get organized | Claire Kurtz is The Well-Organized Woman

Paper Clutter Strategies & Maintenance

August 17, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Paper clutter is typically the most common issue we see in organizing consultations. Between personal information, mail, work documents, and other incoming paper the stacks can quickly become overwhelming. We’ve devised a couple of simple strategies for reducing the amount of paper coming in and living in your home.

Junk Mail: Eliminate junk mail from ever making its way into your home by enlisting a service, such as 41pounds.org. The service takes your name off of junk mail lists and can even minimize catalog delivery.

Mail System: We have discussed in previous posts, the handiness of maintaining a mail processing system. Get a basic file folder container and insert 3 files. The first can be labeled ‘Action Needed’ for important items that need service soon. The second is labeled ‘Upcoming’ and should contain items that may need handling in the coming weeks. The third is ‘Interest’ which may contain coupons or information received for things you may want to consider in the future. Each week, select a day to evaluate the contents of the files and move, file, or trash items as necessary.

Business Cards: Business cards are a big problem for many professionals. The contact information is important, but the storage or entry can be a pain. Try an app such as ScanBizCards which uses OCR technology to digitize the information from a photo taken of any card.

Digital Docs: For more traditional business documents, consider using an online doc development and storage suite, such as Google Docs. Anything you produce or need will be stored online for easy access and updating.

Personal Docs: A simple trick for keeping personal documents under control is to immediately upon opening, shred or trash anything that is not necessary to keep. When deciding what to keep and what to shred, consider if the document could be obtained easily online if needed. Utility, credit card, and even medical bills are all stored online and thus physical copies are rarely needed.

Paperless Billing: Take advantage of online billpay, paperless statements, and email communications as much as possible to further curb paper in your home.

Tax Docs: For documents pertaining to taxes, use a well-labeled storage system, such as the ones recommended here. Only save items in category labeled folders for the first year and then move everything into a single folder labeled by the year following your tax filing. All tax documents can be shredded or trashed after 7 years, but for a list of what to keep and what to toss, check out Suze Orman’s recommendations.

Upside Down Sorting: When attempting a paper sort, flip the pile upside down to start with the oldest, and likely most unnecessary, documents first.

To File or Not to File: Before filing something, ask yourself when was the last time you accessed something similar from the filing cabinet. If the answer is never, you probably don’t need to file it.

We know that paper can be a hassle, but if you stay on top of it soon after it enters your home it will never become unmanageable.

Good Luck!
TWOW

Hoarders: Strategies for Clearing, Organizing, & Maintaining

August 14, 2012 By Claire 1 Comment

A recent study came out detailing the biochemical differences between the brains of hoarders and those of normal functioning people. Brain scans of those diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with hoarding tendencies showed abnormally high levels of activity in the region of the brain tied to decision-making processes. When OCD participants were presented with objects that belonged to them and were asked to consider giving them away brain activity spiked. This important research shows that for some people there truly are physiological barriers to purging and collecting personal belongings.

In our work we often come across clients who are likely borderline hoarders if not clinically diagnosed. Many times, these people are referred by friends and family of the client when their own efforts at controlling the ever-growing collection fail. Their homes are generally rendered unusable by the amount of stuff and often the lives of those living in the environment are suffering because of it. The approach to working with these types of clients is different than with most. If you are someone helping a loved one deal with the effects of hoarding we recommend several strategies.

1) Like-with-Like: Gather all similar items throughout the house and count the total number. For example, if there are 100 boxes of soap, discuss with the hoarder how many they think they can part with and still have enough. Perhaps 50 can be culled. The resulting number may still seem excessive, but for them it is a crucial step in the process of downsizing the collection.

2) Start with the Easy: It may seem to you that everything is trash, but to the hoarder each item has meaning and need. There are usually, however, certain items that they are more willing to give up than others. Identifying things like clothing that will never fit again, expired medications or food, and dead plants will help them to get in the mood for purging.

