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Published: September 7, 2007
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EmailDonna Smallin, author of seven books about organizing and the upcoming Organized for Life: 21 Life-changing Lesson in 21 Days, had an epiphany this past August. She was swimming, and she thought about the fact that she had only one bathing suit – and how that fact made her unique.
“So many women have several bathing suits,” she said during a phone interview, “and I don’t understand it. You can only wear one bathing suit at a time. Why would you need another?”
Smallin believes the less you have, the easier it is to organize your life.
She makes a living eschewing words of wisdom like this – things we know, but desperately need to be reminded of. Smallin is one of 4,000 member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, an organization that regularly grows in membership because the rest of us non-members are a mess: We’re too busy, not interested or somehow incapable of keeping our homes (and therefore our lives) organized. Top on Smallin’s list of advice: Stop shopping – or at the very least, think more when you shop. Ask yourself if you really need the item that looks so beautiful in the store. Walk away, think about it and give it sometime before you make another purchase.
“Things you buy today become tomorrow’s clutter, “ she reminded.
Being so organized, Smallin was able to easily rattle off other tips (sign up for her e-mail newsletter at unclutter.com for more):
In the kitchen: Organize likes with likes. For example, in your pantry, put all the pasta together, all the canned veggies together. This not only makes it easier to find things, it helps you figure out what you need to shop for.
In the closet: The same advice might work for you here – short sleeve shirts together, followed by long sleeves, followed by shorts, followed by pants, followed by skirts… Or maybe your mind works by color. Group them that way and then by short sleeves, long sleeves, etc.
Shoes: Give up on keeping them in perfect lines if that isn’t working for you. Get a basket and let your kids throw in their pairs. “Kids will have fun doing that and want to help you clean up,” Smallin said. “Yes, it’ll take you a little digging to find the shoe’s match, but you know it’s in the basket and not somewhere else in the house.”
Toys: Make sure you get containers that allow the kids to see their toys! They can then group likes with likes. If you can’t find some for some reason, draw a picture of the type of toy on the outside.
Stuffed animals: Buy a nylon hammock the kids can hang in their room. This is another opportunity for them to throw things and not get in trouble. Bonus: It’s a little harder for them to get the stuffed animals down if you put the hammock up high.
Steve Dash and his wife, Karen, also making a living organizing people – but in a hands-on way. Through their business, Method Organizing, they travel from Richmond to Fredericksburg to Hampton Roads, giving advice and installing storage systems. Even though he was in the middle of moving his office, Dash was focused enough in late August to offer these tips:
For necessities: Create a landing strip, a place where you always put your cell phone, the charger, your keys, your wallet and your purse. “It needs to be wherever makes sense for you,” says Dash.”My father-in-law visits often and chooses a bowl in our hallway. I know better than to move his keys from there.”
Closets: Hang clothes the opposite way you normally do (if you like them going left, change it to right and vice versa.) When you wear an item, change it to the “right” way. After six months, say bye-bye to a predetermined number of clothes that are still facing the wrong way (because you haven’t worn them!). If this process is painful and you can’t say goodbye easily, repeat the process again for another six months and try to say goodbye to a few more things.
Paperwork: Get a file with folders labeled 1-31 and Jan.-Dec. Put the papers you need on certain days in that file – or a day or two before if you like a reminder. Use the month files for things you get way in advance. Also, follow the “rule of one” – handle each flyer/bill/notice once. If you use a desk, do not treat it like a file. Rely on bulletin boards, files and boxes instead.
Kitchen and garage: Think of the kitchen as zones. For example, around the oven, put your utensils, food and spices. For the garage, think of these areas: “Need it now” – like extra dog food, soda, canned goods, dust pan. Keep those close to the door. “Long” – for tall storage for items like yard tools and lumber. Put those away from the door. “Storage” – a far away space for power tools, snow tires, other seasonal items. “Frequently used” – brooms, shovels and bug sprays. “Passion Center” – save this spot for your hobbies and all the stuff that accompanies them. The back center of the garage is good.
