When is the last time you looked around your house?  I mean really looked!  Have you become comfortable with your surroundings?  It's nice to feel comfortable in your home but sometimes we get so comfortable we forget to take a close look at what can sometimes use some improvement.

Most recently, I had a client hire me to organize a few rooms in her home.  When I first spoke with her, she was focusing on the home office and garage.  After we spent some more time talking and she began to take a closer look around her home, she realized that it was more disorganized than she originally thought.  She realized that not only did her home office and garage need some attention, but also her kitchen and bedrooms.

I mention this because we do tend to get "comfortable" and perhaps get used to seeing things the way they have been for so long and don't see that they might need some change.  Sometimes it's function; sometimes it's design.  Sometimes it's both.

The next time you walk through your home, do it with a fresh set of eyes and see what others might see that could use some improvement. 

If you have difficulty figuring out what needs to be done, you might want to consider using a professional organizer to help you not only see the issues but with a fresh set of eyes, see the solutions.  Every room has potential and sometimes you need a professional to show you what that potential can be.

If you have any questions about this topic or have any other organizing issues you would ike me to address, simply send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

Now that the kids are out of school and summer is in full swing, we don't have the time or want to take the time to clean the house.  We want to be outside, on vacation, taking day trips and participating in other summer time activities.

But -- we still need to clean the house.  How do we do both?  We "speed clean"!!

I have compiled some Quick Tips for A Better Space which are great time-saving tips and techniques for cleaning your home in less than an hour.  You can do it all at once or select several rooms a day to do a quick cleaning.  By using these techniques, you can be sure that your home will be clean and you will be ready for summer fun.  

Bedroom - Make your bed first thing in the morning, put your clothes in the hamper, straighten up your night stand and bureau surfaces.  Then quickly dust and vaccum.

Bathroom - Wipe down the shower door or tub surround when finished with your shower.  Spray the entire shower and curtain liner with shower mist (the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner works well).  Take a disinfecting wipe and wipe the sink and faucet, counter top and toilet seat and rim.  Vaccum the area rug and wipe the floor with a damp mop.  (I like the Wet Jet system for quick clean-ups.)

Living Room -  Pick up things off the floor and use a handheld vacuum to pick up crumbs and dust bunnies.  Fluff pillows and throws.  Straighten up books and magazines, throwing away newspapers and store ads.  Put away CDs and DVDs after each use.  Dust from top to bottom, saving the vacuuming for last.

Kitchen - Start with the sink and wipe it down after doing the dishes.  Wipe down the stove top and counters.  Wipe the table.  Use a dust mop, Swiffer Sweeper or vacuum to clean up crumbs from the floor.

With these suggestions, you will find that your home will remain clean and organized and you will have more time to spend enjoying the Summer!

If you have any questions about this topic or have any other organizing problems you would like me to address, simply send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

Have a great week!

This is the fifth (and final) organizing misconception I feel the need to "debunk".

It is the idea that just by writing things down, they will get done.  The truth is, you can write things down all you want, but if you don't act on the items you jot down, they will never get done.

One of my former clients was a stay-at-home mom and loved to make lists.  She had To Do lists, lists of movies she'd wanted to see, lists of chores she wanted to complete, a list of friends she wanted to contact and many other lists too numerous to mention.

The lists were good but here's the problem.  She never got anything done on her lists.  She felt that writing them down was enough.  However, it's only the first step.

I think having lists is wonderful and you should definitely keep them.  They are a great way of getting ideas from your head onto paper and relieving the stress of having to remember everything.  I use them all the time.

However, YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY DO THE THINGS ON YOUR LIST. 

I suggest that you schedule time daily, weekly and monthly to accomplish these tasks.  Some things take more time to accomplish so they can remain on a list for the month, with the idea that at the end of the month, the task is completed.  Put several movies on your list to schedule time to see throughout the month.  Don't overload the list so that the task is not achievable.  It needs to be reasonable in order to achieve it.

Some items can be done within the week and you can schedule time in your week to knock them off your list.  I suggest doing similar tasks together - such as running all errands at the same time, returning phone calls at the same time, paying bills at the same time, etc.

Some things need to be done by the end of the day.  If they are urgent, get them done!

Refer to your lists often and knock off as many things on your "To Do" list as possible.  You need to make a conscious effort to work on the lists that you create otherwise they just become lists and nothing more.  That is not productive and will just become frustrating when the lists grow and grow. 

The ultimate goal is to get the tasks done.

