Organize Kitchen
I was just looking at the calendar, and all the coupons, cards, and notes on my fridge, and had a great idea. I’m still working on the organizing the office, but wanted to get this idea out before i forgot.
I’m going to select a cupboard door and use the inside of the door to hang my calendar. That way it is easily accessible when someone calls, but not in the way. I also can use a card file thing that I usually use for recipes for coupons. That would keep them more organized and off the fridge. Then the photos are going in frames, and the fridge looks like a fridge not a messy collage of random stuff.
1) Move calendar to inside of cabinet
2) Move coupons to small file container just inside cabinet
I plan on using those 3M Command Strips ..link…They stay on great and come of great. One of the smaller hooks should work perfect.
I used 3M Mounting Strips to hang a quark board and white board on the inside of my closet in the office. Turning the closet into a nice large office armoire. Photos coming soon.
I’ll also have photos of the kitchen when It’s time to organizie the kitchen. One room at a time.
Organize Your Home Office
The work from home experts will all agree that being organized is the key to staying on track with your workload. They may have different approaches, but here is a method I use.
Hanging on my wall is a large dry erase marker whiteboard that is overlaid with a calendar grid. You can buy one of these at any office supply store. Whenever I get a new job, I write down short notes on the important dates.
For example, if I have a job writing twenty web-content articles about cars that is due in two weeks, then I will write, “Cars - First Ten” on the square for a week from now, and “Cars - Finished” on the square for two weeks from now.
As you are working on the internet and just about all of the details of your work will be stored on your computer, its not necessary to go into detail on your calendar, simply note reminders of the important deadlines.
When I started I used a regular calender, but as I took on more projects, Isoon ran out of room in the boxes and I find being able to erase a task makes me feel as though I have progressed.
It may seem like a small thing, but finding a way to physically display your progress can be a great motivator. I also keep a running tally of my earnings in the upper corner of the board. Whenever you get frustrated or bored with the work, just look at that number and think about how great your vacation is going to be this year, or whatever your motivation is.
Pick Your Method
It doesn’t really matter what method you use in order to keep yourself organized. Some people use calendar programs on their computer, others simply write out a list on a piece of scrap paper. I know a person who keeps sticky notes in a line on his desk and rearranges them as his schedule changes. A system like that would drive me crazy, but it works for him.
There is no problem in experimenting, but always keep your deadlines on track. Once you have this sort of system worked out, you’ll be amazed at how easily other things fall into place.
As in any other work situation, when you have established a system that works, you become able to take on new challenges.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Schramko
De-Cluttering and Organizing Your Home With 7 Simple Secrets!
1. Out with the old, in with the new!
To minimize what goes into your house in the first place, remember this simple rule: If you bring in a new item then one has got to go! For example when I buy new clothes I look at what I have before I go shopping. This way I don’t wind up with 4 white v-neck t-shirts. When I come home from my shopping trip with a pair of jeans, 2 blazers and a sweater, I look at what will now go out the door also. That may be the old items I’m replacing or simply just other clothing items otherwise my closet would become a disaster quickly. The same is true for furniture (unless you’re filling a new home or simply don’t have ANY furniture), as well as other household items like candlestick holders, napkins etc…
2. Keep it out of the house!
One thing I coach my clients on is keeping a clutter-free home, by refusing to bring some items inside the house to begin with. Junk mail, flyers, trash from the car, and unwanted items are just a few items to avoid. In order to avoid this, I sift through my mail and flyers near the garage where the recycling and trash are. Then I can immediately get rid of what we don’t need. I do the same with the garbage in our car. If we get fast food, or take home bulletins from church, the minute we get out of the car next, be it at a gas station or at home, the garbage goes! You can simply say no to friends, family or neighbors that want to burden you with junk. If you really don’t want the item they give you but they insist you have it, toss it as soon as you get inside or find someone else to give it to that will like it. This may sound cruel but so is the pushiness of some people in our life to have us take what we truly don’t want. Email works the same. As soon as I open my email the first thing that I do is highlight all the junk and hit delete. Once trash is out of the way I can focus on the important messages. Also, it frees me up from heaps of junk messages that use up my storage space. Think about what items you could eliminate like this.
3. Don’t keep items that you really don’t like!!
This probably sounds bvious but you would be surprised at the amount of clients I have worked with that actually keep items they think are ugly or just don’t fit any room in their home! Don’t hold onto old furniture or keepsakes that have been handed down to you just because a loved one gave them to you. Simply give the items to someone that you know who will actually like and want them. If that is not an option then donate them or sell them on ebay and make some money while you are at it! It is good to be proactive in this area also. I myself almost got stuck with a heap of antique furniture as my grandmother was getting ready to move to a retirement home. I had to just say “I would love to, but I simply can’t. This eliminated a lot of lifting, transporting and storing of unwanted goods just to appease her.