Professional organizer Joanna Lybarger doesn’t have to travel as far to help harried Hampton Roadsters. Her business, I.O.U (as in I organize you), is based in Norfolk. Some of her recommendations (given while she was cleaning out an attic!) include:
Garage: Compartmentalize, compartmentalize, compartmentalize. Do not have house paint on one side of the garage and car touch-up paint on another. Put them near each other. If you then want them on separate shelves that are stocked on top of each other, that’s OK.
Closets and Attics: Put like things with like. (Are you noticing a pattern in this advice?) Toys belong together; the camping stuff should all be together.
Betsy Fein, who works out of Rockville, Maryland with her company Clutterbusters, used the wonderful timesaving device e-mail to send it these tips for parents:
School flyers: As soon as practicable, read the flyers and perform the following R-A-T exercise. RETAIN: All school flyers that contain information you are certain you need to keep (class lists with phone numbers, emergency procedures, etc.) ACT: Make sure you have your calendar while reviewing the notices, and mark any important dates. Once you mark the date, you should be able to "throw." THROW: Anything you suspect you won't need in the future, or have already acted upon. Don't be afraid to THROW, as you can almost always go back to the school or your child’s teacher and ask about the content of the flyer, if necessary.
Jackets, backpacks and shoes: The best way to reduce clutter is to follow the 4 “P’s.” PATTERN: You will need to establish a pattern with your kids, whereby they follow a set routine when they come in the door. Don’t give up if, at first, your kids seem reluctant to follow or adhere to the pattern. Before they can follow the pattern, there needs to be an established PLACE for everything. You can start with a row of sturdy PEGS hung low, which can hold jackets and backpacks. Put the row of pegs close to the door where the kids enter. Next, you should consider a PLASTIC BIN or set of stacked bins, where the kids can throw assorted items such as shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, etc. (Hey, Donna Smallin recommended throwing, too!)
Elizabeth Moore with Living Simply Consulting in Chesapeake focuses mostly on professional offices and corporate employees, but she took a few minutes to offer these tips for everyone who has (or should have) a home office (for more productivity tips, visit www.livsimp.com):
What you need in the office: If your home doesn’t have a formal office space, create one. Many homes have a formal dining room or guest room that gets used just a few times a year. Why save that space for a few days of use by others when you could use it every day? Convert the space into an office with a sturdy desk and filing cabinet.
Where should it be?: If your home already has an office and you never use it, preferring the kitchen, decide why that is. Maybe the lighting’s bad. Maybe it’s too far away from the rest of the house. Maybe you’re using it for storage and it’s not fun to be in. If you can fix it, fine. If not, make your “office” more mobile and put that room to better use.
Paperwork: Keep your paperwork to a minimum. Use online bill-pay and/or automatic withdrawal services whenever possible. Sign up for online statements and keep pdf’s of your records on your computer. Keep track of your bill payments by registering for bill-pay reminders, scheduling reminders in your calendar, and/or paying bills every two weeks like clockwork (e.g., every other Monday).
Reach for it: Set up your desk using the Arm’s Reach Rule. The items that you use most frequently (e.g., pens, the kids’ school binder) should be kept within easy arms’ reach. Items that you use less frequently can be put inside drawers, on shelves, etc.
Bye-bye paper: Keep as little paper as humanly possible. If your child needs something signed, sign it immediately and get it back to them. If an invitation comes in, decide as soon as possible if you’re going to attend or not. If not, RSVP “no” and toss the invitation. Open the mail next to your waste basket and shredder. Your goal is to keep only the treasure and dump the rest. Toss envelopes, inserts and junk mail immediately. Keep only what you absolutely must. If you need to take action on something, do it immediately or set up a reminder so that you don’t forget to do it later.
Are you thinking, this is all great advice, but I don’t want to be the one to implement it? Don’t. Let a professional organizer do it for you. Their rates are surprising reasonable: Joanna Lybarger with I.O.U. charges only $40 an hour.
