Cut Down on Grocery Bag Clutter

I was in Target recently and saw that they now have disposable shopping bags for sale. The bags are Target red in color and they zip up into a little pouch shape when not in use. They are made of a fairly sturdy woven fabric material. The bags were relatively inexpensive, only 99 cents per bag.

Using bags like this is not only good for the environment, it also cuts down on the sheer clutter of having all those paper and plastic grocery bags coming into your home. That being said, if you need to keep a small supply of bags available in your home, don't feel quilty about getting a few of them to have on hand. Just be certain not to stockpile them.

Many grocery stores also offer the reusable bags as well. Look for bags that are roomy enough to hold bulky items, but not so big that they will be hard to carry when full. They should have sturdy handles and be able to be washed as needed. Some of them have a coating that helps make them more water resistant, which is helpful when toting things into your house in the rain.

When using reusable shopping bags, the key is to remember to bring them along with you to the store. It is helpful to develop a regular routine for this purpose. For example, after you unload your groceries from the bags, you may want to get into the habit of immediately returning the bags to your car.

Playing "Catch Up"

I have had a respiratory infection all week that forced me to have to clear just about everything on my schedule, setting me back on some activities that I had really hoped to get done. Even a planned break from the daily grind, like a vacation, can also throw us into a tailspin when we return to "normal" functioning.

To more easily get back on track, I try to categorize my backed-up tasks based or priority. I list everything I need and want to do. Next to each item, I indicate if the task is Urgent (U) or Important (I). Important might be paying a stack of bills, and a bill that is due this week may be both Urgent and Important. Returning phone calls might have a sense of urgency, but those calls which are most important will take priority.

I also will indiciate if the tasks is external - meaning I have to leave my home or office to complete it. This way, when I am out, I can easily look at my list and see if there are additional errands I can take care of. I do the Important and Urgent first, the Important next, and then the Urgent. Things that are neither urgent or important can wait until I get all caught up.

When you feel overwhelmed with all you have to get done, using a simple system like this can help you to quickly develop a game plan to get things back in order.

Realistic Expectations

I love watching the organizing shows on TV. However, as a Professional Organizer, I worry that the shows can sometimes create unrealistic expectations for potential organizing clients. The TV shows can appear to completely transform an entire house in just 30 or 60 mintues.

In reality, these shows have huge crews working behind the scenes, not just one organizer. And even with these crews, the work may take days or weeks to complete, but is edited to appear as if it the projects were completed more quickly.

The other pitfall to these programs is that since the organizing is done "all at once", there is an illusion that once the house is completed, order has been restored forever. There is little to no discussion of establishing new, ongoing systems and habits to maintain this blissful environment.

A Professional Organizer wants their clients to have that same wonderful reaction as the TV organizing clients; however, the reality is that this comes in a series of smaller accomplishments as the client learns to gain control over their stuff and the space in their home or office.

Looking at Things in a New Light

When we think about getting organized, for many of us, our thoughts immediately drift to containers. Boxes, bins, totes, and folders to store paper, collectibles, photographs, and other memorabilia. However, many of the items in our homes that are sitting around unused can be easily repurposed, saving us money as well as a trip to the store.

Here's an example from my own home. I needed a way to store my earrings, the kind that are on the wires (not the posts). In a box or drawer, they always seemed to get quite tangled. I saw some nice earring organizing products in catalogs and online, but did not want to spend the money. I considered a plastic fishing tackle box, which was affordable, but I'm not a big fan of bringing a lot of plastic storage into my home, except in outdoor spaces. I wanted something more natural.

While going thru some decorative items I had not used in a while, I came across a wrought iron candle holder. It had a heavy iron base, with round iron loops around a central post. A glass votive cup sat in each of these circular areas. One of the glass holders was cracked, enough that I would not use the piece again. As I was removing the glass cups and wrapping them up to take the Goodwill, I realized the remaining metal piece would make a wonderful storage and display unit for my earrings.

By looking at this item in a new way, I solved the organizing issue with my earrings without spending a dime. The broken glass was recycled, the good glass was donated to be reused by someone else, and the iron piece was repurposed. No landfills or wallets were harmed by this organizing project!

It's a Silly Little THING!

This past weekend, I was watching an organizing show on one of the cable stations. A young couple was moving in together and had more stuff than space. The young man was reluctant to get rid of anything, but seemed especially attached to a ceramic monkey figure that also functioned as an incense burner. It was a not a very attractive piece, nor was it very valuable. I'm sure that to people viewing the show, this guy seemed ridiculous for being so attached to this odd item.

