When I start to work in any zone in my home, I start with a vision. Because I share this room with my husband, it needs to be a shared vision. We want this room to have a welcoming presence. We want a calming, relaxing feel and a place to feel happy. We like soft light but still have enough light available to read. My husband meditates here so the room should have an uncluttered, peaceful feel. I use the whole month to work on this zone and I divide the tasks into four sectio

I keep my home organized by using a zone plan. I divide up my house into 10 zones. Each month I work on one area except for July and December. By the end of the year I have touched everything in my home and decided if it is still important and if it is still stored in a logical place. January, I worked in my office zone. http://timespaceorg.blogspot.com/20019/01/organize-your-office-zone.html In February I work in my spare bedroom. My spare bedroom has a closet that stores

It’s hard to believe that here in Georgia where temps are up into the 90’s that the new school year is about to start. Schools are opening the first week in August. So, even though it feels like summer, make a plan to have the transition into this school year the best one yet! Set the stage. Have a positive attitude. Don’t go on about how hot it is and how you can’t believe they are starting school. Don’t express any worry or doubts you might have (I know that third grade is

Laundry zones can be large (a big area in the basement) or small (fold-out doors covering a washer/dryer combo in a closet size area) or somewhere in-between. Depending on the size of the laundry zone this area may have other functions besides doing the wash. If there is room, it makes sense to store ironing supplies in this location. My area is large enough to store pet supplies, recycling bins, cleaning supplies, and some over sized or underused party supplies. All that wor

It just doesn’t seem possible that the new school year is already here. However, like it or not, school is about to begin again. Everyone wants this new year to be as good of an experience as possible. Here are some tips to make this vision happen: Set the stage for a great experience. Watch your attitude. As parents you have a strong influence on how your child views the upcoming year. Don’t express doubts or worries you might have (I know that 3rd grade is tough.) but inste

As you remove winter items, look carefully at each piece. Is it clean? Is it in good repair? Does it still fit? Do you feel good when you wear it? In fact, did you even wear it last season? If it is clean and in good repair but no longer fits or you no longer love it, donate it to a charity. If it is torn or stained, throw it away. If it needs a good cleaning or some repair and you still love it, take care of it now before you put it away for the season. Now, pull out your sp

Most of us are lucky enough to have that extra room dubbed as the Spare Bedroom, Guest Bedroom or Bonus Room. Often these rooms have multiple purposes. I have seen them used as offices, craft rooms, play rooms, exercise rooms, storage rooms, and even as dedicated guest bedrooms. In February I work on my “Spare Bedroom” zone. I choose this month because last month I organized my office and a lot of stuff purged from my office landed on the bed, floor, and dresser of the spare

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

The attic or basement is the perfect zone to work on in November. It’s not too hot or too cold and very likely your seasonal decorations are stored in this zone. While you are up in the attic (or down in the basement), look around before you start. Make a list of all the categories you store in this zone. You might store: Seasonal decorations Seasonal house items like fans/heaters Extra furniture and household accessories Off season clothing Suitcases Archival papers Sports E

This time of year is great for organizing the pantry. It gives you a chance to organize your food items to see what is on hand for the increased amount of cooking that comes with the holidays. The purging of unneeded items as well as organizing what you are keeping will open up space for the extra items you bring in for special holiday dishes. It doesn’t matter if you have a very small pantry of only a few shelves or a large walk-in pantry, after a year things will have gotte

Laundry zones can be large or small and can be located in many places. Some older homes have a laundry zone in the basement. Some are located off the kitchen. I have seen them in closets in the hall or at the top of the stairs. I have even seen them right off master bedrooms. What you don’t want to see are piles of clothes migrating into surrounding areas. Mounds of clothes are not enjoyed by anyone but the family cat. Keeping up with the laundry becomes less a chore with a w

Whenever I work in a zone, I start with my vision for the space. Since I share this room with my husband, we must form this vision together. Last year we decided that we wanted our room to have a soothing, calming, and supportive look. When we are in this space we want to feel secure, relaxed, and happy. We like soft light yet still have enough lighting for reading. In the past year we have painted this room a very soft yellow to help capture the light and changed some of our

I use a zone plan to organize and declutter my home. In January, I tackled the office zone and in February, I follow up with the spare bedroom zone. This makes sense in my home because the spare bedroom is used as offsite storage for my office. While cleaning out files in my office, some of the files end up dumped on the dresser in that spare bedroom. Now this area looks cluttered to me and demands attention. My spare bedroom is also used as a place for guests to stay, a loca

If you work on a zone plan in cleaning and decluttering your home, this month is the perfect month to work in your attic or basement. It is not too hot or too cold and you are probably already in that area looking for seasonal decorations. So while you are up there (or down there), look around. Besides the seasonal decorations, what else do you store in this area? Make a list of all the categories you have in the storage space. You might store: out of season clothes suitcases

The workshop or garage area often ends up as a dumping area. It is not in your main living area and it is sooo easy to walk in and dump something “just for now.” After a while it is very difficult to find things you think are there or even to freely move around. I suggest that once a year you schedule a time to really organize and clean out this zone. Start with deciding the purpose for this area. Do you plan to: park a car store extra household items like water/paper product

As you move your winter items, look carefully at each piece. Is it clean? Is it in good repair? Does it still fit? Do you feel good when you wear it? In fact, did you even wear it last season? If it is clean and in good repair but no longer fits or you no longer love it, donate it to a charity. If it is torn or stained, throw it away. If it needs a good cleaning or some repair and you still love it, take care of it now before you put it away for the season. Now, pull out your

Organize your finances Keep a folder or basket to corral all your current bills and receipts Track where your money goes – set up a budget either in a ledger, excel sheet, or with a personal software program (61% of adults don’t have a budget) Reconcile your bank and credit card statements monthly Keep a folder for all your tax information for the year Keep a folder for your recent copy of your credit report and your credit score Maintain a list of all your accounts with acco

Weather is getting nicer and many of us are looking forward to some spring or summer travel. I know it is not fun to schlep around multiple or huge suitcases. Here are some tips to make packing for that trip a breeze. Make a list. I keep a master list that I modify for each trip. This keeps me from forgetting my phone charger or medicated face cream (both in original pack and repack to come home). Then for each trip I list what I am really taking and print it off. This goes i

How do you handle this need for cards? Buy as you need them. This is a good system if you are short on storage space and are organized enough to get out there early enough to find the perfect card and mail it on time. Buy as you need them, but also have an eye out for that perfect card for someone special. Buy cards that appeal to you when you see them – you can never find the perfect one when you really want it. Buy when you see good ones. Really stock up when there are sale

Develop a vision of how you want this year to look and feel. Make some notes. It could look like: I want to be confident that my money will last until the end of the month. When I make a fun purchase, I want to be sure that I won’t regret it later. I want to know that if something breaks or goes wrong, it won’t devastate my finances. Next brainstorm all that you can do to make this happen. Some ideas are: I will track everything I spend – even that cup of coffee during break.