Winner of SOS

Happy New Year and welcome to the second decade of the 21st century!

As promised, I drew from the Stump the Organizer Saturday (SOS) entries for the charity to receive a $10 contribution. The winner is Cathy with her question of managing paper and paying bills. Cathy nominated the Humane Society to receive the contribution.

Thank you all for your questions. I look forward to a year of organizing questions from you.

May you and your family be blessed with health and prosperity in the new year.

My Wish To You: Peace

It is the day before Christmas and I am sure for the majority of folks things are far from quiet. If you feel that you are battling the clock, look for some shortcuts.

Last minute gifts: contribute to a charity in the recipients name or a gift card for a service like a massage.

Last minute cleaning: There isn't time to deep clean so focus on the public rooms.
Put away what doesn't belong.
Wipe off the horizontal surfaces and vacuum.

Decorations: Less is more.
Pick one focus area. Use scented candles or scent diffusers for a sensory treat.

Meals: Complicated dishes take more time and energy than what's available.
A simple roast beef or turkey and simple veggies.
Pick up bread and dessert from the bakery.
Throw a tablecloth on the table.
Trim a few snippets from the tree and put them in the center of the table with a collection of candles.

Add an abundance of holiday music.

Breathe deep and enjoy.

I hope you have a peaceful holiday.

Stump the Organizer Saturday! Organize Spice and Mix Packets

No, my calendar didn’t break. Unfortunately, I had a bit of the flu this weekend and really could not do anything beyond an “autopilot” mentality. Thank goodness for vitamin C.

This week’s question comes from Dianne who poses “How can I organize spice and mix packets? I use a lot of Homemade Gourmet because my sister sells it. I have other mixes too. It drives me crazy when I can’t find what I want or I forget what I have. I tried a basket but it took to long to find things – if I could. I found a wire basket at Walmart (I think) but it is too small and I would need to get a lot of them to screw onto the cabinet door.“ Dianne added later that she has soup, appetizer, seasoning, dinner, and desert packets. She wasn’t sure how many she has for each category. Of all the categories, the seasoning packets are the smallest.

The first step is to sort the mixes into categories. Dianne named the categories so these are perfect to use for sorting. Another possible way to sort might be sweet versus savory. The latter might work for a smaller collection.

While you are sorting, toss out anything that is expired or you have decided you do not like.

Look at the physical size of each sorted category. Will a shoebox accommodate the collection or is something smaller better? The Container Store has different sizes of shoeboxes. I love using translucent containers for the visibility of the contents. Use a separate container for each category and toss the lids. If using a shoebox without its lid makes you really nervous, then sit the bottom of the box on the lid. A little double-sided tape will attach the lid to the bottom of the box. Label the narrow end of the box with the name of the category, and set the mixes in each box as though they were index cards. Alphabetizing the mixes will provide very fast access to a specific mix. Alphabetize by the general name of the thing rather than the exact name. For example, file the potato soup mix as “potato soup” rather than “Auntie Helen’s Creamy Potato Soup” because you will think “potato soup” rather than the exact name when you want it.

Cut out some poster board or cardboard to create dividers for each box. The width of the divider should be the same as the box. The height of the divider should be a little taller than the packets. Use a card for a range of the alphabet - A through E, for instance – to reduce the number of cards you need to make. Crafty folks will enjoy decorating the cards. It may be constructive to appoint a specific color to each set of cards – red for seasonings, for example.

I hope these ideas help you bring order to your mix collection. Dianne has nominated the Alzheimer’s Society for the end of year charity drawing.
Please send your questions for Stump the Organizer Saturday to Denise@ClearSpaces.org. Include the name of your favorite charity for our December 30th drawing for a donation. The winner of the drawing will be posted on the blog on December 31.

Stump the Organizer Saturday! Organize a Busy Desk

Thanks Rachel for your question for SOS. Rachel has entered the American Cancer Society for the charity drawing at the end of the year. Here’s how she described her situation: “Right now, I am working from a desk in our loft. But it is also used as our computer desk, filing area, etc...basically it's a HUGE mess.” She added that she’s pretty organized everywhere else in her life. Also the desk has no drawers or any other storage because her last desk had too much storage and that led to problems. The picture is of the desk area.
The key in this situation is to think beyond the desk, and create an office with different processing centers. Luckily, the basics for setting up an organized office area are already present. My first suggestion is to set up a chase perpendicular to the right side of the desk so that the chase fills in the corner and is the same height as the desk. This will give you an L-shaped surface area.
The chase will hold the printer so it can be moved off the floor. I’d put the printer at the end away from the desk. Move the vertical sorter to the left of the printer. The vertical sorter is my favorite tool for creating an action file. Each slot holds papers that need a specific action such as “to pay,” “to read,” “to write/email,” “to research”, or whatever suits your needs. However, I have found that “follow-up” is an essential category. “Follow-up” holds items that you need to revisit soon to make sure that someone else has completed their action. Align the vertical sorter so that the empty slots are facing you. Now you can label each slot with its specific action. The labels are absolutely necessary in keeping your action items organized. Now you can easily view and access papers that need action. When the needed action is completed for an item, just file it in the file cabinet. If there is room, place a tray to the left of the vertical sorter to act as an in basket.
Under the chase you will have room for the plastic drawer unit, a shredder, and a can for recyclables. There may even be room for the file cabinet at the end of the chase. Moving the file cabinet under the chase will create a paper processing area with left-to-right flow for paperwork. Good flow is efficient and has a comfortable feel.
The chase can be as simple as a finished board – like a bookshelf board - resting on the plastic drawer unit and file cabinet, or the board can be mounted to the wall with bookshelf brackets. The length and width of the chase depends on the dimensions of the area. From the photo it looks like a two-foot by four-foot board will fit the space nicely.
While you are picking up a board for the chase, pick up a narrow board that is the same length as your desk and two glass bricks. Use the bricks and board to make a shelf that will sit on the desktop against the wall. The shelf will hold the boom box, box of tissues, cup of pencils, and other necessary supplies that you need while you are at your desk. Raising these items off the desk maximizes the amount of space left for work. The glass brick allows light to reach the area under the shelf.
There are just two additional suggestions. Illuminate the area with wall-mounted lamps. Task lighting really helps make an area more comfortable. Label each drawer in the plastic drawer unit with the category of the items within it. Labels tell you not only what belongs where, but also what doesn’t belong.
The suggested changes are pretty easy to make but provide needed space for existing processes and defines what each space is. I would love to know how these suggestions work for you.
If you have a question to submit to Stump the Organizer Saturday! please email me at denise@clearspaces.org. Please include your favorite charity for the drawing to receive a $10 donation at the end of the year.

