How To Get Organized

How To: Get Organized

Getting organized is a challenge everyone faces from day to day. Whether it be organizing your house, your closet, your office- something is always in need of a little help. I have been tackling the task of organizing my house, and it's been a long process. I've gathered some tips that may help you get organized once and for all.

Organizing The Closet

This has always been my biggest challenge. I can never find what I am looking for, and often arrive late and disheveled after a frantic search to find the right outfit. I have since re-configured my closet to better suit my needs.

Tip #1 - Assess your space. Do you share a closet or are you blessed with a walk-in all your own? Do you have shoes laying all over the floor with no home, or hundreds of empty hangers with clothes scattered around the room? Once you know what the problem is you are better equipped to fix it. If you have an undying love of shoes, invest in a sturdy shoe rack large enough to hold your current stash, with room to grow for your next great find. If you have thousands of t-shirts and only three nice blouses, a hanging organizer may better suit your needs. If you keep all accessories, such as belts, scarves, handbags and jewelry in your closet, consider building a shelf for the handbags, and hanging hooks for belts and scarves. Once you have a basic plan laid out, you can pay more attention to details. Do you want your clothes sorted by season, or perhaps colors? Do you plan in entire outfits or separate pant from tops? If you like to plan in terms of outfits, a few pant hangers will do wonders for your morning routine. Pair the top and pants together, and just grab-and-go in the morning. If you have a varying work schedule, you may want to plan according to the day. You can find closet rod organizers at any mass retailer. See how to make your own simple closet dividers.

If Friday is "Jeans Day" at work, put your favorite pair behind the Friday tag. If you know you have an interview on Tuesday, place your suit behind the Tuesday tag. Whatever system you choose, make sure it works for you. If you know you won't sort through colors when putting laundry away, a color-coded closet won't stay neat for long. If you like to options, chances are a weekly plan of outfits will fall through. See how we organize outfits for the week here.

Tip # 2- Take it all out! Once you've decided on a system and bought the necessary supplies, take everything out of the closet. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.
Take this opportunity to go through your clothes. If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it. I make 3 piles, with three labeled bins. Charity, Trash, Keep. If it's in decent shape, but you just don't love it, put it in the charity bin. There's no need to keep things you won't wear, it's only taking up space. That holey pair of underwear, on the other hand, can go straight into the trash. Only put back in your closet what you know you will wear. If it doesn't fit, and hasn't for a while, toss it.
You don't need a daily reminder of any weight lost or gained. The only things that should be in your closet are clothes you fit and love. Donate everything else (except for those underwear!)

Tip #3- Have your organization system installed before you put anything away. Don't hang up all the clothes then attempt to rearrange the outfits. It will only stress you out and cause more work. Once your system, whether it be daily outfits, types of clothing, or business/casual wear is in place- you're ready to put it all back.

Tip #4- Re-assess. Once everything is put away, take another long look at your closet. Is everything easy to reach? Do you like the organization system and can keep it up? Be proud of your work. You have just tackled the black hole of bedrooms, and streamlined your morning routine.

Organizing the Kids' Rooms

This was a daily issue at my house. It took three times as long to get the kids ready. Digging through drawers to find clothes that fit, rummaging through the toy box for a lost shoe, and, my personal favorite, tearing a room apart to find the lost sippy cup or teddy bear. I needed the space to be workable. My kids needed to be able to find their socks and shoes, have a place for all the toys, and for me not to stub my toe every night at bedtime. Here's how we handle shoes.
The task seemed daunting, and as much as I wanted it done, I continued putting it off. Where should I start? How can I make the most of my space? I made countless drawings of room layouts, toy box placement, and clothing arrangement. I finally devised a plan, and got it all done in a few short hours. The first step was to once again, remove everything. I pulled all the furniture, toys, and clothes out of the room. I needed to start from scratch. The dressers were the easy part. I went to the dollar store and picked up several clear plastic bins.
I designated two drawers to hold all the socks, shoes, underwear, burp rags, bibs and hats. Each bin was labeled and placed in the drawer. I began sorting the mountain of clothes. I had a different bin for each child's socks, all bibs and hats were in one bin, and my burp cloths were neatly folded and easily accessible. It was a dream come true. No more searching for matching socks in the right size. That would cut 10 minutes from day right there!
Then came the toys. I went through all the toy boxes, throwing away anything broken and donating anything the kids didn't play with anymore. You'd be surprised how many toys kids have! All the cheap kids meal toys-gone. Those stuffed animals from three years ago? Gone. I reduced it from 3 toy boxes to 1. This alone would cut clean up time in half. Then it was time for the rest of the clothes. If it didn't fit it went in the donation bin. I had a drawer for pajamas, a drawer for pants/shorts, a drawer for shirts/dresses, and the bottom drawer was things that were still too big but would fit soon. This made my life a lot easier. On to the furniture. All bedding was washed and carefully re-assembled into the masterpiece pictured on the original packaging. I knew it wouldn't stay that way long, but it looked so much better.All furniture was wiped down with disinfecting wipes. I has a small set of plastic drawers on top of the dressers. This held lotions, diaper creams, thermometers, hair bows, and band-aids for easy access. No more hunting down a matching bow or scrambling for a band-aid with a screaming child. My life was getting better by the second. A few decorative pictures and strategically placed stuffed animal and voila! A new clean room for the kids.
You can see our updated toy storage here. 

