Systems & Techniques Archives

Organizers party tricks!

August 14, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

My entire house was packed into boxes…When we moved to Charleston from MD several years ago, we had packed everything and were having a going away party, upon realizing my yoga teachers husband and I went to high school together I walked over to a particular box and pulled out our yearbook. It was like a magic trick and everyone just stood there kind of stunned that I knew were the darn thing was and with everything packed I could still go grab it in less than 30 seconds. This is probably one of the moments that will stand out in my mind forever and when I knew without a doubt that I was destined to be an Organizer! (and someone got a picture of it!)

This popped into my mind after reading a recent discussion on the NAPO forum…all of these are true experiences that I’ve had as a professional organizer and they make me laugh! Consider this a You might be a Professional Organizer if (or destined to be one) kind of list…

You create lists of things you’ve already done so you can cross them off.
Friends (especially new ones) are afraid to have you over because they don’t think their house is organized or tidy enough (don’t worry, were use to worse and we don’t judge!). Alternately…
Your friends, family, clients start a conversation with “you would be so proud of me because…” I purged my wardrobe, got rid of half my books, de-stashed my fabric in my craft room etc:)
Friends come over and want to look into your closet and cupboards to get organizing ideas and see if you are really as organized as…A Professional Organizer, and they leave feeling happy to realize you are organized but not Martha Stewart perfect!
You can retrieve just about anything in your home if someone needs you to, in 30 seconds or less.
Your clutter is categorized and labeled.
Your spices are alphabetized.
You don’t let anyone else load your dishwasher or put your dishes back because they just won’t do it right (my husband has all but 2 cabinets down-the remaining items he leaves for me:)
Your magazines are arranged in the rack by subject and date.
You eat your bag of M&Ms according to color.
Your socks (underwear, bras, etc) are lined up in neat rows in your dresser drawer.
You always have a donation bag of items to get rid of.
Your car contains clients donation items (in an orderly fashion).
You can properly and neatly fold a fitted sheet and know what hospital corners are (and want to teach others this too).
You re-arrange the hotel room, putting everything “where it belongs.”
You don’t have containers with missing lids, if you damage a part-you recycle or dispose of the partner.
You carry a label-maker, tape measure, sharpie and post it notes with you.
You show up at meeting with printouts and a checklist of questions.
You leave every meeting with a half-dozen pages of notes.
Your personal library is organized by category, size (and color).
You categorize groceries into the cashier’s belt (or better yet self check out ) & bag your own groceries by categories.
You can spend an hour or more at The Container Store or IKEA scouting out organizing products.
Your friends and family send you loads of Pinterest organizing pins!
You rearrange cans, boxes, clothes stacks, etc on store shelves as you shop.
You wipe off the sink counters in public bathrooms.

I hope you got a giggle out of some of these! I’m not perfect, seriously Y’all but I do have my organizing compulsions, I just can’t help it:)

Nothing’s worth anything…your sticky stuff

August 10, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques Leave a Comment

I hate to break it to you but your possessions have no value unless they sell! This is true for anything you create or acquire (clothes, household items, electronics etc). Lets really think about this a minute okay? We don’t give much thought to the VALUE of STUFF until we are ready to part with it or part with money to acquire it. Sometimes though, certain things resonate with us so deeply that it isn’t about the money at all and we attach an emotional value to things.

When we do this our stuff becomes sticky. It sticks to us, maybe longer than we would like! It becomes harder to part with, we justify the amount of money we spent, we connect with the feelings attached and we can’t let go…so then what do we do when we feel that nudge to finally let go?

We might think that taking items to consignment, trying to sell them via ebay or a yard sale will ease the separation anxiety…it might, it might not.

Here’s an extreme example; I recently worked with a client who had the contents of her entire home damaged by water, mold and construction debris…together we created an inventory of everything in her home-actually 3 homes, and this list was used to assign replacement value for her insurance claim. In the end I’m not sure if it was worth the time it took to unpack, list, photograph, research and provide documentation but the tragic circumstances made this person feel they had to do something and surely they couldn’t sit back and let the insurance company assign value to their stuff-or could they have? Would it have been much different? Maybe it was an important part of the process for this person to really see their stuff for what it was, just stuff…in the end almost everything was damaged out and replaced. Most stuff is replaceable or not needed to begin with.

I’m often asked to take things to consignment, having first scrutinized them for any imperfections, considering brand, age, wear, and style, only to have them sell for practically nothing. Same goes for the effort of selling on e-bay or a yard sale, it’s usually not worth your time (or what you might pay someone else) to sell these things. But if you really LOVE having yard sales, do it because you love connecting people with the treasures they are out to score, and give them a great deal, it will make their day! Usually though, when we dig deeper there is usually some type of lack mindset lurking beneath the surface.

I never tell someone what to do with items they want to get rid of but I do ask them to consider the value of their time when choosing how to release stuff. When we are really clear about why we bought something it might help us break the cycle.

When considering if you want to consign/sell or donate something I hope you will think about the joy that item might bring someone if you just give it away freely with no strings attached. Release things from a place of abundance and you will surely find the joy in sharing and your stuff will carry on that legacy!

A Playful Makeover Monday

August 3, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques Leave a Comment

I love to work with kids toy spaces and create storage systems that are fun to look at and fun to play with! So many families I work with have a great room space (open) where the kids can play while food is being prepared in the kitchen and other household activities are going on. This is great for keeping an eye on the kids and letting everyone share time together but it can be frustrating to have toys strewn everywhere from the kitchen counter to the hallway, dining room and family room. For this family we were able to start with a small but designated area where toys could be stored and we found the right type of storage to fit the toys that needed to live in the space.

