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The holiday season can be so stressful! It’s meant to be a joyful time full of celebrations, giving, and family traditions, but too often, we spend so much time getting ready for these things that we’re too tired and stressed out to really enjoy the moment.
Holidays are about much more than finding the perfect gift or preparing the most fabulous meal ever. If you focus on the meaning of the holiday you’re celebrating, you’ll begin to see that so much of the “stressful” part of the holidays becomes much less important and begins to melt away. The easiest way to do this is to simplify your holiday lists and traditions. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Create a holiday to-do list, but be discerning. Ask yourself, “If I don’t get this done, will anyone else care?” If not, eliminate it, or put it on a separate list labeled, “Things to do if I have the time and energy.”
2. Consider your gift giving habits. Are you buying meaningless gifts for everyone in the family just to say you gave them something? Make sure every gift on your list will serve a purpose for the recipient. If it’s too hard (or expensive) to buy for every adult, propose to draw names or give one gift to every family instead of every individual.
Clutter Free Gift Giving Resource Guide
3. Give “clutter-free” gifts, such as baked items, wine, tickets to a concert or movie theater, gift cards, or homemade coupons for personal services (massage, babysitting, house cleaning, yard work, car wash, snow shoveling, etc.).
4. Review your holiday rituals and traditions. Your family may have outgrown some, and they may not be as fun as they used to be. It’s ok to let go of these. Create new traditions and celebrate the ones that help you honor your family’s values and spiritual beliefs to the fullest.
5. Never go shopping without a list. The stores are just too crowded and cluttered with stuff if you don’t have a focused plan to get in and get out. Instead of browsing for ideas in stores, try looking online first where you can read customer reviews and compare prices. Before you hit the grocery store, take inventory of what you have and review your recipes to make sure you get what you need.
Gift Wrap Organizer
6. Wrap gifts as you purchase instead of waiting to wrap everything at once. Designate one area of your home as your gift wrap station and stock it with everything you need–wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, ribbon, tissue paper, gift tags, scissors, tape, and pens.
7. Abide by the “less is more” principle when decorating. Focus on your front door, one or two main rooms that everyone will see, and the Christmas tree. Aim for simple elegance over elaborate design. Let the kids put their creativity to work.
8. Buy desserts or use convenient mixes or frozen doughs if you don’t have a lot of time or don’t like to bake. You can find many specialty items in supermarkets or bakeries this time of year that are both beautiful and delicious.
9. Don’t over schedule. Accept the fact that you can’t participate in every activity. There are simply too many parties, events, concerts, programs, activities, and Santa-visiting opportunities to fit it all in. Make the choices that work best in your family’s schedule.
10. Serve others. Volunteer for a local charity, serve meals to the homeless, give gifts to kids in need, or ring a bell for the Salvation Army. There’s no better way to discover the true meaning and joy of the holidays than helping out those who need their spirits lifted and their hope renewed.
December 1, 2011
ORGANIZING SCALE
- A ttics: If you haven’t used an item in years & won’t display it in the house, consider getting rid of it!
- B asements: Use long curtains hung from rods on ceiling to conceal open storage areas, leaving the rest for living space.
- C losets: Sort by color, and move out of season clothes to the back or in temporary storage.
- D resser Drawers: Use shoe boxes as drawer dividers, hot glue matching fabric to the inside and rim of box for a decorator look.
- E lectronics: Bag seldom used adapters and small parts into labeled snack-sized bags and adapters used often in small open containers, then devote a kitchen drawer or covered container for them.
- F oyer: Place an entry-table near an electrical outlet, then cover table with a pretty cloth to hide your junk mail paper shredder.
- G arages: Keep clean storage to one side (or high on shelves) and covered, tools and lawn on the other side or near floor.
Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Rita McGhee for contributing these tips. Rita is owner of Sort My Space. You can visit her Web site at www.sortmyspace.com.
July 29, 2010
Kathy Jenkins, CEO of online retailer Organized A to Z.com, has announced the addition of the Everloc product line to the company’s inventory of organizing and storage products.
