Organized Simplicity | organizing small spaces

Wednesday Tip: Keep Track of Product Expirations

Caroline Clark — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:23:11 +0000

You’re finally cleaning out under the bathroom sink (yay, you!) and you come across a bunch of old makeup, lotions, and other products. Should you keep or toss them? The first question is, “will I use them in the very near future?” If not, go ahead and throw them away. The next question, the tricky one, is “How old is this thing?” You probably have no idea, so from here on out, try this trick:

Keep a Sharpie easily accessible wherever you store your makeup and such. When you get new stuff, write the month and the year on the product.

Here are the general guidelines for how long to keep makeup and such. Rule of thumb: powders last longer than liquids, and be careful with anything that goes near your eyes.
3-4 months: mascara and liquid eyeliner
1 year: liquid eye shadow (only if you’re using clean applicators), liquid foundation (oil based lasts 18 months), cream blush, lotions in tubs, nail polish, sunscreen
2 years: pressed powders, eye shadows, lotions with a pump, eyeliner (sharpen every time to remove the top layer and clean the sharpener regularly), lipstick and pencil lip liner

Wednesday Tip: Use Blocking and Themes to Streamline Your Schedule

Caroline Clark — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:19:15 +0000

If you feel like you’re constantly jumping from task to task and always behind schedule (if you even have a schedule), try time blocking or theme days to feel more in control. Studies have shown how ineffective multitasking is, but we still persist in ping-ponging about our day. Try one or both of these strategies and see if it helps you:
Time Blocking: If you have a regular, fairly uniform schedule, try time blocking. Make a list of your recurring tasks (phone calls, data entry, client meetings, etc.) and assign them a block of time each day. If you’re not a morning person, maybe mindless data entry should happen from 9-10am, while more creative work is scheduled for a chunk of time in the afternoon. By grouping things like calls to make, you cut down on the time it takes your brain to switch between different tasks, making you way more efficient. Also less stressed, which equals less cranky, which is just nicer for everybody.
Theme Days: For those of us without set schedules, theme days are easier to maintain. When I was teaching, my schedule rotated and was different every day of the week. To stay on track and make sure everything got done, I created Theme Days; Monday was grading, Tuesday planning, Wednesday room maintenance, etc. Now I have writing days, client days, and office days. I don’t worry about entering my expenses on a writing day because I know I’ve already assigned that task to an office day.
By giving a name to certain times of day or days of the week, we let our brains relax in the knowledge that it will get done because we’ve already assigned a time for it. Spend the next week keeping track of your tasks and how long you spend on them, then map out a daily time block or theme days schedule.

Use What You’ve Got: How to repurpose and revamp your way to a gorgeous, organized home

Caroline Clark — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:43:45 +0000

This time of year always makes me itch for change. Everything’s so shiny and cheerful, and I’m at my most motivated in the spring. After the cold, gloomy winter, I always want to make my home feel fresh and new, which can easily spiral into spending way too much money on new things. Instead of buying stuff to spruce up my space, I’m focusing on repurposing and revamping the stuff I already have. It’s budget-friendly and requires me to get into creative problem-solving mode, which is always fun.
First, decide what feels stale or boring and how you’d like to change it. Sometimes just rearranging the furniture is enough to make a space feel entirely new. Adding pops of color by painting your couch legs, a side table, or a door frame is a great way to have a big impact for very little money. You can get small paint samples for $5-$7, which is definitely enough paint for one of these projects. I recently lined one of my doorways with wide neon pink washi tape from Freckled Fawn (cheap, easy, and removable!) and I’m totally in love with the fun, cheerful effect.
Next, take a look at the things you’re no longer using and see how they might be revamped to make them more appealing or repurposed for use somewhere else. I’ve written posts about how to makeover a lamp, create an inexpensive cupcake stand, and paint yogurt containers to make cute office supply organizers. You can also check out my ideas for repurposing shoe racks, office organizers, and tissue boxes.
Don’t limit your imagination when it comes to this kind of project. Try it, and if it doesn’t work, try something else!

