• Dump out the drawer
• Throw away stained, holey, and socks with no matches.
• Decide on no more than 12 pairs of socks to keep.
• Wipe out the drawer with a cleaning wipe and neatly put your socks back in.

Not only do you want to protect your items from any possible damage, but you also want to make it easy to unpack once you arrive at your destination. 

You can save both money and time by using unconventional packing materials and methods, some of which you’ll find below.

13 Packing Supplies You Can’t Move Without

1.  Packing boxes.  Sturdy boxes are a must for moving, but that doesn’t mean that you have to buy them brand new!  Do your part to go green and save a little money at the same time by reusing boxes.  Prior to your move, ask friends, coworkers, and businesses to save boxes for you.

• The sturdiest free boxes will be boxes that desktop computers, monitors, or televisions, or other fragile electronics were shipped in.  The corrugated cardboard is heavyweight and meant to keep heavy contents safe.
• Another sturdy box perfect for moving is a meat box from a butcher shop or the meat department at your local grocery store.  These boxes are usually small, heavy weight, and have handles on the sides.

2.  Towels and wash cloths.  A smart way to pack your belongings is with packing material that you already own and have to move anyway, such as towels, washcloths, blankets, curtains, and other linens. 

Use small fabrics like washcloths to stuff inside dishes and knickknacks.  Use bigger fabrics, like towels and blankets, to wrap around fragile items that you don’t want to be scratched, such as lamps.  When you get to your destination, you’ll have less packing material to throw away.

3.  Plastic shopping bags.  Plastic shopping bags can be packed inside glasses, coffee cups, and knickknacks to protect them from breakage.  Shopping bags are also a great stuffing inside boxes to keep the contents from shifting while in transit.  Another use for plastic shopping bags is to layer several together and wrap them around breakables for extra cushioning.

4.  Bubble wrap.  The air pockets in bubble wrap make for great cushion to absorb impact that might damage your items.  Bubble wrap can be purchased from storage and moving companies, as well as office supply stores and mass retailers.

5.  Fishing tackle boxes.  Jewelry and small accessories can be difficult items to move, since they are very easily tangled on themselves and each other.  Plastic fishing tackle boxes or similar boxes designed for crafting are the perfect way to move jewelry.  The small compartments keep the items separated, eliminating tangling and speeding up the process of unpacking once you’re in your new home.

6.  Laundry baskets.  Large items that are not breakable, such as pillows, blankets, and even clothes, can be packed into laundry baskets to save the use of extra boxes.  Once a laundry basket is full, tape the lid shut with packing tape to keep the items from falling out.  No lid?  Use several strips of tape to go all the way across the top.

7.  Egg cartons. Egg cartons are a fantastic packing material for small knickknacks and Christmas ornaments.  It can be time consuming to wrap small breakable items with bubble wrap or packing paper, and putting them into the wells of Styrofoam egg cartons will usually keep them just as safe.

8.  Masking tape and clear packing tape in a dispenser.  Clear packing tape comes in handy for taping the lids of boxes, and masking tape is ideal for taping matching items together, taping cabinet doors shut, etc.

9.  Newspaper and shredded paper.  Many people purchase packing paper from moving supplies stores, but this can be expensive to buy and is just as effective as using plain old newspaper.  Also, if you have a shredder in your home, save the paper shreds to use as stuffing around fragile items in boxes.

10.  Ziploc bags.  One of the most irritating things about moving can be opening boxes in your new home and having tons of little pieces rolling around the bottom that don’t seem to go to anything! 

Keep plenty of Ziploc bags on hand while you’re packing up your belongings, so that you can bag up small items that belong together.  Make sure to label the outside of the bag  with a marker  so you’ll remember what the pieces go to later on.

11.  Sharpie permanent markers.  You’ll need permanent markers to write identifying information on the outside of boxes. Write the name of the person whose belongings are inside, which room the box belongs in, and a description of what is inside.  Example: “Mom – Bedroom- Jackets”. 

Also use sharpie markers to label Ziploc bags so you know what the pieces inside belong to, such as “screws and washers for putting crib together”.  Labeling items only takes a few extra minutes, but will save you a lot of time during unpacking.

12.  Apron or tool belt.  You’ll want to wear this while you’re packing, so the tools you need to use will be accessible, saving you the time of walking back and forth to get what you need. 

It can be a pretty floral or vintage-look apron if you want!  Like the photo of me in my vintage apron shown at right, I love having extra pockets for my supplies when working on home projects. 

