 |
Hints & Tips |
 |
Check out our tips on the following subjects, and come back soon for more.  this page will grow regularly.
|
||
 |
Photo Organizing Tips |
| Digital Photos: We've made the switch to digital cameras, and take hundreds of photos of every occasion! How do we manage those photos? | |
| a | Download photos from your camera frequently. Delete any bad shots and save the rest on your hard drive in folders named by date or occasion. Back up your whole collection on DVD's or external hard drives, and smaller collections on CD's for ease of retrieval. |
| a | Use a photo management software to rename whole batches of photos from DCP7656 through DCP8656 to March Break 2008(1) to March break 2008(101). |
| a | When you download, look at the photos and name special photos individually. Treat them as hard copies - it may be enough to keep most of the photos of your latest trip in one envelope or folder, but you can highlight any great ones by naming them and copying them to a special folder. |
| a | Use web-based programs such as picasa or shutterfly for sharing and storing your photos |
| a | Use a digital photo frame to display a slide show of your latest photos |
| a | Print a special photo book - these are available from several on-line sources and photo shops |
to the top
|
Staying Organized! |
| Getting organized is only the beginning of living an organized life - the hard part is staying organized! These tips will help. | |
| a | Give yourself time to get used to the new systems. It may have taken you a long time to get into this mess - give yourself time to appreciate the new clarity of your spaces. |
| a | Change one habit at a time. Rather than expecting to keep your bathroom and bedroom totally clutter free, promise yourself that you will put your clothes in the hamper every night. Once you have that routine established, move on to the next! |
| a | Be realistic with yourself. Instead of saying "from now on I will file every paper immediately after I use it", tell yourself "I will spend 10 minutes a week filing away papers". In the meantime, keep all of the papers to be filed in one place. |
| a | Make things easy for yourself - keep all of your communications items together - phone, paper and pencils, calendar, computer - so that you can do all of your communications quickly and easily without searching for your tools. |
| a | Be attentive to your actions. A few seconds of thought when putting things away can save minutes of searching later. "Lost" items really are usually misplaced - we didn't put them where they belonged in the first place. |
| a | Be mindful of how you spend your time - is it helping you achieve your stated goals? If relaxing on the computer is your goal, by all means spend 3 hours wandering the web. But if researching low fat chicken recipes is your goal, stick to that search and then leave the computer, to move on with your day. |
| a | Backsliding happens! That's okay - just get back on track as soon as possible - keep your "after" photos somewhere that you can refer to them and get things back in place quickly, without having to rethink the system. |
| a | Build in maintenance time - a few minutes each evening, or an hour on the weekends may be all it takes to keep your space beautifully clutter free. |
| a | Rethink the system if it isn't working for you! If you don't like the way something works, try another tactic or tool. An organized system is an individualized system. |
to the top
|
Christmas Organizing Tips |
| Christmas is meant to be a time of joy and celebration, but too often it can be a time of stress and over-full schedules. Try out some of these tips to make your Christmas fun for everyone. | |
| Christmas Ideas | |
| a | Extend the holiday season. Do something "Christmas-y" every day of December, from simple things such as reading a Christmas story together at bedtime to big events like a family trip to a local attraction. |
| a | Include your children in planning for Christmas. They are likely to have strong ideas about what Christmas means to them - use their contributions as much as possible. |
| a | Budget a certain amount of each week's pay for gifts - and don't go over your budget. |
| a | Don't forget your personal health and well being. Book yourself a massage, a day out with friends, a quiet evening with your spouse. |
| a | Help your children lose the "gimmees" by encouraging them to focus on the giving part of Christmas. Children are naturally generous and will enjoy making gifts, sending personal greetings, helping with family Christmas preparations. |
| a | Don't forget to eliminate what doesn't work. If a certain activity always leaves every one cranky or penniless, leave it out of your celebration. Make the holiday suit your family. |
| a | Make room for guests comfortably. If you would like a free guest planning tool, contact Laurene at info@organizeme101.com, with guest planning in the subject line. |
to the top
|
Back to School Tips |
| Whether you're of the opinion that "it's the most wonderful time of the year" or are sorry to see summer end and your children head off to school, September tends to sneak up on us. Some of these tips will be just what your family needs to ease into your new school-year routines | |