Wednesday Tip: How TV Can Help You Get Organized

Caroline Clark — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:26:50 +0000

Happy National TV-Free Week! If you’re participating, use the time you’d usually be watching TV to get started on an organizing project you’ve been putting off. If, like me, you can’t bear the thought of a Parks and Rec and New Girl-less week, read on…
I love TV. What I don’t always love is the guilty feeling of knowing I should be working on things but choosing to watch that Project Runway marathon anyway. Fortunately, watching TV actually affords lots of opportunities to work on small, nagging projects.

First, stop fast-forwarding the commercials on your DVR’d shows. I know they’re annoying (I usually mute them), but they’re the perfect length of time to do some of those tiny tasks that always pile up. Next time you’re watching TV, try doing one of these things during the commercial breaks:

Sort mail, throwing away junk
Call a catalog company and ask to be removed from their list
Sew a button back on a shirt
Purge one old file folder
Shred some of the papers in your “to shred” pile
Unsubscribe from some email lists
Pay a bill
Dust the living room
Lightning Tidy! This is my favorite. Zoom around, picking up and putting away as much stuff that’s out of place as you can during the commercial break. Seriously, I love playing these beat-the-clock games with myself. Yes, I am a giant nerd.

All organizing projects (even the huge ones) are really a series of small tasks. Use this otherwise dead time to chip away at the clutter, and you’ll feel like you really accomplished something!

Wednesday Tip: Divide Your Storage

Caroline Clark — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:55:33 +0000

So sorry for the absence of a Wednesday tip last week! I got back from my first real vacation trip in 10 years, and then got engaged (yay!), so it was a bit of a hectic week.
If you have deep cabinets or drawers, a trunk, or some other big container, you know the danger of a storage abyss. The stuff in the back and at the bottom gets forgotten and you end up just skimming off the top. Try dividing the storage with boxes, bins, Ziploc bags so that like items stay together and everything stays accessible.
Even small storage becomes more functional when it’s divided. I had a small basket for remotes and such, and I felt like I was constantly digging through it, which was just plain annoying. When I saw this picnic cutlery caddy at Target last summer, my organizer wheels started turning. It makes a perfect remote holder since they stand on end and are super easy to grab, and the divisions mean that the headphones and iPod connectors don’t get tangled anymore.
Think outside the box and get creative dividing up your storage!

Cultivate Your Home Like a Garden

Caroline Clark — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:06:50 +0000

Spring has kindasorta sprung, which always tugs at my garden-loving heartstrings. Having my own garden is one of the things I’ve missed most in these past 5 years in NYC. Instead of cultivating a garden, I’ve been cultivating my apartment, and I’ve been surprised by how similar the process is!
Planning

Even gardens that look wild and natural take some planning. You’ve got to make sure you’re placing a plant in the right soil and light conditions, as well as thinking about its height and use. You wouldn’t put a basil plant that you plan on using every day behind a tall rose bush, so don’t make frequent use items in your home difficult or frustrating to access.

Assessing

Why is a plant not thriving? Is it because it’s planted in the wrong spot or isn’t getting enough water? Or maybe it’s just not a healthy variety. Sometimes it’s the gardener’s fault and sometimes it’s out of your hands. Figure out why a system isn’t working, change what you can, and try something else.

Weeding

The best gardeners are a little ruthless. If a plant isn’t thriving or just isn’t making you happy, you’ve got to be prepared to pull it up and try something else. Life’s too short to be surrounded by boxwoods if you really love lilies. If you hate your duvet cover, change it!

Enjoying

Your garden should bring you joy, period. Yes, it takes work and sweat, but it’s ultimately a place for you to feel at peace and surrounded by things you love. For me, that means plants that makes me giggle (Eyeball Plant is one of my favorites) and ones that remind me of my family and childhood. In my home that translates to whimsical artwork, fresh flowers, and photos of my friends and family. Think about what brings you joy and actively work to cultivate those things in your home.

