Reduce the Chaos

Cure for Contact Information Chaos

susan — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:33:21 +0000

My grandmother’s address book was one of her most valued possessions. I remember it as an old tattered book with scraps of envelopes and bits of paper hanging out of it. Over the years, as people moved or passed away, she would have to rewrite and organize, in alphabetical order, every one of her contacts into a new book. The loss of her address book would have been devastating and would have taken a great deal of effort to recreate. How valuable is your contact information to you?

In order to save time and reduce the chaos that comes from having ineffective systems for handling contact information, my recommendation is to use an email program, like Google’s gmail or Microsoft Outlook, to keep all your contacts. Keep the contacts somewhere in cyberspace so that you can log into it from almost anywhere to access your contacts. Keeping the contacts only in a spreadsheet is good until the hard drive crashes or a disaster strikes and you lose everything. Exception: you use a remote backup service. If you have a business with a need for a large and specialized capacity for customer management there are Software programs like ACT that can be used.

The benefits of using electronic programs for contact information:

Easily track a variety of contact information, including birthdays, anniversaries, or notes on their likes or dislikes
Contact information can easily be updated, added to or deleted
Contact information can be easily sent to and shared with others
Lists of contacts can be printed out and sorted by the specific information you want
Can easily download contacts to a spreadsheet that can be edited and uploaded to another computer program

If you are like me, I like paper, but it isn’t practical any more to keep my contact information on paper now that we have computers. Keeping track of your contacts and their information is one of the many things that computers are much better at. It is time to make some changes and get your contacts organized!

How To Organize Your Contact Information:

First: Assess how organized is your contact information?

Where do you keep your valuable contact information?
Is the information safe from fire, flood, or theft?
Can you easily add or delete more contacts?
Can you easily find contact information when it is needed?
How many places, paper and electronic, do you keep your contact information?

Second: Organize your contact information

Decide what electronic program you want to use to contain all your contact information
Gather all your paper contact information in one place
Enter all the contact information in the electronic program (Note: keep the paper contact info for a short time in case of input errors)
Merge all other electronic contact information into the program you chose
Periodically spend time updating your contacts

Most important is to reduce the chaos by keeping all of your contact information in a centralized place!

If you would like assistance getting all your contact information into an electronic format, contact me to find out how I can help you with that.

Parents Who Keep Too Much!

susan — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 03:09:06 +0000

The kids make something “special” for you, a picture or craft item, they bring home a paper from school with a good grade and you put it in a place of honor, you keep it. As parents you want to keep it all! You want the kids to know that you honor their creativity and their accomplishments. Then there are the toys, the books, something grandma bought them. You want to keep and preserve it all! What you are doing is trying to preserve that moment, that memory, that feeling FOREVER!

What happens if you keep it all! If you keep a lot of your kids clothes, books, toys, papers and art creations each year, by the time they graduate your house will be turned into a warehouse overflowing with bins of these momentos. Instead of being fun memories they will have become a huge burden, something that you need to go through “someday” and do something with all of it. Some of the items will become ruined due to improper storage and it will take you weeks of your life to go through all of it.

Client Story:

One of the clients I worked with had a hard time letting go of things, assigning a lot of importance to each item the 2 kids created, their toys, books, and clothing. The client wanted to preserve 1,000′s of special moments through these momentos and items. One of the things the client dreaded was the children growing up and eventually leaving the home and was trying to preserve as much of their childhood as possible. In the clients need to hang onto even small scraps of paper the client was creating a lot of postponed decisions, clutter, confusion, and anxiety for the family. There were boxes and totes in the garage, in the closets and piling up in corners. It was also affecting the children’s ability to make healthy choices on what to keep and what to let go of as they started maturing.

The client realized that they needed help and we started working together. We developed a system for determining what to keep, how long to keep it, and where to keep it. The client was able to let go of less important items and to become more realistic about what quantities of items could be preserved over time. As the client started letting go the children started letting go of things they were no longer using. The clutter, confusion chaos and anxiety in the home lessened. The amount of stacks and boxes started dwindling. Once the system was in place the whole family benefited from using it.

Do you have a system for determining what to keep, how long to keep it, and when to let it go?

Solutions:

Have a wall and shelf of honor that special items get to be exhibited on until the next item is created to display. When the item is taken from the wall or shelf, the decision is made to keep or toss the item.
Have a keepsake bin for each family member that you keep the items not on display in.
Go through the bin every month and decide what you will continue to keep and what you can let go of.
Once a year go through the bin again and only keep items that will preserve well, are still wanted, and fit into the amount of space allowed.
As the children get older they can participate in this evaluating and purging process to teach them the skills they need as adults.
Take pictures and keep a scrapbook for each family member to preserve the memory and be able to let go of the items.
Take pictures of a childs craft projects, make a collage and frame it.