Kids Playroom Makeover

No Slide Found In Slider.

When starting a job like this follow a few simple steps.

Take “inventory” of what containers the client has and look things over to decided what needs to be stored in the space.
Pull all the toys out and sort them by types (music toys, books, puzzles, cars, blocks etc) removing any damaged or unwanted items.
Take measurements of the space; shelves, drawers, cabinets etc with width, height and depth.
Identify types of storage containers needed (if any) and locate them (I love Amazon, Container store and Ikea).
Purchase necessary storage pieces (and schedule for delivery) by your next appointment or work session (DIY or with an Organizer).
Contain toys by category (containers and shelves).
The finishing touch-Label, both on the shelves and the containers, so that parents, kids and anyone else helping with child care or cleanup will know where things belong. A common mistake

I find is that people don’t label because they think they will remember but if you have a housekeeper, nanny, babysitter or family members who come regularly they will not know where things go unless you make it simple and clear.

*Quick tip-schedule your organizing time, put it on your calender!

I have a variety of “go-to” favorite containers that I find work well for a variety of needs but we will also take into account what the client likes and if storage will be visible we look for more decorative containers that fit in with the clients decor. In this case we found cute canvas Toy Chest for larger storage under the stairs at 3 Sprouts. This job also required re-thinking the built in storage and making some changes to fit the needs of the space.

We created a “parking garage” for all the larger cars and trucks under the stairs (just simple shelves that were large enough to accommodate the largest vehicles). Other changes such as removing a dangerous cabinet door (pinched fingers-no good!), fitting bottom boards into lower shelves that were missing and adjusting existing built in shelves to fit the containers were made by a local cabinet maker. We stored “less messy” toys including books, puzzles and music instruments in the family room on both sides of the lower book shelves. Anything that requires more play space or the table (like blocks, cars etc) went into the cabinets by the stairs.

I love how this space turned out, it’s both beautiful and functional and it gives the kids the freedom to have fun in their space but makes it super easy to clean up when needed. Do you have a space that serves multiple functions? If you find these kinds of spaces challenging or need help with set up, I’d love to help you! Visit my contact page and we can schedule a time for a free”get to know your organizing needs” call.

My Big Inspiration Wall

March 9, 2015 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Home, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques

I am blessed with a spectacular studio that overlooks the marsh with windows on 3 sides…lots of natural light, palm trees, Spanish moss and resurrection ferns dripping and hanging from live oak branches.

I’m not short on inspiration but what I am short on is wall space (because of said windows). This has been a challenge for me since we moved in and the one wall I do have is brick which is difficult to attach anything to. After researching several options, I finally made a request of my handy husband to help me solve this challenge.

Design wall’s that quilters use involve a lot of fleece and I’m not a quilter (although I dabble in quilting techniques) so I felt the expense and effort of all that were un-necessary. I also considered cork, again, a resource I didn’t want to waste especially since I planned to paint the wall to blend in…Finally I settled on inexpensive Fiberboard after realizing this is what is used in many schools (my studio at SCAD included) and it would be just the thing to help me go vertical…Here my handyman Mr. B puts the finishing touches on the painted fiberboard before handing it over for me to “play” with.

This piece of fiber board is 4′ x 6′ (cut down from 4′ x 8′) and was only $9. It sucks up paint like crazy so you might want to use a primer-sealer (like Kilz) so you don’t have to apply a million coats). We attached it to the wall with Washers (painted) and screws (into the morter-this brick was so hard it destroyed 2 of my husbands masonry bits).

What a delight it is to have a space to hang both design pieces I’m working on and inspiration for future work! Above and below are details of what’s now currently hanging on my wall. I’ve got quilt blocks I’m kind of stuck on (not knowing what to use them for or if I need to make more), indigo shibori, yarns, mixed media, photography and other bits of inspiration and work in various stages of finished/unfinished.

I’m by no means a minimalist but I don’t love it when my space is too visually cluttered. With this new wall hung I can corrall all sorts of things that have been floating around my studio into one space to feed my inspiration and allow me to step back and see the pieces that I’m stuck on from a different perspective. Do you have the luxury of a inspiration or design wall in your art or office space?

Wednesday Wellness::The Great Purge Urge

December 17, 2014 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Photography, Systems & Techniques, Wellness & Mindset

For the past month, maybe 6 weeks even, I’ve had this very strong desire to purge things. I’ve come to recognize this “Great Purge Urge” and I seize the opportunity when it strikes!

When I’m in this Mindset, I know I will act with certainty in decision making and get a lot more accomplished in a short amount of time then if I just pick away at the process little by little.

Sometimes this urge just comes out of the blue, maybe it’s an astrological event or some other outside influence I’m unaware of but I don’t generally care why it’s happening.

What I know from experience is that getting started, making quick choices and continuing eagerly creates momentum.

This type of action and the momentum generated can be LIFE CHANGING! It’s for this exact reason that I work the way I do, in 3 hr (or longer) time slots and with appointments scheduled frequently (multiple days in a week or month).

Things get DONE, progress happens quickly, SPACE EMERGES where there was none.

I know I’ve got the bug, do you? If it strikes and you would like some help, get in touch and let’s schedule some time so I can help you to get started!

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