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"Picture Yourself Organized!"
Details By Shelly Fletcher - Organizing e-News
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 Issue: #19 |
August 2009 |
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Summer Greetings ,
 In June I mentioned that we moved our daughter from Houston to Auburn. We packed her belongings; she rented a U-Haul, and safely made the 2,000 mile journey. With each move that she's made in the past ten years her things have whittled down to just the essentials. However, there were still boxes and boxes that had to go into our newly organized garage! Read the story about preparing for her move; it's appropriate whether you are sending your child of to college, or moving to a new home. Staying cool for now,
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PERSONAL CHALLENGE - Get Organized in 2009 |
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NEW - ORGANIZING CALENDAR FOR 2009
Each month I will share three things to do that will help you get organized in 2009. You can choose to do one or more of my suggestions, or come up with your own.
AUGUST 2009 - Back to School
1. Shopping strategies for back to school (or any time!)
- Before making any purchases, evaluate whether or not you actually have the space to bring more items into your life. Remember the "one item in, one item out" rule to balance your possessions.
- Organize your shopping trips based on store location, local traffic patterns and time of day. Generally you should start by going to the store furthest away from your home, working your way back.
- Make a list of what you need to purchase and include the store where you will make that purchase. Try to consolidate purchases to as few stores as possible. The savings in gasoline and time may offset any possible differences in price.
- Even if you are not going back to school, this is a good time of year to stock up on the basics. Containers are always on sale at this time. Be sure to take shelf measurements (height, depth, width) with you when you are buying containers for small space storage.
2. Meal planning and organizing
- Take a stack of 3x5 cards and create mini meal menus that you can easily prepare (e.g. burritos, green salad, apple slices). This will save you time and mental energy when are running low on both. Keep these cards in a container storage separate where you can quickly pull one out when you don't know what to fix for dinner. You might want to include a shopping item list on the back.
- Teach your family to prepare at least one of these mini menus so you can have a day off from cooking.
- It really does pay to have a full week of menus planned out. Select a day to plan for the following week. You don't have to decide what day you will be serving the meals; just select 2-3 quick meals, plus 2-3 meals that can be re-purposed as leftover creations, and one night out. IThen you won't have to think too much about what to cook.
3. Purge last year's school items - prepare for this year (option - purge memorabilia)
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If you have children returning to school this month or next, spend a day going through last year's papers, notes, projects. Purge out the ones that do not need to be kept. Ask your child to choose one or two items they might want to keep (limit the number!) and toss or digitalize the rest. Put them in a box or folder labeled by school year. You may want to give them to your adult child later, or further purge for sentimental reasons when they go off to college.
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If you have no children going to school, this is a good time to look at your memorabilia collections. Same concepts apply, purge items looking for one or two to keep, then toss or digitally store the rest. You can print this out as a full calendar page and put it in a binder for future reference. Go to my website for the download version: To get a printed calendar version of these tips, click here
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GOOD TIPS, READS & LEADS |
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Give to the Schools (after cleaning your office)
Adopt a classroom! Check with local schools to see what kind of office supplies they might need for classrooms. You can also check with local churches, Boys & Girls Clubs, youth organizations, and more to find a need for your excess.
Buy vs. Rent
Before making a purchase that will necessitate storing equipment or things that you may need only once in a while (think camping gear, sporting goods, rollaway beds, hand tools), look into renting the item instead. The cost of rental may offset the anxiety of possible damage or cost of storage for these occasionally used items. Here are some rental options to research: www.atsrentals.com (for electronics); www.gpsplanet.com (satellite navigation); www.rei.com (sport equipment); www.babytravelpros.com (temporary baby gear for travel or guests); www.homedepotrents.com (tools);www.truevalue.com (lawn, garden, party, tools).
Need to rent something special?
Sometimes it's hard to find rental items, especially when you are looking for something unusual. Check out this website to find unique rental companies doing business in your area. www.rentalhq.com
Special Deals through the "Organize It" store in Citrus Heights
The only store dedicated strictly to organizing products is located at 5440 Sunrise Boulevard, next to Capitol Nursery by Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights. Organize It has partnered with my NAPO-Sacramento Chapter to provide discounts to our friends and clients. If you are in need of any type of organizing product, and find it on-line at www.organizeit-online.com , contact me about a discount. If you need my help in deciding which product to purchase, contact me by email or by phone at (530) 613-2968.
