Okay, so now you've organized your junk drawer, your closet or perhaps your garage.
Are you done? Absolutely not! There is one more thing you forgot to do.
You need to commit to "staying" organized. Getting organized is one thing; staying organized is another. Without commitment, you are likely to fall back into your old disorganized way.
Before you know it, that drawer is a junk drawer again, your closet is a mess or you can't get your car back into the garage. All because you didn't commit to staying organized.
Most people think that the "process" of organizing involves decluttering, categorizing and organizing. That's true, but there is still one more step - Maintenance.
I heard a story this week that I wanted to share with you, just to give you some perspective.
There was a woman who needed to videotape some rooms in her house for insurance purposes. Having just cleaned her home from top to bottom, knowing that she was going to video tape it, she shot the tape and then watched it quickly before delivering it to her safety deposit box.
When she watched the tape, something happened...
She was astonished to see the amount of clutter and junk left on the various surfaces throughout the house. She realized that the camera's eye was picking up clutter her eyes were simply moving...
Last time I talked about what I was doing to get organized. This time, I would like to challenge you to see what you can accomplish.
I thought it would be fun to challenge you to see who can eliminate the most clutter from their homes.
The challenge is about getting rid of one object a day, for … a month? A year? It's up to you how long you want your challenge to last. I'm calling it "A THING A DAY" or ATAD.
Whether you give away, trash or donate the object is immaterial, but it must be gone from your life and space. Putting it into storage doesn't count; though you are allowed to, say, collect the things in a box to donate them at the end of the...
A lot of my current clients are away on vacation this week so I have had some time to focus on me. What a phenomenon!
I decided to take this opportunity to "get organized". I know, it's hard to believe that my life is different from everyone else's. As an organizer, it is pre-conceived that my life runs like a well-oiled machine at all times. Why not, I'm organized, right? Well, the fact of the matter is that I also need to work to maintain organization in my home and in my life, just as I teach others to do.
I decided to focus on one floor of my home at a time. Yesterday, I started with the second floor. I not only decluttered, I thoroughly cleaned as well. I eliminated a lot of excess bedding (sheets and...
As a professional organizer, I occasionally have clients who not only have clutter in their home, but also have additional clutter issues off-site - in their storage unit.
There are many reasons that someone might decide to rent additional storage space to store their items - but is it a good idea?
Some of the reasons I hear are that they ran out of room in their house (a sure sign that they have too much!) or that they inherited items from family members and have no place to put them or they intend the use the items "some day".
If you need to rent additional space in order to store your items, this is a red flag that you just have too much stuff. Downsize all those Christmas decorations, reduce the amount of...
Do you know "How Long Is Too Long?" when it comes to keeping something?
This past week, I was working with a client who had bought a new home and was transporting all of his worldly possessions from one home to another.
First, the job was a lot larger of a task because no sorting was done ahead of time. Everything went with him to the new home. He put off the task and decided to just do it when he got to his new home. (There is lots of extra time and effort and expense involved in taking this route.)
Second, a lot of the boxes that were being transported had been stored in the garage for the past 15 years!
When it came time to sort through all the boxes, it was not surprising to me to find that he...
Being a professional organizer sometimes comes with high expectations from others. I don't mean the quality of my work - I mean the perception people tend to have that I live in a "perfectly organized world".
It's funny to watch people come to my home and look around with eyes wide open, looking to see how a professional organizer lives.
I always feel that I have to explain that I am human too and that I do not live in a completely organized home at all times. Life gets in my way too! However, I do know the things it takes to keep a home manageable and comfortable. And that is all I expect from my clients as well. I never expect them to be "perfect", just organized in a way that works best for them and...
I was thinking the other day about how much I love what I do for a living. I wake up each morning and am anxious to start my day because I know it means I will be helping others get organized and enjoy their day too. I am so fortunate to have discovered a profession that makes me so happy.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as fortunate. I speak to so many people, through my client base, networking, friends, family and others. So many people are just not happy with what they do for a living. So many feel stuck in a rut with their careers and their life in general.
I can't help thinking the story of Cinderella and how she was forced to scrub floors and take care of her step sisters' home. Even though this obviously...
Now that the kids are out of school and summer is in full swing, we don't have the time or want to take the time to clean the house. We want to be outside, on vacation, taking day trips and participating in other summer time activities.
But -- we still need to clean the house. How do we do both? We "speed clean"!!
I have compiled some Quick Tips for A Better Space which are great time-saving tips and techniques for cleaning your home in less than an hour. You can do it all at once or select several rooms a day to do a quick cleaning. By using these techniques, you can be sure that your home will be clean and you will be ready for summer fun.
Bedroom - Make your bed first thing in the morning, put your...
It is so beautiful and warm out it reminds me that Summer is officially here and we will all begin spending more time outside, whether we're swimming, having picnics, barbecuing.
Coincidentally, I received this helpful tip which I would like to pass onto you to make those times outside more enjoyable.
It's from someone who was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor withListerine, and the little demons disappeared.
Audrey Cupo is a full-time Professional Organizer and sole proprietor of A BETTER SPACE based in Bucks County, PA. She specializes in residential organizing and focuses her business on helping busy moms get organized with her services and her U Can Do It product line. To sign up for her free newsletter full of great monthly tips, resources and product reviews go to www.4abetterspace.com.
If you notice any problems with this site, please contact our webmaster.
And if you don't see what you need you are welcome to "ask the organizer" any question!
To see what people are saying about www.OnlineOrganizing.com, check out our visitor comments.
www.OnlineOrganizing.com is a service mark of Bradford, LLC.