There is a better way!

Most important – spend more time making the memories and less time sorting through them.

Are Dirty Laundry Piles Ruining Your Weekends?

susan — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:29:22 +0000

If you are overwhelmed with the laundry chores and tired of spending your leisure time washing, drying and folding, then this is for you! Get your laundry organized and keep it organized with these simple tips!

First things first… Dealing with dirty laundry can be simplified. The place to begin is to take a look at your current system for handling the laundry. Is your laundry system working or not working for you? If you never seem to have clean clothes when you need them or have piles of dirty clothes laying around, then you will want to continue reading.

Some important questions to consider:

Are there piles of dirty clothes on the bedroom floors and laundry room?
Do the clean clothes end up in piles on the couch or do clean clothes get put away?
How often do you run out of clean clothes to wear in-between washings?
How many people are in the household?
Who does the laundry?
Do you have laundry baskets or hampers?
Are the baskets or hampers located in a convenient place?
Do you do the laundry at home or at a laundromat?

After answering the above questions you might have some ideas of the changes you could make that would improve your laundry system and could save you a lot of time and effort. Continue reading for some great solutions and tips to make doing the laundry easier.

Solutions and Tips:

Locate hampers and baskets where dirty clothes are removed.
Have laundry bags, hampers or baskets for all members of the family.
Get everyone, even the children, involved and teach them to do the laundry.
Do the laundry frequently enough to keep from running out of clothes/towels, etc.
Hang and fold clean laundry as soon as it is dry.
Put clean laundry where it belongs right away.
Sort dirty clothes into wash types as they are taken off. Have separate bags, baskets, hampers, or a tri-sort system. Some of the types of sort categories could be: delicates, whites, dark/multi-colored, linens. Choose the categories and recepticals that work best for you and your family.
Share the laundry duties with others in the family, especially older children who will need to know how to do laundry when they go away to college or have a home of their own.
Whether you wash weekly or bi-weekly, every member of the family should have enough socks, underwear, and other clothing to have clean clothes until the next wash day.

Super Tip: If you need to do laundry during the middle of the week to keep up with the volume of dirty clothes, put the laundry on to wash before starting to prepare dinner. Then after dinner you can put the washed clothing into the dryer and the clothes will be dry before bedtime.

Whether you are doing laundry for one or ten people, having a system in place and the right tools for the task will make life easier. These are just a few of the suggestions that clients of Reduce the Chaos get when we do phone or in home consultations. We are here to assist you with your organizing needs! To reach us by phone call 916-534-2048 or email reducethechaos@gmail.com Get started today!

Contact Susan for an organizing consultation today!

Organizing A Bedroom – What NOT To Do!

susan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:42:43 +0000

Have you ever tried to organize your bedroom this way?

Recently someone confessed that they had tried to organize their bedroom dresser and closets only to have a bigger mess than when they started. First they pulled everything out of their dresser and then decided to do the same with their two closets and piled everything in the middle of the floor. (You can probably see where this is going!) Then they left the room to put something away in the livng room and decided to dump the drawer in the middle of the living room to organize it too.

After sorting only a few items in the bedroom it was time to get ready to leave for an event. This meant that after the event this person is going home to a huge mess with the choice of leaving it this way or staying up late into the night trying to put things away.

First mistake – No clear plan
Second mistake – Trying to tackle too much in a short period of time

If the person had tacked one drawer of the dresser at a time there would have been progress without the chaos. Dresser drawers with clothing items take about 5-10 minutes to organize. Closets usually take several hours to organize. Be sure to schedule ample time for each organizing project.

Want help to make your organizing sessions productive and not end up with a bigger mess than before you started?

Contact Susan for an organizing consultation today!

Piles of Paper – What To Do With Them?

susan — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:42:49 +0000

Do you have Piles of Paper?

We have all been in offices or homes where plies of paper are stacked high on every available surface, including the floor. Stacks of paper, drawers full of paper, boxes of paper, rooms full of paper are taking over our lives. Lets take back our lives and our time!

Wasn’t the invention of the computer supposed to decrease the amount of paper we use? It didn’t! The average office worker handles over 10,000 pieces of paper every month! Even people who are somewhat organized can have difficulty keeping up with the sheer volume of paper.