Whether you choose a fancy prim apron or a utilitarian waist style apron, make sure it has plenty of pockets to hold the useful supplies listed in #13:

13.  Packing tools:

• Scissors.
• Power screwdriver with regular and Phillips head tips for disassembling furniture.
• Magnet for picking up any nails, screws, thumbtacks, or other metal materials that may fall onto the floor while taking furniture apart or removing things from the walls.
• Razor blade, in case boxes need to be cut down smaller.
• Tape (see #8 above).

Having the right tools for the job can make packing a much more pleasant process, even though it probably still won’t be your favorite activity!  To save yourself even more time while packing, a good decluttering in your house before you start moving will mean less items to pack and transport.  Check out our articles on how to declutter for help in this area.

We originally published 13 Packing Supplies You Can’t Move Without on January 22, 2009.  Photo credits.

We love our children, of course, and treasure their creativity and development, but how much art can we keep?  Many parents post the pictures enthusiastically on the refrigerator, then the walls, then put them into stacks, and finally start filling boxes with their children’s old art projects.

Believe it or not, artwork can count as clutter if you let it take over your house!  You can’t keep everything – it’s simply impossible, especially if you have more than one child.  How can you keep a record of all that great art without letting it take over your house?

Solution: Scan it! If you own a scanner, your solution is just a click of the mouse away.  Here’s how:

1. Scan the masterpiece.
2. Backup the masterpiece, in one other location, like a jump drive.
3. Throw away!
4. If you have a state fair which your children enter their artwork in (we do), make sure they select the art pieces they want to enter so those ones aren’t discarded after scanning.

You now have all of their artwork in digital form, which takes up no physical space in your home, produces no clutter, and can be easily shared with grandmas and grandpas everywhere with a simple email!  And if you want to print it out again later, you can.  It works for me!

The art really is preserved well for all different mediums: oil pastel, crayon, colored pencil, marker, watercolor paint, and even Floam!  Here are a few of my Hannah’s scanned masterpieces:

This was a guy made from Floam on regular paper – a little tricky to scan, but much less messy than the real thing.

Storage Solution: Scanning Kids’ Art Projects was originally published on HomeEverAfter.com on June 4, 2008.

When it comes to emergency preparedness for the pantry, there is never a case when being prepared isn’t helpful.  You never know what will happen, and whether there is an earthquake or your husband loses his job and you have to live off your pantry for a while, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Is your pantry ready for a possible emergency?

My Grammie asked me about the shape of my pantry last week.  I said it was fine because it is full.  That’s what I thought anyway, until I got home and took a good look at the pantry.  It is full of things I got with great coupon plus sale deals, but that mostly is comprised of condiments, laundry supplies, and cooking soups.  Uh oh.

I stared at my pantry and wondered how long we could live out of our pantry if we had to.  The bleak answer that struck me was, “Not very long.” 

Is Your Pantry Ready?

Are you prepared with a well-stocked pantry should the unexpected happen, like a job layoff, a natural disaster, or something similar?  Some of the supplies listed below aren’t food items, but are necessary for cooking, eating, and everyday living, especially during an emergency.  When stocking up your pantry, make sure you’re prepared for any of the following situations with the items listed below.

Baby

If you have a baby, it can be hard to substitute certain items if you run out and can’t buy more.  Do you have enough:

• Disposable Diapers (even if you normally cloth diaper, a loss of water may mean you can’t wash diapers)
• Formula
• Diaper rash medicine
• Baby cereal and baby food

Loss of Water 

In case you should lose your access to running water, you’ll need items to take the place of the many daily uses of water.

• Bottles or jugs of water for drinking.  Learn about purifying and storing clean water safely here in this document prepared by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wet wipes for eliminating germs and cleaning.
• Wet wipes for using after going to the bathroom.
• Rubbing alcohol and cotton balls for washing hair without water.
• Bottled juices or juice boxes (not concentrate) that are ready to drink.
• Pedialyte and Gatorade to treat and prevent dehydration.
• Paper plates, plastic forks and spoons, and plastic cups that don’t require washing.

Loss of Electricity

If you should lose power, you’ll need foods that can be eaten without cooking.  You’ll eat the foods out of the refrigerator and freezer first as much as possible to avoid spoiling.  Supplies to use for cooking outdoors are a good idea.

Cooking supplies:

• Extra propane tank for bbq grill.
• Aluminum foil to line the bbq with, so that you can cook foods (like frying eggs) that wouldn’t normally go on the grill.  You may be cooking a lot on the barbecue, so make sure you have several rolls.
• Camping stove.
• Hand can opener that requires no electricity.

