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E-Organization: Apps!

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E-Organization

This month we will be talking all about e-organizing! Are you looking for some technical tools to help you eliminate clutter in your life and help manage your routine? Here are four organizing apps that may make your life a little easier.

Evernote

One of our favorites, Evernote does almost everything. With its simple to use platform, you can save entire webpages to your Evernote account with the web clipper browser extensions. You get the whole page: text, images and links.  You can save everything you see online and in the real world. Snap a photo, record some audio and save it. With Evernote, all of your notes, checklists, web clips, files and images are made available on every device and computer you use. This app also collaborates with Post-It notes for those of you who still love to hand-write your lists!

Evernote is available for free. 

 Artkive 

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork/art your kids bring home from school? Artkive is a great tool for that! Don’t feel guilty about throwing it away – just take a picture first and archive with this app. You can even  use the Artkive shop to create printed gifts.

 Artkive is available for iOS and Android for free. Alternative: Art My Kid Made which is compatible with Evernote  – iOS (free).

Ziplist

If you’ve thought about going the digital route with your grocery list, now is the time! With Ziplist you can add items by store and even sort them by the appropriate aisle. Keep separate shopping lists within the app for the grocery store, hardware/home store, holidays, and vacations!

Ziplist is available for iOS and Android (free). Alternatives: Our Groceries – iOS, Android (free), Buy Me A Pie – iOS, Android (free), Out Of Milk – iOS, Android (free), Grocery IQ – iOS, Android (free)

iCalendar

This is a great calendar to share amongst your family via iCloud. That way, everyone can both see what the other person is up to. It is also a great idea to set it up as a perpetual calendar – reoccurring events that fall on the same date (or close to it) every year and then send yourself a reminder.

Alternatives: Google Calendar – Android (free).

Here are some others we’ve heard great things about:

Keyring
Keyring is a free app that stores all your store loyalty cards so you don’t have to fumble through your purse. You also get access to thousands of coupons and weekly deals.

Cozi
Cozi is a free app and website that helps you manage the chaos of family life with a shared calendar, shopping lists, to do lists and more.

What are your favorite apps?

 

How to Say NO to Stuff From Family & Friends

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Kids Toys

So often I speak with parents, couples and individuals who are overwhelmed with the gifts they receive from well-intentioned friends and family. I’m sure they enjoy showing love by generously lavishing these people with gifts for every single birthday, holiday, and special occasion. If you’ve tried to gently imply that you’d be okay with fewer gifts, suggested clutter-free options, and set spending limits, but you still continue to graciously receive overwhelming amounts of gifts – here’s how to say we don’t need more stuff!

1. Kids already get so much stuff.

Children get stuff, trinkets, toys, and gadgets given to them all the time.Free treats at the grocery store, special prizes with every single kids meal at every single restaurant, a sucker at the bank, stickers at the doctor/dentist, a special magnet at Children’s Church or Sunday School, prizes and treats at school, etc. Everywhere you go, they get more stuff — almost to the point where they expect stuff to be given to them just because they are cute or because they smile. Add in all the birthday and holiday gifts on top of these everyday gifts and parents are simply drowning in stuff.

2. Kids don’t need much, but they want everything they see.

Aside from a few basic necessities, kids really don’t need much. However, the minute they see something, they want it. They might be perfectly happy playing with older toys or reading the same favorite books over and over again — but as soon as something new and different is introduced to the mix, they simply push away the old and focus on the new (even if they were completely happy and satisfied with their old things). After a while, they get bored more easily and continually want more newer, bigger, and better toys… obviously, this is not what we want to teach children. What kids want (and need!) most is to spend time with you. By giving them experiences, you are focusing wholly on them and making lasting memories.

3. Parents are already fighting a loosing battle to keep homes clutter-free. 

A clutter-free home is not the most important thing in life, but for many of you, it’s already so difficult to keep things relatively clutter-free — more gifts and more stuff just add to the issue. For parents it’s hard to purge kid’s toys when they aren’t looking and explaining to a child why their precious rock, sticker, or stuffed animal is suddenly missing due to the accumulation of so many new toys and not enough room to store them all. The more stuff we get, the more stuff we need to purge.

4. We actually like to buy our own gifts every once in a while.

Believe it or not, we like to do fun things  and buy our own special gifts every now and then, but when so many others are giving so much stuff, it’s hard for us to get super excited about adding more gifts to the amount of stuff in our homes. For parents, when kids are given so much stuff, it actually takes some of the fun out of it for them.

5. “More Stuff” is not the right message to send kids.

I know it’s fun to get special gifts on birthdays and on Christmas and it’s exciting to receive a special surprise every now and then. However, that’s really not the message we want to send kids — at any age. The point of doing a good dead shouldn’t be to get a reward. However, when our kids continually receive gifts for every special day, every good deed, and even “just because”, we’re sending them the message that “stuff” is the priority.

6. Don’t feel guilty parting with these un-wanted gifts.

If a toy, trinket, or heirloom is given to you, but it doesn’t suit your taste then  get it out of your life. Don’t feel guilty when others ask where that particular object is because you’ve repeatedly asked others not to give you things. They should respect your wishes and you should feel great about living a more clutter free life.

Clearing the Cobwebs

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I ran into a friend recently at the grocery store and she said to me, “I’ve got cobwebs in my head, and clutter in my home.” Do many of you feel like that? Now that the busy holidays are over, it’s time for a fresh start.