Stump the Organizer! What Do I Do With These Off-Season Clothes?

“I thought I was really being organized when I took my summer clothes out of the closet and my drawer but I don’t think I thought everything through. Now they are in a pile on the floor. What do you suggest?”

Lu this is a great question. It sounds like this may be the first time you have stored off-season clothes, so we’ll go through the basics. By the way, I welcome everyone’s questions for Stump the Organizer Saturday (SOS). Let me know the name of your favorite charity with your submission. At the end of the year I will draw for a charity from your entries and make a donation – I’ll post the winning charity. Lu has entered the National Breast Cancer Foundation (www.nationalbreastcancer.org).

There are several good reasons to store your off-season clothes. Getting to the clothes you need is easier and faster if off-season clothes are out of the way. The extra space in your closet increases air circulation and prevents the wrinkling that results from clothes being pressed together. Your off-season clothes may actually last longer if they are protected from dust, bugs and moisture. Storing clothes is simple with a strategy and the right tools.

First decide where you want to store your clothes. The extreme temperatures and humidity of an unfinished attic and basement can be hard on clothing. A cool, dark, dry room place is ideal. If you are blessed with ample closet space consider dedicating an area to off-season storage. A spare closet is the next logical choice but it’s not always available. Create your own spare closet by setting up a wardrobe in an extra room or a finished basement. Wardrobes are available in a wide range of prices and styles. The most inexpensive wardrobes are garment racks that have a cloth cover. The most expensive wardrobes are fine furniture that contain drawers and shelves in addition to a garment bar.

Further protect your clothes with containers and bug repellent. Good clothes need to be stored in good containers. Fabric boxes and garment bags allow air to circulate and are the containers of choice for natural fibers, leather, suede and fur. Air circulation prevents trapped moisture that can lead to mildew.

Thankfully, bug repellent can be much more pleasant than poisonous naphthalene. Solid cedar blocks and hangers are a popular effective alternative. Give the cedar a quick swipe with some sandpaper every year to refresh it. Rosemary, thyme, mint, and cloves are among several herbs that are natural bug repellents. Place a handful of herbs in a cloth bag to create a sachet, and replace the herbs annually to insure potency. These natural bug repellents smell lovely, and you don’t have to worry about possible carcinogens.

Clean clothes are less likely to attract bugs than dirty ones. Before you store your clothes make sure the pockets are empty and they are freshly cleaned. Dirt and perspiration can irreversibly stain clothes if they are allowed to sit for a period of time. It is also worth mentioning that you only want to store items that you love and look good on you. This is a great time to bid so long to frumpy, uncomfortable clothes. Somehow the end of the season makes it easier to let go of the clothes that don’t serve us well.

Keep like items together – casual dresses with casual dresses, for instance. Packing is easier when like items are together. Hanging clothes in garment bags will prevent wrinkles, but may stretch knits out of shape. Neatly fold knits and loosely pack them in boxes. Use labels to identify the contents of the bags and boxes so you can easily find what you need.

Odds are if you are packing off-season clothes you are simultaneously unpacking stored clothes. Swapping everything in one session may feel overwhelming so consider swapping clothes in two or three sessions that are several weeks apart. Scheduling insures that the packing and unpacking gets done and provides you with a timeline for getting things mended, laundered and dry-cleaned. Since weather changes gradually, you will always have the most comfortable clothes handy.

Packing off-season clothes is an organizing task that yields great benefits. Taking the time to weed out unwanted clothes and packing clothes that are wrong for the weather generates space in your closet and drawers. Your clothes will look better longer because of the care in cleaning and storing them. And you will look like the sharp, organized person that you are.

