It’s nearing the end of Get Organized Month (SM). Have you started any of your decluttering and organizing projects yet?  Feeling overwhelmed?  Break the task down into smaller chunks and work on one chunk at a time. 

Let’s assume you need to go through several weeks of mail that you’ve been procrastinating.  Normally, when the mail hasn’t been sorted in a while, it may be found in many different areas of the home.  So before you start, spend some time going through your home searching for piles of unopened mail.  When you’re sure you have it all, schedule some time to begin processing it.  Here are a few easy mail sorting and organizing tips:

1. Have the necessary tools on hand before you begin.  Examples of what you mind need include: A shredder (or a container to store paper to shred later), letter opener, files, file box or filing cabinet, recycle or trash bin, pen, sticky notes, paper clips and a stapler and staple remover. 

2. Sort the mail by type.  You can usually tell from the outside of the envelope what type of mail it is, e.g. bill, statement, catalog, junk mail, magazine subscription, etc.

3. Open the easy action items first, e.g. place your magazines either in a magazine basket or give it to the person in the household who holds the magazine subscription.  Discard the junk mail and trash.

4. Open the bills and make decisions.  Pay now or later?  Set up reminder systems in your day planner or PDA for bills that need to be paid later.  Discard trash and file statements.

5. Schedule time to do the mail daily or every other day.  If you have a particularly crazy schedule, you can do it once a week, but no less than that!

Here are some paper and mail organizing products and tools that you may find helpful from Home Storage Warehouse.

Desktop organizer

Newspaper and Magazine Rack

File/Letter Desk Organizer

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families and is the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Click here to learn more. Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Now that we’re officially in the New Year, many of us have goals and resolutions in place for a better year.  One of the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions is getting organized and the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has named January “Get Organized Month(SM)”. When you’re more organized you can get things done in a timely manner, find the things you need and generally feel less stressed.  So who wouldn’t want to be more organized? 

Although containers, bins, shelves and baskets won’t make you organized, they can certainly help you to contain all of the important things you need.  Containers will also help you to create the systems you need in your home so that you’ll be more organized, and more importantly, remain organized!  Here are a few organizing products and organizational systems that may help you on the road to organization.

Food dispenser

Wicker storage chest

Jewelry organizer

Laundry sorter - 4 bags

Handbag purse organizer

Wall cubby organizer

So, when do you plan to start decluttering?  Pick one space today, and focus on getting that one space decluttered and organized.   Starting with one space helps to prevent overwhelm.  But if you feel overwhelmed regardless, enlist the help of a friend or hire a professional organizer.  According to NAPO, “Professional organizers can help you deal with everything from your paper to your professional responsibilities and give you parameters on what to keep, what to toss, and where to take action.”

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com 

Are you sometimes frustrated with always having to pick up your clothing  accessories off the floor due to not having a proper accessory organizer to house them? Getting dressed in the mornings can become quite stressful if you can’t find the right shoes, tie, belt or scarf due to a lack of organization.  When your accessories are hung on random hangers or folded on a shelf, you may find yourself constantly tripping over them when they fall on the floor, leaving your closet in a big mess.

With new organizational products appearing on the marketplace, it’s easier than ever to find suitable organizers made specifically to organize your clothing accessories.  Belt hangers, swivel tie racks and scarf hangers come in a variety of styles, sizes and price points. 

As for your shoes, depending on the amount of space you have, you can purchase a shoe stand, over-the-door shoe organizer or hanging shoe pockets that hang on the same clothing rod as the rest of your clothes.  Get those accessories off the floor and on organizers today!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com and register for an organizing workshop.

Homeowners who are blessed with large closets often have the same problems as homeowners with only a few square feet of closet space! This reminds us that having more space isn’t always the answer to being more organized. However, for those of us with small closets, we would love the opportunity to remodel ours to the closet of our dreams!  What we can all do, whether we have a small space or large walk-in, is improve it with the many closet organizing solutions available, without breaking the bank.  Simply updating your garment hangers can make all the difference in how your closet appears. 

If you’re ready to make a change, with a small investment, start with updating your clothes hangers.  Get rid of the dry cleaning hangers that sag your clothes and replace them with wood, cedar, vinyl, metal or friction non slip clothes hangers.  Your clothes will thank you by keeping their shape and lasting much longer.

Then, move on to better storage solutions for your folded sweaters and tops that may currently be falling all over the place on the shelf above the hanging rod!  You can pick up canvas, cedar and natural woven baskets, boxes, bins and containers.  If you have room for a small chest of drawers, you can add a 3-5 drawer chest that would sit below your short hanging clothes, providing a more “custom closet” feel. 

So whether you have a large walk-in or a small reach-in, you can still have an organized closet by selecting the right hangers, purging occasionally and storing your sweaters and tops neatly in containers or drawers that won’t create a big mess!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com and register for an organizing workshop.

