How to Keep Your Car Organized

April 16, 2012 by

Auto InteriorYour car is your important mode of transport between point A and B, but if you are like many people you might also be in the habit of using it as a trash can on wheels.

Are you embarrassed when you offer someone else a ride in your vehicle because of the detritus of empty bottles, pieces of paper and food wrappers that litter the floor?

If you have children, do you have to clear an entire army of toys and stuffed animals from the back seat before anyone can sit down?

If your car is becoming a disaster zone, here are some tips for regaining control of the clutter.

Everything in Its Place

One of the main reasons why your car is such a mess is that nothing has a rightful place to be. You eat a granola bar while you are driving, and then stuff the wrapper in the cup holder thinking that you will dispose of it later and then usually forget.

The trick is to create a system where all of the garbage and junk in your car has a place. Keep a small trash bag in your car at all times, so that you can discard things in it rather than letting them get lost on the floor. Every few days you can throw the bag away and replace it with a new one.

Do Quick and Frequent Cleans

If you are waiting outside for five minutes to pick up a friend, use that time to do a quick tidy of your car. Gather all of the garbage and throw it away in a nearby garbage can, as most public places will have one.

If you can get in the habit of clearing out the junk in your car every few days, the problem will never build up to a point where it becomes overwhelming.

Organize the Back Seat

When you are driving around with your little ones, it’s great to have toys and books in the back seat to keep them occupied. To keep the mess under control, there are clever little organizers that you can buy which hang over the back of the front seat and include pockets for books, magazines, and small toys.

When you are a couple of minutes from arriving at your destination, give your kids the heads up to start putting their toys away so that they get in the habit of tidying up after themselves in the back seat.

These are just a few things that you can do to keep your car organized and tidy! 

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Desk Makeover: Create the Optimum Working Environment

February 22, 2012 by

messy deskHas your desk become a cluttered ruin filled with half-empty coffee mugs, teetering stacks of books, dusty piles of paper, and crumbs from your breakfast bagel?

Does your working environment make you feel refreshed, energized, and inspired or do you feel cramped, tired and overwhelmed?

Did you know that by changing the features of your working environment you can actually help yourself focus better, work more efficiently, and be more creative?

Whether you work at home or at an office, there are many ways that you can improve your desk space so that you can work to your maximum potential.

Reduce Clutter

Having a lot of junk on your desk is not only distracting when you are trying to work, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Just like staring out at the open ocean or the horizon can be calming for your mind, working at a clutter-free space will help you relax.

You will also find important documents and files quicker and easier rather than having to sift through piles of debris for them.

Here is a quick list to get started:

  1. Clear off everything from your desk and sort it into piles of things to thrown away and things to file.
  2. Create a filing system to organize your documents, which can be anything from folders in a drawer to a special cabinet.
  3. Make sure that everything is off the desk and put in its rightful place, and get in the habit of taking 10 minutes at the end of your day to organize your desk so that the clutter never builds up.

Light Up Your Life

Inadequate lighting in your work space could be sapping your energy, straining your eyes, and making it more difficult to get your work done.

Invest in a desk lamp which sheds light directly onto whatever you are working on so that you can see everything clearly.

Avoid florescent bulbs, because when they flicker they can cause eye strain after a while.

Inspire Yourself

Now that your desk is organized and bright, you can add a few items which will inspire you while you are working.

You can put quotes from your heroes and photos and artwork that represent your dreams and goals on the walls near your desk.

If you ever are stuck for ideas, you will have your own little gallery of inspiration to gaze upon.

Enjoy working in your new and beautiful workspace!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , ,

Got Junk? How to Tame an Unruly Cluttered Garage

November 26, 2011 by

Your garage seemed innocent enough when you first moved in to your home, but now it has grown into a cluttered jungle of junk which Junk in Garagehaunts your dreams.

It begins as a covered space to park your car, but your garage soon becomes a dumping ground for any odd objects and a place to store the odd few tools and things that didn’t fit in the house.

Broken lawn furniture, toys that your kids haven’t played with in years, tangled webs of garden hoses, half-finished DIY projects, garbage bags of clothes that you meant to donate to charity, and that hammer you borrowed from your neighbor are all stacked precariously in dusty corners.

It’s getting to the point where you can barely even squeeze the car in, and something needs to be done.

Taming a garage that has gone out of control is a big job, but if you have some helping hands and a day or do to dedicate to the task, you can hack your way through the mess and turn it into a space that works for you.

Get Rid of the Junk

The very first step is to get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be in your garage in the first place. Although it is tempting to hold onto stuff for sentimental reasons, be brutal in your elimination of junk.

Is it broken and not worth fixing? Throw it away. Have you not used it in the last year? Give it away or sell it. Is it something you borrowed from a neighbor? Give it back.

Keep only the tools and other items that you really need and use often. It is much easier to organize your belongings if you have less of them.

Once you have removed everything out of the garage, this is a great opportunity to give everything a good sweep and scrub so that you have a clean space to work with.

Create a New System for Storage

If you want your newly clean garage to stay clean, you need to create an organized storage system for keeping everything tucked away where it should be. For example, you can get a pegboard for the wall where you can mount rakes, brooms, tools, and hoses neatly without taking up floor space.

If you often work on projects, bring in a table or a cart to work on with drawers for storing your supplies and tools. Keep seasonal gear or other objects in sturdy plastic tubs. You can even get special hooks for bikes and kayaks so that they can be stored hanging from the ceiling.

Congratulations, you have transformed your savage and untamed garage into a practical and efficient storage space!

Filed Under: Home Care Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

Clever Organization Tips that Will Make a Small Apartment Look Bigger

November 4, 2011 by

Organization is very important, and it becomes even more crucial when you live in a small space.

If you are a single person or a couple, living in a tiny apartment can be a great option, it just requires a bit more work to ensure that your space is organized well.

If you live in a small apartment, whether it is a one bedroom or a studio, you might that you struggle to make all of your possessions fit into your compact space. All of your closets are packed full, and you have to step over your computer chair to crawl into bed. To reduce your clutter and make the small space work better for you, here are some organization tips:

  • The first step is to prioritize how you most use your apartment. Do you often entertain guests? Do you work at home? Thinking about which activities you do the most will help you define your floor plan.
  • Another important step is to get rid of absolutely everything that you don’t need. There is no use keeping clutter when you don’t have the space for it, so have a big cleanout and give away or sell your junk.
  • Consider buying a bed that will make the most of your small space. You could choose a loft bed which is just like a bunk bed but with a desk and cabinets rather than a bottom bunk. This saves an enormous amount of floor space when one piece of furniture serves two purposes. Another example is a futon which folds into a sitting area during the day.
  • Use the space underneath your bed as storage. There are many different storage containers you can buy which are designed to slide right underneath the bed.
  • Invest in a table which offers the option of adding and removing leaves. You can expand it during a dinner party and then make it smaller for your daily use.
  • If your shoes are filling up your closet floor, get a shoe organizer that hangs over your closet door.
  • Get a basket which hangs over your shower head to store your shampoo, body wash, and washcloths. This will clear up a lot of space in your bathroom.

These are just a few ways that you can keep organized and make your small apartment feel much more spacious!

What other space-saving tips can you share?  Do you have pictures?  I’d love to see them!

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