Other:

• Canned meats that are pre-cooked.  Spam, tuna, canned chicken, vienna sausages, and deviled ham are good examples of canned meats that are ready to eat right out of the package.  These can easily be warmed up over a fire or camping stove.
• Powdered or dried milk.
• Canned soups, pastas, bacon, stews, canned chow mein (includes pre-cooked meat).

General / Loss of Transportation/Shipping Methods

Loss of transportation and shipping methods is an important emergency preparedness issue for my family in Alaska, since we are remotely located from major food suppliers.  If an emergency was to happen cutting off our grocery stores from their regular shipments, we’d need to be stocked up on non-perishable foods (similar to what food banks stockpile).  These reserves would keep us going until grocery stores could get replenishments of fresh foods.

This is an important consideration if you live far from a major city, in a remote area, or on an island.

• Canned veggies, fruits, meats, soups, pastas, juices, and beans.
• Frozen vegetables and berries, meats, roasts, lunch meats, frozen loaves of bread.
• Baking staples such as flour, sugar, yeast, corn meal, baking soda, baking powder, oil.
• Baking mix (Bisquick).
• Boxed all-in-one dinners that contain canned meat.
• Grains to add to dinners or cook as hot breakfasts (oats, barley, wheat berries, etc.)
• Protein substitutes like protein powder, TVP, and TSP.
• Rice, dried pasta and dried beans.
• Vitamins and supplements.
• Over the counter medicines and first aid supplies.
• Toilet paper.
• Contact solution, spare contacts.
• Toothpaste, floss and fluoride.
• Shampoo, conditioner, soap.
• Detergents and cleaning supplies.
• All the items in the lists above.

Act Now to Stock Up a Little at a Time

Emergency preparedness is not something to do later.  The best time is now!  Be sure to print out this article and tuck these reminder checklists into your pantry.  Each time you go grocery shopping, add a few of the items above to your list to stock up. 

By stocking up a little at a time for an unexpected emergency, you’ll be ready for anything that life throws your way and will have peace of mind knowing that your family will be alright.

If you found this article useful, please blog about it for your readers or share it on a forum.  Here is the URL to link to:  http://www.homeeverafter.com/emergency-preparedness-for-the-pantry-checklists . Thank you!

We originally published this article on emergency preparedness on June 26, 2009.

When you have a family you accumulate keepsakes. It’s natural to want to hold onto a moment in time that you can’t get back. That first haircut, first pair of shoes, first report card- all these things hold special memories for us as parents.

But, as a professional organizer who has also worked with seniors, I can tell you that adult children do not usually hold the same sentimental attachment to such items that their parents did. And then they end up holding on to the item, despite the fact they view it as trash, because it was important to mom or dad. That, my friends, is clutter.

With school starting back up, I thought it would be a good time to look at how we can avoid letting our memories become clutter.

When I look at my boys artwork, vacation photos and the like, I try to ask myself if this is something worth keeping. Are the kids going to want this item when they are packing up my house after moving me into a nursing home? Or will they shake their heads and wonder why did mom hold onto all this stuff?

5 Ways to Save Keepsakes Without Generating Clutter

Here are a few ideas I have used that I hope will add to the chances of our memories becoming my boys’ keepsakes of the future:

1.  Frame it- My oldest, Jason, made a beautiful poster of his name for an art project in the 1^st grade. Even though he is in high school I still look at that poster (and enjoy it) everyday. We framed it in a clear plastic frame (11 x 13) and hung it in Jason’s room. It has truly become a piece of art.

2.  Craft it- When there has been a particularly cute picture of one of my boys I have made it into a craft- sometimes a Christmas tree ornament. You can easily do this by taking a lid to a Mason jar, cutting the picture to fit, gluing it in and tying a ribbon around the outside of the lid. Easy keepsake and every year when you take it out to hang it on the tree you can ooooh and ahhhh at how adorable it is as if it’s the first time you’re seeing it.

3.  Gift it- Moms and Dads aren’t the only ones that enjoy looking at the things your children create. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc, also enjoy so why not give them the chance to own a keepsake? Have your child laminate a favorite picture and cut it into a small puzzle. Use a child’s artwork as wrapping paper next Christmas- think outside the box!

4.  Store it- there are so many storage options these days but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to put away precious memories. Buy an accordion envelope at Office Max to store kid’s artwork or school work in, get a three drawer cardboard dresser and assign each child a drawer. Once it is full it is time to purge what they want to keep.

5.  Purge it- Speaking of purge- everything is NOT a keepsake. Keep the things that make you smile, cry or laugh out loud. Every A+ is not a miracle- but what about the A in the class your kid struggled in all year? Those are the types of items to keep for later.