Stump the Organizer Saturday! Organize Your Purses

Thanks Rhonda for your questions and your nomination of the Humane Society for the charity drawing. Rhonda hit the jackpot this week with two challenges:

“I have a lot of purses and bags that pile up on my closet floor and hang from every door knob in my bedroom and the hall closet. I switch bags a lot, but sometimes the things that are inside one bag don’t make it to another bag. This is a problem because I found a check the other day that was written to me over a year ago.”
First let’s look at what to do with your bounty of bags. Autumn is a great time to review and organize your bag collection because summer bags can be stored away until warm weather returns.

Grab some de-cluttering supplies: a trash bin, a stack of acid-free tissue paper, a pad of paper, a pen, an empty shoe box, and an empty medium-sized box for donations or items to sell. Gather all of your purses and bags in one place and check inside each one. Dump the trash. Toss the items you find into the shoebox until you have emptied each bag, then you can return those items to their proper home.

Once the bags are empty, it’s time to sort them. It’s easy to eliminate the purses that you no longer love or the purses that are worn beyond repair. It’s harder to eliminate the purses that are in great shape, but they just miss the mark for winning your love. Maybe they’re too tiny to carry what you consider necessary, maybe the color just isn’t right, or maybe getting in and out of them is a difficult, time-consuming task. Whatever the reason, collecting dust on the shelf will not redeem them; in fact, keeping these irritating fashion accessories around will just detract from the bags you do love. Your sanity is priceless – put the bag in the donation /sell box. Take note of every bag in the donation box if you plan to deduct the donation from your taxes.

The remainder of the bags can be sorted into off-season, everyday and special occasion. One of the principles of organizing is to store frequently used items, like your everyday bags, so they are quickly accessible. Special occasion bags can be stored so that they are close but not necessarily “front and center.” The seasonal items can be stored out of the way until it is time to switch for the seasons again.

There are several organizing tools that can keep your bags handy and out of a jumble on the floor. A purse cubby is larger than it’s cousin the shoe cubby but its larger size accommodates about ten bags. It sits on a shelf or on the floor. If you have about a foot of free bar space in your closet, a hanging purse organizer can hold a dozen or more purses, depending on the design. If you have just a few purses, they can be kept in order on your closet shelf by slipping shelf dividers between the purses.

Properly storing your purses can prolong their life. Put crumbled tissue paper in the purses you store to help preserve their shape. Protect a fine purse’s finish from dust and scratches by storing it in a pillowcase tied with a decorative ribbon. Loop the ribbon through a luggage tag holding a digital picture of the purse for easy identification.

Keep the inside of your purse organized and make it easy to switch purses with a purse insert. Two popular inserts are the Purse Pouchee and the Purse Purseket. These inserts are loaded with pockets to hold your purse’s contents. When it’s time to switch purses just lift the insert out of one purse and put it in the next purse. It’s fast and easy.

Organizing your purses can keep them off the dusty floor and accessible, plus you will preserve your investment. Keeping the inside of the purse tidy will preserve your sanity – and prevent checks from getting lost.

Hoarding

Once again the subject of hoarding has captivated the public’s attention. Every week the A&E show “Hoarders” spotlights the clean up of two different cases of extreme hoarding with the assistance of a professional organizer and a crew. Despite the unpleasantness of the deep clutter, rodents, insects and squalor our attention is held by the need to know why someone lives this way. What is clear from watching the program is the intensity and magnitude of emotional pain caused by hoarding for both the hoarder and his family.

No one willingly chooses to hoard. Psychological and emotional factors underlie hoarding behavior. Mental health workers have traditionally considered hoarding as a sub-type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; however, recent research seems to indicate that hoarding is a feature of many psychiatric disorders. While the research on hoarding has been fruitful, there is still a lot that is unknown.
The show’s opening displays the statistic that three million people in the United States are hoarders; however, the exact number is unknown. I have seen estimates as low as two million and as high as 20% of the population – about 61,528,000 people. Shame, embarrassment and fear contribute to the social isolation of hoarders and the difficulty in identifying them.

People who suffer with extreme hoarding behavior are adept at hiding. Friends, family, repairmen, utility workers – anyone wanting entry - are typically barred from the house. Such isolation can lead to further degeneration of behavior and of the home. In the most extreme cases, doors and windows blocked by clutter trap the occupants from escaping during a fire.

It is important to point out that hoarding, like many behaviors, follows a continuum. The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (www.nsgcd.org) created the Clutter Hoarding Scale that is used to objectively describe clutter in place. The scale uses four factors to assess the level of clutter on a scale from one to five. The examined factors look at the integrity of the home’s structure, the pets and vermin present, household functions and cleanliness. Most lay people would describe a Level I home as messy and a Level V home as uninhabitable.

If someone you know and love hoards it is important to seek help. There are several organizations that provide information and forums. Children of Hoarders (www.childrenofhoarders.com), Messies Anonymous (www.messiesanonymous.com), and Squalor Survivors (www.squalorsurvivors.com) are very good websites to visit. When speaking to someone about his hoarding use neutral and supportive language. Sometimes good-meaning friends and family decide to do a surprise cleanup of the cluttered house. Such gestures are usually not a good idea. How would you feel if a group of people came into your home and threw out things without your knowledge or permission? Respect and dignity are always important and appropriate when dealing with anyone, and provide the foundation for taking the first steps towards recovery from hoarding.

