L is for Label: Loving your Label Maker

L is for Label     

Are you addicted to your label maker?   Do you even have a label maker?  If you do not have one, you are missing out on the glory!

For a professional organizer, a label maker is an essential “must have”, “cannot live without” tool.  Quite frankly, it is an addiction for most of us. a crazy love for a tool that makes us jump for joy to see a fully label storage system.

Did I mention my label maker is pink?  Love it!!!

So what does one do with a label maker?

Well...you could:

Label your shelves in the kitchen cabinets so the family can all put the dishes and utensils away in the correct places.  Making it easy for everyone to participate in the household chores and maintenance is one of the keys to a well organized home and frees up your time

Label your refrigerator (my friends mock me regularly for this one).   Indicate where you would like the milk, eggs, condiments, and left overs stored.   By labeling the fridge, you ensure time is not wasted looking for items and those lost leftover science experiments are less likely to occur.   Another bonus, making a grocery list is a breeze because you will know exactly what you have on hand with a quick glance.

Label your pantry.   Create a section for each food type: soups, crackers. canned tomatoes, canned vegetables, pasta, etc...  Just has having the fridge well organized, having the pantry in order will also allow for quick decisions when it comes to menu planning and making a grocery list.

Label your linen closet shelves to make put away a quick and efficient.   Family members can find what they need without ripping the shelves apart and you can get assistance with putting laundry away because they will all know where to put the items.

Label the inside of your dresser drawers, especially the ones in the kids rooms so they can be self-reliant and put away their items when clean as well as get themselves dressed in the mornings.

Label your storage bins so you know what is inside and do not have to open each one.

Basically, if you are storing something, you can label it!

Contact us today to get your closets and storage systems in order.  

www.adventuresinorganizing.ca

The Organizing Olympics, Day 16 - The Garage Triathalon

These Garage Solutions can be found at Canadian Tire

Day 16 The Garage Triathlon

This event is an all-day team sport and each member of the team is responsible for the success of the win!   You may even want to bring in a few “ringers” from another team to help out with this one.

                                     

The events in this Triathlon comprise of the following three main components:

• Clear Out the Garage

• Sort Like Items Together

• Restore Order

We are going to go beyond the usual 15 minute timer for this event since it really will take most people a good chunk of their day to complete.

Elfa Garage Storage System

Set your timer for 60 minutes and begin removing all items from the garage.    As your team members, take the contents out to the driveway, or lawn, keep like items together such as:

• Lawn maintenance,

• Car Maintenance,

• Kids toys, etc….  

Stop to take a break, have a drink and perhaps a snack and get right back at it.

Once everything is sorted by category, follow the rules below and make decisions.

1. Continue to Keep “like” items together
2. Donate any items that you have not used the past year
3. Determine how many of each item you need? 

Now that the garage is empty, sweep up the debris, knock down any cobwebs, and if possible, power-wash the floor.

Assess the items you are keeping and ask yourself again do I need this?  

• Do you need more shelving?
• Do you need some bins? (I recommend using clear so you can see what is inside),
• Can anything be suspending from the ceiling? (bikes or hanging storage racks)

 

Start putting your items back into the garage keeping all like items together and label everything.

Anything that you are not keeping should either be tossed or donated.

Remember to use your timer to ensure you take a break every hour or so and to keep yourself focused and moving.

Your team crosses the finish line when the items are all back in the clean and organized garage, the donate bag and items have been put in the trunk and get your medal when it is dropped off at Salvation Army/Goodwill.

Garage storage solution images are from Elfa and Canadian Tire  

Need help planning and implementing your garage project?   We can help!

The Organizing Olympics, Day 15: The Closet Crawl

Day 15 The Closet Crawl  

This event is an individual or a team sport depending upon whose closet you are taking on in your competition.    

For this event you will need:

1. A good supply of hangers.   I prefer wooden hangers with a bar across the bottom (good for both pants and tops) I also like it when the hanger has grooves in the top to help stop camisoles and tanks from slipping off the hanger.   I find having one uniform hanger in the cupboard creates a visual sense of order.
2. Your Timer
3. Donation Bag or Box
4. Repair Bag or Box

The rules of this Crawl Event are as follows:

Keep “like” items together

Donate any items that you have not worn in the past year
Determine how many of each item you need?  White blouses, Black Slacks
Does it fit?

