Best Organizational Tips

Get rid of things you do not need to keep. Seriously, I spend a thousand dollars on organizers because we lived in a 1,000 foot house. We have less stuff now though we have "the space" to keep it. The few items I had to rebuy cost less than $100 all together. The time I spent not slaving over things is priceless.

Check out the book "Organize Now" by Jennifer Ford Berry. It gives a week-by-week guide to organizing -- including priorities, schedules, papers, things, high traffic areas, personal spaces, storage areas, special events and routines. Obviously, if you need help in a particular area you can jump to that section. Each section includes a check list and gives specific on how to STAY organized with "once a month", "every 3-6 months", and "once a year" tasks.

Here's a link: http://www.jenniferfordberry.com/p/organize-now-new-updat...

look up pinterest.com. search organization. cool ideas.

In our laundry room, it's narrow, I took a shower curtain rod and hung it up. Instead of folding clothes that I have to unfold later and hang, I just hang them up. Huge timesaver.

I totally need this too!!! I'm the worst!!! Having said that, try flylady.net. She has some great tips. Also, get rid of clutter. I so need to do this, myself. I hope you get a lot of good tips because I'm the worst when it comes to organization. What I lack in organization, I make up in creativity...LOL That's my excuse...LOL

for my kids craft stuff, workbooks, etc, I got the 9 unit storage unit that is shaped like a square. They also have the colored bins to put in the square, I have 5 of those bins. I also have plastic containers for items like crayons, markers, glue, scissors etc & put those items in the plastic bins. So when my kids are in the mood to color etc they go in the laundry room & get out what they want & they know where to put it all away.

For school paperwork you can get plastic storage bins to hold all that stuff. I have 3 kids so I have a 3 bin plastic storage for each child & every piece of completed homework goes in their.

Christmas presents is a pain cause I like to buy year round. So I have a small notebook with everyones names in it & I write down what I got each person, so I don't overbuy or forget. I store pre bought Christmas presents in a small closet & in a little space in between my dresser & armoire so no one would think to look there.

Towels, not sure what you mean about them going everywhere; are they used or unused? if your talking about used towels, get the over the door hooks & hang them on the bathroom door or bedroom door. If they are unused towels then maybe you can buy a large plastic bin & once folded put them in their so they don't get tosseled around.

You have to let rooms go sometimes, especially ones that aren't visible.

Also less is better & bins really help too. Try to make everything have a home so then everyone can help clean up after themselves.

For the paperwork: file cabinets with hanging folders. We have one set for my husband (bills, receipts, warranties, etc.). For me, we have another set where I file recipes, craft project instructions, my writing, and other paperwork type things.

For crafts/toys: We went to Lowe's and bought two 9 cube organizers that each have a spot to hold a one foot by one foot (maybe 18 inches, but it's a decent size, either way) fabric cube. Or you can forget the actual cubes and use the space for your own organizing container, but the cubes are kinda nice to have. One set of cubes is actually for small kids toys. We have four children, and they each have their own cube to throw their special things into. The rest hold things like action figures, light building toys, etc. This has helped tremendously. The other cube is being used for crafts. I only have four of the fabric cubes in that one. One holds papers to be filed that I don't want sitting out getting scattered. One holds small to medium sized gift bags. Another holds tissue paper, bows, and name tags. I can't remember what I put in the other off the top of my head, but you get the point. I also bought two plastic containers (not expensive, from Walmart) that can fit neatly in the cube holder. One is a set of three smallish drawers that I use for pencils, pens, crayons, and markers (this has been the best thing ever!); the other is just a small tub with a snap on lid that holds stapler, water colors, paint brushes, glue, and other things that I want to be able to carry around yet keep contained when not in use. I'm planning on getting another of these so I can sort a little bit more.

For finished paperwork or crafts: I have some that I keep in a big plastic tub under my bed. I have others that I just take a picture of for a way to "keep" it, and then toss it. Workbooks go on the kids' bookshelf if they're still in use. Otherwise, they go in the trash.

Christmas/birthday presents: I'm sorry to say, we just chuck them up in the top of our closet until we need them. Probably not the best system, and I'm sure our kids will catch on sooner rather than later, but it's the only spot no one really pays attention to at present.

I totally second Michelle's suggestion-and was actually going to suggest the same when I saw her response!
Pinterest is awesome for ideas. What's also great is that when you search "organize" and words related to what you are looking for, pictures come along with the links to the ideas, so that you can already see visually if you think it is something you will be interested in!
Pinterest is one of the best "inventions" out there! For this, recipes, party ideas, etc. I love it!

Purge, recycle papers fast, make each thing have a home, all great strategies I try to employ. But I also think having the right container/system is KEY. I just bought a new shelf unit for my daughter's room, the old one simply wasn't right to contain her stuff, it was hard to use and she struggled and fought every time even the idea of cleaning her room came up. She's excited now, and there is enough room for everything without getting jammed in. I took my time and did a fair bit of research to figure out what would work there -- the bins at Target would be too small to fit Barbies, I needed at least 12" and Ikea had a piece that would work.

Look at your problem areas and think about both how you need to get to the content, and how you most easily can put it away. For example: with craft supplies, this chunk of stuff only gets used every month or so, while these 6 things are used weekly. Small things need to be seen and sifted through easily, while larger bulky things can hide in the back or up high. Think about your ideal container or system for this chunk of stuff -- is it two shelves in a closet? A stand alone cabinet? A file folder box sitting on top of the desk? -- then start shopping and saving to make it happen.

You definitely need discipline to carry a system out week to week, but without the right containers you are set up to fail.

Oh yes, I hope you get some good answers.. I have the same problem!

I try to make everyTHING have a home. That makes it easy to put things back. I do a pretty good job of keeping that stuff organized, but I have moments of sheer exhaustion when I just say, "forgetaboutit!" I have to get back on the stick if I don't want it to get out of control.

Christmas and birthday presents are put in a box on a very high shelf labeled with a different name (although my kids can't read yet).

I have a drawer that I can easily tuck school papers in (that's the only thing that goes in there - I organize it better when I have time).

Craft stuff has another drawer and we only keep the things in working order (no too small crayons or pencils, no dried up glue, etc.). Those things might have an extra container that makes them sit better in the drawer.

Learn to get rid of stuff you don't need or use (if you don't already).

I also try to use every square inch of my storage as possible. It makes you think creatively!

Hope that helps at least a little!

The best answer you have received here is to get rid of as much "stuff" as possible. If you don't have it, you don't have to worry about organising it. Clothes the kids don't fit in, broken toys, bags, shoes, newspapers you haven't gotten around to reading, etc.

Open the mail as soon as it comes in and place bills in the in tray. When they are paid, file them immediately in a LARGE filing cabinet, (no excuse not to file if you have a big one with plenty of room) or place them in a to-be-filed tray. Go through it weekly, say on Saturday morning.

The craft stuff I try to keep contained to three clear plastic boxes so we can see what's inside. Again, go through these as there may be stuff that's dried out/not usable. The craft boxes go on the shelves in our utility room.

Good luck!

read this
http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/
:)

It helps to know how you work. For me I know I need open containers where the contents are accessible and/or visible or it won't work for me - no matter how pretty. It is also important to purge before you purchase the containers-storage system to store it all in.

I have heard many people use this website and love her style and strategies:

http://flylady.net/