| I admit it. I'm a pile maker. Piles in the closet, piles in | | | | everything that is not in that list. |
| shelves, piles in cupboards, piles in the corner. I'm | | | | In the kitchen, I am designating part of a cupboard |
| always digging through a pile somewhere looking for | | | | just for cookbooks & recipes. Also put my control |
| stuff. I was sitting down a couple days ago and | | | | journal in this cupboard. What is a Control Journal? Its |
| thinking about getting better organized. A couple | | | | a 3 ring binder for keeping track of chores, meal |
| times, I've gotten the right idea & I have a few little | | | | planners, grocery lists, supplies, and addresses of |
| plastic drawer carts for things like the kid's craft | | | | your friends, families, doctors, vet, insurance agent, |
| supplies. That works great. So I was thinking, how | | | | etc. Two good places for forms and checklists are |
| can I apply that to the rest of my "stuff?" | | | | the Yahoo Control Journal Group and the Flylady |
| I sat down & started making categories for the | | | | And then there is the physical activity stuff. I had |
| things I saw in the piles. I realized that the bulk of | | | | designated a couple of shelves of a plastic bookshelf |
| the piles were all my stuff. I never thought of it this | | | | for my husband's hockey gear. But things don't stay |
| way before, but it turns out to be categories for my | | | | on it well and it takes up a lot of room when stuff is |
| interests. Child Development, Counseling, Zen Spiritual, | | | | side-by-side. I was thinking about those little plastic |
| Home Economics, Computer Games, Reading | | | | drawer carts that worked so well for my craft |
| Education, Physical activities, Clothes & body care. | | | | supplies. I had some old empty file boxes and so I |
| My husband's stuff consists of weights, hockey gear, | | | | filled them up with things like iceskates, tennis |
| books, computer gadgets and equipment and clothes. | | | | rackets, balls, & snow gear. 'Made my own drawers |
| Then we have kids stuff such as bedding, toys, | | | | to put on the shelves - I don't put lids on them, |
| clothes. My husband's stuff and the kids' stuff all | | | | letting things like a tennis racket stick out. This could |
| have places to go. I have designed our space for | | | | also work with plastic bins or baskets. And you could |
| their stuff. Not mine. My stuff just gets piled in | | | | even label them so that if kids or spouses get into |
| random obscure places that are left over. I give my | | | | them, they know where to put stuff back. This was |
| interests and my stuff low importance. Wow. That | | | | so convenient, I think I'm going to get another one |
| was an eye opener. | | | | and do the same thing with tools. |
| I have a lot of books and files. So I started looking | | | | The one I saved for last is the one I was most |
| at which ones of my interests could go into filing | | | | dreading: my clothes, jewelry, shoes, hair, skin and |
| cabinets. Child development is my preschool | | | | body care. Our bedroom has a tiny closet, so I used |
| curriculum files, books and resources -that can | | | | Fashion Mash to organize my clothes into outfits. I |
| definitely go in a filing cabinet grouped by topic. | | | | found that some things I never wear because they |
| Counseling/Psych has a lot of research files and | | | | just don't match anything and so they are going with |
| books. That can go in a file drawer. Reading | | | | stuff that doesn't fit anymore to be donated. Since |
| Education is mostly all books, so that can go on a | | | | our closet is so little anything that can be folded like |
| bookshelf together. Zen Spiritual is books, papers & | | | | jeans, sweaters and even some T-shirts are going in |
| videos on Christianity, Reiki, Taoism, & Feng Shui. | | | | drawers and on a shelf. We have this old wicker |
| That can go in a file drawer. Computer games I want | | | | trunk, so my shoes went in it and now my cat |
| to keep can go on the bookshelf and my notes on | | | | enjoys sitting on it. |
| computer games I'm designing, can go into a file | | | | And here is where yet another drawer cart came to |
| drawer. I'm keeping only what I really need. Nice new | | | | the rescue. One drawer has my hair stuff. A second |
| books will go to the library, older stuff is going to the | | | | drawer has my jewelry. The third drawer has the |
| Salvation Army or the Goodwill thrift stores. | | | | skin care, deodorant and everything I use in the |
| Home Economics is a big category for me. My craft | | | | morning. The last drawer has my nighttime stuff, |
| supplies are decently organized in the drawer carts | | | | fingernail polish and things I use less often. Makeup |
| like I mentioned. However, I don't have a place for | | | | and most personal care products have a shelf life, so |
| scrapbooks, so I will have to plan bookshelf space | | | | take the age of your products into consideration |
| for those. Next are Finances. I used to have that | | | | when you decide what to keep. |
| nicely organized in a file cabinet, but we've moved | | | | I'm still working on some of it. I'd love to hear back |
| since then & I never got started again. I found a | | | | on anyone else's organization tricks & tips! |
| good list of family records to keep and I'm shredding | | | | |