Systems & Techniques Archives

Travel Tips for a Happier Holiday

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More Tinsel Less Bristle-Travel Tips for a Happier Holiday!

All too often we hear about the chaos and stress of the holiday season. The holidays are an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, but between long road trips and TSA merriment is often overlooked. This season we’ve put together a list of travel tips for a happier holiday so that the only frosty part of your holiday is the snowman outside.

Keep in mind who you are traveling with. With kids? Make sure you have extra games or activities and maybe a few healthy snacks – the more spill-proof the better. This will keep the little ones entertained and cut down on grumpy roadside snack stops.
Invest in quality luggage. Nothing is more frustrating than dragging an oversized, tearing at the seams suitcase with a couple of busted wheels. If you are traveling by plane, double-check that your carryon or checked luggage is within size and weight restrictions.
Pack light. You may be bringing things back, and you do not need 5 pairs of shoes for a 4 day stay. And don’t forget! If you are taking gifts with you by plane be sure to save the wrapping for after your arrival.
Before you leave the house – tidy up things up a bit. After long hours on the road or in the air, the last thing you want to come home to is a mess.
Before you drive – consider leaving in the early morning or late night hours when traffic is at its lowest, aim for 2-digit interstates which provide the most direct routes through cities, and make time to stop and stretch your legs which will keep your body from assuming constant chair pose and give your mind that much needed second wind.
Before you fly – check in online ahead of time to save yourself from unnecessary kiosk lines and arrive early. During the holiday’s airports are packed and subject to cancellations or delays, so a minimum of two hours before boarding time is ideal particularly if you are flying into or out of airports like JFK, LGA, or O’Hare to name a few.
Remember to breathe. While you are sitting in traffic or waiting in line at TSA take a moment to monitor your breath. Avoid getting caught up in the hectic energy that makes us feel like we are rushed. Unknit your brow, relax your shoulders, take a deep breath, and take your time.

Most importantly, remember to pack a good attitude. We all know plans don’t always go exactly as expected. Be ready to roll with the punches and if your patience begins to slip remember that in a few hours you’ll be surrounded by the ones you love so you can eat, drink, and be merry.

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Attic storage inspiration, before the holidays!

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Outta sight attic storage sometimes needs a little inspration. When we can’t see it regularly, those areas can get clutteered and filled up with unknown mystery and duplicate items. Here are some essential go-to attic storage tips, just in time for you to get your storage organized for the holidays!

Six simple fixes that will make your attic storage easier to access and use.

Safety
Flooring
Shelves
Bins
Labels
Hanging storage

Start with making your attic/stair’s easy to access and safe. Check the cables, railing and steps for safety a couple times a year and have them maintained or replaced as needed. There are some really great new stair options out there, see more here.

Next, think about the safety of what you are storing. If your attic is not climate controlled, whatever you store there will be subject to fluctuating temperatures and humidity. This can be especially damaging to wood and paper products. The attic is not the best space for books, photo’s and valuable heirloom furniture. You also may not want to store clothing long term, but seasonal storage in bins or a cedar chest should be okay.

The attic should be totally fine for extra household items including bulky or less frequently used kitchen items, travel gear (suitcases etc) and all your holiday decorations (except candles-I recommend storing ALL candles together). Of course, do not store flammable items in the attic and keep things clear of HVAC and other utilities (per instructions of the manufacturer). I’ll share more next month on specific holiday decor storage ideas.

Put down some sort of flooring! Don’t straddle the rafters, step through drywall or get fiberglass all over yourself! There are a lot of options, from plywood to these really great (reusable) L ock-N-Rollin floors…so easy to install!

Use or install shelving of some sort. It’s fine to stack bin’s if you only have a few but if you have a lot to store, shelves (either pre-made or custom built) will make it super easy to pull things in and out.

Use smaller bins to make it easier to bring things up and down. Make sure you know how large your opening is so you know what size storage will fit. I see so many people who try to put large bins in the attic, this usually causes accessibility challenges.
Store like things together by season and category (holidays etc).
Add labels to bins and shelves as needed.
Hang things in unusual or tight spots. This is a clever fold down “secret” storage spot but you can also just add hooks and hang oddly shaped, light weight items directly from rafters.

