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Quick Tips !!

1. Store things you use the most within easy reach

2. Store similar items together for easy access

3. Plan your menu by the week - make a shopping list and buy all you need at one time

4. Declutter your desk for a sense of calm, keeping essential items only

5. Put things away each day - return things to where they belong (keep a carry basket on the steps)

6. Organize a small area first (kitchen drawer, for example)

7. Break up big jobs

8. Clear, stackable, air-tight containers offer easy access and visibility

9. Label, label, label. Label everything !!!

10. Purchase something new only if you can get rid of something old

11. Reward yourself with "me-time" after a task is finished

12. Be ready for tomorrow - make a to-do list the night before

13. Sort mail immediately when it arrives and act on it - file it or toss it

14. Have a location near the door to hang keys so they're easy to find

15. Keep a cleaning caddy in each bathroom, including paper towels, cleaners, etc.

16. Restrict yourself to only ONE junk drawer in the house

17. Organize your personal library into categories - fiction (by author), non-fiction, travel, etc.

18. Use plastic or wooden hangers only for a quick and easy closet enhancer

19. Place laundry baskets or hampers in each bathroom and bedroom and enforce their use

20. Use large garbage cans to store sporting equipment.

21. Put together a basic emergency kit to keep in your car

22. Store financial records from previous year in labeled boxes

23. Square containers take up less space than round ones on shelves

24. Eat heaps of chocolate !

25. Always be happy !!

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What is clutter?

Webster's dictionary defines clutter as "untidy things or debris." Clutter is anything that does not add significant value to your life on a regular basis. It is stuff that you don't need, don't use, and often junk that you don't even want anymore.

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Benefits of getting organized

- Organization is the key to stress free living. Clutter & too much stuff causes stress

- Creates space

- Saves time

- Saves money - no more buying duplicate items because you can't find something you already own

- Increases productivity  - spend time accomplishing tasks, not searching for items

- Allows you to take control of your time and life - spend time with family and friends or doing whatever is important to you

- Makes your home spaces visually appealing - by eliminating clutter you can truly enjoy spending time in your home, not be stressed about the stuff

- Will improve your health and sense of well being

- Will improve your relationships - you will enjoy having friends and family to visit as you will be able to take pride in your surroundings

- Will just make you happier !!!

- Brings peace and balance to your life

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Statistics

The well known  80/20%  rule of business states that if all of a given category of items are sorted in order of value, 80% of the value will come from only 20% of the items. This translates in to all areas of our life.

50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized area in the house.

25% of people with a 2 car garage don't park any cars in there and that 32% park only one (US dept of Energy)

80% of the clutter in your home is a result of disorganization, not lack of space.

Getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of housework in the average home (National Soap and Detergent Association)

25% of workers save things in piles rather than files (Taylor nelson Sofres Intersearch)

80% of what we keep we never use (Agency Sales Magazine)

The average US executive wastes 6 weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files - this would be 1 hour a day wasted (Wall Street Journal)

60 % of Americans feel they do not have enough time to get everything done (Vital Stats)