Showing posts with label project organization. Show all posts

5 Tips to Complete Your Unfinished Projects

 When my now 8 year old was born, my husband took two weeks off of work to help out with our older two children and to give me some much needed time to rest and look after our new bundle of joy. On his last day home from work, he decided to tackle a small bathroom renovation that I'd been begging for (and had actually started on my own a few weeks prior to baby's arrival -- thanks to some nesting urges). 

The project? Adding some bead board paneling to the bottom half of the walls in our tiny bathroom. Could it have been completed on the 3-day weekend? Of course it could... it's a tiny bathroom. Did it get done? Nope. That bathroom project drug out for the next 5 years! All the paneling was up, but the nails hadn't been hammered in completely and the patching, caulking, and painting needed to be finished. I had finally had enough and one day just worked on all those little things and got it done. 

Why is it so hard to finish projects that we start? Maybe it's that we lose interest in the project. Maybe it gets to a point where we can no longer tackle it alone. Maybe it's because something more pressing comes up and the last project is put on the back burner. Today's blog post is all about how to finish those kinds of projects. 


Click here to read more!
No comments
Labels: , , ,

How to Organize That Counter Clutter 101


We have a HUGE problem in our home of papers piling up on counters... tables.. and any other flat surfaces. It's a terrible epidemic. Once someone puts some papers down... then everyone does it and soon we are "drowning" in piles of paper!!

A while back I implemented this system:

 

It was functional, but wasn't all that pretty. 

Then I created a similar one (that I wish I had a picture of when I first set it up) that used a cute white metal file folder holder and some cute file folders... but here is what it had become:


I still love the clean look of the wire holder, and the colorful folders... but to be honest... it wasn't working. It was a good idea though, and for a while it still looked nice and pretty. So, it was back to the drawing board on how to keep these papers organized! 

Here is how my little "station" looks now:


Still nice and clean.... and those files are contained in a cute decorative file box that I found at Target. I changed out the pictures in my white organizer to keep with the color scheme I had going. I made them using one of the file folders from my old organizer because the colors went perfectly together! 

My white organizer is home to my information binder (it sits in the middle slot... but my hubby took it to work today to pay bills... so pretend it's there!), along with some important papers that wouldn't fit in the file folder box (too large) and a couple of spiral notebooks that I take to meetings for note-taking. 

Want to take a peek inside my file box? Of course you do!


Inside I have files for each family member. In these files I keep important paper such as:
• immunization records
• school information papers
• church record information
• allergy information (for my son)
• important papers from the doctor
• and miscellaneous paperwork that needs to be saved

I also have a file for all of our gift cards and important coupons that I want to save (which we are always searching for), a file that holds recipes  (that I mis-spelled on my label, bummer) that I have taken out of magazines that I want to try, and one that keeps track of lesson ideas for our family home evening night on Mondays {we study church principles and spend time together as a family}. 

Since this cute box holds hanging files, I can fill them up and they won't flop over -- like in my cute white file folder holder -- and when I don't need access to my files, I can close the lid and it stays nice, clean, and organized! 


You can find file boxes in so many different designs and colors that you are sure to find one that matches your decor. It is an awesome way to store your important information in an easy to get to place that doesn't leave your paperwork out in plain sight. AND... the best part is... no more piles of papers!!! 

How do you store your papers? Do you have a system to keep those clutter piles at bay??

No comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 12: Organizing The Linen Closet }

Technically, I don't have a linen closet... I have a spot in my closet for linens. But, if you are lucky to have a linen closet, I am totally jealous!!

Here are a couple tips for keeping those linens under control!

