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!
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