Organizing strategies

As I have been prepping for my organizing workshop tomorrow, I've come up with some basic organizing strategies that I use to get people organized.

1. Keep like things together. Think peanut butter and jelly, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and hammers and nails.

2. New things in, old things out. Whenever you find your self at the check out counter, be asking yourself - where will this go and what things will leave to make room for these?

3. Limit room functions. A bedroom is a place of rest and relaxation. It also can be the place you dress, but adding a TV, a library and an office is just too much for one room to handle.

4. Label it. Putting labels on boxes, bins, shelves or cabinets gives everyone in the family the opportunity to know where things live. The bread goes in this box - BREAD.

5. Zone it. Create areas where like things are kept together. Kitchens are a natural for creating zones - the baking zone, the pantry/food zone, the pet zone, etc.

The "good" dishes

How many of us have certain items in our house that we absolutely love, but can't bring ourselves to use? Lately I have been running into this quite a bit...

Sets of dishes pushed to back of a cabinet, clothes stuffed into the back of a closet, furniture covered with an old sheet, quilts that never see the light of day...

What is the point of having these things if no one ever sees or uses them? Yes, dishes can break, furniture can fade, and clothes can get stained if they are actually worn. But things are meant to be used and enjoyed, not stashed away never to see the light of day.

One of my clients is dealing with sorting through his house after the death of his wife. He is stunned to learn how much stuff she had that he never remembered seeing or using...4 sets of china, 3 sets of silverware, tons of linens - none of which they ever used that he can recall. "Why did she have all this if we never used it?"

Into the closet

I love to watch House Hunters International on HGTV. It is really interesting to see how the rest of the world lives. One thing is for sure, no where else on the planet do people use/need more closet space than we do in the US. In fact, in most of the shows I see, there is generally one small clothes closet, in a master bedroom, and maybe some "up" space in another room for storage.

And it's only the Americans who even mention closets on this show. Most Europeans don't even bat an eyelash over the lack of closet space. So what is it about our love affair with closets? Why do we have so much stuff to hide? Which came first, the stuff or the closets to stuff it in?




This is the new apartment of my friends who have moved to Holland...not a closet in sight! This apartment is for 2 adults and one child.

Upcoming events

For the month of February I am partnering with Debbi DiMaggio, of Highland Partners, in Piedmont, to support Wardrobe for Opportunity. All during the month you can drop off your gently worn, clean, office appropriate clothing donations (on a hanger, please) at Highland Partners office (342 Highland Ave., Piedmont).

Debbi is doing great things for the community by offering her office as a focal point for events and workshops, open to the public. On February 24th I'll be speaking about Your life.Organized.™, stay tuned for details....

Wardrobe for Opportunity (WFO) is an innovative nonprofit organization that empowers low-income jobseekers across the Bay Area with the skills, tools and support they need to find and maintain employment, build successful careers and, ultimately, achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Since 1995, Wardrobe for Opportunity has helped over 17,500 low-income members of our community, referred from over 150 job-training and social service partners. Serving clients from our two locations in downtown Oakland and Concord, WFO has achieved impressive results.