10 Simple Steps to a More Organized Household

1. Divide big jobs into smaller jobs. Make a list of all the places in your house that you would like to see become more organized. Now you may seem overwhelmed by some of the jobs so break those jobs down into smaller jobs. Now each task is more manageable. Take each job one at a time and before you know it you'll be done.

2. Store items in clear plastic boxes and bags. This one just hit me one day when I was looking for something and having to un-stack all my boxes and open each one to find the item I was looking for. I thought what a waste of my time and energy, now I use clear boxes and bags everywhere I store things.

3. Make a list of what's in the boxes or on the shelves in your basement and attic. This again is a time saver and the way a truly organized person goes about things.

4. Before you buy anything know where the item is going to go in your home. This is a really great habit to get into. It makes you stop and think before you buy and may even save you the hassle of taking the item back or worst storing it in your basement or attic.

5. Think item in, item out. If your home is already cluttered or filled to capacity then when you make a purchase you've really got to get rid of something. Even if your home is comfortable this is a good practice to get into to prevent clutter from building up.

6. Prevent junk mail pile up. Paper clutter is one of the biggest problems people face today. We get bombarded with junk mail and other paper daily. The solution is to have a plan. So here it is, its really quite simple. A trashcan! Go through you mail daily and throw away any unwanted mail as you open it. Then have a to do files or folders. You're to do files or folders may have heading such as to do, to mail, to fax, to pay, to sign, to return, to call, to redeem.

7. Store out of season clothing in empty suitcases either under your bed or on the shelf in your closet. If you use bed risers you can use the space under your bed more efficiently. Clear plastic under the bed containers, especially on wheels work well for this task.

8. Avoid hunting through your closet each day hang like items together. This means hang all your shirts together, pants together, skirts together and so on. It makes your closet look more organized and it's easier to pick out an outfit quickly. I also recommend using hanging weekly organizers in each child's bedroom closet this way their clothes are laid out a week in advance and you're not scrambling in the morning to find them an outfit.

9. Group like things together. For you it may be keeping all your sewing stuff together or your scrap-booking stuff together or your tools together in one place. But last night when I was organizing my basement (yes, I am also working on becoming more organized) I decided to break it down into categories, my went like this: outdoor gear, Christmas decorations, arts and crafts, laundry, exercise equipment, keepsakes, I will probably find that I will need one or two more but I will add them as I see the need. You can even break it down further by making groups inside your groups. Christmas is a good example. Once you have all your Christmas stuff together divide it into smaller groups such as ornaments, Christmas lights and outdoor decorations.

10. Don't hang on to things because you might use them. So many times we hang onto things because we might use them but the items actually sit around collect dust and take up valuable space. Unless you just have a huge home with plenty of closet space the rule is if you haven't worn it or used it in over a year you should probably get rid of it. I can't tell you how many times I knew I had something but couldn't find it because I had so much clutter. So it wasn't worth keeping, I wore myself out looking for it and then ended up buying it again. That's what clutter does to us, drains us of our energy.

Tina Seay is the webmaster and author of a great home resource website http://LearnSomethingToday.com where you can get more tips and advice on organizing. She is also the webmaster of http://ForTheCatLover.com and http://YourWeddingStory.net

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Google News Updated : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:25:52 GMT Sign of the times - BBC News San Diego Union Tribune Sign of the times BBC News - 1 hour ago As Russia and the West warn of a new Cold War after the Georgian conflict, the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley in Moscow tries to imagine what it would look like. European Union to Hold Urgent Meeting on Russia Voice of America last straw" for Russia Reuters New York Times - Financial Times - Wall Street Journal - Jerusalem Post all 333 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:10:28 GMT S. Ossetia to be absorbed into Russia - United Press International BBC News S. Ossetia to be absorbed into Russia United Press International - 1 hour ago TSKHINVALI, Georgia, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- South Ossetia says it will become part of Russia and host Russian military bases under a new agreement. Video: UN does have double standards RussiaToday Kremlin announces that South Ossetia will Times Online The Associated Press - AFP - Civil Georgia - New York Times all 6,104 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:01:52 GMT Obama campaign buoyed by convention - Los Angeles Times ABC News Obama campaign buoyed by convention Los Angeles Times - 5 hours ago He sees an unusually strong jump in support after the carefully choreographed event in Denver. By Peter Nicholas, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer DENVER -- Amy Pearl is the sort of Democrat who made the Barack Obama campaign nervous. Look out, Palin The Hillary factor . . . Chicago Sun-Times Hillary supporters aren't bitter; they're concerned Chicago Tribune The Associated Press - CNN - Philadelphia Inquirer - New York Daily News all 8,528 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:00:48 GMT Hurricane Gustav Strengthens, Accelerates, Heads for Cuba, Gulf - Bloomberg BBC News Hurricane Gustav Strengthens, Accelerates, Heads for Cuba, Gulf Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Patrick Donahue and Robin Stringer Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Gustav strengthened and picked up speed as it headed toward western Cuba and the US Gulf Coast cities ravaged by Katrina and Rita in 2005, after lashing the Cayman Islands with ... Video: Gustav Follows Katrina's Path CBS Some leave Gulf Coast ahead of likely evacuations The Associated Press Reuters - Minneapolis Star Tribune - New York Times - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal all 6,069 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:40:06 GMT Experts: Silver lining for ‘viable’ Mitt Romney - Boston Herald Experts: Silver lining for ‘viable’ Mitt Romney Boston Herald - 8 hours ago By Edward Mason Mitt Romney - once a top contender to be John McCain’s running mate - may have suffered a bruised ego when he was passed over for the little known Gov. It's not Pawlenty, it's Palin Worthington Daily Globe Pawlenty, after the pick, another day at fair Minneapolis Star Tribune Post-Bulletin - Washington Post - Grand Forks Herald - CNN all 2,700 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:13:29 GMT US Oil, Gas Producers, Pipelines Brace for Gustav (Update1) - Bloomberg ABC News US Oil, Gas Producers, Pipelines Brace for Gustav (Update1) Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Margot Habiby Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc plan to finish shutting oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Enbridge Energy Partners LP will close pipelines as Hurricane Gustav gains strength and moves ... More volatility seen with hurricane, payrolls Reuters Airlines bounce as oil gives up early gains MarketWatch Forbes - DesMoinesRegister.com - CNNMoney.com - guardian.co.uk all 3,463 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:21:02 GMT Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads - New York Times ABC News Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads New York Times - 3 hours ago By BRIAN STELTER Comcast, one of the country’s largest Internet providers, said this week that it would place limits on customers’ broadband usage. Comcast's Answer to ... InternetNews.com Critics Question Comcast Broadband Caps PC World CNET News - Wall Street Journal - ZDNet - InformationWeek all 386 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:08:14 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages Increase Web Traffic

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