Blog | Organized To Perfection

Organizing Paperwork

January 23, 2018 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all having a great start to 2018! I am starting my 16th year in business and I feel so grateful to be able to help my clients with finding solutions to their organizing situations. And in particular to help work with and teach my clients the techniques when it comes to organizing their teenagers rooms!

Here are a few tips and suggestions on organizing and purging paperwork in your home and business office:

Tip One: Go to the place where you have your oldest paperwork and see what you have there. Are you able to shred the paperwork or recycle it? Ask yourself the question: What is the consequence if I do not have this piece of paper? Do I need this information for my taxes? Are you running a business out of your home and do you need to keep the paperwork for 7 years? If you are not running a business out of your home, I would look at why you need to hold onto the paperwork. Does your accountant or financial advisor or lawyer need the information? If your answer is no, then it is time to shred or recycle the papers.

Tip Two: If you have a file cabinet that holds your old paperwork, is it busting at the seams? Is it hard to open because there is so much paperwork in there? And the big question is, do you really need this paperwork? When you purge your paperwork as much as you can, you may find you have additional room and you may not need a large file cabinet. And if you have additional room in the cabinet after you purge your papers, you may consider getting a new file cabinet or one that does not take up as much room. Some older file cabinets do not have an easy way to hang file folders from the frame and it is hard to keep your files organized in the cabinet.

Tip Three: Label your files exactly to what the paperwork pertains to. For example if the paperwork pertains to your automobile insurance label the file “Auto Insurance” or if the paperwork is about a test you had at your doctor, label it as “Blood test 2018”. Many people are afraid that if they file the papers away they will never be able to find it again. If you label the file to exactly what it is, you will be able to find it right away. Also you can label your files to what makes sense to you and what is easy for you to find.

I do not want you to feel like you are drowning in paperwork and as I stated before, the big question should be: what is the consequence if I do not have this piece of paper? Once you make your decision on that, it will be easier for you to decide what you really need to keep and what you can let go of!

If you are looking for additional ideas or solutions to organizing your paperwork, please contact me and I would be happy to help you conquer your paperwork project! I wish you all the best in the New Year!

Holiday Organizing Projects

November 29, 2017 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

We are upon another holiday season and I am looking forward to the gathering of family and friends and the joy of this time of year! As I was going through my holiday decorations this year, I was deciding if I still love the decorations or if I was ready to let it go. Here are 3 ideas and suggestions that I would like for you to consider this holiday season.

Number One: As you get your holiday decorations out this year to decorate your home see if you still love the decorations and if you want to use them or is it time to donate them or throw them away if they are damaged. I know that every year there is a different “feel” to the holidays depending on what has been going on in your life. So as you take out your decorations this year, keep and put up the ones you love and if there are some decorations that you keep passing up every year to put up, is it time to let them go? If the decorations are a memory item, instead of keeping them tucked away in a box maybe put them out for everyone to enjoy!

Number Two: Take inventory NOW of your wrapping paper, gift bags, name tags and bows before you go out and buy items that you don’t need. I always tell my clients before a holiday or a special event, find out how many supplies you have and if you even have to go out to buy things when you already have an abundance of supplies. Especially use up the large gift wrap rolls that are too long and do not fit in a stand up gift wrapping storage bin. Or donate or recycle gift wrapping supplies that are for a special age of kids that you don’t have anymore or the wrappings are in bad condition and you can not use them.

Number Three: Simplify your decorations, party planning and events this year! This time of year should be fun, relaxed and not a stressful time of year. There are so many events that are scheduled now and what is asked of you, it is ok to say no at times. Make time to get together with friends and family and maybe consider meeting at a restaurant instead of their home where they may feel the pressure to make things perfect. When you are putting together your shopping list of gifts for family and friends, think about what they love to do or really care about and get a gift that represents that. It should be about the thought of the gift instead of the number of gifts.

Please keep these ideas and suggestions in mind this holiday season and I am sure you will find peace and relaxation! I hope you all have a great holiday season and I wish you all the best in 2018!

Organizing Your Mind Tips

October 9, 2017 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all having a great fall season so far! I always love when the change of seasons happen in the Midwest and the vibrant colors on the trees occur. I would like to take a different approach this month about organizing and talk about your thoughts and how you should think about tackling your organizing projects.

