Create a “landing zone” by the exterior door you use the most, whether that’s the front, kitchen or garage door. Use it to hold all the things you put down as you come in the door (keys, wallet, purse, car door opener… ) and the stuff waiting to go out next time you go (library [...]
If you design for low maintenance from the beginning, or spend time making a few changes designed for low maintenance, you can reduce your regular chores for years into the future, a great way to get a really huge time-savings payback!
Reduce the amount of mess and dirt coming into the house
This is your first line [...]
Toys with lots of small parts (like LEGO and other construction toys) are an ongoing storage and organization problem. The pieces tend to spread themselves about during play, and then it takes a long time to gather them all up to put them away. And if you’ve ever stepped on a LEGO brick on the [...]
No matter how much you love books, eventually you’ll have too many (unless you plan to move them into their own house and found a library!).
Good places to donate books are: your local library (make sure they can use them), shelters, schools, daycare programs, literacy programs, hospitals, hostels, and of course used book stores.
Ways to [...]
Lots of us keep important reference information and papers in many different places – by the phone, on the fridge or bulletin board, in the file cabinet, in a desk or kitchen drawer – it’s hard to keep track of them all!
Maybe you’d benefit by setting up some reference binders. What you need for each [...]
Some kind of a system and routine is essential to keep our financial lives under control and the bills paid on time.
First, what happens when bills, receipts and other financial items arrive in your house? Have a specific place to put them all, every time: I keep a dedicated in-box (actually a cardboard tray!) and [...]
Your brain is not a good place to store things. The more things you try to remember, the more stress builds up.
Have a place to record things: planner, index cards, voice recorder, PDA or computer. Have a way to get things you’ve recorded, into your system: use an inbox of some kind. Use routines or [...]
If you have a hobby that uses materials, you probably have a “stash”. If your hobby involves equipment, you may have older models or versions. These are prime candidates for decluttering.
Ask yourself:
will I ever use this again?
Does it still meet safety or environmental standards?
Is it still in fashion or totally dated?
Is the quality up to [...]
Create a “landing zone” by the exterior door you use the most, whether that’s the front, kitchen or garage door. Use it to hold all the things you put down as you come in the door (keys, wallet, purse, car door opener…) and the stuff waiting to go out next time you go (library books, [...]
Not necessarily ALL the counters, but clearing everything off the stretch of kitchen counter you use most for prep and baking makes a big difference in how easy it is to work. It makes for less cleaning, too, when you don’t have to wipe spatters off half a dozen doodads sitting at the back of [...]
