Friday, October 30, 2009

Great Tip for Stacking Linens, Sweaters, etc.

From Complete Organizing Solutions earlier this week - another tip from a Professional Organizer's home on keeping linens and sweaters stacked neatly (I'm sure you've experienced the leaning tower of towels before, as it comes crashing down as you open the closet! Well this tip will stop that from happening. While it might not hurt to have towels fall on you, it's annoying because it makes a mess and often times other household members don't have the patience to refold everything nicely...)



Happy Organizing!
-amy

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fantastic book on time & life management

I just finished reading, "The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management," by Hyrum W. Smith and highly recommend it. A bit dated since it was written in 1993, but some great advice and techniques for getting your life in order and feeling, as the author puts it, "inner peace." I especially appreciated that he focused on getting your values and beliefs in order first, and then using your values to guide your goal setting, and your goals to dictate your daily activities. It's not just about being busier or more efficient or more productive, it's about spending your time doing those things that matter most to you. Only then will you feel fulfilled.

This book really struck a chord with me. I have always had many "to do" lists going at once and managed to get a lot of stuff done...but there were many times when this still didn't leave me with a true sense of accomplishment. I'm excited to embark on this new adventure and try out the Franklin system for scheduling and task lists, tied to my values and goals (it's named as a tribute to Benjamin Franklin, by the way - because he lived his life by governing values). A side note: the book was a bit "sales-y" at times, with pushes to purchase his products like the Franklin Day Planner, but it doesn't overwhelm or take away from the book's very valuable messages.

If you're looking for some motivation and a refreshing way to look at time and life management, I suggest you give this book a read.

Cheers,
-amy

P.S. In an earlier post I included a list of time management books that my friends and colleagues recommended, of which "The 10 Natural Laws" was one of them.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Ideal Bite says hire a "Green" home organizer

I subscribe to this great service, Ideal Bite, that provides daily tips to make your life a little more "green." I love it because the tips are short and sweet, come right to my inbox, and are usually something anyone can handle adding to their routine.

Today's tip really made me smile though -- as part of their "make life easy week," they recommend hiring a professional organizer that knows how to do things green(er). Great idea! :)

The Benefits:
  • A good green organizer will help you repurpose or sell stuff you don't need, so you can pocket some cash without resorting to money laundering.
  • They'll help you hook up with other local eco-resources (movers, painters…).
  • Many use green products such as sustainable shelving and storage containers made from materials like bamboo instead of PVC.
  • A more organized house means less stress.

Thanks for reading!
-amy

Thursday, October 15, 2009

My guest post on Complete Organizing Solutions

One of the more fun parts of venturing into this new business is meeting other Professional Organizers. The people drawn to this profession are not only organized and efficient (that's a given, right?!), but everyone I've met has been so nice and open and willing to share information to help me get started.

And one of those new people I've (virtually) met is Tanna Clark with Complete Organizing Solutions. She does daily tips on her blog, and is now featuring another professional organizer each week to share inside tips on what we do in our own homes. My post was featured yesterday - my tip was to create a "landing strip" at the front door to help with all of the clutter that constantly goes in and out of a home. Please check it out! :)



Thanks for reading,
-amy

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Wonder Hanger is Pretty Wonderful


Last night while shopping with my husband, I was compelled to buy the "Wonder Hanger" in the As See On TV section. I decided it would make for a fun experiment I could do in my own home and blog about (I've been curious since I first saw the commercial!), while qualifying as a business expense. Win-win :)

It cost just under $10 for 8 hangers you get to assemble (which was harder than I'd anticipated, but nothing difficult). They are made of very sturdy plastic, and once put together, they do not come back apart.

After I assembled the hangers, I tried them out in several closets and am pretty darn happy with the results. They made so much extra room in our coat closet (see pictures below) and the closet in my husband's office! I'm excited that we actually have room for guests to hang their coats now - just in time for the holiday season. The Wonder Hanger would also be useful in a guest bedroom or seasonal clothes closet. They are surprisingly strong - I have one holding up 5 winter and leather coats and it's handling it just fine.

However, I couldn't use them in half of our master closet because of the height of the bars - it makes things hang much lower than a standard hanger, so I ended up with dress shirts resting on the bar below and getting in the way. Another downside is that you need enough room to move both hooks onto the bar in order to remove an item from the hanger; so it's not advised to cram a small closet full of these or you'll run out of room to actually get things out!

Overall, I recommend the Wonder Hanger - a quick and easy fix to make closets less cluttered and more usable. I am especially thrilled with the results in our coat closet (Left: all coats hanging across, Right: Wonder Hangers activate!) .

Happy organizing,
-amy

Friday, October 2, 2009

Cluttered bedroom = cluttered mind

Most everyone has too much "stuff." It's amazing how quickly stuff accumulates in our modern society -- gadgets, packaging, free trinkets, papers, that random cap that went to something you can't find... -- and they take up precious space in our homes and lives.

You'll be amazed at how much better you feel if you clear up the clutter! And the first place to start is your bedroom. I've read several books on feng shui and clutter, and they say that waking up in a place that's messy is not good for your psyche. And that makes sense to me. If you wake up and the first thing you see is a mess of things to do and unfinished projects, and/or you can't find things to wear, it puts you in a bad head space for the rest of the day. You may feel defeated before you even get out of bed!

So, my challenge for you in October is to have a "Fall Clean-Up" in your bedroom. Start small. Mine is in pretty good shape, but there is a bookshelf in the corner that seems to be a "catch all" for random items and my jewelry is taking over the dresser. Time to whip it into shape!












My guiding rule for assessing "stuff" - - ask yourself these questions:
  1. Do I love it?
  2. Do I need it?
  3. Does it (or can it) make me money?
If it doesn't fit into one of these categories, get rid of it by donating to charity, recycling, or putting in the trash. You'll feel better. Trust me!

Happy Autumn,
-amy