From a dreary to vibrant and efficient filing system

So I didn’t take any “before” pictures of my client’s filing system, but can you imagine all of this…

in two filing drawers?

Well, it happened. Through careful thinking about each paper’s use for the future, a lot of the papers got tossed in the trash and shredded.

Now we not only have a filing system that bright and easier to manage, but also room to file things for future endeavors! My client only needed one drawer for her basics

and will use the other drawer for future filing.

Check in next month for more great ways to organize!

How to deal with leftovers and other foods in time for the 4th of July

For those of you who are cooking this 4th of July, don’t forget to plan for the leftovers and excess foods you will have after the grilling stops and the guests go home. It’s amazing the number of things you can preserve in the freezer as well as the fridge. It is a good idea to get organized in your fridge and your freezer to handle as much food as possible for quick access to leftovers and ingredients for quick meals.

Some of the questions to ask yourself before you start organizing are: what are you using the space for? Fruits? Vegetables? Meats? Breads? Frozen entrees? Dairy? Extra storage?

Just on looking at what was in my freezer, I sorted what I stored into separate categories. I suggest emptying out the freezer completely and sorting the foods by the categories you brainstormed on the counter or in a cooler with ice.

Create labels for each category and all foods that you can’t recognize by just looking at it. If you make a label for the food, make sure you note the date you froze it. I don’t think it is necessary to label foods in the fridge if you only have a few items that you know will be consumed within a week. If it’s not going to be consumed within a week, I say freeze it ASAP.

If you believe you have too much in the fridge or freezer, make an inventory list of the items.

And there you have it! A functional fridge and freezer of leftovers and foods you can enjoy beyond the 4th of July.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

A bin for the everyday shoes

I found a henley bin from The Container Store that turned out to be an affordable solution to my problem of putting shoes on the floor when I get home from work or working out. I still think shoes should be organized in the closet, but it is handy to have a place outside the closet and near the door for the shoes you need to grab, put on, and go in a hurry.

Tips on Closets: TKO Style

There’s a simple method to cleaning out closets. We use closets to store and hide things. We need to begin to use closets as assets to everyday living and not areas where we hide things.

TKO: Trash, Keep and Organize
Trash anything that doesn’t make your life better. Those things that are “sentimental” to you should be trashed. The memories you have gotten from things will live with you forever. I also suggest throwing away anything that you habitually leave in there for no good reason. For instance, I had a bad habit of leaving my dry cleaning hangers in the closet. However, it was creating unnecessary trash and I only had one place for trash. My closet was not the place.

Keep the things that enrich your life. Things that makes your daily living easier. Things that always come in handy when you need it. For the things that are just too “sentimental” to throw away, understand why you can’t throw it away. If the reason that you want to keep it involves making your lifestyle better, remember to create a space for those items. Only keep such items in the closet if you will go to these items on a routine basis (daily, weekly, seasonally, annually).

Organize by degree of importance. The most important items or your everyday items should be closest to the closet door. Follow the daily items with weekly and annually used items. Seasonal items should be in the back. When the seasons change, so will your organization of your items. For instance, when winter arrives, I’m going to move my snow boots to the front of the closet and move my summer sandals, that are currently in the front of the closet, in the back. Any loose items should be in a box or a bag with a label if you cannot easily identify it from just opening the closet door. If you don’t have a box or bag to use, place a sticky label above the area where you choose to place your items.

The key here is to make your life easier. Follow these three simple steps TKO style and you’ll be one step closer to having another welcoming space in your home.

Let’s get rid of old electronics on June 5th!

COMMUNITY BROADCAST ANNOUNCEMENT

Used Electronics
Drop-Off Event

When: Sunday, June 5, 2011 between 12:00 Noon-4:00 P.M.

Where: Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring, MD 20901 (Please use the MD Rte 29 north entrance).

Accepted Items: Small electronic appliances, calculators, camcorders, CDs and floppy disks, CD players, cell phones, computers & computer-related items, consumer electronics, copiers, cords & cables (including chargers), digital cameras, electronic typewriters, fax machines, microwave ovens, personal digital assistant equipment, printers, projection equipment, scanners, telephones, small electronic toys, televisions and VCRs.

Sorry, we cannot accept compact fluorescent lights or appliances containing Freon at this event. Please bring these items to the drop-off sites at the Transfer Station (16101 Frederick Road).

Our program for electronics recycling is open to all Montgomery County residents and businesses.

For More Information:
Visit: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/gogreen
or call 311 (call 1-240-777-0311 outside of Montgomery County)

Keeping up with the papers,Part 2

I’m been exploring filing systems that work for the work place and the exploration has only intensified since I’m moving offices after 20 months. I’ve learned about Paper Tiger and I am attracted to it because they have a FREE FOREVER PLAN. They also have a sale on their other plans until May 17th (://www.thepapertiger.com/pricing). Given the economic times a lot of us are facing, I try to consider and promote any options that lowers the costs for the average person to stay organized. Not only does Paper Tiger offer a FREE plan, it’s quick, simple, and useful for any workspace!

Your bathroom’s under-sink cabinets

Here are a few tips to organizing the things underneath your sink.

1) Think about going through your cabinet like you are shopping at a convenience store. Think of sections you normally go to and come up with categories similar or the same as the sections at a store.

2) Empty out the cabinet. You need the space to visualize where everything should be placed.

3) Sort out or throw out items to correspond to the categories you created.

4) Find a way to store the items for each category. You can use storage bins or bags. Consider going to the grocery store and buying some quart and gallon size freezer bags with the writing label on them. They are cheap and clear, which makes it easier to find things. You can also manipulate the shape of the bags in order to fit in your cabinets. The Container Store has simple storage bins with labels on them for easy identification and accessible storage. If you have any opaque bags, place a label on them for easy identification.

5) Sort your stored goods in a manner that is easily accessible to you.

Whatever you didn’t throw away or keep in the cabinet, donate!

The link below is to another blog that also offers good suggestions:

http://unclutterer.com/2011/02/08/curing-clutter-problems-in-under-sink-cabinets/comment-page-1/#comment-69455

Check out organizing article in Ebony-May 2011 edition

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A free tree with something Neat

Stay conscious of protecting our planet and stay organized at the same time with NeatDesk or NeatReceipts. Offer ends April 25th.

http://www.neatco.com/landing-pages/arborday2011

Keeping up with the papers…

Today I realized that not only did I need to catch up on my blogging, but also on my filing. There’s a method to getting it done in a snap!

1) Pull out the sort box.

2) Collect any other loose papers that’s not in the sort box.

3) Find a place for each paper from the sort box or your pile of loose papers.

4) If you can’t find a place, determine whether you need to make a place for it or trash it.

And alas, the clutter is gone!