Read other Organizing with Melissa columns for great organizing advice.  Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

Decluttering All the Paper – Paper Pushing

Editor’s Note: If you’ve been following along with this series, you’re ready for the tips to maintain your decluttered paper situation.  If you are just joining us, read the first 2 parts first:

• Decluttering All The Paper – Week 1
• Decluttering All the Paper – Week 2

Tips to keep in mind when dealing with paper:

Papers should be filed so that you can access or retrieve them in less than a minute.

Some people are convinced they have a good system for filing but then wonder why there are papers on the coffee table, end tables, etc. It is because you do not have an adequate filing system. An adequate filing system works! Find the system that works for you.

Filing cabinets or portable file baskets/containers should be stored within reach of where you deal with paper. File cabinets in the basement are of no help to you if you don’t go down to the basement often.  The same principle applies with an office or attic.

Two important questions to ask when handling paper- What is this?, Why am I saving it?

Avoid keeping paper for sentimental reasons, keep it only for necessity. This will drastically reduce the amount of paper in your home. How do you know if you are keeping paper for sentimental reasons? Ask yourself the questions above.

Dealing with paper clutter is not only about appearances and organization. It is also about safety. The more paper you have lying around your home or apartment is the more “kindling” a fire has if one were to develop in your home. Consider that as motivation to deal with the accumulation of paper clutter in your home. Happy Organizing!

Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

Decluttering All the Paper – Week 2

Dealing with paper, in general:

Newspapers- If you use the internet, all major newspapers, including many local papers, are available (in their entirety) on line. If you are not computer savvy or prefer to hold the newspaper than be sure to recycle or toss newspapers at least weekly. Piles of old newspapers are untidy and create a fire hazard as well!

Important personal papers- These include your will, birth certificate, social security card, passport, etc. Keeping these in a fireproof box is safest or use a safe deposit box at the bank.

Other files you may have include:

• 401k statements
• Bank statements
• Mortgage statements
• Stock/bond/IRA statements
• Warranties/instruction manuals
• Car information, including car insurance and title

Keep your files organized and accessible according to how often you access them. If you only access certain papers once a year at tax time, then file them in a banker’s box in the attic. Keep files you need on hand in the file cabinet.

If you find yourself with various piles of paper scattered throughout the house, consider a portable file box. When you need to do filing, the place to file the papers will be right there. Easy access makes it more likely that you consistently file what needs to be filed.

How Long To Keep Types of Paper Files

We are often asked by clients how long they should keep various types of paper. These are general guidelines that we use when working with people. But remember, it is always important to check with your accountant or tax advisor about your individual situation before shredding any documents.

• Auto records- Keep these as long as you own the vehicle.
• Appointment books- some people like to keep these as a type of journal, I keep them for a few years as back-up for mileage purposes. Keep them up to 10 years for this type of reason.
• ATM slips- Keep them 6 years for tax related purchases. Store them with your bank statements.
• Credit card statements- 6 years for tax related purchases (such as owning your own business) Otherwise keep until you receive the interest statement issued with by the company annually. Then you can shred them.
• Dividend Payment Records- Until you receive your annual statement.
• Health records- Permanently
• Home improvements- As long as you own the home. Store these with your tax records.
• Household inventory and appraisal- As long as they are current. Update them annually (we will talk more about this next week when we talk about organizing for a transition).
• Insurance policies- Auto, homeowner’s, liability: through the statute of limitations. Disability, medical, life, personal property, umbrella: keep for the life of the policy.
• Investment purchase records- As long as you own the investments.
• Investment sales records- 6 years for tax purposes.
• Mortgage or loan discharge- As long as you own the home or 6 years after the discharge.
• Pay stubs- Until they are verified by your W-2 statement.
• Property bill of purchase- As long as you own the property.
• Receipts- As long as they are current, or as determined by your accountant.
• Safe deposit box key and inventory- As long as they are current.
• Tax records- Current year plus 6 years prior (can be filed away in a bankers box).
• Utility bills, etc.- Until they are paid (your cancelled check is proof you paid and the company keeps records as well).
• Vital Records and documents- Birth, marriage, divorce, death certificates: permanently.
• Wills, trusts, estate plans- Permanently

Catch Organizing with Melissa next Wednesday for “Decluttering All the Paper – Part 3”.  Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

What Do I Do With All the Paper?

I get asked this question all the time by readers and clients. Even with all the technological advances in the world I don’t think our society will ever truly be paperless.

