Blog

Ah, new relationships!  They can be fun and exciting, right?  You love being together every day, you fall deep into the honeymoon period, and you feel that your partner is the best thing ever…

Hmm…do you remember mid-March, and a certain technology that blew up?  Read the sentence above replacing Zoom with your partner…still works, right! 

Yes, Zoom!  I remember that gut wrenching feeling of being alone when we first learned that much of the world had shut down.  Add living alone to that and it can really throw you for a loop. 

My networking group started moving onto the platform that many of us were just starting to learn about.  Working through kinks, like Zoom bombers, the leaders of our group helped us navigate through our new normal and suddenly I was with my friends again!  It felt SO good! 

I was on every day for a while, either networking, with friends, or with family, going to Zoom birthday parties and gathering for Zoom trivia nights.  On my birthday in May, my friends threw me a surprise Zoom birthday and more friends appeared flash mob style to one of my favorite songs. 

I loved Zoom!  I couldn’t get enough of Zoom, until the day came that I could.  Just like the honeymoon phase in a relationship, my relationship with Zoom peaked, and I reached the level of Zoom Fatigue, which many of us are facing today.

I just didn’t want to be on it anymore and faced that alone feeling again.  I learned to fill my days in different ways, and after a while, as the world was starting to open up a bit, I started new routines with more balance.

Zoom is still a part of my new normal.  I became a part of an accountability group with a few friends, go to a few networking meetings a week and even started virtual organizing with clients.

If you are still in the fog of Zoom Fatigue, here are some things to try to make being on it fun again:

• Dress up your space – If your dedicated area is small, or cluttered, or right next to your homeschooled child, set up a virtual background on your computer.  Put yourself on the beach and bring your iced coffee with a tropical umbrella.  Put yourself in a snazzy kitchen and put on an apron and throw some flour on your face.  If your computer is not capable of working with virtual backgrounds, like mine is, get a cool shower curtain and hang it up behind you!  Have fun!  Of course, as a Professional Organizer, I must add in that you should take care of said clutter at some point…ha ha!
• Dress up yourself – You’ll be looking at everyone, and everyone will be looking at you.  Dress up all the way, or just your top half and keep your pajama bottoms on.  Just don’t get up to go across the room without turning your camera off first!  Ladies, put on jewelry and makeup if it makes you feel good.  Guys, keep your facial hair in check. 

• Stay comfy – Wherever you sit, bring your creature comforts with you.  Bring a pillow to keep your back happy, and your favorite iced or hot beverage, and wear your slippers.  Get a comfy bed for your best furry friend and keep it by your seat.  Just looking at them and petting them will make you stay calm and happy.  Show off your pets on screen, unless you are in a more formal setting, of course! 

• Stay organized – Of course I had to go here!   You came to read a blog written by Professional Organizers, right?  If you’re working from home, you may be working in different areas at different times, on the sofa, at the kitchen table, on your bed.  Designate a tote or basket to collect all your necessities for when it’s time to get to your Zoom call. 

So, learn to love Zoom again, but try to keep a life balance, and leave the honeymoon period for people, not the latest tech craze.  Wishing you, your family, and your friends, a happy and healthy Fall!

Organizing can be tough…scratch that…starting the process of organizing can be tough!  In my own personal organizing projects, and those of my clients, I will typically suggest doing one, or all, of the following strategies to make it a bit easier…and less painful too! 

Music – Music is a great motivator and can keep you moving and grooving while you are working on your organizing project.  

Scavenger Hunt – Doing a scavenger hunt can also be motivating.  I often suggest to my clients to do a search throughout their home for empty bins and baskets, or even repurpose said items.  This will not only save you money in the process, but time as well. Yes, I love browsing through the aisles of HomeGoods and The Container Store (probably just like you!), but that just delays the inevitable start.  

Shopping – If you really want to shop…like really, really…then find something that you love!  It could be a storage piece (if the room allows for it), pillow, or piece of artwork, etc., to incorporate into the room or area that you will be organizing.  It could be a huge flat screen TV for all I care! It doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that makes you happy and that you’ll enjoy looking at every time that you are in the space!  

For one of my next projects at my home, I will be reorganizing my jewelry.  While I was doing my holiday shopping, I came upon my IT.  Do you ever have one of those moments where you find the perfect thing, for the perfect place, for the perfect price?  Well, if you never have experienced that trifecta, I must tell you, it feels AWESOME!  My piece is shown in the picture above.  

I had tried several methods of organizing my jewelry over the years, but nothing had really stuck.  At first, I was using jewelry boxes with velvet lined drawers. Next came the stacker trays with individual spots for earrings, rings, necklaces, etc.  I’ve come to the realization lately though, that unless my jewelry is visible, I probably won’t wear it, and that’s no fun!  

If you take a closer look at my newfound treasure you will note the 6 hooks for necklaces at the base of the mirror portion.  Plus, the piece is tall enough, that longer necklaces won’t puddle and tangle. Additionally, the well at the base is perfect for smaller earrings or a watch or two.  I’d also previously found 2 small 3-tiered trays to compliment this piece, for earrings and rings. They are in turquoise, which is my favorite color too!  