| Homework Routines: | |
| a | Establish a home-base for homework and keep it well stocked. Keep duplicates of all school supplies, paper, pencils, markers, math sets, etc. |
| a | Most children like to do homework at the kitchen table: equip that area with good lighting and resources, dedicate a kitchen drawer or shelf to homework books and supplies |
| a | Respect each child's natural daily rhythms: some will need a break after school, some will want to jump right into homework |
| a | Each child needs a "launch pad" to help keep homework assignments organized and controlled. This may be a hook for a backpack; an in-box or file box, magazine file Find a home for everything: lunch bags, water bottles, back packs, homework |
| a | Respect each child's learning style: some kids really do better with background music, jiggling or pencil banging. Help your child figure out what helps them stay focused. |
| After school routines for older children: | |
| a | What are children allowed to eat? Who is allowed in the house? What chores must be done? Is homework started right away? What are the rules on TV, game console and computer use? What preparations are needed for evening activities? |
| Signing up for new activities? Consider your family calendar carefully when signing your children up for new activities. | |
| a | Is there sufficient family time in the week? Do the activities fit the family budget? Do activities add to the child's development or enjoyment of life? Are there vehicle conflicts? Are part time jobs an issue? |
| Managing the Morning Rush | |
| a | Move some preparations to the night before: make lunches, lay out clothing, pack homework, sign permission forms, find money for school fundraisers |
| a | Clear out all prep areas of extraneous "stuff" |
| a | Give each child a dedicated space for their own toiletries, a specific hook for their towel and robe, a basket for hair supplies. |
| a | Ideas for easy lunch preparation o Keep a snack drawer well stocked for quick easy prep o Prepare sandwiches for a week and freeze: they'll defrost by lunchtime o Freeze half a bottle of drink, then fill up the rest in the morning |
to the top
|
Organizing Tips for Family Summer Travel |
| It's that time of year when we start dreaming of lovely summer trips with our families. Keep the stress out of those trips with some of these tips from OrganizeMe101.com. | |
| a | Get your vehicle summer ready! Make sure your travel assistance plan is up to date, get current maps, clear out the winter equipment, put extra sunglasses in the glove compartment. Over-the-seat organizers help keep kids' belongings off the floor and within reach. Collapsible crates are handy for carting things back and forth from your home to the vehicle, or moving from one vehicle to another. Keep an extra blanket or towel in the trunk to protect upholstery from wet bathing suits, drippy ice-cream cones and juice boxes. Keep a first aid kit under the front seat. A file box buckled between seats holds books, non-messy art supplies, travel information. Pack individual servings of snacks and drinks, as well as small bags for garbage for each row of seats. |
| a | Personal electronics such as handheld games, music systems and DVD players can help time pass more pleasantly on longer trips - make sure you have adapters for each item, and a shady, secure place to store everything out of sight during rest stops. Keep each system and its accessories in one bag for easy transport. |
| a | Prepare to be spontaneous! Pack a "ready bag" for family activities. For swimming include towels, swim goggles, beach and pool toys, swim shoes, sunblock. For picnics, keep a picnic set handy, with extra napkins, a sharp knife, large spoon, can and bottle openers, extra water, bug repellent, sunblock. Is your pet ready for travel? Keep a water bowl, extra leash, food in an air-tight container, an old towel and some pet toys handy. |
| a | Planning a road trip? Do some research first. Map out interesting routes, note roadside attractions, plan to rest frequently. Consider hotels with pools for end of day exercise and tension release. |
| a | Some tools to make overnight stays more comfortable - over-the-door hangers and hooks for clothes; suction-cup bins for toothbrushes and cosmetics; pop-up laundry hampers for dirty clothes all help to reduce the clutter of having several people in a small space. |
to the top
|
Organizing Your Garage | ||||||||||||||
| What's in your garage? If it isn't your vehicle, consider that you are leaving one of your most valuable assets out in the elements, vulnerable to weather, vandalism and the paper carrier's bicycle! Choose a sunny spring day and gather the family to make room in your garage using some of the following tips from OrganizeMe101.com. | |||||||||||||||
| a | Evaluate the purpose of the garage. Is it a garbage and recycling centre, vehicle storage, home for sports equipment, gardening supplies, tools? | ||||||||||||||
| a | Remove everything. Sweep the floor, shelves and window ledges, wash the windows.
