join | what's new | site map
Home Site Map Crafting Ideas Family Fun Parenting Home & Garden Holidays Funbook Forums
Your online source for free family fun, craft projects, parenting advice, and more...
Tell a Friend or Two
Cratfs & Fun
Kid's Crafts
Kid's Recipes
Holidays
Family Fun
Our Experts
Ages & Stages
Education
Home & Garden
Just For You
Parenting
Fun Stuff
Pets
Humor
Games
Message Boards
Photo Gallery
Blogs
 

Craft Supplies



 
Alternative Organizing Solutions
by Debbie Williams

You've read all the books, magazines, and tips on organizing the clutter in your home. But something's missing in the equation and things are just not going as smoothly as they should.

Guess what? Organizing tips and expert advice are just that, advice and tips. Professional organizers are real people too, and they realize that the systems you create for your filing systems or paper clutter will not work perfectly forever and ever. You have to tweak, tug, and modify them until you make them your own; and that's just part of the solution.

No man (or woman) is an island, so it makes good sense that your planning and organizing efforts are not going to work all day every day unless you have help. Afterall, unless you live and work completely alone, you will have help in CREATING the clutter, so why not get help in MANAGING it?

Theoretically, you should create a list of chores or procedures for your home or office, delegate as many of these tasks as possible, and serve as a supervisor to make sure things get done. But that would be in a perfect world, and things just don't always go that smoothly around my house - what about yours?

Here are a few real life strategies for those of you trying to figure out how to balance it all with your family life. After years studying, researching, and regrouping, I've found the following unorthodox organizing products to be invaluable for containing (not conquering) the clutter in my own home:

WOODEN CIGAR BOX
Remote controls multiply; it's a known fact. Even if you use a universal remote for your audio/video system, you still have all those others that need to be used occasionally. Consolidate them into a wooden cigar box purchased inexpensively from a tobacco shop. This will solve the question of "where did I put the remote" and keep the neat freak in your home happy at the same time.

TWEEN RACK
I wish I had invented this, but the Shakers beat me to it. Use a pegged coat rack to hang not-so-dirty clothes (the wooden kind you use for hanging jackets and hats in your mudroom). Kids, teens, and adult males know all about this category of laundry, but it takes wives and mothers a little while to catch on to the system.

* Clothes that aren't stained, don't stand in the corner by themselves, or walk to the laundry room belong in the tween category. Don't hang them back up in the closet and don't wash them yet -- they'll be worn again. If your tween stacks are having baby stacklets of their own, then buy a tween rack from a dollar store, discount store, or organizing product catalog. It will save your sanity! Hang one in each bedroom or closet near the stack creators.

DEAD ZONE
There is a space between refrigerator and cabinet (or wall) that I fondly refer to as the dead zone. No pet or child can possibly squeeze into it for hide-and-seek, no vacuum has ever touched it, and very little can be stored there.... until now.

Store cookie sheets, serving trays, science fair boards, or tagboard portfolios for the kids' artwork in this newly claimed space. Think tall and thin and the options for storage are endless. And if you don't want to think or plan this space of your home, keep it clear for utilitarian use only, stashing brooms and dustpans there for quick
retrieval.

MIRACLE IRON
This is the lazy man's iron, and is my father's miracle cure for avoiding wrinkled laundry. If you have not folded, ironed, or put away the last load (or was it two?) of laundry in your home, don't rewash and redry the already clean clothes - that's a huge time waster. Save time and energy by tossing the entire load into the dryer with a damp towel - a low or warm setting for 10-15 minutes should do the trick, and I highly recommend using a lint-free dishtowel.

NO MAN'S LAND
If all your attempts at organizing, decluttering, nagging, and bombing have failed in certain areas of your home or workspace, designate that No Man's Land. I hereby give you permission to walk away from the smelly, candy wrapper-infested wasteland that was once your teenager's room - don't clean it, don't nag about it, and don't sweat it! I firmly believe that each of us has a unique level of organizing, and as with politics or religion, we shouldn't feel compelled to impose those standards upon another. Now I'm not saying that it's ok for you to never clean your home, office, or car again. What I am saying is that each of us needs to have a space or haven to call our own, and if your significant other likes having cigar butts on the garage floor or your daughter insists that she likes having all her hairstyling paraphernalia in plain sight on her dresser, then it's ok for you to respect their organizational standards. Afterall, you have the rest of the house to contend with, and like it or not, there is definitely plenty of space to organize.

Being organized is an ongoing journey, a process not a product, and I for one would like to have a pleasant journey free from nagging, cajoling, and harping.

What's Related
10 Simple Organizing Ideas
Cheap Organizers
10 Steps to a Presentable Home
Shortcuts to Organize Your Life

About the Author
Debbie Williams is a professional organizer, author, speaker and radio host who offers tools and training to help you put your life in order. Learn more tips like these in her book, Common Sense Organizing (Champion Press Ltd, January 2005)


Did you enjoy this article? Rate It! | Tell A Friend

 

Free Newsletters
Monthly newsletter:
Daily crafts, recipes, & tips:

Coming Up

Thanksgiving

The leaves are almost done falling and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! Whether you are looking for fun crafts, great recipes, or costume ideas, you'll find it all here. Here are a few examples to get you started...

More Holidays...






Follow FamilyCorner on Twitter!
Contests & Giveaways
new on familycorner.comWin Fun Stuff!

Check out all the fun goodies we are giving away here at FC...

Check out all of our contests here! Giveaways change every couple of weeks, so be sure to check back often. Several giveaways going on at once!

Recently Added
New Stuff

new on familycorner.comMissed the last couple of newsletters? Haven't visited for a while? This section highlights articles and crafts that have recently been added to FC...


Coming Up


Cardboard Pilgrims


Handprint Turkey


Clay Pot Pilgrim


Clay Pot Pilgrim
Family Podcasts

Hosted by Caroline & JacquieFamily Matters Radio
FMR is a nationally syndicated radio program developed to help you live your best life, hosted by Caroline & Jacquie. No rants and raves - you get enough of that from your kids. Choose a segment below to begin listening!


 
FamilyCorner.com Magazine
OUR FRIENDS
Craft Supplies
Family Stickers
Children's Halloween Costumes
Letter Stencils
Main Street Mom
FamilyCorner The Blog
Amanda's Cooking Blog
Amanda's Craft Blog
MORE GOOD STUFF
Newsletters
Advertising
Services
Submissions
Media Opportunities
Link To Us
Shop
Feedback
Staff
POPULAR AREAS
Family FunBook
Forums
Kid's Crafts
Coloring Pages
Household Hints & Tips
Photo Gallery
Blogs
e-Cards
Reminder Service


Contact Us | Copyright Notice | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use/Disclaimer

Copyright © 1997-2009 FamilyCorner.com FamilyCorner.com® is a registered trademark of FamilyCorner.com, an Internet Brands Company