Start Small: Don’t take on the entire house at once. Determine your plan of attack by picking one room and then begin with just one small drawer, cupboard or box. Commit to organizing at least one thing everyday for the entire month of January. As soon as you decide it can leave your home put it in your car to take to consignment or Goodwill. This is one of my secrets for staying organized. I always start the New Year this way. It takes little effort each day and is so rewarding!

Get Help: Ask a friend, family member, or Organized at Last to help you. A second opinion is a valuable tool when it comes to making decisions and letting things go. With a friend or professional help your entire home could be organized by the end of the month! What a great way to start the New Year.

Downsize: Pretend you are moving somewhere else. Everything we own takes up space and costs us in so many ways. If you hesitate to part with something – ask yourself these questions as you think about your belongings:

  • Does it bring you joy?
  • Does it contribute to your life?
  • Does owning it lift your spirits or drain you?

Asking yourself these questions will help you get to the heart of any organizing challenge you face. Organizing isn’t just about making your space look good, it’s about making it function for you and your family too.

Trusting that 2014 will be a great year for everyone!

Clutter Clearing Before The Holidays!

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Front Door

“Never in the history of the world have so many people been so rich; never in the history of the world have so many of those same people felt themselves so poor.” – Dr. Jerry Sheveland, Rejecting the Wealth of Poverty

Whether you’re hosting a family get-together or planning for all the gifts you will give and receive, there’s no better way to relieve the stress of the holiday season than by getting your home organized. Let’s find more contentment and a clearer perspective this holiday season by un-cluttering our lives.

  • Start with yourself…de-clutter your mind.  Take a walk, clear your head, and decide what your priorities will be this holiday season.
  • De-clutter your calendar:  Eliminate the non-essential commitments from your schedule.  Say no freely and reserve a few days in November and December for family days.
  • Identify spaces in your home that are the most often-used during the holidays, and tackle those areas first. Don’t forget the areas where you’re storing your gifts and planning your holiday wrapping!
  • For each space, commit to removing as many non-used items as possible. Donate, consign, or toss items not worn or used in a year or two. Clearing the space of items no longer needed is essential to staying organized! Every time you buy something new, commit to purging one item so you never outgrow the space you have.
  • If you identify items that are better stored elsewhere in your home when cleaning house, relocate them. Sports equipment stored in the closet? Move them to the garage. Stay focused and don’t start on another area until the first one is complete.
  • Think about how your spaces will function when the holidays arrive. How much countertop space will you need in the kitchen for baking/cooking needs? How will you accommodate guests?
  • Shop for organization solutions that will help contain the items that are staying in the space, as well as consider storage for new items you expect to receive. Try shopping after the holidays for storage solutions for holiday decor. Make sure to buy items of the same size and color for easy recognition. Don’t forget to label!
  • Group like items together. For example, in the kitchen, keep your baking supplies stored in a basket that you can easily remove from the pantry when it’s time to bake. Or, in the kid’s room, keep art and craft supplies all in one place.
  • It’s okay to ask for help. No time do this for yourself? Contact OAL!

‘Tis the season to get organized! 
This really is the most wonderful time of year if we take time to focus our hearts and our minds and simplify everything!

Fall Organization Tips

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Fall Leaves

With the end of summer comes the urge to get prepared for winter. That means realizing that you will be indoors for a season, and that the house will need to be fully functioning. For children who are returning to school (and their parents) it’s a natural time to settle into a schedule. And late summer/early fall lends itself to changing schedules because of the shorter days. Here are a few quick seasonal organization reminders to add to your fall schedule!

School Days:

  • Clean children’s rooms
  • Rearrange & organize rooms
  • Sort, purge & donate children’s clothing and toys
  • Set up fall schedule, sports & lessons
  • Set up morning routines
  • Set up evening routines
  • Establish or remind children of drop zones

Household:

  • Arrange/do fall cleaning
  • Begin yard & garden winterization
  • Plant bulbs
  • Store summer sports equipment, repair & replace as needed
  • Winterize car, set date for getting snow tires mounted
  • Clean out freezer
  • Clean oven in preparation for holidays
  • Straighten garage & reorganize
  • Clean & Store lawn furniture
  • Store summer decor & replace with fall decor
  • Bake ahead for the holidays and freeze
  • Plan for holidays
  • Store summer clothing & replace with fall clothing

Happy Organizing!

5 Minute Fall Porch Transformation

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Fall is in the air! Decorating for fall doesn’t have to be an arduous activity or take all day.  Don’t overdo it on decorations that clutter your home. A few well chosen pieces inside and outside your home look clean and sophisticated. Here are a few quick and simple ideas to update the front of your home.

Julies Fall Porch

I purchased one mum, two pumpkins, one flowering kale, and five miniature pumpkins. The cost was less than $30.

Julies Fall Door

During the summer I have small flower pots on this hanging shelf. I just simply switch them out with a few small pumpkins.

Julies Fall Flowers

I took out a few spring/summer branches of white cherry blossoms and replaced with some leaves and chinese lanterns. Quick and easy!

Julies Fall Arrangement

Faux flowers are a great alternative to real ones. As long as they are not exposed to the elements, they can be stored and re-used year after year.

Julies Fall Basket

A basket contains a pretty arrangement with the mum, kale and white pumpkin.

Julies Fall Front Porch

If you have a patio, consider storing the summer pots, hanging baskets, and pillows. I took down my beautiful pink petunia hanging basket and exchanged it for this circular hanging piece. This iron artwork hangs outside through fall and winter and adds some much needed decor during those dreary months.

That’s it! Using just a few natural elements can update the front of your home from season to season!