3) Timing: Although hoarding TV shows often depict large amounts of stuff being thrown away in one day, the reality is this type of strategy can be physically and mentally debilitating for a hoarder. Instead, plan to work slowly through the collection letting go of things in a gradual process. It may take weeks or months to get to a point of liveability, but the long-term sustainability of this strategy is greater.

4) Everything Has It’s Place: Often hoarders will acquire so many things that the belongings start to live in odd places, such as laundry detergents in the hallway. Once you clear much of the stuff out of the home, label appropriate ‘homes’ for items. Discuss with the hoarder that if a certain type of item lives in a certain drawer that if the drawer is full, they must not purchase another until there is space.

5) Maintenance: As a strategy for long-term maintenance of the clean and organized home, work with the hoarder to commit to a goal of one-in, one-out. Every time a new item comes into the home, they must donate, trash, gift, or otherwise cull something already in the home. For the first few donation experiences, it’s best to leave the hoarder at home. After the process is more fully underway consider bringing them with and discussing with donation staff what the items will do for those receive them. The understanding that their stuff is going to a much more needed situation can lessen the stress of the process for hoarders.

6) Therapy: The physical process of getting rid of things is important, but the best thing you can do to maintain the new order to to encourage the hoarder to get therapeutic help. A trained mental health specialist, experienced in hoarder compulsions, can do much to work through the underlying reasons for hoarding and stop further collections from developing.

We know that having a Compulsive Hoarder in your life can be difficult, but just remember that they are not a lost cause. And if you need help, professional organizers and therapists can be a good place to start.

Good Luck!
TWOW

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How & Where to Get Rid of Stuff

August 10, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

We are often asked what’s the best way to get rid of things being culled from the home. While some of the decision is personal preference, there are certain items that are best suited for specific removal strategies. Below we discuss the various options, along with the pros and cons of each.

Clothing Consignment Stores: Although it would be great if everyone could make money off of their excess clothing by consigning, the reality is these stores are extremely picky with what they take. The types of items that are best suited for consignment are new or like-new, in good condition, nicer brands, and most importantly, in-season. If you have winter clothes that you are looking to cull from your closet in the summer, this is not the place to take them. A tip we recently heard for successful consignment is to only do one trip per season. This way you can more easily track your sales and store time limits.

Specialty Stores: Places like Once Upon A Child are excellent options for donating specialty items such as baby products. They will pay you on the spot for your wares and you can feel good about passing along the things your family no longer uses. Play It Again Sports is also an excellent option for offloading old sports gear.

Donation Shops: GoodWill, Salvation Army, and other donation shops will take just about everything you’d like to give them. Although there is no cash payout, the tax deduction can be helpful.

Ebay: This site is most effective for items of slightly higher value that are new or in good condition. Managing the process can be tedious and learning the strategies of becoming a good seller can also be a challenge. However, there is excellent money to be made off of certain types of items.

Garage Sale: Yard sales are best conducted when there is a large amount of stuff to sell all at once. The process requires significant preparation and organization, but it is a good way to offload a variety of items. Keep in mind that prices should reflect severe discounts as your shoppers will expect to see bargains. For more garage sale tips, check out our past post.

Estate Sale: This type of sale is most appropriate for households will extensive collections of valuables. Most often they are conducted by professional estate sale planners who manage the pricing, sale, and delivery of purchased goods to the buyers. Estate sales are most common following the passing of loved ones, but they can also be great options for downsizing and long-distance relocations.

Craigslist & Freecycle: Craigslist.org offers the ability to sell or give away anything you could possibly imagine. Increase your sale odds by being descriptive in your posting and including photos. If possible, get original manufacturer information from other online sources and include in your ad for increased legitimacy. Freecycle.org is another option for giving your belongings away for free.