1. You really only need 3 sets of sheets per bed. 1 on the bed, 1 in the closet, and potentially 1 in the dirty clothes hamper. {But I am sure you could get away with just 2 sets if you really want to keep things simple!}

 
2. A great way to store your bedding sets is to take your fitted sheet, fold it up {which is never easy... if anyone has a great way to fold these I would love to hear it!}. Fold the flat sheet and place it on top of your folded fitted sheet. Grab 1 pillow case and fold that - add it to your folded pile. Then, take your entire pile and neatly place it inside the remaining pillowcase. This keeps everything together, nice and neat. When you need to change your linens just grab the pillow case set and everything is there and ready to go!

3. All 15 of those towel sets that you got for your wedding years ago {yes I am guilty of this one!} ... if you haven't used them, either replace your old {used} ones with the new ones, or donate them! Bath and hand towels are easy gifts... meaning 2 things: (1) You can gift them to someone else {if they haven't been used}. (2) If you aren't careful they will take over your closet! Towels make great gifts, and for that reason you probably seem to get a lot of them. There is no need to hang on to every towel, hand towel, washcloth, or beach towel that you are given. Re-gift it, return it, or give it away!

{source}

4. Use towels for decor! Spice up your bathroom or kitchen by adding a splash of color in the form of a cute hand towel! The look of your space can change completely by simply changing out the towels. If you have the storage space, keep a set of hand towels for different seasons or holidays and rotate them throughout the year.

5. Table linens should be folded and hung on non-wire hangers. Napkins and table runners can be folded and stored together. If you only use them for holidays feel free to store them on a top shelf in your closet. Keep the towels and bedding at eye level since they are the ones you will be using most frequently.

6. To keep your linens smelling fresh, keep a box of baking soda or a sachet in your closet. It is also a good idea to wash everything about every 6 months to keep it clean and fresh.

7. Protect antique linens by wrapping them in cellophane bags or white acid-free tissue paper to keep colors from yellowing.

8. If any of your linens are wool, use a cedar block to keep moths away!

9. Labels! If you have linens in baskets, or bins... add labels to them so that you can easily know what is in each box without having to unfold everything!

{source}



So, how about storing all of those linens. Well my last trip to IKEA I saw this and I fell in love! BUT.. it is too large for my tiny closet space... so I am left trying to figure out how to use this little baby. I didn't buy it, but as soon as I can think of a good enough space to use it in... I will!



Or choose to store your linens in baskets or boxes like these:


These boxes are from The Container Store. They are great because they are decorative while still being translucent. You can still see what is inside!

One key point in organizing linens is to make everything accessible. Use either clear bins or tubs, or label your baskets and bins. If you don't know what is in your closet at a glance, you will get frustrated looking for things that you need!

Happy organizing!!

Tomorrow: Organizing Clothing


No comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 11: Organizing Your Craft Area }

I think just about all of us love to craft in some way or another. But, do you ever find that your crafting supplies seem to creep out of their space and get into other areas of your house?!?! We are going to solve that problem!!

Of course the biggest part of organizing this space is going through it all! You, like me, probably have items in your craft stash that you haven't used in years!!! I also have a LARGE pile of unfinished projects that I "hope" to get to at some point. These are the things, I think, that are in most desperate need of some organizational help!

Things that haven't been used in years... time to donate or sell them! OR... start using them! ☺ If you have a bunch of unfinished projects, maybe it's time to re-evaluate the need to finish them. Instead of finishing that cross-stitch from 10 years ago, donate it... or ... re purpose it and use the pieces for something else!

Since all of use are using different crafting supplies, and we all have different rooms/areas for those supplies... the bulk of this post will be craft room inspirations. Hopefully you can find something in one of these pictures that will work for you! If you have a great idea or craft storage solution, PLEASE feel free to share it!



{source}

{source}






Hopefully you have some inspiration to help you in thinking of ways to organize your space. Remember, take advantage of the space you have! If it is horizontal space... add some bookcases or cabinets. If it is vertical space.. add some shelving or hooks!

See if you can change at least one thing about how you store your craft items this weekend, and try and find something you can sell or donate!

Have a great weekend!!