But let's face it, we all have our own ceramic monkey incense burner. Maybe yours is a buddha cigarette lighter. Or a "hello kitty" pencil case. Or a vintage Welcome Back Kotter pillowcase, featuring John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino. (Sad to say, this last item was one I formerly owned. Oh, and did I mention it was SATIN??)

The problem comes in when our homes get filled with these items, and then there is no where to put actual useful things, like the 40 rolls of paper towels we seem to go through because we have an elderly beagle with kidney troubles. (Some more insight into my life for my loyal readers!)

It is fine to hold onto a limited number of these items, but we often keep them not because we particularly love, or even like, the item, but rather because of a memory of a person or place that we associate with the item. If that is the case (or pillowcase, in my case!) then take a picture of the item and then LET IT GO! The memory can still live on without the item being physically present. And your friends won't wonder why you have that silly, tacky monkey!

Examining Patterns and Places

For most of us, we tend to do things in a routine way. For example, we tend to use the same entrance in and out of our homes. For me, I pass through my kitchen into the utility/laundry room, and then go out the door into the garage. When I come back in, I tend to set any large packages or items in the utility room, and then place smaller things like mail on my kitchen counter.

We tend to develop these routines without thinking all that much about them. In trying to get a handle on clutter and get more organized, we need to actively revisit how we move through our spaces. Sort of "retrace our steps", so to speak. Once we do this, we may find that simple adjustments to our routines can help streamline things. For example, if you come in the door and immediately proceed to the left to your living room, where you wind up taking off your coat and leaving it there. Instead, you might turn to your right, and go to the coat closet first. This simple adjustment can make a big change, especially if everyone in your household does it.

Also, examine where clutter tends to come into the house and where it tends to linger. Let's say mail comes into your kitchen, and ultimately really belongs in your home office, but never seems to make its way there. This means there is a routine that is missing. Adding a basket to put the mail into might be a first step in establishing a routine. Placing the basket in a location that you can easily grab it on the way to your office is another step to take.

By asking yourself what you are currently doing and asking why it is not working, you will be able to better focus on new routines that will better serve your organizing goals.

Scheduling Ideas

Managing our time is a challenge that many of us face on a daily basis. Conventional wisdom on the subject of time management usually tells us to figure out what we need to do and make sure to put all tasks and activities into our weekly or daily planners.

While that advice certainly appears to hold true; in reality, it does not always seem to work out for us. For example, a salesperson may block out several hours in the morning to make phone calls to leads, only to reach voicemails. When the clients call back, it might be when training time was on the salesperson's schedule. Taking the call then means having to reschedule training into an already jam-packed schedule.

A better way to fine-tune your schedule to truly ensure you maximize your time is to really think not just about getting things into your planner, but to get them in there at a time that will bring the best results. Let's say the salesperson I mentioned above sells insurance for both residential and commercial clients. It may make more sense, instead of trying to reach all clients in the morning, to reach business clients in the morning, but to reach residential clients in the early evening.

Bascially, this approach not only gets our activities onto our schedules, but takes into account outside factors that could impact our execution of these tasks. This can take a bit of trial and error, but getting into the habit of looking at how to optimize your schedule planning will really pay off for you in terms of your overall productivity.

Nothing to Feel Bad About

When I go into a client's space for the first time, they often tell me that they feel a little uncomfortable or even very embarrassed by the clutter in their home or office. Many people immediately assume that their house is "the worst one" or "the messiest one". There is perhaps a bit of shame and guilt over having let clutter build up to the point that outside assistance is needed.

However, there really is no need to feel funny about hiring a professional organizer. If you think about it, many people hire cleaning services to clean their homes, nannies to watch their children, and landscapers to mow the lawn. As well, we hire plumbers, electricians, hairdressers, and auto mechanics to help us with the things we either don't have time for, or choose to not spend our limited time doing.

Organizing is a newer option for homeowners to add to their list of outside service providers, and that may be why it is not as readily accepted as a "normal" service. In today's world, time really is a precious commodity and it is often a neccessity as much as a nicety to have assistance with an array of household tasks and responsibilites.

A good organizer can work with you to make positive changes and implement systems that will make handling your belongings, paperwork, and daily life a bit easier. Just as a cleaning service can remove dirt and dust, and a landscaper can cut overgrown grass and shrubs, a professional organizer can help clear clutter and chaos!