With the help of a professional organizer, you can learn how to best utilize those lists and create time to get them done.  As an expert in time management, I show my clients the quickest, most effective ways to best utilize that "To Do" list and other types of lists they wish to have.

If you have any questions about this topic or have any other organizing problems you would like me to address, simply send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and  I will be glad to help.

Have a great week!

This is the fourth organizing misconception I need to "debunk". 

It has to do with the fact that many people believe that you need to toss everything in order to get organized. 

I once had someone say to me that "There is no way I could get organized because I could never bring myself to toss out everything I have".  I quickly asked where she ever got the idea that she had to.  She advised that "Everyone knows that's what getting organized means." 

I am not sure where she heard this but it is a myth.  You don't have to throw "everything" away; only the things that you don't like or never use.  I don't believe everything that you don't like or never use has to get "thrown away".  I encourage my clients to try to donate or, if there is some decent value to the piece, sell it.  Most times I find that my clients have a much easier time letting go when they know that something is not just being thrown away, but rather given away, either to a family member, friend or charity. 

You want to focus on keeping the things that you love and the things you do use.  There are creative ways to display or store such items.  Depending on the size of the space where things will be stored, you can utilize shelving units, hooks, overhead storage and so many other organizing options. There is no reason to toss the possessions that truly mean something special to you.

Working with a professional organizer will provide you with the opportunity to learn new ways to create functional and aesthetically pleasing options for organizing your possessions.  And don't worry...good professional organizers will never make you throw everything away!

Next time, we will discuss the fifth and final myth...simply writing things down will get them done!

In the meantime, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

This is the third organizing misconception I would like to "debunk" which I am reminded of quite often.  It has to do with being inflexible.

People are creatures of habit.  They tend to continue to do things even if it isn't necessarily working for them just because it's the way they've always done it.  This doesn't mean it's the best way to do it.

I had a client once that described to me how she had set up several trays in her office so that staff members could add paperwork throughout the day that required her attention.

The problem was that the staff members did not feel confident that a high priority project was getting the attention it needed.  They were not sure that it would get handled prior to a lower priority project since everything was added to the tray - no matter what the level of importance. 

Even my client's boss was not at all happy with this system.  He agreed with the staff members that there were going to be some projects that were more important than others.  So, he made a change to the system. 

He decided that all high priority projects were going to be placed in red folders in each of the staff members' trays.  This way, if they had something of high priority, the staff members would be able to place the papers pertaining to that project in the red folder.  Good idea, right?

My client, however, said that initially she didn't want to change her system which she had been using for quite some time.  She was upset.  She couldn't understand why her system, which, in her mind, had been working just fine, had to be changed.  Now, the change was required and she did not have a choice.  She had to be flexible and she had to accept it.  She admitted to me that now that the new system is being utilized, she actually likes it!  She finds she is much more productive.

When it comes to getting organized, you need to be flexible.  Continuous improvement should always be the goal.  No matter what you are doing, there tends to be a better, faster, more efficient and more productive way to do it.

I find sometimes that certain ideas I introduce to my clients are not taken well at first.  I always ask them to live with it for a while and see how it feels.  They tend to find that they like the new way of doing things - they just needed time to get used to it.

Working with a professional organizer will provide you with various opportunities for change that you never thought of before.  It can open your eyes to new ways of accomplishing the same goal.  Give flexibility a try...you might be surprised!

Next time, we will discuss the myth that in order to get organized, you need to throw everything away!

In the meantime, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

Continuing with the same theme as last time, I want to "debunk" another misconception that comes to mind.  Many believe that "multi-tasking" is necessary in order to be organized.  This is so untrue. 

While multi-tasking can definitely be useful in certain situations, sometimes it can actually cause you to lose your focus.  You are distracted by too many things at one time.

For instance, I had a client once that was a graphic designer, named Sue.  She told me about a time when she was working on a very important design project for a major client.  Since she felt she was an excellent multi-tasker, she was always fielding phone calls while she was working on this project.

When the time came to present her project to her customer, it was immediately brought to Sue's attention that there was a major omission in the marketing piece - their phone number!  Needless to say, Sue was very embarrassed.  She had to take additional time to edit the piece and resubmit it to her clients.  

Following this incident, Sue recognized that if she had let her voice mail field her phone calls for her while she was working on this project, she would have fully focused on the project at hand, checking it thoroughly without interruption and would have submitted the project correctly the first time.  She recognized how she originally thought multi-tasking would be productive, but instead learned how counter-productive it can sometimes be.

Whenever you are faced with a larger, more daunting task, you need to block out everything else around you so that you can pay complete attention to that task or project.  

This type of distraction can also be true when working on an organizing project.  I help many of my clients stay focused on the task at hand which enables them to complete the task more efficiently and completely.  When I work with them, we are setting aside a specific amount of time to accomplish a particular task.  I do not allow them to wander off to another room or begin another project until the one we are working on is completed.

You will find that working with a professional organizer will enable you to stay focused and get those long overdue projects behind you.  Keep it in mind...

The next time, we will discuss the art of "flexibility".

In the meantime, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

When speaking with people about organizing over the course of the last five years I've been in business, I have discovered that many people have certain general misconceptions about what it means to get organized.

For that reason, I have decided it would be a good time to "debunk" those misconceptions in a short series of blogs, starting today.

The first misconception that comes to mind is assuming that containers will organize you.  While it is true that containers can be wonderful tools for helping you get organized, containers alone will not help you.

For instance, I once spoke with a photographer, named Jack.  He called me because he was frustrated.  He had purchased 10 large plastic containers with the idea that they would help him organize all of his photography equipment. 

He told me he divided all of his equipment up among the containers, but when he was done, he found he still couldn't find what he was looking for when he needed it and he was frustrated.  He had been sure that this was a good solution, but it turned out not to be so.  Jack had mistakenly assumed that all he needed to do to get himself organized was a few containers.

What he found out after speaking with me was what he really needed was a bit of know-how about what kind of containers would best suit his needs, proper sorting techniques and appropriate storage.  He hired me to do just that. 

Instead of repeatedly spending time and money trying to solve his organizing dilema, he utilized my services to show him and teach him the best solutions for his situation.  Jack learned a valuable lesson that will last for years to come.

Before you go out and waste time and money purchasing the wrong containers or any other organizing storage product, it's important to first learn about how to get organized.  With that bit of knowledge and some planning, you will no longer waste your time and money trying to get organized.  With the assistance of a professional organizer, you will learn what the best organizing solutions are to meet your specific needs.

Something to think about...

Next time, I will discuss the art of "multi-tasking".

In the meantime, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

We are well into Spring and now is the time you will begin to see garage sales popping up in your neighborhood.

With the economy in its current condition, more and more people are finding ways to make a few extra dollars and one way is to have a garage sale.

However, do you know about Garage Sale Etiquette.  It does exist.  As a seller, you should follow these rules for good "garage sale etiquette".

1.  If your advertisement for your sale states it will begin at 8:00 a.m., be ready for people to arrive around 7:30 a.m. unless you include "no early birds" in your ad.  They tend to follow the adage "the early bird gets the worm".   If you do include the statement in your ad, don't sell to them until the time the sale is to begin. Tell them in a polite way that you will sell the item to them when the sales begins, no earlier.

2.  Make sure your pricing of your items is clear and consistent.  If you leave items unmarked or use a confusing pricing system, people will get frustrated and you will find that many leave without purchasing anything.

3.  Be honest about what you are selling.  If something is missing from a set or has been changed, tell your customers or post a sign with the item to explain it.  Don't knowingly sell useless junk.

4.  A garage sale is not the right venue for selling collectibles, antiques or other large ticket items.  People who shop garage or yard sales are looking for low prices on gently used items.  If you want to sell certain items for more money, sell them on E-bay, Craigs List or at a consignment shop or antique store.  Know the value of what you are selling and determine what venue it best fits.

5.  Make sure to tell your neighbors you will be having a garage sale in advance.  They may want to either join your sale and know to expect increased traffic on the street that day.  Be respectful of your neighbors' properties.  If someone arrives and parks in front of your neighbor's driveway, kindly ask them to move their vehicle to another location.

6.  Stage your yard.  Clean it up and don't leave out items that are not for sale, such as patio furniture, lawn equipment, etc.  I suggest moving them out of view, covering them wtih a tarp or blanket or posting a sign on them stating "Not For Sale". 

7.  If you are posting signs in the neighborhood, make sure the lettering is large enough and bold enough for drivers to read.  (I cannot tell you how many times I am riding past a sign advertising a garage sale and I can't read the date, the time or the location.   As a result, I don't give it another thought.  That's a lost potential customer!)  Once you post your signs, drive around and see how they appear to others.  Make sure they are legible to someone who is driving by at a decent rate of speed in their vehicle.  Make a note to yourself where the signs were posted.  (I will explain below.)

8.  After the garage sale ends, go back to the places you posted the signs and remove them.  (This is why you needed to note where you posted them!) 

9.  Make sure you have a cash box or apron with pockets so you can collect money and make change.  Stock up on $1 bills, $5 bills, quarters, dimes and nickels.  If buyers don't have exact change, you need to be prepared to make change for them.