Recycling Center: If the stuff you are looking to remove from your home is simply not donation or sale worthy, recycling centers will gladly take the items for repurposing. In GA, the North Fulton Recycling Center accepts dropoffs of things like paint, batteries, electronics, books, clothing, ink cartridges, and most everything else you can think of.

No matter what method you chose, we commend you for your efforts to minimize personal belongings.

Good Luck!
TWOW

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Back to School Organization & Time Management

August 7, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

This week marks the start of a new school year for most Metro Atlanta schools. We recommend using the opportunity to commit to a more organized and efficient year in terms of your children’s homework, gear, responsibilities, and activities. In order to help you set your child up for success, we’ve put together a few basic strategies. Implement these at the start of the year and within a few weeks the new system will seem standard within the family.

Homework: For some families, this daily task can be a real challenge. Minimize struggles, by creating a routine. The homework routine should, as much as possible, be consistent week-to-week and day-to-day. We recommend setting a specific time of day and allotment of time for the task to be completed. Although this may need to be flexible for older children, having a general idea of when they are to work on homework and for how long will help keep them focused during the task. The homework process should also be conducted in a space free from distractions, such as TV, phones, and even siblings. Once the child’s homework is done it should immediately be put back in the school bag or otherwise be prepared for return to school the following day.

School Gear: Backpacks and school binders can quickly become messy and disorganized. Products designed to organize these items can help keep things under control, but the more important part is that your child actually utilize the system. Prior to the start of school, discuss with your child the importance of organization and how to keep their belongings neat. Then set up a routine where they clear their backpack or binder of unnecessary items and nicely rearrange the leftovers each night. This re-set technique works great for adult offices and can be just as effective with kids. A final recommendation for maintaining paper organization is to implement a permission slip inbox/outbox. Simply set up a tray, folder, or other type of document catcher in the house and encourage your children to deposit unsigned slips in the folder each night and pickup the signed slip in the morning before leaving for school.

Activities: American children often have many activities and obligations each week. If this is true of your family, there are a couple of strategies you can use to prevent overload and missed engagements. First, decide how many commitments you and your child can reasonably agree to each week and standby this number when additional opportunities arise. It can sometimes be difficult to say no, but learning the skill can help you and your child retain personal time that is extremely important to mental health. Second, keep a family calendar, either paper or digital, that documents all activities. Each Sunday the family should review the calendar and discuss each person’s responsibilities including things like pickups and snack duties, etc.

With continued use of these strategies, school routines and tasks can become more streamline and worry-free.

Good Luck!
TWOW

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Apps to Make Your Life Easier (August 2012)

August 3, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

There are lots of apps that can be distracting and wasteful, but there are also many that can help improve time management, organization, and even health. Our current list of app essentials includes a variety of tools to make your life a little easier.

Read It Later allows you to save any page on the web to be read at a future time. This function is great for helping you to maintain focus at work, while still indulging your online interests. Best of all, the saved articles are typically advertising free and able to be read offline.
Cozi is a family organizer that allows multiple family members to share a calendar, to-do list, shopping list and journal. For families on-the-go, this app is a simple way for everyone to remain on the same page.
ZocDoc enables users to search for doctors and other medical professionals in their area and make appointments based on soonest availability and insurance acceptance. Medical appointments can be hard to come by, but with this app you can find someone that fits your schedule, not the other way around.
MyMedical safely stores medical records, emergency contacts, insurance info, and lab work, etc. for a whole family. No longer is it necessary to store hard copies of such documents. Simply keep the information in this app and sharing to necessary people and groups is a cinch.
OfferUp is perfect for those looking to cull items from their homes. Simply snap a photo of said items, easily post them for sale in the online marketplace, and await a purchase. The posts can also be listed on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to increase your sales odds.
MyFitnessPal takes the complications out of dieting and fitness. The app efficiently tracks food intake, calories, and nutrients with its massive database of stored edibles. It will also allow you to document exercise, connect with friends for moral support, and track goals with reports.

