Table of Contents

-Introduction
-Monthly Mission – Bedrooms and Closets
-Check Out These Pages! – Relevant pages and new site additions
-Just Put It Away Already!!

Introduction

I’ve been on a bit of a roll the last few days, simply putting things away. I think that it had something to do with the rain stopping (finally) and the sunshine coming out. That can do so much for a person’s mood. I haven’t tackled any giant task, but have just been trying to put things away. We’ve been super lazy around here, leaving things out all over the place. Simply putting things away does so much to improve the organization and space in the home.

This last weekend we tackled the kids rooms and bathroom. In cleaning their bathroom, I found out that they have a medicine cabinet above their sink! It has a spring loaded mirror door and apparently in the last 1 year and 4 months since we’ve lived here, no one has pushed on the mirror and opened it by chance until now. We’re very happy though, because I had been looking at ways to give the kids a little more storage in their bathroom. Problem solved!

Cleaning my daughter’s room was like an episode of hoarders. I respect her room and her belongings, but she needs to purge some of the junk she has. We went through a great deal of stuff, asking her about every item before throwing anything away. We did make a lot of progress, getting a lot of similar things put together in one area and giving things homes. There is still much more work to do. We also need a weekly plan so that we don’t slip backwards.

If you love to shop online and you're not using Ebates, you're leaving money on the table! Earn cash back for your online purchases you were already making! I have received several "Big Fat Checks" over the years! Check it about. Click on the Ebates logo.

Your bedroom is your quiet place to sleep and rejuvenate. It should also be uncluttered and relaxing. How about decluttering your bedroom and closet? To read more about the monthly mission for February, click here.

If you prefer to go digital, you might enjoy the Cozi Family Organizer. You can sync everyone's schedules together at no charge.

If you’re in a hurry to put some order back into your home, perhaps Mimi Tanner's unique method will give you that jumpstart. Check out her method at Declutter Fast: How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately.

Here are some pertinent pages on the website you may have missed along with any new pages.

Bedroom Closet Organizing - Guidance to get your bedroom closets organized and functional.

Linen Closet - Do you have a linen closet that's spilling out and you can't find anything? Read here to sort it out.

Home Filing System - Get your home filing organized before tax season gets here.

Meal Planning - Plan ahead for meals to reduce trips to the grocery store and save time.

Time Savers - Here are a few quick time savers to make your day run more efficiently.

Just Put It Away Already!!

After spending some spare minutes in the morning the past couple days simply going around putting things away before heading to work, I saw the impact it can make on making a home look more clean and organized.

We all need to relearn the daily habit of putting things away right when we’re done with them. I know in my household, this will take a LOT of practice before it becomes second nature. We’ve gotten quite lazy about it. But if we all do our small part, we will all benefit. It won’t become a chore on a Saturday, or an angry person tired of tripping over other people’s shoes!

Everything needs a home, a place to live, and that’s where it goes when you’re not using it.

For example:

• When you walk in the house, the coats go in the closet and shoes go on the shoe rack, back packs go in their spots.
• When you get ready for bed, your clothes go in the hamper or back in the closet.
• Toys go in the toy bins.
• Books on their shelves, magazines in a rack, newspapers into recycling when you’re done.
• Clean laundry gets put away, dirty laundry goes in the hamper.
• Toothpaste and other bathroom items goe back into the drawer or medicine cabinet when you’re done using them.
• Dirty dishes go in the dishwasher.
• Paper… mail gets opened and read. Garbage paper goes into recycling or shredded, bills go into your designated bill paying folder, other items that need attention go into a “to process” file, and anything that can be done in less than 2 min. just gets done.

These are just a few examples. I'm sure we can all come up with a long list of our own.

EXERCISE:

1) Take 5 things that are continually left out when not being used.

2) For a week, focus on a new habit of putting those 5 things away when you’re done with them.

3) Make a post-it note, hang signs, set reminders to put them away daily. Practice making it a habit.

4) When you’ve mastered those 5 items, tackle another 5.

If you can only focus on one new thing, that’s fine too. It’s still progress!

Until next time, happy organizing!

Tracy Greene
Plan-and-Organize-Life.com