Organizing With and For Children

Organizing With and For Children

Toys, toys and more toys. From the time your children can crawl, it’s time to show them that toys can be organized and put away (just like at day care or at school). Create ‘zones’ for reading, messy play, tiny toys etc., and label containers with photos of the toys for pre-readers and words for budding readers (use both and they’ll learn those words earlier).

Rotate toys seasonally: Other than a few precious items that he or she could never stop playing with at this stage, box up and put away toys and games that have temporarily lost their appeal. Bring them back in a few months and it’ll be like the child received something new.

Use restraint when buying toys for your children. What they want the most from you is time with you! Too many possessions  are difficult for anyone to manage and children are certainly no exception. Don’t overload their space with too many things. Keep the amount of things they own in accordance with their age. The younger the child, the fewer possessions they need around them.

Regarding children’s artwork: Make it a habit to take a photo of the child holding their artwork when they bring it home from school (or the day they make it). After a certain amount of time (a week?) mail the artwork to grandparents or let it go to make room for the next. For the really extraordinary masterpieces, purchase an oversized art portfolio from Micheal’s craft store. Be sure to write the name and date on the back of each item.

It’s interesting to keep track of school work chronologically. You’ll be able to look back and really see how your child has progressed. You can keep a 3 hole punch in the kitchen to immediately put the graded papers into a 3 ring binder. Or you could put the papers into a file folder. Always be sure to put them in the same way (always in front or always in back) to keep them in order.

These days it’s very important to maintain good records regarding your child. And it’s probably easier than ever with all the technology that’s available. Use one new flash drive for each child. Re-name the flash drive on the computer screen and label the physical drive itself with your child’s name. Keep it in a safe place and don’t use it for anything other than important information about that one specific child.

Start out with standard identification like birth certificate, vaccination records and then as medical, school or other vital information comes to your attention, you can save it to your flash drive. You may have to scan it and save it as a pdf or have it emailed to you as an attachment. Periodically download a very clear and straight-on head shot photo for emergency identification.

Frequently make a back up copy and put it in a safety deposit box or a fire safe (or in a plastic bag in your freezer!).

Enjoy your little ones!

Steps to Tackling a Large Pile of Papers

It seems like no one is exempt; it's not uncommon to have a bunch of unrelated documents gathered into a seemingly daunting pile. School schedules, medical forms, work projects, research results, letters, permission slips, event details, invitations et al. You'll have to go through the whole pile in order to deal with each one of them. Following is an approach that limits the frustration.

Items needed:

Pencil, marker, stapler & staple remover, paper clips; 3 bins or bags marked: Trash, Recycle and Shred.
 

Separate ‘things’ from paper.

Books, magazines, office supplies, maps, journals, calendars, physical things like cups, glasses, do-dads...  Even if they're made of paper, in this case, we'll consider them 'things'.

 

Pick up just one piece of paper at a time.

Staple/clip papers that belong together; treat as if they're one piece.



Decide if you should TOSS it or KEEP it.

If you can TOSS it, choose between Trash, Recycle or Shred.



If you need to KEEP it, choose between FILE or ACTION...

If you need to keep it but don’t need to take any action, you’ll just want to FILE IT...



Write with a pencil in the upper right corner of the document:

        FILE: (which file folder) or New File: ________
        e.g., Medical - tests, Financial - checking

(Make a 'File' pile of paper to be filed later.)



If it’s a To-Do or ACTION item...

    Determine the specific ACTION you’ll need to take.
   
        Write that action in the upper right corner.

        ACTION: ____________
        e.g., Call by 10/25/11, write summary, give copy to staff etc.

Think along the lines of verbs like these: Call Go Do Read Write Consider Research Copy Fax etc.



Read with a pencil:

As you read any document (File or Action), circle all key information the first time you read it e.g., contact person, phone number, address, amount due, date due, any major points, so when you look at it a second time only that important information will jump out at you and you won't have to read the whole document word for word again.



After you set aside all the trash/recycle items, you’ll have 2 piles:


FILE and ACTION


Place FILE items on or near your filing cabinet or in a file box to deal with a little later. (Schedule a time once a week for filing.)

