A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place
Tax season is over...The spring holidays have passed...
Hopefully by now you have sent your taxes in and recovered from your spring holiday preparation. You can RELAX!
Sit back, get excited for summer. Just don't let things slide too much. In order for you to be able to take the break you deserve, there are a few VITAL organizing systems you need to have in place so clutter doesn't take over. 1. Mail-establish a place for incoming mail and outgoing mail. I like to keep a picture box with my stamps, envelopes, tape, scissors, a couple of pens, and whatever else I need to send letters. For incoming mail, you can keep a tiered tray with different categories to look at a later date-bills, medical reimbursements, to file. Frequently check the tray to see when anything is due. Keeping your mail in one location prevents paper pileup. 2. Receipts and coupons- establish a system for receipts. You can use an expandable check file and label each section according to store, credit card, or type of purchase. Think about where you would look to find it if you needed it. 3. Library books/movies-keep anything you can incur a fine for in one location. 4. Magazine basket-keep magazines in a basket and when it gets too full, sort and purge. 5. Keys-keep your keys in one place! It may sound obvious to you but do you waste time desperately searching for your keys? 6. Birthdays-read more about keeping a birthday tracking system at http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com/yahoo-birthday-reminders.html 7. Gifts-I like keeping extra gifts on hand for those last minute necessities. This may sound terrible- but I also keep gifts that I receive (that I don't particularly like) in this location. I do not allow my home to become cluttered with gifts I did not like and the guilt that goes along with not using them! 8. CDs/DVDs-believe it or not, I have seen media take OVER much floor space and counter space when no specific place is designated for it. Devote one piece of furniture with drawers to contain all of your media. 9. Lists- This is my favorite! You do not need to have any fancy software or device for this. I open up a plain Microsoft word document for any list I think of-tax deductions for next year, things I have borrowed or lent out, people to send holiday cards to, holiday inventory (for instance, I need a better can opener for next Passover), spring cleaning chores, books to read, wish lists, babysitting instructions, packing lists... You name it! Whatever thought enters my head, I write it down to prevent mental clutter. If you are more of a creative type of person and hate the idea of making lists, do it in a way that speaks to you. For instance, create "landmarks" for your lists. For example, if you have a picture of your spouse on your desk, perhaps keeping a gift wish list or birthday list under his/her picture would remind you to plan their birthday gift. 10. Grocery shopping and cooking-Keep a running grocery list on the front of your pantry or refrigeration (with a pen!) so you can write down items as you need them. Plan one day a week to plan all the meals for the week with the ingredients that you need. Be sure to add those ingredients to your grocery list. Designate the same day each week to go grocery shopping. 11. Laundry and Cleaning routines One of the most important routines is the laundry and cleaning routine. Part of it is just having the supplies on hand and a comfortable spot to do the laundry. I really love the clorox wipes- whenever you go to the bathroom, take a quick wipe of the toilet seat, vanity, and sink countertops. Designate 2 days a week to do laundry or if it works better for you to throw a load in each morning, that's fine. Make sure you have laundry baskets in everyone's room and a large sorter basket in the laundry room. That way, each person can bring their basket into the laundry room on laundry day and sort it by color. In terms of a cleaning routine, you have a lot of flexibility. You can designate one day a week for cleaning in addition to cleaning for a 1/2 hour every morning and evening. Think like a restaurant server-pick up after using, wash dishes, wipe down dirty surfaces often. That way you will not need a heavy duty cleaning too often. Review! 1. Create a place for everything. Literally give the items that clutter up your home an address. 2. Build habits-Establishing routines is a very IMPORTANT concept in maintaining lasting organization. Going to the grocery store the same day every week, or returning calls between 3-4 PM every afternoon can save a lot of time and prevent physical and mental clutter. It is my hope these tips for basic organizing systems enables you to relax more freely this upcoming summer season. Happy Organizing! Rebekah Slatkin is a professional organizer dedicated to getting people organized through hands-on decluttering sessions, teleconferencing, coaching, and her website http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com Visit http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com and subscribe to Organewz, her ezine dedicated to organized living and get organizing tips and downloads- free.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How I Got A Robot To Vacuum The House
Like most people I really hated to vacuum the house. I
thought anyone who enjoyed vacuuming was close to insanity.
Well, I must be crazy too because I have started vacuuming
every few days. Why? Because I purchased a robotic vacuum
cleaner.
What You Should Know About Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring imitates the aspect of traditional wood. Their biggest advantage is that they are very easy to install and very durable. Laminate flooring are suitable for many of your rooms: hallways, family spaces, bathrooms, kitchens. Also they are perfect for an active home.
Make a Grand Entrance of Your Front Door
You may find it difficult to believe that the days will start getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere in just four short weeks. You can find yourself this time of year coming home on dreary days, or welcoming evening visitors in the dark. It's neither safe nor inviting. But good lighting at your front entrance gives a warm and secure welcome to any who enter.
What Does It Take To Be An Interior Designer?
When trying to decide if Interior Design is right for you, it helps to know what that really means. Interior Design is not simply the profession that "makes rooms and places pretty"; it takes a little bit more than that. You need to know how to do some of the technical aspects of design also. Some of these technical things include:
Glass Sinks ? 4 Unbreakable Rules of Buying a Glass Vessel Sink
1. Know your sinks
How durable are these sinks? These sinks are tempered. Tempered glass is regular glass that has been heated to a very high temperature, and then quickly cooled. This procedure strengthens the glass, making it 5-7 times stronger than regular glass.
