Temporary measures

This client is "making do" with garage sale finds while deciding what real office furniture she needs to purchase. The two biggest problems she is facing right now is that this furniture is too small for the amount of work she has and she has no filing system so what little flat surface she's got is cluttered with her work papers.


Before I could advise her on what furniture to purchase, I met with her for a few hours of sorting through the papers to determine what needed to be kept and then I created temporary filing boxes to house the papers. I rearranged the desk and sorter a bit to give her some more flat surface to work on.

Teachers asking for help

Things are certainly different from when I went to school. I had a public education in a middle class neighborhood and I don't recall that we were lacking anything.

I recently found a website for teachers who are forced to beg the public for additional school supplies. Amazing - this is the United States!

If you want to help, go to www.donorschoose.org and put in your city in the search field to read what teachers in your area need. Sometimes it's just a few dollars that can make a huge difference.

Are you going to throw all my stuff out?

Last week Peter Walsh was featured on Oprah clearing out a home in San Jose. After the show I received 2 calls from prospective clients asking me if I would be dumping everything they owned in boxes and tossing them out the front door.

My answer was "No, and I don't know of any other organizer who would do that". Peter is a wonderful organizer and great ambassador of our profession, but he works quite differently than the rest of us do. He is also filming a show for TV and that has to be taken into account.

Every job is different and every client needs to be treated respectfully while coming to terms with all that has been accumulated. My job is to work with the client through the process of sorting and deciding until we have an agreement on the disposition of items. Only then do items leave the premises, hopefully to be repurposed or recycled.

Project file boxes

When I have a project that requires a collection of multiple papers, files, magazines or even small objects, I use a plastic file box to keep them all together. I use a P-Touch label and when the project is over, I take the label off and it's ready for the next big project. I get my boxes at Office Depot or The Container Store.

Cell phones for soldiers

Got any old cell phones hanging around the house or office? Here's a great way to make use of them... send them off to our troops so they can call home. Go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com to find out the details and send your phones.

Remember to do a "hard reset" to erase your personal data from your phone before you send it. Just follow the instructions in your manual or go to the phone manufacturer's website and search for the instructions.

Mining for silver

Our current project takes us on an archaeological dig in an East Bay garage. We are in search of a silver service that has been missing for years. Can you find the silver tea set?


Yep, you're getting warmer...


And there it is... isn't it nice that the silver polish is right there on the tray!


Guess where this set ended up??? After all those years of taking up a shelf in the garage, it got donated to charity. It was only silver plate and the homeowner never even liked it!!

Looking up!

Our client struggled with how to best utilize the upper cabinets in her small Real Estate Office. Cabinets can be tough when you are dealing with storing objects of different heights and when you only have a limited number of shelves available. The inclination is to build stacks of items, but soon, it gets out of control and chaos takes over.


Before...



After...

We used vertical sorters to hold files and marketing folders. We used horizontal stacking paper trays to hold all the different cover sheets and letterhead papers. Like items were grouped together and contained in baskets and clear plastic containers so they can be easily identified. Things used often are on the bottom shelves and the rest live above.