The space below is “finished” attic space but no less challenging due to the unusual shape. We used hooks to hang an assortment of sport gear on the wall so that the back of the space could still be accessible (with shelves added for additional storage).

With a bit of planning and elbow grease you can maximize your attic storage to suite a variety of household needs. If your project is out of your control, let me know how I can help!

7 Simple Steps to Your Cleanest Kitchen

by Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

Don’t you want to start the holiday season with your cleanest kitchen?

This time of year is a great time to deep clean the kitchen and fridge, especially after summer and fall trips to the farmers market and before all your holiday cooking, baking and entertaining…when everyone lands in the kitchen, right?! BUT, if your reading this in the Spring or before Back to School…any time is a good time to take a deep dive for your cleanest kitchen. I recommend it at least a couple times a year.

Your Cleanest Kitchen in 7 easy steps

Re-arrange as needed for things that might not be working well in their current spots-I just moved appliance I don’t need further out of the way and made baking items more accessible over the weekend.
Purge– including out of date food (toss), things you don’t like (give away) things like plastic ups, containers-missing lids (recycle) and cozies that somehow made their way home from summer festivities. No thank you Freebies!
Tidy and sort food and other items by category. Add containers to corral and labels to identify items as needed. Post purge is the best time to do this!
Give everything a sanitizing wipe down including the cabinets, switch plates, counters-moving everything out from the walls and wiping the backsplash.
Clean out appliances such as the microwave, oven, toaster and make note of anything broken or missing that I might want to add to a wish list.
Take a quick look through the pantry and make a list of staple items needed for upcoming baking and cooking (sugar, flour, chocolate chips, spices, herbs etc), this way you can be spontaneous when the urge to get creative in the kitchen strikes!
Finally, the Fridge! Remove and wipe or rinse everything including contents, the shelves, and drawers. Toss expired food. If you can, remove the “parts”, clean with your favorite kitchen cleaner and scrub the crevices with an old toothbrush and baking soda. Repeat the process for the freezer, defrosting according to your manufacturer instructions if needed. If you have a water filter built in, it’s a great time to check and replace that too.

You can take each step above and break it down over a weekend or a whole week (7 steps-7 days!) depending on how much time you have. As I do this, I pull things out and try to use up leftovers (especially in the freezer) to make room for all the great new food I’ll be preparing and eating over the holiday season.

If you ever question keeping or tossing, HERE is a great list of food expiration etc. follows. Safety and common sense should prevail…BUT I will say that in the age of “toss it” mentality there are probably lots of things you-should-never-have-bought AND may not need to go but I’ll bet some are on this list. Use your judgment, and follow your intuition…and FYI-Sugar never expires!

Happy pre-holiday cleaning!

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Garage Organizing & Tidying Tips

by Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

Fall (and Spring) are the perfect seasons to work on Garage organizing. With great weather and mild temperatures, I’ve been working on a lot of Garage Organizing Jobs. It’s the perfect time to get outside and whip that garage (or shed) into shape before the holidays and dreams of parking your car IN your garage arrive! Taking the time to tackle the garage now, will help you prepare for all the fun seasonal activities in the coming months and get your household maintenance tasks done more quickly. There’s a lot to consider when organizing a garage (and if you have a shed or workshop a lot of this can be applied there). Are you ready to take on the Great Garage Organizing Challenge?

If you don’t have a garage, maybe your challenge will be to organize the shed, the attic or another storage area. The important factors to take into consideration are; amount of time you to complete the project and type of installation, painting and maintenance/repairs involved and your budget. Will you paint the walls or floors or put down parking or modular mats, add lighting or other features? Do you want to install an elaborate custom designed system (call in an expert) or go with DIY options?

Schedule a couple solid weekends of dedicated time for a 2 car garage or a large attic or 1 weekend and a few additional hours for a smaller area. Take family members schedules, temporary storage (things might need to be temporarily moved out of the garage so beware of HOA rules etc) and weather into account. If your space is jam packed to the ceiling you might need more time to purge and work a path through the spaces, but lets hope you’re not there!