Stump the Organizer! Organize Bill Paying

“How do I keep track of bills so they get paid on time? Then how long do I keep them after they are paid?”
This is such a great question Cathy because it’s about a topic that affects everyone.
Unpaid bills need a home s so they’re easy to find when it’s time to pay them. Personally, I like to keep an action file that is organized by the category of action such as “to pay,” “to read,” and “to follow-up.” I like the action file because I like doing similar activities together. Some people like the tickler file system that is based on 43 files (1-31 for each day in the current month plus one file for each month). Bills and anything else that need to be processed on a particular date are filed under the appropriate day. Items for future months are filed under the appropriate month. Some people like how the tickler file creates a daily agenda.
Regardless of how unpaid bills are filed allow sufficient processing time. Payments need to be mailed seven to ten days prior to the due date to avoid late charges. Allow three to four days for processing when making online payments. Record the date to pay bills in your calendar, and use this date to file the bills if you are using the tickler file. I like to limit my bill paying to a couple of days during the month because the routine provides me with a certain amount of financial predictability. The dates chosen for the bill paying routine allow sufficient time for the payments to be received and processed.
Bill paying is a rather mundane task and it’s easy to put it off or forget about it. Schedule bill paying in your planner. Scheduling provides the time to get it done and a certain amount of importance.
The last step of the process is filing the paid bills. File the bills as soon as you are finished so you avoid making two tasks out of one. Using a month system to file paid bills is fast and easy. Bills paid in September are filed in September. In a year, just take out the old bills and shred them before filing the new bills. However, if your bills are tax-deductable you will need to file them with all of your tax-deductions for the year and keep them for seven years after filing taxes– or for the length of time your tax preparer recommends.
Organized bill paying involves providing a home for the paid and unpaid bills plus scheduling the bill paying. Once organized you may find you never pay a late fee again. It’s like money in the bank!

Stump the Organizer! How To Organize A Large Jewelry Collection

“Can you suggest a jewelry box for me? My jewelry is not expensive but what I have means a lot to me. I mostly have earrings and necklaces.”
I too have a jewelry collection, and its value is more sentimental than monetary. As with any collection, make sure that you love each piece of it. Anything that does not make your heart sing will detract from that which you love. Bless someone else with the collection pieces that do service you.
The traditional jewelry box that sits on the dresser is inadequate for a large jewelry collection. In addition to being too small, most jewelry boxes do not keep the contents sufficiently separated to prevent knotting and general chaos.
Consider turning your jewelry collection into wall art. Put several Command hooks on a wall and hang your necklaces from them. I saw a clever wall-mounted jewelry rack on the Belle Dangles site (www.belledangles.com). Even though the Belle Dangles organizer is relatively small (it’s only 20” long), it holds a lot of jewelry. It can even hold accessories such as scarves, hair bands and purses. I love multi-purpose items!
One of my favorite multi-purpose items is the mirrored jewelry cabinet. The cabinet is a standing mirror that opens up to reveal hooks, bars and shelves for jewelry storage. Mine is pictured here. Laura Greiner designed this and other multi-compartment jewelry boxes (www.lorigreiner.com).
An inexpensive multi-compartment solution is the plastic tackle box. Most boxes are made of see-through plastic that allows you to identify the contents immediately. A collection of several boxes allows you to dedicate each box to storing a specific type of jewelry. The lid helps keeps the contents orderly and clean. But if the extra step of opening the lid discourages you from returning items back to the box, cut off the lid.
Now the question is: what to do with that jewelry box that’s been sitting on your dresser? If it’s one that you love consider giving it another purpose. I inherited a lovely jewelry box from my grandmother that I use to store the extra buttons that come with new clothes. Trim small paper cups to fit in the box to keep things organized.
Of course if you don’t like your jewelry box, bless someone else with it.

Stump the Organizer! Organize The School Paper Deluge

I had to take care of an emergency over the last couple of weeks so I'm posting the responses to two different questions this week. Thank you for your patience and understanding.


“Help! I’m already overwhelmed by the papers the schools send home with the kids.”
It’s amazing how much paper the average student brings to and from school. But you need only three things to defuse the overwhelm and manage the school paper flow:
1. Homes for the papers,
2. A procedure to process the paper, and
3. An “appointment time” to do the processing.
To prevent school papers from scattering all over the kitchen counter, use an inbox to house everything that you need to review. You will also need a place to store papers that you are actively working on. I like using desktop file boxes or project boxes to hold active paperwork. These boxes hold several files so paperwork is easily organized. To determine the best place for your inbox and active papers, look at where the papers naturally land – for many families this is the kitchen counter. Keep your family calendar accessible so it’s easy to schedule new events.
As you go through your inbox, consider what your next action should be for each paper. You may need to update your calendar, fill out a form, or make a phone call. Generally, take care of an item immediately if the needed action takes less than a couple of minutes. If more time is needed, enter the needed action on your calendar and put the paper in an action folder. In my experience, schools send home a lot of papers whose sole purpose is to inform. Recycle these papers as soon as you’ve finished reading them. Bookmark your school’s website so you can quickly access information without storing a lot of paper.
Of course every family needs a special place to showoff the children’s artwork and outstanding assignments. A special bulletin board or a magnetic strip will creatively showcase your child’s work with a little more fun and attention than the front of the fridge. Keep a special portfolio for each child to store the really special items at the end of the display period. Be selective. Only keep work that reflects your child’s unique character and talents.
Processing the papers in the inbox should only take a few minutes, if done daily. Considering making the paper review a part of the end-of-school day routine. The review dovetails nicely with a conversation with your child about the day’s events.
With the evening ahead of you to process the information, you will find that you are in better control of your time and actions. The feeling of overwhelm will become a distant memory.

