Organizational Tips & Tricks

Following are some very helpful organizing tips articles and organizational tricks articles we are confident you will find useful. Some articles are ours and some we found on the Internet, and we gathered them all here for your convenience.

We are constantly adding more articles on organizing so check back often.

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Click on a title to be taken to the corresponding article ... Happy Organizing!

Innovative Organizing Ideas

 1.  Thinking Outside the Box

 2.  Go Vertical!

Office/Paperwork Organization

 3.  How to Organize Your Piles Into Files - Part 1

 4.  How to Organize Your Piles Into Files - Part 2

 1.  Thinking Outside the Box
by Marc Rifkin, MBA

Admittedly, much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent helping people put things into containers and boxes. But often the best solution is found by thinking out of the box in addition to the more traditional thinking of putting things into containers.

I was reminded of this recently while consulting with a residential client. Two of the issues that the client presented were the lack of closet space on the main floor and the constant clutter on a small, built-in desk. Limited closet space resulted in coats being deposited in the front entry. Shoes were removed inside the garage and dropped on the floor next to that entry into the house. The homeowners were tired of tripping on shoes - and they certainly didn't a wall of their coats hanging in the foyer to be the first thing their guests saw upon entering their home. So, the challenge was clear ... this active family needed more closet space on the main floor near the entrances.

The second problem was the built-in desk. Located adjacent to the kitchen, the desk was an obvious clutter trap. It was probably designed as a bill paying area, or maybe a place for children to do homework. But the family had a home office and the children were already teens. Over time, the original purpose of this area had become obsolete, and this space had just become a phone desk, magazine dump, mail dump, etc. So, I asked the client some questions:

"Do you use this desk?"
"A little. For this and that, but mostly it's a drop-off for everyone's junk."

"Do you need the desk?"
"No."

"Would you miss the desk if it went away?"
"No."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I'm thinking about ripping out the desk, adding some doors, and turning the space into a closet. Is that what you're thinking?"

"Exactly."

The point here, of course, is that we thought outside the box to come up with one easy solution that solved both problems! The architect designed a built-in desk, the builder built a built-in desk and the homeowner bought a built-in desk. But the space was no longer being used to its fullest potential as a built-in desk. So, we took the same space, and gave it a different name: closet. Same space, different use. A better and more effective use of space.

The ability to make these connections and visualize non-traditional solutions is a large part of thinking outside the box, and an important quality for a Professional Organizer to possess. Sometimes we have to stand back, remove the labels, and let our imagination take over. Containers and boxes are important. But sometimes we need to put the containers aside and think outside the box. It is an important part of learning to become organized.

Marc Rifkin is the owner of Oasis Professional Organizers, which serves the Greater Seattle Area. His success as a PO relies largely on his ability to see solutions that may not be 'traditional', but are just what is needed for each individual project. His passion is to help as many people as possible to become more organized and manage their time better. He accomplishes this by creating unique solutions that work, and teaching his clients methods that they relate to - so they will stay organized indefinitely. He believes that with organization in your life you will be happier, less stressed, and have more free time to do the things you love. To reach as many people as possible and help them realize this goal, Marc also consults with those people who are do-it-yourselfers and just need professional guidance and advice. These consultations are conducted via the phone or online via e-mail so he can help people all over the world. He also speaks on organizing at special functions and events, to introduce groups of people to the benefits of being organized. To contact Marc about an organizing project, consulting or a speaking engagement, please visit his company's website.

Marc Rifkin, Oasis Professional Organizers
Phone: 206-920-2676
E-mail: [Marc at Oasis Organizers dot com]
Url: http://www.OasisOrganizers.com

© 2005 Marc Rifkin, MBA
Oasis Professional Organizers™, LLC

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2.  Go Vertical!
by Marc Rifkin, MBA

I have often wondered why we measure houses and other buildings in square feet. It seems odd that we live in a three-dimensional world yet when it comes to real estate, only length and width seem relevant.

So what happened to height, the 3^rd dimension?

As a Professional Organizer who stands taller than six feet, I have taken a special interest in this question - which has resulted in the development of some very creative ideas for managing your space.

One of my greatest challenges as an Organizer is changing the way clients think about and use s-p-a-c-e. Everything we own is three-dimensional, but we have been trained to think about space in two dimensions. Our pioneering forefathers had vast acres of space and spread out accordingly. Despite spaces that are often cramped and overcrowded, many people today continue to fill out their floorspace horizontally. Look around the typical house and it is obvious that outside of the kitchen, most items are placed and stored from the floor up.