Monday: Organizing the Linen Closet

No comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 10: Organizing Files and Bills }

Remember the post I wrote the other day on organizing your office? Well today we are going to continue that a little bit and talk about how to organize your files and your bills in your office. There are tons of places you can keep your files: a rolling file cabinet, and fixed file cabinet, a file box, a file bin, a desk drawers, etc.. Whichever storage solution works for you and your space is what you should use!

Consider the following questions when deciding where to store your files:
1. How many files will you need? If you need a large number of files, you may want to consider a filing cabinet with multiple drawers. On the other hand, if you only have a few bills to file away each month, a desk drawers, an exandable file folder, or a file box may work well for you.

2. How often will you be accessing these files? If you pay bills at the end of each week, you will want your files easily accessible. You don't want to have to move furniture, or items in a closet to get to your files each week. If you have files that you almost NEVER access, then you may want to consider placing them in a good storage space that may not be quite so easy to get to. { For example: You might remember from my post that I keep all of my instruction manuals in a file cabinet in my garage.}

To create a good filing system, you need to "take inventory" of the items that need filing. Most likely it will be regulare monthly or bi-monthly bills, bank statements, and various repairs. Anything that occurs regularly should have it's own file. For example:
• bank statements
• paycheck stubs
• utility bills {cable, gas, water, trash, phone, electricity, etc.}
• credit card statements/bills
• auto maintenance
• pest control
• insurance

Each company/institution should have it's own file. If you have 3 credit cards, each card gets it's own file. Same with banks. Each utility company needs it's own file. For auto maintenance, set up a file for each automobile you own - then you know where to look for all of the service receipts if you need them.

Bills that occure less frequently {license renewal, membership fees, repairs} you can lump together in a Misccellaneous file if you want. If you have the space, feel free to create categories like:
• memberships
• renewals
• repairs

Keeping your files organized saves time and I find that it helps me to feel like I am a little more organized overall! PLUS, getting some cute file folders and a label maker makes it more fun!



Tomorrow: Organizing Your Craft Area
No comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 9: Media Organization }

Today's Project Organization topic is media organization. You know, those wii games and controllers, CD's, DVDs, books, Gameboys, etc..

First and foremost, you need to go through it all. I know, if you are like me you have a TON of these items to go through. Grab 2 bins and mark them -
1. Keep.
2. Donate/Sell. {if you have the means to try and sell your items either at a garage sale or online... go for it! Why not try and make a little money on the items you don't want anymore!}

Then choose a type of media to start with and sort it! See if you can get put at least 5 items in your donate/sell bin. {I know it's hard to get rid of these kinds of things... especially if you have kiddos like I do!} If you can get rid of even just 5 things you will feel a little more organized... I promise!

Now that you have gone through your items and decided which ones to keep and which ones to try and sell or donate it's time to figure out a good storage system. If you already have one that works for you, GREAT! If yours isn't working, try and revamp it a little.

Here is how I revamped my DVD storage system. I had 3 drawers of a dresser FULL of DVDs.


Now I have 3 CD folders and 1 basket holding all of my DVDs! Talk about a space saver! Plus, the bottom of my drawers will stay in tact! I separated movies into two categories: Kids and Parents. 2 folders hold the DVDs with the kids movies {with room to spare} and 1 holds mine and my husbands movies {with LOTS of room to spare!}


Here is how my floor looked during the whole process. I couldn't stand to part with my cases... especially the Disney ones, so they are in a storage box in my garage. Maybe one day I will be able to give them up too...

I purchased my CD folders at Target. I wanted them all the same, but I am going to label each folder with either Kids or Parents so that I don't have to keep opening them to see which is which. I put our DVD sets in a small basket to keep them all together. On the right of the basket {you can just barely see it} are movies we recently got as gifts that are unopened. Once they are opened they will be filed in the folders as well.

What are the benefits to this kind of storage?
1. No more broken cases. I hate stepping on one accidentally because it got left out. This way, cases are gone!