Hot Organizing News!

My article on setting a bedtime routine for school is featured on Parents.com. Would you please tell Parents how much you like the article by rating it? Click here to read the article on the Parents.com site.

Got electronics to recycle? WITS is sponsoring some upcoming recycling events. The first one is this Saturday, August 29 from noon until 5 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kirkwood. Please visit the WITS site for a complete list of recycling events (click here). It is important to dispose of electronics responsibly. While many items can be disposed off without cost, there may be a nominal cost to dispose of televisions and monitors. Please visit www.witsinc.org for more information.

Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Lids System: Efficiency Meets Versatility

Earlier this summer I was asked to review Rubbermaid ‘s Easy Find Lids System. The company sent me a twenty-piece All-In-One sample pack of four different food storage containers: Easy Find Lids, Lock-its, Produce Saver and Premier containers. All summer-long I put these products to the test, and I have to say I am pleased with the products.

I am impressed by how neatly the pieces stack together. In my small kitchen efficient use of space is vital. The square bases stack together nicely. The lids stack together, and then the lids snap to the bottom of the base containers. The lids and bases are interchangeable because a lid fits bases of different sizes. Hmm, how much time is saved by eliminating “hide and go seek” with food container lids?

The most valuable thing the Produce Saver containers has saved is my nerves. You know how it is; you start to put together a recipe that uses the produce you picked up a couple of days ago, only to find out it is has started to go bad. I hate that! But the produce I kept in the Produce Saver containers did last longer, so I didn’t have to worry about the state of my dinner ingredients…or my frustration level.

The Premier containers end another one of my frustrations: stained food containers. We like spaghetti. I usually make enough for leftovers, and usually it’s easy to spot which containers are used to store the spaghetti. They’re the ones that are an interesting shade of orange. The clear bases of the Premier containers did not stain, and they remained nice and clear after repeated use.

Another tough challenge is the transportation of soup to a potluck. Would the Lock-its lid stay on the base without leaking - despite being jumbled about? Yes, it did! The lid snapped on the base easily but stayed securely in place until it was snapped off. Happily, I did not need the strength of a weight lifter to get the lid on or off the base of the Lock-its – or any of the other products, for that matter.

The bases for all of the containers provide a good degree of visibility so it’s easy to identify their contents. I like to use a water-soluble marker to date the sides of the containers so I don’t have to guess the age of the contents. The marker quickly wipes off without staining the container.

If your house is like my house, food containers are used for a lot more that storing food. These containers store craft supplies very nicely. I put pony beads in one container, string in second container, plus scissors and needles in a third container. Then I snapped all three containers together, which made it easy to carry them to a scout meeting. Lock-its containers keep play clay pliable for a long time and did not leak the ooze that we created from starch and borax. I especially like the added visibility the Premier lid’s transparent panel provides.

Efficient space-use, durable, easy-to-use, versatile and effective – I believe that the Rubbermaid containers meet every need I could possible have in a container. Oh, did I mention they are affordable? In fact, if you visit www.easyfindlids.com you can get a coupon for your purchase.
The Rubbermaid site (www.rubbermaid.com) has all sorts of great product information, online shopping, and their “Adventures in Organizing” blog. Shop online to save yourself a trip to the store, and you’ll save10% on your new products when you enter coupon code 0902.

Stump the Organizer! Organizing A Home Library

"What do you suggest for organizing books? I have a room that is stacked with books. I love my books so don't suggest that I get rid of any of them."

Why not dedicate the room to your own library, complete with comfy chair and reading lamp?

Let's address the stacks. It sounds like you need book shelves and lots of them. This may sound obvious to some, but countless times I've seen people struggling with how to get five bookshelves-worth of books into two bookshelves. Line the walls floor-to-ceiling with shelves, if need be.

The organization of a book collection should support browsing and the ability to access a specific volume quickly - which is how public libraries are organized. Libraries typically organize fiction by the author's last name and non-fiction by categories. You may want to do the same. Categorize the non-fiction books by topics that makes sense to you. Imposing the Dewey Decimal System or the Library of Congress Classification System on a home library is a little like shooting a fly with an elephant gun. Not to mention your classification may differ from the library classification systems. For example, the Dewey Decimal System classifies some of my organizing books as "home economics," others as "psychology," and some as "business." In my mind, they are all "organizing books."

Do you still have a lot of books within the sub-categories? Alphabetize non-fiction by author or title within the sub-categories. Only organize to the point where it's helpful in locating specific books and browsing, but no further. Dedicate a shelf or a few to each category. Labeling each shelf with a category name will make it easier find a specific book or an area to browse.

With your books physically arranged on shelves, half of your organizing project is complete. The important project of cataloging your collection is yet to be done. The benefits of cataloging are

• having an inventory that is suitable for the insurance purposes (think about how much money have your spent on your collection),
• reducing or eliminating duplicate purchases,
• and making informed decisions regarding the management of the collection.

