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Neat Freak Car Organizing

Try our Back Pocket Auto Organizer to keep items in your care neatly stored away but easily accesible.

When we think about getting organized, we often think of our homes and offices. However, we tend to overlook the one place that we spend a lot of time: our cars.

Think of how much time you spend commuting to work, chauffeuring your children, running errands, and traveling. On some days, you probably spend more time in your car than any place else. So shouldn’t it be as organized as the rest of the spaces in your life?

The following are some key tips to organizing your car and maintaining that continuity in your life.

The “must haves” that you should keep in your car:

your insurance card
car registration
hands free headset for your cell phone
cell phone charger
sunglasses
snow scraper
umbrella

Keep your insurance card and car registration in an auto document organizer in the side pocket of the passenger side door. Store your sunglasses, headset, and cell phone in a dashboard organizer for easy access.
Store a small umbrella in the pocket of the driver’s side door.
Equip your car with both a first aid and roadside emergency kit.
Stash a few dollars for emergency toll money in the center console, as well as a pen, pad of paper and pocket flashlight.
Keep a small, reusable litter bag in the car.
Store foldable chairs and a blanket in the trunk.
If you have a toddler, keep an inflatable potty seat in the trunk.
Wipes are great for emergency spills and dirty hands. Store them in the glove compartment.
If you have kids, keep a basket or plastic bin packed with coloring books, crayons, car games, etc for long journeys.
Store your CDs in a visor organizer.
The center console is easily accessible. If you listen to your iPod in the car, keep an iPod car charger in the console, along with your cell phone charger.

Organization is a state a mind. When you concentrate on overlooked spaces such as your car, you will develop good habits that carry over to other aspects of your life. It becomes much easier to maintain that mindset.

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Christa Zamel for contributing this article. Christa is a professional organizer and the president of Neat Freak Design Group. Neat Freak can help manage homes, offices, and personal schedules by creating customized systems that suit clients. For more information, call 201-341-1576, email christa@neatfreakdesigngroup.com or visit www.neatfreakdesigngroup.com.

Get Your New Year Organized and Off to a Fresh Start

Do you make a resolution on or before Jan 1st?

How much thought goes into your resolution?

How long do you keep your New Year’s resolution?

Prior to becoming a full time Professional Organizer, I operated a direct selling business. This business was set up to reach and keep goals. In order to reach specific targets it was imperative to reach these goals. Being organized was so helpful in this process.

Try out these 5 simple tips on how to get your New Year Organized and off to a fresh start and make this new year your best one yet.

Tip #1: Make an appointment with yourself. Set aside an hour one afternoon or evening. Go to a location that makes you feel inspired. This could be your own living room or maybe it is someplace near the ocean. Make sure it is quiet. Get your favorite holiday beverage, nice pen and paper. I like doing this activity long before Jan 1st. That way I have time to really get my head wrapped around what changes, dreams, and goals I am going to go after.

Tip #2: Just start writing or drawing. You do not have to be an artist. It can be stick people and things. Write and/or draw all the things in your mind that you would like to see for yourself. Dreams and goals you would like to see for your personal life, your health, your career, and spiritually. Use lots of colour. Why not use a different colour for each area of your life.

Tip #3: Put some dates beside each drawing or written word. For example, the number one New Year’s resolution is health. Could be to lose weight, stop smoking, or exercise. If this is on your sheet of paper put a date beside when you would like to lose that extra ten pounds. Based on the fact that it is healthy to lose only 1-2 pounds per week that would give you a date of ten weeks after Jan 1st which is the beginning of March. Focus on what you can have, not on what you cannot have. Did you know the number 2 resolution is to get more organized? I love it!

Tip #4: Tell a friend. One of the best ways to stay accountable is to have an accountability buddy. My buddy and I go for long walks and talks. We keep each other on track with our goals and resolutions. We help each other out with ideas and suggestions on how to reach our dreams, goals and resolutions. We focus on how we will feel once we have reached our resolutions. Make a list of what you have accomplished so far to date. By walking and talking you are killing 2 birds with one stone. You are getting your exercise and you are able to talk about where you are at with your New Year’s resolutions. Now that is organized!