2. Less dirty and scratched DVDs. In their plastic cases, my kids would constantly be taking out the DVDs - Mainly because they could {you know how kids do things like that}, but also because they wanted to bring me the movie they wanted to watch. This way, the zipper cases are too difficult for them to open on their own... which means... they aren't touching the DVDs and getting them dirty or scratched!

3. If you have a DVD player in your car, or you frequently take movies with you places, you can just grab your folder and go! So easy!!

4. All of your movies are now in 1 place! You don't have to go hunting around in various rooms looking for the movie you want!

If you don't want to do folder cases, here are some other fantastic options for DVD and CD storage.

{source} The Container Store sells these boxes and CD sleeves for a slim, but totally accessible storage solution.


{source} This storage cabinet does double duty! Ikea has some great products and this bookcase and CD/DVD storage cabinet is a great one if you have the space for it! It keeps all of your media in one place. Use baskets to store video game controllers and games. Add magazine files for magazines or skinny books for a streamlined look. You could store your CD cases or the storage file box on these shelves!

How do I store my video game equipment? I found one of those cardboard-type boxes at Target on clearance for only a couple dollars. It fit perfectly in our old TV stand - which now serves as a sort of living room sofa table {it's just screaming for a makeover one of these days!!}

{I need to figure out what other goodies I can store on that bottom shelf!}


The box holds the extra remotes, games, and game instructions. Everything is in the living room where the TV is and is easily accessible {if it's not accessible, you won't use it!}

On top of this TV stand is a small caddy - from Thirty-one - that hold the remote controls for the TV and various electronic components.



It is always so frustrating trying to locate the remotes... so, keep them all together. Use a basket, a box, a caddy, a plate, a small serving tray... anything! Find what works for you, goes with your decor, and is functional!

Good luck!!

Tomorrow: Organizing Office Filing and Bill Paying
No comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 8: Entryway/Mudroom Organization }


If you are lucky enough to have a separate entry way or mudroom... I am totally jealous! My living room and dining room are all in one great big room. So, it's difficult to designate a "mudroom" type area. However, I have an old coffee table {that I got at a garage sale almost 6 years ago for $2} and an under the bed storage box for our shoes. I keep the "shoe box" under the table and the table near the door to our garage {where we go in and out most times}. My table is going to undergo a big makeover - which will be revealed at a later date {with a tutorial}. Hopefully you have a better space at your house for a mudroom or entryway.

So, what can we do to help our space {however big or small it may be} to be a little more organized?

• Go through your shoes: If you are like most of us women you own enough pairs of shoes to wear a new pair every day for almost a month. Go through your shoes, your kids shoes, your hubby's shoes {if you dare} and pick out the ones you wear the most. If the others are in good condition, donate them! Try to narrow down the number of shoes you own and the organizing will be much easier!!

• Go through your coats: Do you have a coat closet in your entryway that is in need of some help? Go through and donate the old coats that are out of date, or that you haven't worn in at least 2 years. Keep the essentials. Any coats that your kids have out grown can be saved for the future or donated.



• Create a key place: By this I mean literally... create a place to put your keys. Then you aren't hunting around the house looking for them every time you get ready to leave. You can use command hooks for less permanent storage, or buy some cute hooks you can screw in to the wall. A simple box or ceramic bowl/plate works well too. Home Goods is a great place to look for small decorative things like that!



• Create storage for your baggage:  Purses, backpacks, reusable grocery bags/totes all need a place to call home! Again, command hooks are great for this! Each child can have their own hook. You can even get cutesy {if that's a word} with it and add a nameplate, or a chalkboard, or a cork board, or something for each child above their hook creating their own personal space! Using a chalkboard or cork board also allows you - or others - to leave little notes for your kids!