| a |
Sort what must go back into the garage by category, keeping like things together. Sort sports equipment together by season. |
a |
Separate winter equipment such as shovels from summer equipment like rakes - you only need accessible storage for one at a time,
and they can be hidden away when not in use. |
a |
Examine your piles and figure out what containers you need. Large plastic bins with hinged lids work well for balls and
kid's toys, hooks and racks hang numerous gardening tools, deep heavy plastic shelves resist rust, are sturdy and hold large boxes and bins. Avoid using cardboard boxes,
which will not protect from bugs and dampness. |
a |
Look up for storage - consider rafter storage for long items (shovels, toboggans, golf bags) that can span the roof supports. |
a |
Consider painting "parking spots" on the floor to help children put away wheeled toys and vehicles, park the lawnmower. |
a |
If you have appliances such as extra fridge or freezer in the garage, clear those out now too. |
a |
Make a trip to the dump to safely dispose of old paints, batteries and other hazardous wastes as well as accumulated large garbage. " Hang a tennis ball from the ceiling to hit the windshield when you have the car in exactly the right spot.
have the |
|
to the top
|
Family Meal Planning | ||||||||
| Family mealtimes can be stressful! Use these tips to help keep everyone well nourished and less rushed: | |||||||||
| a | Start with a list of your favourite family meals - glean this from cookbooks, a look in your pantry, and family suggestions. | ||||||||
| a | Consider weekly standards, such as pizza every Friday, soup and sandwiches each Wednesday. Whether you order in or make your own from scratch, you know what to expect and
what you will need to have on hand.
| a |
Plan meals, especially dinners, according to family activities. We're all familiar with the mad dash from work to the hockey rink,
dance studio or soccer field - knowing in advance which days will be busy helps you to plan menus that work for your family. |
a |
Take time once a week to schedule meals on your calendar. This sounds like lots of work, but it can save you time and hassle during the busiest part of your day. Sit down with a coffee or glass of wine,
and pencil in some meal ideas. Start with the easy ones - Friday night, pizza; Tuesday, hockey night, quick tacos, or something that has been cooking all day in the crock pot. Shop according to the menues you've planned,
and know that you can always switch meals around if you want to. |
a |
Let your family help! Keep easy prep foods handy and have older kids start dinner when they get home from school. Teach each child one or two "specialty"
dishes and designate certain days as their cooking days. Remember, the cook doesn't have to help clean up after dinner! |
a |
Make a pantry list of items that you use frequently, and use it to keep your cupboards, fridge and freezer stocked. You'll always
have the ingredients you need for your family's favourites. |
|
to the top
|
Purging (Almost) Painlessly |
| We all acquire a lot of really wonderful things over our lifetime. Way too much stuff for most of us! Periodically getting rid of the things you no longer use is essential to getting and staying organized. Here are some tips to get you started: | |
| a | Get into the right frame of mind. Tell yourself how much you'll enjoy the space you'll clear, the uncluttered look you'll uncover, the satisfaction of giving valuable items to your favourite charity. |
| a | Cultivate a network of recipients. When I was clearing my basement I made regular trips to the local second hand charity. I also passed on good used toys to friends with younger children. The school librarian was happy to receive books in good condition that my children had grown out of. The upstairs bathroom now sports a new (useful) washstand (formerly a bedside table in the basement spare bedroom). Be creative with your cast offs. |
| a | Question your motivations part 1. Barbara Hemphill, author of the wonderful book Taming the Paper Tiger has a series of questions to ask yourself when purging paper. Some of her questions are: Will I need this in the foreseeable future? Could I replace this item if I needed it and didn't have it? Are there any legal or tax-related implications in getting rid of this? What is the worst thing that would happen if I didn't have this paper? These questions can be asked of almost any item in your home. If you can't justify keeping it, recycle it. |
| a | Question your motivations part 2. Interior designer William Morris advised to us to "have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". This eliminates a lot of clutter! The wedding gift you received from Great Aunt Lucy that has never fit into your decor need not be kept for sentimental reasons. Get rid of ityou'll still remember Great Aunt Lucy, and probably with more fondness! |
| a | Retrain your family. Children are not good at eliminating their own belongings. Find a way to corral their collections. Let kids decide who will get their cast-offssometimes giving things away is easier if they know who the recipient is. |
| a | Give yourself an escape hatch. If you're not sure you can live without an item, put it in a box and mark the box with "discard by" and date the box. In a year put the un-opened box out for the garbage collection. This is also a great way to help children get rid of little-used items. |
