Escape From the Clutches of Clutter
Escape From the Clutches of Clutter
Americans have a lot of stuff. Whether at home or in the office, we often keep papers, clothes and other items we don’t like, need or use. This summer, professional organizer Sally Allen is offering tips on organizing your home and office so you can combat clutter!

A recent National Association of Professional Organizers consumer study found that 55 percent of respondents would save upwards of 16 minutes to one hour a day if they were more organized. That translates into anywhere from two to 15 days a year being wasted!

Sally Allen, CEO of Golden, Colo.-based A Place for Everything, (www.aplaceforeverythingllc.com) suggests getting a jump-start on getting organized by spending some time designing the systems you need to keep your home and office in order, and then reward yourself with more time and energy to get together with friends and play with your kids and pets outdoors.

Secrets in the Bedroom
The NAPO study found that the top three disorganized rooms in the house, in successive order, are the bedroom, garage and home office/den. For married individuals, the garage was the most unorganized, while unmarried respondents cited the bedroom as the number one spot for clutter. Here are some of Sally’s tips for organizing these rooms:

Bedroom Tips
• Give away items that are still in good condition but you no longer need, to local charities, friends, family and others in need.
• Decide what you want at your fingertips and what can be hidden away in containers under the bed, on top shelves or in drawers.
• Closets are one of the major places to store clutter in your bedroom. Go through your closet regularly, and pull out everything you have not worn in the last year. Clothes tend not to improve with age.
• Hang like items together – group shirts together, pants together, dresses, etc.

Garage Tips
• Determine how you wish to use the space. Is it a workshop? Is it a storage center? Is it a sporting goods center? Is it both? Design a floor plan and stick to it!
• Get rid of things that don't work!
• Sort, purge, and then decide the proper storage containers for the treasures that you must keep. Clearly label both the tops and the sides of the containers.
• Consider floor-to-ceiling possibilities for shelving, racks, stackable drawers, hooks and pegboards, and don’t forget the rafters.

Home Office/Den Tips
• Keep only supplies you need on a daily basis on your desktop.
• Create a paper flow system for your incoming documents.
• Use your inbox only for items that haven’t yet been reviewed.
• Avoid looking at documents and placing them back on the desk. Make a decision about each document and follow through with it.
• Create a filing system for your electronic documents that mirrors the one you have for paper. Sort, file, and purge electronic information regularly.
• Keep the most recent papers in the front of the file. Whenever you open it, the current information will be on top.
• To ensure the best tax refund possible next year and prevent surprise visits from the IRS, keep your paperwork in order. If you weren’t so careful in the past, now is the time to start planning for 2009 tax time.

Don’t Do It Alone: Consider Hiring a Professional Organizer

If getting organized is something you’re serious about, you might want to consider hiring an organizing expert who designs systems and processes using organizing principles. Sally Allen, like other certified professional organizers, help individuals and businesses take – and maintain – control of their surroundings, time, paper and systems.

www.aplaceforeverythingllc.com

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