Paper piles - how to control the mess

 Paper is one of the hardest things to organize. One reason is because there is so much of it! 

We are inundated with paper! Mail, junk mail, bills, announcements, invitations, kids school permission slips, medical information, tax information....and on and on...

Most people have no system in place for handling the influx of paper. 

They walk through the door of their home and just dump the paper on the kitchen table. And then - forget about it. 

And tommorrow - the same thing happens. This time - the mail goes on top of yesterday's pile. And tomorrow - the same thing happens....the mail goes on yesterdays pile...   and on and on and on...

Until the pile falls over and maybe lands on the floor! 

A lot of people don't actually look at their mail until days later. Some people - never look at their mail. It just keeps piling up.

What's in that pile????

Bills - that you might have forgotten to pay. School permission slips that you never signed. Invitations that you never responded to - and at the last minute you are scrambling for gifts for that party or wedding that you have to go to!

Having a system in place for handling incoming mail and paper is crucial - not only for your financial security - but also for your sanity!

Doing some as simple as:

1) pitching all of the "junk" mail into the trash or recycle bin. *besure to get shred identitying information

2) put all of your bills into 1 basket - so that you never lose a bill in the pile of papers

3) put any important mail that you need to respond to or answer in a specific time into it's own bin (or you can combine it with the bills)

4) put any correspondance that you need to look at or keep - that doesn't have a hard deadline - into another bin

The next step - is to plan a time (have it on your calendar!) that you will go through each bin. Whether it's every day - every other day - once or twice a week - weekly.... it doesn't matter as long as you have a dedicated schedule for dealing with each bin

Take each bin - handle each piece of paper - whether it's scheduling a bill to be paid or paying the bill at that moment - or answering a letter/invitation....and then file it in the appropriate folder.

If you don't have a filing system set up - or a dedicated spot for working on your bills and papers - then set aside some time to figure out a place that will work for you. Having a decidated space - that you can use every week - will make a huge difference. Be sure to have everything you need to deal with paper - in that spot. Envelopes, pens, stamps....

By at least dealing with each bin once a week - and then emptying that bin - you will be able to keep on top of the papers that come into your  home.

Step back and take a look at how you deal with papers - and simplify the method to alleviate some of the stress associated with apaper clutter!

Happy Organizing!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

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School is Starting Soon.....

 It's that time of year again.....           

Kids will be going back to school. A lot of parents are really happy!

But there is a lot of work to be done before the kids head back. Shopping for school supplies and new clothes. But before you do that - you should declutter & purge your kids backpack - where I'm sure you haven't looked since their last day of school in June!

Empty their backpack and check to see if any of their old supplies are still in good shape for this school year. If not - toss them. Also, toss out any old schoolwork and all of the crumpled papers and candy wrappers that are probably still in their bag. Check if their backpack is still in good, working condition.

Check the list of needed school supplies before you head into the store.

Next - and the most painful part - the kids clothes! Your kids have probably grown a bit over the summer. Go through all of their clothes in their closet and dresser. Yes, all of them. Make them try them on if you aren't sure if they fit or not. They will probably complain - but it will save you time and money later down the road when you need to get them more clothes. You want to avoid the "mom, my underwear doesn't fit" conversation as they are getting ready for school in the morning (after they told you that everything fit).

Make a list of what they need - from socks and underwear - to pants and shirts. Take them to the store with you (they will most likely hate it) and have them try on the clothes. This will save time later so that you don't have to return them (if they didn't go with you in the first place).

Once you get home, find a place for their school supplies, backpack and clothes. Make sure the kids know that it is their responsibility to put their things into their "homes". Kids of all ages - even kindergartners can learn to put things in their prioper place. Start them on their way to success by teaching them organizational skills.

After you have the kids all set for school - do something for yourself! This time of year is usually very  stressful for parents and you deserve to take a break and do something nice for yourself.

Enjoy the last bit of summer....

