and accelerate your success. Check out my "7 Simple Steps" article below for helpful tips.

Are you tired of spinning your wheels when it comes to getting rid of clutter and it seems to take more time all the time. Try these 3 simple tips to lighten your load. I remember when I worked in an office someone had the brainstorm that we as workers would every 15 minutes write down what we had been doing. Let me tell you this was exhausting and for me a big timewaster.

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.

Getting and staying organized can be one of the most profitable and simplest things you can do in your business. If you know how! My articles tackle real problems and real questions from my clients and newsletter subscribers. In this article, I'll discuss how to manage the growing piles of ...

DevOps in a more simplified way is a culture and a philosophy. It can be adopted to increase the ability of a firm to deliver applications at a faster pace. It improves quality. The main goal of DevOps is to bring the two business units - Development and Operations on the same page. By having better communication and collaboration between the two units, you can accomplish this. DevOps helps in improving the development pace, defect detection, improved and faster delivery of a product. DevOps Tools:

Are your computer files as jumbled and disorganized as your paper files? Are there files on your computer that you don't even recognize? Do you rely on the search function to allow you to find your electronic documents? Are there days that you love your computer and some that you want to send it into orbit? While technical malfunctions are often out of our control, there are things you can do to make your computer more user-friendly.

One of the most annoying things about having to share a bathroom is the fact that there’s stuff everywhere, all the time. Whether you’re sharing a bathroom with your family members or with your college roommates, everyone has their own toiletries that they want to keep separate. Usually, everyone wants their own stuff to stay in the bathroom – no one is willing to keep their perfumes and their face washes and their hairbrushes in their rooms. People want stuff right where they can see it, and more importantly, they want it where they use it.

Did you know that the average person can only keep seven things in short-term memory at one time? Do you lay awake at night worried that you will forget something important? Are you consistently forgetting about tasks that need to be completed? Before you assume that your memory is failing, try writing your tasks down. - Paper vs. Electronic -- I often get asked which task management system is better -- paper or electronic. There is no one right answer. It depends on your style, mobility, budget, etc.

Going through your day at a hundred miles an hour doesn't leave much time for thought. When you are not thinking you are simply reacting to what happens around you. This anxiety causing cycle will cause you to lose your mind. When you feel yourself spiraling out of control, you must stop. Stop, take a deep breath, and think about what you are doing. Stop to really think about the pieces and parts. What is the next step you must take? Are you doing things in an efficient order? How can you get control of the situation to avoid future anxiety-filled days?

Before the advent of the washing machine, families did not wash clothing all that often. The reason for this was simple: it was hard work. Clothes had to be soaked in warm, soapy water and then rubbed against the corrugated surface of a washboard to remove dirt, odors and stains. The process took several minutes for each article of clothing and was hard on the hands. As you might imagine, scrubbing an entire basket of clothes clean could take hours. Then they had to be hung on the clothesline and left to dry.

One of my goals in life was never to quilt. All of that changed one beautiful rainy day at Cape Mears Lighthouse in Oregon. I bought a package with 12 lighthouse quilt blocks in their lovely tincy- tiny gift shop. I love lighthouses so these called out to me. I planned on asking my friend who was a master quilter if she would help me make these into a quilt. This was going to be my one and only quilt.

No online marketing campaign can be successful if it doesn’t comprise of social media marketing strategies. While it is free to implement social media, it does need time and effort for monitoring and deployment. A business either needs time or staff to help in monitoring the messages, engagement and conversations that take place on social media. There are various social media networks used by people these days and a business should customize strategies for each in order to

Getting your closet organized and clutter free can be a daunting task. Finding the right system to make your closet look nice and neat is one challenge in itself. Creating a scheme that will allow you to maintain order and efficiency is another task altogether. Accomplishing tasks such as ...

