Organize Yourself: Tip #2

This month has been so busy for me. Between taking classes, taking care of kids, taking care of home, and a myriad of other things that keep me busy, I find that being organized is the only way I survive sometimes. These are the times when I need to find things quickly, and when I need to be able to organize things in my life by taking a quick glance at a calendar. So...

Tip #2: Put things in their place! Now that you've gone through everything, and hopefully gotten rid of a lot of clutter (all that stuff in the back of your closet that you haven't seen since you moved in), find a place for everything else. It needs to be a specific place, with a label, so that even if you don't remember exactly where it is, you can find easily. Figure out what works for you, but here is what works for me: I love bins for my stuff, and charts for my routines. If you can afford it, try to get matching bins so that things are visually organized. One side of my garage is lined with matching bins, all clear so I can see what's inside, and each has a large label on it. Labels give my brain a break because I don't have to rely on memory to find things. I also have the same bins in closets in my house. Each bin has a specific purpose: crafts, school supplies, camping gear, holiday decorations, baby clothes, paper, fabric, memory books, blankets, etc. Some of my bins aren't even completely full, but I leave them like that for simplicity, and I can add more of the same stuff to it later. When I need bins to organize small spaces, like drawers and cupboards, I use small plastic bins or plastic baskets. This is particularly handy in the medicine cabinets and in the kitchen. Most importantly, teach everyone in your household where things go! My 2 year old even knows where to put things away. As far as charts/lists for my routines, I use meal charts to plan for the month and week, chore charts, an address book, and my appointment calendar (aka my to-do list). Minimize the number of charts/lists you use. I keep them all in the same general area, and I admit, I also keep a pad of sticky notes nearby to make quick additions to the charts. Then when I get time, I enter the notes into my charts, tossing the sticky notes afterward. By the end of this crazy month I've been having, I'm going to have a pile of sticky notes to toss, and some cleaning to do, but I haven't had to worry about much else around the house.