There are two simple rules to follow:

1. For everything that comes into your home, something must go out.
2. Do a little organizing, as often as possible.

Rule #1 doesn’t apply to consumables, but if it’s here to stay, it’s an opportunity to send something packing. Bought some new shoes? Chances are there is a pair you were wearing that aren’t going to wear any more. Bought a new lamp? If you’re sticking the old one in a corner of the basement and not even plugging it in, you should probably just drop it off at your local thrift store.

It’s ok to move onto the next new thing, if you need it and can afford it, but not if you are going to create clutter with the old item. I tell clients a stop at the local thrift store should be as natural as a trip to the grocery store. If you really are going to re-use something, great. If you probably aren’t, then let someone else!

Rule #2 means you can do a little, a lot. Just try to get in the habit of getting rid of things, and putting things where they belong regularly. Putting towels away, and notice the stack of ratty old beach towels that never get used stuffed in the bottom of the linen closet? Bag em up and drop em off! Going upstairs? Pick up that bathrobe and piggy bank that have been sitting on the dining room table for a week and put them in the bedroom they belong in. Once you get into these small habits, you can get a remarkable amount of control of the clutter that’s been so hard to deal with.

Even reorganizing a small room (think laundry room, linen closet, pantry) can be a quick job. An half-hour or half-day can make a much bigger difference than you think. It will go faster than you think it will. Just sort, purge, and find a home for everything. Easy, right?!

I get asked a lot what the ‘cardinal rules’ are for staying organized. So, I’ve boiled it down to three easy-to-remember principles that anyone can work towards this year:

1. Get rid of stuff you don’t need. 

Q: Back to school creates a whole lot of “clutter”. What are some creative ways to control the back to school clutter – thinking about backpacks, school supplies, lunch boxes, etc?

Make sure every kid (and adult) has a hook for their backpack/purse/workbag in the entryway, mudroom, etc. A basket in the same area to hold seasonal items is perfect for finding what you need in the morning when it’s time to get out the door. Don’t be shy to put name tags on these baskets.

I usually put a large ziploc baggie of each kids extra school supplies (pens and pencils mostly) in their basket where they can easily grab more to take to school when needed.

In the kitchen – try to have designated spot for lunches and lunch making supplies – it’s not too much to dedicate a corner or counter to this as it happens every single day. A large tray can be the incoming/outgoing location for family lunch ‘pails’. Of course, it’s non-negotiable that every kid learns to deliver and pick up their own lunch pail at either end of each day!

If applicable, make sure you have a spot where school agenda’s/communication books can be dropped off for you to look at and sign every day. Teach the kids to pick them up again here in the morning.

Q: Can back to school be an organizational opportunity like “spring cleaning”? What are the steps parents should go through to clean their house in preparation for the new school year?

Yes! Take the last week of summer to do some quick and easy cleaning up of shared and personal spaced.

Send summer toys (sprinklers, helmets, beach toys, etc) that your kids have outgrown to your local charity.

Empty a kitchen cupboard that has rarely used items in it so you can dedicate it to lunchmaking supplies. Put the crockpot, fondue pot, punch bowl, etc in the basement in favour of items that get used every single day.

Empty out old school backpacks, outgrown jackets, etc. from the hall closet.

Do a tidy up of the homework areas your kids will start using again shortly that have been collecting clutter over the summer. Throw out or donate items that aren’t being used anymore.

For younger kids you may need to set up an extra basket where all the artwork that comes home can be put. Keep it corralled in a spot so it doesn’t take over the downstairs.

Q: How should parents talk to their children about organizing their study spaces? What are some organizational tips you have for creating an easy-to-use and visually appealing study space? (even if that space is the dining room table)

The first step is to decide together where each child will do homework. Every child is different and what works for one might be a disaster for another.

Once a space has been designated – the kitchen table, a desk in their room, the family room floor – get it ready by making sure it is clutter free and has a good light or lamp ready to be used.