The line features bathroom, kitchen, and multi-purpose shelves, towel bars, baskets, hooks, and other holders that attach to surfaces with a unique patented suction cup system.
Everloc products cleanly and easily attach to a wide array of non porous surfaces including tiles, mirror, glass, laminate, and more. When the suction cup is applied, a silicone ring adheres to the surface and creates an airtight seal. Then, with a clockwise twist, a vacuum is created within the suction cup, making it airtight, waterproof, and permanently attached.
Each suction cup has a load bearing ability of up to 15kg.
“Everloc is truly a distinctive product,” explained Jenkins. “It allows the user to place items exactly where its most convenient, but remove them later and leave no marks or holes in the wall. It’s especially ideal for people who rent.”
Products include a variety of towel bars and racks, a soap and sponge dish, robe hooks, corner shelving for the tub and shower, a retractable wall mirror, and a dental station for toothbrushes and toothpaste.
“Our customers appreciate that these items are not only extremely functional and durable, but also stylish and visually appealing,” Jenkins says. “The simple chrome design is clean and elegant, allowing for a neat and orderly appearance.”
Based in Richmond, Virginia, Organized A to Z.com offers over 1000 products to help consumers organize any room of their home or office. Jenkins, a residential professional organizer with Come To Order® and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), focuses on choosing products that are both stylish and functional. To shop for organizational and storage products to simplify your life, go to Organized A to Z.com at www.organizedatoz.com.
June 22, 2010
With summer vacation just around the corner, your kids are probably cleaning out their desks and more and more papers are making their way home. Some of these will be special items that you’ll want to save to preserve those childhood memories and chronicle your child’s growth in academics and creativity throughout their school years.
Our School Years Momento Keeper is a great place to store your kids’ papers and artwork, save pictures, and record their favorite activities, friends, and teachers.
Sections include:
- Treasured Items—store report cards, photos, awards, and the like in handy pouches
- About Me—vital statistics from height and weight to allowance and career aspirations
- Favorites—from book to band to TV show, everything your child loves
- Drawings and Signature—see how your child’s artwork and handwriting changes over the years
- School—teachers, friends, extra-curricular activities, awards, and more
- Special Occasions—all the details about each year’s birthday, holiday celebrations, trips, and summer vacation
- For Friends and Family—places for you, your other children, and extended family or friends to share their reflections about your child
May 26, 2010
Spring and summer sports and outdoor activities require all sorts of equipment, and it’s no fun searching the house or garage for a lost glove or bat 5 minutes before you need to leave for a game!
Our simple solution – the Triple Compartment Storage Bin. This heavy-duty organizer is is the perfect organizer for your garage, basement, laundry room, tool shed, gardening shed or shop. The individual mesh bags allow you to see what’s in each one, and easily remove from the frame so you can just grab and go. The easy glide casters make it portable, so you can move it as you need.
Best of all, everything is right where you can find it, and you don’t have to worry about balls and bats scattered over the garage floor. Your kids will always know where to look when it’s time to get ready for the game!
May 19, 2010
Is your junk drawer full of — well — junk? Nearly everyone has one, but some are more useful than others. Here’s how to whip yours into an organized and functional space.
Take everything out and start tossing. Junk drawers are notorious for accumulating the stuff you keep “just in case” or which doesn’t have a designated “home.” Discard unidentifiable keys, screws, and nails. Out go old pens, scraps of paper with scribbled phone numbers, crumpled receipts, and expired coupons.
Group what’s left into categories. Usually, you’ll end up with office supplies (pens, stickie notes, tape, glue, rubber bands, scissors); fix-it supplies (hammer, screw driver, small tin of nails); and a few other odd bits.
Purchase a drawer divider (you can find plastic or wood versions at your local discount store or online) or simply reuse some small cardboard boxes to separate and contain your junk drawer’s contents. (Check boxes work great!) Small mint tins work well to hold everything from paper clips to nails, stamps to coins. Label them for easy storage and retrieval.
