There's still time to participate! Clear out excess shoes from your closet and do a good deed.

The Georgia chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO-GA) is participating in the Soles4Souls project.

Soles4Souls is a non-profit that "collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty." All donations are tax deductible. Go to soles4souls.org to learn more.

Soles4Souls accepts all types of shoes: athletic, running, dress, sandals, pumps, heels, work boots, cleats, dance, flip flops, boots, just as long as they are new or gently worn. Any donated shoes that are not wearable will be recycled.

Find a drop-off location near you and do two good things at once!

You can save money. You'll know what you already own, eliminating the need to buy duplicate items. A professional organizer can help you find the perfect organizing products for your space and lifestyle, so you stop wasting money on things you don't need or won't work.

You can become more productive and efficient. A professional organizer can create order and structure out of chaos. You'll receive systems that work for your dominant learning style, your lifestyle, your needs, your challenges, and your dreams.

You'll have a positive self-image and ditch the shame. Once your home or office is neat and tidy, you won't feel embarrassed to have guests visit. The guilt will fade away as you take pride in your surroundings.

You'll have a healthier environment. Physical and emotional clutter obscures your surroundings. An organized home and office is more easily cleaned. Lose the clutter and cut down on time spent moving piles of paper and stuff around.

Your stress level will decrease dramatically. When you can find what you need, are on top of your to-dos, and arrive on time, you'll feel calmer and have more peace of mind. No more feeling overwhelmed by life -- you'll be the one in control.

You'll discover more time for yourself. When you're organized, your days go as planned, and you get a lot more done. That leaves more time to indulge in a little "me time."

Your energy will shine. Clutter is a mask and a professional organizer can help you take off that mask. Once the clutter is removed, you can showcase your talents, skills, and personality and have the life you deserve.

Here's a photo of my junk drawer, organized with a two-level Everything Organizer. The top tier of the organizer easily slides or can be lifted to access the items underneath. 

As you can see, it really is possible to have an organized junk drawer that works well in your home!

The coat closet is often a problem area in the home. Many times it's a small space and quickly becomes unmanageable as new things are added. The first step is to remove all the coats and weed out anything that is no longer being worn. Let's face it, if you didn't wear it last season, it's unlikely you'll wear it this season and won't miss it. Store the most often worn coats and jackets in this closet, especially if it's located close to where you enter and leave your home. If the space is still cramped, lighter weight jackets can be stored in each family member's personal closet.

The bedside table is another area where clutter often accumulates and needs to be cleaned out periodically. I always recommend purchasing bedside tables with drawers, preferably three, rather than just a flat surface. (Of course, it really doesn't matter for rarely used guest rooms). With drawers, the contents can be organized inside rather than having the surface cluttered with miscellaneous items. This allows space on the surface for things that are attractive and makes it easier to clean too!

To reclaim your bedside table, remove everything from the top and inside of drawers. Evaluate everything and consider if it really belongs here or another area of your home. Throw out anything that is broken or holds bad memories for you. Remember that everything has energy and you only want to have pleasant memories and reminders close to you, especially in your personal space. Reading material tends to accumulate on the bedside table so be realistic about what you're really going to read. Put books you've lost interest in on a bookshelf in another room or donate them. Put the things worth keeping into like categories - for example, sunglasses or reading glasses, lotions, jewelry, etc. Measure the space and purchase drawer organizers and stacking jewelry trays to group like items.

Here are a couple photos of my bedside table to give you some ideas.