Interior Design For New Homes
When decorating or making decorating decisions for new homes, it is important to remember that your major decisions could affect decorating choices for quite a long period of time. Commitment to bold or unusual color treatments before you have actually had the opportunity to consider how such changes will coordinate with your furniture placement is not very advisable in this type of situation. In any case, the best advice you could receive while planning interior design for new homes is to make mediocre, undramatic design choices to begin that you can alter at a later time if you choose to do so.
Change The Style Of Your Interior With A Minimum Of Costs
The style of your interior depends for a great part on the decoration on the walls. Using the right picture on the right place can make your room look bigger. I experienced this for myself when I came in this business. I do sell reproduction paintings, you know.
Kitchen Cabinets are The Soul of Your Kitchen
Kitchen cabinets reflect the heart and soul of the homeowner. The cabinets you have in your kitchen have the greatest impact on a kitchen's look. They come in many shapes and sizes as well as in a rainbow of colors. Only your imagination and your bank account limit the color and design of your cabinets. You can buy cabinets pre-made at your local home supply store or have them custom built.
The Art of Power Washing Decks
Since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started banning the use of pressure treated wood due to chromated copper arsenate (CCA), most people have decided to seal their wood decks as the EPA suggests to prevent the arsenic from leaching into the soil. Most homeowners use local companies to pressure wash their decks and siding to save valuable time and the expense of rental equipment and some prefer to do the job themselves on a hot summer day. If you decide to hire a contractor to perform the work for you, there are a lot of important questions you need to ask before you should allow them to work on your home. First, make sure the company your hiring has the experience and the right equipment to perform the job properly, using more than 1,000 PSI or less than 4gpm can cause damage to wood. In Maryland, your also required to have a Maryland Home Improvement License (MHIC) for sealing decks or any repairs and it must be listed in all advertising and vehicles.
Homeowners ? Here is a Step by Step Guide to Help You Hire a Quality Home Improvement Contractor
Before talking to any contractors the first thing to do is create a budget for the project. Without a budget you will be flying blind and may end up over spending. Having a tight budget will also help you make decisions about what kind of fixtures, and materials to purchase. Most products have a wide price range and having a budget will help keep you in line when making buying decisions.
Types Of Bedsteads
Selection of bedstead is also an important thing as selection of bed mattress. The frame, which provides support to bed, is called bedstead. In a stylish bed room bed plays an important role. Various criteria's like material used, frame of bed do matter. Generally bedstead is made up of rectangular wooden frame supported by four legs of wood. Wooden slates support bed mattress, which are placed in rectangular wooden frame. Now day's different verities and shapes are available in bed. Large variety of bedsteads is available as per requirement in online stores. If people do not want to show base of the bed then they use bed skirt to hide the base of bed. Online stores offer all categories of bedsteads as per customer's requirement.
The Dangers of Pesticides and the EPAs Harrowing Plan to Test Them on Kids
Pesticides are a ubiquitous toxin in our environment. We spray them liberally on ants and spiders in our homes, use them in our gardens and on our lawns, fog our streets with them to kill mosquitoes-even spread them on our own bodies to keep bugs away.
Remove Ink Stains From Carpet
One of the best solvents you can use to remove ink stains from carpet is also one of the cheapest: rubbing alcohol. It works better if it is 90% isopropyl alcohol, but there is no danger in trying the ones that are 70% if that's what you have available. Whichever you use, remember that ink stain removal is always easier if you treat the stains quickly. Just follow the steps below.
Beginning Interior Design
Beginning interior design is a challenging, exciting adventure that one must be willing to endure sacrifices and even at times costly mistakes in order to complete this learning successfully.
Used But Not Used Up
Some DIY Maintence will put Used tools back in Main Stream Operation:
Mommy, Mommy, Theres a Caterpillar on my Bed
Chenille has been used for bedspreads since Catherine Evans revived the craft in the 1890's. She applied raised tufts of yarn to cotton sheeting and these spreads were often referred to as chenille products. Chenille is the French word for caterpillar - the yarn looks like those fuzzy little creatures. Thick pile of yarn ends stuck out all around at right angles. Stamps were created into a pattern and the yarn was stuck on to fill in the pattern. Bedspreads from this craft were all the rage in the 20's. The demand was so high that new warehousing systems were developed to put out these products. This truly developed from a cottage industry in that haulers would deliver stamped sheets to the women of north Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. They would then pick up the spread, pay the women and take the spreads back to the warehouse. A final finishing of washing in hot water locked in the yarns. They were also dyed in all kinds of colors.
Which Water Purification Systems Are Best? - A Comparison of the Three Most Common Technologies
Fresh water is essential to our health and comfort. Not only do we rely on it to stay hydrated, we use it in many other ways including bathing, cleaning and cooking food, and laundering our clothes. Fresh water has long been a concern of both public communities and private individuals, and several different water purification systems and treatment technologies have been developed to help ensure that tap water is safe for human consumption. But how do these different technologies compare?
Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.
Securing Your Castle
In the world of today, we no longer employ the moat, drawbridge or 30 foot high walls as security devices. However, if we know the correct methods and devices to use, we can attain better security than those devices afforded.
How To Artify Your Home
Would you like to make your house feel more like a home? Is it comfortable enough, but not really special? If so, I have some easy 'arty' tips to make your environment that bit more special.
|
