Everyday Organizing Tips

• Store "like with like". If you don't know where something belongs, ask yourself, "where are the other things like this?" and put it with them. If you don't know where the other things are, then keep it where you use it.
• Set par levels for various items and don't exceed them. You can use this rule in every room of the house from clothes, to groceries, to beauty products. For example, allow yourself 5 pairs of black shoes, 3 white shirts, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 cans of soup, 6 lipsticks etc.
• One in one out. Once your par levels are set, pass on one old item for every new one brought in.
• Put wastebaskets and laundry hampers in various rooms around the house so that you won't have a build up of garbage and dirty clothes on surfaces and floors.
• Use small baskets and plastic bins to store small items together. When placed on a shelf, these containers act as drawers and allow for easier access. It is much easier to pull out one basket then to dig through several smaller items.

Paper

• Sort your mail everyday. Immediately trash, recycle or shred all junk mail.
• If you lose track of mail and bills, set up a "Bill Box". You can use anything from a shoe box to a decorative container. Keep bills, a checkbook, pen, calculator, envelopes, and stamps inside at all times. Put your bills in the container everyday and when it is time to pay the bills, you'll have everything you need without having to search the house!
• Use a journal or spiral bound notebook to capture lists, ideas, phone numbers, etc. and carry it with you all of the time. If you write a note on a post-it or scrap paper then stick it in the notebook later. You will eliminate little pieces of paper that accumulate everywhere and you'll always know where you wrote something down.
• Keep your filing system simple and keep it where you use it. If you pay bills at the dining room table the hide the files in the dining room somewhere or use a portable file box. Only keep the current year's paperwork on hand-the rest can be put in storage.
• Talk to your accountant and find out what paperwork and statements you really need to keep and get rid of the rest. You do not need to keep the pay stubs from the summer job you had in high school!

Clothes

• Arrange the clothes in your closet by type and then by color. Put all the shirts together, then pants, jackets, skirts, etc. Arrange each type of clothing by color from light to dark.
• Purge clothes seasonally. If you didn't wear something the previous season then you can probably let it go.
• Hang all of the hangers in you closet backwards. Every time you wear something, turn the hanger around the right way. After a few months you'll know what you wear and what you don't by looking at the hangers. (Then you can eliminate the unworn items!)
• Buy the same socks for each of your kids. You'll never have to search for a matching pair again!
• Hooks are great for people who don't like to hang things up (especially teenagers!). Hang hooks in various places to catch PJs, sweatshirts, jeans, etc. If you can't hang a hook, then you can use a free standing coat rack.

Labelling

• Use labels help you remember where things go, especially when you are setting up a new system. Labels will help everyone in the household or office know where to find things (and where to put them away!).
• You can use a label maker to label things, but writing on a piece of masking tape or right on to a file folder works too!
• Label the outside of storage boxes and containers so you will know what is in them without having to open everything up.
• Put labels the sides of the containers and not on the tops or the lids. If you stack things on top of the container or take off the lid, the label won't do any good.
• Use pictures to label things for young children. You can stick the pictures on with clear 2" tape or clear contact (shelf) paper to protect them. Older kids love to label! It is a great way to get them motivated about organizing.

Time Management

• Use a calendar. Enter everything in it and refer to it daily. The type of calendar is not as important as getting into the habit of using it.
• Schedule time to get your "to-dos" done. A list is a great first step, but you need to schedule time to get things done. Set deadlines and enter "to-dos" in your calendar.
• Say No. Too many people are overwhelmed by too many commitments. It is OK to say no-even when it is to a boss or a family member. Just politely let them know that you are unable to take on anything else at the time.
• Delegate. If you have too much on your plate at home or at work, then find someone to help with the tasks that are not essential for you to personally take care of.
• Beware of multi-tasking. Sometimes doing more than one thing at a time can be distracting and end up costing you time rather than saving it.