Set up a ‘homework caddy’ for younger children. An outdoor silverware or picnic caddy can be adapted very well for this purpose.

Have pencils, erasers, pencil crayons, a ruler, etc in this caddy so lack of supplies never causes a problem.

For older students, a bulletin board above their desk is a great idea to post assignments, etc.

Q: How should parents deal with the clothing issue? Kids usually want to buy a new back to school wardrobe. If closets are bursting, what are some ways parents can manage the clutter? (I’m thinking about things like hosting clothing exchanges with older cousins or friends, etc.)

Kid or adult, everyone needs to get unused, unliked, and outgrown clothes out of their closets. It’s harder to manage kids’ wardrobes because they are constantly moving through sizes.

If the closets are small, put off-season clothes in storage bins under the bed or in the basement in order to make room.

BEFORE going shopping, take an hour with each kid and have them in the room with you as you do a quick sort of the closet – have them tell you which clothes they don’t wear, don’t like or don’t fit. Now you’ll know what they actually need.

Keep a plastic bin somewhere in the bedroom area where outgrown clothes can easily be added on an ongoing basis. When it’s full pass it down to someone with kids that size, or take the items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

For older girls, a clothing exchange with friends and cousins can be a great way to introduce them to the idea of having fun by saving money.

Q: How important is it to have a calendar to organize everyone’s daily activities? Where should the calendar be located?

A calendar is indispensable to keep the family organized and most people keep it in the kitchen.

Appointments and child car arrangements that affect your daytime responsibilities usually need to go into your electronic calendar, while things that happen only at home – dog’s flea medicine, school field trip reminders – should get written on the calendar where you will see them in a timely manner.

A bulletin board and white board are often needed in the same place as the calendar. The bulletin board holds notices, tickets, forms that need to be used in the upcoming weeks – make sure to clear off old items so important things don’t get lost. The whiteboard is for phone messages and notes to family members that need to be seen easily and quickly.

As your kids get older, give them a calendar in their room and write in things that affect them – big projects due, weekly music lessons. This helps them learn to participate in staying on schedule.

Q: Do you have kids? If yes, can you give an example of some things that you have done in your household to organize school paperwork, supplies, etc.

Yes – I have two boys ages 10 and 13. Every single thing above are things that I do. I rarely suggest ideas that haven’t been vetted through my family.

I can honestly say the hooks and baskets in the entryway are 100% indispensable. The lunch making area in the kitchen cannot be done without. The homework caddy has been a lifesaver.

You know how when you take your new puppy to obedience school and the trainer tells you that unless the whole family uses the same commands the dog won’t learn to behave? It’s the same for keeping a family organized – establish routines for all the regular things so that you can stay organized.

Try to do the same thing all the time so that everyone can get on board. It can and will eliminate a ton of frustration. Your systems will evolve as kids get older but the underlying principle of having a plan stays the same. Even my husband knows when he can’t find something to look in his basket!

A great way to have what you need, where and when you need it, is to set up a tool caddy. This can work for men or women of course, but I do have to tell you – for many of my clients, it’s the woman who gets excited about this!

I recommend a low, open caddy, (this one is from Michael’s), with lots of dividers and pockets. Fill it with the things you use most for small chores around the house. The usual items are: hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, tape measure, mini level,picture hangers, nails and screws, drywall anchors, pencils, twist ties and rubber bands, etc. A plastic dish with a lid or a jar can be filled with miscellaneous screws and nails that come in handy when you need one. I like to have a sharpie, notepad, and tape in there as well.  A rubber mallet is a handy, often overlooked item, great when assembling furniture from big-box stores – a common household chore.