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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The Consequences of Clutter - The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Report

As Professional Organizers who work with people with hoarding disorder we are trying to change the way that people think about and treat people with hoarding issues. Older adults, especially, are often mistreated and stigmatized because of their hoarding issues. Social service agencies, city agencies and hoarding task forces are limited in their ability to help these clients due to the lack of funding and lack of education and services available.

Bob Casey (D-PA) reached out to our national association (Institute for Challenging Disorganization - ICD) to get some feedback on what we have experienced in working with this clientele.

The result was a very long report about the community impact of hoarding disorder, comunity responses to hoarding disorder and the federal government and hoarding disorder.

As a Professional Organizer with Advanced Hoarding certification and the organizer of the Missoula Hoarding Task Force - I am proud to have contributed to this report.

Professional Organizers who work with this population have specialized training (through ICD) that enables them to work with individuals with "challenging clutter and hoarding issues" in a sensitive and caring manner. People with hoarding issues must be ready to accept help. Once they are, it is usually a long, slow process to help them get out from under their clutter. Our aim is not to make their home "picture perfect". We start with making their home safe and teaching them skills that they can use in the future.

Hoarding is complex. It's not about the "stuff".  

Our special group of Professional Organizers is committed to helping change the way hoarding is seen. We are  providing education to many agencies about hoarding issues and we hope that someday soon we will be able to provide help to people with hoarding issues who have limited funds by having our services covered by insurance.

We still have a long way to go!

The Consequences of Clutter 

How Hoarding Disorder Affects America's Odler Adults, First Responder, And Their Communities

A Report by the Majority Staff of The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

Chairman Bob Casey - July 2024

   Statement from Karin Fried, Organizational Consulting Services .......................................B-139  

   Statement from Kim Cox, President-Elect,The Institute for Challenging Disorganization..................................B-025  (our national group leader)

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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Housework - We All Have To Do It

Housework is something that everyone has to do - whether you like it or not. Washing your floors, vacuuming, scrubbing your toilets, laundry...the list goes on and on.

For some people - they spend an entire day cleaning, purging, decluttering, organizing..... 

It's time to revolt! I don't want to spend my entire Saturday scubbing toilets or doing laundry! I want to play outside - hike, garden, read magazines, watch movies, call friends..... do anything except waste a beautiful day off being stuck doing housework!

So what's the answer - well -"break it up"! There is no "rule" that you have to clean your house on a Saturday (or your day off). You can do it whenever you want to - really! 

Think about how long each task takes and work it into your week - 15 or 20 minutes every day is something that everyone can do (yes - you do have that time available). 

Throw a load of laundry in when you come home from work and it will be done after dinner (you are not watching the washing machine - so don't say it takes too long). You can fold the clothes the next day if you want.

Vacuum one day after dinner. Dust another day. Wash your kitchen floor another day. Clean the bathroom another day.

Each task only takes a few minutes (probably under 30 minutes). So break your cleaning into inidividual tasks and schedule one each day. That way you aren't spending an entire day cleaning your home and complaining that you would rather be doing something else. We all would (let's be honest!).

By being creative and working the things that we have to do into our day when it suits us - we can still accomplish everything we need to - but it won't seem like just a big task.

Happy House Cleaning!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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Your "To Do" List is Overwhelming

Getting things done requires organization. You need a goal and a plan for completing your "task". 

Even things as simple as "grocery shopping" or "picking up painting supplies so that you can paint your living room" are tasks that should be scheduled - so that they actually happen. Making a list of what you need to get done each day helps you stay on track and makes sure that you don't forget something important.

In our busy lives - sometimes we just forget things! It happens.....  

Having a "To Do" list is great - BUT - for a lot of people - it's ovewhelming. And there is a difference between a "Daily To Do" list and a "running To Do" list. 

A lot of people (especially homeowners) have some type of a running list of things that they need to get done - to fix - to buy - to pick up - to drop off .....  And that list can be very, very long. It's basically a "brain dump" of anything and everything that they want to (or think they want to) accomplish. The list can be pages and pages long. Some people call it a "honey do" list.