• • • • •

As with most organizing, minimalism is the key. If you narrowed down your shoes to your top 10 pairs, keep the 2 you wear most often in the mudroom and the rest in your bedroom closet. Same with your coats. Keep one or two that you wear constantly in the entryway closet and the rest in your bedroom closet. Once summer rolls around you can trade those winter coats for some light sweaters.

Don't let things pile up... and don't let your mudroom or entryway become a dumping ground. It is easy for kids to get home from school, take off their shoes, and throw their backpacks on the mudroom bench or floor. This is where the hard part comes in... you have to train them to use your organization system. They {whoever "they" is} say that if you do something 3 times it becomes a habit. Kids need reminding... lots of reminding... before things become habit. The more you can involve them in the organizing process that easier it will be for them!

Once you have your essential things for your mudroom/entry closet area it's time to organize!! The Dollar Tree or the 99 cents store are great places to get inexpensive storage bins or baskets. IKEA has great storage solutions for reasonable prices too! Make sure you take advantage of all of the space you have! If it is vertical space, add shelves. If it is horizontal space, add a bench and a shoe rack! You have to find what works for you in your space.

I would love to hear any ideas you have about how you organize your mudroom or entryway! Feel free to leave comments or links to any posts you have written about how you keep your space organized!

Tomorrow: Organizing the Entertainment Area

4 comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 7: Organizing your Purse/Diaper Bag and Car }

I don't know about any of you, but I can never find anything in my purse. It is even worse in my diaper bag. Between snacks, pacifiers, diapers, keys, and toys I am f-o-r-e-v-e-r searching for my wallet at the cash register!

So, I am passing on some great things that I have found to help make our shopping lives a little easier... because quite frankly, who doesn't love to shop, even if it's just a quick trip to Target for diapers. {I always walk around the store just looking at everything else}

Here are some of my favorite things when it comes to purse/diaper bag organizing:


This purse organizer can be found here at Divide and Conquer's Etsy shop for $27.95.  What's so great about it? Well, if you are the kind of person who has several different purses or diaper bags, and you are tired of having to unload the contents of your purse and reload them in another... this little cutie will make your life a lot easier. You load all of your things into this. Then when you want to change purses, simply lift the entire thing out of your current purse, and drop it into your new one.
If you have a purse that is seriously lacking in pocket space, this could be a life saver! This particular shop offers a variety of styles and sizes for their purse organizers so that you can find the one that works for you!



How about a little notepad and pen holder? I always have to dig around in my purse for a pen and an old receipt to jot down a note or a phone number. This Mini List Taker by Maya's Kalupi keeps everything together so you can easily find it. The list taker even comes with a little pocket... perfect for your calculator, ipod, coupons, business cards, or whatever else you want. The patterns they have on their list takers are too cute for words and at only $9.50 they are totally affordable!


This cutie is called the Ouch Pouch. It is sold by Pillow So Cute. It comes in 3 different sizes and has enough room to carry your essential first aid items for either your purse or diaper bag. The see through front lets you see exactly what's inside so you know when it is time to replenish supplies. PLUS, you have everything together in one place... no more fishing around the bottom of your bag to find a band aid! They also sell Epipen pouches that are the perfect size for 2 epipens and benedryl packets!



Keep your diapers and wipes organized in either your diaper bag or your purse! I made one of these myself... it's not as cute as these ones are, but it is functional. Dilly Baby sells this Change 'N Go Changing Set for $24. It is large enough to hold a couple diapers, a wipes case, and has a pocket on the back to hold the changing pad {included in the price}. As much as I love sewing and trying to figure out my own patterns for things, sometimes it's just easier to buy it!

Dilly Baby also has these cute list organizers. It is called the Organized Genius.

For $18 this little notepad holder has Velcro closures so that your items don't fall out {great for a diaper bag that gets thrown around a lot}. Something like this would be GREAT in the car -- which leads me to the second half of this post... how to organize your car!

For any of you DIY-er's this is a great one for you!