Making a meal for your friends, family, or just for yourself can be a relaxing, rewarding, and tasty experience. But one thing that is never any fun is searching for around cookware or cutlery. The kitchen is arguably the most difficult room in the home to organize. Benjamin Franklin must have had it in mind when he thought up his famous epigram, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

An organization is a perfect blend of several components that act together as a cohesive unit. The individual developments of these components contribute to the organizational development. These development activities are long-term activities which are geared towards problem –solving, increasing the production and a better output. There are various factors that play positive and negative roles in the development of an organization. Human resource management can positively o

Maintaining a clean, well organized garage is a chore for even the most intrepid organizers. As a kid, being told to clean out the garage was a task no one ever wanted the parents to assign. Very simply, this job is tough, it is tedious, and it is time consuming. Furthermore, for most people, ...

I can't tell you how often I hear my friends, colleagues, and clients complain about how other people just don't respect their time. But the only reason that folks take advantage of you, expect too much from you, or don't respect your personal free time is that you have ALLOWED them to behave that way in the past.

Back-to-school time – what does that mean to you? For some people, it’s shopping for school supplies, gearing up for PTA meetings, and artwork taped to the refrigerator. For others, it’s the beginning of a constant struggle to get everyone up, ready, and out of the house on time. Morning should be an enjoyable time for you and your kids – not a battle of the wills or a race against the clock.

KNOW THYSELF The first key to creating a peaceful holiday season is identifying those holiday traditions that you ENJOY and those that you don’t. When you spend your precious time and energy on activities that you don’t find rewarding, you are destined to become FRUSTRATED and cranky. So go ahead and be honest with yourself before the season even starts. Make a list of every possible holiday “obligation” that you can think of.

Cleaning out can seem overwhelming -- especially if it's been a while since you've done it! But there is a very simple process you can follow that will A) help you sort and separate your belongings into manageable piles, and B) keep you from completely tearing up your house while you are cleaning out! When you begin clearing area, you should have three large boxes close at hand.

For any type of information you want to distribute or collect, the internet is the most commonly used point of supply. Online you can get any fact or opinion about anything. Write an article and distribute it on internet is the most powerful way to share knowledge among others. To write an article and share it on the internet has some distinguishing benefits. The article should be written so that anybody can learn from others experiences and knowledge. This is the most valua

Getting and staying organized can be one of the most profitable and simplest things you can do in your business ... IF YOU KNOW HOW My articles tackle real problems and real questions from my clients and newsletter subscribers. In this article, I'll address Ted's question on finding your ...

Creating Systems that Work for You rn rnI guess I'm a bit spoiled. I often take for granted many of the systems we've developed, software programs we use every day and processes we've automated in our company. It always amazes me when I go into other companies—many of them bigger and more sophisticated than our own—and find them lacking in some of the most basic systems. I see them struggling with antiquated databases and obsolete software, which translates into frustrate

Organizing is about having a strategy - its not about having the latest and greatest containers. Many of my clients and audiences fall victim to all the great “Organizing” & “ Organized” pictures of beautiful closet systems, kitchen & organizing bin systems which are only 30% filled with color coordinated items. Advertisers make it appear to be an organizing utopia.

In the summer are you frazzled and tired of your kids at the end of every day? Are you counting the days until school starts? Summer can be a time to help spark your creativity and your child’s creativity as well. Hold a family meeting where kids can choose an activity they are interested in. Older children can help younger children which can help siblings bond to each other and teach them respect for each other. Some suggestions of what to do so children don’t get bored and you don’t pull your hair out: 1. Plan a picnic.

A summer road trip can be a time of bonding for friends and family. However, without the proper precautions it can quickly turn into a complete disaster. Getting yourself organized for a road trip is often a challenge. Fitting people, luggage and important accessories all into one vehicle can ...

“Organizing and spirituality?”, my clients query, “What does one have to do with the other?” My response to this question is simple. Organizing brings order to the physical chaos and spiritual practice brings order to a chaotic mind or calm to our inner life. The ancient Chinese proverb, “A ...

There are days when we just feel scattered and don’t know where to start with all the tasks and things we need to do. Do you ever think “the faster I go the further behind I get”? I think we all have days like this. Let’s put first things first which means let’s prioritize what we need to do ...

For generations, mothers have been telling their daughters that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It other words, they had to learn how to cook in order to land a husband. The familiar saying lost a bit of steam during the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1970s, and a funny thing happened in the interim—men learned how to cook.