One important thought I would like for you to consider when you are starting an organizing project is what is the PURPOSE you are trying to achieve here with your space? Are you trying to make space so new items can be organized and fit in that space? Are you finally ready to get rid of old paperwork that is weighing you down and taking over the dining room table? The question you need to ask yourself is what is your GOAL you are trying to achieve here. Once you figure out the purpose and the goal for the space that you want to get organized, the process of sorting, purging and organizing will be easier to work on.

The second important thought I would like you to think about is what are the CONSEQUENCES if you do not have that specific piece of paper? Or what would happen if you recycled your kids old school papers from 4 years ago? This is the question that you need to ask yourself when you are looking at sorting and purging paperwork in your home or even your office. What is the consequence if you got rid of the papers? Do you need to keep the papers for your accountant, lawyer or your medical history for your doctor? If you can not think of any reason to keep the papers or there are no true consequences that you can think of, then it is ok to let it go. If you are truly in doubt then keep the paperwork but plan on reviewing the papers in about 6 months or 1 year when it may be easier for you to get rid of the paperwork.

Most of the time my clients are overwhelmed at the start of the project and do not know where to start. The best way to handle this is to take 1 CATEGORY at a time and only work on that. For example if you are working in your bedroom, only address the clothes in your room or your closet. If you are working with your papers on your desk area, only look at papers that you know are 100% recyclable and you can get rid of them. And if you are in your garage area, just look at gardening items or just the tools to sort and organize. Most people get overwhelmed and look at the picture as a whole but if you just take a small category to work on, then it is manageable for you and you get the project completed!

Try using these techniques when you are starting a project and I know they will be very helpful for you so you can start and finish the task at hand! If you have any questions about my service or would like some clarification on some points I have addressed here, please let me know and I would be happy to help you out. You can reach me at beth@organizedtoperfection.com or my business line at 630-668-0993. Thank you and have a great fall season!

Organizing Children’s Bedrooms

August 1, 2017 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all enjoying the summer months so far! The kids are home and may be bored at times so why not give them and yourself a project to get their bedrooms in order before school starts soon. I have a few tips and ideas that can help you and your kids with organization in your kids bedrooms. The tips here are for kids in grade school all the way up to college.

• Start with the clothes in the child’s bedroom. Determine if the clothes are too small or worn out. Then either save them for a younger sibling, neighbor or relative or donate them to charity. If they are ripped or worn out, it is ok to discard them because it is not worth donating clothes that are not in the best of shape.

• Arrange the clothes in the closet so the child can reach them and have easy access to them. For example, tee-shirts, pants or shorts. Also as your child gets taller, their clothes hang too low for some of the hanging space and the rods can be adjusted so the clothes fit better. Also you can try to adjust the hanging space for tall kids so their clothes hang properly in the closet.

• Sort through all of the toys in the bedroom. Does your child still play with them? Have they outgrown them? Toys can then to be thrown away, donated or put in a memory box for safekeeping.

• Put only one big bin in the room for the toys that they play with consistently. The rest of the toys should be put in a playroom if the house has one. They should not be all over the house, but should be centralized if possible.

• Keep all books in a bookcase in the room. In a bookcase you can store books, display some memory items and papers for the child.

• If you have a desk in your child’s bedroom, make room on the desk for homework, if they are at the age for homework. A lot of the time the child has small items or things they keep on the desktop. Have a separate bin or drawer that the items can be stored in. Sometimes the child uses that space as a display area and that is fine.

• Every child’s bedroom should have a wastebasket in it. They need a place to throw away paper, tissues, etc. So when you or your child clean up the room, you have a place for garbage to go instead of on the floor.

• ASK your child what they need in their room. A lot of items land on the floor because they do not have a specific place for things. Many parents are surprised to discover that when they ask their kids what they need to keep their room tidy, the kids will tell them. It may be they need a bigger dresser for their tops or pants to fit into or need more shelving for books.

• MOST IMPORTANT— everything should have a “home.” Clothes in the closet, toys in a toy bin/basket, books in a bookcase. This will teach the child where everything should go to stay organized.

These are just a few ideas and tips to help keep your kids room organized and a place where they can have their friends come over. I have worked with many families with kids and I always enjoy working with the kids and getting their bedrooms set up that works for them. Also getting it organized so they learn how to keep their clothes, books and school items in order and it is a calming place for them.

If you have any questions for me or would like additional information on how I can help you and your family with organization in your kids bedroom, please contact me. Thank you and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

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