Do you like it?

Will you wear it this year?

Does it need repair before you will wear it?   Put it in a bag to go the tailors for repair.

Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin removing items from the closet.   Use the bed as your sorting zone.  Work one section of the closet at a time and sort into categories as you go.  Once everything has been sorted into categories, follow the rules above and make decisions.

If this is your closet, try on anything you are not sure about but keep focused on the task. 

If it is your child’s closet, have them try on clothes as you go.  

Anything that does not fit, put directly into a donate bag.

Take a break if needed and then set your timer for another 15 minutes.

Here is a link to a great folding video on YouTube    It will help you maximize the space in your closet and allow you to see what you own in an organized and unified manner.

Remember to use your timer to ensure you take a break and to keep yourself focused and moving.

You cross the finish line when the donate bag and items to repair bags and been put in the trunk and get your medal when it is dropped off at Salvation Army/Goodwill or the tailors for repair.

If you would like some one-on-one organizing assistance, our Minute-By-Minute Organizing Program may be for you!

The Organizing Olympics, Day 13: Linen Closet Cycling

Day 13 Linen Closet Cycling

This event is an individual sport and you will be standing on the podium in no time!   

Cycling involves endurance and quick thinking. Knowing where your competition is at all times is critical.     Your competition in this race is the contents of your closet.

The rules of this event are as follows:

1.       Keep “like” items together

2.       Donate any items that you have not used in the past 2 years
3.       Determine how many of each item you need
4.       Clean the shelves

Set your timer for a 15 minute and begin removing items from the closet.   Begin first by putting all the towels together, all the sheets together, all the table linens together, all the pillows etc…

Pull everything off the shelf and make some quick decisions.  

    

• How old is it? Is it full of holes  - Toss
• Do you like it? If not, recycle
• How many do you need?  2 sets of sheets per bed + perhaps a set of winter flannels
• Is this the best shelf in the pantry for this item?

·         Do you use it?   If not, recycle.    Even if you like an item but never use it, consider donating it to Goodwill and allow someone the pleasure of actually using it.

Now that you have decided how many sheets per person, you are going to use.   Consider which shelf in the closet would be best – easy access is important for frequently used items.  High and low, shelves are usually best for seldom-used items.  Wash off the shelf and start putting items on the shelves.   Store each sheet set inside the pillowcase for the set.   Label the section of shelf “Twin” “Double” or “Queen” depending on your needs so everyone in the family can find what they need and put things away properly

Do the same for towels.   Decide how many per person you need.   How many facecloths, how many hand towels and then choose the shelf.   Label the shelf.   I like to use binder clips on my shelves so I can move the labels around as the needs change.   See image below.

Use your timer to ensure you take a break and to keep yourself focused and moving.

You cross the finish line when the donate bag and been put in the trunk and get your medal when it is dropped of at Salvation Army or Goodwill.

If you need help getting your closets organized, please do not hesitate to contact us and we can design a program or package just for you!

The Organizing Olympics, Day 9: Pantry Polo

Today's event will be.....The Pantry Polo

This event is a team sport and you will be the goal keeper aka Keeper of the Pantry .    Polo  involves, swimming and treading water – we are no longer going to tread water as we take Pantry Polo to a whole new level

The rules of this event are as follows:

1.       Keep “like” items together (canned veggies with veggies, crackers with crackers, soups with soups)
2.       Expired food gets tossed
3.       Food you will not consume gets donated to the food bank or a soup kitchen
4.       Clean the shelves

Set your timer for a 15 minute training session and we begin with one shelf.

Pull everything off the shelf and make some quick decisions.  

·       

•   How old is it? Expired  - Toss

• Do you like it?

• Will it be eaten?  -  Donate if not

• Is this the best shelf in the pantry for this item?

Go!    

Sort items into categories on the counter and make your decisions.    

Clean the shelf and only put back what will be stored on that shelf.

Training camp is over; it is time to head into the main event. 

Remember, no treading water in this Pantry Polo.

Use your timer to ensure you take a break and to keep yourself focused and moving.

Shoot for the goal and win Gold

If you need help getting your home and pantry in order, sign up for our Minute By Minute Organizing Program.  It is just $5.00 per week!!!

