Organizing Projects

Back to School Prep | Toss & Tidy Up

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It’s back to School prep time which is also a great time to toss clutter, outgrown clothing and tidy up before the school year begins. Hopefully they’ve had a fun summer filled with vacation play, camps, projects and book reading assignments. Before you head out to shop for supplies, lets get toys, rooms and supplies you already have in order first.

Did those notebooks, textbooks and book bags languishing in the closet, play room, kitchen or bedrooms? If so, you never know what you might find growing by now, arm yourself if necessary!

This should take no more than 30 min’s for most grade and high school kids and I recommend doing it within the first week of school ending but if it didn’t happen at the end of school, it’s a great way to get in the back to school mindset now! Have them gather their book bag/backpack, any supplies and textbooks in their room or anywhere else they study. Put them all in a pile, on the floor, their bed (lots of kids like to work on their bed-it’s comforting) or a table/desk.

Back to School Prep | Pitch It

Remove the contents of bags and backpacks (if you didn’t do this at the beginning of the summer). Evaluate the condition of the bag and reusable supplies.
Go through notebooks and remove anything that you or your kids want to keep (for sentimental reasons or other), add these to a sentimental box (each child should have their own, separate from the parents).
Recycle papers, notes and notebooks no longer needed.
Gather books to return to the school, hand down to younger kids or donate to a library.
Save supplies that can be re-used in one area and before you shop for back to school, check here first!

Back to School Prep | Supplies

Shop school supplies you have on hand before you head to the store. It might not feel as exciting, but with younger kids you can create a “store” and offer to exchange some kind of reward for items “purchased” at home. This will help teach and reinforce the value of reuse and recycling. As kids get older, I find most of them are pretty keenly aware and want to re-use/not waste materials!

Shelves, cabinets, closets and basket systems, all work great depending on your space and needs. Just be sure it’s easy for you and your kids to get to. If they are older, they may want to keep some of their favorite supplies in their room, otherwise they can all go in one place.

Back to School Prep | Toys

This might not be something a lot of parents think about at back to school time but games, toys and crafts can collect and then languish in the lost corners once school begins. So it’s really the perfect time to asses what toys and games your kids are still using and donate what they have out grown. Craft and art projects can be stored in sentimental bins or just snap a photo (which you can always print later) and let it go! Keep only their favorites and rotate what is kept out because there won’t be as much time for games and toys.

I’ll share my tips about Back to school prep for your kids wardrobe and shopping for supplies in the next couple posts! Happy Back to School Prep!!

Moving, Lists and Inventory

by Filed Under: Move Management, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources 2 Comments

When it comes to moving, lists and inventory are essential tools! Another week into the moving progress and we’ve got over 24 boxes packed! We did a little calculation and determined that if we pack 4 boxes a day on average (6 days a week) then we will have over 90 boxes packed in the next few weeks. When we moved here 6 years ago we had over 90 boxes, my goal is to have less this time!

I prefer to pack a little bit at a time rather than try to cram it all into the last week or so.

With this strategy like break down packing into categories so this week I’ll be packing linens, china, un necessary kitchen items, some home accessories and some clothing.

Here’s how I go about creating Moving, Lists and Inventory

Each box is numbered and assigned a code according to size (A, B, C) then
I list a short inventory of the contents making special note of valuable (sentimental or monetary) items.

With this system, you will have a very good idea of what’s in each box, where it goes and BONUS, this inventory can serve insurance purposes if needed.

Now for the exciting news, fingers crossed we very well might have someone to rent our house!! We will know for sure soon but it looks promising and this will allow us to determine our exact date of departure. I’ve been secretly hoping for a specific date and it seems like things might just be pointing in that direction.

Moving Monday::Where to Begin with Packing (hkpowerstudio.wordpress.com)

How Pro’s can help with Organizing Move Management

by Filed Under: Move Management, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

I find a lot of people asking me how can a professional organizer help with organizing move management? This is a great question and there are a lot of resources out there for moving, but an Organizer can help you specifically based on your individual needs and schedule. Of course there are a lot of variables like local or long distance, corporate relocation or DIY, remodel with move, downsizing and possible storage needs. So it can get complicated but I hope I can share some of the basic’s in how we PO’s can help with a variety of moving circumstances!

A big part of what an Organizer does to help with moving is what’s called “Move Management” in our industry. The steps below break down the process and organizers can and will help at any stage along the way, from researching moving companies, purging, setting deadlines and realistic expectations to actually helping with packing, move day coordination and unpacking and organizing at the new home.

Start with the end and set your date!! The most important thing to keep an eye on is the end date…work backwards from there. Get your move scheduled ASAP or at least have a ballpark idea of when the move is happening, 6 weeks or 6 months is going to make a big difference! If you know who you will use, go ahead and book your ideal moving date now (you can change it later if needed).

Don’t under-estimate how much work moving is! One of the biggest mistakes I see when it comes to moving is people under-estimating how much time it takes to prepare, but when we break it down with move date in mind it is a much more manageable process.

