Organization ?

[Findarto]

What's your tips for becoming a more organized person ? In your living space, and other things (locker, folders, work desk, etc.) ?

[Tanya]

I will speak to you as a former archivist. Throw away everything you don't want as soon as you don't want it. (junk mail for example) For things you "may want sometime" if you can't find a container, a place and a way to label it, throw it away, because you will never be able to find it later.

Personally i'm a fan of plastic tubs with lids, they go nicely under beds, into attics and resist vermin. Also, I keep jars for things like buttons, seeds and my daughter's art stuff (glitter, beads, feathers...sigh...)

Hit garage sales, cruise trash day and 2nd hand stores for shelves of all sorts and place them into closets for additional storage space

In general, handle things once and deside then, "is it trash?" if it isn't, put it away immediately. As far as "where is away?" descide where everything will 'live' my grandmother used to say "A place for everything and everything in its place" A

After a while of this you will become habituated and life will be generally neater for you. Nothing beats knowing EXACTLY where something is when you want it and you be come more capable of saving stuff when you know you will really be able to use it.

[Crystal Raven]

heres another couple...
decide on your priorities, is a neat desk important, do your clothes need to be wrinkle free etc??? Then concentrate on what you believe is the most important area first.

Never leave a room without taking something with you (a glass for the sink, socks for the bedroom etc)

Never handle a piece of paper more than three times...1st for the inbox or trash, 2 nd to deal with it, pay the bill, read or whatever 3rd to file it or put it in the trash

Not only should everything have a place, but it should be where you use it most. i.e. table clothes and napkins in an upstairs hall closet make no sense, get a dresser or sideboard and have them in the dinning room...and some things you have to pick like binoculars that are used for camping and bird watching, if they're used more for bird watching then they need to go in the coat closet and not in the basement with the camping supplies

Create a "home office" even if you don't work at home!!! Your home office, at the very least should have:
an inbox for all the stuff you need to deal with, a filing system, pens, note pads, calendar, phone books, address book, a cork/chalk or white board for reminders etc, your computer if possible, a phone, stamps, evelopes etc...anything you may need to have to do the business a house needs to have done. Then make sure you set at least 1 time each week to sit down, go through the inbox, deal with whatever, file whatever and mail, e-mail or do whatever needs to be done.

[medit8ive_spirit]

Getting rid of junk mail as soon as you get it!

Then visit this site...it's got great ideas and free downloads that can greatly help in many organization areas!

www.organizedhome.com

I visit it at least three times a month as they are always listing new ideas and new free downloads!!!!!

Take care,
Roze

[Findarto]

Thanks for the tips girls!

They really help :D.

[Hærfest Leah]

Personally i'm a fan of plastic tubs with lids, they go nicely under beds, into attics and resist vermin.



We have been doing this with our garage & anything like Yule decorations that are in storage most of the year. Everything is in large tupperwares, it keeps the vermin, bugs & snakes out & looks very clean and organized.

Our home office space is our computer desk (its large) It's all organized with cpu games & cpu software, the printer/copier/fax sits on the top portion & we have a filing box next to it to keep important documents & bills filed. The only things I want to add are a shreader & a safe.

Oh and thanks for the link medit8ive_spirit.

[lorraineangelcaster]

Oh paperwork, the enemy of everyone - beit homemaker or someone working in an office - I am now retired (well actually as an expat wife in Malaysia I am not permitted to work) but my secret recipe :boing: for handling any paperwork and bills is "handle the piece of paper only once" - i.e. receive a bill in the mail, write the cheque immediately, pop cheque in envelope to post and have a central holding bin for bills, letters etc. to be posted or paid on line (I use the back of my diary), file the bill and that's it. So easy to just throw bills, insurance papers etc onto a pile to "do later" (oh so easy 8O ) but one day it sneaks up and bites you on your posterior. I have found this works great once you get used to it.

I also have another trick for cupboards - my philosophy is one new item of clothing in, one old item of old clothing out - (apart from sentimental items, I mean really sentimental like your wedding dress, babies christening outfit) - these can then be donated to charity if they still look good.

Hope this helps some - and trust me, the "handle a piece of paper only once" habit, although hard to get into really pays off.

[Cindlady2]

OK, I've got! (most of the time...hehe) but how do I train the rest of the family? Particularly my Husband? I gave him a basket to put all his pills in so they weren't scattered around the kitchen.... he filled it with JUNK and the paperwork for his meds. Pill bottles all over. I get him a nice plastic box for his pills and instruct him to put the paperwork in the basket. OK, now he takes the box off the shelf, takes his pills, puts the box back and leaves the bottles all over the counter, bread box and canister set! :awilly: :huh: :awilly: