Effortless Organizing Tips Part II

Organizing can be effortless--honest. To me it can even be easy, but I will not use that word because every time someone tells me something is easy it ends up being hard for me. I have some more simple tips to help make organizing everything and everyplace in your home effortless.

When phones stayed in one place on their cradle it was easy to find it and hopefully paper and pencil next to the phone. Times have changed and now we can answer the phone and walk all over our home without being tethered to one place. I remember ordering a ten foot phone cord so I would have more freedom when I was talking on the phone.

The same problem exists today as it did back then-where is a pen and paper to write down messages? A white board next to the phone with the pen attached with a Velcro fastener on the board is one option. Or place near the phone scratch paper and a few pens and pencils. Put them in a drawer or in a basket. Keep the pencils sharpened and only keep the pens you like to write with. This saves time hunting for something to write with.

Train your children and others in your home to put items back after using them. Several years ago our family went to Thanksgiving dinner at a relative's home. On the way home our daughters who were in elementary school said, "Mom thank you so much for teaching us to put things away". When I asked them what they were talking about they said they started to play a game after dinner but couldn't because they couldn't find the dice. They couldn't find crayons or colored pens to color. They were going to cut something out and there were no scissors. Needless to say this was a good learning experience for our children.

Don't cram drawers so full you can't find things. This causes endless searching which results in things being scrambled together and requires more time to find what you are looking for.

Label shelves so your family can find things and they know where to return items that have been used. This if effective for closets and cupboards that are used by more than one person from the craft shelves to linen closets.

If you use an address book with two pages for one letter of the alphabet write personal phone numbers on one side and business phone numbers on the other side. This saves time looking for numbers.

Do you carry a purse? Instead of keeping everything in one compartment separate items by using small cosmetic bags, a mesh bag, or designate pockets within the purse for different items. When transferring to a different purse it is easy to transfer the bags and wallet into a new purse.

In the car keep essentials you use in the car like lotion, lip balm, and coins for a parking meter in zip lock bags or a car organizer. You won't have to search for items you use all the time and they will be contained so they are easy to locate when needed.

Divide your grocery list by category to save time at the store. Dairy, meat, produce, canned goods etc. This saves not only time but frustration!

In the kitchen buy several of the same items you use regularly and on the last bottle put a rubber band. When you come to this item you will know it is time to buy more.

Have you heard the saying by the actress May West "Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Wonderful"? It certainly sounds good but if it becomes clutter and gets in our way then it is no longer a good thing.

Simplify everything in your home, by getting rid of items you no longer want or use; this helps make organizing effortless. Remember everything you keep will cost you more of your precious time. If it is out it needs cleaning, if it is in storage, it will be looked at or "gone through" again, if it is paper you will go through it more than once.

Simplify your life and this will make organizing effortless and will bring you giant rewards both in money and in time.