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“Name Phase 1” Contest!

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Win a $50 eGift Card from The Container Store!

Announcing the “Name the Phase 1 of Organizing” Contest! 

We are looking for your ideas for the names of the phases of organizing.  We really want to drive more interaction among us ALL, so that we can support each other in our organizing endeavors and discover how much fun organizing can be….

Contest Rules:

Contest officially begins on Today, Monday, April 2.  We ask that you submit your names to the “Order Your Steps” Facebook page or through the Comments section of this Blog.  Names will NOT be accepted on my personal Facebook page, email or via any other medium. 

Please NO Profanity or Inappropriate Language! 

We will continue to take your name ideas until Monday, April 9 at midnight.   On the morning of April 10, we will publish the names that have been accepted and then we will vote on our favorite via Facebook or the Blog.  So Alert all your friends & family!

On Monday, April 16th, The Winner will be Announced!!!!!! 

The winner will need to give us your email address or facebook info to receive the eGift card.  Your information will ONLY be used for that purpose.

So what is a Good Name?

Please put on your creative thinking caps.

Good Luck!

Now what is Phase 1 of Organizing?

Phase 1 is when you decide in your mind and heart that you need to organize.  In most cases, organizing can be a big decision.  You have grown accustomed to the clutter and it just continues to be overwhelming and taking that first step can be very stressful.  So once you have made the decision and you are truly ready to start and stick with it, you are in Phase 1.  Then, I would suggest that you start with a small area. 

For example:  Under your sink  (kitchen or bathroom)  

 

“Blog Chill Day 3!”

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Happy Friday!

I am a little behind on my posts,

but I will try to make it up to you next week…

Are you thinking of a name for Phase 1 of Organizing?

“Taking the Plunge!”

“One Step at a Time!”

“Jump & Shout!”

“Toss & Turn!”

Be Creative & Let’s have Fun with it!

What do you think?

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These definitions are so funny, yet so accurate! LOL 🙂

Get Organized! with Bridges's avatarGet Organized! with Bridges' Blog

Here is a funny excerpt from Sandra Felton and Marsha Sim’s brand new book, SMART OFFICE ORGANIZING

…more Diagnoses by the D.O.(Doctor of Organization) Chapter 3, “Not Brain Surgery…but close”

Decisionalysis. Paralysis of the decision-making ability of an individual.

Clutterholic. Compulsively creates chaos in well- ordered areas.

Shelf Denial. Avoidance of acquiring enough shelving to hold the necessary equipment, resulting in the use of floor space as one large flat shelf.

Distractophelia. Condition of repeatedly losing focus in the middle of a thought or action, resulting in a trail of started-but-unfinished activities.

“Creating and maintaining an office that both looks good and works well definitely isn’t as difficult as performing brain surgery. But for many of us who
seem to have come up short in the distribution of organizing genes, it feels like it is.”

I thought these definitions were quite entertaining and I wanted to share them with you…

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“The Shredder”

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We talked last week about “what to do with the paper”.  After you have sorted through your paperwork, you will also need to throw things away.  If you are a fan of my “Order Your Steps” facebook page, I sent out a link from the Container Store called “Document Storage Guidelines”.   The most CRITICAL factor when discarding paper is your privacy and identity.  You want to be very careful not to give thieves access to your personal information (although with the Internet, you wonder just how private is private). … You want to have a “Shredder”.

 

DO NOT get a cheap one!  My husband, I mean “we” bought this one.  You can see the piles of “personal data” which needs to be shredded.  Now DON”T buy a shredder if you don’t intend on shredding the paper.  But once you invest in a Heavy Duty Paper Shredder, that you are going to use, I would suggest that you put it where you sort your mail and or your home office. 

When you get your mail out of the box, please do the following:

  • Toss the junk mail immediately.  Put it in your recycle bin, if applicable.
  • Put your personal stuff, i.e. the millions of credit card offers in your shredder or in a “to shred” bin (like the blue one).
  • Place the bills, letters or other mail that requires your attention in a designated place.  Establish a specific time to go through this mail, so that it DOES NOT PILE UP.  It can happen very quickly.

It is also my understanding that there are shredding companies that will pick up and or shred your paperwork at your home.  I believe that many charge “cents by the pound”.

