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When a Storage Unit is a Good Idea

· Purging · , , , , , , , , ,

Over the past few months, I’ve had a number of clients ask me for help organizing storage units. Some clients have multiple storage units and some have just one. In some cases, the storage units are complimentary perks that come with apartments, and, in other cases, exorbitant fees are paid. Sometimes, the client knows exactly what’s stored in the unit and wants to make it less cluttered or more appealing. And sometimes, the items have been put away for years, and the client has no idea what s/he will find there. While I generally believe that a client is better off purging and living within his/her space means, here are some instances when a storage unit is a good idea:

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Spring Cleaning Your Friends

· Purging, Seasonal Organizing · , , , ,

By: Barbara Reich and Erica Keswin, Founders of Never Caught Up, LLC

Every year, as the weather grows warmer, there’s a flurry of interest in spring cleaning. Morning television segments, news articles, and blog posts will all feature the latest organizing tips, cleaning short cuts, and advice on how to get to those hard-to-reach areas. That spring cleaning is “business as usual.” But, there’s another kind of spring cleaning that no one talks about…that is, spring cleaning your friends.

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Eliminate These and Make the World a Better Place

· Family, Time Management · , , , , , , ,

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After more than a decade of organizing people’s homes and offices, there are certain things that I’ve often wished never existed. The ubiquity of these, and the speed at which I do away with them, has me convinced that the world would truly be a better place if I never saw another one. Sounds harsh, but read on, and I’m sure you’ll agree.  Here are my top ten:

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What Moms Really Want: Mother’s Day Gift Guide

· Holiday / Entertaining · , , , ,

What does every mom REALLY want for mother’s day? It’s not breakfast in bed, it’s not flowers, and it’s not a new kitchen appliance.  What she really wants is more time, more hours in the day, and the feeling, at least for a few minutes, of being caught up.  Caught up with all of the emails, endless forms that need to be filled out, loads of laundry, and to do lists.  Caught up with her friends and what’s going on in their lives, and caught up with herself. That is what would make her happy.

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Kitchen Makeover for a Single Dad

· Kitchen / Nutrition / Wellness, Makeovers · , , , ,

Recently, I was asked to participate in a web series for Hooplaha, a fabulous network whose mission is to inspire, uplift and make people happy. In this series, I’ll be providing free organizational makeovers to those who can’t afford to pay for a professional organizer.  In short, this is my opportunity to give back to the community and improve the quality of someone’s life. In the premiere episode I meet the McLeod family. Mike McLeod is a thirty-five year old single father of two young sons, Kiing and Hova.  Not only does he work two jobs (finding housing for the homeless and acting as a basketball referee), but he’s also very involved in his community. His lack of time has made it difficult for him to get ahead; he was in desperate need of a kitchen organization makeover.

Upon arriving at the McLeod apartment, I noticed that the kitchen space, although extremely cluttered, was also the heart of the home. I learned that Mike loves to be in the kitchen cooking healthy meals for his sons, he has a penchant for buying too many spices, and he’s a saver of empty boxes and containers that take up unnecessary space. With the help of my team, we got to work using my four-step method of organization (purge, design, organize, and maintain).

First, we purged everything the family didn’t need or want. We sorted everything so that like items were together and we could see which appliances and kitchen tools were duplicates.  Then, we used our organizing tools to design the space.  We used OXO canisters for the dry goods such as flour and sugar, and we used Linus Pantry Binz to organize spices in the cabinet and excess toiletries.  We also used drawer inserts to create organized spaces in the drawers.   The next step was to organize everything that would remain in the McLeod’s kitchen.  We were able to clear off the table and give the family a place to eat meals, do homework, and spend time together. To help Mike and the boys maintain order, we labeled everything using a Brother P Touch label maker.

It took us about 3 hours to transform this room from a cluttered mess to a functional organized space that was cozy and efficient. It was a great day and a lot of fun for everyone!

Click here to meet Mike and his boys and watch the McLeod kitchen makeover.

