9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization

Home organization means being able to find your stuff when you need it, not after an hour or more of searching. But home organization doesn't necessarily mean you're neat or clean. It doesn't even mean you're not a pack rat. Home organization just means everything has a place and you know where that place is in your home.

Of course, when you practice "home organization" and "clearing clutter" together you do inevitably get a neater and more organized home. Why? Because you can find your stuff when you need it AND you're not tripping over your stuff. So instead of allowing yourself, or your family, to consistently put your shoes in the entryway (where you do know their location), you designate another spot such as a shoe rack in the foyer closet. That's blending home organization with clutter clearing techniques. Here are 9 strategies for home organization that also may help you clear clutter in your home:

1) CLUSTER LIKE ITEMS - When you organize an office storage closet at home or work, put the different types of paper beside each other on a shelf. And what goes with paper? Envelopes. Put the different types of envelopes adjacent to the paper. Adjacent to that you might put writing instruments used on paper like pencils and pens. And so forth. Organizing holiday ornaments? Keep bins of Christmas supplies together. Keep bins of Easter decorations together. Then put all of these holiday storage bins in one clustered area in your garage or attic. You can also use the cluster mindset for toys and sports equipment.

2) MAKE THINGS CONVENIENT - This simply means put most frequently used items toward the front of shelves or on shelves within arms reach or at eye level of the user (whether that's you, your spouse or your children). Put infrequently used items in those hard to reach cabinets in corners, cabinets above your refrigerator, in the attic, etc. Put shelving or other organizers in convenient places such as put shoe racks, umbrella stands and hanging baskets for gloves in a closet near the entryway you use most often.

3) LABEL IT - Invest in an inexpensive label maker. You'll have fun labeling items (e.g. home recorded DVD tapes) or labeling places where items should go so they always get returned to the same spot. For example, label specific garage shelf spaces for hand tools or power tools. That way nobody in your family will ever forget where they got an item they're using and they'll know where its exact "home" is.

4) DON'T KEEP AN ITEM IF... - ...you can find it elsewhere. So much research, forms and other paperwork is easily accessed these days through the Internet. Just keep a simple list of Websites and useful phone numbers and then you'll always know where to return to or who to call in order to access that information again.

5) HANDLE IT ONCE - And handle it now. That's how the organizing professionals suggest you handle paperwork, whether it's incoming mail or something on your home office or work desk. If you can't handle it now, then put it in a tickler file labeled with a specific intention (e.g. holiday cards to mail by month, bills to mail by week).

6) MAKE IT YOUR SYSTEM - I once knew a woman who placed labels inside her kitchen food cabinets. So cans of green beans and peas always went on their designated label or row and a can of tuna went on its labeled space. When you could see the label that just meant it was time to buy more tuna or green beans. Was this a bit over the top with detail? Not for her. The system suited her personality. It worked for her. Lesson learned: Own your home organizing system. You can use other people's home organizing tips but only if they suit you, they suit your thought process and they mesh with your daily routine. You're the ultimate user of the home organization system.

7) BE FLEXIBLE - If your entire home organizing system, or just part of it, is not working, change it. Try a different method. Put something in a different spot. Observe other peoples homes and work spaces for ideas. Look at photos in home decorating magazines for ideas. Don't be afraid to admit temporary home organization failure and start again as often as needed. It's okay!

8) BE PATIENT WITH OTHERS - You know the cliché...you can't change other people. Unfortunately, that cliché is usually true though so many of us choose to learn it the hard way. Don't expect everyone in your family to start immediately singing your home organization tune. They may never do so. But you can try for compromise and understanding. And you can make subtle polite requests like "honey, will you put your shoes in the closet for me so I can vacuum that area" or "will you put the car keys here when you get home so I can find them in the morning without waking you."

9) GET HELP WHEN NEEDED - Not everyone is good at clearing clutter, especially quickly; nor is everyone good at thinking in an organized, almost analytical, way. And that's okay. But if that's you, consider calling in a paid professional home organizer (search online or in the phone book). Even if you just hire an organizer for a few hours or a day, he or she will at least be able to help you brainstorm about organizing your home in a manner that suits you. Then you can take that next step toward home organization on your own. And keep stepping until you get it done eventually. You will!

Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organization at http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com. Visit http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com to read more than 50 FREE articles containing dozens of home organization ideas and solutions. Plus subscribe to the FREE newsletter updating you about the latest home organizing products sold in stores.

Ex-Mexico cop pleads guilty in US to organizing cartel hit squad Chicago Tribune (Reuters) - A former Mexican police officer accused of organizing a hit squad for the once-powerful Tijuana drug cartel pleaded guilty in a US federal court on Friday to racketeering and drug trafficking, prosecutors said. and more »

BetaNews

Get organized with WikiPad BetaNews WikidPad is a simple text editor that allows you to construct a custom personal wiki on your own PC, perfect for organizing thoughts, ideas, to-do lists, contacts and more. How does it work? Suppose you need to buy a few birthday presents for someone.

CBC.ca

Teamsters trying to organize parkway truckers CBC.ca The Teamsters union is attempting to organize nearly 150 dump truck drivers working on the $1.4-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway. Union organizer Rick Parent said he's distributed union cards to several of the drivers. Parent said he couldn't gauge ... and more »

iBerkshires.com

Organizing Memorial Day parades: A labor of love - and respect SouthCoastToday.com By Curt Brown Although the number of veterans who march are dropping in some communities, the organizers of Memorial Day parades on SouthCoast remain passionate and consider what they do to be a labor of love. "There's work involved, but I enjoy ... Area Memorial Day ActivitiesFenceviewer all 530 news articles »

Ex-Mexico cop pleads guilty in US to organizing cartel hit squad Chicago Tribune Set up hit squad for Tijuana cartel * Tijuana group dominated California trafficking in 80s and 90s By Mary Slosson May 25 (Reuters) - A former Mexican police officer accused of organizing a hit squad for the once-powerful Tijuana drug cartel pleaded ...

The Guardian

Quebec Students Protesting Tuition Hikes Organize on Twitter Mashable The hundreds of protesters that were arrested on Wednesday evening in the Canadian province of Quebec for rallying against university tuition hikes have been organizing their efforts on social media for months. The tuition hikes, which would raise ... Quiet Revolution's old dreams fuel Quebec protestsFox News The Quebec Student Strike Celebrates 100th DayIn These Times all 3,042 news articles »

Benefit being organized for Natick man with ALS MetroWest Daily News By Brian Benson/Daily News staff Family and friends of a local man battling ALS are organizing a benefit to support him while trying to raise awareness about the fatal disease and the need to support research to find a cure. Stephen Malieswski, an avid ...

SimplyUs Brings Couples Closer, With An App For Organizing Their Lives Together TechCrunch That idea comes from co-founder Jonathan James' background in productivity software — formerly at Microsoft, James worked on early versions of its SharePoint application, and found that while he was incredibly organized at work, at home he and his ... and more »

Coupon Lady: Organizing your stockpile The Augusta Chronicle We would always start our summer vacation helping my grandmother clean, organize and get ready for the canning season ahead. I recall the smell of the Murphy's Wood Soap that we used to scrub the wall paneling and furniture.

Jewschool

Nominate someone for the Community Organizing Residency Jewschool by Kung Fu Jew [➚] · Friday, May 25th, 2012 From our friends at Bend the Arc, the organization(s) formerly known as Jewish Funds for Justice-Progressive Jewish Alliance-Shefa Fund, the Community Organizing Residency is accepting applications — and ...