Organized To Perfection

professional home organizing

Controlling Paperwork

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I hope you are all having a great start to 2022! I am starting my 20th year in business and I feel so grateful to be able to help my clients with finding solutions to their organizing situations. I know it might sound crazy, but I actually do not mind working with paperwork with my clients and help them get through their piles of papers. 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 2022”. 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 I would be happy to help you conquer your paperwork project!

I love organizing junk drawers!

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I am doing well and no, I have not gone crazy with the title of my organizing blog this month! I know it is a drawer that really scares you but I like working on these areas and see what type of treasures are in there! Here are some tips and ideas that you can use to tackle those junk drawers.

  1. Dump out the items in your junk drawer on a counter or in a bin so you can go through it.  You will be surprised on what you find in that drawer and what you can get rid of!  Throw away all broken items/torn things or items you can recycle.
  2. I know there will be many different categories in the drawer, but sort the items in the categories of office supplies, tools you want to keep handy, important papers you need to refer to, Post It notes, keys, garage door openers etc. Pare down the items to a few small things only to keep in the drawer.  For example only 3 pens, a few paper clips, a few nails, 1 pair of pliers, scissors, screwdriver etc.
  3. Purchase a new drawer divider or use what you currently have and put the items back in the drawer. There are several different types of dividers you can find at Target, Walmart, Container Store. Measure the drawer length, depth and height so you purchase the correct size for the space.
  4. If you have items that you really can not identify or you know you need to keep it for some furniture item or a tool that is important keep it in the junk drawer.  And then later when you go to organize the drawer in the future, if you still can not place where the item goes or you know you don’t need it anymore, you can dispose of the item.

The junk drawer is meant for only a few things of many different categories and not to keep an abundance of things in that space. You don’t need 15 pens in the drawer but you can have a lot of different categories in there and that is fine!  And yes, if you need to have 2 junk drawers, this organizer is giving you permission to do so if you have the room and the items are essential to have in your kitchen area.

So take about 30 minutes and look to see what type of treasures you may find in your junk drawer and sort and organize it!  I hope you all have a wonderful spring and you are all safe and staying healthy!

Do not Procrastinate in 2020!

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We are more than halfway through this year and as you know, everything can change on a dime in 2020! I know you are strong and I hope you have been able to weather the storm that 2020 has given us! I know we always want to be organized as best as we can but life gets in the way and things change. BUT I am here to help you get control of your work and life schedules for things in your home! My mantra for 2020: Do not procrastinate!

  1.  Due to the country had to shut down in March, you may have had to cancel or postpone your doctors appointments. Now is the time to reschedule your doctors appointments so you have your checkups up-to-date.  Making up your doctors appointments is very important and you should not delay in keeping up with your health.  All doctors offices are following strict guidelines to keep all of their patients and staff safe and healthy due to Covid-19 so you should feel safe going into their offices.
  2. Don’t delay on home repairs or renovations that you need or want to do in your home. Many of the contractors are an essential business and they have been working during the pandemic. Many of the appliances around your home do not give you a warning of when they go out and now is a time set up an appointment for maintenance on your household appliances. Now that we are heading into the fall season see if your furnace needs a cleaning or are your other appliances in good shape or do they need to be replaced.
  3. Get together with friends and family with safe practices! For several months now I know we have not been able to get together on a regular basis with family and friends due to the concerns of keeping everyone safe and healthy.  Now with the warm weather and easier ways to get outside, if you feel comfortable, get together with your family and friends. Of course I want everyone to stay healthy and safe and that is the number one priority, but I know that staying connected in your relationships are very important also!
  4. In the past I have always heard people say “I wish I had time to work on my favorite hobbies, start reading books by my favorite author or take time to take care of my health”.  Now is the time to do that! We may have additional time in our schedules now due to the pandemic or we have limited time, but I want you to really think about not delaying your wishes, whatever they may be. Also getting your home better organized now so you feel peace and calm in your home or connecting with your family and friends, please do not procrastinate!

Years from now when we look back at this year, there will be many emotions, thoughts and comments that changed all of our lives.  I want you all to take a minute to make the most of this year and keep moving forward because I know things will be better if we work on it! I have listed a few ideas and projects for you to think about and work on and if you need help with accomplishing these, please let me know.  Some of them may not be a direct path to organization, but if you get your life and home in order and get better organized, you will have time to work on these ideas that I have listed here.

I wish that you all stay healthy and safe during this year!

Organizing your garage in the summer!

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We are in the month of June where most of the country are having beautiful weather and it is a great time to work on organizing your garage! I know we have been inside a lot during the Stay-At-Home orders in all states and this is a great reason to work on organizing your garage and getting some fresh air.  Some garages are a black hole for people and/or dumping ground and you never want to deal with the space. Here are 4 tips to help with organization in your garage area:

Tip #1: Start the process of sorting/purging and organizing all of your winter items in your garage. Did you break the shovels/ice scrapers and can they can be thrown away? Are there clothes in the garage that you forgot to bring into the house and are dirty/worn out or are too small now? Just look at the winter items and really determine if you need to keep it for the next season or you can donate them, throw away or bring into the house and put them where they belong.

Tip #2: Really try to go through your tools and put together all of the tools that are the same.  You may find out you have 5 hammers which may be fine but some may not work as well or the handle is broken. If you really do not want to purge your tools or you can’t pair down the tools, make sure they are organized so you can find what you are looking for! You can find many tool organizing items at Home Depot, Menards, Lowes or Ace Hardware. You can get a tool chest or a tool storage bin where you can sort and organize all types of nails and hardware.

Tip #3: I always recommend having some type of shelving unit in your garage. I suggest getting the freestanding shelving units that can be put together easily. Depending on the type of shelving units you get, they can hold up to a few hundred pounds per shelf. The shelving depths range from 14″, 18″ and 24″ and purchase the ones that work out best in your space. The 24″ depth works out best for storage bins but may not fit as well in the garage so purchasing the 18″ depth works out well also! They can be moved around to whatever area of the garage or outside space you may need it. The shelving units can hold bins, boxes, large tools etc. and will keep your area neat and organized!

Tip #4: Do you want to get your car in your garage? I know this seems like an interesting question but many people use their garage as an additional storage space and not for what it is meant to be; a place where you keep your car. If you have large items that you need in the garage like a lawnmower, snow blower, motorcycle, other large items, than maybe a shed on your property is needed if possible. If you want your car in the garage and need the extra space, there are several options to keep your garage items/equipment in the shed where it is out of the way and protected.

Garages are meant to store only a few categories and where a car is parked and not to be a black hole where you can not find anything! Enjoy the great outdoors and take some time to go through the items in your garage and get it organized where you can find all your tools, summer items and park your car!  If you have any questions about the organizing process or need additional help, please contact me at beth@organizedtoperfection.com and I would be happy to help you. Thank you and have a wonderful and safe summer!

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