declutter

How to Find What You’re Looking for… in 10 Seconds

August 31, 2015 by XOXOblog in Self Organization, Taking Care of YOU, Tips

The number one client complaint is, “I can’t always find what I’m looking for.”

I have a suggestion on how to find anything and everything in 10 seconds (or less)!

STEP 1: Before you buy something and bring it home, think of where it will live once you get it there. A good way to find a place for everything is to think of other like-items you might have that are already stored in your home. For example, you might want to store your extra shampoos and conditioners with loofas and extra soaps.

STEP 2: When you buy the item and bring it into your home, put it away immediately. Don’t let things pile up or you’ll be overwhelmed later.

STEP 3: Be sure you have a mental inventory of your cabinets, drawers and closets by actively making it a priority to open doors and drawers so you always know what you have. This will keep you from buying multiples of things.

[ TIP ] 3 Tips for Organizing Your Craft Closet

August 17, 2015 by XOXOblog in Closets, General Organizing, Tips

1. Keep school supplies separate from craft supplies.

It’s better to keep these two categories separate. Your kids should be able to go into the school-supply cabinet and get what they need without being distracted by “cool” things they find.

2. Put supplies away between projects.

With all the embellishments, ribbons, buttons and paper that are in our craft areas, it’s better to put as much away at the end of the day as possible. If you’re working with specific tools and craft supplies, there’s no harm in keeping a few things out, but try to keep things as tidy as possible so you don’t have a bigger mess the next day. Use containers to store the small pieces for each project you have out.

3. Encourage your children to help clean up after crafting time.

Get the kids involved so they’ll learn responsibility and organizing skills. Supervise them the first few times until you’re confident they can do it themselves. Labeling your drawers/containers could come in handy when the kids are responsible for putting away crafts.

A fun incentive to get the kids motivated to organize and clean up is our XOXO Daddy Dollars and XOXO Mommy Money. Use with our XOXO Chore Chart.

The Home-Office: Declutter Your Desk

March 16, 2015 by XOXOblog in Office, Self Organization

Working from home has its perks (goodbye rush hour traffic and hello pajamas!) as well as its challenges. Maintaining efficiency and focus can be tricky. However, when your home-office has turned into a barrage of paperwork, office supplies and electronic equipment, it’s necessary to establish a well-organized system that makes finding important documents and projects a breeze. Here are some simple steps you can take to maintain a clutter-free and organized home-office:

Recycle or shred all the documents you know you don’t need anymore. You may want to have your local Office Depot shred documents for you while you wait (not all office supply stores offer this service) or call a shredding service if you have too much all at once.
Store bulk office supplies. Only keep one of each necessary item in your desk area and keep the remaining office supplies in a nearby cabinet or closet.
File all documents in a file cabinet. Be sure to label each tab clearly to make finding files easier. If you feel distracted by filing documents in between daily operations, it might be best to keep a letter tray on your desk for papers to file at the end of each day. If you have lots of paperwork and need two file cabinets, I recommend using one for “current” documents and the other for “information only” documents. Your “current” file cabinet should ideally only have documents from the current year and include companies you do business with on a regular basis. Your “information only” file cabinet should have documents that you hardly ever need to access. Analyze all file cabinets each tax season to determine which documents can be recycled or shredded and which ones need to be saved for your tax records.
Label and keep product manuals and electronics in a nearby cabinet or closet instead of in your desk area. These are items you may not need on a regular basis. Be sure not to give them the best seat in your home-office.
Use a daily calendar to record deadlines, meetings and reminders. Treat it like your personal assistant. Tell him/her everything you want to remember, including when to pick up the kids, when to call a friend and things to buy next time you’re at the grocery store. If you think it, write it down. Your to-dos are valuable and need to be scheduled if they have a good chance of being completed.

Your desk is an extension of your mind. If your desk is cluttered and out of sorts, it’s likely that your brain is feeling scattered as well. You’ll be amazed by the improvement in your workflow and mood when your workspace is in order!

Now that you’ve sorted and filed your documents, make sure you have everything you need to file your taxes. Download our 30-Day Tax Challenge to make sure you have everything in order before you file: https://xoxorganizing.com/challenge-30-day-tax-challenge/