I’ve worked as a Professional Organizer for almost 18 years & there are a few things that I simply could not live without. There are also some “commandments” that I try to bestow on my clients & it never ceases to amaze me when they tell me that they hear me in their head sometimes… “Laurie would want me to purge this or Laurie would tell me that I don’t need to buy another set of dishes, etc.” I love my job & I hope you love some of my suggestions!
Thou shalt not hand write on file folders or the sides of boxes! It makes my eye twitch when I open a file drawer & see handwritten file folders. Unless you have the handwriting of an Interior Designer PLEASE use a label maker! You can also use the Avery Label Stock & use your printer to get fancy with fonts & colors but at the very least you can purchase a simple label maker like the one above (I literally have this exact same one) and see how much nicer things look with a more professional label.
Always, always, always use clear storage bins. Clear bins help in many ways but most of all you can actually SEE everything that is in the box (especially those little itty bitty goodies that hide at the bottom). Another plus is that you don’t need to make labels for these boxes & even better… should you change the contents of the box you won’t need to make another label when you change things around down the road. I literally use clear boxes for everything from a first aid kit to sweater boxes & even my light bulbs in the garage.
I love these acrylic shelf dividers for the closet. If you are one to fold & store these items in your closet these dividers are great to separate your t-shirts from your sweaters and to keep them from falling over onto one another & making it look sloppy. Why go to all the trouble of folding everything so nicely to then have it topple over? These beauties take care of it for you & will keep things nice and neat & easy to see.
Huge fan of this simple wooden peg rack. I recommend these for hats: just line a few of them up & hang your hat collection. They are great for hoodies: my son has quite a collection & asking him to fold/put his hoodies away is like pulling teeth so I put this in his room & the hoodies are off the floor (most of them at least – I try to pick my battles with teenagers). I’d recommend them by the back door: would you rather have jackets on a hook or strewn on the floor or a chair? I thought so, hooks win every time!
Seriously, this is one of the first things I purchase for my clients when we are organizing, I can’t get enough of them! They are great for drawers in the kitchen, bathroom, office & anywhere throughout the house. The different sizes allow them to fit into a drawer with other drawer organizers or put one in a drawer & use the rest of the space for other items. They’re great for makeup in the bathroom drawers & for organizing Sharpie’s in the office. Truly an awesome product line that I recommend frequently.
This goes against my clear storage suggestion, but I think you should use these for bigger jobs or in an area of your home that you need to pick up frequently (such as the family room for toy storage). The bonus of these is that they fold up for storage & can be stashed when not using them which is awesome.
There is a theme to my organizing style: I believe that you need to SEE things in order to find them. This is true on my desktop too. I keep my current files in a step file on the corner of my desk so that they are easy to grab & they also serve as a reminder of what I’m currently working on. It’s also nice to pop paperwork in them when I’m clearing off my desk, makes cleanup easy!
These storage boxes are great for specific projects, I use them especially for when I’m doing my Holiday cards. It’s great to be able to stash items in there as I gather them (stamps & return address labels for example) & then tote it along with me as I work on the project. I can setup in front of the TV & then easily pack up & move when necessary, works great!
Inevitably when going through clients paperwork we find special papers and cards that should be saved (or at least tucked away to be purged later). I recommend “happy boxes” & these stackables are decorative & fun. It’s great to be able to just stash special items with the intent to go through them at a quiet time & throw some of it away (you don’t need to keep every birthday card you’ve ever received, you really don’t).
Remember when I mentioned earlier that I store everything in clear bins? I mean it, everything! My shoes are literally ALL in clear boxes like this (my sweaters too). I don’t want anything to get dusty so I keep it all stowed away on and off season. I challenge your kids (or husband) to say they can’t find something when it’s stashed in one of these clear bins, LOL!
This is just a sampling of my favorite Organizing products. There are thousands of great tools out ther to help keep your life running efficiently but these will help you get started!
What organizing goodies can’t you live without?
About Laurie Meek
What do you think?