| a | Repeat! Staying organized is an ongoing processyou should constantly re-evaluate your belongings, and if they don't meet your criteria of good value they need to leave home! |
to the top
|
Mail Handling Tips |
| a | Open your mail over your blue box and immediately discard what you don't need. |
| a | Start a counter/desk top tickler file to handle bills, permission slips, etc. |
| a | Highlight important dates and info on papers as you open them. |
| a | Save envelopes together in a desk drawer. |
| a | Tidy incoming papers every evening. |
| a | Use a magazine holder to keep papers vertical. |
| a | Use staples, not paperclips, to hold related papers together. |
to the top
|
Home Office |
| You've graduated from working at the kitchen table - now what? There are several things to consider when choosing a space for your home office. We'll start with the basics and add on. | |
| a | One of the most important considerations is light. Ideally you should have a good source of natural light, but this isn't always possible if you set up your home office in your basement - as many of us do. If you are located in the basement consider purchasing full spectrum lights, or daylight lights. They are available for most light fixtures and are worth the extra investment - you won't feel as if you are slaving away in the dungeon! |
| a | To be productive you must be comfortable. You need adequate storage space for your supplies. This will probably include a sturdy bookcase, at least one file drawer, smaller drawers or containers for pens, pencils, stapler, and a desk that will provide you with space for your computer and a work surface. Don't overcrowd your office with supplies and clutter that do not belong there - if you don't use an item for your business, store it away from your office. |
| a | How accessible do you want to be? Do you work best off by yourself? Do you need to be within earshot of young children? Do you want to be able to close the door and be undisturbed? Answers to these questions will help you decide what will work for you - maybe it will be a corner of the kitchen, maybe it will be behind a closed door in a spare bedroom. Maybe you're lucky and have a separate room dedicated to your office - great! Work with what you have. |
| a | Consider room for growth. You will eventually want room for more files, maybe more computer or electronic equipment, storage for more resource materials. If you are crammed into the space you have, start looking for more - or get ready to do some serious clutter control. |
| a | Remember that you will be spending lots of time here, so choose colours you like and furniture you are comfortable in. Add some personal items to make the space cheerful - but not so many that it looks like your family room! |
| These factors will help you decide where in your home to set up your home office - have fun with it! |
to the top
|
Organizing Your Garden... More Enjoyment, Less Stress |
| Do you love the look of a beautiful, well-tended garden, but struggle with yours so much that you don?t get a chance to enjoy it? Try the following tips to grow a garden that?s high on the relaxation scale, low on headaches. (Just a noteI?m not a professional gardener, so please be sure to use these hints as a guideline only!) |
|
| a | Plant carefullychoose plants that are well-suited to your own garden environment. Consider your hardiness zone, soil type, sun & shade patterns, watering requirements. |
| a | Know the characteristics and care required for all of your plants. This may involve research if you have inherited a garden with your hometalk to your local horticultural society, talk to staff at a local garden centre, visit the library, or check out garden sites on the web. |
| a | Be realisticdon?t put in a high maintenance garden if you only want to spend five minutes a day working on it. However, if gardening is your hobby and you enjoy weeding, watering and dead-heading, plant accordingly. |
| a | Purchase products that will make your gardening life easier. There are hundreds of varieties of fertilizers, treatments, and amendments you could choose for your garden. To save money and storage space consider purchasing one general purpose fertilizer that you can use on all of your plants. |
| a | Once you?ve done your research make up your own personal garden guide. This chart will let you see at a glance when you should be watering, fertilizing and pruning. It will also let you know quickly when your plants will be in flowerif everything flowers at the beginning of summer you may be left with only foliage in late August and Septembercan you live with that, or would you like to plant some late bloomers too? You can set up your own gardening schedule using this chartmark on your calendar "fertilize perennials", "prune flowering shrubs", and you?ll be sure to do it at the right time. Here's a sample chart that you can print for your own use. |
to the top
|
Clutter Control |
| a | Think before you buy ? is this item going to enhance my life? Is it worth storing, cleaning, and maintaining? |
| a | Store things close to their point of use. |
| a | Store things conveniently ? you won?t put it away if it?s too much work. |