Use your junk drawer with caution. When you’re about to toss in something, ask yourself if it should really go elsewhere (like the trash can or another room). If it belongs in the junk drawer, then immediately place it in the right section of the drawer so you can find it when you need it.
Thanks to Organized A to Z partner Sara Pedersen for contributing this article. Sara is a professional organizer and career coach at Time to Organize® LLC. She enjoys sharing her passion for organizing not only with her clients, but with prospective and new professional organizers as well. Visit her website at www.time2organize.net.
May 17, 2010
Does your home or office look like a tornado just blew through?
Do you spend hours looking for something you know “is around here somewhere?”
Do you have paper piles all around your office, desk, floor or home?
Then you may have the characteristics referred to in the Professional Organizing industry as Chronic Disorganization (CD). Although it is not a medical or psychological disorder, it can cause you real problems. You may be shaking your head in agreement at this point, because you or someone you know may fit this description.
Chronically disorganized people can have adverse effects on those around them, as well as to themselves. They are rarely prepared for meetings, appointments, paying bills on time, deadlines, finishing things they start, filing papers or any combination of these. They may feel they have little control over their lives, as life tends to control them. (Visit www.nsgcd.org for a more comprehensive checklist of characteristics).
Is this the kind of pattern you want your children to learn from you? We all know “Children live what they learn…” Your bad habits will be noticed and assimilated by your children. How are you going to get them to learn to clean up after themselves if they live with the disorganized clutter you’ve created all around them?
A person can be chronically disorganized at work, and not at home, and vice versa. Once one gets so backlogged with mail, paperwork, clutter or disorganization, he/she tends to avoid the situation even more. This willingness to endure the clutter causes further stresses and frustrations due to the overwhelm generated by the thought of addressing (or avoiding) the issue.
Disciplining one’s self to get organized can be as simple as taking the time to do so. Ironically, this can be one of the most valuable uses of a CD’s time. Instead they spend it compounding the problem. In the “being busy,” they avoid attacking the situation head on. While in their office, the avoidance is compounded by working around the piles, not realizing the stress they feel is due to the surrounding disorganization. The vicious cycle continues until intervention is sought.
The good news is, getting organized does not have to be a painful process. It is a matter of breaking old habits and establishing new ones. Professional organizers are available to guide the process. We not only help clean up, we create systems and solutions that save time and help you maintain the organization.
Soon, a newfound sense of freedom and control is realized. This rejuvenation then positively impacts other areas of one’s life.
The following tips can get you started:
- Commit to putting in a few hours at a time to get organized.
- Find an appropriate place (a home) for each item.
- Place papers and items in those homes when they are brought into the home or office.
- Set up systems that save time.
- Purge files, drawers and closets annually at a minimum.
- Make a daily To-Do list, the night before.
Benefits of being organized at work include providing you with more time for customer service, increasing sales or to spend with employees at your business. At home, there will be more time for enjoying family and leisure-time activities.
Think about simplifying your life. Busy is great, but isn’t being organized worth the benefits?
Thanks to Organized A to Z partner Diane Hatcher for contributing this article. Diane is a CPO®, the only Certified Professional Organizer in South Florida, owns Time-Savers Professional Organizing Services and is the author of Don’t Agonize, Organize Your Office Now! She has been organizing paper and clutter in offices and homes since 1998. Contact her at (954) 252-7511 or at www.timesaversUSA.com.
May 10, 2010
It’s a busy time of year with spring sports, end-of-year school programs, and planning for good ‘ole summertime. It’s time to take control before you leave your 10-year old standing on the baseball field, wondering when you’re going to pick him up!
Our Busy Body Calendar is a lifesaver for families who are always on the go in opposite directions. Arranged in a grid format, each week features seven spacious columns so you can fill in activities and see where schedules overlap – or maybe find a time where everyone will be home for a family dinner!
The calendar also has designated space for key phone numbers and emergency contact information for doctors, coaches or babysitters. A 4-inch pocket on the inside back cover to hold important papers, receipts or coupons.