Good Luck!
TWOW

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Wedding Planning Binder Categories

July 31, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Planning a wedding can be stressful and complicated. To help streamline the process we’ve broken down the various tasks associated with the planning process into 12 simple categories. We recommend that when creating your to-do list, planning binder, and/or timeline you use these categories to help maintain organization.

Budget: This is the most important thing to determine before planning your wedding. Be realistic when setting your budget and assume that you will spend slightly more than originally intended as unexpected costs often arise. In order to stay organized, utilize a spreadsheet with columns for item, budget, actual spend, and notes.
Date: When selecting a date, take into consideration high and low seasons for pricing, weather, holidays and vacations that may cause attendance difficulties, and availability for preferred venues.
Venue: Securing the location for your ceremony and reception should be done as soon as possible. When reviewing options, remember to factor in the guest count, style, seasonal weather patterns, and additional costs that the venue may cause (ex. tenting & seats for outdoor venues, Vogue Ballroom reservation).
Guests: After developing a guest list, plan to send save-the-dates 4-6 months out and invites 2 months out. A wedding website can also be created to provide guests with additional info. For out-of-town guests, reserve a hotel block and decide if welcome gifts are necessary.
Wedding Party: Once engaged, friends and family will begin to wonder who made the bridal party cut. Decide with your significant other who and how many members will be included 1-2 months after the engagement. Advise of MOH’s and Best Men of their responsibilities (ex. toasts/party planning) a couple of months after the wedding party invitation. Don’t forget to purchase thank-you gifts for the party.
Vendors: You will likely have many vendors involved in your wedding. We’ve created a list of typical vendors that you will want to engage 6-9 months ahead of time. FrameByFrame.com.sg photographer, officiant, wedding planner, florist, hair stylist, baker, makeup artist, caterer, videographer, entertainment, linen supplier, staging supply services (lighting, special effects, tents, etc.), and transportation. Keep track of vendor contact info, contracts, and information by utilizing a wedding planning binder with clear plastic sheets and tabs.
Attire & Styling: Brides should select the wardrobe (dress, veil, shoes, undergarments, and jewelry) early and plan for several fittings right up to the wedding. The female wedding party can purchase dresses closer to 3-6 months out, whereas the men can reserve their outfits 2-3 months out.
Ceremony & Reception: Creating the visual design of your wedding is often the most stressful part of the process. Utilize your vendors expertise to help formulate the look and scan Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. Elements of design include flowers, tableware, centerpieces, lighting, walking order, menu cards, and seating chart, etc. Deer Park flower shop will work with you directly to ensure you receive the exact spread or arrangement you picture. You will also want to complete the business part of the ceremony including your marriage license, vows, walking order, and officiant script well before the date.
Entertainment: This category can alter the mood of the event greatly. Be extremely selective when picking your music provider (DJ, band), play-list, and other activities (photo-booth and canvas prints) to ensure that they can assist in creating your vision. Work with them to select ‘play’ and ‘don’t play’ lists for the reception, as well as ceremony music. Find incredible wedding bands at WeddingMusicBands.com.
Food & Beverage: Whether it’s a buffet or 5 course dinner, you’ll want your guests to enjoy the food. When selecting a menu, keep in mind the special diets and food preferences of your attendees. Don’t forget to engage the baker 6 months ahead of time to ensure your cake will be scheduled. Alcohol can be a large expense, but time-limited open bars, cash bars, and pre-purchased beverages (BevMo wine) can assist in keeping costs down.
Pre-Wedding: This is generally one area task-set that you can offload on others. Have the mother of the bride plan the shower, the MOH & Best Man the bachelor & bachelorette parties, and the parents the rehearsal dinner. If a Best Man needs some help, he can use Vegas bachelor party guide to arrange an unforgettable night.
Post Wedding: The best deals for flights and hotels for your honeymoon generally come 5 months out. If you’re open to a variety of destinations sites like GrouponTravel and LivingSocial offer excellent package options that include extras such as massages and meals.

