You can find a large variety of wire kitchen shelves at amazon.com

Now at Amazon.com your student can register at Amazon Students and get FREE Two-Day Shipping for one year with a free Amazon Prime membership. Head on over there and get registered now and purchase everything your student needs to make this year successful.

Of course, you have many options for improving the storage in your garage.

One of the options is to buy a modular storage kit. This can have parts and components that you can mix and match together and can solve many storage problems.

Another option would be to build your own storage solution. If you have too many items to store in your garage, maybe a modular storage kit cannot provide you the needed solution.

The improvements made to your storage may help you reduce clutter, store seasonal items in a more convenient way, and improve organization.

Cabinets, shelves, wall-mounted racks and plastic containers are the most popular types of garage storage and organization solutions. Cabinets work well for protecting their contents from moisture and dust.

Shelves save space more efficiently, but the most affordable solution are the wall-mounted racks.

Clear plastics containers help you to store several items and allow you to still see the contents.

The best way to organize your closet isn’t the best way that someone else chooses to organize theirs. Remember, everyone has a different organization style, as well as, different sizes of closets. You should customize your closet organization system for what you store in your closet. There are some wonderful closet organization kits and systems out there, but only purchase one if the set up is right for you. Don’t rearrange your set up to match what is available unless you are sure the results will satisfy you.

It is to your advantage to design your own customized closet organization system. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can purchase individual closet organization products to come up with your own design. This can be tricky though when you are trying to get everything to fit properly. If you choose this option, try to select all the closet organization components from the same manufacturer. You should always measure your closet space and the products twice to get the best fit.

A much easier way to get the closet organized the way you want it is to design your own closet organization kit. While this is similar to purchasing each piece, it is much cheaper. It involves working with a manufacturer who offers design your own closet organizer kits. This works in one of two ways.

The first is you email them the layout you want for your closet and the size measurements. The other way is you email them with the dimensions and a few photos of your closet. They come up with some good layouts for you based on the information you provide. Once you select one that is right for you, they manufacture it. It is shipped to you for installation.

Keep in mind, proper installation of a closet organization system is essential. You want to work with a manufacturer that offers step by step instructions. The more pre-assembled the closet organization kit is, the better. You will want to consider your level of comfort with following directions and installing the custom closet organization kit designed for you. You do have the option of having a friend, family member, or professional install it for you as well.

If you want the easiest closet organization process, then consider hiring a consultant to do it for you. Keep in mind, this is more expensive than the other options, but certainly worth saving you the time and the worry of installing it correctly yourself. They can come to your home and discuss everything with you including what you want to accomplish with your closet make over. They will offer you several different options for layouts and materials.

Once you decide on the right layout and the materials for your custom closet organization, they will have it professionally installed for you. Then, you can simply organize your clothing and accessories in there. Quite simple right?

Closet organization does come with many decisions, but the end result will be something you are going to enjoy using for a very long time. You will be very glad that you invested your time and money in a custom closet organization system regardless of the method you choose for designing it, the materials you select, or who installs it. With so many closet organization options available, there is no reason why you should have to settle for anything other than exactly what works well for you.

1. Shelves – This is pretty common sense and one of the easiest ways to provide you with some storage space. Simply attach some shelves to the garage walls or you can even purchase shelving units that stand alone.

Shelving units for the garage should be heavy duty plastic or even metal so that they can withstand heavier items that are usually found in the garage like sporting equipment and tools.

2. Overhead storage – This is a great way to store seasonal items such as holiday decorations. Another item that can be stored up here is suitcases which tend to not be used all that often. If you object to building permanent shelves another option is to purchase shelf units that are made to attach to your garage rafters. An overhead storage unit that allows you to raise and lower the shelf easily is worth the investment.

3. Pegboard, etc – Your garage usually has an array of items in all shapes and sizes. It’s these variety type items that can easily get cluttered and leave things in disarray. Utilizing pegboard, slotboard or slatwall is a great way to create organization in your garage. You can use hooks and baskets to store tools, parts, cleaning supplies, etc.

4. Tool hangers – Not only do tools cause a lot of clutter if you don’t have them organized and stored in a tidy fashion, but it can also be dangerous. A great option is tool hangers. These will allow you to store your tools in a couple different ways. You can purchase standard hooks which hold the tool and then the handles hang down or there is also the roller version where it grabs the handle and holds them in place.

5. Store-Pod – If you haven’t heard of store-pods before they are large plastic bags but they have shelves inside of them. It’s a clear plastic door on the front that zips closed. To help keep pests out and away from the items being stored and to help reduce dust and mildew they have ventilation slots in them. So where do you use them or where would you place them? Store-pods get attached to the overhead beams.

6. Sports storage – Most families are involved in sports one way or another. If your family is, you know that there are balls, gloves, shoes and other sporting gear lying around. Now-a-days you can purchase items that are specifically designed to hold sports equipment. For example you can purchase bike racks that mount on the wall or ceiling, there are holders designed to hold sporting balls, etc.

7. Cabinets – Last but certainly not least are cabinets. These work perfect in the garage and will allow you to hide possible clutter. Let’s face it, there will be things that just don’t ‘belong’ anywhere else so what better way to ‘hide’ that clutter than putting it in a cabinet and closing the door? Many cabinets come with locks which will help keep items protected but small children safe also.

Tot Tutors Toy Organizer Storage Bins, Pastel
	Organizer with bins for easy-to-see, easy-to-access toy storage Sturdy wood construction with stable wide base, painted white finish and structural stabilizing steel rods Plastic bins in cheery pink, green, blue, and yellow pastel colors Includes 8 square bins and 4 double-size rectangular bins 34 by 31 by 11 inches; recommended for children 3 years old and up ...more info

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to storage units for your child’s bedroom is you’ll want something sturdy and durable. If you want to store something out of sight you can always go with the under the bed storage boxes. These aren’t necessarily super durable but they will be out of sight which should help prevent your child from messing with it. It’s best to keep in mind the age of your child also when it comes to organizing their room. Once you’ve decided on what will work best let them help you choose the colors/style.

After you’ve purchased the new storage units that you will be using now would be the time to rearrange the bedroom. This can be fun for your child if you let them help decide how they would like to have things.

For whatever reason, children usually have a hard time putting dirty laundry into the hamper. A simple solution to this problem is to put a basketball hoop (one of the toy ones that have suction cups on them so they’ll suction to any clear surfaced wall without damaging it) above an open hamper. Turn it into something fun, hence the basketball hoop, and suddenly they’ll have no problem putting their dirty laundry into the hamper.

Organizing the room is only the first step. Next you’ll have to find ways that will help keep your kids motivated to keep it organized. Try turning it into a contest to see who can keep their room the neatest for the longest amount of time. A points system can also work wonders – let them earn points for every day they clean their room, make their bed, etc. After earning so many points (you’ll have to decide what that is) let them get a treat. It’s all about finding what works best for you and your family.

The easiest way to get things in order and running smoothly is a daily routine. Routines are the best and easiest way to keep things running smoothly. Maintenance is key to making a system work for you and your family. Let’s look at some ways to get the family involved.