Do you have a green thumb and want a potting area for all your gardening supplies? Assess how you use the space or more accurately how you want to use the space. Of all the rooms in your home the garage may be the most mult- functional! Don’t forget the basics like trash/recycling, cleaning products and supply storage. How else do you use the space?
List out categories and quickly sketch “Zones” based on the space layout, functionality (power access, mobility), lighting (windows, existing fixtures) and frequency of use for each category.
This is the time that you should plan to make larger purchases such as shelving, lighting, pegboards or other necessary supplies. Take measurements and make sure you buy what will fit and only what you know you need. Try to keep systems modular if possible so they can be re-configured as needed.

Do you have a family with lots of sports enthusiasts and lots of gear? Or do you have a lot of tools for DIY projects?

Is your car currently parked in the garage and if not (it is your 2nd most expensive asset!) do you want it to be? Do you do laundry in your garage or need a “mud room” area? Make it easy for you and your family to juggle groceries and other items as you transition from your car to the house by using hooks, shelving and benches to place things by your home entrance.

Gather your supplies; gloves, basic tools, bags and boxes (for giveaway and trash/recycling), post it notes, permanent markers, label maker/labels, a variety of storage bins, various hooks (command and lg ‘ladder’ hooks) and any shelves or other items you purchased to install. Start with what you have and make a list of smaller items you will need as you go.

Sort; I suggest working clockwise from the entrance-either garage door or door to house. Work your way around the room one wall at a time around sorting items into keep, donate and toss. If you don’t have an immediate way to store/re-install an item make a note and set the item in the general zone where it needs to go and come back to it. Try to keep focused on one area at a time and not go back and forth between the room. If you are able to move everything out to a holding area then keep things grouped by zone in bins to be returned when ready.
Clean as you go and make basic repairs/maintenance updates such as installing hooks, shelves etc. This can be done one wall or zone at a time or with the whole room if it’s been cleared.
Store items in their new homes, this might require grouping and labeling items into bins, installing pegboards or slat walls with hooks, simple hooks or nails, shelving, bins/baskets etc.

Think vertical and don’t forget overhead storage space! Make sure these systems are well secured!! Give them a good tug to make sure things don’t come tumbling down when you or the kids go to grab something. Keep kids, heavy and more frequently used items lower to the ground (but make sure they are water proof if necessary) and lighter and less frequently used or more dangerous tools mounted up higher.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, donate & dump…Don’t forget to get the stuff that you have purged out the door as quickly as possible! When stuff lingers it has tendency to find its way back in so don’t let that happen!

Hopefully this post has you thinking about when and what you can do to create a more organized family garage. Take a look this weekend and if it feels too daunting to tackle yourself, remember you can always hire a Professional Organizer to help!

Off to College Essential Organizing Tips

by Filed Under: Kids & Family Organizing, Organize, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources 1 Comment

If your kids are headed off to school for the first time or returning it can help to take a quick look through these Off to College Essential Organizing Tips. Some of you may have eagerly planned, shopped and packed early in the summer, yet there are still lots of folks getting their dorms set up and moved into. These Essential Organizing tips will help you get a handle on planning for this life-changing event! This milestone is really two big events in one, a move and back to school. If you’re feeling overwhelmed already, break it down into smaller manageable tasks and be mindful of your emotions! It’s a big change (for your whole family) so don’t dismiss how you feel!

Productivity, Routines and Schedules

By now you should probably have the school year calendar and have a target date for college move in all squared away but if not there’s still time to get a handle on it. Here are some of the categories related to routines and schedules that may help make this a more mindful transition to managing college/life schedules and productivity.