Break up tasks by category and you’ll be sure nothing falls through the cracks on your special day!

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Dorm Room Essentials

July 27, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Dorm living is just around the corner for many incoming college freshman. In order to help you prepare your child for independent living we’ve put together a list of our favorite dorm room supplies from Bed Bath & Beyond. These essentials will help keep them organized and hopefully productive during their college years.

Be Organized: Cube shelving with pull-out drawers make excellent storage for a variety of items. Hanging closet shelves will add additional storage for sweaters, jeans, and shorts. Over-the-door shoe racks keep shoes organized and out of sight and finally, bed lifts will add significant space under-the-bed.

Be Clean: Communal living often requires your personal belongings to be mobile. A show er caddy will help keep bathroom items together, a popup hamper will allow students to cart clothing to the laundry room, and colored towels will minimize the risk of mistaken use.

Be Studious: Extension cord/surge protectors will definitely be useful when multiple people are sharing just a few outlets. Dry erase boards are great for roommate communications, to-do lists, and notes and this iPod charging and playing lamp will allow your student to study late while not disturbing roommates with overhead lights.

Be Well Fed: A mini fridge is key for rooms without full kitchens. They’ll also need a small set of dinnerware and utensils. Depending on your student’s meal plan and eating habits, you may also want to invest in a microwave, toaster oven, or coffee maker.

Be Stylish: While the basics are important, you’ll also want your student to feel at home in their new room. Select some spirited or fashionable bedding, frames to hold family photos, and decorative pieces like throw pillows or floor chairs.

The important thing to remember when purchasing dorm room goods is that it is not necessary to stock them with all of the amenities of home. The new experience is certain to distract them from the less than ideal living situation, so don’t feel the need to go overboard.

TWOW

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Our Favorite Multifunction Products

July 24, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Last week our guest blogger, Lisa, gave us some great tips for utilizing furniture and spaces in multiple functions. We love the idea of minimizing the amount of ‘stuff’ in our lives, so this week we’re going to highlight some of our favorite products that have multiple uses.

Dirty Jobs Complete Cleaner: Although many people think cleaning and organizing are similar tasks, here at WOW we dislike cleaning just as much as the next person. That’s why we loved sampling the new Dirty Jobs Complete Cleaner. The product, available at Walmart, was inspired by the Discovery Channel show and really works wonders. The best part is that unlike single-specialty cleaners, this works just about anywhere. Use it in the laundry, the bathroom, on upholstery, or the carpets; it will get the job done.

Food Processor: We love kitchen appliances, but sometimes they can be space hogs. Food processors, however, combine the functions of blender, chopper, cutting board, specialty knives, mortar, cheese grater, and more. If you are low on storage space in your kitchen, consider switching to this multifunction appliance as your go-to tool, and if you want to know how you can fix it if anything wrong, then read more at PittsburghApplianceRepairs.com

Ice Cube Tray: This everyday item, that many people no longer use, due to integrated ice makers are great for organized storage. Use them for earrings and rings, small junk drawer items, cuff links, hair accessories, sewing materials, crafting supplies, etc.

Dryer Sheets: Instead of tossing out your used dryer sheets, use them to freshen up other areas of the home. Rub them on the inside of smelly shoes to reduce odor, place them in the bottom of your underwear drawer or under your car seat for added freshness, or run them along a couch to pick up animal hair. The new ones will work best, but even the old ones can be put to good use.

Toothpaste: It can be a bit odd to consider using something you put in your mouth each day for other purposes, but toothpaste has a variety of household functions. It can fill in small holes in your walls, soothe bug bites, polish chrome and silver, remove crayon coloring from walls, and reduce blemishes, among other things.

These are just a few interesting multi-purpose products. What are your favorite tricks for making the most out of your belongings?

