January is "Get Organized" Month!

Happy New Year!
Have you made your New Years resolutions yet? One of the top three resolutions is to "get organized". The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has delegated January as the month to tackle your clutter! Everyone has a wish to be more organized in an area of their life- we have seen that with our MyHome2.0 families! Do you see all the containers filling the stores ready to box up your old stuff and Christmas decorations? Do you see all the new commericals for office supplies, gadgets, and tools ready to help you stay organized in 2008?

As a professional organizer, I help people tackle their issues at every level in their homes. Paper, toys, clothes, kitchens - my goal for clients is to help people learn a system that works for them that they can maintain on a day to day basis. Sometimes its a simple solution or routine they might not have thought of, or redesigning an area to suit a better function, but it almost always includes clearing out excess things we dont use or need anymore. Thats always the best place to start for any area.
If you have a question or problem area you need a slution for - feel free to post a question or email direct.
Here s to a happy, healthy and more organized New Year!

~Amy

I voted for "Every room in the house," although my kitchen is kinda-sorta organized compared to the rest of the house.

I think for me it boils down to too much stuff and not enough house...my girlfriend and I have vowed to have a garage sale soon, though. We have tons of CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes (embarrassing to admit, I know) crammed onto 3 shelving units from 2 former apartments, none of which match each other, of course. We just got an Ikea near us, though, so we're hoping to find some new living room furniture/storage there.

But mostly it'd be nice if my girlfriend would go through her THREE CLOSETS full of clothes and get rid of a few things. Sorry, make that 2.75 closets -- I forgot about the lower-left corner of the master bedroom one I'm allowed to use. ;)

My wife and I need a professional organizer for sure! We both share a small home office that is very awkward in terms of where the door, window, and closet are located. We have two small desks but in general the place looks like a hurricane swept through.

I have a laptop, so I usually go work in another room but my wife isn't so lucky.

I gotta say "Papers/Books/Office". It amazing how many papers pile up, even in these 2.0 times. Of course, if I had a supercool Secret Lair Batcave created by a professional Redesign Team, I wouldn't spend any time in an office space anyway.

I heard that, Spiegs! I try to stay on top of my papers, sending them either to a file folder or the shredder ASAP, but I'm still constantly amazed by how much paper ends up piled on my desk.

And don't even get me started on the forest of expired coupons in my junk drawer....

[quote="Jim 2.0"]I voted for "Every room in the house," although my kitchen is kinda-sorta organized compared to the rest of the house.

I think for me it boils down to too much stuff and not enough house...

That is the biggest misconception - but we all like our "stuff" dont we? here are some solutions - anything -the clothes, cds,vhs,books, that has fulfilled their purpose and you have outgrown its stye or tastes, then pass them on to someone you know who might like them! Start those garage sale boxes now and when you come across things you know you dont want toss them in - so half the work is done! Or if you can resell at some stores, to upgrade or make some money that way! Otherwise donate to a good cause because there are people out there who could use them more.

[quote:502c2e33a4="Clem Ato"]We both share a small home office that is very awkward in terms of where the door, window, and closet are located.

Clem - if the closet isnt used for clothes then you have a great option of redesigning it with shelves and maybe even fitting one of the desks in there - also look to your vertical space and add shelves above the desks to store magazine holders to file unused papers/files. Always have an IN box and OUT box so you can keep track of those tasks you completed, that can go to a file cabinet or box.Otherwise , discard it.
Also think vertical in terms of storage On your desk - like a file holder so you resist the tendancy to keep piling papers on top of each other.