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LEARN TO GET ORGANIZED |
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Presentation on Disorganization and Attention Deficit Disorders - September 15
The NAPO-Sacramento Chapter will be holding a public event on September 15th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the University of Phoenix Natomas Campus (2860 Gateway Oaks Drive) in Sacramento. The topic will be on Attention Deficit Disorders and Disorganization. Cost is only $10 at the door. Who should attend? Teachers, child care professionals, counselors, parents, caregivers, or anyone wishing to learn more about disorganization due to attention deficit disorders.
"Let's Get Organized" - Adult Education Class - Fall 2009
I will be teaching the very popular "Let's Get Organized" class again this fall. The class is located in Auburn at Placer School for Adults (Placer High School campus) on Saturday, September 26th, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. This is the only class I will be teaching this fall in adult education. Mark your calendar now.
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ORGANIZING EVENTS |
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Auburn Home Show - October 3,4,5
One of the best home shows around. I go every year and always find new products or ideas for organizing. www.auburnhomeshows.com
Summer Break!
No scheduled seminars for August, however if you are interested in having me speak to your organization, contact me about available dates.
Shredding Services
I'm taking a break from shredding this summer....lots of traveling and not so much purging. Watch for this service to resume in the fall.
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MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES |
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In June I flew to Houston to help my daughter pack for her move home. We went to Home Depot and purchased some clear plastic tubs, moving boxes and several rolls of stretchy plastic wrap to secure drawers and odd-shaped items. Our move utility box contained colored index cards, packing tape, large felt marker, scissors, and utility knife. While she was at work, I started the "move project".
I find it's best for the person being moved to box up one room at a time, keeping like-items together. Generally people best remember what was at their old house by the room in which it was kept. Using a computer and simple spreadsheet, I keep track of the boxes by number, which room they came from, and general content descriptions. [Click here to see the packing list form I use]
Now remember this was Houston so just as soon as I got all my supplies ready to start, a thunderstorm came rumbling through and knocked out the power for an hour. As I sat sweating (Houston remember), I tried to think cool, calm thoughts. There was enough light from the windows to allow me to sort the room contents into similar piles.
I cleaned an area in the living room, then starting on one side of the room, I boxed and labeled the items and moved them to the opposite side when done. The boxes were stacked 3-4 high with the labels showing. Now, here's the thing with moving boxes:
- Try for consistent sizes so they stack easily.
- Always make sure that the lid is flat and secure. You will tape it later.
- Label at least one side and one end (not the top) so it can be easily seen when stored. Use a code for the room (like LR for living room) and consecutively number the boxes as you go. When you switch to another room, choose a new room code and start numbering again from "1". You only need this information on the box label if you've created a "content list" as you pack. (See my packing list link above)
- Use a different color label (at least 3x5) for each room if you can. Use large dark felt pen and write big! Tape it securely so it won't come off.
- Keep a running list of items in each box - you can be fairly general here if you want, like "photographs from the coffee table" or "good dishes".
- Take a photograph of items if there are many varieties in one box.
- I recommend not sealing the boxes until right before the move so you can insert more items if needed along with a copy of the content list.
- You will have oversized items - don't try to cram them in a box. Use special packing materials for these items. Don't forget to label them and make note of contents on your packing list.
It's a good idea to plan for several empty boxes for last minute things like food, toiletries, clothes. Just give them a box number and set aside for packing later.
There were lots and lots of clothes, shoes, and purses, so we left most of them on hangers and carefully folded them into a larger box. The smaller clothes were kept in the dresser; the drawer contents were noted on the master list.
Linens went into plastic bags (labeled of course) and toiletries were put into the clear plastic bins (in case of spills).
After a good cleaning of the apartment I flew home and prepared our garage to receive the boxes now that I knew how much room was needed for storage. Fortunately, my husband had the task of flying back to Houston and driving home with daughter and the U-Haul. I stayed home to prepare the guest room and garage.
I've done several moves this way and find that the packing list process works great. You can find things later on in storage by searching your spreadsheet for box number. Just be sure you store the boxes label side out! If you can, try to store them by room too; it really helps.
You can apply this pack, label, list technique when storing any type of memorabilia, files, or personal items. Call me if you need help.
This is what the storage boxes look like right now.
Note the colored labels are clearly visible.
Boxes are stacked for easy retrieval, not too high or deep.
Boxes that need frequent access are located in the front.
This shows detail on the box labels.
The room-number is clear, and a general idea of what's in the box is noted. The packing list is referenced for greater detail.
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NEED A SPEAKER - for your group or conference?
Speaking at the NOON Program - Auburn Main Library
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If you are ready to start on an organizing project, give me a call to discuss a plan that might work for you.
Call me at (530) 613-2968, or you can email me at detailsbyshelly@yahoo.com
Sharing ideas and creating solutions for you,
Shelly Fletcher
Details by Shelly Fletcher
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