In fact, the recent technological advances seem to have created more paper to deal with in many cases. We have receipts, bills, insurance policies, certificates, investment statements, health records, and more. Then added to that is the daily influx of junk mail- magazines, catalogs, sweepstakes entry forms, etc.

Over the next three weeks we will learn how to overcome paper clutter and learn what to do with paper that is necessary.

Decluttering Mail

Your mail needs to have a designated spot. When you pick it up from the mailbox each day, bring it into the house and put it in the same spot. This can be a basket, a designated space on the kitchen counter, or on your desk in your home office.

Your goal should be to handle mail as soon as it enters your home. But at the very least try to have a set time each day that you go through the mail and deal with it, so you don’t end up with piles of mail and magazines spread throughout the house.

• Magazines- Only keep the current month’s issue. If there are articles that you want to keep for future reference or for a recipe, etc., then invest in a 3 ring binder with plastic page protectors. Tear out the article that you like and throw away the rest of the magazine.
• Catalogs- When a catalog arrives at your home and it is not one that your regularly order from call the 800 customer service number on the back and request to be taken off the mailing list.
• Junk Mail- This should be immediately thrown away. If you like the coupons from the ValuPak, etc., then clip the ones you like and throw the rest away. This will cut down on the amount of paper clutter lying around the house. To stop junk mail from coming in the first place, do a Google search for a way to get your name off company mailing lists. When you receive a catalog in the mail there is usually a number on the back to contact if you don’t want to receive any more.
• Bills- Have a place for all the bills that need paid to be filed until it is time to pay them. This can be a plastic shelf divider, a basket, a file folder, an accordion file, etc. Whatever works for you is the best system to have.
• Invitations, fliers, etc.- We all get the invitations to weddings, special events at the senior center and family goings on. Have a place that you put all these and weekly go through and sort out what has already happened and throw it away. As soon as you receive any type of invitation or reminder with a date in the mail you should check your calendar and if you plan to attend go ahead and write it on the calendar so that you don’t forget in the future.

Catch Organizing with Melissa next Wednesday for “Decluttering All the Paper – Part 2”.  Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

Why Your Organizing Plan is Important

(If you missed Your Plan for Getting Organized, please go read it before you continue on.)

We have already talked a lot about planning but I want to point out what the Bible says about having a plan, having a road map for where you are headed. Proverbs 15:22 says “it takes careful planning for things to go right.”

The wife in Proverbs 31 has carefully established routines and a plan for her family. We today can continue to learn a lot from these ancient principles. A day that lacks intention and purpose will quickly be gone and you will be wondering where the time went!

Moving Forward From Your Organizing Plan

I have a plan- now what?

Picture the one space in your home or the one area of your life that just makes you cringe or that you avoid because it is so overwhelming. The thing that you really want to change but just don’t know where to start. The space in your home that bothers you the most. Start there.

Set the timer for a half an hour. Do what you can, assess what you have accomplished and go back later.

Don’t be afraid and overwhelmed by the organization process. Taking it one task at a time is the easiest way to dive into a disorganized space. Once you see progress you will be motivated to continue. Also, don’t be fooled by the glossy pictures in magazines. Those magazines often have great ideas but organizing is not one size fits all. They are generic.

The problem is that we can just give up if we fail after trying to implement some of those ideas from the magazines or HGTV. Just remember that those shows represent hours and sometimes days of work with seasoned professionals edited down to a half hour time slot. I typically spend 8 hours on a home office, 10-12 on a kitchen. It all depends on your situation. One size does not fit all.

Have a Maintenance Plan

Don’t give up!  Once you have started investing the time and effort to become more organized, you have to work at maintaining that progress or you will slip right back into old habits. This is just like losing weight, having a daily quiet time or any other new habit you try to form. Maintenance is key to keeping your life organized.

I develop a maintenance plan when I work with clients, that is how important maintenance is. It would be a shame to invest your finances and your time in a project and then three weeks later walk into the same mess that was there before. All it takes is being aware of what created the situation in the first place and being committed to changing the pattern.

Take fifteen minutes at the end of the day to clear the clutter off the kitchen counter or pick up the mismatched gloves that have accumulated in front of the door. If you put everything in its place tonight, you will have a better start to your day tomorrow and you will not face an accumulation of clutter.

And remember, you are not an island! Enlist help! You don’t have to go it alone! If organization is not your strong suit, chances are you know someone who has the knack. Swap babysitting or cook them dinner for a week in exchange for helping you tackle your cluttered family room. Hire a professional organizer- it is not as cost prohibitive as you may think!

Remember, having an organized life means less stress and more time!

