Amber's Organizing - Tips

Organize or buy organizing products? It’s sort of like the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? Before organizing appointments, clients often ask me what they need to buy to be ready for our appointment. I find there is seldom a lack of organizing products in their spaces and because we won’t know what we’ll need until we’re done organizing, there is no point shopping up front. Organize first, shop later. That’s the best strategy. Organizing products are abundant. Every store, even a grocery store, has some sort of container to sell us. If you love looking at them and…

Creative organizing products for everyday use can be found right at home. Here is a list of common household items I find in clients’ homes to help us contain and organize, while saving them a little money. Ziploc Bags Sort out loose stationary, store rewards cards, seasoning packets, crafting items, anything small. I always keep gallon, quart, and sandwich sizes in my kitchen cabinets at home. The best part, is some brands have space where you can write a label! Shoe boxes Great for organizing just about anything. Only con, they are not see-through. So remember to label on the…

How long should I keep my paper? Hopefully, by now, you are starting to shift towards paperless bills, automatic bill payments, and e-statements. If you haven’t tackled one of those yet, I’d encourage you to make it a priority. It saves you a lot of time, you will never be late on a payment and you can always view the statement when it comes in the mail or via email so you stay in touch with your spending. If you are still collecting papers and your files are outdated, I’d like to suggest a few of the following tips for…

Best practices to avoid a full Inbox . How to keep emails at bay. Don’t print emails. It wastes paper and adds clutter to your desk. Instead either put the information onto your calendar or create folders in your email inbox to drag emails into them. Create helpful, relevant folders to file emails if you need to save an email. Don’t go crazy with fifty folders. Keep it to a maximum of 10-15 folders. Look at each email once and then act and decide. The longer you sit on something the longer it lingers as clutter and indecision. If too…

The amount of mail today should be less and less. We have so many online options that give us the power to stop the mail from arriving, cluttering up our tabletop and wasting our time opening it up. To start, go paperless as much as you can, and to figure out which places you need to switch over, start with your current pile of mail. In the current piles, you will find lots of places you should log into and choose e-delivery. You will have to create usernames and passwords on each website but in the end, it will be…

After organizing sessions, I often hear the following… “This was so much better than having a friend help me. We would have never gotten this much done! You were worth every penny, Amber.” “This project would have taken me double maybe even triple the amount of time this took us to organize.” “I never would have finished Amber. I would have given up.” Wouldn’t you agree that you get a better workout with your trainer than working out alone? It’s not much different when we organize. There’s a big difference between organizing with a professional versus on your own or…

A common misconception around the idea of space in our homes is that if we had more space and a bigger home we would have no problems with clutter. Having organized homes over sixteen years, I would argue that a bigger home is not the solution to your space problem. The solution is how you use your space and how much stuff you store. People routinely ask me to help them find space and to give them more space. During our organizing sessions, I assess the type of furniture present, the closet systems inside every closet, and the overall free…

In contrast to the towering skyscrapers, any metropolitan city is a land of smaller interior living spaces. A typical older apartment or condo building is divided into many boxy rooms connected by tight doorways and long narrow hallways; the more modern open-concept is far less commonly found. Kitchens are often tight and usually separated from the rooms meant for social gathering and relaxing. Doorways are small and hallways are long and narrow. And let’s not forget the closets. Historic homes always lack closet space resembling skinny boxes with plaster walls. Staying clutter-free and organized in these historic spaces is a…

Nearly everyone I meet enjoys going to The Container Store to feel the sense of organization and to see all the neat gadgets and ideas on display. I must admit, I am a sucker for the store myself. Everything has its place, neatly labeled or perfectly itemized and stored-the complete opposite of most of our homes. Unfortunately, those same people I meet find it overwhelming and difficult to know exactly what you need, how you would use it, and what would work in your particular space back at home. Sometimes we, including myself, overspend because something might fit at the…

Before you keep reading, I have a disclaimer: I love my husband. My husband gave me full permission to share this with all of you. Now, enjoy the article and hope it brings smile to your face. If you’re falling in love with a disorganized guy, don’t be worried. Four years ago, that was me. Yes, a Certified Professional Organizer falls in love with a messy bachelor. Opposites do attract and make for sometimes, one tough marriage… but with respect, flexibility, and true appreciation for your partner, you can achieve organizational success in your relationship. I know this from firsthand experience. On our…