get organized

Trash or Treasure? 3 Steps to Help You Decide What to Keep and What to Toss

January 26, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing

Blog Graphics - Trash or Treasure

“How do I know if I don’t need it anymore?” might be one of the questions I get asked most often.

In other words, how do you know when to say “goodbye” to an item(s)? If one or all of the following are true:

1. You have a better substitute(s) for said item(s).

EXAMPLE: CRAFT SUPPLIES- You have old supplies in addition to the brand new supplies you recently purchased. The likelihood of using the old stuff is slim-to-none, yet it’s taking up precious space in your craft cabinet.

2. The space you allotted for a certain item is completely full (assuming there’s no better place to keep said items).

EXAMPLE: PENS- You have 300 pens in your desk drawer. You have your 5 favorites and the others are really just taking up space.

3. You have never used all of the items at any given time.

EXAMPLE: PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS- you have a container under your sink (P.S. I highly recommend this) to hold your grocery bags. Your container is currently filled to the brim and you don’t even use this many plastic bags.

Moral of the story: Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you need to store it.

P.S. The most accessible spaces need to be saved for the items you USE and LOVE on a regular basis.

XOXO!

Organizing – It’s About the BIG Picture

January 19, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing

I had to write a professional letter a couple days ago and had to look up a word in the Thesaurus. My word search came across the word “organize”. That’s what inspired this blog post.

or·gan·ize

[awr-guh-nahyz] verb, or·gan·ized,or·gan·iz·ing

1. to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for united action.
2. to systematize: to organize the files of an office.

My favorite part of this definition is “united action”.

Organizing is about the BIG picture. Having one organized drawer is an accomplishment, yes, of course! However, what about the rest of your home? Your home is a “union”. It’s an entity. Every drawer, every cabinet, every shelf, every closet and every room (even the garage) has to work together so you and your family can be organized and not run around frantic when someone is looking for something-or worse, have certain rooms become a clutter magnet.

Here’s a funny example: Let’s say you haven’t had a haircut in years and you feel under gorgeous, but ready for a change. You can’t ask your hair stylist to trim a little on the front, left side and expect great results. In this story, you’ve surpassed a “little trim” here or there. It’s time for a whole new haircut. A new shape. Your hair can’t be one way in the front and another way in the back (although the mullet may try to argue). Your hair needs to work together as one style.

If you’re feeling distracted on a daily basis and would like to get organized, it’s best to look at your entire home as a unit. This may be a good time to clear some clutter, get a system that will work for you and your family and then maintain your new organized space.

If you’re interested in a free in-home consultation, contact me so we can chat!