 

Staying Organized at College

· School / College · , , ,

By Guest Blogger Aviva Leshaw, McGill University Freshman

Now that I’ve settled into college life, I see how important managing my time and my space is. If you want to excel academically, socialize, and participate in extracurricular activities, follow these tips for staying organized.

1. Have a good calendar system: organizing your time will organize your mind, and eventually your space. Whether it’s paper or digital, keep your calendar with you at all times.
2. Don’t go to school with every single item you think you’ll need for the year. Plan to purchase some supplies after you live in your room for a while. You may think you’ll use a kettle, or have countless items to fill a 10­pack of jumbo storage containers, but when you arrive these items may be unnecessary.
3. If you have a roommate, contact them beforehand to figure out who will purchase shared appliances, or purchase some of these items together when you both arrive at school.
4. As classes begins, if you do have a double room, keep in mind that you can’t control your roommate’s side of the room. Keep your area neat, and always how shared areas will be maintained.
5. Designate sensible spots for everything at the beginning of the semester. Your desk should be your study space, so keep books and supplies in that area only, while clothing and shoes should be in the closet.
6. Utilize all available space. This includes in your closet, under your bed, and on your walls.
7. Put items like extra linen and out­of­season clothing out of sight, perhaps under your bed or on the top shelf of a closet, so that they don’t get in the way on a daily basis.
8. If you brought anything with you that you don’t need, bring it home with you on your next trip, or get rid of it. There’s no need keep something the whole year if you’ll never use it.
9. Keep snacks…snack­sized. This will not only ward off the freshman fifteen, they’re also easy to grab when running to class. Stock your room with snack packs, rather than anything “jumbo.”
10. And finally, decorate! Make the space your own…it’s the only way you’ll want to spend time there and keep things neat.

Queen for a Day for the “Queen of Clean”

· Makeovers · , , , , ,

This month I was profiled in an article in AARP magazine entitled, “Declutter Your Life – Now! Meet the Queen of Clean”.  While just being chosen for the profile was exciting enough, what went on behind the scenes was truly a thrill for me!  Here’s the article, and here’s what it was really like to be the “Queen of Clean”.

First, I got to work with Jancee Dunn.  For those of you who don’t know her, Jancee has written for every major magazine, covering dozens of celebrities (Bono, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Cyndi Lauper).  The idea that she would be writing an article about me after she had just finished working on a project with Cyndi was just unfathomable.  And, Jancee was so easy to work with and such a lovely person, I enjoyed every minute of my time with her.

One day, Jancee accompanied me to a client’s apartment.  While at first it felt a little strange to be observed, Jancee was just a “fly on the wall”, and I quickly forgot she was there.  Then, she wanted to see my house, so we met there one morning. We chatted as I opened closets and drawers showing her my organizing techniques.  Everything was neat as a pin until I opened my husband’s closet and a yellow promotional bag was sitting on the floor.  To quote Jancee quoting me in the article, I said, “What the hell is this?”  I just love that she included that!

I next heard from AARP when they wanted to schedule a photo shoot with me.  I imagined they would send a photographer and snap a few pictures, but that wasn’t what they had in mind at all!  In early June, I received a “call sheet” listing me as the “talent” and then proceeded to list a dozen other people such as the photographer, prop stylist, wardrobe stylist, and set designer.  I couldn’t get over being called “the talent”.  I briefly wondered if a mistake had been made.  It became more real though as I had calls with the wardrobe consultant about my size and style and the prop master about how I would style a living room.

Then, it was the day of the shoot. I arrived at a sleek, airy downtown loft at 9:00 in the morning ready for my big day.  The photographer and his assistants were setting up their equipment.  Living room furniture had been rented and set up in one part of the loft, and the prop stylists were creating a messy “before” living room (later, I would transform it to the “after”).  Another part of the loft was set up with racks of clothes, rows and rows of shoes, a table filled with jewelry, and a whole table filled with crowns and scepters (for the Queen look).  A make up artist was setting up her brushes near the wardrobe section while I looked around still not quite believing that I was “the talent”.  To steady my nerves, I helped myself to a yummy breakfast which was set up in a back area.

