goals

How to get started on a big project

March 25, 2020 by tidybrownwren

Are you thinking to yourself, “I’ve got a lot of time on my hands – maybe I’ll start one of those big projects I’ve been wanting to get to”? But then you think about starting the project and it just seems too overwhelming. So, you end up pushing the project back into the depths of the closet it’s been stored in and close the door.

I’m feeling ya. I have quite a few projects that aren’t critical, but I know I will feel much better when the job is complete. I’ve come to the conclusion that these projects of mine aren’t completed yet because they have no plan or deadline. There is no accountability except to myself and I tend to give myself excuses. “You’ll get to it one day”. “You know, you can only do so many things”. “Oh, come on, nobody’s going to cry if you don’t get it done”.

So, here I sit, completely quarantined to my house with all of my projects quietly hiding in my closets. The number one project on my list?

Photos and pictures and memorabilia.

Organizing old photos

My father-in-love recently gave me all of the family photos. That large stash added to my own stash of photos that have been accumulating over the years. (I’m only showing the photos of our own branch of the family to protect other’s privacy). I’ve made baby books and photo albums and kept a pretty good record with photo boxes for years. But then, older family members began to pass away and their children and grandchildren sent me photos they found when cleaning out their parent’s homes. Some were copies of photos I already had and some were ones I had never seen. Although I am very thankful to have them, they appear to have multiplied in the dark.

So here I sit with boxes and boxes of photos and generations of family memories. Where do I even start?

I decided to coach myself like I coach my clients. And just so you know, this process will apply to any large project.

How to get started on a large project.

Pull out a pencil/pen and paper. Write the name of your project at the top of the paper.
Write out the goal(s) for your project. Describe what you want the finished project to look like
List the steps you will take to reach the goal you have written down. If necessary, break down each step into smaller steps that are doable in small amounts of time.
List any supplies you will need.
List any people or resources you will need.
Give yourself an ETA. An estimated time of arrival to your goal. Basically a reasonable deadline. Make sure it is achievable.
If necessary, write down a reward you will give yourself when you are done with your project.

My list for this photo/memorabilia project will look something like this:

Name: Family photo organizing
Goal: To organize photos in the following ways
1. Have all the loose photos in one place, organized in photo boxes and printed photo albums.
2. Create printed albums for each sibling.
3. Create printed albums for each of our children and us.
Steps:
1. Collect all photos from around the house into one place
2. Sort photos into groups – one photo box for each family and one extra box for group photos. Use dividers to divide photos by year/decade.
3. Box by box, scan photos, organize in the computer, and return photos to the designated box
4. Research online photo websites for best reviews and options.
5. Create albums online. Wait for a sale to get them printed.
6. Mail boxes of loose photos to family members along with printed albums.
Supplies:
1. Photo boxes
2. Dividers
3. Marker/pen
4. Computer
Resources:
1. Photo website
2. Post office
ETA: Finished with organizing and creating albums – 9 weeks from today. Maybe longer for getting them printed and mailing them to siblings.
Reward: Seeing the looks on my kid’s faces when I give them their albums. And eating chocolate. And maybe buying a cute pair of sandals.

What big projects have you been putting off? Try this system and see if it will help you check one of those projects off of your list.

Organized photos/tidybrownwren.com

Triage organizing

March 24, 2020 by tidybrownwren

If you’re overwhelmed with your house right now, think of it as an emergency room and you are the triage coordinator. Your assignment is to decide what needs to be taken care of stat and what can wait.

There are a few things in your home that need daily attention before they start to get out of control. Procrastination in each of these areas leads to more problems down the road. I’ve seen these three areas in almost every home I’ve helped organize.

The first area?

Laundry:

If you live with people (or even yourself) you will have laundry. It is a fact of life. If you live with a lot of people, it is a giant fact of life. The longer it is left undone, it literally gets bigger. Make sure you, or someone you have assigned, does a full load (washed, dried, and put away) every day or every other day.

