Ready to Get Organized This Fall?
Remember all those 2017 New Year’s Resolutions you made January 1? How many are you making good on? Good news for those of us who still have 2017 project priorities we haven’t even started yet – much less finished. Use September, that hardwired “fresh start” that’s still in our blood from all those years of school, to take another bite at the new beginnings’ apple.
As your friendly professional organizer, I’m here to help you jumpstart your FRESH START, get caught up on your (old) New Year’s resolutions, and get organized for the rest of the year. Make the September mindset and momentum work for you, at home and at work! The most important thing is to ride the wave! Want to get all A+’s for 2017? Steal my TO DO list or make your own. There’s still time. Get it done. Make yourself proud. Fall never felt so darn good.
FALL IS THE OTHER NEW YEAR. Make it work for you.
1. Sweep your front (and all your) porches, get rid of cobwebs, refresh, repaint if necessary, buy a new door mat and hang a fall wreath. Benefit: Just like making your bed in the morning sets you up for success throughout the day, a clean, happy, inviting entrance to your home makes you feel strong, accomplished, and in control of what lies within.
2. Clean, organize and equip your vehicle(s) with travel necessities (i.e. wipes, eyeglass cleaner, snacks), a vehicle emergency kit, kid gear and toys, and a trunk organizer for storing items while on the go. You can stash your car cleaning supplies in a plastic bin with lid and keep them handy too. Benefit: Do it once and it is easier to keep on top of once you start rushing around all year. Never run out of snacks for a hungry child or be stranded on a dark road without flares. And a clean, organized well-stocked car will make you feel like a master of the universe – if only for a few minutes.
3. Cull your books, magazines, and mail so you can keep what is special and make room for fresh, new ideas, information and inspiration! Donate, give away or sell your old books. Take any recent magazines to a local shelter or hospital. And unsubscribe to junk mail, go paperless where possible, and make sure your kids have a designated location to do their homework and house their books and supplies. Benefit: Breathing room and space for exciting new reading material!
4. Shed what’s in your shed – or garage (or both!) Fall is the perfect time to take everything out of the shed or garage, get rid of all the junk, make a list of items to replace, repair, or invest in (like a new rake?), and organize what’s left! Add a peg board, shelves, bike racks, or even a plastic set of drawers to contain small items like paint brushes and twine. Benefit: This makes doing chores easier, more efficient and maybe even more enjoyable! If it is easier to get to your bike you might even take it out for a ride!
5. Closets, closets, closets. Ugh. I know. Start with hallway coat closet. Take everything out. Discard/donate outgrown or unloved items. Buy a set of matching metal hangers for coats. Hang up extra hooks on sides and door if necessary. Put down a tray or rack for boots/shoes. Buy nice baskets for that top shelf where you can store winter outerwear. Then clean out all the other closets. Same process. (Call a professional organizer). Send me a photo of your most cluttered closet. I will send you back a complimentary email on how to get it under control! Benefit: Having an organized, streamlined closet means starting your day off without friction and fuss – getting dressed in well-kept, well-loved clothes saves time and feels great.
6. Give your laundry room some love. All those places where we spend time but are miserable. Well, no more. It is so easy to up your laundry game. No matter how big or tiny your space is – buy a set of matching plastic baskets or bins to contain your laundry supplies in them (label if necessary), hang up cheerful art, buy a collapsible drying rack (and pull down ironing board if you actually iron) and if you have room, put down a happy little rug. Benefit: Doing laundry is easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. Think Martha Stewart. Ha!
7. Pantry Pride. Time to prepare for winter, and like the squirrels already collecting acorns (I saw one yesterday with TWO acorns in his little mouth), let’s get rid of the out-of-date cans of soup, half-used boxes of pasta and make room for fresh fall and winter provisions. Clear out your shelves, toss or donate items, restock, keep categories together (use containers for loose items), and most importantly, make sure everything is VISIBLE. Benefit: Gain more storage space. Stay on top of your “inventory,” use items more quickly and manage shopping more easily. Save time. Save money. If your cupboards are stocked and systematic, cooking is much less complicated.
8. Kids’ Artwork. Parents, t’is the season for all those wonderful school craft projects. Rather than clutter up your frig or worse, create a big folder or box for each child. You can save everything for the school year if you want, or make judgement calls as you go. It’s nice to have a display area – here are some good options. Then, at the end of the school year, you can photograph everything and turn the artwork into a memory book, then just hold on to a few precious originals – frame or keep in your child’s keepsake box.
9. In-Box. Sadly, thanks to the digital revolution, gone are the days of achieving an empty in-box. I really miss that feeling. But if you do just one thing on this list – sign up with unroll.me to get the junk email out of your in-box 1-2-3! It really is as easy as that – and FREE! It will clear out your inbox, make mass-unsubscribing a breeze, and roll up your “secondary” emails into one on whatever schedule you want. But also please be sure to SUBSCRIBE to receive FREESPACES’ INFO & UPDATES and like us on Facebook for regular organizing inspiration.
10. Follow through on creating space for me-time.* Does this resolution come and go, unfulfilled, each and every new year? I know it does for me. But this year, I vowed it would be different. And September 1, I actually registered on a dating site. (Haven’t finished my profile yet, but it’s a start). What is your me-time gonna be? Here’s a good way to start.
When you can check off the list above or your own version of these organization procrastination traps, you have not only EARNED some deserved me time, you have made it possible!
* Oxford Dictionary: Me Time. Time spent relaxing on one’s own as opposed to working or doing things for others, seen as an opportunity to reduce stress or rest.