Get Organized for Summertime--Do the Winter/Summer Switch

The Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us--Yipeee!

Are you ready?

Do you still have heavy sweaters in your drawers? Is your snow shoveling gear easier to get to than your kids' floaties? Are your boots blocking your collection of flip-flops?

If you answered 'Yes.' then it's time to do what I call 'The Winter/Summer Switch.'

Doing the 'Winter/Summer Switch' started when I was a kid. With three kids, a small apartment, and very little closet/drawer space we had no choice but to store out-of-season clothing in a place other than our closets. My parents were very creative. They had luggage that they rarely used so our off-season clothing would be stored there. At the end of the Winter and then again at the end of the Summer, my father would take the suitcases down from the top of the closet. We'd try on the clothes and make piles of what to keep for the upcoming season, what to store as hand-me-downs and what to pass on to younger cousins.

That's just one example. Here are some ideas for jumpstarting your own personal 'Winter Summer Switch:'

1. Identify the areas of your home that are in need of 'The Switch.' These might be the garage, clothing closets, outdoor storage area, linen closets, etc.

2.  Make an appointment with yourself to choose ONE area to focus on at a time. Please don't spend the entire holiday weekend switching your stuff around. Even most Professional Organizers wouldn't do that...

3. Gather supplies such as garbage bags, labels, markers (or a label maker), and a pen and paper for jotting down any thing you discover you need or want for the upcoming season.

4. Sort through your items, purge what you don't need and determine the best way to store what you are keeping.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 as necessary until you are ready for the Summer. You're one step closer to being ready for the new season...