Laundry Tips

Laundry Tips:

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

Find Your Organizing Style

There are many different ways to be organized. Do what works for you. Some people like their papers filed out of sight, others need to have certain papers visible. Some like color-coding, others find it too much of a bother. Some people like to keep their calendar on a computer, some prefer a paper planner.

Are your employees very busy doing paperwork which is no longer necessary?

Questions to ask to answer this question:

Why are we collecting the data?
Where does the data go?
Who uses the information?
Even if we continue all or part of the process, what shortcuts can be taken?

Healthy Snacks Made Easy

When arriving home from the grocery store or farmer’s market, take a few minutes to wash and prepare fruits and vegetables. Cut watermelon and cantaloupe into bite pieces and store in the refrigerator. Cut celery and carrots into snack size and place in zip type bags. If the healthy foods are already prepared, grabbing them instead of prepackaged foods is easier.

What to Do with the Winter Blankets

Bulky quilts and blankets take up a lot of valuable space in closets and linen storage areas. Buy a few pillow shams that match your décor and store the out of season quilts right in the sham. Arrange the shams, which now look exactly like pillows, on the beds.

Two Quick Organizing Tips

Another Use for a Favorite Gadget - The Timer. Set the timer for 15 minutes and close your eyes until the timer goes off. You will feel revived and function better the rest of the day. If at work, you can do this during your lunch period or afternoon break time.

Refrigerator Have a Bad Smell? Add a teaspoon of lemon or vanilla extract to a solution of mild soap and water and wipe down the insides of the unit.

My sister is doing a major re-organizing of her house. I wish I lived close by so I could help, but she is doing great on her own! She is blogging about her progress. I was posting a comment about her progress and giving "just a few little suggestions" so I thought I better stop and do it here on MY blog!

Here is what I wrote to her:

The kitchen is always the slowest to organize. One reason is because we accumlate so many things in the kitchen we really don't need. (Remember Steve's FIVE whisks?) My sister knew this story, but of course you don't... When my husband and I got married, he had five whisks in his kitchen. He hardly, if ever, cooks! Why in the world did he need five whisks?

Another reason is because it is the heart of our homes...it get used a lot for lots of reasons so it tends to get accumulate lots of clutter. Make the kitchen about cooking and preparing meals. Move your paperwork, your desk, your business (yes, I know someone that keeps their business inventory in the kitchen) to another part of the house, if at all possible.

One way to think about the kitchen when organizing it is to create boundaries by making the stuff fit the kitchen storage space instead of trying to make the storage space fit the stuff. For example, if you only have room in your utensil drawer for two spatulas, get rid of the other 10 instead of trying to cram them in the space.

Use drawer dividers and storage containers to create a "home" for the items in your kitchen. Look back at one of the earliest posts on this blog and you'll see some pictures of what I mean.

Getting Organized for Weight Management

I released 42 pounds in five months and have kept it off for over a year now. People still ask me how I did it, so I wanted to give you some tips on organizing your weight management.
1. Change your thinking. Instead of thinking about losing weight, think about releasing weight. Losing something implies that it is only misplaced and will eventually be found. But, when you release something, you let it go.
2. Organize your kitchen. Clean out the cabinets and the fridge. Get rid of the stash of candy, the sugary cereal, the refined foods, the high fat cheese, the cookies, the crackers, etc. If it is not there, you can’t eat it. An example of this for me is crackers. I love crackers…any kind of crackers. I can’t eat just a few. I don’t stop until I have eaten half the box. So, I just don’t buy crackers….problem solved.
3. Stock the pantry. Stock the pantry with whole grain pastas (spelt pasta or brown rice pasta are my favorites and the closest in taste to the refined kind we all grew up on). Stock up on dried or canned beans and fruit (choose fruits without sugar) for those times when you are too rushed or tired to cook. Stock up on some healthy snacks for those times you just have to have an extra snack. I keep light popcorn, various soups and Cheerios on hand for those occasions.
4. Plan your meals. Leaving your meals to chance helped contribute to the extra pounds. Plan ahead, do your grocery shopping, and cook ahead on the weekend, if you don’t have time to cook during the week. For example, I have been very busy this week, so I made a big pot of brown rice spaghetti, a healthy spaghetti sauce, a turkey breast in the crockpot and cut up a big container of salad. We have had plenty to eat all week without cooking. (I’m heating up a plate of that spaghetti as soon as I finish this article!)
5. Schedule your weight releasing activities. Whether it be a book to read about weight release, a tape to listen to, seeing a therapist about emotional eating, or especially exercise, schedule those activities into your day. Make them a priority and don’t skip!
6. Quit making excuses. Cut out the excuses for your weight woes. You know the ones I am talking about…
“I don’t have time to exercise every day!”
“I am too busy to cook and plan my meals.”
“My mother made me clean my plate so it is her fault.”
“I have to keep refined foods in the house for my spouse and/or children.”
“My parents were overweight so my problem is genetics.”
You have a choice as to what you eat and how much you exercise. Excuses don’t accomplish getting rid of your household/office clutter or getting rid of your body clutter. Eating healthy and exercise do. That is how I accomplished it and so can you.