Charts may seem boring and bothersome to create but they are pretty simple and the easiest way to let everyone know their responsibilities. Create the chart showing all rooms in the house and all the family members. Assign a specific room/area to each family member and let them know they are responsible for picking that area up on a daily basis. This will help keep areas de-cluttered. Provide a box (or a basket) for reach room and items that don’t belong there can be placed in the box. Make a designated meeting area and once everyone is done picking up meet in the area designated and now go through everything and have everyone place items in the proper rooms.

For those of you that have a home with more than one floor you know how tiresome it can get running up and down stairs all down putting things away. To help solve this problem, keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairs (make sure you put them in a safe place that is out of the way of the stairs) where items can be placed if they belong in another area of the home. Once the box is full or at the end of the day you can now take the box and return items to their correct places.

Don’t think that because your kids are little that they can’t help. Even the youngest family members can be brought on board to help. Label things, even if only in the beginning, and this will help remind everyone where things go. If your children are too young to read use pictures and tape them to drawers, etc to teach the children where things belong.

Clothes pile up at a rapid pace so it’s imperative that you keep up on this and teach your family to stay on top of this as well. It’s actually pretty simple. Designate a place for dirty laundry and either label the baskets or use colored baskets. You’ll need one for whites, one for darks and one for colors. As soon as a basket is filled up, it’s time to do the wash.

Once you’ve decided on a system that will work for your family it’s important that you remain consistent. It’s going to be something that requires a daily effort from every family member. Everyone needs to make sure they keep up on their designated area each day so that things are being put away and returned to their proper homes.

If you are in the process of cleaning out and reorganizing the house you’ll probably come across items that you don’t use anymore or even items that have never been taken out of the original packing such as gifts that were given to you.

The best thing to do with these items is get rid of them. Chances are if you haven’t taken something out of its original packing by now, you’ll never get around to using it.

Local charities are always happy to take items that are in good shape off your hands! Another plus to donating to your local charities is that you may be able to take this as a tax write off (verify this with your tax professional first).

You could also check with your local shelter like the local women’s shelter and see if they accept donations. More than likely if you have used clothes, toys or books that are still in good shape they would be more than happy to take these items.

Often times the families in this type of shelter are literally there with the clothes on their backs and that’s it. So any item like a book, toy, etc can be a comfort to them.

There are also charities out there that will even come to your house to pick up your donations. Check locally to see if you have a charity like Purple Heart and Vietnam Vets or a group like Easter Seals because these are organizations that will often come to you and pick up your donations.

Many people don’t think of checking with their local hospital if they have items to give away such as books. Your local hospital might be more than happy to accept a donation of books especially children’s books. It only takes a second to make a phone call to find out.

After you’ve donated the items you don’t use it will be easier for you to reorganize what items are left. Because we tend to accumulate things quickly you might want to consider making a schedule of going through items every couple of months!

photo credit: ~Merete

If you’ve got decent DIY skills, looks as though it’s a pretty straightforward project and the results are great.

You can purchase a 24″ Classic Mocha Wood Shelf through Amazon.

It has been studied that the amount of things people place in their bathrooms is not proportionate to the area. Unless your bathroom is so spacious then you will totally agree with me. A medicine cabinet and a vanity area is a permanent fixture for any bathroom. Clutter on this area needs to be removed and then items organized.

You can start to make your bathroom clutter-free by following some simple steps:

1. Do not do everything at one time else you will be placing more clutter on spaces. Identify major clutter spots like under the sink and the medicine cabinet. Take out every item in those areas and sort. Throw those items that have expired or not usable.

2. You should decide which fixture or storage container is still needed. Make sure to work on every section of the bathroom, sort and dispose.

3. Organize similar items together in labeled stackable clear plastic containers. This allows a systematic storage of what you need and having clear plastic containers make you find things easily. You can also place similar items in decorative baskets if you do not like the stackable plastic solution.

4. If your sink has a cabinet then the possibility that there is clutter on that area. If you have no cabinet then there should be a better way to store cleaning materials other than placing them under the sink. You can have a plastic container available in stores for cleaning materials. This can then be placed neatly under the sink.

5. After doing everything above and you still have some extra things, increase your storage capacity. Vertical wall space for shelves, hooks and towel bars can be installed. Install shelves close to where you will be using the items that are stored on them. For example, extra soap and shampoo can be placed inside the medicine cabinet for easy access. Extra towels can be stored on the shelves.

Do not overcrowd your bathroom else it will again have that cluttered look. Make it a practice to keep makeup or shaving equipment in its proper place after using. Clutter in the bathroom counter is an eye sore.

If you are sharing the bathroom with other family members, remind them that they need to clean up and store what they use in order to maintain the neatness of the bathroom.

There are inexpensive storage solutions available in many colors and styles which can be installed quickly in your bathroom. They prevent clutter on the counter as well as give your bathroom a new look.

Martin Johnson is an organization expert. For more great tips on bathroom clutter, visit http://www.clutterbustercenter.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_C_Johnson

photo credit: amandabhslater

Bathroom organization requires you to first get rid of the clutter. You can’t organize clutter so you must get rid of it.

One of the main sources of clutter in the bathroom is either unused products or products purchased that weren’t liked or didn’t work as hoped.  It somehow feels wasteful to throw away those products so they get pushed to the back of the bathroom cabinets and drawers, never to see the light of day again.

It’s time to get rid of these items.  For many people it is much more effective to set a timer to provide utmost focus.  Grab your kitchen timer and set it for a reasonable amount of time, anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

Now grab a garbage and get to work.  You need to throw away anything that has expired or you used and didn’t like.  If you didn’t like it when you first tried it, chances are you will not like it if you try using it again.

If you have unused items which you don’t believe you are going to use, look for organization in your community which will accept toiletries donations.  Most homeless shelters or those working with the elderly will accept unused items.

Now, go through and look at your towel, hand-towels and washcloths and any that are beyond their useful life in the bathroom either throw away or move so they can be used for general cleaning.

This is the first step in bathroom organization.  After removing the clutter you can concentrate on organizing the items you actually use and we’ll cover tips on organizing your bathroom in a future post.

Imagine for a minute that your neighbor has just showed up at the door. You have just finished supper; dishes are all over the place because you allowed everyone to eat in the living room. The house is a mess and you feel that twinge of fear that she will notice the condition of your house.

Her eyes scan the room and then land squarely on you. What is she thinking? Why didn't I just figure out how to keep this house clean everyday? How?

The main rules on our checklist are-

· Put everything in its place- once

· Start with a small area first

· Get everyone involved in the declutter home checklist

Let's start with our first rule, put everything in its place once. What do we mean by that?

Well, imagine for a minute that you have just got home from work. That bundle of papers is put on the kitchen table. You pick up the mail and place it on the end table. Next, you decide to take a shower leaving your clothes on the bedroom floor and the towel in the bathroom. Do you see what is happening? That is how clutter is created.

You should touch an item only once. Put those papers in the office. Deal with the mail when you pick it up. Put your clothes in the laundry. It's simple and the only word you need to remember is – once! The declutter home checklist works when you begin with that word. Remember that procrastination will never get you what you want.