Organizing The Bathroom

 This is where things got tricky. I had to make sure everything was withing my reach, but all cleaning supplies and medicines were safely tucked away. I went back to the dollar store for more bins. This time I opted for mesh and plastic bins with holes. I needed a way to store the bath products and a bin that could still get air, to avoid mold. I got bright colors to match the decor. The first bin held all 600 bottles (or so it seemed) of bubble bath, foam soap, shampoo and shaving creams. The second bin was for bath toys and sponges. We seem to have a growing collection of these. Having them all in one place made bath time easier. The kids could each pick out a toy, or I could dump the entire contents in the tub. After the bath, they would help put them back in the bin and make clean up easier.
Next up was the cabinet space. In our bathroom, we had only a small medicine cabinet behind the mirror. Simply not enough space for a family of five. We got a tall, thin set of Rubbermaid drawers to go next to the sink. Again, safety was the top priority. All razors, medications and other sharp objects went in the highest drawer. In the middle went the hairdryer and other appliances. The bottom drawers were make-up (not what I want the kids playing with, but at least it wouldn't hurt them) and extra soaps, toothpaste/toothbrushes, and hair brushes. On the top "shelf" we had a cup that held everyone's toothbrush and the bottle of toothpaste. We like to have these sitting out as a constant reminder for good oral hygiene. All surfaces were wiped with disinfecting wipes and a few candles made it an inviting space. Everything had a place, and we all knew where to find it. This made mornings and bedtimes slightly easier. As long as you have 5 people and 1 sink, things are always going to be a little crazy.

Our bathroom closet in our new house

It make take a day of work, but organizing your house is well worth it. Think about how much time you waste now looking for things and scrambling to get it all together in the morning. Once you've learned the basic steps, you can apply them to any space. Assess the needs of the space, devise a plan and organization system, pull it all out, then only put back what is needed. You can have your home cleaned up and working like it should in no time!

Home Office Stations

We've talked about setting up a home office, homework tables, and backpack stations. This time we will discuss all the different "stations" in a home office, or really any central area in your home.

For my family, we have seven major stations to help us function: Chores, Work, Homework, Backpack, Behavior, Schedules, and Files. I'll break down each one for you.



The Chore Station:

 We keep the chore charts hanging in the office. There are numerous chore systems you can use, we have simple dry erase chore charts for the kids. Each kid has their own color chart, and matching dry erase marker attached with velcro. Notice how the little one loves to graffiti the wall around her chart.
The kids know when homework time is over, they must start on chores. They see exactly what they need to do, and they know they can't start playing until all the chores are checked off. We spend less time telling them what to do, and more time working together to keep the house in shape.

 The Work Station:

 The main function of the home office is to get work done. You just need a space that suits your needs and works for you. Mine is fairly simple- computer, desk, writing tools, and printer. You may need more or less space depending on what kind of work you do. Crafters may need more table space and writers may need less distraction. Keeping the desktop free of clutter helps to minimize distractions and maximize efficiency. I also love that I can close the doors to my desk and hide everything. It makes everything look so much neater when visitors come by.