Paper clutter is about not knowing what to do with the paper when you receive it, or what to do with the paper while you are performing tasks generated by the paper, and what to do with the paper when you are through with it.

Many have heard the advice to handle a piece of paper only once. Most of the time this is not practical or even possible to do unless you throw out the piece of paper.

The advice that has worked best for my clients is to advance the paper forward one step every time you handle it, until the paper can be filed or tossed. It is also much more time effective to group activities together whenever possible. For instance if you need to make copies throughout the day, rather than jumping up from your desk every few minutes, use a file folder and make copies a few times a day. Fewer trips to the copier can save you both time and energy.

Everyone has a system for handling paperwork, the key is whether the system is working, or not! Some systems are very complicated, but complicated paper handling systems are time-consuming and it is unlikely that you will keep using it, or only use it sometimes.

Five Paper Handling Tips:

Have the following within easy reach:
- a garbage bin
- a paper recycle container
- a shredding container
Play the game “get rid of as much paper as possible”.
Reduce the amount of paper and junk mail that you receive.
When you pick up a piece of paper your goal is to advance it forward at least one step closer to being completed.
There are several action choices that can be taken for each piece of paper:
- garbage
- shred
- action folder
Schedule time to handle the paperwork and not let it pile up.
Whatever system you choose to use you will want to adapt it to your own personal needs and style.
Start with the most current papers and piles of paper first.

Action Folder Tips:

To get started you will need several file folders, marking pens and a stair-step file rack or other file holder.

Locate the file rack with-in arms reach of where you sit at your desk of where you sort the paperwork and mail at home.
Clearly mark file folders in large bold writing – use action words, for example:
- “To Pay”
- “To File”
- “To Copy”
- “To Call”
- “To Read”
- Add more folders according to actions that you frequently perform.
If you have partners or an assistant that items need to go to, then make folders up for them too that say “To Patty”, or “To Jim”. They can check the folders for items when you are out of the office, or you can hand the folder contents to them when they walk in.
These ideas can be adapted for roommates, spouses and children in your home.

Once you set up a system some minor adjustments might be needed. The important thing is to NOT let the piles of paper start gathering again.

Let’s get our papers organized and take back our lives from the piles of paper!

Need assistance getting rid of the paper clutter or setting up a system?

Contact Susan Mayfield at www.reducethechaos.com for your consultation today!

10 Key Organizing Tips for Hobbies and Crafts

susan — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:50:58 +0000

To have an organized hobby or craft room follow these simple tips:

Keep like items together
Containerize items, especially the small items
Clearly label all containers
Keep projects protected from dust, light, pets and kids
Hang up or place frequently used items within easy reach of your work area
Have a trash can near where you are working to keep work areas clean as you go
Lay a heavy sheet of plastic over the work area to keep table tops protected
Use a cutting board to protect surfaces when using cutting wheels or knives
Copy patterns to preserve the original and mark the copy as needed for clarity
Donate usable hobby and craft items you don’t need or want to a schools, community or senior centers

For more information on organizing hobbies or crafts Click here to go to the Contact Page for Reduce the Chaos

Copyright© 2011 Reduce The Chaos Sacramento, California. All Rights Reserved. (916) 534-2048

Organizing For Multifamily Living

susan — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:09:03 +0000

When living multifamily in a single family home, space can be at a premium. Finding a place to store everyones personal items is challenging. There are many organizing tools and techniques that can be used to maximize the space that you do have.

General Organizing Tips:

Use well marked baskets and bins for each person’s items (clarity)
Store like items together
Set quantity limits on items
Use the “1 in, 1 out” rule
Use stacking bins and baskets to maximize shelf and cabinet space

Go Vertical:

Use bunk beds and loft beds to maximize the floor space
Use tall book cases and cabinets to maximize storage space
Use wall space to put shelving or hang items to get them up off the floor
Add shelves to closets
Hang items on the back of doors and inside cabinet doors

Furniture:

Use smaller beds, where possible
Use furniture that is multipurpose:
- footstools with storage
- night stands and end tables with shelves and drawers
- bench seating with under seat storage
Things that fold up and can be tucked away when not in use:
- folding chairs or tables
- toys
- exercise equipment

Contact me to learn more about maximizing your space!

Household Guidelines For Multifamily Living

susan — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:12:59 +0000

If you are facing the challenge of multifamily living having some basic guidelines for everyone in the household to follow will be helpful to having a more enjoyable living environment. Basic guidelines and clear boundaries assist everyone to know what is expected, helps to prevent misunderstandings and disagreements from developing in any living situation. With guidelines in place there is a better chance of having peace in the home.