Focus now on the ACTION pile;  
cluster papers with similar actions together e.g., Calls with Calls, Read with Read, Write with Write, etc or cluster related documents together if they have a few different actions associated with them. 



Finally, the best option is to schedule each action item in your calendar to ensure that it has a dedicated day and time in which to be completed.

Or, the next best option is to make a ‘to-do’ list (paper or digital) so your action items have at least been recorded.

Cluster similar actions together on that to-do list (or in chart form) so you can be more efficient: make a series of calls, run a handful of errands, accomplish a few tasks in one specific place (home, office, garage etc), mail several packages at once and so on.



Give yourself a ton of credit for tackling that monster mash of papers!  


After all this you can simply practice prevention...
          Read with a pencil,
          Write File or Action
          Make a pile: To Be Filed
          Schedule Actions
                                   ...the first time you touch each document!


If any papers start chasing you around the room, remember that I'm here to help. I've got a knack with taming them!

Tips for 'Right-Sizing' Your Space and Possessions

Less is More

Right-sizing (as opposed to down-sizing) will make your space work for you by having only what you need, use or is beautiful or precious to you. Don’t let things that don’t serve you take up space in your home or your mind. A simpler life takes much less time, money and energy to manage, you won’t be overwhelmed and you’ll have easier access to what’s important to you.

Like with Like

Keep similar items together: books with books, music with music, kitchen items in kitchen, bathroom items in bathroom, clothes in bedroom, etc. Zones in your home ensure that there’s only one or maybe two places to look for a particular kind of thing. Things will have homes and most importantly, you’ll know exactly where ‘not’ to look for them.

Label Everything

Immediately identify what’s in boxes, bins, baskets or even on shelves to ensure you won’t have to guess. Feel free to write in detail on the outside to know what’s exactly in the container.

Create Drawers

Use boxes, bins, baskets in your cupboards or closets as if they were drawers. Similar items are nestled together inside and you can slide out the container to see what’s there. This works especially well for small items in the kitchen or bathroom. Labeling makes it even more organized.

Letting Go

Take photos of items you want to remember but don’t want to keep any longer. Toss, donate or sell it but keep the memories associated with it. The memory is really the most important thing, isn’t it? You can create a small photo album of these kind of pictures to jog your memory or see in a slide show on a digital photo frame.

Criteria

Develop simple criteria to help you decide whether or not to keep certain things.

...For Clothes:

Do I wear it? Do I like how I feel when I wear it? Does it fit? Is it flattering? In good condition? (Think of other considerations that 'suit' you specifically.)

...For Possessions:

Do I use it? Not will I use it ‘someday’, but do I really use it on a regular or semi-regular basis?

If not necessarily useful... Do you simply love it? Is it beautiful? Is it precious? If so, showcase it. Don’t tuck it away in a box in the basement. Give it a prominent place in your home so you can enjoy it. Surround yourself with beauty and pleasant memories.

If it’s still ‘good’ or ‘could be useful to somebody’, give it new life by donating it so someone else will enjoy using it. Keep a bag or box near your entry to collect items to drop off at a charity; when full, make a trip. Begin again with a new bag or box. From time to time as you go around your home or office, keep an eye out for things you’re ready to let go.

Enjoy your home and your possessions without being overwhelmed by having ‘too much stuff’. You’ll feel lighter and more in control. You’ll have exactly what you need and want but won’t be bogged down by what you don’t need or want. It’ll be easier to find things and it’ll free up your time to do what you want to do instead of having unnecessary possessions weighing down your mind or space.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

Greeting Card Protocol

Greeting Card Protocol

I’ve been working with a client on a variety of organizing projects. Our last session she asked me to help her with making decisions about the cards she receives from family and friends. First she showed me a small pile, mostly holiday cards, that she wasn’t sure if she should save this year.

The real issue was that she has three banker’s boxes in her hall closet filled with greeting cards she’s received over decades. It’s one of the projects we’ll be working on together next month. She regrets that she procrastinated along the way because she’s going to be paying me to help her go through them all in order to limit the keepers to one small box.

I gave her this advice:

Start each calendar year fresh by going through the cards you’ve received over the previous year.

Have you ever thought that some note cards are just like a quick phone call: “Just wanted to let you know I’m thinking of you” or “I hope you feel better soon” or a holiday card where the sender simply signs it.