For example:

• A 19" TV - It roughly measures 19" wide, 17" high and 18" deep. It is fair to say that most people put their TV on a stand, table or dresser, which renders the space above the TV useless. Who mounts TVs on the wall? Hospitals, who discovered long ago that mounting a TV on the wall frees up the precious space below.
• Shelving Units - There is no question that shelving units are great for organizing books, CDs and other of life's necessities. Assuming that space is valuable and at a premium, why do so many of us use bookcases or floor-standing shelving units [which usually stand 5'-6' high] in the garage, carport, or shed? Knowing that some things, such as mowers, bikes, etc. have to, or are likely to take up floor space, wouldn't ceiling mounted, hanging shelves be a wiser choice?

There are countless other examples, but the point is that in a increasingly cluttered world, if you start thinking vertically - by making better use of wall and ceiling space - it opens up a whole new dimension and range of possibilities.

So the next time you are rearranging a room in your home, trying to create more space in an area or moving into a new space - go vertical!

Marc Rifkin is the owner of Oasis Professional Organizers, which serves the Greater Seattle Area. His success as a PO relies largely on his ability to see solutions that may not be 'traditional', but are just what is needed for each individual project. His passion is to help as many people as possible to become more organized and manage their time better. He accomplishes this by creating unique solutions that work, and teaching his clients methods that they relate to - so they will stay organized indefinitely. He believes that with organization in your life you will be happier, less stressed, and have more free time to do the things you love. To reach as many people as possible and help them realize this goal, Marc also consults with those people who are do-it-yourselfers and just need professional guidance and advice. These consultations are conducted via the phone or online via e-mail so he can help people all over the world. He also speaks on organizing at special functions and events, to introduce groups of people to the benefits of being organized. To contact Marc about an organizing project, consulting or a speaking engagement, please visit his company's website.

Marc Rifkin, Oasis Professional Organizers
Phone: 206-920-2676
E-mail: [Marc at Oasis Organizers dot com]
Url: http://www.OasisOrganizers.com

© 2005 Marc Rifkin, MBA
Oasis Professional Organizers™, LLC

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3.  How to Organize Your Piles Into Files - Part 1
by Marc Rifkin, MBA

Digging out from under stacks of paper and turning those daunting piles into neatly organized, easy to use files might seem like a daunting and insurmountable task. Let's face it, paper can be intimidating and overwhelming. And all of the chatter about a 'paperless society' is just that - chatter. The fax machine, copier, home printer, daily mail delivery, advertising flyers and other paper wielding invaders have just about ensured that we are headed in the opposite direction.

Paper comes relentlessly and without warning and it never stops coming - bills, insurance policies, faxes, to-do lists, invoices, tax information, user manuals, receipts, itineraries ... then add the magazines, brochures, drafts, booklets, letters and miscellania, and it is easy to see how paper molehills quickly grow into paper mountains. And the worst part is that somewhere in this ever-growing mound of chaos lie important phone numbers, bills that have to be paid, clients that need attention, receivables that need collecting and other vital information.

Before we get started let me assure you of three things:

• 1. You are not alone ...
• 2. There is a light at the end of the tunnel ...
• 2. That light will stay on, shining bright, long after the project is completed!

My goal is to 'unbury' you, by helping you to pare down and organize your papers in a manner that you will be able to maintain, so you can permanently eliminate the clutter. Before we start though, let me suggest that you do not try to do everything in one day. Work in one to two hour chunks of time.

The first step is sorting. To sort, we will need five labeled containers. I use laundry baskets or milk crates but any boxes will do.

Here are the labels to be used along with an explanation to clarify their purpose:

• Take Action - Items requiring action within two weeks - includes bills and information on appointments, meetings, events et al
• 30 Days - Items that require action within two to four weeks - including bills, appointments, events, to-dos etc.
• Read - Items of interest you want to read - including newsletters, articles, announcements, magazines and miscellania
• Archive - Items to be saved requiring no action - includes contracts, bank statements, receipts, warranties, product information, tax information etc.
• Throw Away - Items older than six months that require no action and do not need to be kept

Now that we have our containers, let's start. Grab a stack of papers and sort through it, placing each paper into the appropriate container. Since you are sorting by general category it should go pretty fast. Be thorough, but quick. The key is to touch each piece of paper only once and not read it. Just glance at it and if it is an item that may require action, quickly check the date and then put it into the correct container. We will do a more specific sort later. For now we are doing a general sort and discarding trash.