Remember, when you have a picture to hang, or another small job – grab the whole caddy rather than just a couple of items. You’ll save trips back and forth. Next, be sure to keep this in an easy-access spot and teach other members of your household to use it, not pilfer it! I like the setup shown below, on a shelf in the garage. Next to the caddy are the recharging batteries for your small hand drill. In this setup, we’ve also hung the power drill and extension cord nearby. Other plastic bins on these shelves hold the tools that aren’t used as often, as well as extra extension cords, etc.

More often than not, children either never close their closet doors, or they simply can’t (and therefore don’t) use the closet effectively, because of the doors. This is especially true of the sliding doors that only allow access to half the closet at the time. By removing the doors, you are removing all barriers to effective, organized use of valuable storage space.

Much of the time, children don’t need much hanging space, and yet most closets are dedicated completely to this. Replace hanging space with cubbies or shelves and you’ll find the closet much more functional. Younger kids can access lower shelves, allowing you to use higher space for other items.

In this picture, we’ve created a great, functional storage space with lots of small drawers – just throw socks in one, underwear in another, pajamas in another – you don’t even have to fold! Cubbies hold larger items. There’s still some hanging space for pretty dresses, and some open shelves for jewellery, toys, etc.

Of course, I often add an attractive curtain, on a tension rod or drapery rod, that allows the closet to be “closed” but takes up no space. If it looks nice though, you don’t even have to do this – and the room can seem larger. If you do add a curtain, make sure it is hung by large grommets to make it really easy to throw open and closed.

The top shelf is kept neat and tidy using attractive hampers for storage, to store off-season bedding, clothes, and toys that aren’t not in use.

If you’re lucky enough to have a shallow drawer in  your dresser, consider turning it into a jewellery drawer!  This can be a really fun and effective way to store your jewellery, making it much easier to see what you have and wear it more often. 

Here, we used jewellery organizers from a home organization store, which happened to fit very nicely in the drawer. (Make sure you measure not just your length and width, but also your depth when you go shopping for organizing items.) We secured the trays with removable, double-sided tape so they won’t slide around. In the unfilled space, we added felt (from a craft store) in a matching colour, where longer necklaces can be laid out, but won’t slide about. The felt is also held in place with removable double-sided tape.

We had  a nice fit with the organizer trays, but if your fit is not so perfect, the felt liner allows you to use the extra space really well.

In my last post I discussed the “Purge” step that comes first when you begin an organizing project. No matter what space you want to organize, once the sorting and purging is complete, the next thing you need to do is decide where to keep everything.

“Finding a Home” is not a very difficult step, but is a very important one! Without a designated place to “live”, items just end up becoming clutter again. It’s vital to have a designated spot for everything if you want to be able to tidy up a space. I’m not saying every space has to be perfectly tidy all the time – but without a known home for every item, you really don’t even have the option to clean up. (Unless you plan to throw everything into the bathtub and pull the shower curtain closed before guest arrive – like my mom used to!)
When deciding where items should live, as much as possible they should be kept in the room where they are used. Even better, they should be within arm’s reach of the place where you use them. For example: pots and pans should be near the stove, notecards and paper in a desk drawer, magazines by your reading chair, shoes in your closet or by the door, etc. I realize this sounds obvious, but it’s an important rule of thumb to remember when deciding where to put things.

Now you may know the general location you want items to be – but do you have a place for them to actually sit? For many people, one of the reasons they end up with clutter is that they don’t really have enough good places to keep things. This is the point at which you should determine what other storage items you need, and get them in place.

I often recommend adding a bookshelf as a place to keep things. Bookshelves can fit just about anywhere, are quite affordable, look good, and hold so much more than books. Older, less attractive bookshelves that you aren’t using are great for garages and basements where you want to store small items like tools, light bulbs, extension cords, tape, and other household items. In bedrooms, offices, and living rooms, use inexpensive, easy-to-find, cloth-covered boxes on bookshelves in order to store office supplies, mementos, art supplies, photos, toys, etc.