 

After I had eaten, I had my hair and make-up done by Lauren.  As a person that rarely wears make up, it was fascinating to see how much time she spent making me look my best.   Whenever I thought there couldn’t possibly be any more makeup to put on my face, Lauren added something, smoothed something, and added something more.  Then she worked on making my hair just the right amount of curly for another hour!  I was starting to really enjoy being the talent.

Next it was time to try on clothes.  Jessica, the wardrobe stylist had prepared several looks for me.  The first was a long gold dress with a fur stole.  I loved it, but when the photographer took some test shots in front of the “before” living room, the color didn’t provide enough contrast.  Instead, I wore a long red satin skirt with a tailored white shirt complete with a crown and scepter for most of the shoot.  When the clothing didn’t fit perfectly, they pinned and clipped the side not on camera until it did.

Now, we were ready to start the shoot.  Chris, the incredibly talented photographer, taught me how to smile on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 is no smile, 7 is a big smile) and everything in between.  I posed leaning back, moving my shoulder down an inch, my arm up an inch, turning the scepter up and back and turning my head this way and that.  During all of this, Lauren and Jessica would periodically stop to arrange my clothes, fix my hair, and dab my makeup.  The photographers and the technician would crowd around big screens scrutinizing the photo angles and the colors.  Who knew being a model was so complicated?

After a few hours of posing, we stopped for lunch and an outfit change.  My next ensemble was much more like what I would wear on a regular day: jeans, kitten heels, and a blazer.  Chris took pictures of me in front of the set, and then the real fun began.  While Chris directed, a time lapse video a time lapse video of me organizing the set was taken.  I worked with the prop stylists from top to bottom and left to right.  We arranged the books in color and size order, we alternated between horizontal and vertical displays, used props of every type, and even put pictures on the mantle.  It took us about 30 minutes in real time, but the video speeds it up to a minute!

As it approached the late afternoon, we needed to hurry a bit, so we didn’t lose the light.  I had one more outfit change (jeans and blouse), and posed with different organizing tools like the Brother P Touch label maker, bins, and folders.  By this time, I was an old pro, and could smile and position myself easily into whatever poses Chris thought would work. There were a lot of laughs at the end as we wrapped the shoot.  Admittedly, I was a little sore the next day (from using “modeling” muscles never used before), but what an experience to be queen for a day, the Queen of Clean!

 

 

My Favorite Products for Organizing Children’s Playrooms & Bedrooms

· Family · , , , , , , ,

Because I spend so much time organizing  children’s playrooms and bedrooms, I’m often asked what my favorite products are for these areas. So, here’s my list….

1. Alexandra Ferguson House Rules Pillows

2.Herman Miller Eames Hang-It-All Coat Rack
3. Neiman Marcus Lucite Dachshund Bookends

4. Restoration Hardware Storage Armoir

5. Mabel’s Labels Clothing Label Stickers

6. So Luxe Luggage Tags

7. Ubabub “Book See” Shelf

8. Sandy Vohr Animal Paperweights

9. Sandy Vohr Animal Bookends

10. Skip Hop Stroller Organizer

11. Organize It Baby Closet Dividers

12. Amazon LEGO Storage Brick

13. Pottery Barn Carolina Grow-With-You- Craft Table

14. Minimalist Desk

15.  Land of Nod Wire Ball Bin

16.  Bed Bath & Beyond Fabric Covered Picture Frame

17. Container Store Felt Hangers

18. Pottery Barn Mini Lazy Susan

19. Bigso Box

20. Offi Rockabye Storage rocker

21.  Poppin Starter Desk Set

22.  C Wonder  Monogram Jewelry Box

23.  Three Sprouts Laundry Hamper

24.  Wisteria Kaleidoscope Wastebasket

25.  Iomoi Lucite Tray

26.  See Jane Work Bella Leather Desk Blotter

27. Hector Serrano Seletti’s Desktructure Organization System

28. Picture wall Photo Frames

29.Bisley Drawer

30. Etsy Baby Keepsake Memory box/ Frames

31. Vitra Uten.Silo I

The Last Weeks of Summer

· Seasonal Organizing · , , , , , , ,

Lazy days spent by the pool, long weekends exploring new towns, and afternoons interrupted by the mailman delivering camp letters – we’re all going to miss that summer haze that has us sighing with relaxation. But before you become utterly overwhelmed thinking about life getting a bit more hectic, here are five quick fixes that can tremendously simplify your life.