TWOW

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Guest Post: Creative Ways To Contain That Clutter

July 20, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

If there is one thing that every house has in common, it’s clutter! Living a full life comes with stuff along the way. So how do you keep all that stuff from living all over your countertops, end tables, and living room couch? With a little creative organization!

File it away. Many of us use filing cabinets in our professional lives to keep track of customer information, invoices, and receipts. Why limit this incredibly handy device to your workspace? A filing cabinet is the best way to keep your physical records organized, especially if you have a family or own a home. Stow a binder for everyone’s medical information inside your cabinet, with a sheet in the front of your children’s binders where you can record important milestones like crawling and walking. Alternatively, try scanning in important paperwork and saving it in specific folders on your home computer. Getting all the bills, receipts, and records off your countertops is an essential first step to moving on to more exciting organizational projects.
Make your furniture play double duty. From now on, your furniture doesn’t get to just serve one function. That inexpensive armoire that you bought to house your daughter’s baby clothes? As she grows and changes, so does the armoire! In elementary school the armoire could serve as an art station or hobby closet, and when she goes on to high school, the armoire might morph into a computer desk. Similarly, a chest or trunk can serve as both storage space and a coffee table, a standing bookcase holds trinkets and books plus acts as a room divider, and baker’s racks can be used for storage in the bathroom and bedrooms as well as the kitchen.
Climb the walls. Too many times we only think of organization as going in one direction – horizontal. But if you start to look at your walls as potential storage area, you’ll realize that your house is brimming with places to keep all that clutter! Some simple hooks in each room can be used for coats, play clothes, and sports uniforms. A sturdy rope hanging from eyehooks on the wall can be used to display artwork, special photos, important correspondence, and other lightweight items. And mounting shelves or cubbies is a great alternative to keeping them on the ground where they take up valuable floor space.

This post was generously written by guest blogger, Lisa. She is a mother and organization enthusiast who relies on her storage units in Colorado Springs and storage units in McAllen to keep her life clutter free. As a writer at Self Storage Deals, Lisa advocates labeling as the best way to stay organized around the house.

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Preparing for House Guests: A Checklist

July 17, 2012 By Claire Leave a Comment

Summer is often a time of year when we receive visitors from out of town. Although the visits can be great experiences, the preparation can sometimes be overwhelming. In order to assist in getting ready for house guests, we’ve put together a checklist of items to execute prior to their arrival.

Lodging:

Clean the entire house and yard
If you’re using a blow up mattress, test it ahead of time for leaks and pump issues. If you do not own a guest mattress, consider checking for a Nolah mattress discount, they are best value in my opinion.
Launder the linens on the guest bed
Leave an extra blanket and a couple of extra pillows in the room in case of specific sleep style preferences
Clear out space in the closet and/or dresser for the guests to unpack their things

Eating:

Determine which meals will be had at home and buy appropriate amounts of food. Do not forget to accommodate for food allergies, preferences, and diets
If no major meals are to be eaten at home, at least purchase snacks and beverages
Make reservations for dining out ahead of time to ensure your desired restaurants do not book up

Bathing:

Clean and set-aside a fresh towel for each guest. If you have several colors, consider giving one color to each guest so they can easily identify which is theirs in the bathroom.
Ensure that the bathroom to be used by the guests is well-stocked with soap, shampoo, conditioner, and toilet paper. If you have extra travel sizes on hand from previous hotel stays, feel free to set these out in a bowl on the counter. It’s a great way to offload them.

Miscellaneous:

Find or have a spare key made in case you are separated from your guests
If you have an alarm system or special entry procedures within your building, write them down for your guests
If there is a small child among your guests, ask the parent what childproofing should be done ahead of time
Plan a rough agenda for the trip and have several activity options to present for your guest’s choosing
Write down the internet password for your guests

Take care of these items ahead of time and the visit can be dedicated to having fun with your guests instead of scrambling to prepare.

TWOW

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