Software can definitely make the job of cataloging much easier than it would be if done manually. Book Collector (www.collectorz.com) and Readerware (www.readerware.com) are two software options that automatically populate your inventory database with comprehensive information on each book. All you have to do is scan or swipe a book's barcode and the software uses the barcode to fetch the data from different websites. Additionally, these software applications will track book loans and download your inventory list to your iPhone so you can access it anywhere. The cost of these software applications is under $45.

If you don't mind a little manual entry, the website Library Thing (www.librarything.com) provides a unique combination of cataloging with a virtual bookclub. Enter the book's author, the title or the ISBN and the website fetches comprehensive information about the book from different websites which is then used to populate your inventory. The website offers social networking with other site members so you can chat about your latest read or get recommendations for the next. Joining Library Thing is free but there is a $10 /year fee - or $25/ life - to catalog over 100 books. It's an amazing amount of functionality for the cost.

Books are well-loved by many, including myself. Loving something is a reason to keep it, but treat it like you love it. Give it a place of honor and take care of it. You can have more space and energy for the things that are important to you by letting go of the things that you no longer love and no longer serve you.

One post script: the sites www.collectorz.com and www.readerware.com also have cataloging software for other collectibles such as music and dvds.

Organize Your Breakfast?

In keeping with the theme "Morning Zoom," I asked Angelina Bertani if she would kindly contribute a post on how to get a fast and nutritious breakfast together. At the end of the post you'll find more information on Angelina and her website, which you'll want to visit after you read her ideas.

Yes that’s right, here are a few tips from Angelina Bertani, CHHC.


Why eat Breakfast?

1. How you start your day affects how you feel and think all day long, essentially if you don’t eat, you will not get as much done in your day.
2. Breakfast is like setting the thermostat in our bodies
3. Breakfast will assist your weight loss and reduce binges and cravings in the afternoon

There are a few places that you might be in regards to breakfast…

1. You are ravenously hungry shortly after breakfast (within 1 ½ hours). You are not having a substantial breakfast. It also may not be the correct type of breakfast for you. Some people need more protein for breakfast and others do better with a more carbohydrate rich breakfast. A good quality breakfast or lack there of is making you hungry instead of satisfying you. A good breakfast will last you at least 2-3 hours

2. You throw something in your mouth on the way to work. Like a balance bar? You may feel like there’s little time to spare. When you plan out a substantial breakfast you’ll actually be more productive and focused thourout the day so that you get more done. It’s important to learn to make time for breakfast.

3. You are not usually hungry for breakfast. Many clients who report that they have no appetite before 11am have adrenal fatigue. To support the adrenal glands through food one of the things that will help is to eat a small breakfast despite your lack of hunger, over time it helps to rebalance the body and strengthen the adrenals.

4. You unsure of quick and healthy breakfast options, so you just don’t take the time. Don’t worry I have just the thing for you below…CHOICES!

5. You find yourself eating the same things over and over and you’d like to know some more exciting choices that are easy. Don’t worry I have just the thing for you too! Join me at an upcoming cooking class www.pure-nourishment.com


Smart Breakfast Options …in less than 5 minutes

o Smoothies – use frozen fruit to make several smoothie concoctions at
once – put in fridge or freezer and use through the week

o Homemade muesli (see recipe at end of blog) or whole grain cereal

o Make a batch of oatmeal or steel cut oats for the week and just heat up

o Sprouted grain English muffins or Ezeckial bread with almond butter and banana

o Fast Scramble - scramble 2 eggs with some baby spinach, hand-crumbled
mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes

o Yogurt, fruit, and nuts – (Try Fage brand Greek yogurt)

o Hard-boiled eggs (make a few at a time and keep them in the fridge), plus
a piece of fruit – or with/on sprouted grain English muffin or bread

Angelina Bertani, Holistic Health Counselor, Anxiety Free Weight Loss Coach, Author, Speaker, and Founder of Pure Nourishment, LLC. If you're ready to jumpstart your health, get your F*R*E*E tips now at www.Pure-Nourishment.com.

Thank you so much Angelina!

Stump the Organizer! Backpack Organization

"What can I do to prevent my daughter's backpack from becoming a cluttered mess?"

The backpack's purpose is to carry study material, homework and extracurricular items to and from school. However, many people - not just students - regard backpacks as a permanent home for things. From this perspective a backpack's design must include many sections and pockets to properly house items and be "organized." Once an item is put in the backpack it is "put away," and nothing else needs to happen to it. The "permanent home" perspective results in a stuffed backpack and things being forgotten. But if you consider backpacks as transition tools, the backpack requirements are much simpler and there will be a greater likelihood for order.

• Smaller is usually better. The backpack should be just big enough to carry what is needed in the next 24 hours and not the contents of the locker.
• Keep the design simple. Often two pockets or sections are enough in a backpack. The smaller pocket holds the small stuff like the pencil case and the lunch bag, and the bigger pocket holds the books and binders. Adding more pockets than what is needed will result in items getting lost.
• Empty daily. Once the contents are out of the backpack it's easy to see what needs to be done and what needs to be put away. As homework is being completed, put it in the backpack. Once at school, put items in the locker and hang up the backpack. If your child has difficulty remembering what to pack in her backpack, attach a small laminated checklist to the backpack with a binder ring.