Of course, the biggest question is always what to throw away. The simple answer is to throw away anything you don't need. You must ask yourself, "Do I really need this, and what is the worst thing that can happen if I throw this away?" I worked with one person who published a local, specialized newspaper. He wanted to keep one or two copies of each back issue, but when we sorted his paperwork, we found 40-50 copies of each. We also found records of events he was involved in years ago, wedding photos, some of his children's artwork, DVD rental receipts, last year's to-do lists, his son's birth certificate, the title to his SUV and more. We also found owners' manuals and receipts for items he no longer owned, stacks of bank statements from the 1980s and so on. Remember, this is your workspace. For you to be most efficient, effective and professional your paperwork has to be in order.

So now you have eliminated all those messy piles of paperwork. If you sorted correctly you have four containers of papers to be filed and one container of recycling. Congratulations on your hard work and progress! Now rest and have a refreshing beverage before beginning Part 2, which covers doing more specific sorts and setting up your filing system.

Marc Rifkin is the owner of Oasis Professional Organizers, which serves the Greater Seattle Area. His success as a PO relies largely on his ability to see solutions that may not be 'traditional', but are just what is needed for each individual project. His passion is to help as many people as possible to become more organized and manage their time better. He accomplishes this by creating unique solutions that work, and teaching his clients methods that they relate to - so they will stay organized indefinitely. He believes that with organization in your life you will be happier, less stressed, and have more free time to do the things you love. To reach as many people as possible and help them realize this goal, Marc also consults with those people who are do-it-yourselfers and just need professional guidance and advice. These consultations are conducted via the phone or online via e-mail so he can help people all over the world. He also speaks on organizing at special functions and events, to introduce groups of people to the benefits of being organized. To contact Marc about an organizing project, consulting or a speaking engagement, please visit his company's website.

Marc Rifkin, Oasis Professional Organizers
Phone: 206-920-2676
E-mail: [Marc at Oasis Organizers dot com]
Url: http://www.OasisOrganizers.com

© 2005 Marc Rifkin, MBA
Oasis Professional Organizers™, LLC

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4.  How to Organize Your Piles Into Files - Part 2
by Marc Rifkin, MBA

In Part 1, we noted that papers must be sorted before they can be properly filed. So at this point, you have eliminated the piles of paperwork cluttering your workspace and sorted them all into five containers [four keepers and one recycling]. First, toss the recycling.

You now have four containers of papers labeled:

• Take Action
• 30 Days
• Read
• Archive

NOTE: As we work, I'd like you to keep something in mind: a filing system has one main purpose - to allow you to find and retrieve information quickly and accurately. It's all about predictability. When you go into a library, you want to be able to go right to the shelf and find the book you want. Imagine if the library had no filing system and put books on the shelves randomly. How long do you think it would take you to get frustrated and give up the search? My guess is that you would probably never go back to the library!
When you need your papers, you want to be able to find them quickly. And finding papers quickly means having them in the right place.

Now let's continue sorting the papers. To separate them into more specific categories, follow these steps in this order:

