Choose one behaviour you want to change, such as putting something back where it belongs after using it. Do it consistently for 30 days, rewarding yourself every five days. After 30 days, it will become automatic. -- Shari Puddicombe, 5-S Simple Organizing Solutions, Montreal
Edit your greeting cards after each occasion; keep only a few special cards from each person in your life. Store the keepers in a card box. -- Susannah Coneybeare, The Sorting House, Toronto
Divide light and dark laundry into designated baskets so you don't have to sort while loading the washer. Wash and dry socks in separate mesh bags filled by each family member to avoid the trouble of sorting later. -- Lina Phan, Organized by Design, Pointe Claire, Que.
Cover the inside of an armoire or closet door with bulletin-board cork and hang necklaces, bracelets and earrings on push-pins. Stick the brooches right into the cork. -- Carol Manuel, Everything In Its Place, Lower Sackville, N.S.
Have a mending bin to store clothing in need of repair, otherwise shirts without buttons and pants needing to be hemmed can become clutter at the bottom of the closet. -- Douha Al Sawan, Dives Solutions, Laval, Que.
Keep your rented videos and library books separate from your personal collections by storing them in a large basket in your family room. -- Faye Stone, Organizing Coach, Burlington, Ont.
If you see something out of place -- keys, mail, newspapers or toys -- and you're going in the direction where they're kept, pick them up and put them away. -- Jacqueline Donovan, Organizing Your Lives, Oshawa, Ont.
Organize tools in the garage or workshop in old heavy-duty steel filing cabinets outfitted with casters (label the drawers so the contents are easy to find). -- Sandra L. Sornberger, Absoluteorder.com, Dunsford, Ont.
Organizing your time is crucial for a more organized life. If you feel overwhelmed by too many things, decide on a maximum of five to seven key areas that are directly related to your happiness and success, and try to focus only on those areas. Make sure daily tasks are always related to the areas you've chosen and let the unimportant stuff go. -- Jane Veldhoven, Get Organized! Professional Services, Halifax
Turn crawl spaces into accessible storage areas with bins on wheels or build a plywood storage platform and attach casters and a rope handle. -- Judy Besserer, Homefree Organizational Service, Ottawa
Store gold and silver earrings separately if you own a lot. You'll save time finding a pair. -- Eileen Chong, Simple Organizing Services (S.O.S.), Thornhill, Ont.
Corkboards cause clutter! Instead, buy a mounting strip and hooks (like the kind for hanging kitchen utensils), mount the strip above the desk in your home office and hang big bull-nose clips from the hooks. The strip holds a ton. -- Marie Harrison, Be Organized -- Achieve More, Vancouver
Newsletter
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
RSS