Tip #5: Keep it simple. If you set too many resolutions at one time you may find it challenging to reach them all. Take one goal from your list and work on that one. Once you are in the new habit (exercising or stopped smoking, for example) then you can incorporate another goal/dream from your list.

Your resolutions need to be yours. They cannot be what you think other people want for you. They have to really resonate with you, your values and your beliefs. They need to be very specific. They need to be realistic to you and your lifestyle. Just because the person sitting beside you can run a marathon, does not mean you can or want to. You have to consider your own lifestyle, your body and your time commitment. This summer I had set a goal (I do not always wait till Jan 1st to set all my goals, I set some during the year as well) to start training for a half marathon. I thought this would be a cool thing to do for my 50th Birthday in July. Well my body is saying no way, no how are you going to be a runner. The pain is not worth it. Time to set a new accomplishment for my 50th. I’ll keep you posted.

How would you like a FREE 30 minute coaching call on how to move forward with your dreams, goals and resolutions? We will discuss systems and strategies that will help you move forward. Please contact me at we will set up a phone date. www.gettingittogether.ca

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Rowena List for contributing this article. Rowena is an organizing expert specializing in home organization. Grab your FREE copy of her new e-Book; Organized in 15 Minutes. The e-Book gives you a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your home in 15 minutes or less. Download your free copy now at: http://www.GettingItTogether.ca

Getting Ready for Cooler Weather

by Kathy Jenkins, Certified Professional Organizer, Come To Order

Have you noticed that the nights are getting a little cooler? Maybe you’re considering breaking out the flannel sheets and blankets to ward off the initial chill in the morning. And if that hasn’t gotten your attention, how about the alarm going off in the morning and it is still dark. These are sure a sign that fall is already upon us, so now is the time to get ready for the colder weather.

Kathy Jenkins, a Professional Organizer with Come To Order, suggests that you create a fall checklist in preparing your home for winter. “We all lead busy lives, so in order to not miss something, it is important for you to have a list “, says Kathy. Here are some of the items she suggests you include on your list: check windows and doors for drafts, clean out those gutters and down spouts (once they are clean consider gutter covers so that you can permanently cross this off your list), remove and clean window screens, and check the roof for any needed repairs.

“Don’t forget the lawn and garden. Autumn is the perfect time to trim trees and shrubs, plant new plants and prepare your perennial foliage for next year,” suggests Kathy.

It is also a good idea to add winterizing your lawn equipment, water features, and irrigation system to your list. And before your store or cover your patio furniture, give it a good cleaning. Come spring when all you want to do is relax in the warm sun you will be happy you have that little job behind you.

Inside your home you will want to have your furnace serviced and adjust your thermostat. If you have a window air conditioning unit, now is the best time to remove it for winter storage. Finally, check your carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. For a more comprehensive list, check out the Come To Order Web site at www.cometoorderva.com.

So now the house is in order, but what about your family. Betsy Frazier of Organizing Solutionz recommends starting with your wardrobe. As you begin to put away your summer clothes put aside all of those things that you never wore. Chances are it has gone out of style, don’t fit, or you just don’t like it anymore. This is the time to donate it! As you begin to evaluate storage of your off-season clothes make sure you take advantage of every unused space in your house. Under the bed is good for more than just dust bunnies.

“There are so many wonderful under-bed storage options to choose from these days”, says Kathy, “and if you plan on using your attic or basement just make sure the container is air and moisture tight so mold and moths don’t become an issue.”

Then as you begin to take out your cool season clothing check to make sure it fits and that you still like it. If neither of these criteria is met — get rid of it — someone else will get good use out of it this winter. Don’t forget to set up an area for catching all the winter clothes that will strewn about as your little “snow people” come in out of the cold. A simple carpet square where the shoes and boots can be deposited will save your floor and there is no better storage system for coats that hooks!

Our Leak Proof Trunk Organizer is perfect for organizing your winter storm kit!

Betsy also suggests that you put together a Winter Storm Kit to be prepared for a power outage. Include in it a battery powered radio, flashlights with extra batteries, bottled water, a can opener and canned food. And start planning on what your alternative heat source will be if that is needed.

The change of seasons always serves as a marker for evaluating what needs to be done to get more organized for the coming months.