The next item on the list should be to concentrate on only a small area when you begin. If you can organize and declutter just a small portion of your home or office each day then you will have it all done in no time at all.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to set aside a certain amount of time for this task each day- say 20 to 30 minutes until you are done.

Put yourself in one room or one area and work at organizing only that one area. Set a timer and go in there with the single thought, put like things together. Shoes go with shoes, files go with files and magazines go with magazines. Stick with this idea in your mind and you will accomplish much in just a short time.

Set aside a certain time of day and make it a habit. Combine this with the first rule and your declutter home checklist will gradually gain you more time each day.

Lastly, you have to get everyone in the house involved in the project. If you fail at this point your checklist will become a heavy burden on one person in the household- the person cleaning up after the ones not listening or following instructions.

It does take some time for certain people but be patient and encouraging.

Want more information? Check the following website for more tips and tricks.

The Declutter Home Checklist [http://www.living-off-the-grid.com/gpage6.html] is ready for you to put into action. There are lots more ways to begin organizing your home, find out more about the declutter home checklist.

Our family has been living off the grid since last year, and loving every minute of it. Clutter can ruin your day , your week and your life. Learning the declutter home checklist and sticking to it has really made a huge difference in our lives. It will transform yours too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Temple
http://EzineArticles.com/?Declutter-Home-Checklist&id=1221171

About the Author

Stephen Gill is a financial analyst that specializes in debt reduction. Did you know that 3 out of EVERY 4 people who enter a debt relief program fail? By taking control of your finances and setting budgets for debt reduction you utilize critical ingredients for getting out of debt in the shortest time possible.

Good kitchen organization means making the kitchen into the functional room it's supposed to be. You cook in the kitchen. So your first goal when organizing the kitchen is to streamline cooking processes. You want efficiency and ease when cooking so it's a smooth, enjoyable experience for you.

The second major thing you do in the kitchen is store food. So your second kitchen organization goal is to be able to see at a glance what's in your kitchen food cabinets or pantry and what needs to be replenished. Plus you want to store food so it stays sealed properly and fresh.

Third, you clean up after cooking and eating in the kitchen. And this is a tiring task as it is so make it as quick and easy as possible to do.

Finally, you might eat in the kitchen. But you won't find too many kitchen organization rules that apply to this task since this is mostly just about enjoying the end product from cooking.

So how do you meet the first three kitchen organization goals?

First, permanently remove anything from the kitchen that doesn't belong there. This might include book bags, purses, coats, books or any other item you or family members regularly set on kitchen counters or on the table. Do not ever bring these items back into the kitchen. Make permanent homes for these type items in your foyer or entryway halls and closets using cubbies, baskets, containers or over-the-door plastic pocket organizers.

Now start streamlining your cooking area. Put items you most use when cooking near the work counter and stove and oven. This will be items that you use every day. If you don't use the blender every day, why is it in your prime counter work spot? Because it looks pretty isn't a good organizational reason. If you do use that measuring cup most days, why do you have to walk across the room to a far cabinet to retrieve it? Put it in the cabinet above your cooking preparation area.

Take a good look at what's in your prime cooking and work area now. Decide what needs to move into that area and what needs to move out of the area, while still remaining somewhere in the kitchen. You also may find a few kitchen items that are one too many, such as 10 frying pans and eight spatulas. Get rid of the excess items by donating them.

For your second goal of storing food so you can view it a glance and replenish items as needed you can do things like turn all the food items in your kitchen food closet so that labels are facing you. Also cluster these dry goods into similar groups of items such as vegetables in one section and can soup in another. Empty multiple boxes of the same pastas and rice into translucent plastic storage containers.

Also, you might want to place a magnetic basket on your fridge with a pad and pencil in it. Use it to jot down items you use the last of in the kitchen. When it's time to make a trip to the supermarket, you'll know just what you need.

Your third goal in the kitchen is clean-up. Keep your kitchen clean-up items such as dishwasher detergent, scrubber pads, gloves and more under the sink in a single pull out utility caddy. Use two if necessary. And don't “steal” items such as the cleanser back and forth between rooms. Get a separate cleaning caddy for the bathroom cleaning supplies.

Remember, kitchen organization is all about putting “function” back into this work space and streamlining the organization to suit your functional tasks. Making using your kitchen convenient, efficient, and even relaxing.

Looking for home organization products? Karen Porter offers organization store reviews and editor's picks at http://www.organization-stores.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Porter
http://EzineArticles.com/?Kitchen-Organization—Solutions,-Strategies-and-Rules-to-Organize-The-Kitchen&id=385791

Does your kitchen feel cluttered to the point that it discourages you from cooking? If so, you're not alone. Kitchen disorganization is a common problem that can take the joy right out of cooking. The following organizational and space-saving tips are designed to help you get your kitchen space back in working order.

Tip #1: Reclaim Your Counter Space

Probably the most frustrating circumstance you can face while cooking is the feeling that you don't have enough room to work with. Clear your counters by putting away any unnecessary appliances. If you don't have cabinet room for them, consider buying a separate shelving unit to store your appliances. This keeps large objects out of the way when you're not using them.

Tip #2: Buy a Spice Rack

A spice rack that you can hang on the wall or store in a cabinet or pantry is a major space-saver. All of those spice containers that you acquire over time slowly start to invade cabinet or pantry space that could be used for other items. Another option is to stop buying those spice containers altogether. Instead, buy from the bulk spices section using the small spice bags available at your grocery store. These can be easily stored in your refrigerator, taking up very little space and keeping your spices fresh.

Tip #3: Kitchen Utensil Holder

Oddly shaped kitchen utensils can be difficult to store in a drawer. They can get caught on the inside of the drawer cabinet, making it difficult to open and find what you need. To solve your utensil clutter problem, find a tall container that you can fit all of your utensil handles into and keep them next the stove. This way you can readily access all of your kitchen utensils and have them conveniently located next to your cooking area.

Tip #4: Cabinet Shelves

Consider buying some kitchen organizer shelves to make the most of your cabinet space. Often cabinet shelving is much taller than the cups or plates that we store in them. Utilize that space between shelves to its fullest by further dividing each shelf. This is a great method for separating different dish sizes from one another or creating two or three different levels for storing glasses or coffee cups.

Tip #5: Wall Rods

Install some inexpensive wall rods in your kitchen, which you can use to hang items on your wall instead of storing them in cabinets. Often you can find hooks or hanging baskets to attach to the rods. From these you can hang a number of items, including larger utensils, saucepans, skillets, woks, and popular ingredients that you want readily available.

For More Information

These 5 essential items are an inexpensive solution to kitchen clutter and can make your cooking experience much more enjoyable. For more information on kitchen organization and to find great recipes to try out in your newly cleared space, visit the website of CD Kitchen here.

Joseph Devine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine
http://EzineArticles.com/?Liberate-Your-Space—Five-Kitchen-Organization-Tips&id=2669439

The kitchen is one area of the home that can truly benefit from reorganization. It will make cooking and clean up easier and you can even save money thanks to knowing exactly what you need to pick up at the grocery store. When you go to organize your kitchen, you'll want to schedule a day or two to arrange the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer optimally.

