Posts tagged as:

De-clutter

Organized for Good

by Michaeline on July 31, 2010

Here are a few tips for getting organized for good. These tips can be used in specific areas of the house or anywhere:

O – One in, one out. Use this rule to limit your stuff. If you bring something new in, something old must go.
R – Routines are crucial. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly schedules for organizing, cleaning and maintaining will keep you clutter-free.
G – Get help. Enlist your family to stop chaos. If needed, get the help of a friend or professional organizer.
A – Assign a place for everything and put everything in its place. Store things where there are used so it is easier to put them away.
N – Note it. Create a book with critical information in one place. This is where schedulers, phone numbers, invitations and other important information can be found.
I – Institute a system for actions like paying bills, filing and follow up actions. Placing paper in action files can corral paper clutter and stop your piles from growing.
Z – Zip things into bags (mesh or plastic depending on the items). You can do this for lost items, the dry cleaning or small items.
E – Evaluate what is and isn’t working for you. Take a few minutes to identify one or two area of your home that are clutter and ask yourself what’s working or not and brainstorm some solutions.

Using these “organizing” tips can help tame chaos and keep you clutter-free. I would love to hear a tip or two from you.

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Organize Your Coupons

by Michaeline on July 10, 2010

I had the pleasure of recently conducting a clutter seminar at a local library. The question of organizing coupons came up.

The audience participated in brainstorming some ideas for coupon organization:

• Organize by category or expiration date. Use a small accordion file labeled 1 -12 and placing the coupons in the respective tab (7 for July) by the month of expiration. Or if have difficulty filing that specifically, just place in an envelope.
• Keep an envelope or your file in your purse or glove box and go through it matching your grocery list just before your shopping trip. This way you won’t leave your coupons at home.
• Set a reminder on your calendar to clear out expired coupons.

And, from me, if you routinely do not use the coupons you clip before they expire, give yourself permission to stop cutting coupons and adding to your clutter.

I am always amazed at what I learn from my audiences. Do you have a coupon tip to share? I would love to hear it.

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Easy Organizing Tips for Your Child’s Room

June 19, 2010

Do you constantly battle to get your child to clean their room? Do you wonder if you will ever see the floor in your lifetime? Organizational Expert Julie Morgenstern shared five tips for helping to organize your child’s room in the June 2, 2009 issue of Woman’s Day magazine. It really does make sense to [...]

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Getting Your Children to Help You Stay Organized

June 5, 2010

With summer close and school almost done for the year wouldn’t it be great to have help from your family to keep the house organized and clutter-free this summer. But how do you engage your children in helping you clean up? In the May 1, 2010 Women’s Day magazine article: “Ready, set, get organized” Arianne [...]

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Stylish Storage: A Way to Stay Clutter-free

May 22, 2010

Having chic clutter cures are a great way to get motivated to clear clutter and keep it away. If I haven’t convenience you yet or if a reminder is needed…having a clear, fresh space will let you breathe easier, feel calmer and provide you with free space to allow new things in. By using boxes, [...]

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Organize Your Garage

May 8, 2010

Most of us enter our homes from the garage. In fact, we probably pass through our garage more than we do our living rooms. Now that you have had a garage sale, take the extra step and organize your garage to be clutter-free. Here are some tips (assuming that you already had some of the [...]

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Clutter Busting: Getting Ready for a Garage Sale

May 1, 2010

Locally spring time comes and so do the garage sales in my area…my subdivision included. Since you are already committed to spring clean this year and get rid of the clutter in your life, why not consider participating in your neighborhood garage sale or set one up yourself. Here are some ideas for the logistics: [...]

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Can You Really Speed Spring Clean?

April 24, 2010

In the March 2010 issue of Woman’s Day magazine author, Arianne Cohen, poses the question “who does a big annual cleaning anyway? and why?” in the Solutions Tip Talk section. In the article she shared her speed spring cleaning experience from last year. She decided to devote just three mornings to quickly moving from room [...]

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Spring Cleaning and Clearing Clutter

April 17, 2010

Spring is a great time of year. It is a time of year that we think about renewal, birth and freshness. Or at least I think of these thing. Many of us may think about spring as a time to do a deep cleaning like when were children. My mom cleaned the house from top to bottom [...]

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Clear a Surface

April 10, 2010

In a recent blog on the Psychology Today website the author, Gretchen Rubin, discusses how the simple act of clearing a surface can contribute to control and less clutter. I agree that clutter begets clutter and that decluttering can create a sense of calm. Think about an area of your home that stays clutter-free. What is different [...]

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