Thanks to OrganizedAtoZ.com partner Kathy Jenkins for contributing this article. As a Certified Professional Organizer® and Certified Family Manager® coach, and Parenting with Love & Logic® Facilitator/Coach, Kathy Jenkins can help you run a more organized, efficient, and happy household & raise happy, healthy, responsible, and well-mannered children! Visit http://www.cometoorderva.com to learn more about her professional organizing and coaching services You can also follow her tips, advice, and recommendations by liking Come To Order on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cometoorder.

Top 10 Steps to Simplicity

Excerpted from “The Power of Simplicity” by Patty Kreamer, CPO®, COC® ~ Certified Professional Organizer® Certified Organizer Coach®

1. Be on the look out for hearing and saying these statements:

I am so busy.
I never have any time for myself.
I am always running late.
I never make dinner…I make reservations.
I can’t remember the last time my family ate together…
I didn’t have a chance to…
I am always so tired.
I wish I had time to…
My house is a disaster area.
I never stop running all day but I get so little done.

2. Recognize that simplicity is a journey, not an event.

Simplicity is a choice. A decision. The bottom line is that only
you are responsible for what you bring into your life. Period.

3. Know that CLUTTER CAN:

Make you feel tired
Affect your body weight
Keep you living in the past
Make you put your life on hold
Induce a feeling of shame and guilt
Be the main cause of procrastination
Add unnecessary confusion in your life
Affect how people treat and/or respect you
Induce or enhance the chances of depression
Cause disharmony among family, friends, or coworkers

4. Use the NEED VS. WANT” Filter.

If I NEED this item:

Where will this live when I get it back to my home or office?
If there is no room for it, the second question to ask is:
What will I get rid of in order to make room?

If I WANT this item:

Can I live without this item?
Can I wait a week to make the purchase?
Do I really want to spend my money on this item?

5. Live by the ONE IN – ONE OUT Rule.

When you buy something new, get rid of something old.

6. Identify how you make decisions…EMOTIONALLY or LOGICALLY.

Emotion might bring guilt, fear, stress, and several other feelings into play. Logic, however, dismisses feelings and goes to the thinking side of decision-making. Looking at your stuff, it’s easier to feel what it means to you than it is to think about what it is doing to you.

7. Remember what IMPULSE stands for:

I
Must
Purchase
Until
Logic
Surpasses
Emotion

8. Learn to use THE POWER OF THE PAUSE.

The investment of just a few minutes or seconds in a “pause” BEFORE anything new enters your life can make a monumental difference. The period of time before you decide to bring something new into your life can be the crucial “make or break point” in attaining simplicity. You have to make a conscious decision whether or not you have both physical and emotional room for it.

9. Take Inventory.

Literally taking an inventory of what you have in your life will be a productive step for you. Since clutter is what you no longer see, many times you don’t even know what you have!

10. Recognize that only you can make the choice to live your life on purpose.

Simplicity is not easy, but you now have the essentials to successfully begin the process and achieve it. Remember that simplicity is not an event. It is a lifestyle, a choice, YOUR choice, a journey, and an ongoing path.

Organize Your Kitchen

The kitchen is typically the social center of your home, which means it can also attract clutter like no other room in your house! Besides being the place where you prepare meals for your family, it can also be a place to snack, entertain, read mail, do homework, or sit and chat. With all of this activity, it can easily collect coats, backpacks, unopened mail, newspapers, unused appliances, gadgets, and various odds and ends.

When clutter seems to be taking over your kitchen, it’s time to take control. With the tips below you can manage your kitchen and ensure that it stays a warm, inviting, and organized place to both socialize and prepare meals.

Take inventory of gadgets and small appliances, and reduce. Take a good look at what you have, and make a list, if that helps. Are there duplicate items? Broken items? Appliances you don’t use? Decide what you don’t need based on how many times you use it, and be honest! Now you can donate to a charity, give to a friend, sell it (eBay or garage sale) or throw away.
Clear the counter. As your primary workspace, you want your kitchen counter to be free of clutter and easy to clean. While you may have a lot of gadgets that do some neat things, you might not use them on a daily or even weekly basis. Think of your counter top as premium space and reserve it for your most essential kitchen tools – those you use every day. Find another home for the things you don’t use regularly.
Assign everything a home in as logical a place as possible. If items are used together, try to store them next to each other. For example, keep pots, pans and cooking utensils near the stove.
Vision China White Wine Goblet Stemware Chest

