We all want to streamline our busy lives. Getting organized can make a huge difference in our homes and work spaces, making our day-to-day lives easier, and generally making us happier!
Professional organizers are experts at creating tidy, harmonious environments that run like well-oiled machines, and working with clients to achieve organization in their lives. Creating well-organized environments for your clients is as easy as helping them to implement good habits and suggesting creative, colorful organizational solutions. Read on for 5 easy-to-implement tips!
This probably sounds like the simplest trick in the world, but not many people find time to do this in their busy, rushed morning!
Taking five minutes after you wake up to smooth out your sheets and comforter, and arrange your pillows will do wonders for the living space around the bed. It can truly pull a room together, and is worth those extra moments in the morning. Not to mention, it’s a wonderful feeling to come home after a long day to a made bed and an organized space.
The old saying is true—old habits die hard! Allowing paperwork to accumulate is one long-term habit that is tough to break. When your client receives mail, or is does paperwork at home, encourage them to file the paper away once they move on to a new task. Filing cabinets and folders are great for this.
Paper can accumulate extremely quickly and turn into a mess, so getting into the habit of filing it away immediately is key. On that note, set a specific place in the home for mail and coupons to live, rather than just being thrown in a pile.
Computers, televisions, cell phone chargers—every home is filled with them! Wires can get out of control quickly, as they pile up, tie themselves up in knots, and look terribly disorganized. The good news is that they are one of the easiest items to organize! Try one of these two strategies:
Hook as many clips as you need on the very edge of a desk or work space, and place the wires through them. If you need to unplug a USB cord, for example, it won’t fall down and become part of a big wiry mess, but rather will maintain its position on the edge of the desk for when you need to plug it in again. Mix up the clip colors for a bit of fun!
If your client has a family, this area becomes a virtual tornado of activity—and a messy catch-all! One helpful rule that your client can use with their family is a “one-week rule” for the foyer closet. The rule states that if the item placed in the closet is not going to be used during that particular week, it cannot stay in that closet. This keeps the space reserved solely for immediate items such as shoes and jackets, and puts all other items in their proper place.
1. Make the bed every day
This probably sounds like the simplest trick in the world, but not many people find time to do this in their busy, rushed morning!
Taking five minutes after you wake up to smooth out your sheets and comforter, and arrange your pillows will do wonders for the living space around the bed. It can truly pull a room together, and is worth those extra moments in the morning. Not to mention, it’s a wonderful feeling to come home after a long day to a made bed and an organized space.
2. File papers immediately
The old saying is true—old habits die hard! Allowing paperwork to accumulate is one long-term habit that is tough to break. When your client receives mail, or is does paperwork at home, encourage them to file the paper away once they move on to a new task. Filing cabinets and folders are great for this.
Paper can accumulate extremely quickly and turn into a mess, so getting into the habit of filing it away immediately is key. On that note, set a specific place in the home for mail and coupons to live, rather than just being thrown in a pile.
3. Clear away the dishes
Once a meal is finished, get those dishes in the dishwasher right away—or wash them in the sink. Letting dirty dishes pile up is a lazy habit, but it can be corrected easily. Plus, it’ll have your future self thanking you for cleaning up right away! As a professional organizer, trying to encourage your client to make this lifestyle change can be difficult, so we’ve compiled some strategies for how to deal with difficult clients.4. Beware of wires
Computers, televisions, cell phone chargers—every home is filled with them! Wires can get out of control quickly, as they pile up, tie themselves up in knots, and look terribly disorganized. The good news is that they are one of the easiest items to organize! Try one of these two strategies:
Binder clips:
Believe it or not, binder clips do an excellent job of keeping those wires separated!
Hook as many clips as you need on the very edge of a desk or work space, and place the wires through them. If you need to unplug a USB cord, for example, it won’t fall down and become part of a big wiry mess, but rather will maintain its position on the edge of the desk for when you need to plug it in again. Mix up the clip colors for a bit of fun!
Cute storage boxes:
Chances are, if your client has a television, they likely have a few other electronics around it such as a DVD player or sound system. So many wires! Plug them all into a powerful space saving bar. Then, find a cloth storage box in a complementary color to the living room and place the power bar inside the box, with all the wires. Now you’re left with an attractive storage item and zero wires to worry about!5. Think outside the storage box
Being organized doesn’t mean you have to sort everything into cardboard boxes! This is an opportunity to get creative, and also employ the use of unique storage and organizational solutions around the home.The kitchen
A client’s kitchen is a space that can get out of control quickly in terms of clutter, especially inside the cupboards! Instead of simply placing kitchen items such as graters, can openers and electric mixers inside a cupboard, first place them inside plastic tubs (they can be any color the client chooses!). This limits the amount of digging around the client has to do while looking for an item, and keeps small items from getting lost in the shuffle.The foyer closet
If your client has a family, this area becomes a virtual tornado of activity—and a messy catch-all! One helpful rule that your client can use with their family is a “one-week rule” for the foyer closet. The rule states that if the item placed in the closet is not going to be used during that particular week, it cannot stay in that closet. This keeps the space reserved solely for immediate items such as shoes and jackets, and puts all other items in their proper place.