| a | Use the 4 sorting boxes when you clean a room ?put away, give away, throw away, store away. |
| a | Do a nightly clutter patrol of your living areas and get the stuff back to its own room. |
| a | Eliminate regularly ? don?t let clutter build up. |
| a | Try putting away some of your decorative pieces ? still like the look? Rotate or eliminate. |
| a | Find people or agencies to donate to ? and use them often. |
| a | Have a "maybe someday" bin ? keep it handy, date it for 6 months to a year from now, and throw out anything you haven?t gone back for in that time (unless it?s seasonal ? then find it a home). |
| a | Limit the number of horizontal surfaces in each room ? they are magnets for clutter. |
| a | Keep at it! |
to the top
|
Make Housecleaning Less of a Chore |
| a | Set and keep family rules that will reduce the amount of housework that you need to do. For example, eat only in the kitchen/dining room. This will minimize crumbs and spills throughout the house. |
| a | Store duplicates of cleaners wherever you use them, or at least one set on each level of your home. |
| a | Choose appropriate cleaners, and give them time to work. |
| a | Work around each room in a circle don't backtrack. |
| a | Declutter regularly if this is done your house will always look tidy. |
| a | Don't clean what isn't dirty! |
| a | Spot clean it's easy to mop up a spill when it happens and you won't have to wash the whole floor as frequently. |
| a | Choose new furnishings carefully those that have built-in storage, easy-clean surfaces, or multiple uses will make your life easier. |
| a | Get the whole family involved! |
| a | Be realistic set cleaning standards that work for you and your family. |
to the top
|
Corral the paper in your life! |
| a | Immediately throw any paper that you don't want or need into the recycling box. Get it out of your way at once. |
| a | File date-sensitive papers in a dated file - they will be available when you need them |
| a | Keep children's art work in some kind of rotating gallery - let your kids choose which few pieces they would like to display at any one time, and file the rest in clean pizza boxes (don't forget to go through he boxes at least annually) |
| a | Extract any useful information, write it on your family calendar or in your personal planner and then recycle the paper |
to the top
|
Tip of the Week Archive |
| a | Use a counter-top filing system to manage your household papers, with files for each month and for each day of the month. Drop in bills to be paid, permisison forms, meeting notices, etc. |
| a | Spring is here! You'll save money, time and the environment by carefully choosing plants that are well-suited to your landscape. Less time watering, spraying and weeding means more time to relax. Enjoy your garden! |
| a | It's sunblock time! Put a bottle of sunblock in the same area you store your family's hatswhen they grab their hats they'll see the sunblock, and be reminded to use it. Another idea is to store it in the bathroom near toothbrushes and make it part of the morning routinebrush your teeth, apply your sunblock. |
| a | Think before you buy something new. Ask yourself: Is this item going to enhance my life? Is it worth storing, cleaning and maintaining? |
| a | Time to get out those summer clothes! Start a donation bag for your local charity while you're putting away your woolies. Be ruthless with yourself and generous to othersif you haven't worn an item over the past season it goes into the donation bag. |
| a | The school year is winding down for most of us. This is a good time to pull out those flyers and ads you've saved over the year for nearby attractions. Make a list of your own of free and low-cost outings (nearby parks, picnic spots, local fire stations). Put all of these ideas together in a file, keep it in a handy spot and refer to it when you're looking for something to do away from the house. This will help beat those "but Mom, there's nothing to do around here" days! |
| a | Do you have children? If you do you need a list of their friends' phone numbers. Include the names of their parents too. Now, next time you're wondering "oh shoot, what was the name of that kid's Dad?" to look up the number and call your child home you'll have the number at your fingertips. |
| a | Have you got a summer fun car kit packed yet? Keep a blanket or two, some heat-proof snacks, drink bottles, plastic cutlery and plates, a sharp knife and some napkins in your car and you're ready for a picnic anytime. This is called being organized enough to be impulsive! |
| a | Several people have asked for tips about getting rid of things they don't need. Just how do you let go of your treasures?
Here is one very basic question to ask yourself"When was the last time I used/looked at/enjoyed this item?" If you can't remember, you're ready to toss it! Don't forget your local charities when getting rid of your goodies. |
| a | Here's a follow up tip to last time's: Promise yourself that you will get rid of one item every week. Once a week, as you come across something you no longer use, put it in the garbage. This will add up to 52 items in a year that you no longer have to clean, store or move around! |
to the top
|
Check this page regularly for more tips to organize your life! |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|||