For $6.50 you can purchase the PDF pattern to make this car seat organizer. These are especially great if you have more than 1 child. Each child can have their own car seat organizer for their own stuff. My kids are constantly fighting over the books, and toys in the car. This way, they each have their own!


Do you have a trash bag in your car? They come in so many cute styles and patterns now. Or, you can make your own! This one comes from the Container Store. Keeping a bag in your car for trash makes a HUGE difference! You will find that you don't have to clean out the inside of your car as often {huge bonus} because the trash is neatly in it's place. If you place a plastic shopping bag or other trash bag in your trash can, it is so easy to just pop it out and throw the trash away!

Always make sure you keep essential emergency supplies in your car, just in case! Small containers or storage bins work well for these items. You want to make sure you keep the following in your car:
• water
• first aid kit
• blanket
• extra walking shoes
• jacket
• non-perishable snacks

If you are ever stuck somewhere - in a storm, natural disaster, etc. - you want to be prepared!

Hope this helps!! I would love to hear your tips and tricks for keeping your purse, diaper bag, or car organized. Leave me a comment and share your tips with us all!

Tomorrow: Organizing the Entry Way/Mud Room

{ I was in no way compensated by any of these companies. I love Etsy and the great things that people have to offer. As a small business owner myself, I also like to support other small business owners.}


3 comments
Labels: ,

{ Day 6: The Office }

To me, my office seems to be a great dumping ground! In my house the office and craft area are combined, so I essentially have 2 rooms crammed into one space.  I am no where near what I would like this room to become, but here is where it is so far:



We have this HUGE add-on to our house {one of the main reasons we purchased this one!} We have divided it into office/craft room and toy/playroom. As you can see in the before picture, there was no real designated space. Kids toys would constantly creep into the office... driving me nuts!

So, a couple weeks ago I decided I would change that! I reconfigured my existing furniture to create a divider between the two rooms. Now, this is not what my ultimate plan is. I would love to have both walls in the office lined with cabinets and a "L" cabinet coming off the left wall {in the pictures} with a large butcher block counter-top working space. This plan gives me tons of needed storage space... with LOTS of counter work space for packaging sales, scrapbooking, sewing, cutting fabric, etc. But, alas, for now it is a dream! I will need to sell a lot of blankets and burp cloths to get there! {Here's hoping!}

I don't have a cleaner, more current, office picture to share because I have a craft fair tomorrow and my office/craft room is a current DISASTER! But, once it gets cleaned up I am going to post some pictures of my nice, neat organized office. For now, you will get bits and pieces.

Here is some inspiration to help motivate us all!


{Pottery Barn}

This home office design also serves as a sort of command central.

{I Heart Organizing}

Just because it is a home office doesn't mean it can't be beautiful! I would love to spend my time working in Jen's space! She has everything simple, neat, and organized. Keeping it simple is the key!

{Real Simple}

If your office is on the small side, make use of your vertical space! Wall shelves are a great way to increase your storage space. Find cute decorative boxes to store your supplies and add some color to your office space. But still, simplicity is the key. Remember to purge!

• • • • •

Whether you have a large office space, or a small one, there are lots of tips and tricks to making it work. Remember my post on creating Command Central... and those cute file folders we were adding to organize our mail, bills, etc.?? Well, once a week you need to empty out those files! Here is what I do:



Once a week my files are emptied in to one of two drawers. My family file drawer, or my business file drawer. Each category has it's own folder. Each folder is clearly labeled so that I can find what I am looking for at a quick glance.

Now, what about all of those manuals from every electronic device, baby item, or power tool that you have purchased? I keep those in a file cabinet in my garage. I have tried to combine like items together. Then I store them in plastic sheet protectors and file them in my cabinet drawer. Why sheet protectors? It keeps them safe, but I can also see what is inside each one at a glance. Then, once I year I can go through them and throw out anything that we don't have anymore. I store them in the garage because, really, how often do you go get those out and read them? I don't need them in the house because they aren't something I am looking at frequently.



