If you have been following the 'get organized' challenge of 2008, the next step is to sort and contain the items you have decided to keep.

How did it feel to purge the items you no longer wore, didn't use anymore, or that wasn't bringing you joy into your life? Purging is a great cleansing activity and should be done every six months.

Now that you are left with a pile of treasured items, it is time to assign a home for everything. Here are a couple helpful tips to keep in mind when determining the right spot for your possessions.

• Keep Like Items Together - When addressing a bedroom closet, it is helpful to store hats with hats, socks with socks, dresses with dresses, and handbags with handbags. If you have cleaned out the linen closet, keep medications together (preferably in a container with a lid and up high so little ones can't get into it), assign one shelf just for towels that are folded nicely, and another shelf for sheets.

• Easy Access- Store items that are used frequently at a level that is easy to reach. Items that are used once a month or less can be stored higher up. Consider placing commonly used kitchen utensils in a container on the counter next to the stove. I have mine sitting on a lazy susan along with a few spices and oils. If you are a visual person and need to see your belongings in order to remember that you have them, open shelving and an assortment of baskets are a great way to store different sized items.

• Use Attractive Containers and Baskets- I prefer a uniform look when it comes to containers, baskets, and bins. The overall look and feel of a closet organized with matching containers may be important to you as well. If not, recycle what you already have. Shoe boxes, old coffee cans, and poly bags that your bedding came in are all great organizing tools to hold your stuff. To maximize the use of dead space between two shelves that have 15 or more inches between the two, use baskets that can slip onto a shelf. These baskets hang underneath and are great for placemats, snacks, magazines, or towels.

There is only one more month left to complete our 2008 New Year's resolution of getting organized. Next month we will discuss maintaining the storage systems we have created.

Good luck and happy organizing!

What better way to start off the New Year than with an updated and efficient filing systems, organized garage, or life management center for your home? NAPO has declared January the Get Organized month, making it the ideal time to start creating streamline systems and maximizing the space of your home or office! Keep a lookout for all the great deals on storage containers and filing supplies. It is also during January that many businesses hold shred-a-thons. If you have a large, overwhelming supply of papers that need shredding, check online for local businesses that will be offering this free service.

With Christmas and Get Organized month right around the corner, give your loved ones, special clients, or the person in your life that already has 'everything' the gift of organization! A gift certificate from Your Efficiency Specialist can help the gift recipient to streamline their current filing system for their home or office, maximize the efficiency of their kitchen space, organize their bedroom closet, or simply help them find a place for ‘everything’.  Show the person how much you care by giving them a gift that will help them to reduce stress, create a sense of order, and gain time to do the things they enjoy.

Email info@yourefficiencyspecialist.com for more information.

I am pleased to announce that I will be offering three organizing workshops through the Finley Center in Santa Rosa, CA in spring/summer 2009. A description for all three workshops are listed below. For more information on these workshops, please email info@yourefficiencyspecialist.com.

Preparing For Baby's Arrival - A Parent's Organizational Guide

Bringing home a baby for the first time is one of life’s most treasured moments. However, as a new parent of either your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd child, this time can also be chaotic and stressful. This workshop helps expecting parents get their ‘ducks in order’ with ideas on organization of the nursery, diaper bag, vehicle, meal planning, and family schedules. Don’t agonize over baby’s arrival, but instead get organized and ENJOY this special time.

Organization is a prerequisite for academic success. Students who develop and maintain good organizational skills will achieve higher levels of success in school and in their personal lives. It is designed for students who want to excel in school and create a sense of order in their life through learning organizational and time-management skills. Students taking this workshop will learn how to properly organize a backpack and desk along with ways to manage paper flow and time. Open to children ages 10 - 14.

Create A Life Management Center Within Your Home

With all the hustle and bustle of different family member’s schedules, the large amount of papers coming into our home, and the increase in poor communication between family members, we are left with a feeling of being overwhelmed and in a state of chaos. To manage life effectively, one needs a Life Management Center within their home. This workshop will walk you through the steps of creating a Life Management Center which will help you to effectively and efficiently run your life with a sense of order and peace, minimal stress, and maximum communication levels within your family.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and find the time to reflect on what you are grateful for this year. With a weak economy and the money crunch many Americans are feeling, this is a great time to focus on what you do have and show your gratitude for the simple pleasures in life.

To Your Success,

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