If you read those or any cards two or more times, I hope you realize that you’ve seen it more times than most people ever do their own.

Imagine if you called each sender and asked them the following questions:

    "Do you want or expect me to keep this card forever?"
   
    "Would you want me to keep this if you knew it became problematic for me?"

    "Would you want me to keep it if you knew that sometimes I let chronic indecision stall me? If everything then becomes overwhelming and I end up hiring a professional organizer to help me decide what to do with a jumbled pile of papers, your card included?"

I'm sure your friends and family would reassure you: “I just wanted to touch base, no need to keep it”.

Certainly you may want to keep some cards such as special birthdays, very important events and cards with a long, lovely handwritten message.

Absolutely keep those - until the end of the year. At that time look at them again, hold them, think about the people who sent them, consider responding to the sender with “I just came across the lovely card you sent me earlier this year. I’m still touched by it”.

You may still want to keep a handful of the 'best of the best' to save forever.

However, feel free to toss the rest. It’s okay. Really.


So starting with today...

When you first receive a card, write the address on the back of the card and immediately toss the envelope. Later you can check the address, and if necessary, make changes in your address book or database.

Take time to read every word. Think about the person who sent it. Decide if you want to send a card in return. If you do, write the task on your calendar. (I've designated Sunday as my day for written correspondence.)

Ask yourself if you’d like to save it at least until the end of the year. If not, kiss it goodbye and toss it.

If you’d like to save it, find a special place for it. A decorative basket could hold it with others until you’re ready to make a more definitive decision in January next year.

Please know ahead of time, if you receive a card from me, I firmly expect you to toss it. You should probably open it first though; I’ve been known to tuck in a little something from time to time.

Code of Ethics

National Association of Professional Organizers -

NAPO Code of Ethics

This Code of Ethics is a set of principles to provide guidelines in our professional conduct with our clients, colleagues, and community.

As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, I pledge to exercise judgment, self-restraint, and conscience in my conduct in order to establish and maintain public confidence in the integrity of NAPO members and to preserve and encourage fair and equitable practices among all who are engaged in the profession of organizing.

Clients

I will serve my clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, and will treat them with respect and courtesy.

I will offer services in those areas in which I am qualified and will accurately represent those qualifications in both verbal and written communications.

When unable or unqualified to fulfill requests for services, I will make every effort to recommend the services of other qualified organizers and/or other qualified professionals.

I will advertise my services in an honest manner and will represent the organizing profession accurately.

Confidentiality

I will keep confidential all client information, both business and personal, including that which may be revealed by other organizers.

I will use proprietary client information only with the client's permission.

I will keep client information confidential and not use it to benefit myself or my firm, or reveal this information to others.

Fees

I will decide independently and communicate to my client in advance my fees and expenses, and will charge fees and expenses which I deem reasonable, legitimate, and commensurate with my experience, the services I deliver, and the responsibility I accept.

I will make recommendations for products and services with my client's best interests in mind.

Colleagues

I will seek and maintain an equitable, honorable, and cooperative association with other NAPO members and will treat them with respect and courtesy.

I will respect the intellectual property rights (materials, titles, and thematic creations) of my colleagues, and other firms and individuals, and will not use proprietary information or methodologies without permission.


I will act and speak on a high professional level so as not to bring discredit to the organizing profession.

(Re-printed with permission from www.NAPO.net)

Did I single-handedly predict my future?

Single-Handedly

Quick personal note: I wrote the draft for this post quite a while ago and noticed today that I hadn't officially posted it yet.

The strangest thing is that right this minute my left arm is in a brace while I'm recovering from rotator cuff surgery. I really have had to do things with only my right hand and arm for the last 8 weeks!

(Quick, take another look at the post's title.)

Just in case my thoughts and words really do predict the future, I'm going to keep quiet while you read this, maybe all day. ...Did I catch you grinning?!

We’ve all heard the term single-handedly. "She single-handedly tiled the bathroom!" I love words and word origins. I started thinking about where this term may have gotten started. Someone probably was able to complete a task quickly and efficiently – or literally with just one hand.

It may not be possible everywhere but I'd like to have certain storage areas organized to work in that way. Let's think about it. How can things be retrieved from and returned to their proper place without needing two (or multiple) hands?

