Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Organizing your Car's Trunk

As you make a turn in your car, do you hear the tumbling of water bottles, soccer equipment and empty beverage cans/bottles bouncing about behind you?

If you don't have a plan to contain these items, every time you go to place your groceries into your trunk you will be greeted with chaos leaving you no clear area to plop your newly purchased items.

Here is one quick organizing solution for getting your items organized in your car trunk:

(Now, I never said "Junk," nor as a professional organizer would I refer to your items as such.)

With your new plan to keep your daily trunk items in one place, you now have lots of free space for all your shopping needs.

What is the oddest thing you found in your trunk?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Do You Seriously Dust Your Magazines?

Magazines.

Who knew these innocent little reads could cause such headaches as the pile up around you, if you do not keep them in control.

Here's a quick organizing video from Your Rocket Organizer to help encourage you to get your magazines purged and organized:

Grab a brown paper grocery bag and start loading it up with your old magazines. Any magazine over 3 months has got to go. Most articles are available on-line if that is your justification for keeping it. If there is a layer of dust on them, it has got to go. (plus do you seriously want to dust a magazine?)

Please consider dropping off your magazines to a recycling center or check with you local school to see if they may need them for art projects.

Remember getting organized is an investment in yourself.

Enjoy the day!

What's your favorite magazine?

Monday, August 15, 2011

Organizing for Back to School


Back to school can be a stressful time of year. Families must change from the laid-back summer schedule to the non-stop school and activity calendars that keep you jumping from one activity to the next without a moment's rest.

Here are some tips:

Plan Ahead - The only way you can command your time is to consciously map it. When you monitor your family schedule, you can then plan how and when to accomplish important back-to-school tasks, such as replacing clothes, purchasing school supplies, and attending back-to-school night. Stock your kids' homework stations with pencil and paper basics while purchasing classroom items.

Plan for Paper - Before you start stacking all those important school papers in a long forgotten corner of your kitchen, or on top of last month's bills, put your paper trail in place beginning with in/out boxes for each family member. Show everyone where to place their papers and then sort them daily with your planner at hand to note important deadlines and tasks.

Plan to Purge - We all do better with a clean, organized environment. If you haven't yet gone through everyone's closets, dressers, and bedrooms while evaluating wardrobes for school, do it as soon as you have your routine in motion. Make room for the year ahead by rounding up all outgrown items, discarding everything that can't be repaired, both in the toy and clothing departments. For items in good condition, arrange for a charitable donation or enlist your kids' help and plan a yard sale in late September.

School starts September 6th for my boys here in Michigan.
I'm working on our family schedule for the Fall.
I've got the paper plan down.
I need to dump out my boys dressers and see what fits.

Guess I better get to work......Ah, but it is a beautiful sunny day.
Back to school stuff can wait one more day.

Are you ready for the school year?

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Big, Thick, Black ...

Either you make lists or you do not.

Chances are if you DO make lists, you are getting things done more efficiently and without the stress of:

"D'OH! I forgot the bread!"


In this clip Your Rocket Organizer (me ... smile), chats about lists and how they can help you get organized:



What's the funniest thing you have added to your list only to cross off?