Next target?

Meals:

If you live with people (or even yourself) you must deal with food. Indecision in this area only leads to hunger or spending more money than you need to. Each morning, or preferably the night before, decide what is going to be eaten for each meal you will need. This planning ahead will allow you to thaw something in the fridge or gather needed ingredients. It’s much easier to plan ahead than scramble around later when everyone is hangry. In addition to the food prep, taking care of the dishes is also important. Washed up or loaded into the dishwasher as soon as the meal is over, dishes don’t have a chance to turn into encrusted rocks in your sink and all over your counters.

Third spot?

Bills/Paperwork:

Neglecting this spot leads to many problems. Late fees, missed appointments, and lost opportunities are all a result of ignoring the stack of papers and mail that have entered your home. Create an “intake” area in your home where every paper and piece of mail has to go before it can go anywhere else.

Process every piece of mail every day. Trash/recycle what you don’t need and then make decisions about what you keep. Bills go together to be paid. Invites need an RSVP. Appointments go on a calendar. Then, file each paper where it can be retrieved when needed. If it is a short term paper (invite, field trip, etc.) place it near your intake area as a reminder. Bills can go on a desk or wherever you pay your bills. Newspapers can go in the recycling bin at the end of each day. You have permission to enjoy a greeting card for one week and then recycle it. Don’t feel guilty – it’s a piece of paper. The sentiment that came with it can stay in memory.

In other words: Find a home for each piece of paper or paper will take over your home.

If you focus on these three areas and choose action over procrastination, you will enjoy a better sense of calm in your home. Give it a try!

Do you have other areas In your home that you work on with a triage mentality?

Tell me what to do

March 23, 2020 by tidybrownwren

Stop ahead

Are you feeling stuck right now? So many people are asking for advice on where to start – “Tell me what to do!”

During this COVID19 pandemic, you might be stuck at home. Your work schedule might be different or your kids are out of school. Your regular activities are on hold. At the very least, it can be said your life is not in normal mode.

I’m hearing from my clients and friends that they are not sure what to do right now. They’ve been enjoying the change of pace and being able to stop the frenzy of non-stop weekly activities, but now, a week into it, they feel stuck.

They can feel their lives sliding downhill. Their homes are looking trashed. Their schedules are out the window. Their children are going stir-crazy. The initial energy from last week has fizzled out.

Their texts and messages all say one thing. “Tell me what to do!”

So, to help answer the question I’m hearing over and over again, I will post a series of blog entries to help get us unstuck and hopefully back on track – even though we don’t know where we are going or what time we’ll get there.

Let’s start with some basics:

Creating some sort of schedule (even an extremely fluid one) and some boundaries will help get you unstuck.

Set up a wake-up time and a go-to-bed time. You don’t want your body clock to get out of wack.

2. Plan a morning routine. We’ll talk about that in tomorrow’s post.

3. Make sure you go outside at some point during the day – even if it’s raining.

4. Plan some fun and interesting things to do. Things that aren’t in your usual repertoire.

5. With limited food supplies available, create a menu, including snacks, so you don’t find out later that you’ve eaten all of the “good food” first.

6. Use the extra time around the house to tackle a project or activity you’ve needed or wanted to get done.

Who’s ready to get un-stuck? Tune in tomorrow for ideas on planning a morning routine.

Tell me what to do/tidybrownwren.com

5 rules for an organized home

February 2, 2020 by tidybrownwren

I happen to be a rule follower. Wait, is following the speed limit a rule? Oh, well, never mind then. But, I do like some rules – especially organizing rules. They help to keep me on track.

Here are 5 rules that I use to keep our home in reasonably good shape. I hope you will consider using them too.

Organizing rule #1 – Purge

Almost everyone I know, including myself, has items in their home that could be considered clutter. If you don’t use it, like it, need it, or want it then pitch it. If it is torn, worn, broken, stained or useless then pitch it. Don’t ponder about someday. Don’t feel guilty about unwanted gifts received or unwise purchases previously made.

