Before you start your project, take a good look at the way it is now. Notice what is working (don’t mess with that area) and what is not working. Envision how you want to use this zone. Your vision might include a place to: Park your car Store trash cans/recycling Store gardening tools and accessories Pot or repot plants Work on projects and store tools Store bikes and other sports equipment/outdoor games/camping gear Store outdoor entertainment supplies Store extra products

Before pulling out all that stuff onto the driveway, take a good look at what is in your garage now. Why is it there? How did it get there? Do you still need it? Decide on the functions of your garage. Is one of the functions to park your cars? 82% of homes have two-car garages or larger, but only 15% use them to park the car inside. Do you keep your lawnmower and gardening supplies in the garage? What about bikes and sports equipment? Do you have a workshop area with tools?

The first step is to review your vision for the living room. I start my day here with coffee and the newspaper. Later in the day, my husband sits in his chair with coffee and the paper and maybe watches some news on TV. Together we often connect in this room to plan our day, the week, and the future. For entertainment we work on the daily jumble and crossword puzzle together. Sometimes we watch TV or a movie. We often eat our supper in the living room. We entertain family and

Before you start your project, take a good look at the way it is now. What is working (don’t mess with that area) and what is not working. How do you want to use this zone. Do you plan to: Park your car Store trash cans/recycling Store gardening tools and accessories Pot or repot plants Work on projects and store tools Store bikes and other sports equipment/outdoor games/camping gear Store outdoor entertainment supplies Store extra products Now bring everything outside. If th

I am a strong believer that “less is more” but I am not a minimalist. I love coffee. I need a coffee cup or mug. My husband likes coffee. He needs a coffee cup. Sometimes we have coffee cups that are dirty and in the dishwasher. I have friends that visit, sometimes in groups, that like tea or coffee. So now I figure I am up to 8 – 10 cups. Some days I prefer the cup from Paris. Some days only the really big mug will do. My friends have favorite cups. I have about 25 mugs are

You look around your home and see little stacks of clutter here and there. How did that happen and how can you control this situation? Everything that is in your home should have a purpose and a “home” where it stays when not in use. Nothing should “float.” Even if you use your laptop in several places, it should have a place where it lives when you want to put it away. Like items should live with like items. This helps you keep track of what you already have. Laundry items s

Now, when I am talking container, I am talking about anything that holds something. I open up the definition beyond tubs, bins, and baskets and include cabinets, drawers, closets, and bookcases. This past weekend, Rob and I sat down to organize our entertaining credenza. When we got married this fall, we both did a lot of purging. Still, when we looked into the area where we keep our CDs and DVDs it was easy to see there was still an overabundance. We reached an agreement tha

For the purpose of this blog, let’s imagine closets, bookcases, filing cabinets, drawers, kitchen cabinets, as well as baskets and bins. Then, how do containers help us let go of objects? When working with clients, I often tell them they can keep as much of any particular item as long as they have room in the designated container to comfortably hold it. How does this look? You can have as many shoes as will fit in the designated area/shelves in your closet. You can have as ma

Most of us at some point in the year buy a gift for someone and save it until the appropriate time (Wow, this is just the perfect gift for ______!). The next step is storing it somewhere so that you remember you have it and remember where you stored it. I have clients who have whole walls in the basement dedicated to gifts they have bought. Some clients have designated shelves in a closet, but don’t always get the gifts to those shelves. The gifts then end up in boxes or bag

In the past I have always kept my manuals and warranties in a plastic bin. If I needed anything, I just shuffled through until I found it. The important step for me was that annually I would look through the paperwork and discard anything that I had replaced or trashed. If I gave away a space heater to a friend, I could find the manual. Now that I am putting my house on the market, I am rethinking my system for a couple of reasons. I want to separate all paperwork that will s

I have long prided myself that I only kept as many books as I had spaces to store them. My bookcases were my containers and if they got full, I got rid of less favored books. Then it was pointed out to me that it really wasn’t that great to have my bookcases so crowded. Spaces that are completely full block the flow of “chi” (vital energy). Full bookcases block the flow of new information and knowledge. You can believe in Feng Shui or not but I will tell you that declutterin

Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer #workshop #organization #zoneplan #garage #containers

Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer #organize #bathroom #zoneplan #containers #zones

Please share the storage hints that have worked well for you. Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer #attics #holidays #garage #basements #containers #storage #zones