When I start working on this project, I also plan to let go of and donate any jewelry that I haven’t worn in a long time.  Organizing is always easier when you start with less! I also plan to listen to some great music while doing it.  

Comment below if you have ever found a trifecta of your own and if it has helped you get organized in your home!

Prime Time Organizing

I know that the last thing that you want to think of upon coming home in the evening from work is organizing, but what if there was a way to make it quick…and fun!  Would you do it then?

After an organizing session, I often assign “homework” to my clients, not something you’ll be slaving over, but rather simple tasks that you can do while watching TV at night or during commercial breaks.  Unless you DVR your shows to skip the commercials like many of us do!  Who has the time, right?

Working on just a small area can make a big impact and make you feel a sense of accomplishment, while watching your favorite shows…and you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your sofa!  So, drop that mindless snack you’re eating and let’s start!

“How do you I do that?”, you might ask.  Start with a big basket.  A laundry basket will do nicely, and 2 paper or plastic shopping bags, one for trash and one for recycling.

Next, pick the first area.  Say, your kitchen junk drawer(s).  Scoop everything into the basket and while you’re there, give the drawer a quick wipe down to get rid of crumbs and dust.  By the time you are ready to put things back, it will be dry.

Bring the basket over to the sofa. Ruthlessly dig through, picking out the easiest items first like dried out pens and snapped rubber bands and pitch them in the trash bag. Put expired coupons and those scraps of paper with phone numbers and no name into the recycling bag.  Yes, we all have those!

Now, it would be nice to have some organizers for the drawers right?  But who wants to go to a store and buy one, when they want some instant gratification, am I right?!  Think of what you have in the house, that you could fashion into some.  Do you have boxes for checks?  They work great as a pen and pencil organizer, and for storing sticky note pads.  Do you have cardboard jewelry boxes?  Use them for paper clips and rubber bands.  Or you could cut off the bottom of a cereal box or a tissue box and cover it with any tape you have around, like decorative washi tape or blue painters tape for bigger items like coins and spare keys.

What are some other areas to work on?

Kitchen – check for expired pantry items like cereals, cookies and crackers.  Donate unopened non-perishable items that you don’t care for to a local food bank.

Bathroom – check for expired medications and ointments.  Contact your local township or police department for disposal arrangements.

Linen Closet – pull out holy sheets and threadbare towels.  You may hate them, but animals at local shelters will love them!

Mail, Magazines and Catalogs – consider ending subscriptions to magazines you haven’t read and remove yourself from junk mail and catalog lists by using free sites like
www.catalogchoice.org.

So, how did you do?  Did you find anything crazy and unexpected in your junk drawer(s)?  Reply to this blog and let me know!

It’s common practice for Professional Organizers to advise their clients to use their vertical spaces. Oftentimes, rooms are so jam packed with furniture and your 4 walls are like, hey…look up here…there’s all this great space! Take a picture of each of your walls and really see how much space is being underutilized.

Now, close your eyes and think of the magnetic surfaces in your home, like appliances, file cabinets and bathroom cabinets.  You use their interiors for food, files and toiletries respectively, but what about their exteriors? Aha! They offer vertical spaces too! Remember learning your alphabet with those magnetic block letters and using your refrigerator as a surface for organizing words or to document your trips with
fun magnets? Bingo!

No, I’m not going to tell you to use those spaces. Besides, anyone with a Stainless-Steel refrigerator knows that they can’t use the front. Plus, I don’t want them to get cluttered up!

I first became intrigued by the idea of using metal surfaces for storage from a product named Grundtal (oh, those names!) from Ikea. It is a set of three magnetic spice tins. Designed to show what’s inside with a clear top, I thought of all the things that they could store aside from spices. There are the paper clips for your office, beads for crafters, and nails for your tool area.

So sure, there are magnet boards that you can buy to put such items on, but how about getting creative and creating one of your own!  Try some of these other applications to get your stuff off surfaces and up on the wall!

Metal Serving Trays – Head to flea markets and garage sales, even thrift stores to look for these.  To know for sure that they are magnetic, simply keep a small magnet in your pocket or purse and test it out.  Spray paint your treasure in a color that you love and hang it up!  Another idea is to frame the tray and use a colorful scrapbooking paper on the surface or wrap the tray taut in fabric!

Baking Sheets – I know what you are thinking…baking sheets are aluminum and not magnetic.  True, however, with a coat of magnetic paint, it instantly becomes a magnet board!  You take a regular cookie sheet, coat it with magnetic paint (available in a spray can) and it instantly becomes a magnet board!
Disclaimer:  I have not tried the magnetic paint spray, so I’m not sure if it works.  Reviews are mixed as to its magnetizing success.

The possibilities are endless with ideas of how to use these items for storage.  Try them in:

…Your Entryway – using some magnetic caddies in various sizes for your sunglasses, your wallet, and a magnetic hook for your keys.