Getting organized is a process that can be frustrating or fun. The key to enjoying the process is to plan to make it fun and include a friend or professional organizer to help and cheer you on. Living amongst clutter everyday can be very stressful, but sometimes the thought of clearing the clutter can feel overwhelming and may bring on feelings on apprehension, preventing you from taking the action you need to get started. 

So, how do you make it fun and less overwhelming? You could do any or all of the following:

• Ask a trusted friend or professional organizer to help;

• Play your favorite music during the organizing session;

• Take frequent short breaks and congratulate yourself on what you’ve accomplished so far;

• Have some of your favorite light snacks & beverages available to consume during the breaks;

• Have something fun to look forward to. For instance, schedule something you really enjoy doing right after your session, e.g. trip to the movies, dinner with friends or family, a relaxing bubble bath or even a guilty pleasure like a hot fudge sundae!

• Give yourself permission to place an online order of organizing products that you know you will need to complete your project. 

Also, don’t forget to take a “before” photo to remind yourself exactly how much you’ve accomplished. This can be extremely helpful and will motivate you to schedule your next organizing session sooner, rather than later!

Feeling the urge to shop?  Check out the selection at HomeStorageWarehouse.com

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Organizing & Time Management workshops to groups, small businesses and associations.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day!  Is your desk covered in a cluttered mess of papers and miscellaneous items?  Paper can be a challenge to organize, so it’s important to set up systems for your current action files, pending files, future projects and reference materials. A desktop file is perfect for your current and pending files.

For reference papers that are referred to on a daily or weekly basis, consider a Reference Office Organizer. These organizers stand up on your desk and take up minimal space.  There are a couple of different designs to choose from. Click on the picture to learn more.

If you are setting up a brand new home office or home based business, start your year off right with this beautiful 9 piece desk organizer set. This set includes stacking drawers, 3 stacking letter trays, 1 vertical filing system, 1 step up file system, and a hanging file system with files! It also comes in your color choices of black, medium oak, cherry, and mahogany.  This system may be all you need to keep your office organized!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Goals

Get Organized Month(SM), sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), is now in full swing and professional organizers, who are also members of NAPO, have scheduled events and activities around the country to educate the public on the importance of being organized.  If you haven’t done so in the past, consider hiring a NAPO professional organizer who will work with you side by side to achieve your organizational goals, resulting in a clutter-free environment and a less-stressed lifestyle! 

The benefits of getting organized are worth the time, money and effort invested, because living in clutter can be extremely draining to your psyche. Maybe you feel overwhelmed because you have so many rooms to declutter and organize. However, I encourage you to write down your organizing goals for the year, pick one and then begin immediately. Once you begin and are successful in one area, you will feel a huge burden has been lifted and be motivated to continue!

Online organizing stores like www.HomeStorageWarehouse.com can help you to figure out ways to store and contain your belongings. They are fun to browse through and it’s wonderful being able to shop from the comfort of your own home.  Browsing through organizing products online can also help to keep you motivated as you continue working through the organizing process. 

Have a happy and successful “Get Organized Month(SM)”!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

It’s a New Year and time to recharge and set some new goals. Getting organized is on many people’s list of New Year’s resolutions. If getting organized is one of your goals, you need to have a plan. Begin by writing down the rooms or areas you need to organize and decide when you’re going to start. Then figure out the areas you can do yourself and what you need help with.

If you are living in a lot of clutter, enlisting the help of a friend or hiring a professional organizer can move you closer to your goal a lot faster. A professional organizer will also educate you on the principles of organizing and implement systems that fit into your lifestyle. This is an important step in the organizing process because the systems you have in place will help you to maintain order in your home, so that you won’t have to reorganize the same space a few months later.

The general rules of organizing involve sorting, purging and placing items into containers or specialty organizers. Don’t forget to keep similar items together and in a convenient place. After you have sorted and purged, shop for organizers to help you set up your new systems.

Happy New Year!

Shop for organizers for your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry, kids, office or closet  at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Do the boxes and containers storing your holiday decorations blend in with everything else in your attic or basement, resulting in confusion as you sort through various unrelated items when it’s time to trim the tree? This year, instead of storing your lights, ornaments, knick-knacks and garland in cardboard boxes, invest in containers especially designed for holiday décor.

What’s great about these specialty containers is that they are usually trimmed with red, green or gold and are specially shaped or sized for most holiday décor. Some even include organized dividers for smaller ornaments and breakables. You can find organizers for almost any holiday décor, including tree ornaments, gift wrap and wreaths.  Here are a few to consider:

Find these and more at http://www.homestoragewarehouse.com/holiday-organizers-c-221_307.html

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.