Catch Organizing with Melissa next Wednesday.  In the meantime, check out Organized Versus Clean.

On to the next chapter of becoming more organized! Are you excited? I hope you are. There is nothing more freeing than ridding yourself of clutter in your environment and in your life. This brings us to my favorite phase of the process- making a plan. Any one that knows me well will tell you I have a mantra- “You gotta have a plan”.

Why Have an Organizing Plan?

You have to have a plan. And that organizing plan will look different for each one of you. It will look different for every household but it will work, if you work it. Having a plan is your road map for change and if you try to make changes to the way you have been doing things (changes to habits) and you don’t have a clear idea of your destination, you will have a much more difficult time staying on course. So, here are some tips for making and sticking with your plan.

4 Tips to Make an Organizing Plan

1.  Create daily routines and stick with them. Some people get their feathers in a ruffle when we mention routines. Some personality types crave flexibility and spontaneity and think routine will stifle that. Routines do not detract from that. Actually they increase the efficiency of your time.

Well established routines mean that if mom has to be in the hospital for a while, the washer/dryer and dishwasher still run, people still eat and the home maintains a semblance of order. Why? Because everyone knows their place and what happens next. Routines become the glue that keeps a busy family functioning in an organized manner. Routines are the threads that keep all the balls being juggled in your family from being scattered to the high winds if one gets dropped.

2.  Get a master calendar that has room to accommodate the plans for all those areas. You cannot stay organized having a work planner, a home calendar, etc. There has to be a central planning space that everyone can refer to so all can be headed in the same direction. And color coding by family member is helpful for those that don’t think that is taking it too far.

3.  When planning, remember the priorities that we are called to live by. Build in one on one time with your spouse. It will not just happen. For all the good intentions in the world, things will come up and get in the way if you are not intentional about your time. And do not forget time for you. A tired, worn out mama or auntie or grandma isn’t good to anybody. Spend daily time with God, allowing Him to fill your cup so you have something inside to pour back out to those around you. Get a manicure, take a walk, whatever is good for you. Loving your neighbor as yourself doesn’t mean quite as much if you are not making yourself a priority.

4.  Enlist support from your spouse and others in your home. Becoming more organized is just as much a change of mindset as it is a change in the appearance of a space or room. The more involved your family is in the project, the more accountable they will feel towards the outcome. Limit activities that do not support your family’s priorities. Pray or think about activities and commitments before letting the slippery “yes” come through.

And believe it or not you can make organizing fun! Let the kids compete for who can come up with the best solution for keeping track of Mom’s keys. Remember, you often set the mood and tone for the entire environment (as if we didn’t have enough on our shoulders!) so be enthusiastic and creative as you adjust to new routines. If you are excited about becoming more organized your family will be too!

Catch Organizing with Melissa next Wednesday for “I have a plan- now what?”  Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

What Keeps Me From an Organized Life?  The 5 Problem Areas

1.  Schedules- Never have we tried to pack more into the day than in our current time. Many families say they feel like ships that pass in the night.

That is not to say that having your kids involved in activities and volunteering is a bad thing, not at all. But if those things replace or get in the way of your connection or cause friction in your marriage then you need to take another look at the schedule.

2.  Household Responsibilities- Betty Crocker and Mrs. Clean I am not. Nor do I encourage my clients to try to live up to these crazy expectations. There is a difference between your house being organized and clean and it being picture perfect!

3.  Needs- Each of you reading this article has unique life situations- whether it be parenting small children, taking care of older loved ones, living with a chronic illness, working outside or inside of the home, having a special needs child, etc. Those are all things that can become barriers to being organized.

4.  Obligations- Oooh, shudder at the word. When I went to the Women of Faith Conference last year, a little lady named Patsy Clairmont introduced me to the concept of the “holy no”. I just loved this idea. That just because someone asks you to do something, be a part of a committee, donate your time, money, whatever DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO SAY YES or the earth is going to open and you are going to go on the sliding board straight to hell. How can we abide in the Lord if we are so busy doing things that run us ragged and make us cranky? Let’s be real, ladies. There are things we enjoy doing and are in line with the gifts Christ has given us and there are the things we do because we didn’t have the courage to say “I would rather not”.

5.  Being Overwhelmed-  The things we have just talked about lead to the next four obstacles on the list- being overextended leads us to feel overwhelmed, our family becomes resentful, we are exhausted and the idea of adding another project, like “get organized”, to our to-do list makes us want to curl under a blanket and hide. But, it is worth it!

As women we have a responsibility for modeling character and priorities to our family. We can lead by a good example or by a poor one based on the decisions we make about how we spend our time and manage our lives. So, let’s get organized!