Transportation-Will a car be available or will is it going to be transportation by bus or college shuttle? Is there a metro or other public transportation in their new city? Be sure to understand the best method of transportation and if cars are allowed on campus (not the case for many freshmen). Work out travel transportation arrangements ahead of time for upcoming school drop off, pick up and holidays (through the end of the year). This might include airfare so book ahead and know the rules and download any useful local aps for mass transit.
Planner or Calendar-Decide how to keep track of calendars so that everything needed is in one place, based on what works. Use either a digital or paper planner (there is a big trend to return to paper!) to keep track of important dates, orientation, move in, class schedule (and locations on campus), appointments, projects, finals and holidays. Consider something like a whiteboard (in the dorm/room) to track schedules while adjusting to this new way of life. If possible, do this ahead of time before heading off to school where the tendency will be to get caught up in the excitement of new campus life! Planners are only helpful if they are with you so keep it where it’s needed (in a backpack or purse etc).
Activities, sports and clubs-If your college students are planning to get involved in sports, clubs etc…get these activities booked on your master calendar along with the school schedule and decide on any necessary transportation. Cross reference these activities (especially intense sport/practice/games) with school schedule and keep it all in one place. It’s great to get involved, but be sure there’s a sense of balance between school work, activities and “play” or free time to be with friends, socialize, relax etc.
Productivity, routines and study time–Talk with them about to do lists and schedule planning (daily, weekly or monthly) so they will stay on top of important tasks, projects, classes and dates. Remind them of what routines and systems have worked for them so far and help them set up systems for successful focus on study while they are away. This will be different from situation to situation but consistency is key, especially simple things like waking up at the same time daily, making your bed, weekly shopping & laundry etc. When it comes to studying, if your kid is extra distracted by other people being around, help they seek out a quiet place on campus or in their dorm that they will be able to focus. Help them create their own rules, like pick up daily (5 min’s/day), keep your desk clean, empty/repack your backpack daily so you have what you need ready the next day. Have a plan for note taking, setting up binders and folders by class (color code etc) or other systems that have been successful for them so far. Find a routine for self discipline, this means getting 6-8hrs of sleep a night, eating regularly, taking necessary medications, self regulating screen time (games, apps etc) and generally acting like an adult! All the freedom is fun but when things spiral out of control have a plan to get back on track. Most of us thrive with routines and it’s even more important in transitions to implement them for our own success:)

Supplies and Shopping

This is always a big part of school preparation. If you need to order equipment, uniforms, supplies, books etc you may already been in the process of doing so. If your state (or the one the college is in) has a Tax Free Weekend (usually in August), plan accordingly so you can make major purchases over that weekend.

Supplies-Create a master list based upon all the supplies needed. “Shop” your house first, gathering anything on the list into one container (box or bag).
Budget-set a limit (realistic) on what you can and will spend so you don’t get sucked into extras.
Categorize-Break the shopping items into categories (see below). E.X. categories might include books, school/desk supplies, clothing, dorm room, meals, electronic’s etc.
Shopping-Do a little preliminary research online and either make the purchases online or decide where you will go for what.

A-Z Dorm Essentials for Cleaning and Organizing

These are great resources to have on hand and will be helpful for a variety of uses in the dorm. I’ve created an Amazon Shopping list with suggested items here.

Backpack or bag
Bedside Caddy
Bed Risers (optional)
Hooks (a variety of sizes & types including command & over the door)
Hangers (check to see if you need to bring them but probably!)
Labels (a label maker or write on labels)
Laundry supplies (basket/bag, detergent)
Over the door or under bed shoe organizer
Overnight bag
Permanent markers
Poster Putty for hanging decorative things on the walls
Power Strip-surge protector
Small rolling Cart (with shelves or drawers)
Shelf &/or drawer dividers/organizers (assorted sizes)
Toiletry or shower caddy
Trash & recycling bins/bags (so many people don’t have them!)
Under bed storage bins (will fit with bed risers-wait if you don’t know)
Zip bags in assorted sizes
Zip ties (assorted sizes for cables, hanging items etc)

ABC’s of Dorm Packing Essentials

There are a ton of great resources and lists over on Pinterest, so I won’t recreate them but here are general packing categories. It’s best to wait on things like a mini-fridge, microwave, dishes (other than a cup/mug, plate and one set of silverware), Iron/Board (unless fashion is your thing!), vaccum (maybe a dustbuster and mini broom), TV and Printer. These are all things that others or the school will have. Besides, you might not need at all or you can get them later.

Bathroom-Toiletries
Cleaning Supplies
Clothing
Cooking & Dining Supplies
Desk Supplies
Dorm Room
Food
First Aid Kit
Electronics
Furniture & Decorations
Medications (Supplements, cold & Rx)
Personal Items
School Supplies
Sports Equipment

This is a lot of info in one place! I hope these Off to College Essential Organizing Tips will help prepare for schedule and lifestyle changes, supplies and shopping and finally packing before this next grand adventure begins!

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