Store bowls and measuring cups/spoons together. Keep coffee and coffee filters near the coffeemaker.
Use hard to reach cabinets and shelves to store seldom used items. Specialty dishes and appliances, like the china you only use during the holidays or the large roaster you only use for big parties, can go on high shelves or in the back of cabinets. You can even store these items in a different area, such as the basement, attic, guest room closet, or in a box in the garage.
Use under-cabinet storage tools to maximize your use of space for larger items. Pullout racks and shelves can help you use the dead space at the back and eliminate the need to dig to find things. For tall cabinets, add racks and shelves to take advantage of vertical space.
Wood Expandable Kitchen Drawer Dividers

Install drawer dividers or utensil trays to organize silverware, knives, and small gadgets. This allows you to break up your kitchen drawers both vertically and horizontally, keeping like items grouped together and easier to find.
Clean your pantry. Empty each cabinet, tossing items that are old, stale, or that you won’t use, and place items you are keeping on your counter. If your realize you have 8 cans a green beans, consider donating a couple to the local food pantry. Once you know what you have, you can organize your pantry.
Group foods together in categories for easy access — cereals, snacks, canned goods, baking goods, oils/vinegars, spices, etc. Use containers to keep smaller items together, such as drink packets, tea bags, granola bars, pudding and Jello boxes, seasonings, and gravy and sauce mixes.
Monthly Wall Calendar

Create a family command center, even if this is in a different room. This is where you can store your family’s calendar, important information, opened mail that requires actions (bills, RSVPs), notepads, pens and pencils, etc. Now that you have a home for these items, get in the habit of putting items away and filing papers instead of letting them collect on the kitchen counter.
Create a place to hang coats, store backpacks, and keep shoes so these items don’t migrate to your kitchen. Again, this might be in a different room, but if these items have a home, there less likely to accumulate on the backs of chairs, on the table, or on the floor.

Recipe Organizer & Party Planner

With all of the activity that happens in your kitchen, you’ll want to make sure every item in your kitchen has earned its right to take up your valuable space! Focus on organizing your kitchen for its primary purpose in your home, whether it’s baking and cooking, eating meals together as a family, or entertaining guests. Items that don’t serve this purpose can find a better home in your house, or can help someone one else more than they help you!

Tax prep got you down?

Try our Tax.filer to keep your tax records safe and organized

If you’re like most people, you’ve been procrastinating on getting your taxes done and are feeling the weight of it on your shoulders. If you don’t have any systems in place, the weight is even greater. Here are a few tips to make your tax preparation a little more bearable.

Receipts you don’t need to save: If you itemize your medical expenses, you may be trying to keep track of all those pesky prescription drug receipts. An easier way to deal with prescription receipts is to go to your pharmacy and ask for a printout of your 2008 year prescriptions. They can do one of each member of your family and the entire year will be calculated for you. Now you have one less thing to file all year long!

Tracking vehicle mileage: Most people aren’t real motivated to write down their mileage every time they travel for a business or charity event. Here are a couple of other options you may find appealing. I write all my appointments down on my calendar (Lord knows I’d never be able to keep track of them all if I didn’t). At the end of the month, I add up my mileage with the assistance of my calendar and GPS. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to add it up for the month. Another option for technology lovers is downloading a mileage app like Milebug to your phone. Milebug is available for iPhones and costs $3.99.

Self purging folders: Most accountants agree that you need to save documentation and receipts for 7 years in case of an audit. Here’s an easy way to stay on top of that. Buy 7 identical poly expanding wallets . Using a label maker, label each one for 7 years. On the eighth year, pull the label off the first file and shred its contents. Replace with a new label and paperwork for the current year. Continue the process year after year.

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Susan Stewart of Perfectly Placed for contributing this article. She offers virtual organizing to make it easy for you to get organized, no matter where you live! Visit her Web site at www.perfectlyplaced.org or call her at (623) 202-9199.

How to Be More Organized For The New Year

It’s a New Year and everyone makes “New Years Resolutions”. Why don’t you make one that says “I will be more Organized”.