Start with the pantry. You'll want to arrange your cabinets in like sections, similar to how a grocery store is laid out. Just like them, you want your food convenient and easy to find. Keep your baking supplies in one area. This would include things like flour, sugar, oil, baking soda, baking powder, mixes, and salt. Another section would be for hot and cold cereal. Drinks, such as teas and coffee, can be grouped together. Rice and pasta would also be placed together. Other sections that you can use include canned vegetables, beans, and fruits, condiments, canned meat, entrees, and soup, and snacks.

To sort your pantry right, you'll need to remove everything first. Since this is a big task, be sure you schedule enough time. When you put the items back in the cupboards you want to pay special attention to how you are arranging them. The taller items should go in the back, while the smaller ones should be placed in the front. This enables you to see where all the items are instantly. For sections with lots of cans, consider step shelves. Step shelves also work great for arranging spices.

You should use the same method for organizing your fridge. Unless you have all day to clean, schedule the pantry and the fridge on different days. Start by removing all of the items. Even if you clean out your fridge regularly, you probably have some items in their that can be thrown out. Mostly empty condiment bottles often stay in the refrigerator past their usefulness. After everything is out, clean the shelves and put in a fresh box of baking soda.

After the fridge is cleaned, go about grouping the food items in a similar way as you did with your cupboards. Fruits should go in one crisper, with vegetables in the other drawer. Lunchmeats and cheeses can go in a different drawer. Condiments work well in the door shelves. Eggs can go in the door if there is a place for them, or kept in the carton for longer lasting freshness. Keep the top shelf fairly clear for taller items and keep one shelf open for longer items, such as casserole dishes. After these considerations, group by type.

The freezer can be tackled the same day as the fridge, or on its own. Again, the method is the same. First toss out any old items that you will never use. Then group the items for easy access. Vegetables should all go together, as should meats. Stack any frozen leftovers or store bough entrees together. Arrange everything for easy access. Large things should be broken down into meal sizes and then wrapped and dated.

The final step to having an organized kitchen is to keep it organized. Once the first step is taken this is fairly easy to do, but don't fall back into old habits. Schedule one day a month to maintain the kitchen pantry organization so that cooking can remain fast and simple.

Carrie has been writing articles for several years, about everything from home improvement to self improvement. Her latest sites are childrens car seats and Graco booster seats.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Tyler
http://EzineArticles.com/?Kitchen-Organization—How-to-Arrange-Your-Pantry-and-Fridge&id=3112594

Good kitchen organization means making the kitchen into the functional room it's supposed to be. You cook in the kitchen. So your first goal when organizing the kitchen is to streamline cooking processes. You want efficiency and ease when cooking so it's a smooth, enjoyable experience for you.

The second major thing you do in the kitchen is store food. So your second kitchen organization goal is to be able to see at a glance what's in your kitchen food cabinets or pantry and what needs to be replenished. Plus you want to store food so it stays sealed properly and fresh.

Third, you clean up after cooking and eating in the kitchen. And this is a tiring task as it is so make it as quick and easy as possible to do.

Finally, you might eat in the kitchen. But you won't find too many kitchen organization rules that apply to this task since this is mostly just about enjoying the end product from cooking.

So how do you meet the first three kitchen organization goals?

First, permanently remove anything from the kitchen that doesn't belong there. This might include book bags, purses, coats, books or any other item you or family members regularly set on kitchen counters or on the table. Do not ever bring these items back into the kitchen. Make permanent homes for these type items in your foyer or entryway halls and closets using cubbies, baskets, containers or over-the-door plastic pocket organizers.

Now start streamlining your cooking area. Put items you most use when cooking near the work counter and stove and oven. This will be items that you use every day. If you don't use the blender every day, why is it in your prime counter work spot? Because it looks pretty isn't a good organizational reason. If you do use that measuring cup most days, why do you have to walk across the room to a far cabinet to retrieve it? Put it in the cabinet above your cooking preparation area.

Take a good look at what's in your prime cooking and work area now. Decide what needs to move into that area and what needs to move out of the area, while still remaining somewhere in the kitchen. You also may find a few kitchen items that are one too many, such as 10 frying pans and eight spatulas. Get rid of the excess items by donating them.

For your second goal of storing food so you can view it a glance and replenish items as needed you can do things like turn all the food items in your kitchen food closet so that labels are facing you. Also cluster these dry goods into similar groups of items such as vegetables in one section and can soup in another. Empty multiple boxes of the same pastas and rice into translucent plastic storage containers.

Also, you might want to place a magnetic basket on your fridge with a pad and pencil in it. Use it to jot down items you use the last of in the kitchen. When it's time to make a trip to the supermarket, you'll know just what you need.

Your third goal in the kitchen is clean-up. Keep your kitchen clean-up items such as dishwasher detergent, scrubber pads, gloves and more under the sink in a single pull out utility caddy. Use two if necessary. And don't “steal” items such as the cleanser back and forth between rooms. Get a separate cleaning caddy for the bathroom cleaning supplies.

Remember, kitchen organization is all about putting “function” back into this work space and streamlining the organization to suit your functional tasks. Making using your kitchen convenient, efficient, and even relaxing.

Looking for home organization products? Karen Porter offers organization store reviews and editor's picks at http://www.organization-stores.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Porter
http://EzineArticles.com/?Kitchen-Organization—Solutions,-Strategies-and-Rules-to-Organize-The-Kitchen&id=385791

If you have a small family and do not need to do laundry everyday, assign specific days for certain types of laundry. Let your family know that if their clothing is not in the laundry room on the day you do that color or type of laundry they will have to wait till next week.

If you do laundry on a daily basis, pre-sorting the laundry makes it quicker and easier to complete. Train your family members to sort their laundry by lights, darks and delicates.

Utilizing a three bin laundry sorter makes it easy not only to sort the laundry but to keep your laundry room tidy. The seville laundry sorter and the whitney rolling laundry center are good choices for keeping your laundry sorted.

Use a permanent marker to label each bin.  If you have young children that have not learned to read, take a picture of each type of laundry (lights and darks) and tape them to the bin.  Even young children can learn to sort their clothing into each bin.

Also, teach your family to turn socks, shirts and pants right side out so  you don’t have to.  If  you are having trouble with your children remembering, create a reward system.

By implementing a system for doing your laundry, you can keep on top of it and keep your laundry room clean.

It could be the most productive work towards a certain goal, it could be spending quality time with friends and family, it could be self-care or, more commonly, a combination of all and more.

As the demands on our time continually increase, it’s time to make a stand for what’s important in our lives.

We’re always talking about “getting more done” or “getting things done” when what’s really important is “getting the RIGHT things done” at any given time.

So how do you know if something is “the right” thing to be doing?

Ask this one question of each task/project before you start it:

“Does it bring me closer to my goal of X?”

If the answer is “yes”, do it.

If the answer is “no”, delegate or ditch it.

Now that you know whether a task is worth your attention, it’s time to actually get it done.

In order to get it done, you must be fully present — that is, focused — on whatever it is you’re doing any any given time.