It’s best to keep the entire family’s schedule in clear view right in the kitchen, and our BusyBodyBook Wall Calendar is the ideal solution for every family.
April 15, 2010
When you think of downsizing, do you think it only has to be done when you are old and retired or moving to a smaller space? Many people associate downsizing with their eighty year old grandmother or parents that are retiring.
Here are some things to think about:
- Is your home over run with things such as furniture, knickknacks and miscellaneous items you do not use?
- Do you worry about theft?
- Do you worry about where to store your items or how you will ever keep up with the task of cleaning them?
- How much stress are you adding to your life by keeping all your possessions?
The process of downsizing is pretty much the same as getting organized. The first thing you will need to do is dedicate time. Sometimes that requires that you make the time because downsizing may at first not be all that appealing. The second step might mean you pick a room to start, such as the kitchen or garage. The next thing to do is to gather/purchase supplies that will help you donate, store or giveaway your designated items. It is important to also establish a space in which to go through your stuff and where you can store you supplies. Sorting like items together might be the next step which involves finding items you no longer use and deciding which ones to purge. Grouping like items such as colorful paper, toothpaste, shoes and bed linens will help you know what you have and what you can throw away or keep. If you are moving to a smaller space then it is important to keep in mind what that space will accommodate. It might be different in terms of storage, counter space and closet space.
The process of downsizing may bring up emotions and fears you did not know you had when it comes to parting with your items. In order to work through this process you might also ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I afraid to let go of these items and if so why?
- Do I keep, “what if” items, I think I might need at some point just in case?
- What do the items represent?
- How do the items/treasures impact my family and current living space?
Believe it or not, downsizing can include shopping and installation of items/ furniture that make your space more functional and efficient. For example, now that you know what you are keeping in your utensil drawer you now know what kind of drawer organizer to get to organize the drawer. In your closet you may need hangers because you now know how many clothes you have.
Downsizing can be fun and rewarding. Who knows, you might find things you lost a long time ago or find different ways of using what you already have. Either way, downsizing is a smart idea at any point in your life.
Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Jaime Vanderlaan for contributing this article. Jaime is a professional organizer, and owns a company called Dutch Girl Organizing in Leesburg, Virginia. Jaime has been in business since 2007. She has a passion for organizing and loves working one on one with clients in their homes or businesses. She also likes to motivate people to get organized through speaking engagements, seminars and writing. You can find her website at www.dutchgirlorganizing.com.
April 12, 2010
For our monthly organizing project, the month of February will focus on your kitchen. We have several items that will make kitchen organization much easier for you, but remember to create a system that will work for you. Below are a few tips. 
You can accomplish them all in one afternoon, or set a goal to complete one task each week. By the end of the month, you’ll have a neat and clutter-free kitchen that fits your lifestyle!
- Start by cleaning out those drawers! Remove utensils and other items that you don’t use and place them in a box that you will donate to a local charity.
Use drawer dividers and sectioned trays to help keep silverware and kitchen tools easy to see and grab when you need them.
- Next, tackle the cupboards! Throw away outdated food and spices, and use expandable shelf organizers and risers to keep items within reach. We love our Bamboo Expandable Step Shelf! It adjusts to fit in any size of cupboard and promotes an efficient use of space by allowing you to use the back of your cupboards without burying items.
- Saving receipts? You can easily organize these in a pocket photo album, accordion file divided by month, or in a binder with sheet protectors. The same concept works for user manuals for your appliances and smaller kitchen tools as well.
- Take advantage of the surface space on your refrigerator! Use a dry erase board to track schedules, write notes, or record phone messages. Purchase a magnetic basket to store pens, pencils, paper, and even freezer tape. This gives you easy access when labeling items that you place in your freezer.
Let us know your tricks and tips that help you organize your kitchen. We love to share with our readers, and you’re sure to help out someone who has the same organizing goals that you have. Leave a comment or send your tips to info@organizedatoz.com. Happy Kitchen Organizing!
February 1, 2010
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