The problem of overwhelm comes in when someone looks at that list and thinks that they have to get everything done in one day - or be labeled as a "failure". If you have 10 things on your list and you only accomplish 2 or 3 items on your list - you are a "failure" - according to your psyche. 

A "Daily To Do" list should only contain a few (3 - 5) items. They should be things that you can realistically accomplish in your day. If you accomplish 3 out of 5 items - then you can consider it a success.  But if you had 10 items on your list - only accomplishing 3 items would have been considered a failure.

You want to set yourself up for success - by being realistic in what you can accomplish given your time constraints. 

Each day (either the first thing in the morning or the previous night) - you want to take a look at your "running to do" list - and pick a few items to put on your "daily to do" list.

Set yourself up for success - keep your daily list short and your overwhelm under control.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

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It's Time to Declutter Your Bathroom

Decluttering - room by room...

When was the last time that you declcuttered your bathroom? 

How old is that makeup?

How many creams and lotions do you really need?

A place that is seldom decluttered and organized is the bathroom. And it usually has a lot of "stuff" crammed into the drawers and cabinets.

Makeup and lotions expire - beleive it or not! It is a good idea to put a date on your makeup and lotions so that you know how long you have had them. 

Start with one drawer at a time and take everything out. Wipe out the drawer - it usually will have a lot of make-up dust in it. If you have dividers in the drawer - wipe those out also. Then take out each item and ask yourself when you actually used it last. Is it empty? Is it almost empty? Do you really like the item?

A lot of people buy makeup in a variety of colors - and then decide they really don't like the shade - but it never leaves the drawer! If you don't like it or are not using it - get rid of it!

If it's old - get rid of it. You don't want to take a chance of getting an infection by using make up that is old or has been contaminated.

If you don't have drawer dividers in your drawers - get some! They are really helpful in separating your makeup, lotions, brushes, hair clips....  It's much easier to find things when they are all together in one group. Also - you will probably use the items more if you can actually find them in the drawer - instead of  having to dig through a pile of "stuff".

Medicines expire - check all of the medicines - including such things as cough and cold  medicines, antacids,  pain relievers, sun screen, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic cream, laxatives.....  and anything else in your medicine cabinet - for expiration dates. If it's expired - throw it out! 

Make it a habit to declutter your bathroom at least a couple of times a year. It's much easier to maintain a space then to constantly have to take everything out and start from the beginning.

Happy Decluttering!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

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Declutter Your Kitchen

Decluttering and Organizing is not a "one and done" process. It's a "continuing process".  As we age - so do our "things". 

Each room of your home should be decluttered and organized on a regular basis. 

Today we'll talk about the kitchen.

We all know that there is a drawer in your kitchen that has tupperware without lids. Not sure where those lids disappeared to - but they are gone! You probably have tupperware that is cracked and badly stained (and doesn't look good). It's time to purge those old, beat up, lidless containers! 

What about old chipped glasses or dishes? They should probably be thrown out (they are not safe to use).

Then there are those old pots and pans with the non-stick surface that is all scratched up and coming off. These can release toxic compounds into your food - so into the garbage they go!

We are making progress - so keep on going!

Let's look in your cupboards - are there any small appliances that you never or rarely use? Yes - you probably had good intentions when you bought them - but if you aren't using them (making fancy drinks or chopping things into cute designs....) give them away - donate them - purge them. They are taking up valuable real estate in your kitchen.

Next, check out your spices. Are they old and expired? If so, toss them. 

Next - the freezer and refrigerator......   you probably have food (or a science experiment - because you have no idea what it actually is - because you didn't label and date it) that is expired. Toss it out!

Make it a habit to label all of your food (in containers or in the freezer) - with the contents and date.

You have just gained valuable space in your cupboards and refrigerator and freezer!

Make it a habit to go through your kitchen on a regular basis - at least a couple of times a year - to clear things that are broken, missing parts, not used or expired. 

Well - that was a good days work! Keep it up!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
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