You Can Become Organized!

Being organized isn’t just a physical process, it’s also a psychological process and it brings psychological benefits. When your home is clutter-free, your brain will feel clutter-free. You’ll find it easier to relax when things are always in their place and you are living with less. Want to feel better about your life? Then it’s time to get organized! Before you start, read through the common mistakes and misconceptions you may be making. You will find my simple tips helpful in getting you back on track. 

Misconception: You’re either naturally organized or naturally disorganized. 

While not all of us were born with a label maker in hand, nearly all of us have the ability to become better organized. You can be taught! And even better: you can teach yourself to keep up easy habits that will turn you into an organized person. Don’t tell yourself that there’s no hope for you, because there is! All it takes is a shift in attitude, some research, and a bit of new habit-forming.

Misconception: I’ll do it later.

Being organized saves time in the long run. Don’t procrastinate. Schedule a time for each organizing project you want to accomplish; breaking each goal down into realistic expectations within a set time. Use a calendar, make appointments with yourself, and then actually show up to your own appointment!

Misconception: I can organize my entire home this weekend!

If you try to accomplish an organizing revolution in your entire home during one weekend, you’ll find that you have to abandon it midway through due to burn out. This will cause feelings of disappointment, failure, and frustration. Of course you won’t want to organize your home if past attempts have made you feel disappointed and frustrated. 

Instead of tackling everything at once, break the job down. Identify smaller tasks that you can accomplish in the time you’ve got, like organizing your medicine cabinet or refrigerator for an hour. Each small success will build your confidence and make you excited about getting more spaces organized. This will contribute to your motivation and therefore your success. It will spark ideas of what you could organize next: your purse, your pantry, even your desk.

Focus on cultivating small organizational successes so that each new project is an exciting opportunity, not something you dread or fear. You want to give yourself achievable goals so you get a sense of accomplishment from organizing. Don’t over-do it at first and push yourself or your partner too hard. You’ll find a balance that is satisfying, saves time and energy in the long run, and makes your home look beautiful and feel like the calming haven you want it to be.

Remember you can do this! It is all just learned behavior.

-Katrina Teeple

My Six Tips for {HOLIDAY} Planning Makes Perect

The holidays can be magical and stress free with some organizing.  If you put in a little planning this year, you will reap the benefits for years to come.  Here are my six tips for planning makes perfect!

Happy Decorating,

Katrina Teeple

Tip One

Before your guests arrive, take a photo of your holiday table setting and save it to your computer in a folder called "Holidays".  This way, you can delegate the job of setting the table to another family member easily on the day you entertain.  

Tip Two

When you are packing up your holiday table decor, designate one basket to keep all reusable items in for next year.  Even place-cards can be reused if you invite the same guests repeatedly.

Tip Three

Take a photo of your decorated mantel.  Save it to your "Holidays" folder on your computer to jog your memory of what you liked for next year.  Then, pack everything you loved using into one bin for organized storage.

Tip Four

Labeling holiday decor by area can be a holiday time saver.  No more stress looking through miscellaneous decoration boxes, trying to locate what you want to use in a particular area of your home!

Tip Five

Create your own ribbon station with a Mug Tree (found in kitchen stores).  You can also use a paper towel holder the same way.  Doing this keeps your holiday ribbons accessible and tangle-free.

Tip Six

Make use of an old travel cosmetic case.  The dividers are perfect for all of your holiday wrapping accessories!

Help Me Organize! The Refrigerator

Not many people think of organizing the refrigerator as a top priority, but it turns out it can be a great place to start.

The organizing tips you use to keep the things in your fridge useful can be applied all around the house. Once you’ve learned how easy and fun it can be to get rid of things like expired mustard, you’ll be ready to move on to that pile of unworn-but-I-love-them shoes in the back of the closet.

So let’s start with the little things. You have at least one item in your fridge that should be tossed. We all do. Just go through and check expiration dates, that will give you that sense of elation which comes from getting rid of things you do not need. While you’re at it, consider putting your jams and other sweet condiments together, so you can systematically work your way through them, rather than opening a new jar when two need finishing off.

Some people get really excited about organizing foods. Vegetables in veggie drawers, dairy together on a single shelf, and all savory condiments lined up next to one another. This makes cooking easier, putting away groceries more efficient, and can help you to avoid stocking up on the things you already have.

Consider using bins, boxes or baskets that fit nicely on your refrigerator shelves. A cheese drawer is nice if you’ve got one, but if you don’t you can use something of your own design to keep cheeses together and easy to find. Ever thought of putting a lazy Susan inside the fridge? Sometimes all it takes to get organized is a few labeled containers.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to organize the outside of the fridge. We tend to use the fridge door with very few practical results. If you use magnets to organize important calendars, invites, and pictures, be careful not to overdo it. Get a few magnetic frames for images you really want to see every day. Rotate things out as new invites or photos come in. And keep a calendar of events (I use iCal) rather than displaying every invite individually.

Have fun organizing. Even if it seems overwhelming to start, jump in anyway. You will be happy you did!

~Katrina Teeple

{Helping You Organize Life}

I like to plan my meals for the week, right at the fridge.  I picked up this reusable weekly planner by the Martha Stewart Home/Office collection at Staples {it doesn't come with a dry erase pen BTW}.  I also love this shopping list magnetic notepad by Knock Knock. It makes grocery shopping a snap and allows the whole family to get involved.

Keep like items labelled and contained for quick food preparation.  On the left is a shoebox.  The makeshift  container in the middle is a Tiffany's box lid! 

I make a smoothie just about everyday. Having the key ingredients I use at my fingertips helps me get out the door faster in the morning.  I find that another common problem is not having space for those yummy meals you make a surplus of, for the week. The second shelf has dedicated space for just that...leftovers.

Categorizing like items together allows you to see what is going on inside the fridge. Taking it one step farther by labeling, will keep the Fridge Raiders in your family a little more orderly.  

To create a better veggie section I actually removed one of the large drawers and replaced it with two plastic bins for salad fixings, and stir fry options. Another staple in our house is kale, so while I was at it, I cleaned out an old cube vase, filled it with a little water and created a great way to keep this nutritious, leafy green fresh for days! 

Home Office Solutions

Cabinet Conversion!

Converting a cabinet into an area to keep active files and office supplies can be the perfect solution for a mom who wants to keep an eye on the kids from the living room or for smaller spaces like a studio apartment.

 Keep clutter contained with these great containers from Container Store. The lower green boxes hold hanging files. These file boxes are perfect for portable filing. Try filing by the tv!

 You can create this look at home by using containers with lids as In-Bins and open containers for things like stationary, computer cords and printer ink.

For office supplies that need to be at your fingertips, contain them with a tray to give your items a refined look.