5 Steps to Organizing Your Closet

Well most of us this week experience the harsh reality that summer is over…..It is time to do the clothing transition….it is also a excellent time to organize and purge.

Step One Designate a staging area and empty your closet out. You can use your bed or a cleared-out corner of the room. This important first step requires you to remove everything: clothes, hangers, boxes, folded blankets or piles of old magazines. Use a collapsible clothing rack to hang clothes so you can clearly see and sort exactly what you have. The rack is a nice addition for your laundry room once the closet project is over. Take your time with this process, maybe play some of your favorite music and ask a friend or family member to help if heavy items need to be moved. Step Two Organize items into specific categories and take inventory. You can place like items in cardboard boxes, plastic containers or in piles, and use labels to help keep track of each group of items. Some organizers suggest starting with "keep," "toss" and "donate" piles, while others prefer their clients to start with broad categories (clothes, shoes and linens) and then divide everything into smaller subcategories (sweaters, winter boots and sheets). During this stage, take the time to group small items like batteries or toy soldiers together in bags or jars, so they don't end up "lost" among the boxes or piles of larger items. Step Three Eliminate items that don't belong in that particular closet. One of the big causes of clutter and disorganization in the home is items that belong in the kitchen or bedroom, are found hiding in closets all over the house. Over time, the temptation to stuff something like a box of appetizer plates in a bedroom closet or extra towels for the bathroom in the entry closet can cause you to make some bad storage decisions. This is the time to return out-of-place items to their rightful home. But try to stay focused on planning one closet at a time. You can turn your attention to other closets at a later date. Step Four Remove unwanted items. This might be the most difficult part of the closet planning process. It helps to establish some basic rules up front, like anything with holes or pairs of shoes or socks missing their partner must go. Ask yourself some questions: • Have I worn this shirt or skirt in the last year? • Does this jacket still fit? • Do I really need 12 baskets that look exactly the same? The answer to many of the questions will likely be "no" and then you can decide if you want to donate items to charity, try selling items online, hold a garage sale or take unwanted items to a local consignment store. Some great local thrift shops are: Second Time around Shop in Toms River Treasure Chest Lakehurst Habitat for Humanities If you don't want to sell your used goods, hold a swap meet with friends and neighbors who want to eliminate clutter from their home. Many times a beautiful sweater that looks snug on your daughter can be a perfect fit for the child down the street. Just avoid the tragic storage mistake of leaving the swap meet with items you don't need. Step Five Clean the closet itself. While you might think an empty closet is "clean", now is the time to wipe down the closet walls and vacuum or mop the closet floor. Once items are removed, you will probably find stray clothing tags, store receipts or dust bunnies. If the walls need painting, choose a paint that is specifically formulated to be mold and mildew-resistant. You will feel a sense of accomplishment once you are done….and you will be ready for the dreaded winter!!!

January Organization part II

Take one hour of each day to sit and organize your day - schedule your appointments for 2012 - Doctor, Dentist, Accountant etc. It is important to schedule your own time also, whether its the gym, a walk or visiting a friend...make sure it appears on your calendar.  You need to begin to think like an organizer...bring what is in your head of what you want to do in 2012 and write it all down.  When you begin to start planning your life you will gain energy and your goals will be met!

For many people, the first thing they do in the morning, is check their emails, phone messages...which then leads to checking all of their social media...before long...hours of non productivity has passed by.  If you find your self doing this....STOP....try doing one of your projects towards your goal first, then check your emails, and messages... 

The Second issue we will be tacking in January is CLUTTER  -  Clutter affects you in many ways:

• It can make you feel tired and lethargic
• It keeps you in the past
• It affects you  body weight
• It confuses you
• It can affect the way people treat you
• It make you procrastinate
• It cause disharmony
• Feelings of shame
• Life on hold
• Excess baggage
• It causes extra cleaning
• Makes you disorganized
• It distracts you from the important things

Whether your plans are to stay in the home that you are currently in, or are planning on placing your home on the market in the Spring....The Clutter has to be addressed.  January should be designated to the Kitchen - Once the kitchen is in order, your daily life will begin to be a bit more easier and organized.

Sort your cooking tools and gadgets into related categories
Divide your kitchen space into activity zones
Complete the elimination process ( get rid of the chipped cups and miss matched glasses)
Decide how to make the best of your counter space
Bring the pantry to order
Clean out under the sink, the refrigerator and the junk draw.

My pet peeve is the front of the Fridge - put the photo's in an album and all the paperwork, menus etc in a loose leaf binder... take out menu's, Johnny's swim schedule, and last years report card do not belong on the front door!

The kitchen is the center of your home, keep it neat and organized....take inventory of supplies and keep a running list of what is needed in your phone or in your planner...  Good Luck with the kitchen... I look forward to seeing before and after pictures...

January the new beginning for planting the seeds...to a better life

To see a  home in your dream, symbolizes increased prosperity will come your way through diligence and care. It also suggests of stability and inner growth. To see a room in your dream, foretells of tranquillity, comfort, true love and happy home in your future. To see clutter, and disorganization, denotes that you have neglected your spiritual needs.  A home is like a garden, you need to tend to its needs in order to feel comfort and happiness within.

January is a new beginning, of turning your life around...through planning, schedules routines, checklists and organizing projects.  Whether you are planning on selling your home in the Spring and need some help in organization to prepare your home for the market or you need a stable comforting  surrounding ; I will be able to help you achieve this through my series of organizing your live.

The first thing you need to discover is where does time go - how do you spend you time during the day?

• Work
• Time with animals
• Social networking/time with family and friends
• Exercise
• Spiritual pursuits
• Travel
• Volunteer work
• Errands, grocery shopping...etc

Understand your real goals in your life.  Most people allow life to happen, rather than giving it some direction.

You need to write down how much time is spent on these items to understand where the time goes.  If you are a stay at home mom don't discount your work. Raising a happy, healthy family and running a homes is the largest job on the planet.  Mom's are notorious the the lack of delegation skills...as they feel as they are "at home" and should be able to do everything - Chores are no longer an option.  Everyone has to step up and assume more responsibility in the home....by doing this you will shave time off every area of your life.

• So take some time right now and decide what you really want from life
• Research what is necessary to make your dreams come to reality
• In your journal, calendar, schedule take steps you need to take to achieve your goal

You can learn how to manipulate time to your advantage if you have support from your partner/spouse/children....

You could start a small group among friends to share your goals....and share the steps that you have done to work towards those goals!!