Dedicating the backpack to transporting items rather than housing them reduces clutter and lightens the load the student must carry. The student's back will thank you. Parents, as a twist read this article again substituting "briefcase" for "backpack" and "office" for "locker."

Morning Zoom

Are you always running late in the morning? Adopting a few organizing and time management strategies can help you start your day in good time.

Look ahead: Check the next’s day’s agenda at night and do as much as you can to prepare for the day.
• Pack what is needed for the next day in the backpack or briefcase and put the bag by the door.
• Choose an outfit and make sure it is in a wearable state. You may be spared a wardrobe malfunction in the morning.
• Pack the lunchboxes and make put them ready-to-go in the fridge. Consider getting a coffee maker with a timer. Waking up to a brewed pot of coffee is wonderfully motivating.

Eliminate distractions. Focus on getting ready and eliminate anything that prevents you from leaving on time and in good spirits.
• Don’t answer the phone. If you are concerned that the message will have immediate impact on your day, then you can always check voicemail before you leave.
• The computer and the TV are notorious for holding people’s attention hostage. Turn the TV off and get the news from the radio.
• If checking email is a must then use a timer by the computer to keep the session brief. Actually, you can use a timer with any activity to prevent time from getting away from you.
• Checklists are also useful for keeping you focused. A checklist posted on the door at eye level can help you remember what you need to take and what needs to be done to secure your house.

Simplify. Make things as easy as possible, and develop a morning routine that gets you and your family ready while leaving the home in a reasonable state.
• Put things away when you are finished with them. If you feel too rushed to put things away then wake up ten minutes earlier.
• Collect fast and nutritious breakfast items together in one spot. Skipping breakfast is not a time saver. Your plummeting blood sugar will interfere with your work.
• Streamline the morning shower by gathering the personal care items that you use daily into one basket.

The morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Starting the day in a calm and prepared manner will empower you for the rest of the day.

Stump the Organizer! Organizing A Lot Of Information

I can tell we are truly in the frenzied "Back to School" mode. There were no questions for the Stump the Organizer! post this week.

But visitors to my booth at the Spirit Seeker Summer Expo had some very good questions for me. Here is one of the more thought-provoking questions:

"I collect information. My interests are very diverse. How can I organize my information so I can find it?" In this gentleman's case, almost all of his information is paper.

Many people are naturally curious and collect information like this gentleman; however, we are living in a time when information is increasing in an exponential rate. In other words, information goes stale - or becomes misinformation - very quickly. "Simplify" is the best organizing principle to apply to the situation. Eliminate the paper that is a likely candidate for becoming obsolete soon.

Think of the billions of resources that are available on the internet. A well-constructed search can retrieve more information than we could possibly acquire in our own physical sphere. Google is one of the most popular search engines. To search scholarly works you can use Google Scholar.

That being said, sometimes there are unique and irreplaceable documents that are part of a collection and need they need organizing. Another organizing principle to apply: store items according to how they are used and accessed. The salient question to ask yourself is "What am I going to think about when I need this particular piece of information?" The answer to the question points you to the "keywords" that you would use to do a search on the internet for the information.

The keyword concept can be applied to the physical world as well. For each document think of several keywords to describe it. Build an index that assigns a file number to the document's title and captures the relevant keywords as well. Use your favorite spreadsheet software to create the index (Excel or Google Docs, for example). Make sure that you create a "Date" column as well so you can enter the document's date of printing. Label the physical file with the file number and put it in the file cabinet.

When you want to access all of your documents that contain a particular key word, refer to the index that you created and you will find the pertinent file numbers to retrieve from your file cabinet. The files are loading into the file drawer in sequential order by file number. Organizing the physical files by file number makes it easy to add files - just go to the next file number in the sequence - and delete files - just leave a hole in the file number sequence. But you will not be able to find specific files without the index.

A word about the date column. It's good to know how old the information is. After all, if a document is really old, you may want to question the validity of its information. Additionally, the date column can be useful in identifying very old files when it's time for a file-purging project. I like to format date as "YYYYMMDD." This format allows me to search for dates less than a chosen date. For example, if I want to locate all the files that are older than ten years I would search the spreadsheet column for dates less than "19990808."

For those of you who do not want to create your own index, there is a software solution: "Paper Tiger." Paper Tiger is highly regarded as an excellent organizing tool. You can find it at www.thepapertiger.com. I could write another page listing the benefits of Paper Tiger, but I'll let you just visit their site.

In the next few days I will be posting some information for getting your students ready for school. Two local papers recently printed articles I wrote for "Back to School." Your can either pick up the Java Journal and the Spirit Seeker at your favorite establishment or visit them online at www.spiritseeker.com and www.javajournalonline.com, respectively.

Stump the Organizer! How To Organize Recipe Clippings

This week's question is from Betty:

"I like to clip recipes from magazines and the newspaper. Last year I saw an episode on one of those organizing shows where the organizer said clippings should be stored in a three-ring binder. But it seems like my clippings never make it to the binder and worst I don't even feel like trying out any of the recipes because of the disarray. What am I doing wrong?"
Betty, thank you so much for sending me this question.

I think your experience exemplifies one of the guiding principles of organizing: organizing strategies and tools must be individualized. So the short answer to your question, "What am I doing wrong?", is "nothing."

