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Why B.
Organized? Helping Moms Manage the Home Front
Parent Guide, November 2005
By Nicole Gabai
President, B. Organized!
Does this
sound familiar? You fumble around the house in the morning trying to
find your keys or your daughter’s left shoe, only to realize you
can’t find the right toy that goes in the stroller. Then there’s
Tuesday’s schedule. What was supposed to happen at 3 PM? You know
it was something…. And what about that birthday party? Was it this
Tuesday or next Tuesday? Oh, and the shopping list..who needed
printer ink? Or was it more pens?
OK, OK….you
get the idea, right? There are few things more important than being
able to find what you need when you need it. Are you tired of the
chaos and stressful time wasting that can cause anxiety in the
family unit, not to mention the lack of a solid foundation for your
kids? Read on and I’ll share with you some tried and true tips for
relieving some of this stress and reclaiming the peace and joy you
and your family deserve and will undoubtedly cherish!
THE HOME
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Creating an
effective home management system is the first step in getting
everyone else at home organized. Find a space to call your own. You’ll
need a few filing drawers, at least. Your goal is to create an
intuitive and logical filing system for easy retrieval, (what would
you think of if you were looking for this particular piece of
paper?) The best way to achieve this is to have a filing system that
goes from A-Z. Everything in between will fall into categories, ie:
Insurance (your main category) can have several sub-files within
this, like: life, auto, health, home owners.
Use lots of
file folders, as many as necessary. Don’t skimp here since they
cost only about $5 for a box of 100. Be very specific on your
categories and sub-files. Also, I suggest investing in a label maker…you
can find a very basic one for under $50 at Staples. The more
beautiful and neat your system is, the more likely you are to use
it.
You’ll want
to have a bulletin board on which to affix handy information such as
invitations, theatre tickets and important phone numbers. Remember
to find something you think is attractive. You’ll be much more
inclined to use the things you love….toss out (or give away) any
desk item you don’t love. To keep tabs on kids’ schedules, you
can print out each timetable, ie: soccer practice, swim meets,
ballet class, etc. and slip each one into clear plastic sleeves and
attach them with a metal ring and hang them on the bulletin board so
you can easily flip through them.
Another handy
tool in your home-management system is a mail sorter box. Don’t
try to retrain yourself to do what you don’t normally do. Organize
and put containers where you naturally place your mail and other
items. Depending on the volume in your household, you may want to
have 2 of these side by side. It should stand upright and have
several compartments. One section for incoming catalogues (magazines
should have a home either in the bathroom and/or in an attractive
container in the living area.) Other sections can be used for “bills
to be paid” or “correspondence.” You always want to file,
store or keep papers vertically. Avoid horizontal filing as much as
possible (ie: piles of papers). It’s impossible to see what is in
the pile and thus creates that chaotic feeling I mentioned earlier!
When your
system is in place, remember to re-evaluate your categories and file
names and adjust them as needed. Also, reserve about 15 minutes
daily for filing and maintenance. And remember to assign a home for
everything in your space.
KIDS
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
When
organizing a child’s room, think in zones and have only 3-4 zones
in one room and store items at the point of use. For example, a
reading/desk area, a play area, a clothing area, and the sleeping
area. Keep all related items in each zone. The reading and desk area
are all about books, school supplies, awards and even files starting
at around age 7. The play area can have clear drawers labeled with
the contents and not over-stuffed.
The clothing
area, whether it’s a closet or an armoire, needs all related items
together to make dressing easier. Belts can be hung on hooks, shoes
should be on shelves that stack up on the floor. Use clear plastic
drawers wherever possible for their ease of use and easy
recognition.
Let your child
be involved in choosing what goes where, since the more involved he
or she is in the process, the more likely they are to use it. When
storing sentimental objects or your children’s artwork, remember
it’s a matter of quantity. Use a treasure box or a memorabilia box
for all your special keepsakes and store them high up in a closet
where it’s out of your way but accessible enough for you to
retrieve when you feel like reminiscing.
PORTABILITY
This is a term
I created to describe a system to help remain organized while on the
road. This means anything from being out all day at work, on errands
or carpools. The first item you’ll want to have at your fingertips
is a catch-all notebook preferably with tab sections. This can be
spiral bound or a 3-ring binder. The key here is the tabbed
categories. For example: one tab for each child and member of your
household or one for a special project, perhaps a renovation,
decorating ideas or planning an upcoming trip. The basic idea here
is to provide a home for all the notes and papers we accumulate
during the day. You can tape in information that might have landed
on a handwritten note. The key here is the categories so that you
can refer to and retrieve information in a categorical manner; much
more efficient than flipping through pages of random notes. This
special notebook I affectionately call the “halfway house,”
since it is halfway between your ever important “bible” (whether
that is your Filofax or your Palm Pilot) and your permanent files or
perhaps it remains as fleeting tidbits of information to live in the
“halfway house.” It’s very important to date the notebook in
the front, say July 2005 through October 2005 and you’ll want to
save these notebooks for approximately 5 years.
Finally,
keeping a current ‘TO DO” list is essential for your daily
tasks, as well as weekly and monthly tasks. These can easily be
updated if you store them in your computer. Also, make a “CALL
LIST” and a “THINGS TO BUY LIST.” As you move through town,
frequently check your lists to stay on track. You’ll be breezing
through life in an efficient way and you’ll realize how wonderful
it is to B. Organized!
Nicole
Gabai is the President and founder of B. Organized!, a company
specializing in innovative solutions for your home, office and
children’s rooms, as well as moves and relocations. She has
owned the company for over six years and can be reached at
888.590.9220 or 917.439.7775 for further information. In addition
to working closely with her clients, Nicole occasionally puts on
workshops and seminars on how to get yourself organized. Her work
is widely recognized throughout the northeast, from New York to
Maine and New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, Cape Cod and
Vermont. Nicole also has clients in Los Angeles, Miami, Tennessee,
and internationally in Peru and Mexico.
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