With smartphones, email, Twitter and Facebook, not to mention all the distractions inherent in working from home, it’s easier than ever before to get distracted.

I recently read a quote from Esther Dyson (a commentator on cyber businesses) who stated “I worry about something I call Mental Diabetes Type 2, a lack of ability to think in a concentrated fashion over a period of time.”

WOW! That’s a pretty strong statement and one that bears some attention not only from a “self” perspective and ensuring you stay focused, but also from a “client” perspective and keeping them engaged amidst a world of distractions (more on that next week).

MY REQUEST TO YOU}

What are you doing to ensure you stay focused and “on target” with your goals?

And by “doing”, I mean what steps are you ACTIVELY taking to ensure that the latest, greatest bright shiny object or other distraction doesn’t take you off course?

Here are a few things I do to keep on track:

Schedule everything and if I originally think it will take an hour to do, I give myself 45 minutes — I find that if things aren’t scheduled, one task can take the entire day.  Scheduling also forces me to be realistic about my daily Action List.

  Use my timer to complete tasks in pre-defined periods of time — if you’ve been reading me for a while or are a client, you know how much I adore the Polder digital timers.

  Chunk things together. Have calls to make? Blog posts to write? Group similar tasks together so that your brain is already “in that mode”.

  And, most importantly of all, I continuously ask myself “Does this bring me closer to my goal of X?” before saying “yes” to something or getting started on a new project.

I challenge you to try scheduling your day AND sticking to the schedule — even if you don’t finish everything, I guarantee you’ll get a lot more done than you otherwise would have.

—————————————————-
Sandra Martini is an award-winning marketing and productivity consultant who helps entrepreneurs create and implement systems to achieve their visions, with services such as coaching, client systems development, consulting and Team Sandy Done 4 You Online. For more business strategies and to get your free audio series “5 Simple & Easy Ways to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”, visit Sandy’s site at http://www.SandraMartini.com today.

Isn’t it interesting how we hold onto our belongings as if we are holding onto life itself?

The idea that something we consider to be so precious to our hearts, can actually be given away, or thrown away for that matter, can feel as if our very last breath has been knocked out of us.

How is it possible then that the things we cling to and find so endearing can actually create pain for us? At what point does our “stuff” no longer feel good to us?

When posed this question, I found that most of my clients had a difficult time distinguishing what’s worth holding onto verses what can be let go.

The operative words here are “letting go.”

In most situations, trying to identify the treasures among all treasures becomes confusing and actually overwhelming. Everything begins to look like one huge treasure chest.

First, I think the most important question to ask yourself is what do you consider your definition of a treasure to be? What constitutes your items being called treasures rather than just stuff?

The next step is to go to the source of the pain. The question now to ask is “where does it hurt?” What things do you have around your home or environment that is creating a sense of disharmony for you?

Thinking along these terms, it’s sometimes easier to identify these hurtful objects by over-personalizing them using the “friend, stranger, acquaintance” game. In “Conquering Chronic Disorganization,” Judith Kolberg writes that “over personalization is the process of exaggerating the feelings that people have for their feelings. The exaggeration of personal feelings acknowledges these feelings and makes it possible for a person to move beyond them.” Using this philosophy, ask yourself, what strangers are looming around your home? And, by the way, what do you consider to be a stranger, anyway? For me, a stranger is someone for whom I have no feelings and in some cases actually can pose harm. So in relation to this, any “things” I have hanging around would be easy for me to dispose of.

Now, getting back to your treasures – how do you see them in comparison to a friend? Are your treasures really friends? For me, friends are there through thick and thin. I want my friends in my life all the time, so they participate in my life. So ask yourself, the things you consider treasures, are you treating them like friends? Do you expose them and are they interacting if your life? If you answered no, maybe the things you consider treasures are really stuff you can reduce to an acquaintance or stranger.

What I love about the friend/stranger/acquaintance game is that you can use this analogy in all aspects of life. I think it can help us really put our “things” into perspective. To the strangers, we can say goodbye; whether this comes in the form of an item, a job, or a relationship that is no longer serving us.

Acquaintances actually can be moved around at times from friend to stranger when appropriate, and we can feel OK about our decision when it’s time to let go.

And our friends, I think we can learn to honor what falls into this category and what warrants this title.  If your treasures are truly friends, then bring them out and have fun with them. Your friends deserve your respect to be truly called treasures.

—————————————————-
Patricia Diesel, The Organizing Expert, is author of A Simple Guide to an Organized life and CEO of Keep It Simple Now. Patricia provides professional organizing and life coaching  to individuals, entrepreneurs, and corporate arenas. Accomplishments, services, merchandise, and additional information about Patricia can be found at http://www.keepitsimplenow.com .

After countless attempts trying to purge and being
defeated, some people associate their lost battles with a
feeling of being assaulted. All they know at this point is
they want the chaos of the clutter to stop.

Introducing a list of questions at this point helps put
things into perspective about not only their current
circumstances but also about how the clutter came to be and
what is needed to make it go away.

It’s more appealing to look at de-cluttering as a fun and
enlightening concept rather than another grueling task. The
goal is to de-clutter in a fashion that feels comfortable
and natural.

If your clutter is having an emotional impact on you, begin
by asking yourself the following questions. Allow yourself
the luxury of taking the necessary time to answer
completely and honestly, you may be surprised what your
answers reveal.

What has prevented me from de-cluttering in the past?
- Time
- Motivation
- Energy
- A plan
- Commitment
- Distractions
- Other

What do I find is the hardest thing about de-cluttering?
- I don’t trust myself
- Insecure with my decisions
- I double-check myself
- I remember what I like
- Fear of letting go
- Afraid I can’t get it back
- I may need it
- Don’t want to deal with it
- Other

What would make it easier for me to de-clutter?
- To know it’s OK to let it go
- The idea that I can find it again
- Someone to help me
- A reward system
- A plan I can follow
- Thoughts of being clutter free
- Other

How much time am I willing to commit to de-cluttering?
- One day
- One week
- One month
- Six months
- One year
- However long it takes
- Other

What does de-cluttering represent to me?
- Freedom
- Simplicity
- Excitement
- Work
- Exhaustion
- Confusion
- Other

After reviewing the answers to the questions above, you can
easily begin to see what you need to put into action in
order to begin taking action toward living an organized
life. The easiest way to begin making organization part of
your routine is to begin incorporating changes slowly.
Create small wins for yourself so you can easily feel a
sense of accomplishment and treat yourself to celebrate
your win. This will begin creating a positive behavior
pattern. In time, organization will become a part of your
life, not something that overwhelms you.

About the Author:

Patricia Diesel, The Organizing Expert, is author of A
Simple Guide to an Organized life and CEO of Keep It Simple
Now. Patricia provides professional organizing and life
coaching to individuals, entrepreneurs, and corporate
arenas. Accomplishments, services, merchandise, and
additional information about Patricia can be found at
http://www.keepitsimplenow.com .

First, let’s get rid of the garbage. Go into your laundry room with a garbage bag and simply focus on collecting and throwing away all the items that are trash.