Lesson Learned!

Even us organized types mess up sometimes. Last week I went to my filing cabinet and got out my auto policy. The file was right where it should be, in the personal files, in a hanging folder labeled insurance with the file folder labeled with the car information. So far, so good.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was driving north on the interstate to pick me up at the airport. The car was hit by a rock and it chipped the windshield. I was checking the policy to see what our coverage was for that.

I didn't find the info I needed on the policy to answer my question, so I put the file folder in my inbox to email our insurance agent. I got busy with other things and didn't do the task that day.

Today, I finally got around to emailing our agent. I completely forgot that I had pulled out the folder and spent a good five minutes looking to see if I had misfiled that file, before remembering I had taken it out of its home.

If I had just left it in its home and put the task on my list of to-dos like I normally would, there would have been no problem and I would not have wasted time.

Oh well, I am human...

Freezer Dos and Don'ts

Freezer Dos

Label items before adding to the freezer. Saves time trying to guess later.

Squeeze excess air from freezer bags before sealing.

Store similar foods together.

Freeze foods in individual portions. You can thaw only what you need and
thawing time is shortened.

Freezer Don’ts

Don’t choose containers that are too large for the food.

Don’t take up freezer space with your baking dishes. Line dishes with foil before assembling a casserole. Wrap and freeze the finished casserole and then lift from the dish and store in a resealable freezer bag.

Don’t fill containers to the brim when freezing soups, stews and sauces. Leave one inch of space to allow for expansion during freezing.

"Home" Office

“Home” office. Every home needs a place to do paperwork that pertains to the home. “Home” work includes paying bills, signing permission slips, reading mail, writing correspondence and filing important paperwork. Having a dedicated room for your “home” office would be ideal, but here are some suggestions for creating a consistent area to handle paperwork:

Use a lap desk and store a filing cabinet in the living room. Cover the filing cabinet with a pretty cloth when not using and it doubles as an end table.
Use the kitchen table and store office supplies and a portable file box in a kitchen cabinet.
Make an office in a closet.
Attach a work surface to a wall with hinges. Flip it up when using and flip it down for storing in between work sessions.
Put up a folding screen in a corner of the family room and hide the desk and filing cabinet behind the decorative screen.

Laundry Tips

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

January White Sales

January is a great month for buying towels and bed linens. Before you take off on a spending spree, take a few minutes and clean out your linen storage area.

1. Check for any bed or bath linens that are too worn to use. Recycle what you can. Old washcloths make great rags. Your husband might like the old towels for drying down the car, the motorcycle, the boat, or just to use in his workshop.

2. Remember the one out, one in organizing rule. If you toss or recycle only two towels, the purchase only two towels.

Kitchen Organization

As a professional organizer, a question people ask me frequently is "Where do I start organizing?" My reply is the kitchen. We all have to eat and in most families, the kitchen is the family gathering spot.

