Category Archives: Organizing Blog

3 Tips for Organized Packing

I will admit that packing for a trip is one of my least favorite things to do. A little strange as it seems like it would be one of those things that organized people love to do — well, not this mostly organized person. I think it might be my perfectionist tendencies creeping through — and the fact that I am rarely thrilled with my wardrobe. Packing sometimes seems daunting because it can be hard to get just right — when you end up at your destination with just the right outfits in just the right amount.…

6 Steps to Stay on Top of Your Taxes

Getting prepared to do your taxes can be overwhelming, especially if you haven’t been all that organized about keeping track of your tax-related documents throughout the year. Not only do you need to keep track of tax forms you get in the mail (or on-line), but also receipts for tax-related expenses and donations, and it can also be very helpful to put your hands on your previous tax returns and documentation for reference. Of course if you get audited, the value of having your tax paperwork organized sky rockets!…

From Paper Madness to Paper Management in Six Easy Steps

Most of us are drowning in paper these days. It doesn’t seem to stop – mail, school papers, magazines, and more. If you don’t have a good way to manage it, it will just keep piling up. To keep a handle on your papers, you need a good paper management system. A what?! Have no fear, here are six steps to set you up for paper management success:

Step 1: Open and review your mail and other paper every day! Open mail in one place with all your tools and supplies.…

Get Organized Challenge: Celebrate Your Successes

Last week, we wrapped up our Get Organized Challenge: 5 Weeks to a More Organized You. Over the course of the challenge we focused on developing 5 healthy organizing habits that, when practiced regularly, can lead you down the path to happily organized. Just to recap, those 5 healthy habits are:

1: Buy less stuff. The less you buy, the less you have to unload, store, clean, maintain, return, dispose of and otherwise manage.

2: Do I need it, do I use it, do I love it?…

Get Organized Challenge Week 5: One In, One Out

Wow – time flies when you’re working on your organizing super powers! Over the last 4 weeks, we’ve practiced buying less stuff, making sure the stuff you have passes the test, making a home for everything in your home, and cleaning up as you go. We’ve also reminded ourselves that it’s not about being perfect but about practicing new skills that we can keep coming back to when we fall off our organized path.

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Get Organized Challenge Week 4: Clean Up As You Go

Here we are – week 4 of our Get Organized Challenge: 5 Weeks to a More Organized You! By now, you’re buying less stuff, making sure the stuff you have passes the test, and making a home for everything in your home. Or at least you’re working on it. I’m a realist – it’s not about rigidly following these healthy habits 100% of the time – all or nothing style. It’s about practicing these healthy habits as often as you can, and coming back to them whenever you fall off the wagon.…

Get Organized Challenge Week 3: Make a Home for Everything!

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already on Week 3 of our 2014 Get Organized Challenge. If you’d like to catch up, you can check out the first two posts and brush up on the organizing skills we’ve already started practicing: 1) Buy less stuff and 2) Give your stuff the “Do I need it, do I use it, do I love it?” test.

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Get Organized Challenge Week 2: Does it pass the test?

If you’ve been following along with us, you know that last week we decided to kick off 2014 with our Get Organized Challenge: 5 Weeks to a More Organized You. Our plan is to focus on one new organizing skill each week with the goal of getting ourselves into amazing organizational shape.

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Take the Get Organized Challenge: 5 Weeks to a More Organized You

We thought we’d start off the year with a healthy little dose of organizing inspiration. No, not the “you can makeover your house in a weekend” sort of inspiration, but rather the realistic and effective variety, which we think is a lot more useful.

So the truth is, being organized is not about a specific product or storage solution or even about the perfect routine or system. It’s about adopting and practicing healthy habits that help keep your stuff, your schedule and your life in check.…