Once we’ve gotten rid of the trash, you need to sort through all of the clothing in your laundry room. You need to make four  piles – one for clothing you no longer wear, items which need to be repaired or sent to the dry cleaners and then the rest need to be sorted by color so you can actually get the laundry cleaned.

Now throw in a load of laundry and start tackling the pile! Place all the items you no longer wear in a bag and place the bag in your vehicle to drop at the donation center your next time out. Don’t save it for a yard sale “someday”. This is why clutter accumulates.

If there are items that need to be repaired and you have the skills to do so, set a deadline for the next week to repair those items. If they are not repaired within that week, you need to either take them to a tailor to be repaired or get rid of them. Having these items in your laundry room collecting dust, simply creates more clutter.

Don’t let the laundry overwhelm you. Depending on the amount of laundry that has piled up, commit to doing at least one load of laundry per day.

I’ll give you some ideas about laundry room containers and laundry room racks in the coming days to help you really organize your laundry room.

photo credit: Schantzilla

Before we can organize we must first declutter. Everyone has their own definition of clutter. What I consider clutter is not necessarily what my best friend would consider as clutter. Clutter can be loosely defined as anything you don’t use or love. If you have not used an item in the last year, and you don’t have a specific place for that item, you need to get rid of it.

Here are some simple steps to make your resolution to organize a realty:

1.  Set concrete, measurable goals

Setting goals helps you to keep focused on your mission, which is to remove the clutter and chaos from your home.  Organizing your home cannot take place all in one month, it must be a process throughout the year.  Set a goal that is obtainable for YOU.  Goals must be personal in order for them to be achieved.  What is most important to you?  Consider getting rid of one item every day.  Seems like a pretty easy goal and considering that will remove 365 items from your home it can be a great motivator.

2.  Remember one day at a time

Certainly setting a goal for the year can be motivating but it can also be daunting for some.  Don’t let overwhelm keep you from accomplishing your mission of decluttering.  Focus simply on today.  What one thing can you do to declutter one small area of your home.  Don’t pick an entire room or even an entire closet to start with.  Pick one drawer or one shelf in a closet and set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes.  Remove all of the clutter you can within that 15 minutes.  By setting  a timer it gives you a concrete amount of time you have to concentrate on one thing.  Anyone can concentrate for 15 minutes and every little bit helps in the process of organizing your home.

3.  Find a clutter buster buddy

Keep yourself on task by finding a friend that also wants to declutter for 2010, or include your family members in the effort.  Create a task list and share it with your friend or family members.  Your family members can then be involved in the effort to declutter.  By including either friends or family you create accountability partners who can help you stay on track.

4.  Setbacks will happen

There will be days when you either don’t feel like decluttering or the tasks of everyday life get the in way of making progress.  Don’t beat yourself up over it.  Setbacks are a part of making progress in any area of our lives that we want to change. The goal is to not let those setbacks totally derail your efforts and keep you from making progress.  Start each new day fresh.  If you are list creator, make sure and add one 15 minute session of decluttering to your task list for the day.

What are your goals for organizing and decluttering in 2010?  Please share them in the comments below.

This is a task that I will have my children complete. I know how many new items each child had so it is going to be their job to go through their toys and choose the same number of toys they received to donate. By doing this, the responsibility of choosing which toys to donate falls to them so I don’t have to worry about giving away a “favorite” toy.

I am also going to have them find toys that are meant for younger children and donate them as well.

Depending on how smoothly this goes and the amount of toys identified for donating, I may take another step as well.

Since they will be gone for awhile today, I am going to choose more toys and instead of putting them directly in the donate pile, I will box them up and label them. This box will go in the garage. If after six months I have not had one of them asking “Have you seen xyz toy” this box will be donated.

When you do go through the task with your children of choosing toys to donate, make sure you take these items right away to the donation center. Given enough time to mull it over or to even have access to the donation toys, many kids will then suddenly realize they “really” didn’t want to give up that toy.

Stay safe this New Year’s eve and we’ll be working in January to start decluttering our homes for the new year!

First, as you are removing decorations from your tree, determine if you want to keep the decoration.  If it’s broken and not repairable, throw it away.  If you decorate your tree based on a theme, determine if you plan on using the same theme next year.

Are any of the lights burnt out on your strands of lights?  Fix them now to avoid the extra work next year.  If you have a strand of lights that are quite old and are no longer working properly, go ahead and throw them away now.  There is no sense in storing away items that no longer work correctly.

A great way to store christmas tree decorations is in either a clear or green and red storage container.  If you don’t already have one, make sure to purchase one in a size that will fit all of your tree decorations.

Put your decorations in the storage container with the items that will go last on the tree at the bottom (hanging ornatments) in a smaller container that fits inside your larger container wrapping each ornament in used wrapping paper(a great way to recycle).

On top of that you can place any garlands you may use.  Then you can take a piece of newspaper and place on top of the garlands and then place your strings of lights.

A great way to keep your lights from getting tangled is to wrap each strand around the top of a shoe box.

By placing your items in this order, come next year when it is time to decoration the tree, the items you need first (lights)will be at the top and you can simply work your way down the box to decorate the tree.

Now is a great time to buy an items you will need for decorating your tree next year.  You will be able to purchase them on sale now, saving yourself a significant amount of money. Amazon has their christmas decorations on sale now for up to 70% off!

photo credit: noisymask

Today have your children pick 5 to 10 items in their rooms to donate. They’ll be more likely to give up these items knowing they’ll have new things.

When opening gifts, have a garbage bag handy to throw away the gift wrap right away.

Above all else, take the time to enjoy time with friends and family. We’ve got plenty of time to start getting together our New Year’s resolutions to organize and declutter.

Now knowing how challenging it can be to manage your health records if you are healthy, imagine what it would be like to manage if you are dealing with a chronic illness. It is imperative you create an organized way of managing your health records not only for your own piece of mind but to assist your doctors in managing medications, test results etc.

Even though doctors offices now manage your records via their computers which provides them access to your medical records for their office plus diagnostic testing they have ordered, it does not provide them with information you have from other doctors.

Creating a medical binder is the best way to manage your medical records. You can create this information cheaply with a three-ring binder and dividers. Some suggested sections you would want to include are:

• Contact Information for doctors, hospitals and clinics
• Summary of doctors visits
• Notes from your doctor visit
• Copies or medical tests
• List of medications including, prescription, over the counter and supplements
• Billing and insurance papers
• Family history

If you are looking for something more structured, the Medical Manager Health & Wellness Organizer is a great tool.

Reveal Medical Manager Blue/Taupe Health & Wellness Organizer (00950-B)

Oversized, retractable handles ensure carrying comfort and easy storage when going to every healthcare appointment. Constructed of premium materials and sewn for long term durability 90 pages of preprinted forms guide you to record all your important health and wellness information Large-size, locking binder rings provide extra security during travel and leave space for extra paper, notes, receipts, and forms Organize your payment records, insurance claims, medication schedules, emergency contact information Includes expanding file for irregular-sized papers, tabbed dividers with pockets, appointment/medical card storage, 3 sewn-in pockets, magnification lens to read fine prescription bottle print, 2 pen loops ...more info

Some key points to remember from this video:

1.  Determine how you prefer your clothes be stored, hung or folded

2.  Store like items together shirts together, pants together, etc

3.  Place like colors together

Invest in good hangers.  The ones you get from the dry cleaners are not good for storing your clothes in your closet.  Instead, like they recommend in the video you should purchase good hangers.