PAPER CLUTTER - THE HORROR

My latest project has been to tame the unruly paper chaos in my life. Paper is likely the one thing that defeats me the most. With my daughter’s car accident, came a snowball effect in paper. As I mentioned in my last blog, finding all the documents needed for the accident was an easy chore as I had already sorted most of the paper into a good filing system and thankfully it was up-to-date.  While the cabinet pictured is far prettier than mine, it does give you an idea about the visual cuing that I use to help me gain control of my filing

Here is how I sort my files...

A system for the incoming mail that breaks pretty simply into the following

"TO PAY"
"TO FILE"
"TO DO"

These I keep in the kitchen and sort the mail as soon as it comes in.

Once I am ready to file away the papers in the "TO FILE" folder, I head to the basement file cabinet and put the documents in their proper homes.  These basement files are my "archives" for the family and my business.

The system below shows how I have set up my long-term file storage or "archives"

Tools: hanging folders, coloured file folders, labels

I use a hanging file system to categorize my files and then because I am an extremely visual person, I use coloured, labelled file folders to keep them together and easily identifiable in the drawer.

Red files for both my "BANKING" files and my "DEBT" files and "INCOME TAX". 

One hanging folder is labelled:

•  BANKING and within, I have a folder for each bank that we deal with (we use 3 different banks for various elements of our lives). The other hanging folder is labelled

•  DEBT, and within are red, labelled file folders with titles such as:

1. “Visa”,
2. “Mortgage” – yes our mortgages are part of our debt load, 
3. "Credit cards,
4. "Line of Credit", 
5. "Car Loans" etc.... 

I keep all debt in this section. It helps keep me real.

• INCOME TAX, within the red folders hold assorted tax related documents.  I am self employed and my files are so big each year, the actual supporting documents for my taxes are boxed and kept in the garage in a fire-resistant cabinet.

Green files are used for our "INVESTMENTS". 

These are real assets in our lives and mean money in our future so I use green as a quick glance colour reference. Again, label your folders with each type of investment. These could be things like:

• Retirement plans with a bank and two private companies so each has a folder. 

• Education Funds

• Stocks

• Bonds

Blue files are used for our “UTILITIES”. 

The hanging folder is labelled "UTILITIES", and each blue file folder is labelled with such categories such as

• “Water”, 
• “Hydro”, 
• “Cable” 
• “Telephone” etc....any cell phone plans, would go here as well.

Yellow folders I use for "SCHOOL" and for "MEDICAL"

Each category is in a separately labelled hanging folder. One hanging folder indicating:

• " SCHOOL" and the other indicating 

• "MEDICAL". 

Each person in the family has a file in each section. Fortunately our file cabinet is big enough to hold binders as well because DH and our youngest both require binders for their more complicated medical histories. We can grab these medical binders and go when heading off to a Doctor appointment and can easily reference any details the doctor may need to know.

Purple folders I use for "WARRANTIES"

Within the hanging "WARRANTIES" folder, I then add separate purple folders and label each with with headings such as:

• computers & printers, 

• kitchen appliances, 

• office

• electronics

• outdoor 

It was amazing when I sorted through all these folders how many warranty booklets I had for items I no longer owned. It does not take a lot of time to sort through these and for most items, after a year, the warranty is no longer valid so just toss them into the recycle bin. If you don’t need it, don’t keep it! If the booklets can be accessed online, likely they are not needed at all.

Try and set time every six months to do a quick run-through of these files and shred any documents that are no longer required. Pull a few folders while watching TV and pick through them...it takes only minutes once your system is set up.


The other system I use to help me keep my files organized is called NeatReceipts.

It is a scanning system that helps me with my home business organization. I scan all items related to my business - receipts, invoices, contracts etc.... and the paper becomes redundant. Once everything is scanned and backed up – I can shred all the paper and ensure I am not overwhelmed by the unending mountains my home-based business can create**. In the program you create files, much like we discussed about, and scan your papers directly into those files. The information can be exported into many tax programs, excel and outlook. How simple! This program and scanner has become my new best friend.

**Check with your taxation department and ensure that you are able to use digital images rather than the actual receipts.  Check also to ensure what format they must be retained. Backing your documents up is critical in case of a crash!