"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year..."

Remember that famous Staples commercial with the dad dancing with a shopping cart in the aisles of Staples while his children followed solemnly behind him? Who could forget it? That and the sight of school supplies in every store signaled the start of the new school year.

I'll be taking the next few posts to talk about the Back to School season but to start off, here's an article to help 'get you in gear for the new school year.'

Reading, Writing and Re-Organizing: Back-to-School Organizing Tips

In the meantime, enjoy what's left of the summer!

Organizing an Event? Doodle It!

I wanted to let you know about a terrific website I use for organizing events. It's called Doodle.

http://www.doodle.com/

From the 'About Us' page on their website:

The world’s leading online scheduling service, Doodle takes the pain out of finding the right date and time for a group of people to meet and makes scheduling virtually effortless. The basic service is a free online coordination tool which requires neither registration nor software installation.

I just created a Doodle Poll to schedule a block party with my neighbors. It made getting 10 families together on one day practically effortless.

I highly recommend it for scheduling events or making decisions within a large group of people. Use it--it's free and it's going to make you feel soooo organized!

Clutter Cop on Rachael Ray Show

I love to watch Peter Walsh in action. If you don't know who Peter Walsh is, check out Oprah's website. He's been her favorite Professional Organizer for years. He does incredible work with people drowning in clutter.

On Thursday's Rachael Ray Show (7/22) he's at it again, helping a 'messy mom' get organized. I can't wait to watch...

Throw it Away --the 'Smart' Way

One might not believe it, but I've organized many medicine cabinets for my clients. I've seen more expired medicine than some pharmacists.

Ever wonder how to dispose of it safely? Well...

A few weeks ago I had to get rid of a bottle of infant Tylenol due to a recall of the product. The recall notice led me to call the company who not only refunded me $10 for my troubles, they gave me a website for safely disposing the medication.

Check out http://www.smarxtdisposal.net.

I'll be sending my clients as well as family and friends to this website for proper disposal of old medicines. Let's help keep our homes organized and our environment clean!

Know a College-Bound Kid?

The Container Store is having $1,000 dorm room makeover sweepstakes!

Visit http://www. containerstore.com/collegeinvite and complete the online form to receive updates on college promotions and smart tips for organizing a college student's move. You'll be automatically registered for the dorm room makeover sweepstakes.

Good luck!

Pooh was Organized?

"Organizing is what you do before you do something so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up."

A.A. Milne

Group It!

It's almost the end of April--I hope you've started your Spring Cleaning for 2010. Although the weather has turned cool today, you're going to want those sandals, sports equipment and other 'summer fun' items at arm's reach very soon.

So far, I've given you four basic organizing principles--here's number five--the last one you'll need for Spring Cleaning and Anytime of the Year Cleaning.

Basic Organizing Principle #5:

Group 'Like with Like.'

Grouping 'like with like' helps you to find what you need when you need it. For instance, if all of your daughter's hair clips were to be grouped together all in one place it would be easier to find the pink Hello Kitty barrette that matches her pink Hello Kitty T-shirt. If her hair clips were dumped in a drawer with a bunch of crayons and a few beanie babies, they would be much harder to locate quickly.

Another example: All that 'tupperware' we talked about in Basic Organizing Principle #4--how many times have you cursed under your breath because you couldn't find a square-shaped lid to match it's bottom part? Grouping 'like with like' is the key to finding that bottom part in a matter of seconds.

To achieve optimal container storage, take all of your storage containers out of your cabinet and place them on the dining room table. Sort them by category--group all circle and oval shaped containers and then the squares and rectangles. Do the same with the lids. Then match up lids with bottoms. If you have any missing bottoms or lids, consider recycling or repurposing the other mate-less piece.

Grouping 'like with like' will save you:

Time - no long and tiresome searches for what you need

Money - no more spending $$$ on items you already have but just can't find

Stress--self explanatory...

Even if you haven't started your Spring Cleaning yet, start grouping 'like with like.' It will make you feel like you've taken a huge step towards organizing your home.