Common Courtesy:

Be polite when communicating to others in the household. Would you talk to a stranger or friend the way you are talking to your housemates or loved ones?
Respect other people’s privacy and space. Would you barge into a stranger’s room without knocking, or interrupt them while they are on the phone?
Clear boundaries on what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior by all parties involved.
Open communication.

Space Usage:

Designate personal zones, space, time for each household member.
Designate group zones versus private zones

Household Tasks:

Have systems for all routine household tasks that include:
- who is responsible for the specific task
- when the task is to be performed
- frequency per day/week/month

Household Finances:

Make clear the financial obligation for each member of the household
Discuss unexpected purchases and expenses prior to spending the money

General Guidelines:

Make sure that expectations are realistic and have been clearly communicated
Have some flexibility and some accountability
Have consequences for not following the guidelines
Try to see things from the other persons point of view
Set reasonable timelines for things to be accomplished

Remember that this living situation may not be ideal, but with everyone working together for the good of everyone involved it can be much more pleasant. Common courtesy and clear communication will go a long way toward keeping the peace in any multifamily living situation.

Contact Reduce the Chaos to find out more about successful multifamily living!

Organizing Clothing for Spring and Summer

susan — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:23:15 +0000

Prepare for spring and summer by organizing your clothing. How organized are your clothes? Are all seasons of clothing mixed together? Organizing clothing for spring and summer will make choosing just the right outfit quick and easy.

Need more space in your closets and drawers? Make more space by storing out of season clothing into containers, then place them in spare closets or on high shelves.

Now is the time to organize your spring and summer wardrobe. Inspect each item as you go through them. Use a notepad to mark down any items that need to be replaced or need repairs as you organize your clothing.

Sort clothing into three main categories:

Keep: love and wear often
Not sure: need to try it on
Get rid of it: donate or toss

Clothes Organizing Suggestions:

If you haven’t worn an item for more than two years, let it go, especially if it does not fit you, or is worn and faded.

Enlist the help of a friend if you are not sure what you should keep. (Note: make sure it is someone who’s opinion you respect and who has good taste in clothing.)

Set quantity limits on items – do you really need 25 pink tank tops, or 15 pairs of flip flops?

10 Questions to ask yourself to help determine which items to keep:

Does the garment still fit?

Is this comfortable?

Does each garment or accessory have a match?

Is the item threadbare, faded or stained?

Did I wear this last year?

Is the item still in style?

Does the item hold negative memories?

Will I wear this again?

Am I keeping this just because someone gave it to me?

How many of these do I have and how many do I really need?

When organizing your spring and summer clothes remember to keep in mind that styles change and old favorites wear out. Keeping your wardrobe fresh with a few up-to-date styles that compliment what you already have. Adding a few new items each season will increase the versatility of your wardrobe.

For more information on organizing clothes

Contact me to schedule your personal closet organizing session

Kitchen Storage

susan — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:43:13 +0000

Use a variety of containers and organizing tools to increase efficiency, save space and keep pantries, drawers and cabinets neatly organized. Many organizing tools for kitchens are inexpensive or free.

Make the most of the storage space you do have, especially vertical space. Choosing the right storage for the space and the items to be stored is a critical step to having a functional and organized kitchen.

Kitchen Storage Suggestions:

Use double decker shelving, baskets, bins, drawer trays and dividers; wire shelving, even cup hooks or unused plastic containers can assist you to organize your kitchen.
Keep smaller items in baskets or trays to prevent them from getting knocked over or falling out of reach.
Use plastic or glass containers that seal well to hold dry goods. This helps prolong their shelf life and keeps bugs or other pests out.
Use a plastic basket to hold the lids to your bowls and plastic containers. Choose a basket the right size for the quantity and size of the lids. Stand the lids on their edges and slide the basket into a cabinet.
For your dishes use racks that allow you to stack more dishes in a smaller space and make retrieval easier.
Doors: Pantry or cabinet doors can be used to mount hanging racks or to use hooks to hang kitchen items.
Wire pot racks can be used to hang more than pots and pans.
Baskets under the sink can hold household cleaners and supplies.
Spices can be kept in racks or in plastic trays to make them easier to use.
Store like items together on a shelf or in a drawer.
Bowls and storage containers that nest or easily stack will save space.

Use the type of storage that makes the most sense for what you are storing and the location you will be storing the items. If you try a storage solution and it isn’t working, try something different.