Catch Organizing with Melissa for more organizing help.  Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

Why Get Organized?

A recent survey conducted by the New York Times found that women rank stress as the number one problem they face on a daily basis. The dictionary defines “organized” as methodical and efficient in arrangement or function; Formed into a structured or coherent whole.

When you look at that definition and apply it to your life, you can see the inherent reasons people desire order and structure in their lives. Being organized = less stress.

Wouldn’t you love to be able to describe your life as efficient and coherent?  There are plenty of days I do not feel coherent, let alone possessing a life that is formed into a structured whole.

When I work with clients, whether it be stay at home moms (SAHMs), seniors, groups or professionals; people often have the same complaint. There is not enough time to accomplish everything we feel we need to accomplish in a day, week, month or year. And we allow the guilt, feelings of failure and sense of being constantly overwhelmed to push us further, spur us on to try to do more and in the process- we don’t realize we are losing focus of what is truly important.

We live in a time where we are expected to accomplish more than any other generation in exactly the same amount of hours in a day. Could it be there is a way to navigate these waters?  To create a life of balance and order?  I believe there is and it stems from becoming more organized. When you approach life from an organized perspective, you develop tools, tricks and routines that put you back in control. Stress is not good, for you or those living with you. Let’s learn how to get organized and let life keep up with you, not the other way around.

Catch Organizing with Melissa  for “What keeps me from an organized life?”   Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

Organized Versus Clean

Many times I will hear people say they want to “get organized” when what they really need to do is clean their environment. There is a difference between cleaning and being organized. I figured this difference would be a good place to start with the new Organizing with Melissa column for Home Ever After.

To be organized is to “pull together into an orderly, functional, structured whole” while to clean is to “free from dirt, stain or impurity” (according to the American Heritage Dictionary). Becoming more organized can certainly assist you in maintaining a cleaner household but having a clean household has little to do with whether or not you are organized. Make sense?

Cleaning house is important, don’t get me wrong. Organizing is the process that makes cleaning the house occur on a regular basis, allows for time to keep the house clean and accounts for ways and tricks to make cleaning the house more efficient.

I love being a professional organizer. This career enables me to help people develop systems that make their lives run smoothly, help them use their time wisely and keep their environments (and mind) clutter free.

What Can Becoming More Organized Do for You?

• Increase efficiency
• Decrease frustration and pace of life
• Help you feel more control of circumstances
• Assist you in dealing with the unexpected
• Develop routines and shortcuts that make life easier

Sounds great, right? I look forward to helping you and your family cut through the clutter of life.

Editor’s Note: Speaking of organizing, we’ve got a few decluttering articles you might want to start on now: Declutter Your Closet: Why is it So Hard to Let Go of Clothes? , Simple Decluttering Criteria for Clothes (Pt 1), Simple Decluttering Criteria for Clothes (Pt 2), Clutter Busting: The One in, One Out Rule, and Declutter by Returning Borrowed Items.  I know, it’s a lot of reading all at once! Just bookmark this page or print out the articles to read for later.  

Visit Works for Me Wednesday for more life organizing tips.

“One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.” -Anonymous

We all have the same amount of time; that is the only thing that is equal between all people.  Every individual has the same 24 hours in each day and those hours can get filled up quickly, especially when you subtract time for sleeping.  Factor in time spent driving, working, eating, feeding children, running errands, paying bills, and the many other everyday tasks that must be done, and it can seem like there’s just not enough time in the day.  It’s not uncommon to hear people say:

• “If only I had more time…”
• “When I get more time…”
• I just don’t have time…”

The days will not miraculously get longer just because our to-do lists are full!  To get more done, we must learn how to use the time we do have wisely and become more productive.

There is certainly no shortage of advice and information about time management and productivity online, and finding the most concise (but effective) tips can be a chore.  We’ve done the hard work for you and found the following 5 articles are great resources from experts on productivity.  Give some of these a read and see if can identify a couple ways in which your daily routine is unproductive and how they can be remedied. 

5 Productivity Resources to Help You Use Your Time Better

1. Top 10 Productivity Hacks (Zen Habits).  My favorite productivity tip in this article is to “avoid unnecessary work”.  How much of what you do during the day is work you really need to get done?  Is some of it just to fill time while you procrastinate the important things?

2. How to Get Things Done in 1 Minute (Marc and Angel).  Based on the Book Get Things Done by David Allen, this quick article outlines 8 easy ways to be more productive and get things done.