10.  Lastly, be kind.  Smile, ask people if they need any help, engage in light conversation.  Not only will it help you financially to be warm and courteous but it will increase the likelihood of shoppers returning for any sales you may have in the future. 

Wishing you a successful garage sale!!

Until next time, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, please send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

Mother's Day is quickly approaching.  This is when we take some time to stop and appreciate all that our mothers do for us.

Busy moms have a tendency to care for others and forget to take care of themselves.  I have always believed that you cannot be good to others if you are not first good to yourself.

So in honor of Mother's Day, I want to provide a great way to help Mom do something good for herself.

MAKE A "MOM’S TO-DO BOX"

One thing you can do for yourself is to always include some "me-time" while scheduling the other obligations and chores that go along with being a mom.

Create a "Mom’s To-Do Box" that allows a flexible, adaptable method for staying on top of your schedule:

You’ll need:
• a small file box or a recipe box
• 8 dividers, one for each day of the week and one labeled DONE
• 30 3 x 5 index cards

On each card, write or label with a specific chore or obligation.
Some examples might be:
• Laundry
• Grocery Shopping
• Vacuuming
• Car Pool
• Pay Household Bills
• Etc

Be sure to include cards that allow for some "me-time".
Some examples:
• Work out
• Manicure
• Yoga Class
• Power Walk
• Massage
• Read Magazines
• Etc

Keep this box in an easy-to-access/easy-to-see area. As you plan out your week, slot each card into the day of the week you’d like to accomplish the task. Once the task is done, file the card into the DONE category so that you’re ready to plan ahead for the next week.

If you prioritize "me-time" as something that’s as important as all the other chores, you’ll be on your way to finding some balance in your home and life. By taking time for you, you’ll actually be taking better care of your family.

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday was Earth Day.  Did you participate in any way?  If not, perhaps you weren't sure what you could do to.  It's actually very easy to make a positive impact on the environment for yourself and future generations.

Here are a few Quick Tips For A Better Space that you can start today so you can GO GREEN too!

1.  Stop buying bottled water.  Did you know that some bottled water is actually bottled municipal tap water?  Few people can tell the difference, anyway.  Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline and 250 to 10,000 times more than tap water.   If you do buy some bottles, then be sure to recycle them or refill then at home for your next trip or outing.

2.  Check those faucets.  Office workers alone use enough water every day to fill 17,500 olympic-sized pools!  Much of it comes from leaky faucets.  Here's a statistic - a leaky faucet that fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes will waste approximately 3,000 gallons of water a year!  While you're at it, check the outside faucets as well, especially since they were exposed over the winter months.

3.  Use cold water.  When doing your laundry, try to wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible.  Heating water is the #1 energy consumer in many homes.  And while you're at it, use an outdoor or even indoor clothesline to dry your clothes whenever possible.  I always use an indoor drying rack for my delicates and special fabrics.  You can dry them on the line and then just pop them into the dryer on a low setting for a few minutes just to get rid of wrinkles and make them softer.  This will keep the clothes from wearing out and fading so quickly as well, saving you money! 

4.  BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag.  Instead of using the plastic or paper grocery bags the next time you go shopping, bring canvas bags.  You can purchase them inexpensively at most grocery stores these days.  Remember, it takes one 15-20 year old tree to make enough paper for only 700 grocery bags!  And, although plastic is convenient, they are not biodegradable.  They can only be recycled so many times!

5.  Turn off your screen saver; unplug your tv.  The EPA has estimated that using a computer "sleep mode" reduces its energy consumption by 60% to 70%!  So, please turn off your monitor when you are not using it.  At the same time, consider unplugging your tv or using a power strip with a manual on/off switch.  Most tvs, dvd players, game systems and stereo receivers use electricity because they are placed in "standby" mode when you shut them off.  They are not really "off".  However, keep your vcr,dvr or cable box on the regular outlet so it will not lose its programming.

6.  Use a ceiling fan.  Some manufacturers have suggested that a ceiling fan can save up to 40% on summer cooling costs and up to 10% on winter heating costs.  Sometimes, all you need is a light breeze to cool the room in the Spring and Summer and by reversing the fans in the Fall and Winter, you are drawing the heat down to the floor, thereby saving energy. 

You should find these tips easy to implement.  Just by doing these simple things, you to can start to go green!

Until next time, if you have any organizing questions or problems you would like me to address, please send me an email at info@4abetterspace.com and I will be glad to help.

Happy Earth Day!