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5 Steps to Closet Organization

September 14, 2015 by XOXOblog in Closets, General Organizing, Self Organization

STEP 1: Sort through your closet and decide what you’ll never wear again. These items include the pieces that are outdated, torn, stained and those pieces that haven’t fit properly in quite some time (and you don’t plan on tailoring them to fit). Take these items out of your closet immediately. Decide if you’re going to donate the pieces you don’t want. Choosing a charity close to your heart helps you be fearless about your decision to donate.

STEP 2: Have a few pieces that need to be tailored? Take them to your tailor this week. Don’t delay-these are the pieces that haven’t been worn in a while. It’s time to make use of them again! if you wait much longer, you might lose interest in wearing them altogether.

STEP 3: Keep like-items together. (This is the step that will transform your closet) Move things around so they’re with their friends. Accessories together, sweaters together, shorts together, belts together, etc.

STEP 4: Use a drawer organizer to separate socks, underwear and other delicates.

STEP 5: This is extra credit- If your hangers aren’t the same type, switch them out for ones that are. Once you do, make sure all your hangers are facing the same direction.

Want to keep your closet looking sexy all year long? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Only put clothes away if they’re ready-to-wear. A wrinkly shirt in your closet isn’t a real option when you’re getting dressed in the morning.

2. Make sure to donate things along the way. Once you know something’s out,it should be out. Try to do this once each year.

3. Don’t allow “non-closet” things to enter your closet- ever. Pet toys, old birthday cards, extra office supplies- they live elsewhere.

4. Do a load of laundry the minute your hamper is full.

5. Pinky swear that you’ll hang up your clothes when you get home from work.

30-Day Donate Challenge

August 27, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing, Self Organization

This Donate Challenge is meant to help you make a little extra space in your drawers, cabinets, closets and other places you may not have looked through in a while. Taking this challenge means committing to look through the areas listed in the challenge and donating/tossing what you KNOW you won’t use/want/need in the future.

Donating and purging is one of the best things you can do when you first start organizing your home. Notice the name of this challenge is DONATE- not organize. I only want you to donate/toss things you KNOW you won’t use/want/need in the future. If you need to call a friend or need more than 10 seconds to think about whether or not to keep the items listed in the challenge, then the best thing to do is just to keep them and move on to the next item you see. The point of this challenge is to make a tiny bit of space in each area of your home.

Take the 30-Day Donate Challenge and download your FREE PDF here: XOXO 30-Day Donate Challenge

Participate by taking before and after photos. You can tag us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: #XOXO30DAYS

Here are pictures from last year’s Donate Challenge:

[ 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.

Before and After: Storage Closet

August 10, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing, Self Organization, Testimonials

BA Storage Closet

Sometimes organizing a space in your home seems overwhelming because you might not have the right tools to get organized. I want to share this story on how sometimes you need someone to help you organize and sometimes you can do it yourself- as long as you have the right tools.

A client hired me to organize her home. We organized until our time was up for the day, but we hadn’t even started on her storage closet. Instead of making another appointment, I gave her the task of organizing her storage closet. I told her to buy a shelf and what my vision was and she did it herself and did an A+ job!

If you notice- the BEFORE picture looks a little overwhelming. However, after she had the tools she needed, everything came together perfectly! Remember, not everything has to have the perfect color bin in order to be functional. Sometimes you don’t need to spend extra money on bins, you can just use what you have.

Here’s the Yelp review she wrote for me a few months later…

Sara with XOXO Organizing is AMAZING! She not only helped me organize my closet — but my life too! She was such a blast to work with, it didn’t feel like we were working, just friends hanging out and getting organized! I hired Sara about 3 months ago, and my life and closet have been so much better ever since! She gave me tips and taught me things as we went along, and I now have such an easier time staying organized. If you need help getting your house (or life, really!) in order, call Sara ASAP — I am so thankful that I did, best money I have spent in a LONG time….worth every penny! Thanks, Sara!

– Natalie Y., Irvine, CA

How to Delegate Your Duties

August 3, 2015 by XOXOblog in General Organizing, Taking Care of YOU

Moms can’t be expected to do everything and still have time to themselves. One of the secrets to staying organized is delegating some of your duties to your kids. I’ve heard excuses as to why not to delegate:

“It’s faster to do it myself.”

“They don’t do it the right way.”

“I end up doing the rest of it myself.”

Those are good reasons not to delegate, however, along with academics, kids should learn how to organize and clean up after themselves. Remember, you’re preparing them for adulthood. Let’s show our little ones how a little help here and there can be good for everyone. Here are a few duties you can delegate to your kids so you can squirrel away a little time for yourself each day:

Put dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter next to the sink (age 5 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Take clothes out of the dryer and lay them flat on top of the dryer until you find time to fold them (age 5 and up) time saved: 7 minutes
Take clothes out of the dryer, fold them and leave them on the dryer (age 9 and up) time saved: 15 minutes
Take clothes out of the dryer, fold them and distribute to each room (age 10 and up) time saved: 20 minutes
Load the dishwasher (age 6 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Unload the dishwasher and put dishes away (age 8 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Toss expired pantry items (age 9 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Pick up toys from common areas (age 3 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Take out the trash (age 6 and up) time saved: 2 minutes
Set the table (age 5 and up) time saved: 4 minutes
Clear the table (age 5 and up) time saved: 7 minutes
Clear the table and put all food away in containers (age 10 and up) time saved: 15 minutes
Vacuum (age 6 and up) time saved: 2 minutes (per room)
Wipe down all counter tops (age 6 and up) time saved: 3 minutes
Give the dog a bath (age 10 and up) time saved: 15 minutes
File away paid bills (age 10 and up) time saved: 2 minutes
Shred old documents (age 7 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Clean mirrors (age 7 and up) time saved: 5 minutes
Water outdoor plants (age 5 and up) time saved: 5 minutes

Download our free printable chore chart here. Encourage your chore chart program with XOXO Daddy Dollars and XOXO Mommy Money.