 Inside the doors of my desk I keep my to-do lists and vision statements. They are all laminated so I can use a dry erase marker and change it daily.

 I have my bookshelf right next to my desk so I can quickly grab a notebook and get to work. Because I like my shelf set up a certain way, and the kids have difficulty putting things back, I have a "book return" box on the bottom. When they finish a book, they can just put it in the box and I will put it up for them.

 The Homework Station:
My post on the Homework Station was more detailed, but essentially, you need a quiet place for the kids to do their homework.

Home Office Part 3: Homework Table

Part 1: The Setup          Part 2: Backpack Station

Part three of our home office series involves a homework area for the kids. Getting kids to focus on their homework is a task in itself. You can make this chore a bit easier by creating a designated area free of distraction for them to work. 

The first step is to find an area of your home with ample space and minimal distractions. Do you have only one child or do you need to accommodate several children?  Is there plenty of light or will you need to add a lamp? Finding the right location and figuring out a setup that works for your family is the first, and often the biggest, step in the process. We decided on this corner of the home office.

Once you have an idea in mind and measurements of the space, you need to find a table or desk to fit. You don't need to spend a lot of money, it just needs to serve its purpose. Our first homework table we found at a yard sale. Our second one was an old folding table we had in the garage. Check thrift stores, yard sales,  or even other areas of your home for furniture to fit your needs.

And finally, the finishing touches. You'll need to have all needed supplies within reach but not cluttering the work area. We have a simple three drawer cart which slides under the the table and out of the way. We happened to have an extra one laying around, use whatever you have. The goal is not to spend a lot of money, just to have a functional homework area. You can use old jars, baskets, anything to corral the supplies. Our drawers hold pencils and sharpeners, extra paper, and coloring or activity books for the younger ones. We have little mason jars on top for crayons, scissors, glue, and dry erase markers.

Above the table we have a US map, with pins marking where family members are. We also have the Ten Commandments and the fruits of the spirit to remind everyone of the behavior and character expected of them. The giant white board is used for my assignments and project deadlines.

Now we have a quiet area to get work done and homework time is slightly less stressful.It is right next to my desk in the office, so the computer is close by if needed for research and I can work alongside them in the afternoons.

Products Used:
The Ten Commandments for Kids Chart

Carson Dellosa Word Strips Sentence Strips (4455)

Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers, 12 Colored Markers(30072)

Plastic 3 Drawer Storage

Drawer Organizer Bins

Home Office Part 2: Backpack Station

Home Office Part 2: Backpack Station

Click here to read Part 1: Setup

Kids require a lot of gear for school. Backpacks, coats, gloves, shoes, projects, notes from teachers, and notes to send back to the teacher. We needed a space to 'catch' all these items when they came home and keep them all organized. I thought long and hard and sketched several designs before deciding on one I liked. 

First, I needed a place to park their shoes. I like to keep school shoes separate from dress and play shoes. They are required to wear tennis shoes for gym class, and I hate hunting for missing shoes. I got them each a bucket in their color to hold 2 or 3 pairs of shoes. They typically hold rain boots, tennis shoes, and casual slip-ons.

Then, I needed a place to hang their backpacks and coats. We live in the south, and weather can vary from 100* to low teens, hot and muggy to rainy and windy. So we needed it to hold a light jacket and a heavy winter coat, as well as the backpack. I decided on these pretty three-prong hooks, which were sturdy enough to support the weight of everything but also looked nice on the wall. 

I also wanted to hang a bulletin board to hang notes, permission slips, schedules, and other important information. This is also where I keep a list of emergency contacts and information in case my children have to call 911. I use large thumb tacks to hold the important information at the top, since it doesn't need to be changed often. I added smaller tacks at the bottom for the kids to pin up anything I needed to sign. I often hang up finance information or other family notices on the board as well.

Finally, I wanted it all to look cohesive, rather than a jumbled mess of stuff. I picked out this lovely bench with three cubbies to hold the shoe buckets and a comfy seat for them to sit and take off their shoes. The seats also raise up for additional storage, which is nice for school projects or extra supplies they may need. I think it pulled it all together and made my entryway look a little nicer, while also helping keep school needs organized and ready to go.

I love the way it looks, and getting the kids on the bus in the morning is easy when everything is by the door and ready to go.