Tips & Resources Archives

Year-Ahead Planning Resources

December 14, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Paper management, Tips & Resources, Uncategorized 2 Comments

“Where I’m headed is a direct result of the ideas, goals, intentions and plans I create space for in my life.” -Heather K. Powers

I’ve come to love a few tools that I use over and over routinely. I’m including a round up of them below along with some new tools! Planning begins for me by selecting a planner. I went back to paper a few years ago. I’ve used quite a few planners over the years, including the Franklin Covey system, Filofax, Danielle La Port, and more!

Schedule time for an end-of-year review and year ahead planning in the last weeks of the year.

I try to keep it simple and don’t go all out Bullet Journal. I use a Moleskin planner and customize it. This includes categories and intentions, goals, tasks, and events on a daily/weekly basis. My regular habit of Journaling helps me get a lot of ideas out of my head and on paper. During that process I can move more concrete ideas to my planner. This works for me. I’m always re-evaluating and making small adjustments. Overall, I’m happy with this and can easily go back through my year to see my accomplishments. If you’re searching for some great planning tools, the first few below are ones I’ve personally used and love! The last couple are new additions. But I deeply trust the sources and can recommend them with full confidence you will find them helpful!

Susannah Conway guides us to reflect on your year in Photo’s (on Instagram) with December daily prompts. She has a beautiful tool called “Unravel your year”
The word of the year is a process that both Christine Kane and Susannah Conway share tools for discovering. I’ll be revealing mine early next year.
Ali Edwards shares beautiful tools for her One Little Word discovery. She also offers a year-long creative exploration you can join. She’s one of the first people I discovered the word of the year with!
Check out this free toolkit from Do What You Love
Moleskine Planners are still my favorite. Although I’ve tried digital planners and other newer planners, I keep going back to this great staple. I love the flexibility, lovely colors various sizes, and layouts.
Danielle Laporte offers her free Soulful Habit Tracker. She also sells a gorgeous planner and other great tools for inspiration for planning. I’m a long time reader and fan of Danielle’s!
Vision boards! This is such a fun project/tool for creating a visionary map of what you want to create in your new year. It’s a practice I began about 7 years ago and I’ve continued to make them and teach them almost every year! Join me for my next workshop here.

How do you do year ahead planning and reflect on your accomplishments? I’d love to hear your favorite tools and routines in the comments below! I know there are a lot of options out there so I’m only sharing what I know, trust, and have seen results from:) Happy, almost, New Year!

Attic storage inspiration, before the holidays!

December 4, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

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.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/56787645281838946/

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.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93590498489675677/

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!

Back to School Prep | Toss & Tidy Up

August 8, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Kids & Family Organizing, Organize, Organizing Projects, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

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!!

How Pro’s can help with Organizing Move Management

July 8, 2019 by Heather 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!

Try Everything Organizing

June 4, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Creative process, Organize, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

There are a lot of people who feel like they LIVE the try everything organizing approach and there are others who feel that the latest trends or books about organizing SHOULD work for them, but they don’t. That can be extremely frustrating and lead a lot of people to think they are doing something wrong or that they just can’t get organized! That makes me so very sad!

I like to take the ‘Try Everything Organizing approach” when working with creative clients who feel overwhelmed or like organizing is impossible for them. What do I mean by this? Well, we might mix systems for example and use the Kondo technique for books and clothing but try something very different for anything that is sentimental and harder to part with. When I say I use the Try Everything Organizing approach, I literally am going back and drawing on all the systems and techniques I’ve learned from books and classes on organizing and productivity.

I believe that when we are learning something new, we need to explore different techniques, experiment and practice. A dogmatic approach might work for some disciplined personalities but it might be more frustrating than helpful for artists, collectors, free thinkers and less conventional creative individuals. I work with a lot of clients who fall into one of the above categories…not putting anyone into a box, just sharing a description of some of my favorite client! Sometimes some of these individuals are ADD/HD and are so creative in their approach to problem solving, we come up with (invent/discover) some really amazing solutions. Mistakes lead to invention! There might be obstacles along the way…

you might be frustrated
you might be overwhelmed
you might be-feel laziness
you might be un-interest or un-motivation
there might be other people involved
you might feel shame
you might experiment
you might take an unorthodox approach
you might fail and try again!

Give yourself some “Try Everything Organizing” prompts such as, “What would happen if”? Respond by writing about it, or acting it out. What would happen if I…

I got rid of clothes that don’t fit?
I let go of books I have read and won’t re-read?
I gave someone who needed __________ more than I do?
I got rid of the magazine articles I tore out but never reference?
If I tried storing __________ here instead of there?
I let go of a few of my less favorite items in my collection?
If I tried folding my ________ instead of hanging them?
I tried living with less ________?

Your turn…what have you tried that hasn’t worked for you? What has worked? Are you already using the Try Anything Organizing approach? If not and you want to give it a try, I’d love to hear from you, Here.