• 1. Archive Container, Broad Sort - Working with the Archive container, get a stack of supermarket bags and label each using broad categories such as 'Insurance', 'Utilities', 'Investments', 'Hobbies' or 'Travel'. Your categories will depend on the type of papers you are working with. If you are not sure what all you are dealing with, just create the categories you think you will need and keep the bags and pen handy. Grab a handful of papers from the container and drop each paper in the appropriate bag. Don't look at details yet - you are separating items into general categories such as credit cards, banking, taxes, etc. As you go through the papers, if you come across one that doesn't fit into the categories you have created, then just grab a new bag, quickly label it with the new category, drop the paper in and move on. When you are done sorting, you will have bags for banking items, auto items, credit card items, etc. Each general group like 'Utilities' will later be filed in a hanging folder with that label on it.
• 2. Archive Container, Specific Sort - Next you will sort the contents of each of these bags into more specific categories. For example, 'Utilities' could be sorted into 'Water,' 'Gas,' 'Electric' and 'Cable'. 'Banking' could be separated by account number or by 'Savings', 'Checking' and 'Car Loan'. Again, your particular headings will depend on the types of papers that you have and whatever names you will best remember. This is your file, so do be sure to use headings that are comfortable to you. Otherwise the system won't work as well as it should because each of these subdivided piles will eventually get its own file folder.
• 3. Archive Container, Create Folders - Now that you have finished sorting the papers in the Archive container, it's time to start setting up a filing system. Let's keep it simple. Paid bills, statements, and similar records will be filed chronologically, with the most recent bill in front. For example, take your Visa statements and arrange them by statement date, from oldest to most current. Get an empty file folder, label it Visa, put the statements inside and place it in the hanging folder labeled 'Credit Cards'. Do the same for each utility, bank account and the papers from the other headings you created in Step 2. Major purchases will each get a separate file and will all be placed into a hanging folder labeled 'Major Purchases' or 'Appliances' or whatever you prefer. So, if you buy a new washing machine, create a folder, label it Washing Machine - 2005, and place the file into the 'Major Purchases' hanging folder. Put your receipt, warranty, manual and all other info related to that washing machine inside. Then as time goes by, if the appliance requires repairs, you just drop those receipts in the folder too!
• 4. Read Container, Sort - The Read Container now needs to be sorted. You can do just a Broad Sort if you don't have a lot of items in this container. But if you have a large backload of items to read, you may want to also do a Specific Sort to be sure that everything is easy to find. Use your own judgement on this - for example: if you knit and you have a few articles or patterns saved on that, then just make one folder and call it 'Knitting' and put them all in there. But if you enjoy a number of crafts and have a good sized stack of Read Items, rather than making one 'Crafts' folder, you may want to Specific Sort them into 'Knitting', Scrapbooking' and 'Decoupage'. The secret is to cut out just the article and throw away the rest of the publication wherever possible. This will make your file very small to conserve space - plus when you do have time to read them, you won't spend half of it flipping through a publication trying to locate the item you want!
• 5. Action Container, Specific Sort - This is easy, because all you have to do with these is divide them into two piles - 'One Week' and 'Two Weeks', create those folders and then file the papers in the order in which they need to be handled. Some people call the 'One Week' file the 'Tickler File' - but only do this if it feels right to you.
• 6. 30 Day Container, Specific Sort - This one is even easier as you can leave them all in one folder - and just put them into the order in which they need to be handled and label the folder '30 Day Action'. The idea is to review the items in the '30 Day Action' folder regularly, then as the date of the action moves into the '2 Week' range, you move the file from the '30 Day Action' folder into the '2 Week' folder, then review the '2 Week' folder and as those dates move into the '1 Week' range, you move those forward into that folder. Then you check the '1 Week' file daily to see if there is an action for that date!

I suggest that you also write each action on a to-do list, as you put the paperwork in the file. This will make it easy to see at a glance what is happening each day when you look at the folder.

Now you will have a file cabinet with all of your paperwork categorized, organized and labeled, so as new items come in, it will be very easy to just drop them into the appropriate folder instead of making more piles - so you have a long-term solution to eliminate paper clutter!

Following this method, you will turn your piles of paperwork into neatly organized files, and you will never again spend an hour or two looking for that warranty for the dishwasher or miss paying a bill on time because you could not find it!

Marc Rifkin is the owner of Oasis Professional Organizers, which serves the Greater Seattle Area. His success as a PO relies largely on his ability to see solutions that may not be 'traditional', but are just what is needed for each individual project. His passion is to help as many people as possible to become more organized and manage their time better. He accomplishes this by creating unique solutions that work, and teaching his clients methods that they relate to - so they will stay organized indefinitely. He believes that with organization in your life you will be happier, less stressed, and have more free time to do the things you love. To reach as many people as possible and help them realize this goal, Marc also consults with those people who are do-it-yourselfers and just need professional guidance and advice. These consultations are conducted via the phone or online via e-mail so he can help people all over the world. He also speaks on organizing at special functions and events, to introduce groups of people to the benefits of being organized. To contact Marc about an organizing project, consulting or a speaking engagement, please visit his company's website.

Marc Rifkin, Oasis Professional Organizers
Phone: 206-920-2676
E-mail: [Marc at Oasis Organizers dot com]
Url: http://www.OasisOrganizers.com

© 2005 Marc Rifkin, MBA
Oasis Professional Organizers™, LLC

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