That's Neat! Blog

Last weekend I worked with one of my toughest customers: my daughter! Believe me, I understand how hard it can be to get other family members to organize their stuff.

We tackled her most challenging area: her craft space.

My daughter is fortunate that she has a little room just for her crafts - with nearly 8 feet of table top space.  When she outgrew her little kid table and chairs we took a trip to IKEA and got her two desks tops and a drawer unit. I thought that would be plenty of room for her to work and still have projects in process. But for the past few months things have just piled up, piled up, and piled up. 

After asking her to “clean up” her craft space for several weeks to no avail, I just pulled the curtains across so I wouldn’t have to look at the clutter (no door in this space). My daughter wondered why the curtains were closed and I told her.

She finally said to me, “Mom, I want your help.” I decided to treat her as one of my clients and get to work.

• Gather supplies. We got her trash can and recycle bin out, and I dove in.
• Sort and weed. I held up item after item and asked, “Do you need this? Do you want this? Where does it go?”
• Give everything a home. We repurposed some glass jars and other bins, to keep the things she used most right at her fingertips. 
• Label. We put “like with like” and then labeled the drawers. (My daughter loves using my label maker.)

My daughter got excited when she found things she had been missing, and was also ready to let go of some half-done projects.

A week in and she has been creating a lot more projects—and keeping the space clean!  

This month my favorite containers are a set of small boxes (sold individually) from Martha Stewart for Staples.

These small boxes solved a big problem: a jumble of junk in my desk drawer.  (Sound familiar??) I have a beautiful home-made desk with a shallow drawer. Typical drawer organizers were too tall, but then I found these boxes and they fit perfectly.

First I bought one box to see if it would fit, and it did! Then I bought some more for the desk, then for the kitchen, then for my daughter’s desk.

I also like that these boxes are wider than cutlery-type holders and other drawer organizers. They can easily hold a certain type of item all together…but they aren’t too big that items get lost.

Watch the video of how I use these boxes at a client’s home from This Mom Needs Help! TV show. 

For the past month I have been helping many of my clients get organized for their tax prep. We’ve found misplaced checkbooks, checked and cross-checked lists of charitable donations, organized bank statements, and made sure they had all the necessary documents.

If you haven’t started now is the time! IF you need help getting started, here are a few tips:

• Keep It Super Simple
• Get an Organizing Buddy

As I helped my clients with their tax prep I kept thinking that I had to get a start on my own. My goal was to have all my tax info to the accountant by the end of February (this week!). Finally after working on taxes this weekend, I think we are on track to get them done.

Next on the agenda, summer trip and camp planning!

When sorting papers or dealing with mail, my clients often put aside requests from non-profit organizations, arts groups, and schools to make an “end of the year gift.”  The folder or pile grows and grows.

Well, the end of the year is around the corner!  Now is the time to pull out that folder or get to that pile of requests, and make your decisions.

Here’s what to do:

• Find your folder or stack of donation requests.
• Grab your checkbook, or your laptop if you pay online.
• Sort requests by organization/group, and throw out multiple requests from the same place.
• If you write checks, keep a list with the organization’s name and the amount you gave this year.  Use this list to be sure you get all the acknowledgement letters.
• If you pay online, you should receive an email confirmation. Set up a file in your email program and file all the confirmation emails here.

With a few simple steps you’ll make your donations and be ready for tax time.

While my husband was in bed with a cold and my daughter fast asleep, I spent the evenings of a recent weekend watching Downton Abbey late into the night. Yes, I know I’m late to the game. I started watching season 1 of the series and was hooked immediately.

What does Downton Abbey have to do with organizing? In such a vast estate as Lord Grantham’s (OK, he lives in a castle), there has to be a large ensemble of household staff to keep everything in order.

How does the staff remember what they need to buy to keep the household running smoothly? In an episode near the end of season one, I saw a vintage organizing tool. In one of the scenes in the kitchen I noticed something intriguing hanging on the wall behind the cook. It passed out of sight quickly but I re-wound and paused it. It was what I thought I had glimpsed: a Household Wants Indicator.

The Household Wants Indicator is a metal board with a pre-written list of items in alphabetical order: from almonds and ammonia, to vinegar and wines. There are metal flags next to each item that you’d flip over as a reminder to purchase the item. The tag is red on the flipped side so it stands out in the list. It’s the original automated checklist!

And while searching online for photos of a Household Wants Indicator, of course I happened upon this app for the iPad.  I might just have to toss my pre-printed paper grocery list for this cool one.