These crystal hangers are very similar to the ones recommended in the video

Have the party at non-meal times

Creating a sit down meal for a gathering of friends and family can be expensive. By having a gathering in the mid-afternoon or late evening, you avoid the need to feed your guests a sit down meal. You can serve appetizers or better yet, ask everyone attending to bring an appetizer of their choice.  This way you’ve got a variety of items for people to choose from but you’re only responsible for making one appetizer yourself.

Beverages

Purchasing a variety of wines and other alcoholic beverages for your holiday gathering can be quite expensive.  You can avoid the expensive by either asking each person to bring their favorite bottle of wine or simply find a punch recipe that uses an inexpensive alcoholic beverage.

Also be sure to provide non-alcoholic options such as a punch or other beverages as well.

Deck the halls

It isn’t necessary to make sure every inch of your home reflects the holidays.  Remember that everyone will more than likely be gathering in a couple of rooms such as the kitchen and living rooms so concentrate your decorating efforts in these 2 rooms.

Candlelight will make any holiday event festive.  You can purchase candles or tea-lights inexpensively from the dollar store.

Sounds of the holidays

Play Christmas music.  If you don’t have a collection of holiday music, during this time of year Amazon has free downloads of selected holiday tunes.

The holiday are about spending time with friends and family so with the above tips you can have a wonderful holiday event on a shoestring budget.

Basically this is how recyclebank works.  You are provide with a recycling receptical where you place all of your recyclables, no need to sort.  When your waste management company picks up your receptical, it has technology with calculates the amount you’ve earned in points and those points can then be redeemed at what their website says is over 1500 local and national businesses.

I love this concept from an organizing perspective.  No need to keep multiple bins to sort your recyclables which take up space.  No need to then load all of those bins and take them to a recycling company that actually pays (usually pennies) for what you’ve brought in.  The amount of time, space,  and the diligence needed for making money recycling doing it yourself really makes it not worth your while.

But with a program like recyclebank.com, not only do you help the environment by recycling, it makes it easy, convenient and easy to make money recycling.

This program is not available in my local area, but I hope it become available soon.  Check with your local waste management company or city and see if recyclebank is available in your local area.
photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

Are there homeless items living in your home? If you’re like most families, you have countless bits and pieces lacking designated spaces, so the homeless items are left lying on the nearest shelf or countertop. After awhile all the little items without a home begin to accumulate, causing clutter and chaos in your household. Without a specific place for everything, your level of discomfort may increase because when you need one of these floating items you will not know exactly where to go to find it. Talk about stressful!

How do you combat the urge to throw your stuff on the kitchen table and decide to put it away later? First of all, stop telling yourself that you’ll “Get to it later”. For most people, later means “When I can no longer see the table top and have to eat dinner on top of a pile of newspapers”. Unless you’re one of the blessed few who weren’t born with the “do it later gene” you know how quickly the mess can pile up and how uncomfortable the resulting feeling can be. Your home becomes a cluttered mess, less than welcoming place to hang out.

When was the last time you were searching frantically for your checkbook only to find it well hidden underneath a stack of junk mail? What about the universal search for the illusive car keys? How many jobs were ultimately lost because the key search went on for thirty minutes or more on a daily basis? The solution is simple really.

Every item in your home needs its own “place to be”.
Items like Junk mail and newspapers should be thrown out daily. Or, if reading the newspaper is becoming just another chore, cancel your newspaper subscription, and, instead read your news online!

So what do you do about those items that you can’t quite figure out where to store? Items like odd batteries and eye glass cleaner. I’ll tell you what not to do. Don’t buy a large rubber container and label it “miscellaneous”. Obviously, if you don’t know exactly what’s in your miscellaneous bin, you’re only containing chaos in a smaller space.

Instead, purchase a set of multiple storage bins. Each bin can store one type of otherwise homeless stuff. Give each bin its own “address” or label and put in the matching contents. Just remember to avoid the “get to it later” trap when you initially bring the item into your home.

The old saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place” applies more in today’s world than ever before. There are books and courses dedicated to “home organization”.  Honestly, a course isn’t going to help break the bad habits that caused the problem in the first place. Ending clutter must become a habit, just like brushing your teeth each day; only if you can find the toothpaste. Decide today. If the homeless have taken over your home, then get up and get started. You’ll love the feeling!

Article by:

Visit www.homeorganizationhelp.com for a battle plan to tackle the chaos and disorganization in every room of your house.  – Nicole Dean

photo credit: theogeo

The first tip is for homework. Try setting aside a specific time for homework to be done. Make an agreement with your child that between these hours, it is homework and nothing else. Make it a time when you are available so you can assist if necessary. If this habit is established early in their school years, when they get into high school, it will be much less of a chore to get them to do it.

The next tip is to have an area designated for homework. Make sure it is quiet so your child can concentrate. Have a box with everything that they could possible need. Make sure there is paper, pencils or pens, markers, scissors, calculators, rulers and so forth. This will minimize the  “I don’t have a pencil” problems that waste time. Having this established will set a good tone about homework and get your child into good habits early.

Children have loads of school work. Teach them how to use a three ring binder early in life. Devote a section to each subject and get dividers in separate colors. This sends a message to the brain and helps it create its own internal filing system. You may also get your child to make an illustration about their particular subjects, to be placed in the three ring binder. Designate some time each week, ideally during homework time to go through the folder and discard what is no longer needed. This is a great way to teach your child organization and spend quality time with them.

Children accumulate loads of paper during their school years. Keeping it organized isn’t such a chore. By designating time each day for homework, having equipment on hand and going through their binders on a weekly basis, your child will be organized and start to do better in school.

If you have Microsoft Word you have the ability to create files. If you have one computer in your home then have a file for each member of the family. These files will eventually get full so at various intervals through the year have a computer clear out. Tell everyone they have one week to sort their files or everything will get dumped. This way, all of the things that you need will be saved and the less important items can be discarded.

If you live on your own or want to clean up your work computer, folders can help with this as well. Just create folders for certain sections of your life. Perhaps bills, appointments and so forth. This way you can access things easily without having to wade through years and years of old documents. Learn to use your folders section. You will be amazed how quickly things accumulate.

If you have a lot of things stored and genuinely need all of them, than consider getting some back up computer disks. Even though you may need everything, some things will still be more important than others. Keep the more important items saved on your computer and the others on disks. This way you can keep computer space free and still keep everything. Make sure you label your disks and keep a good filing system. This way you can still access what you need quickly.

With the pressure to go paperless, many of us forget to keep our computers organized. You need to keep on top of these things so you computer runs well and you can get to what you need.
photo credit: acnatta

Most of us get something in the mail nearly everyday. If it isn’t junk, it is bills or other things that need our attention. The highly organized person will check through their mail everyday and tackle those things immediately. Most of us just stuff it all in the drawer and wish it would go away. Something you can try is to get a small wicker or plastic basket. Make a deal with yourself. Put all of your mail in this small container and leave it.