If you have too much stuff, its partially due to the fact that you have unresolved feelings about your stuff. Might, could, should, would, and what if are all words, that if found in your vocabulary, mean you need to make more definite decisions about your belongings. Don’t let your stuff own you. Decide if it has earned its right to live in your home. Be picky.

Purge extra items

Organizing rule #2 – Designate

Everything in your home should have a place to live. If you look around your home and see piles then you know that your belongings are not in their home. A pile is not a home.

A home is a place where there is space carved out for you. A designated spot where you live. The same goes for your belongings.

Hooks, hangers, shelves, cabinets, drawers, bins, baskets, files – all of these can be designated places for your items. You get to make the decision. And for you creatives, it can be as special as you want it to be. If you want to see all of the colors – then use open shelving and baskets. If you are easily distracted by colors and shapes (and stuff) then use cabinets and drawers. It’s your choice!

I like to help people put items away in zones.

Your A zone is where items you use every day are stored. Coffee cups right above the coffee pot. Laundry detergent right next to the washer. Toothbrush and toothpaste in the top drawer of the bathroom cabinet. Coats hung on hooks by the door.

The B zone is where the items you use every week or two are stored. Your crockpot is in a lower cabinet in the kitchen. Your cleaning supplies for the bathroom are under the sink. Your umbrella is on the shelf of the coat closet.

The C zone is where the items you use occasionally are stored. Your bread pans are stored above the stove. Your guest towels and sheets are stored on a shelf in the guest room. Your ski bibs are in a bin under your bed. Easily accessible but not getting in the way of your daily living.

The D zone is where seasonal items are stored. Your holiday decor is in the attic or top shelves in the garage. Your photo albums are on a top or bottom shelf. Your picnic basket is on the top shelf of your laundry room.

The E zone is nowhere in your house. Please don’t let it be in a storage facility with a monthly rental fee – unless it is a short term solution because of a move or renovation of your home. If something merits being in an E zone it probably shouldn’t belong to you. It simply hasn’t earned its status to belong to you. The E zone should be the thrift store, a consignment shop, or the trashcan.

Muck boots

Organizing rule #3 – Simplify

Organizing systems that are too difficult to keep up with will defeat you. Make it easy on yourself by simplifying it. Here is where you get to make up your own rules.

Don’t put extra steps in place for you or your family members like lids on hampers, or stacks of sweaters that topple when you remove the bottom one. Extra steps can also be folding clothing in elaborate ways to store them or keeping shoes in shoe boxes. Do what is easiest for you. I have clients who don’t fold their clothes or match their socks. If it is a simple system that works for you, then it works!

Simplifying is also a time when you can decide that enough is enough. If your child has 15 bins of legos it might be time to let some of them go and decide that 4 bins of legos are more than enough to play with. If you have more clothes than will fit in your closet, then you get to decide what items are worth keeping and which can go. You have more than enough.

If you have books piled around your home it might be time to keep only enough books that will fit on your bookshelves. After all, you can only read so many books over and over again. You have more than enough to read.

Simplifying is also putting like things together. Cleaning products together, craft items together, books together, etc. I like to keep my most used cooking supplies on a tray next to my stove.

Organizing kitchen essentials on a tray

Organizing rule #4 – Label

Labeling is not completely necessary but it is helpful if multiple people use the space or if some of your storage solutions are identical and you can’t see through them.

We have our seasonal bins labeled and stored on top shelves in our garage. The bins are all the same and are opaque so labeling makes it easier to pull down exactly the ones we need. I used my small battery-operated labeler to do this quickly. Large blank stickers and a permanent marker would work great too.

