Digging in...your "can do" plan for home organization this spring

Well, I knew I was in for some guilt when I started the topic of home organization this month. My closets? Ugh. My kitchen cabinets? Double ugh. The house in general? It looks nice if you don't open anything or look under tables and chairs.


But since I've been having to go on search-and-rescue expeditions lately--you know, for missing socks, toys, favorite teddy bears, favorite purses, kitchen spatulas, etc., etc.--I thought it might be time to find out what this "home organization" business is all about, and why I might be interested in getting down and dirty with a labeler, a container, and my closet.


Shiver.


Well, I had the pleasure of speaking with not one, but three local professionals to get an idea of how one might start a home organization project and why it might be worth it. So check it out. Here are several ways to self-start your inner organizer.


Pick a zone. "Feeling overwhelmed is the most common reason I hear from clients as to why they haven't started the task at hand,” said Amy Bolder, owner of Simplicity Professional Organizing. She said settling on a place to start is a great first step. But instead of breaking your home organization into a series of mini projects, a person should think about home organization as one project and plan simple steps to reach that end goal.

“See the zone as a big artist pallet and remember the picture is created one stroke at a time, color by color, until completion,” she told me.


Make a plan. Like any well thought out project, home organization should start with a well-ordered list. Here's a great one from Becky Marple, owner of Bee Neat Professional Organizing:

1. Write down everything you would like to tackle.

2. Decide on which project you will start on. (Similar to "Pick a zone" above.)

3. Schedule an appointment with yourself! (Put it in your calendar, arrange childcare, etc.)

4. Start early in the day, turn on your favorite music, and only--ONLY--concentrate on that one task for the day. Do not allow yourself to be pulled into another room!
Hmmm, good to know. That would save me from ending up in the kitchen when I'm supposed to be working on the closet, tackling the "Leaning Tower of Tupperware" for the fiftieth time...


Finally,


Choose wisely. Amber Austin of Dwelling Place Organizing recommends starting small and/or choosing a "difference maker." She says that a person should "choose an area to tackle that will get you off on the right foot and motivate you to keep going." She said it should be fairly small with defined boundaries, such as an entry closet, dresser, or even a neglected corner of the master bedroom. Or you can choose a "difference maker,"  which is the room in your house causing you the most stress.


Why go to the trouble of organizing? Well, at the end of the day, all three women asserted that we have more time to do the things we want to do when we don’t spend time hunting for things and buying things we already have. Being organized gives us more time for our relationships, more time to be healthy, and more time to be the type of parents we want to be.


Stay tuned next week for some quick tips on that kitchen and closet!

Home organization...make a fresh start this spring (cleaning)

My home is generally acceptable. It is not overly messy; it is not overly perfect (is there such a thing?). It is not particularly dirty, nor would I eat a meal off its floors.

I can find most of the things I need. Generally. I mean, it takes me a normal amount of time to dig through the clutter.

Okay, okay. So I could be a little more organized.

And it's this time of year, when I'm putting sweaters away (or, at least dreaming about it--what is with this winter?), that I think, "Gosh golly, I'd sure like to walk into my kitchen/closet/etc. and find exactly what I need." I'd like my Tupperware not to explode out of the cabinet when I open it, or not to find a shirt three years later tucked behind all those other shirts. I'd like to spend less time searching for my black pumps and looking through the pantry for the sugar.

That would be so, so great.

Well, here's the thing. Those things are completely possible...I just need a little "home organization" in my life.

In the spirit of spring cleaning (and the hope for warmer weather in which to accomplish it), I am going to ask some local professionals to help you and me answer our questions about getting started on home organization. I'm also hoping to dig up some simple tips to jumpstart the process and learn what kind of services can help us if we end up in a pile of mismatched socks and have to send out a SOS signal (as in, "save our sanity"). Three local businesses, including BeeNeat Professional Organizing, Dwelling Place Organizing, and Simplicity Professional Organizing, have agreed to weigh in.

Home organization and why it's important...on March 13, I will be doling out tips (via my professionals) on how to even contemplate the process of getting your house under organizational control and how it can help with stress and time management. Hopefully, just beginning the process will wet your appetite for more, which means, by summer, we will all have bins of clothes numbered and labeled by season. Right? Well, one can dream...

Quick tips...on March 20, I will give you a few quick and dirty tips for several problem areas in your home, including the kitchen, bathroom, and the closet. A little scary to think I might have to take on the five-year-old makeup in the back of the bathroom cabinet. Or the overfilled "party" cabinet in the kitchen. Or that pile of clothes that I've been trying to fit back into for the past three years. Sigh.

The benefit of professionals...and finally, on March 27, when you and I have both decided to throw in the towel (or the twenty that sit on the shelf of my linen closet), I will feature the many awesome ways that a professional home organizer can come in and take charge, giving you and your exhausted cabinets a much needed break.

So make sure to check in regularly. (You can also follow on facebook.) Because when the summer comes, I want to be ready to relax. You know, as much as us parents can!