I have tried to conserve precious desk space {so that I still have room to work} by having a friend create me a monitor stand. I have had this for years... and to say I love it would be an understatement! It is large enough that I can slide my keyboard under it when it's not in use. On top I keep a square notepad and my wireless router. I totally need to come up with something for all of my cords... but that may be a project for this weekend!



One of the newer additions to my office space is this cute paper organizer from Costco. The bottom tray holds all of my scratch paper. My daughter knows just where to find it when she wants some paper to write on. I also use my scratch paper for quick shopping lists {if I'm running to a store for a couple items and don't want to forget anything} or for writing myself little notes. It also holds my different kinds of paper for the invitations that I sell, along with a place for me to place my completed orders before entering them in my spreadsheet and filing them for good. {It is pretty empty right now since my shop is on vacation.} I use the top shelf on it for my "work in progress" orders. This nifty organizer can be mounted on the wall, or placed on a desk. Mine sits on top of this little drawer organizer that I found at Lowe's.



As you can see, I had this small area between my desk and the wall of the little desk cubby area {for lack of a better term}. When I saw this drawer unit I had to get it! It holds my tapes, paper clips, binder clips, business return address labels and packaging supplies, business fabric tags, sewing patterns, heat 'n bond type items, lollipop sticks, my glue gun and glue stick refills, and much more!

• • • • •

So, now that I have given you a brief tour of my home office space, how do we go about organizing it/keeping it organized?

Step 1: PURGE!
One reason the office space tends to be so disorganized is that we try and keep too much "STUFF" in it. Go through your old files. If you are holding on to paperwork from more than 1 year ago, shred it and recycle the paper.
Suze Orman {or as I like to refer to her as the financial guru} has a great list of how long to keep financial records. Print it out and refer to it as you go through your files this weekend!

• • • • •

Step 2: CATEGORIZE!
If you have been through a couple mortgage companies over the years and have records from different banks, consider labeling your file "Mortgage" instead of the banks name. This keeps all "like" paperwork together. I also keep a "Misc." file folder in my drawer for things like: DMV registrations, the tree trimmer, AAA membership, Costco membership, etc. Things that only happen once a year that you don't need an entire file dedicated to.

• • • • •

Step 3: DECIDE ON A SYSTEM!
If you have a desk drawer for files, great! If you don't, you can get a file cabinet like one of these:

{Pottery Barn}

or a file box like this one:


{The Container Store}

or a rolling file cabinet to stick under your desk like this:



{Courtesy of Sassy Kathy}

Step 4: ESSENTIALS!
Keep your essential items within reach. Whether it's in a top desk drawer, on a pegboard behind your desk, a couple mason jars on top of your desk, a small drawer organizer, etc. The things you use everyday in your office should be within grasp while you are working. Things like:
•pens
• pencils
• hi-lighters
• post-its
• paper
• stapler
• paper clips/binder clips
• tape
• rubber bands
• scissors

Figure out a way to make use of your space so that these things are easily located. If your space is limited, add some wall shelves and place those items in decorative glass mason jars. IKEA has fantastic storage solutions for small items such as those listed. If you are lucky enough to be close to an IKEA, go check out what they have to offer!

Step 5: KEEP IT CLEAN!
As part of your nightly 10-minute clean-up, take a minute or so to de-clutter your office. Put away the items you used and ran out of time to put away earlier. Use your weekly schedule to include time for filing your bills, and important paperwork so that those items don't pile up in your command central.

As I said before... keep it simple. The less "stuff" you keep in your office the cleaner and more organized it will be. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for a day of how to organize your home business {Etsy shop, online shop, what have you}.

Have a great weekend! I am off to my craft fair tomorrow then... time to work on my OWN office!

On Monday: Organizing your Purse/Diaper Bag and the car!

1 comment
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)