I don’t mean that you need to run out and buy all types of “organizing gadgets”. Or that you drive your family crazy with your new found organizing obsession.

What I mean is that you should start with small steps, such as making a list of ways that you can “organize” your home, business or life. Just like your resolution to exercise more will probably go by the wayside…so will your resolution to be more organized…if you don’t fully commit to it.

It took years to develop your behaviors and it will take you weeks or months or longer to change them. It’s a lifestyle change.

Once you have made a list of what you want to change in your home, business or life (and this has to be your idea or it won’t work) then you need to start implementing the changes. One at a time, otherwise you will become overwhelmed and you won’t stick to anything.

I’m a list maker. I have a list or an Excel spreadsheet for everything. My family makes fun of me but my motto is “why re-invent the wheel”. If you have repetitive tasks they can be turned into lists. I have a “what to take on vacation” list. Every family member has their own column and they check off things as they pack them. Now things aren’t forgotten and I don’t hear “Mom, I forgot my bathing suit”.

I have a list for “what to pack for college”. And yes, my daughter refused to use it the first year. But the following year I heard “Mom, can I have the college list…..”. Music to a mother’s ear. I’m not as useless as I thought!

I have lists for school supplies, list for groceries, lists for vacations, lists for medical information, lists for donated items, lists for events that I go to every year and equipment I need to take, lists for meetings…… and on and on. There is no end in sight.

If you do it more than once….make a list. That way you won’t forget anything.

If you have a list of spaces to organize or projects to do, break them down into manageable pieces. For example, break down the “I’m going to organize my kitchen” project into smaller projects. Such as:

I’m going to organize the kitchen drawers
I’m going to organize the kitchen counters
I’m going to organize the kitchen cabinets
I’m going to organize the kitchen pantry

That way you can start and finish each project in one sitting and feel like you’ve accomplished something, instead of getting tired or frustrated and never finishing it and then never starting another project. Start a small project. Finish a project. Feel proud of yourself. Go on to the next project.

Not everyone can become organized on their own. That’s why there are “Professional Organizers” that are there to help you and to teach you how to become more organized (teaching should be part of the organizing project).

Since most people call a plumber or an electrician when they have a plumbing or electrical problem, why shouldn’t you call a Professional Organizer when you have an organizing problem?

By having a Professional Organizer help you with your organizing dilemma you can get more accomplished in less time. A Professional Organizer is there to guide you through the process.

How many people have bought workout tapes for use at home but never used them? Good intentions but people tend to work harder when they go to a gym and have someone watch over them than when they try to do work out by themselves.

So call a Professional Organizer and let them help you become more Organized – Less Cluttered – and Less Stressed.

1 Comment January 1, 2011

Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet

Medicines expire:
Most people don’t pay attention to their medicines or their expiration date. But the dates are there for a reason. Medicines lose their potency. For example, if you have a prescription for an antibiotic that you didn’t finish, and a year later you have a re-occurrence of that same illness, the medicine that you saved is probably no longer any good. You are not saving any money by saving medications for future use if that medication is expired. You will not get better if you take expired medication.

Medicines can also lose their potency or become altered if they are not stored properly. Heat, humidity and sunlight can all affect medications. With the humidity of a bathroom, the medicine cabinet is really not the ideal place for medicine.

If you have children a medicine cabinet is not recommended because it is usually not a place that can lock and children get into everything. Use a locked box and put it on the top shelf of your closet so that little children can’t reach it (the lock should keep older children out). Accidental poisoning is a leading cause of death in children.

Get into the habit of going through your medicine cabinet and checking the expiration dates on your medication. You should do this at least twice a year. Or coordinate it with the change of seasons (for four times a year). Get rid of anything that is expired or damaged. Be sure to always keep medications in their original containers so that you know what the expiration date is.

Besides prescription medications you don’t want to forget “over-the-counter” medications such as aspirin, cold medications, antibiotic ointments and anything else in your cabinet. They all have expiration dates.

A very important detail: DO NOT FLUSH YOUR EXPIRED OR UNUSED MEDICATION DOWN THE TOILET! The medications can contaminate groundwater. Even putting it into the garbage can contaminate the soil. Some cities have collection sites for expired or unused medications.

