Around the Neighborhood
By Charlie Clark Licensed Appraiser Lawton, Oklahoma Get Organized, Not Petrified or Pristine Spring is in the air – and in our closets and garages. Not sure whether it's an ancient pagan rite or if it has something to do with the moon and tides, but something makes us want clean the place up when the temperature rises and leaves turn green on the trees. Then again maybe we're just coming off of five months or so of cabin fever and we're rarin' to git er done.
But when it comes to "Where do I start?" – it can be a bit daunting.
There are lots of places to find helpful hints on this subject. One of the latest, from one of the most experienced is Rosemary Chieppo's handbook “Clutter, Chaos & the Cure.”
“It ain’t rocket science,” she says. “Organizing just means having a place for everything and making sure everything is in its place.”
Paraphrasing her five general tips for simplifying spring organizing: - Start with small tasks, so you can feel like you have an accomplishment when done. This is a motivator.
- Give your things a home at the point of their use. Her example is “Think toothbrush. You never misplace it because its home is where you use it." Same goes for everything else.
- Group like things together, so you know what you've got. Who hasn't bought more batteries only to open a drawer and discover they already had an unopened pack.
- Don’t hide short or small things behind bigger things. Nuff said.
- Remember, organizing is an ongoing process. Kind of like feeding the dog, it's not a one day thing.
Remember, you have to block out the time to tackle your cleaning project, so it doesn't keep getting pushed off the calendar, and, like my sainted mother (who could clean and hold garage sales like nobody's business) used to say, "If you haven't used it in the past year, get rid of it."
Remember, you're not striving for initiation into the National Association of Professional Organizers (Yes, there really is such a group!), you just want to be able to find your Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville cap to wear when you cook out on the patio this Saturday.
Rosemary Chieppo writes for several East coast magazines and is a popular radio and TV guest. Her book “Clutter, Chaos & the Cure” can be ordered from her Web site www.borntoorganize.com. |