There are two "flavors" of recipe clippings, in my experience: "tried it and loved it" and "want to try it." The first thing to do is to separate the former group from the latter. You'll be able to find a loved recipe faster to make it again if it's not mixed in with the untried recipes. Let's face it, there are a lot more untried recipes than there are tried recipes, and the number of untried recipes increases regularly.

The simplest way to keep the number of untried recipes under control is to limit the size of the collection, and the easiest way to do this is by the size of the container. Promise yourself that you will clean out the recipe clippings if the container gets full. What to cull? The recipes that seemed like good ideas at the moment but upon reflection there is no way you'll make them, let along eat them. Recipes that are really old and still haven't been tried are also candidates for the recycle bin.

Considering the volume of new clippings, it is best to use simple containers. The sections of an accordion file provides some organization by category. Put the newest recipes in the front of each section so when it's time to cull recipes you can focus on the oldest ones. Some folks may not like "digging things out" of the accordion file though. Another solution, but a bit more restrictive, is to put the recipes in a magnetic sheet photo album. Use the glue-on tabs to organize the collection by categories. There really isn't a way to easily distinguish old recipes from new recipes if the photo album is used, though.

At the NAPO Conference this spring I saw a new product called Recipe Nest. Recipe Nest is a attractive binder-sized box that holds your recipe clippings. Dividers organize the collection by categories. Just toss in your clippings. Plus the box is ingeniously equipped with a clip on the front and a built-in easel on the back - so your recipe is easily read during a cooking session. One Recipe Nest for untried recipes and another for tried recipes and your entire clippings collection can be organized with a minimum of effort.

Back to the three-ring binder that Betty tried: I think the three-ring binder is a possible storage solution for the "tried it and loved it" collection. Add subject dividers to create recipe categories. The plastic page protector allows both sides of a recipe to be viewed. Artistic folks can decorate the binder. But if the binder leaves your artistic side unfulfilled, consider making a scrapbook of favorite recipes.

One of my clients created a tribute scrapbook to her grandmother complete with the grandmother's recipes from the "old country." The grandmother's handwriting in her native german added to the charm of the scrapbook. Photos and little momentos were part of the scrapbook of course, but the use of grandmother's apron as a scrapbook cover was brilliant and touching.

Typically the number of recipes that make it to the "keeper" collection is relatively small so this group lends itself to more complicated methods of storage. But recipes get clipped for trying pretty freequently so a fast, simple way to store them makes sense. The underlying organizing principle is the frequency of use is partially driving how an item is stored. Personal preference is also a factor, which is why organizing must be individualized.

The bottom line: Betty, don't feel bad about that binder! Maybe it should only be used for the recipes you love.

Clear Spaces To Be At The Spirit Seeker Expo This Weekend!

Exciting News! Clear Spaces will be at the Spirit Seeker Magazine's Summer Expo this weekend: July 31, August 1 and 2. The expo's theme is Connection, Celebration and Expansion. The Center for Spiritual Living hosts the expo the first night which is dedicated to workshops (we will not be at that venue). Saturday and Sunday's events will be held at the Orlando Gardens at the corner of Dorsett and McKelvey in Maryland Heights from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please visit the expo's beautiful website: http://spiritseeker.com/expo/index.html. The lineup of speakers, musicians and vendors looks very impressive.
The Clear Spaces booth will feature information about our organizing services and the Letting Go and Lightening Up class series. There will be an ongoing "Stump the Organizer!" session for your organizing questions, organizing demonstrations and one lucky visitor will win a free organizing assessment package!
It promises to be a fun and informative weekend. We hope to see you there!

Stump the Organizer! How Do I Store and Organize Hats?

Here is this week's excellent question: " I have many hats. Of course the usual baseball caps and winter hats. But also many very nice hats for special occasions. Their boxes take up so much space! What else could I do?"

A hatbox is a dust-free way way to store a hat so that it maintains its shape. Unfortunately hatboxes are bulky and opaque so you can't see what it holds. If you have a really fine hat, a hatbox may be the safest way to store it. Take a digital picture of the hat which can then be attached to the side of the box. Store hats that you don't wear frequently on a high shelf. It is possible to nest hats in a hat box. Just remember to attach pictures of all the hats to the box.

I once organized the walk-in closet of a fashion-savvy elderly woman. She could not climb step-ladders, but her housekeeper could. We used the digital pictures to create an index of my client's extensive hat collection. The index was hung up like a poster in the closet. Each hat box was assigned a unique letter that was cross-referenced with the picture on the index. It was easy for my client to tell the housekeeper which box to remove from the high shelf.

Knit hats and berets are best stored in a drawer because they easily stretch if hung. A cedar block will prevent your hats from becoming a moth's lunch.

If hatboxes are just too bulky look to store fixtures for a solution. After all, a millinery store has lots of hats to store and display. A floor hat rack from Display Warehouse holds twenty hats in about a two-foot footprint.

The Jokari over-the-door cap rack holds eight caps on easy-to-access hooks. A loaded rack takes up very little room so you can put several on your door. Organize.com carries the rack – as well as some lovely hat boxes. Organize.com also carries the Stratford Hook. The Stratford Hook is a special coat/hat hook that will support the crown of a hat so that the hat lies horizontally on the hook. Several of these hooks on a wall could create an artistic display of a hat collection, and even further your enjoyment of your hats.