Makeup:
Women tend to forget that make-up also expires. When you buy a new cosmetic mark the date you purchased it (or opened it) directly on the cosmetic with a black marker. That way you won’t forget when you started using it.

Replace your makeup in the following manner:

Mascara & Eyeliner – every 3 months
Lipstick & Lip liner – once a year
Eye Shadow (powder) – every 2 years
Eye Shadow (cream) – every 1 year
Makeup sponges – every week
Makeup brushes – should be washed every week.

Don’t use mascara if you have an eye infection and never share makeup.

Placement of items in your medicine cabinet:
Group like items alike. Keep only one (1) of everything in your medicine cabinet so that it is not overcrowded. That means one deodorant, one dental floss, one eye drops, one toothpaste….. Keep the extra’s in a closet or under the sink (if you have room).

If you don’t have kids and you keep your medicines in your medicine cabinet, group all like medicines together. All pain reliever’s together, cold medicines together and so on.

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Karin E. Fried, CPC, for contributing this article. Karen is owner of Organizational Consulting Services and you can visit her Web site at www.organizationalconsultingservices.com.

List It!

Our Shopping.pad helps you make the perfect grocery list

Who can remember everything we need all the time? For most people, writing things down helps us remember all the little details of things we need to get or do.

The most important is our grocery list. Continuing to create it throughout the week, as you use the last of your favorite items, will help keep everyone happy with their favorite foods available. Before you shop for the week, plan your menu, and add the items needed for each recipe to your list. Then add snack items that you like to have on hand such as munchies, yogurt or fruits and check your fridge for staples like milk, eggs, etc.

Your second list is for things you need to buy in other stores; such as the hardware store for home fix-it projects, the pharmacy to pick up your refill prescriptions, the bookstore to purchase a book, etc. Having this list with you at all times will save you from driving yourself nutty when you just can’t think of what you needed.

Wish Lists are made for those items you want to buy, but are not in dire need of. You can wait for them until you are passing the particular store to save time and gas, or buy each item one by one, as the funds become available.

By keeping a list handy of all the items you need and want you’ll be better prepared as you scan through sale flyers.
Making lists will help you to shop smart by saving time, gas, money, and clearing your mind of all that mental clutter.

Thanks to Organized A to Z partner Joann Guariglia for contributing this article. Joann is a Professional Organizer and Senior Move Manager who owns and operates Total Organizing Solutions. For more information go to the Web site www.HelpYouToOrganize.com Also, you may reach Joann at 941-628-6957 or Joann@HelpYouToOrganize.com.

Organizing Tips from Tracy Colleran

“Straighten Up” Organizing Tips-Pak

Here are just a few, simple tips to help you get better organized in your home and office, which will allow you to feel more at ease in both your personal life and your professional life…I promise!

Home
1. Keep a weekly list shopping/grocery list going of items that you run out of. As you use the last of any item, write it on a designated list along with the name of the store where you would purchase the item.

2. Keep healthy snacks for small children in a separate container where they can reach them. Give them their own section of a shelf in the refrigerator. Allow them to help themselves to a specified amount per day. That way, they are not bugging you 50 times a day for something to eat, and you know exactly how much they are consuming, and when the snacks need to be replenished.

3. When you are out doing your weekly grocery shopping or errands, take a few extra minutes to go by the greeting card aisle. You can pick up any special occasion cards that catch your eye and save them for when you need them. That way, you don’t have to make a special trip just to pick up a belated graduation card- you already have one on hand. Keep the amount saved to less than 15 at a time, and keep them in a labeled, clean location such as in a small shoebox or accordion file.

4. Keep a loose change container at the location where you get undressed and empty your pockets each night. A good place is on your dresser or on an easily accessible shelf in the closet. Only keep one container going at once, and keep it where you can see it and will train yourself to deposit your change at the same time each night. (This one works particularly well for men!)

5. Keep an empty container in your car for items that find their way into your vehicle that don’t belong there long-term, such as food, plastic grocery bags, sporting goods, empty water bottles, or a large quantity of pens. When it gets full, carry the bin inside to put the items back where they belong, and then put the empty bin back in the car for the next cycle.