…Your Kitchen – using a small magnetic caddy for pens and note paper, invitations to parties (think one board for each family member) and of course for the above-mentioned spices in the Grundtal containers.

…Your Office – for inspirational pictures and quotes, your to do list, and small office supplies again in the Grundtal containers or ones like it.

…Your Bathroom – Listen up ladies! Look on Pinterest and use the search term “magnetic makeup organizers” and you’ll see a booming trend of using trays to hold makeup items vertical…genius!  Glue those small disc magnets (from your local craft store) onto the back of products like powders, blushes and eyeshadows.  For items like mascara, eyeliner and brushes, attach a small magnetic cup and store them there.

There is a myriad of other possibilities. Where would this work for you in your home?

We are in the midst of a heatwave here in Eastern PA. Today for example is 97°, with a feels like temp of 106°…ouch! Not the most conducive weather for organizing, right?

Well, definitely don’t work in the garage, or the attic…basically avoid anyplace that isn’t close to air conditioning or where heat rises. That still leaves some great spaces throughout your home to work in. However, before you even start, grab some ice-cold water or your favorite cold beverage and sit down to write out some to- do lists.

Nothing fancy, a spiral bound notebook from your child that still had useable pages in it will do; you know that they’ll want something brand new for the next school year anyway! I bought myself a fun notebook from TJ Maxx (see picture), in my favorite color, to make it less of a chore.

Prefer an app for your to-do lists? Trello is a fantastic app which lets you create endless topics (lists) and tasks (cards).

Start by writing the name of each room in your home on a separate page. The great thing about these lists is that they can be a summer and beyond project…no need to rush it! Next, start your brain dump, where you can write tasks to be done in each room. Write down what comes to mind and add more as you think of it. The tasks should be specific and therefore hopefully less overwhelming. It’s up to you to choose how many tasks you want to complete at a time!

For example:

Master Bedroom Closet Tops

1. Make a first pass through the tops
2. For tops that are not your style or don’t fit anymore, start a bag for donation
3. For tops that are beyond repair (i.e. ripped and stained) and take to a fabric recycling bin like Planet Aid
4. For tops that were expensive, start a bag for a consignment store

Do you have other things come to mind, that aren’t specific to a room? Write them down too! Getting too much junk mail? Look to catalogchoice.org and optoutprescreen.com. Getting too many spam calls? Try an phone app like, Should I answer?, with a cute little octopus icon, which turns green for a positive call or red, to know instantly if a call has received negative ratings, and block them on your phone! I know, I know, once a company is blocked by using one number, they will move to another, but every little block counts!

Pen and paper or app, the key to dissolving a cluttered mind is to write things down, so that you have space in your brain for more important things to think about, like what flavor of ice cream to get tonight!

So, everyone wants to go on a vacation, even the band, the Go-Go’s, as heard in their song, simply titled…”Vacation”!

However, with gas prices and flight costs rising, taking a simple summer vacation has gotten to be a lot more expensive. Add in paying for meals and entertainment and say goodbye to even more of your hard earned money.

Oy vey…what a headache! Why not forgo all that stress, save some money, and instead have a Staycation in your very own home!

Merriam – Webster defines a Staycation as “a vacation spent at home or nearby”. Turn your home and backyard into an outdoor oasis that everyone in the family will enjoy. Think about how a hotel is set up and organize your home as such, for the whole summer or even for just a week!

Start in the kitchen:
Set up an island or part of a countertop for a breakfast buffet/snack bar like you would find in a hotel chain. Set out those single serve cereal boxes, some fruit and granola bars; maybe even whip up a large amount of pancake batter. Buy an inexpensive waffle maker and you can have fresh waffles every morning! Since you are saving money by staying at home, splurge a little here. Find melamine dishes and bowls and acrylic cups, and stash your everyday dishes and cups up on a higher shelf. Tie them together with a bright tablecloth and you have a fresh new look. When you decide to eat al fresco, just take those items outside!

Head into the great outdoors:
After a nice breakfast head outside for the next phase of the day. If you are in the mood to relax then set yourself up on your patio or lawn. Put on some music, bring out your favorite books and/or magazines, and even work on a hobby that you’ve been neglecting. Keep a cooler filled with your favorite beverages and you’ll be set! If you are in the mood to get out of the house, then use those at home days to figure out where to go. If you don’t have a pool at your home or community, consider a membership to a local pool. Or maybe you’d rather go shopping; an outlet center is a great way to spend a day and most offer coupons for additional savings. Another idea is to become a tourist in your own city. So often, our lives get so busy that we can’t appreciate the historical areas and landmarks that our own city has to offer.

End in the bedroom:
Use as a sanctuary to rest and recharge after a busy day outdoors. Put crisp linens and a light comforter on the bed in soothing beach colored neutrals. Try to keep it as a technology free area, which shouldn’t be too hard, because most TV shows are on reruns! Keep a book on your night table and read that instead.

However you decide to spend your Staycation, take the time to savor every minute of the day. Push aside obligations and expectations and put the focus on you. You deserve it!