Baskets in my pantry are labeled because they are similar and I can’t see into them while they are on the shelf. I have canning jar lids, storage containers that I use when sending food home with people, and extra shopping bags/plastic bags in the bins. Cute luggage tags work great for larger bins. I labeled my pantry jars since many of them contain powdered items and no one wants to get baking soda mixed up with sugar.

– Organized pantry

Organizing rule #4 – Maintain

Many an organizing system has gone awry because this rule has not been followed. It might be the most important one.

Maintaining your organized home looks like this:

~Get one/Purge one – When you get a new sweater, give one up. When you get a new fingernail polish, let one go. When you purchase a replacement for something, get rid of the item it is replacing (seems logical but it’s hard for many people to do).

~Do a 10 minute pick up every day. Get the whole family involved. Walk around the house and put everything back in its own home. It will have a home because you followed rule #2. If it doesn’t have a home, either give it one or get rid of it.

~Go through your items at least once every year. For instance, when seasons change, go through your cold-weather clothing and follow rule #1 to make sure you only have items that deserve to be in your home. People and families change and their needs change. There is no merit to hanging onto items you don’t need.

Here is a calendar to use to make it easier:

5 rules for an organized home/tidybrownwren.com

The organizing equation you should know about

October 27, 2019 by tidybrownwren

As an Organizing Coach, my job is to help my clients create the home they want. They rely on me to help them clear through the clutter of their home and make it work for them instead of them being a slave to it. The hardest part, I’ve found for any client, is knowing where to start. They need to know about the organizing equation.

It might be unique to my experience, but it seems that most of my clients are already organized. It’s not really organizing they need help with. The problem is they have acquired more things than their houses can hold efficiently.

More times than not, I will open their closets or cabinets and almost hear angels sing because they are so organized. The problem is in the abundance of items that don’t fit in those cabinets and closets and are piled everywhere.

In order to help clients, I like to start with the thought process. I like to guide them to look at the priorities they have for their homes.

No pressure, but if you’re still reading this, you probably want to get started on the process of uncluttering your home. Am I right? Let’s do this together!

Let’s start with a few questions to ask yourself:

What are my goals? To be able to get out of the house in the morning without losing my mind? To have people over for dinner and not be embarrassed by the condition of our home? To pay my bills on time? To finally get a grip on our laundry? Be sure to put this list on your phone or write it on a piece of paper. You’ll be referring back to it later. These goals will show what your priorities are.
How much time do I have each week to work on these goals? This dedicated time will show how serious you are about accomplishing your goals.
Am I willing to make some difficult choices to help me get to my goals? This acknowledgment will show how dedicated you are to accomplishing your goals.

So, if you made your goal list, are you willing to do what it takes to reach those goals? How much time will you set aside each week to work on your goals? Are you ready to make the tough decisions you need to see progress made?

Goals + Time + Commitment = Uncluttered Home

So what now?

Put your list where you can see it. I keep mine in my planner.
Look at the week ahead and plan how much time you will dedicate to decluttering. Write down what you will do and when you will do it.
Set yourself up for success. Have all of your supplies ready and plan for some easy meals on the days you will dedicate to work on your goals.

For instance, if I planned to work on my kitchen this week, this is what my schedule might look like without taking off of work or neglecting the rest of my home. Also, I would plan to cook crockpot meals and eat leftovers.

Don’t worry if you can’t work on your goals every day. You are in charge of your schedule, so plan what works best for you. If you can only work on it for 1 hour this next week, then that is better than nothing. Progress is taking one step at a time even if the steps are small. Progress is getting rid of things you don’t use any more to make room for what you do use.

Disclaimer: I am a morning person and I can get a lot of things done before 8:00. Also, Hubs and I are empty nesters so I don’t have any little ones to take care of. When my children were little, I would just do one drawer a day or one shelf of a cabinet. Don’t allow guilt to weigh you down. Make a plan and be disciplined about following through.

Next time, we’ll talk about what to do with those items you don’t use anymore but aren’t sure if you can let them go.