This seems to be especially important in the kitchen since we're often multi-tasking there. Without moving away from stirring something on the stove, you may want to grab another utensil from the drawer. One hand to open the drawer and the same hand to grab the item. Nicely done!

How about dishes? Is your cupboard storage set up for you to pull out something using only one hand? I challenged myself to arrange mine like that some time ago.

I’ve limited glassware and cookware to only the basics that I use every week – no excess items that I rarely use. Glasses are not stacked on top of each other. Small plates stand vertically, cups are on hooks, plastic containers are in large milk crate bins below that make it easy for me to get just one item without toppling everything around it.

It makes putting clean dishes away a lot easier too. Think about ways you can single-handedly ‘staff’ your kitchen. It’ll be one systematic change that will serve you for years to come. (But not because you're predicting you'll need to have it that way because of an accident or illness! Do it just because you want to make it a fun challenge and have more efficiency!!)

7 Day Plan for Severe Clutter

7 Day Plan for Severe Clutter in your physical space.

This plan is not for everyone. But it may be just what you need to get started if you're overwhelmed with severe clutter and chaos in your home.

As you've probably found, there are many ways to address this kind of problem; however there is no perfect approach. Don't get bogged down by over-thinking the options. Just begin.

Try not to look at everything all at once and vaguely say you need to get things in order. Being specific and sequential is a very effective way to proceed. You can do this.

Read this through at least once. Print and post so you can see it daily for at least a week.


Stay focused on just one thing at a time.

Don't reward yourself with shopping. It’s best if you take at least one week off from all shopping unless you absolutely need an item right away.

Be sure to allow yourself to feel good about what you’ve accomplished at each transition. Don’t think too much about what isn’t being accomplished, it’ll just sabotage your energy and motivation.

You can do this!!!

Supplies:
timer (important!), trash bags, bags, boxes, bins (clear and stackable plastic bins would be the best).

1st day or 3 hour session
Just start in one room (kitchen, bath, living room, bedroom is a good sequence). Set the timer for 20 minutes. Pick up ONLY the trash and recycling. Do the same thing in the next room and so on. Don’t get sidetracked with putting things away or tidying up or any other aspect of getting things in order. When timer goes off take a 5 minute break and repeatedly set the timer for 20 sessions with breaks in between until this one task is done.

Finally put the trash/recycling outside. Take a breath and allow yourself to feel good about what you’ve just done! Don’t let yourself be critical that you haven’t accomplished more. You will.


2nd day or session
Kitchen: Put away groceries. Put away clean dishes. Fill dishwasher or do dishes by hand. When dry, put them away. Wipe counters, sweep/vacuum floor.

3rd day or session
Bathroom: Put away personal and cleaning products. Put dirty towels/clothes in laundry hamper or in a bag/box/bin. Take things that belong in other places to their respective rooms. Wipe counters, sweep/vacuum floor. Clean the mirror, toilet and bathtub.

4th day or session
Bedroom: Gather shoes/purses/accessories from everywhere in your home; put on closet floor or in box/bin/bag. Gather clothes from everywhere. Put away all clean clothes in closet, drawers or box/bin. Gather all dirty clothes into hamper or bag/box/bin. Sweep/vacuum floor.

5th day or session
Laundry: Take one day or session to catch up with laundry. Gather laundry from everywhere in your home. Sort into piles e.g., whites/lights, colors/darks, towels/bedding. When dry, hang or fold immediately. Take a break, this can be a big job.

6th day or session
Gather all mail and paper documents and put in bag/box/bin. Don’t make any decisions; just put them all together. When they’re all collected from each room, stop. That’s probably enough for one day. Take a breath and allow yourself to feel good about what you’ve just done! Don’t let yourself be critical that you haven’t accomplished more. (I'll address sorting papers another time.)

7th day or session
Pick up just one kind of thing like books/magazines and put them in a box or bin. Go through entire home to collect all books/magazines that are running loose. Choose one or two 'homes' for this kind of thing. 

Repeat with other specific categories such as CDs/DVDs, small electronics, jewelry, gifts, hobbies, pet items, items to return to stores or other people, items to take to garage or storage.


Congratulate yourself each step of the way! Feel good about what you've accomplished!