4. Don’t store other people’s items in your home!
While we’re on the subject of “storing” items, it is never a good idea to store items for friends, relatives or neighbors. They often have the best intention to come back and pick them up but they sometimes don’t. This leaves you stuck with someone else’s unwanted stuff. If you are currently in this situation, call up these individuals and tell them you are doing a ‘spring cleaning’ and simply cannot hold onto their belongings anymore. Tell them to come over and get it within a few days, and if they don’t you can let them know that you’ll donate them to Salvation Army on their behalf. This is not being rude, after all they left THEIR stuff at YOUR house! This is simply reclaiming your home, life and letting you get free from clutter.
5. Have a measurable De-cluttering Goal!
It is important to have goals in anything you wish to achieve in life. Organizing and getting rid of clutter in your home is no different. I know that the piles can seem daunting but when you have a goal you will not only feel in control, but you will have direction and a sense of accomplishment when you are finished. For example if you are looking to clean up your basement or even a closet, have a goal that you want 25% of the items to be gone. Those items need to leave the house for trash or donation unless it is a piece of furniture, or valuable item. If they don’t then all you have done is allocated clutter to other areas of your home. Maybe your goal is to get rid of 40 pieces of clothing/shoes. Whether in increments or as an entirety have a goal as to what you want the end result to look like.
6. Start Small!
Most of my clients have called me to help them because the feeling of being overwhelmed by clutter was too much for them, more so because they had no idea where or how to start. This need not be complicated nor make you overly exhausted. If a full room is too much for one day, spend one hour per day or a particular part of a room such as all of the dresser drawers as day 1, and what is under the bed as part 2 etc. Starting small allows you to feel a sense of relief, but often times you’ll find that once you get on a roll you won’t want to stop until the room is done. You’ll surprise yourself! Put on some of your favorite music and get started!
7. Karla’s step-by-step secrets to organize any room.
I will let you in on my secrets of organizing because anybody can do this, you need not be a Rocket Scientist! Firstly, pick one room at a time like the spare/guest bedroom. Make 4 piles in that room. One pile is for trash, another pile is for items you don’t want but wish to donate, and the third for items that truly belong elsewhere in the house like oven mitts or CD’s, and the forth is for items you wish to sell online or at a garage sale. If you were planning a garage sale anyway you can add the items for donation to this. Then get some garbage bags and take the trash to the curb. This will not only make you feel less overwhelmed but give you more space to work and walk. From here you can decide if you want to display certain items, or if they are to be filed or stored away neatly. All of these items can be labeled with a marker and masking tape or label maker (This is a great investment). Then take all of the items that did not belong to their appropriate space and distribute them accordingly. This need not be complicated, just pace yourself and take your time during each step.
Have fun! I know that the time you put into your home will give you such an amazing sense of accomplishment. It will brighten your spirit and give you the desire to not only tackle other areas in your home, but keep them that way!
Karla Davis is the President of Florida Home Staging & Redesign. She is a Home Stager, Professional Organizer, Interior Re-designer, as well as Public Speaker. She specializes in Staging and Organizing homes, office spaces and has over 10 years of experience and success within inside/outside Sales and Marketing. Karla is also the wife of Author, Paul Davis and is currently writing two books of her own. Karla’s life mission is to positively transform the homes and lives of everyone she meets.
Please contact Karla for your Home Staging, Interior Redesign, or Professional Organizing needs at:
Karla Davis
Florida Home Staging & Redesign
Professional Home Stager
P.O. Box 684
Goldenrod, FL 32733
Tel: (407) 284-1705
Karla@FloridaHomeStager.com
http://www.FloridaHomeStager.com
Home Staging for the Serious Seller!
http://activerain.com/floridahomestager
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karla_Ruzycki-Davis
Organizing Office: Quicken Online Vs. Mint
Switching from Mint.com to the free Quicken Online program because it lets me manually enter expenses that take a while to show up in checking…Like checks to relatives that forget they have them, or random restaurants that take a week to show up. That way I don’t have to remember that, and can see my RealBalance tm.
Nothing against Mint. For starters, it would be a great way to summarize trend spending in the past and set up a budget. It’s just hard to keep a budget when one thing says you have $800 cash when you really only have $100 because of miscellaneous checks you wrote that haven’t shown up yet at the bank.
Once I get this up and running I’ll continue with my office organizing. I need to find one of my kids SS cards. I know it’s in there somewhere. I’ll start my organizing all of last years bills, receipts, and statement. I’ll put them all in labeled manila envelops that I can access if necessary, and set aside anything that might be needed for taxes. I have a folder already set aside for tax related docs, and receipts.
Before and After Organization Photos soon to follow showing how I organized my office, and what systems I put in place to keep it organized.
Organizing Office
This year I’m getting organized, and if I do it right it will stay organized and will have a place for everything and that will help with clutter control, and de-stressing. There is so much going on in life I don’t need the “roaming pile of bills” or the box of “things I think I want to get rid of” haunting me and getting in my way every day.
Organizing Office
My first step to getting organized was to switch my money managements system from my PC to my lap top. Instead of buying the same program again I decided to try out mint.com. That way I can always access it. My old program didn’t link up to my bank. Mint even linked up to my local credit union. This will save me a ton of time. At first it will take some extra time to figure out the system, but in the long run it will save time and hopefully money.
This will be a huge step to organizing the office. The next step will be setting up a system to verify and pay bills then file them away.