Research and decide on your moving company or how you will be transporting items from old to new location. Will you be packing items yourself, having a moving company come pack everything or something in between?

If you have a lot of items go through and are downsizing a great deal, it’s never too soon to start this process.

Purge in categories (ex. Clothing, Books, Holiday decor, memorabilia, linens, furniture, etc). Start sorting items one category at a time. I recommend starting with large items like furniture and easy items like linens and toiletries. An organizer can help you decide if it’s best to donate, trash/recycle, sell or give items to family/friends. Use sticky notes and a notepad to identify and tag items to get rid of. This will help you keep track of larger pieces that will not be making the move.

Set aside a short-long term “staging” area that you can use for sorting and temporarily storing items to get rid of (a garage or spare room). This is also an area to keep packing supplies like tape, bubble wrap, paper etc. Start gathering supplies to keep in this area so you can pack as needed.

Make arrangements for weekly pick up or drop off of donations (again, something an organizer can do for you).

Create an inventory “notebook” or file. As you pack boxes, label them with the room they will go to, box number and general contents on your inventory sheet. Also keep track of special items or valuables on this list.

Pack up personal photo’s and extra memorabilia, especially if your home is being staged for sale. Work with your real estate agent, organizer or stager to determine the appropriate amount of “accessorizing” for your home’s size and market.

Book your movers about one month ahead if you have not already!

Book your unpacking crew (either with the moving company or your professional organizer).

Did you know that unpack service does not include putting items away? Unpacking service will only place items on horizontal surfaces, this can sometimes be a big annoyance! Coordinate with your mover and organizer to get you settled in ASAP!

Pack by category and by room or be sure each room and category is ready to be packed by professionals in a way that will make the most sense when unpacking. Gather all papers into one place and any other categories you would like to be packed together.

The last items to be packed should be the first items to be unpacked. Be sure you know where items like sheets, towels and frequently used household items are (ex. coffee pot, cleaning supplies, paper plates or a few essential dishes etc).

Set aside toiletries, clothing, small valuables, medications, food items and important papers you want to hand carry to your new home on moving day. These items should be packed by you in your luggage.

Hire your organizer for move day coordination. They can meet your movers as they pack the contents of your old home, checking to be sure items are properly labeled and identified to be placed in your new home properly.

Hire your organizer (or a crew) for 1-2 days of unpacking service to help get your essential rooms (and beyond) set up for your first night in your new home. An organizer will meet the moving crew, have them place boxes in a location that will not impede household use and will begin unpacking essential rooms like bedrooms, closets, bathrooms and the kitchen.

Have a restful first night in your new home!

Moving can be stressful but with planning, prioritizing and help from an organizer, it can be a breeze and a lot of fun settling into a new home!

8 Easy Steps to Closet Cleanout

by Filed Under: Closets, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

Tackle your wardrobe and seasonal closet clutter with these 8 Easy Steps to Closet Cleanout.

Spring fever and the extra hour of daylight spur many of us onto spring cleaning. We are still in the height of Spring Cleaning frenzy so if you haven’t yet tackled the closets, there’s still plenty of time before the heat of the summer and seasonal vacations and kids summer breaks are upon us!

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Spring Clean your Bath, Laundry and Pantry first!

by Filed Under: Home, Organize, Organizing Projects

Small but high traffic utility areas and can make a big impact on your daily life.

Why Spring Clean the Bath, Laundry and Pantry first?

These areas can be great place to start with when your doing your annual deep cleaning (Spring/Fall). These areas take very little time (a couple hours each) and can be a low or zero cost space to organize and clean when using existing containers and supplies.

In the bathroom, minimize what was on the counter…have you noticed the trend of builders to no longer install medicine cabinets, towel rods, rings and toilet paper holders? It’s not only annoying, it adds to the bathroom clutter by forcing us to put things on the counter! Instead of keeping everything out, go through and kept out the only items used daily and contained the rest. Less frequently used items can be moved to drawer, cabinets or a bathroom closet if available. Toss expired and old toiletries and makeup, if your not sure what to keep, this post has a more in depth guide to your Toiletry Toss!

Again, take everything in your pantry (or pantry cupboards) out, sort and toss expired foods. Donate food you don’t want to someone else in need. Think about how you use the space before you pu In the pantry, put items that are less frequently used towards the deep inside corners and “adult only” stuff on the top shelves. Use containers including boxes and baskets (nothing fancy) to gather kids snacks and lunch making items and beverages that are “mom approved” within easy reach for the kids on lower shelves. We moved most items off the floor but kept more utility items like paper towels, bulk drinks and pet food there due to space constraints.

In the laundry room, we created zones on separate shelves to separate laundry, cleaning and other household supplies and made sure to keep hazardous items up high out of kids reach. If you don’t already have categories in your laundry area, pull everything out, sort, purge and give the space a good deep clean before you return items to their new zones, using baskets labels and easy to access storage.

Bathrooms, laundry, and pantries are frequently used and therefore need constant maintenance. Schedule regular maintenance that’s easy to remember like 2x/yr in spring and fall and get rid of expired food, toiletries, and medications…for your health and overall wellness!

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