3. 36 Proven Tips to Increase Your Productivity (Life Optimizer).  These practical tips will help you increase both your productivity and the quality of your life.

4. 10 Ways to Save 10 Minutes Daily (Marc and Angel).  There are so many good points in this article, including how to use “waiting time” productively.

5. The 20 Biggest Online Time Wasters, and 6 Strategies for Beating Them (Dumb Little Man).  There are so many useful tools online that can save time if used properly, but can erode your time if you allow yourself to get distracted too often.

This article was originally published on July 21, 2008.

My Address Labels Amazed the State Fair!

As a lover of all things efficient, my quest is never-ending to find new efficiencies that make life easier for people around the globe. Work systems and home systems are one thing, but what about fun systems? Is there a way to make recreational activities, such as the state fair or county fair, less work and more play? You bet!

State fairs are filled with tons of wonderful drawings, sign-ups and giveaways. With the opportunity to win free things comes the task of writing your name and address over and over again on all those signup sheets. Before you start imagining the writer’s cramp and wasted time, rest assured that there is a way to automate entry sign ups!

Use preprinted address labels to sign up for drawings and other entries!

Anything that requires your name and address can be stickered instead of written with a preprinted return address label. I went from booth to booth at our state fair last week whipping out my address labels. The booth workers and the other fair-goers were amazed! I kept hearing, “What a great idea” and “That’s amazing!” and “Why didn’t I think of that?” The time I saved on entry forms left more time for going on rides!

I’ve had great success using VistaPrint for many home management products.  They frequently run sales for large discounts and free shipping. Vista Print’s discount codes are abundant online, so never pay full price – Google for coupon codes first!

Carry address labels with you in your purse, wallet, car, or baby bag to automate filling out routine information. You never know when they’ll come in handy!

Tackle it Tuesday: Exercise Equipment Turned Clutter Catcher

I have a treadmill and an elliptical workout machine in my bedroom. Unlike a lot of people, I LOVE my exercise equipment and feel lucky to have it in my home (it was a great Christmas present from a relative). However, after an injury I couldn’t use the cardio equipment anymore, and started piling stuff in front of it. Whether the workout machines are in use or not, none of that stuff belonged piled on the floor! So the work began…

Most of these items did have homes, they just weren’t in them! Of course some of the stuff had no place to go, which is probably how it came to be piled in my bedroom floor in the first place. The items with homes were put in them, the items without were either assigned new homes or taken to the Donation Station. This project looked big, but didn’t take that long to complete. View my bedroom floor now, with a clear path to the workout equipment. Hooray!

Step 1: Sort contents into “workstation” and “other.”
Step 2: Put all the “other” items away into their real homes.
Step 3: Arrange the “workstation” items neatly.

I had to exercise some serious Product Control (only 1 of each thing open and in use; put the rest in the pantry). Many things had to be thrown away because they were opened and really old. Some things I had never seen before (cross my heart) and I don’t know where they came from. Some items had homes in other places and were put back.

Then, flashlight in hand, I discovered the secret compartment: There is an 8” gap between the cabinet and the wall where items can drop off and roll underneath, which I never knew until yesterday! Covered in dust bunnies, pony tail holders, bobby pins, safety pins, and spiderwebs, it was DISGUSTING. Oh – and I found my missing items! Occasionally my hair products would disappear from the bathroom, never to be found again. Now they’re back, because they had fallen into the secret compartment. There were also things under there that were from the previous inhabitants. Now that illuminates a project long overdue!

I forgot to take a before picture, and wish I had because it was a spectacular transformation. However, the after picture presents my newly organized, zen area:
Homemaker Barbi Challenge: Clean under your bathroom sink today (you may find things you never know you had)!
Check out the official Talk About Tuesday at The Lazy Organizer for more!

Refrigerator Cut-Out Holders:
I use 6”x9” yellow envelopes to make my holders. You can use your printer to label them as seen in the photo, or just use a marker to write the label. Use one holder for all your cut-outs, or make one for each type. When my Box Tops for Education holder gets full, I dump out the labels and put the holder back on the refrigerator. All the Box Tops & Campbells labels go into a return envelope from the junk mail (yes, I keep them!) and are sent with my daughter to school.

Important: Make sure your family knows that the holder is there for everyone to use! Get them in the habit of removing the cut-outs you want saved and putting them right into their new homes – the refrigerator holders!

Thanks to Tammy’s Recipes for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays! Visit her site to check out more great kitchen tips from around the blogworld.

I can’t wait to check in on my new SMART habit next Saturday to give everyone an update! And cheers to my friend, The Happy Housewife, who has given up her soda habit!