6. Hang clothes in your closet facing the same direction. Use uniform plastic hangers to conserve space.

7. Save time in the morning, especially if you have children, by picking out outfits the night before.

8. Create a folder or large envelope to keep in your vehicle’s glove compartment for saved directions to places you go to infrequently. That way, you won’t have to keep asking how to get places, and you won’t get lost as much!

9. Spend 10 minutes during some free time addressing enough envelopes to your landlord for the lease term (or close to it). That way, you won’t have to hunt for the landlord’s address each month. (For those that rent, of course!)

10. Keep a folder in the kitchen with takeout menus for your favorite delivery places and restaurants.

11. Keep a magazine rack or basket in a location where you most like to read, such as next to a recliner in the living room. Toss any magazines, catalogs, or newspapers that you do not read, truly enjoy, or that are outdated.

12. Stock up on things you use regularly, such as shampoo, toothpaste, and soap. It is okay to take advantage of a good sale on these items, as long as you store them in an area where you are able to take a mental inventory of them (such as in a linen or hall closet that you go into frequently, instead of out-of-reach underneath a sink), so you don’t go overboard buying bulk quantities.

13. Use an over-the-door shoe rack to organize small food products inside a pantry, in an office for office supplies, or inside a bathroom closet for medicine and first aid supplies. Choose one with canvas pockets, or clear, vinyl pockets.

14. Use a clear, zippered plastic or vinyl pouch for toiletry items when you travel. These are great for seeing contents easily, and they wipe off well in case of accidental spills.

15. Before going on a long trip or vacation, particularly out of the country, make a photo copy of all the important contents of your wallet or purse (i.e. driver’s license, credit cards, social security card, passport). Leave one copy at home with a friend or family member, and pack the other copy safely with you, NOT in your wallet or purse. In case of an emergency, or if your wallet or purse gets stolen, you will have all documentation, account numbers, and phone numbers still with you. Be sure to alert your credit card company of international travel prior to your leaving so they don’t suspect fraud.

16. Place photos in an album in sequential order whenever possible. This helps your brain recall events in the order that they happened, and makes for fun storytelling whenever you are sharing the album with friends and family.

17. Have a “one piece of artwork per kid per week” policy for your refrigerator. Encourage your children to create something new or bring home schoolwork each week for you to display, but make them aware that after the week is over, their work will be taken down and replaced with a new piece. This allows for their creativity but puts a limit on how much clutter gets on the refrigerator.

18. When taking phone messages or jotting down notes, always include the full date. This will help you make necessary associations in your mind or jog your memory at a later time.

19. Each time you add a new contact name to your cell phone or computer address book, add it to your physical address book as well. Even though it may be a pain now (after all, who uses hand-written address books anymore, right?!), you’ll appreciate it later if your cell phone ever gets lost or stolen or your computer crashes.

20. Every fifth time you come home with a bag or two of new clothes, go through your closet and weed out those that you haven’t worn in awhile. Don’t allow yourself to hang new items up in your closet without exchanging them for old items you could donate to charity (The expression is “out with the old, in with the new!” not just “in with the new!”)

21. Go through your makeup collection and discard any old lipstick or mascara tubes, and anything that is in a shade you don’t wear often. Styles change and your taste changes, so don’t keep makeup that you aren’t using lying around; not only does it create more clutter, it’s also unhealthy.

22. Keep pet food and human food in separate areas. Create a “pet center” in a corner of your kitchen pantry or on a bottom shelf of a cabinet.

23. Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients to make that famous chocolate cake with chocolate chips and butter cream frosting topped with raspberries BEFORE you actually begin making it. This means pull out the recipe ahead of time and check off each of the items as you put them on the counter…trust me.

24. Save time by consolidating similar activities (take care of all your errands at once, return any phone calls within the same time period, pay bills together, etc.)

25. Go through your canned goods twice a year. Do you have any way back in the pantry or cabinet that you’ve forgotten about and will probably never use in a meal? Throw away any that are expired or old-looking, and donate the rest to a soup kitchen. Use a tiered stacker to sit the canned goods so you can evenly read all labels and none get shoved out of sight in the back.

Office
26. Open your mail next to the nearest trash can as soon as you walk in the house. Immediately shred or cut up any junk mail and throw away. Open up all bills and/or letters and discard outer envelopes. Keep necessary return envelopes together with their bills and keep in a designated area where you will remember to pay and file. This cuts down on paper waste and allows your brain to process what you need to look at and what you don’t.