• First, define your goals for the kitchen. Do you want to have family meals around the table? Are you trying to cut food expenses? Do you want to eat healthy? As with any goal...write them down.
• Look for ways the kitchen can support your goals. Does the fridge need to be cleaned out to make room for healthy food choices? Does the kitchen or dining room table need to be cleared of clutter so you can sit down together as a family? Does the cabinets need to be cleaned and arranged to use the oldest food so as not to waste?
• Clear the counter tops. Food prep is so much easier when you have the room to do the preparation. You will save money and time by clearing the counters.
• Tools? If your knives are dull, have them professionally sharpened or replaced. Having too many gadgets clutters a kitchen. How many spatulas, wooden spoons, can openers or whisks do you really need? Do you use the egg slicer, the cheese slicer, the garlic press, the blender, the juicer and the crockpot that the liner isn't removable? If the answer is no, then purge your kitchen of unnecessary items.
• Get rid of chipped mugs and dishes and those plastic containers that are stained, have writing on them (like old Cool Whip containers) and no longer have lids.

12 Things You Can Do While Talking on the Phone at Home

1. Polish your toes

2. Wrap a gift

3. Organize a shelf or cabinet

4. Set the table

5. Clear the table

6. Fold laundry

7. Clean our the fridge

8. Load the dishwasher

9. Empty the dishwasher

10. Clean out the junk drawer

11. Feed the dog

12. Organize coupons

Organizing the Coat Closet

1. Donate any coats and jackets that no longer fit or you no longer like wearing.

2. Separate each person's small items, like gloves, hats and scarves in a storage container for each. Label with the person's name. For small children that cannot yet read their name, place their picture on their bin.

3. Purchase a shoe rack to contain all the shoes and boots strewn on the closet floor.

4. Add a few extra hangers to the closet for hanging your guests' coats.

How Not to be Late for Your Next Appointment

Leave time to get there. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your
destination. Don’t underestimate traffic time or try to squeeze in a stop to the
bank or dry cleaners. Think in terms of when you need to leave in order to be
there on time, every time.

Be considerate. Squeaking into a meeting or event at the last minutes looks
unprofessional and insensitive to the host. Show courtesy to others by
respecting their time. If something unexpected does arise, call immediately to
let your party know you are running late.

Write down all appointments and meetings, the dates and time. Don’t
rely on your memory.

How to Create a Gift Wrapping Station

1. Find a gift wrapping storage container that you like. Here are some terrific ones that can be bought at http://www.containerstore.com/.

I like and use the hanging one.

2. Stock your wrapping station.

• Gift tags


• Wrapping paper


• Gift bags


• Gift boxes


• Ribbon


• Bows


• Pens


• Markers


• Scissors


• Tape


• Tissue paper
  

3. If you have out of town packages to ship, also include:

• Shipping boxes


• Shipping tape


• Stamps


• Mailing labels


• Packing materials, such as packing peanuts

Now! You have all your wrapping stuff in one place. No searching for the tape or scissors. Your gift wrapping time will be reduced by taking the time to organize your gift wrapping supplies first.

Top 10 Most Stressful Holiday Activities

1. Spending too much money.

2. Deciding what gift to buy to whom.

3. Sending gifts and cards on time.

4. Taking care of phyiscal well-being.

5. Not enough time to shop.

6. Not enough time for events.

7. Decorating for or hosting a holiday party.

8. Managing workload to take time off.

9. Maintaining relationships with family, friends and co-workers.

10. Creating a specific holiday budget.

3 Tips for Getting a Head Start on the Holidays

I know…you are not ready to think about the holidays yet. However, the key to having a wonderful and stress-free holiday is planning ahead.

Here are three tips for making your holidays a bit more organized and a bit more enjoyable this year:

Holiday Tip #1: Holiday cards and gift lists. If you haven’t already, save your Christmas card list names and addresses on your computer. You can print labels or envelopes quickly and easily. Address changes are easy to handle and won’t get messy like trying to change addresses in a handwritten address book.

If you use a PDA, save your loved ones gift wish lists on the PDA. You will have the lists with you whenever you go shopping, so you can take advantage of a good deal when you see it. Keep a list of sizes on the PDA as well.

Holiday Tip #2: Take notes. Pay attention to friends and family during conversations. You’ll be surprised at how often they mention items they would like to have or plan to buy. The person receiving the gift will be grateful for a gift they truly want.

Holiday Tip #3: Consider “experience” gifts rather than things. Try something different this holiday season by thinking of what the gift recipient might enjoy. What about a concert, play tickets, spa certificate, tickets to a sporting event or a donation to the recipient’s favorite charity in their name?