Wednesday Tip: Leave Breathing Room on Shelves and Bookcases

Caroline Clark — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:48:06 +0000

When you purge and reorganize a space, try to leave 10-20% of the space open. Resisting the urge to pack every shelf is vital for a few reasons:
1. You’re probably going to get more stuff at some point, and when you do, there’ll be space for it.
2. When a space is crammed full, it’s ten times harder to get to the stuff you need and get it out. Not using every available inch means quicker and less frustrating access to the things you need.
3. It looks way nicer. Especially on bookshelves, alternating the orientation of books and adding in some decorative pieces adds visual interest and gives your eye a place to rest.

Wednesday Tip: Use Shoe Boxes as Drawer Dividers

Caroline Clark — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:32:05 +0000

You can go broke buying tons of fancy drawer dividers for your sock and underwear drawers, but wouldn’t you rather spend that money on something useful for society, like funding the Veronica Mars movie?. I use shoe boxes, which work great and cost nothing. You don’t even have to buy shoes to get them; just bop on down to your local shoe store and ask real nice for any extras they have in the back.
I have really deep dresser drawers, so I keep lesser worn tights on the bottom, and more frequently used socks in a shoe box that lies on top. It’s so easy to lift up the box and grab tights when I need them. Use this trick to separate different types of bras, underwear, thin layering tanks, and any other little things that tend to end up in a giant, tangled ball in your dresser drawers. Go on and get crazy and use shoe boxes to divide and contain electronics and cords, office supplies, or Tupperware as well.

Wednesday Tip: What are you waiting for?

Caroline Clark — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:36:22 +0000

“I want to get organized/learn to knit/lose weight/see my friends more/take up butter sculpting, but I have to wait until I finish school/get a new job/have more time/have more money/have more energy/get over my butter-phobia.” Sound familiar? We are nothing if not masters at putting off things we know are going to help us long-term but are presently daunting.
It’s never going to be the perfect time for you to make a life change. Yep. NEVER. It’s probably never even going to be a good time for it. Thing is, the good time usually comes after you make those changes. You feel better, stronger, and more confident that you can make a real change. Your intentions are absofreakinglutely nothing without actions that move you closer to that good (dare I say it, perfect) time. So hang up your clothes, sign up for a knitting class, take a walk, or make plans with a friend. Maybe rethink the butter sculpting. That seems kinda gross.

Organizing Clothing Struggles: What to do with fat and skinny clothes

Caroline Clark — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:28:08 +0000

Like almost every woman I know, my weight fluctuates, sometimes wildly. As goes my weight, so goes the fit of my clothes. Deciding what to keep for when you fit in a smaller, previously worn size is a huge challenge for most people. I’m not going to tell you to get rid of every piece of clothing that doesn’t fit you right now, but there are some reasonable restrictions you can apply to keep your closet organized and relevant.
-Don’t keep your “fat” clothes, period. I’m not talking about that pair of jeans that’s a little bit big and perfect for days when you’re feeling bloated; I’m talking about honest-to-god clothes that are too big for you. I’ve found it to be dangerous to give myself leeway to go back up a size. Donate. Someone else will be truly grateful to have them.
-Don’t keep all of your “skinny” clothes. We’re much more prone to keep skinny clothes we hope to fit back in to, but only keep truly awesome, timeless pieces. You’re going to want to buy new clothes when you lose the weight anyway.
-Don’t keep your skinny clothes out with the clothes that fit you right now. That too-small dress hanging in your closet probably isn’t going to motivate you; it’s going to make you feel crappy that it doesn’t fit. There’s no reason (other than torturing yourself and hey, stop that!) to have to sift through clothes that don’t fit while you’re getting dressed every morning. Box them up, label the box with the size, and put them away.
What other clothing struggles do you have?