Staying Organized | Take Control Organizing

Toys – A New Perspective!

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Nikki in Home Organizing, Staying Organized

A New Perspective!

I would like to share with you a new perspective about your children’s toys… Next time you walk into the bedroom or playroom, I want you to get down on their level and see what they see. The first time I did this, it was a real wake up call!

The room is most likely filled with color, shapes, sounds, and toys!

Could you find your favorite toy if you wanted too? Would you know what to play with? Are you happy or a little stressed because there is just too much?

We often forget our children can feel the same anxiety and stress we feel when we walk into a cluttered office or kitchen.

Less is more.. especially when it comes to kids toys. Don’t get me wrong, I want my kids to have fun but I also want them to be creative and appreciate what they have and sometimes that is difficult if they have too much.

The holidays are just around the corner and this is a great time to start reducing. Reduce the stress and make room for the new! Go through the toys with your children and find out what they would like to give to charity, doing it now will allow another child to enjoy for Christmas. What a great lesson you can teach your child.

Another trick we do in our home is we rotate toys. We have bins of toys in our attic space that the kids can trade in and out. Children will have an easier time keeping their spaces organized if there is less to organize! They also appreciate their toys more because they are not being used or seen on a daily basis.

Sometimes looking at a space in a new perspective can make all the difference in the world!

Happy Organizing!

The Top 5 Organizing Mistakes!

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Nikki in ADD / ADHD, Blog, Home Organizing, Office Organizing, Productivity, Staying Organized

Top 5 Organizing Mistakes!

Your intention is to live a more organized lifestyle, however something happens and it doesn’t work exactly the way you envisioned it! There are certain roadblocks that get in the way…

Here are the top 5 organizing mistakes and how to avoid them:

1) Waiting for the time – If you wait for it, it will never come. There will always be something to get in the way. If getting organized is a priority, you have to make it one. Set up organizing sessions on your calendar and get started! They do not have to be all day events, even 10-15 minutes a day will move you forward.

2) Setting the standard too high - Organization is not about perfection! It’s about finding what you need, when you need it. Don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting too much! This is a point I stress when working with my ADD clients. It’s not about bins and labels, it’s about making things simple and easy for you to maintain. Organize to the point where it’s good enough for you!

3) Buying Product Too Soon - Don’t waste your time or money with buying organizing product first! It’s not the product that organizes you, it’s the process in which you develop. By making sure everything has a home and you return items to the home. Only buy product after you have done sorting and you know what you need.

4) Starting but not finishing – It can become so overwhelming, people stop in the middle of the process. This is the time to break large projects into small spaces, taking just a little bit at a time. Take a break if you need too, but remember what is motivating you to go through this process and get back on track. Ask for help if you need too, either by a Professional Organizer or a trusted friend/family member.

5) Not sharing the new system – Nothing will ruin your organizing efforts faster than by not sharing what you have done! You can’t expect your family members to help maintain your new systems, if you don’t show them what to do. Take the time to give a tour of a new space, and get their opinions too… If they take ownership, they will more likely help maintain.

Happy Organizing!

Stop the Clutter at the Door!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Nikki in Blog, Home Organizing, Staying Organized

Do you want to live with less clutter in your home …. then stop it at the door!

One the best strategies in preventing clutter build up in your home is to think twice before buying!

Recently, I got the chance to celebrate a huge milestone with one my clients, which was about this very subject. She was traveling and stopped herself from buying a sweater. She took a few minutes to really ask herself …is this worth taking home? Did she really love it, did she really need it. Her answer was no, and she walked away.

Walking away with a smile, she thought of me… knowing how proud I would be! And I was.

Two years ago, she would have bought the sweater. Later down the road we would have gone through her closet and the sweater would have been donated with tags and all. But this is no longer her reality, instead of impulse buying or thinking I might use it someday, she is only bringing in what matters most, things that have actual purpose, right now… not for someday.

This is what organized people do, they make decisions on what matters most!

Happy Organizing!

Working With Preferences Increases Productivity!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Nikki in ADD / ADHD, Blog, Home Organizing, Office Organizing, Staying Organized

Paper with Questionmark Awhile back I wrote a post about how “should” can be a bad word in your vocabulary. I had several examples and one came to mind recently when I was thinking about how organization fits in with your natural preferences.

Organization means different things to different people.

There is no right or wrong way to organize.

In fact, I discourage my clients to have images in their minds of how their space “should” look. Many times this is just not realistic and somehow we have to figure out what is right for them…. not what a magazine or a book says is the right way. I give a lot of advice and tips about organizing on my blog and podcast, these are only suggestions. What I love about organizing, is there are so many options, so many ways where it can work.

In my experience working with your natural preferences is the first step towards defining what organization means for you.

For example: If you find that no matter what you always drop your mail in the same place all the time, don’t fight it. Build a mail system around where you drop your mail, trying to move that natural habit may actually do more harm than good. A lot of people will recommend you open your mail daily, I do not, I never have. So I built my mail system on opening my mail once a week. This works for me, it may not for others.

If your natural habit is to pile paper, then pile paper…. just build a system around the piles, so they have meaning.

TCO’s definition of organization is finding what you need, when you need it. It has nothing to do with the bin or basket it may be in.

When organizing, analyze your behavior first and set up your systems around this. This approach will increase your productivity and most importantly the maintenance of your systems!

Happy Organizing!

It’s More Than Just about the After Picture!

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Nikki in Blog, Home Organizing, Staying Organized

Before and After!

There are some great shows on TV about Organizing… You see these wonderful transformations of the Before & After. The stories are emotional and it’s great to see these folks make such a change in their lives. Many times I will take pictures for my clients so they can see their own transformations. There is definitely value in this exercise.

What I would love to see with these shows is less about the process on getting there and more on how to stay organized.

Organization is more than just about the after picture. It’s a lifestyle built around habits, routines and daily decisions. It’s how you manage things in your home but also how you manage your time and your life.

It takes time to put into place the organizing systems and it takes commitment to maintain them. By paying attention and thinking of your organization as a constant work in progress will only enable you to continue your success.

Getting organized takes longer than the 30 minutes as see on TV and the staying organized takes a lifetime!

Happy Organizing!