Community Chat

[gidgetgh]

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@Harpa wrote:

As soon as I'm done with it, I put it back in its place.

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@Harpa - BINGO!!!!

[gidgetgh]

I think it’s pretty easy to be organized, but you just have to DO it.

We don’t have a catch all drawer in our house.  No need for it. Everything has its place.

I have never been able to identify with people who say “if I bought a Christmas gift or birthday gift early, I wouldn’t be able to remember where I stored it”.  I don’t understand that at all.  All the gifts I buy go in one place in our office.  No need looking anywhere else as you won’t find it anywhere else.  If you can’t remember where something is, you have too much stuff.

Decluttering is key.

We keep very little paper. All of our paper is stored, in hanging folders, in a two drawer Sterilite Filing cabinet.  The only exception is the manuals for appliances and stuff.  I keep those in a large envelope type thingy and that’s in the kitchen.  

Mail is decisioned as soon as I bring it in the house. No exceptions. 

Decide where things belong in your house and keep them there. 

For the closet, I found that buying the same type of hanger for all of your clothes makes the closet look more uniform and organized,  For us, that’s Huggable Hangers.  We have no other hangers in the house.

Again, declutter the house and get rid of the things you don’t use and you’ll find it so much easier to stay organized. 

[LilacTree]

I pay my bills as they come in.

Other than that, I am a disaster.

[chrystaltree]

Putting everything I have to do and all my appointments in my cell phone calendar which is linked to my Google calendar keeps on track.  I can see my day at glance and my appointments and task flash on my computer screen.  Although, at this stage of my life, I really don't have the jam packed, heavy schedule that I had back in the days when I was raising a family.  Now it's mostly medical appointments, birthdays, anniversaries etc. that I keep track of.  

[Financialgrl]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I'm a minimalist. So for me when there are fewer things to get organized then it's much, much easier that way...make do, or do without. 

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Also a minimalist. Dad lived with me for about 8 years when he could not live alone and I'd bought a larger home to avoid being under each other's feet.  He threw nothing away.  When he died I donated/tossed a lot of stuff and got rid of pretty much everything.  I am now in a much smaller 2 bed/2 bath home.  

I bought new furniture to fit in the smaller space and I bought two 4-shelf metal racks for the garage with open shelving which makes it so much easier to see what I have (avoids buying duplicates of things) and remain organized.  I feel so much better now that things are in their place.  I try to go by the "need" vs "want" rule when I'm out shopping.

[queendiva]

So many good and practical suggestions here!

I was once overwhelmed with stuff- mine and my family's. As I returned to living single and the kids grew up to homes of there own I knew I needed a drastic change. 

Organization can never occur without first decluttering. All that extra, useless-to-you stuff has got to go.That should start ASAP. Designate time daily for decluttering, then organizing, then cleaning. Work in one area of one room at a time. Get help when and where needed, including paying someone to haul stuff out of your basement and/or garage. Almost instant gratification and worth the $.

Trash things to get a jump start, then designate boxes for donation and bags for trash.

Develop systems that work for you- there is no right or wrong way as long as you are spending time at all of the above on an almost daily basis.

The more you declutter and organize, the easier and more of a lifestyle it becomes.

I still struggle with being organized, but I am organized enough for me, my home and car are clean and decluttered and I spend a little time at it daily (except Sundays) and I am SO much happier, more peaceful and less stressed!!

Many others must also be focusing on decluttering and organizing as my local thrift store had a huge sale earlier this summer and now seems even more filled than before!

Only keep items that you have used in the past year or so. Do not keep anything you "might need someday". You can re-purchase it if that's true, which likely will not happen. Also, only keep things that belong to someone who lives under your same roof. Your home is not a free storage facility!

ETA: only clear plastic storage bins when absolutely necessary. Never any gray bins or cardboard boxes! Not easily seeing what you have adds to clutter.

[beckyb1012]

My weekly to do shopping list is on my p.c. word program.  The names of my usual stores, grocery/walmart/drug store, ect......are highlighted in bold with the items needed at each retailer for the week.  At the bottom of my "Weekly" items are the things I need to be considering or getting in the next couple of weeks or months.  Right now at the bottom are two birthday cards for Aug. 30th and Sept. 18th. I had another one for Aug. 27th listed but I bought it Sunday afternoon so it was deleted Monday morning.  I love to pick the perfect card.

I print out my list and return to my pc with what is left or needed since and make a new list.  I usually pull it up each day to add to it and run the errands for the most part on the weekends.

[hckynut]

@qualitygal 

Since I retired I really don't need to be near as organized because I have more choices of what I do, and when. Pretty much just write them on a magnetic erasable board on our fridge. Simple and works well for me.

hckynut

[halfpint1]

Thanks for the laugh for I just crawled out of bed. No husband anymore so I don't care to pick up things. I know I should.

[apple1964]

I am too much well organized and if I go back to my office desk and see one pen missing or if someone is using my computer I go cray cray. I am very much a detailed person and I can not understand why people can not put there lives in order .. but, that is just me.