Another storage item you will often need to add is a file cabinet in the office area. Many people are still using their little 2 drawer file from university days, which is overflowing and basically useless – especially when papers from those same university days are still in there! Your filing system is a vital part of organizational sanity and should not be neglected. (More to follow on that in a different post.)

Of course, we almost always need various bins and baskets to put in cabinets, under beds, in closets, on garage shelving, etc. I always recommend purchasing clear (transparent) and/or white plastic bins and baskets. Why? Because you can see what’s in it, and as you add more bins over the years, they all match if they are all clear/white. The only place I suggest you spend extra on decorative bins and baskets is in the living area and bedrooms where it probably matters to you that they look nice. Even these should be labeled whenever possible – it’s amazing how much easier labels make it to find things.

It goes without saying, but let me say it anyway: Measure your spaces before you head out shopping. Whether it’s a bookshelf or a basket, knowing exactly how much space you have for it, and the size of any items you plan to put in it, will make it possible to get the right item the first time.

Stay Organized!

One of the first steps with every organizing undertaking is to “Purge” the items that you own. While it’s not true of everyone, many of us have way too much stuff. Of course, there are any number of reasons why this is true. I don’t want to cross over into “therapy”, but it’s never a bad thing to analyze “why” you seem to accumulate too much stuff. The better you know yourself, the more successful you will be at maintaining the organizing you work so hard at. 

One of the big reasons why many of us have too much stuff, is the ready availability of lots of inexpensive (or expensive!) great consumer products. Where our mothers or grandmothers may have used a bar of ivory soap in the bathroom, and a few pots, pans and wooden spoons in the kitchen, we now have dozens of specialized cleansers and scrubs crowding our bathroom counters, and a kitchen filled with special, one-use gadgets!

All this stuff is one of the reasons we feel overwhelmed by clutter, and underwhelmed by the lack of tranquility in our homes. You do know of course, that there’s a multi-million dollar industry whose sole purpose it to get you to buy stuff! So don’t be too hard on yourself. But, learn to resist as much as you can. It can make you feel very in control to not fulfill that urge to buy all the time.

All that being said, we do have plenty of stuff we need and want. The goal of organizing is to create a peaceful, uncluttered environment, where you can find what you need when you need it. Usually, an inevitable step in achieving this zen-like state is to purge some of the items you own.

Some rules of thumb for getting rid of items are painfully obvious: if it’s broken or you never use it, get rid of it! Other “rules” take a little more time to wrap your mind around: Do you really need a garlic press you use twice a year, when you can just use the flat side of your knife?

Oftentimes, the knowledge that you spent good money on something stops you from saying goodbye to it even when you know you should. I always remind clients to think of the joy it will bring someone else, who (hopefully) really needs it, when you donate it to charity. This has a lot of appeal, and often makes it easier to purge.

Of course, the exercise of getting rid of things should also help you stop and think when you are about to buy something! Where will you put it and how often will you use it? If you aren’t sure, think twice before spending your hard-earned money.

On the flip side, accept that it is ok when something has done its job, and is ready to go. Although your overall goal is to reduce the need to purge, you haven’t failed when you send items to charity. Getting rid of extraneous items should continue, after the initial organizing project. A trip to your local Goodwill should be a regular errand in a well-organized home, particularly when you have kids – who outgrow items constantly.

Now – don’t be surprised if you end up wishing you hadn’t gotten rid of something. I always warn clients that you WILL have a moment when you kick yourself for sending something to charity. But, this means you have done a good and thorough job! Odds are, if you truly need it, it can be replaced…or more likely, you can live just fine without it.

Finally, rest assured that you will LOVE the fresh, calm feeling of a less cluttered home. Clients always tells me that it feels so great to unburden themselves of too much stuff, that they continue to purge and declutter new areas, even after I have left.

And this, of course is the secret: that wonderful feeling you get from your newly organized home is your best defense against spending your money on stuff you don’t need.

In my next post, I’ll talk about the next step in a great organizing project.

Stay Organized…!