However, there are 2 conditions. The mail must still be visible and once the container is full you need to go through everything and tackle what needs to be done. This is effective for a few reasons. It does force you to look at your mail on a fairly regular basis. It also keeps it in a safe location so it is not cluttering up your house or office. Finally, keeping it visible will remind you it is there so it doesn’t fall into the out of sight out of mind trap.

How many times have you set aside time to do things only to be interrupted by a constant barrage of phone calls. The more times you have to stop and re-start a task the less likely it will get done. The best thing to do is set aside some time to return phone calls. If the phone keeps ringing, let it ring. Let your answering machine do its job. If you like you can even put a message for callers stating you are otherwise engaged and will return calls at a later time.

It is important not to let outside forces stop you from getting your tasks done. The more times you have to restart the less likely you will finish. By keeping the mail in a safe place and setting aside time to return phone calls, you can devote your time where you need to, getting your life sorted out.

photo credit: troismarteaux

Before you get that pencil and paper put, put your self into the correct room, the kitchen. As you are making your list, you can actually check through and see what you are getting low on. You can see if certain items need to be replenished or if they can wait another week. A good, accurate list will keep unnecessary items from being bought and needed items from being forgotten.

Also, figure out meals for the week; breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Look to see what ingredients you have on hand for each meal and put on the list what items you don’t.  By knowing what you are going to cook for each meal, you are able to buy only what you need.

These simple steps will help you organize your grocery shopping.
photo credit: brownpau

This happens to all of us at some point in our lives. We get caught up in the daily grind of life and our routines so anything that happen outside of that runs a great risk of getting missed. In this article we will look at some ways to remind yourself of those little day to day chores and errands and to help remind yourself of those events coming up in the next few months.

Many of us need just reminding to do those chores and errands after work. There are various things you can try. You don’t need to invest loads of money in expensive software or hire a personal assistant. You can do it with things you likely have in your home. The most basic tool is the little notebook and pen.

Make sure you have this with you at all times and jot down those things you need to do that day. Always have it in your pocket as a reminder. Try to stay away from little scraps of paper. These frequently get lost making them useless.

If you have email or voice mail on your computer, try sending yourself messages. This is easy to do and takes just seconds. You can also set it up to send your messages while you are at work. Finally, if you have an answering machine in your home, phone it and leave yourself a reminder message.

This is one of the first things we do when we arrive in our homes is check our messages. Should you forget during the day but are reminded as soon as you walk in you may still have time to complete the chore that day.

Finally, what can you do about those dates that are due to come up in the future? Again, leave the high tech stuff alone. All you need is a small box and some index cards. Section the cards off according to month and label cards clearly with dates that something needs to be completed by. This is an excellent system for remembering those doctors and dentist appointments that are months away or some bill or other financial obligation.

By using these simple tips. The chances of you forgetting any important matters will greatly decrease.

If you’re in a position that requires you to have a beeper then you’re in a really good position to never lose your keys again. If you simply attach your beeper to your keeps, they next time you misplace them, activate your beeper. When the sound goes off you should be able to find your keys quite quickly. This can work for other small objects as well.

If you don’t own a beeper then there are other things that you can try. Simply try putting a box for keys up so it is visible. Place near to the front or main entrance to your house, so it is the first thing you see as you come in and leave. Get into the habit of putting your keys in the box. Once you do it a few times it should start to become habit forming.

If you find your continually forgetting to put your keys in the box. Then some extra reinforcement might be needed. Get a roll of quarters, at least 20. Every time you put your keys in the box place a quarter in as well. Once you have done something 20 times it usually becomes a habit. However, if it still isn’t sticking in your memory empty the quarters and start again. The quarters will serve as an extra reminder of where to put your keys until the habit is formed.

No one needs expensive equipment or software to organize and remember. All you need are simple devices and time to try to form new habits. Practice makes perfect and before you know it, you’ll never be searching for those keys again.

photo credit: swanksalot

Most big tasks can be broken up into small manageable tasks. To get them done with as little stress as possible, this is what should be done. If you’re looking to spring clean your home, for example, divide the house up room by room. Then list everything that needs to be done in each room. Once you have your lists you need to prioritize what needs to be done first, second and so on. Once this is complete you can get going. Making lists of smaller tasks and ticking them off as you get them done gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Instead of one monster task you can reward yourself for doing the series of smaller tasks. You’ll see things start to take shape and feel better as the task suddenly becomes smaller.

Big tasks in some ways are a mixed blessing. There are things that you like to do and things that you dread. When you have your list of what you want to get done for that day, if at all possible do the least desired task first. You energy levels are highest in the early part of the day so giving it to those tasks you really don’t want to do will get them ticked off of your list much faster. Waiting until later, when you are tired and slow, will virtually guarantee that the task will get put off.

Big tasks seem quite daunting however, nearly all of them can be shattered into small tasks. By doing this you’re making the large task much more manageable and even enjoyable at times. The next large task you know you have coming, pan in advance and break it up. You’ll find it isn’t so bad.

Have you ever had an item either break not long after purchase or within the warranty period?  After digging through piles of papers for hours, you can’t find either the warranty information or the original receipt.  Another money waster.

One way to avoid such issues is to designate a drawer or cupboard to these type of items.  The kitchen is the ideal place to designate such an area.  Make sure to staple receipts to the paperwork.  Everything should be clearly labeled including the drawer itself.  Keep this drawer designated for the household paper only to avoid anything getting lost.

The ability to find your household paperwork will save alot of time and headache.  The kitchen is the perfect place since it one of the most used rooms of the house.  With the drawer clearly labeled, family members will always know where to find these documents.

Keeping your household paperwork in a safe and visible area of the home is a great way to keep your home organized.  Using a kitchen drawer will keep things out of the way but serve as a constant reminder where those needed documents are.

photo credit: me and the sysop

You’ve probably seen the expensive computer programs which are “guaranteed” to get your finances in order.  Although these programs can be helpful they are costly.  Why spend hundreds of dollars when you can manage your finances for almost nothing.  What do you need in order to do this?  Simply a pen and paper.  Take out your last bank statement, write down your bills and when and how much each is.  Also take a look at your other expenses such as food, clothing, and entertainment and write down how much you are spending on each category.  This is the first step in getting your finances organized.  If you prefer a more high tech method, you can create a spreadsheet on your computer to manage your expenses.

Another item people are prone to believe they need to buy are organizers.  These range from 10 to 20 dollars. It is true that some kind of filing system is needed to keep track of bills as they come and when they get paid. However, you can make your own for next to nothing. An old three ring binder is a great way to to manage your bills and if you don’t have an old one lying around you can purchase one for two to three dollars.  Place your bills in the three ring binder and mark when they are paid.  Using this type of filing system works well and saves you alot of money over the expensive organizers you can purchase.

Organizing your finances is the first step in getting your financial house into shape.  Once you have a better understanding of they money going out and when, you’ll be able to better identify if or where any financial problems lie. You’ll soon be on your way to a better financial future.