27. Use a filing cabinet that has built-in indents for the hanging file folders. This prevents you from having to buy a separate wire hanging file folder kit that must be cut and formed specifically for your drawers. It also reduces the likelihood of the hanging file folders falling down.

28. Avoid overstuffing your filing cabinets so you don’t have to struggle each time you need to get a piece of paper in or out.

29. Keep a half bulletin board/half dry erase board. That way, important dates or events, memos, business cards, contact information, coupons, or articles can either be tacked up there or written in, depending on the form in which you receive the information. Keep this board current at the end of each month- erase or throw anyway anything expired, passed, or no longer pertinent to you.

30. Use a desktop file sorter that is vertical, not horizontal. These usually allow for thicker files and are easier to access.

31. Keep 6-10 pens and pencils in a small cup holder, jar, or mug on top of your desk, not scattered in a drawer. The small quantity allows for less clutter, and not being in a drawer allows ease of visibility and increases the likelihood of their being returned to their proper home.

32. Situate your desk in an area that is comfortable for you and has minimal distractions. The best place is close to a window to allow natural lighting, and away from the television.

33. Always file with the most current papers at the front/top of the folder or binder.

34. Keep software and equipment manuals together in wide mesh magazine file (mesh is much more durable than plastic). Anticipate room to add more to it. Sort through it periodically to toss outdated manuals to programs you no longer use or equipment you no longer have.

35. Better organize your email inbox by creating sub-folders for items such as Jokes, E-Bills, Shopping, Insurance, Kids, etc.

36. Put a picture of something that makes you smile, such as your baby, your spouse, a new car, or a beautiful garden, in your work area. Each time you are doing something unpleasant, such as paying bills or balancing your checkbook, you have something pleasant nearby to balance it out.

37. Save important work-related documents to your computer using a file name that is descriptive, easy for you to locate, and includes the date. These things cut down on the amount of time it will take you to access and open the files you need at any given point.

38. Staple deposit slips to your bank statement each month. Mark each as either business or personal, and keep your statements filed separately.

39. When filing, use staples, not paper clips to keep papers together. Paper clips have a tendency to come loose, or other papers will get stuck underneath where they don’t belong.

40. Enter deadlines and notes directly into your PDA device or calendar. This will prevent little scraps of paper from piling up on your desk and minimize the chance of you forgetting or losing something important.

41. Before buying more office supplies such as file folders, consider purging what you already have. You probably have more space and supplies than you realize, once you do some rearranging and tossing out.

42. Don’t leave anything on top of your desk that doesn’t pertain to a current project. The less clutter you have in front of you, the less distracted you will be.

43. Get comfortable with Tickler Files- create folders to hold action items such as To Do, To File, To Pay, To Enter, etc. Keep these arranged in a vertical tiered/step file sorter on top of your desk.

44. Keep frequently used items such as stamps, scissors, paper clips, stapler, staple remover, and address labels on a shelf or hutch above your desk, not in a drawer.

45. Only allow yourself five open browsers (or ahem, “tabs” for those of you with an updated version of Internet Explorer) at a time when working online. Don’t detour and “surf the web” when you’re working or doing research online.

46. Make checklists for yourself and write them on your dry erase board or tack them to your bulletin board. Check tasks off as you complete them. Throw completed lists away.

47. Save time by making a “To Be Filed” folder instead of filing papers individually as you get them. When the folder is about 20 papers thick, spend a few extra minutes sorting and putting like papers together (for example, put insurance documents on top of one another, and utility bills together on top of that). That way, you can file one drawer at a time, without having to open each drawer numerous times.

48. Make friends with your business card notebook or invest in a good business card scanner. Whatever cards don’t make it into the book or scanner, get thrown away. Weed this out often.

49. If you burn or save something to a CD-ROM, label it immediately with a Sharpie marker.

50. Use a garbage can that is big enough for your needs, so you can minimize the number of times the bag must be changed. Designate a can for your office area as “paper only.”

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Tracy Colleran for contributing these tips. Tracy is owner of Straighten Up, Inc. You can visit her Web site at www.straightenupinc.com.