There are a few other things to consider when you throw away paper, you want to make sure that you don’t have addresses, phone numbers, etc. hidden among your paper.  Lastly, you want to be prepared for Tax Time, which is closely approaching.  It is a lot better to prepare throughout the year.  You want to have a special “Tax File” to put anything pertaining to taxes, so that you are ready when Tax Season is here!

  April 15th is less than a month away….

 

 

Related articles

Benefits of Being Organized

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I couldn’t have said it better myself. Please read and take it to heart!

serenajenkins's avatarLiving Well

I have not always been organized, not by a long shot, tho ever since I started being organized, the benefits are SO significantly beneficial and obvious, I’ve been inspired to be that much more organized… and now my hope is to inspire & help others rid their life of un-wanted, un-used and un-loved STUFF. Just imagine being surrounded ONLY by things that are positive representations of love. Although the process of “purging” (going through things and deciphering what is to stay and what is to go) can definitely be overwhelming… moving beyond the stuff to lead a lighter and happier life is a feat worth taking on. As I’ve said in a previous post, allow your energy or initial instinctual reaction to each item guide your decision making. Here are a few motivating examples of side effects your hard work will be rewarded by: less stress, more energy & better…

View original post 216 more words

“Blog Chill Day”!

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I’ve decided to name Fridays, “Blog Chill Day” (primarily because I really don’t have a post for you today! 😦 )  Normally, when I first wake up, I get a flood of ideas for my blog, but today, NOTHING!  Besides, I have given you a LOT of information over the past few weeks, hopefully, some helpful and some simply entertaining. 

What I would like to share with you today are some of my idiosyncrasies, as a naturally organized person.  I have been trying to get my husband to share from his perspective, but he still refuses???  (except for me making up the bed on our honeymoon, which he shares every chance he gets :-)…. 

But just to name a few things about me, starting with couple of spots in the house…

BEFORE

 

AFTER

The Lazy Susan in the kitchen has to be straightened at least one or twice a day. OCD??

BEFORE

AFTER

The Table in my Family Room, too neat maybe??

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And then that are a few little things outside the home, especially in restaurants:

  • I have to straighten the appetizers, so that they are easier accessible to everyone.  Yes, I know that the table is only so big…
  • I have to put the salt and pepper shakers, condiments, etc. back to where they were
  • I put the packets of the various sugars in their proper order
  • I stack the empty dishes so that they are ready when the waitperson returns, but only in places like IHOP, Bob Evans, etc.  I try to resist in the finer restaurants.

AND That is enough for now …

Hope you enjoyed “Blog Chill Day”! 

Until Next Week, Enjoy your Weekend!

Organizing “System”

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I guess now you are wondering how do you develop an “Organized System”.  It is fairly simple, you have to arrange your “stuff”, so that you:

  • Know what you have 
  • You know where to find it, and
  • You can get to it fairly quickly. 

Normally, you organize “like” items; i.e., clothes, spices, paper,etc.   You have to decide what is the most efficient way to organize:

  • Height of the container
  • Size
  • Symmetrical (Be Creative)
  • Alphabetical order
  • Color
  • Etc., etc. etc.

Then, of course, you have to remember your “system”, SO KEEP IT SIMPLE!   For example, you may have all the “C” spices together.  It would be a bit ridiculous to have Chayenne pepper, Chili powder, then Cumin.  A little TOO much detail and Believe It or Not, you and your family would not be able to maintain it.  You want the people in your household to buy-in to your system, help develop the system and then they will be more likely to maintain it. 

 

 

Another example, would be organizing your clothes.  At first, it is imperative that you sort and purge (I know that I am beginning to sound like a broken record).  But, in order to get organized;

 

  1. You have to go through all your items
  2. Determine what you are going to keep
  3. What you are going to give away
  4. Then arrange what’s left in the most efficient manner that you can. 

You may organize by color, work versus casual, or simply tops and bottoms, suits, dresses, etc. 

Lastly, I will say that you also want to organize / arrange your stuff according to how often you use it.  The things that you use often should be on the lower shelves (or closer to the front) and those things that you very seldom use, can be on a higher shelf (or in the back).

Well enough rambling for now!

However, this would be a good time for you to ask me questions and let me know how I can help you with your particular organizing project.  Organizing can really be fun! 

More tips on Monday!  Don’t forget Daylight Saving Time!