Learn to say no! We all want to be completely immersed in every event involving our family and friends, but we can’t. When every child invites the entire class to their birthday parties, it’s not necessary to attend them all. Decline parties that are not truly important to your child or just simply inconvenient. Similarly, don’t overextend yourself with volunteer jobs. Pick wisely. Determine which event is your child’s favorite, and take on the task of planning that one event every year. The event will be more meaningful because your child really cares about the celebration. Plus, there is no need to reinvent the wheel – you only have to plan the event once! Save the decorations in a box so next year’s celebration is a no-brainer.

Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Never leave the mail on the counter for later, because we all know later never comes when we get bogged down with other tasks. Immediately flip through the mail so it doesn’t grow into an exploding pile that takes over your counter. Junk mail and envelopes should have a one-way ticket to the recycle bin; letters, invitations, and bills should be placed in a designated “inbox” to be addressed when you have extra time. Emails can be simplified as well. Instead of deleting spam, unsubscribe to the website’s mailing list so you don’t receive any more emails from the site. A twenty-second act can save you up to five minutes daily of deleting unwanted advertisements.

Technology is your friend…as long as it’s used for good, not evil. As you simplify your life, your smart phone should be no different. Purge your app list of addicting battery drainers such as Candy Crush and Angry Birds. Also, remove the myriad of unopened apps that you downloaded per friends’ suggestions. Replace these with apps that will do what technology is meant to do: enhance your life. Use the ‘Reminders’ app to alert you when an appointment or birthday is nearing. Applications such as LastPass and One Password keep all of your passwords in a secure app so you don’t need to remember every password to your different shopping logins, and bank websites. For those of you who are technologically challenged, a friend can easily teach you to streamline your phone calendar with your computer calendar so you never miss an appointment – even if your phone dies.

Keep celebrations stress-free! Store various gift cards in different denominations for every caliber of friend so you don’t have to spend time finding a gift for every birthday party. Likewise, keep generic cards in the house to avoid a rushed trip to the card store. When it’s your party, keep the after party just as simple. Open gifts with a notepad in hand to prepare for thank you notes. When it’s time to write them, have a set template so the writing process takes half the time! Thank you notes should be completed within the week so your guests receive them within two weeks of the event. While opening the presents, create two piles: gifts to keep and those to return in the next few days. That way, all of your post-celebration obligations are completed by the next week, and you can bask in the glow of a party well done.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Many of us rely heavily on to-do lists; however, consider rethinking the effect of your list on your well being. For example, if you put the bank, grocery store, and organizing your house on the same list, that list will take a month to accomplish, and you will get into bed each night feeling discouraged. Form two checklists instead: short-term tasks and long-term goals. On your short-term list, write smaller tasks for your lengthy goals. Instead of “organize the house,” try, “organize kitchen drawers.” This is a realistic goal that can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. “Organize the house” is daunting, seemingly never-ending, and will usually be pushed aside for quicker options like going to the bank.  Choosing to tackle small tasks within your larger goal, without losing sight of the big picture (specified on your long-term goals list), will help you to accomplish both your short-term and long-term goals without feeling overwhelmed.

While fall is still weeks away, implement some of these ideas, so you’ll be more relaxed when summer ends.  Before you know it, school will be back in session, sports practice will begin, carpools will be a way of life, and homework and tests will be dominating your children’s evenings.   And until then, take a deep breath…summer is yours to enjoy for another month!