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…

We all know that sleep and our health are intimately related. For most of us, we also know that we can benefit from improving the quality of our sleep. We may follow the advice in articles about sleep that suggest reducing screen time and eating before bed. Some of us may even use one of the popular relaxation apps on the market to help us sleep. I would like to suggest that there is another culprit that can rob us of our Zzzz’s. Watch out for this bedroom clutter that can really kill the calm in your bedroom. Paper Never,…

Older Chicago attics and basements are notorious for storing dusty cardboard boxes. We often come across clients storing items in them leftover from previous moves or memorabilia passed between family members. Grandma’s china or tea set has been in the same box for forty years. Here are seven reasons why you should avoid cardboard boxes for storage, altogether. You cannot see what is inside at first glance. The easiest way to identify a container’s contents is to use clear containers. This saves a ton of time when you are looking for something. Also, although I always suggest labeling bins, sometimes…

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…

Organizing your child’s closet is a great opportunity to teach him/her the value of a tidy and efficient space. It does not have to be an overwhelming task. You can make it fun by allowing him/her to pick out bins, baskets, and organizers to give the closet a personal touch. Working together with your child you can edit his/her belongings and create a place for everything. 1. Take Everything Out of the Closet The first step is to create a blank slate. You should start by taking everything out of your child’s closet. This will allow you to see exactly…

Organizing shoes begins with one fundamental question. Where do you kick on and off your shoes?  The solutions are as varied as the answers. Here are a few places we find shoes landing and a few places where they are stored. Mudrooms and Foyers The biggest obstacle and complaint in entryways is that shoes pile up and clog up this small area in the home. You go in and out all day and shoes tend to land, multiply and quickly fill up in this high traffic space.  The only solution to this chaos is keeping only two to three pairs…

Our closets best serve us when they are organized, practical and functional, but some of us would like this space to look like a magazine cover or Pinterest Pin. We want to walk into a beautiful closet that inspires us. Here are some tricks and tips to achieve this new and improved closet. Aim to implement the ideas that matter to you! A Clean Slate To begin with a blank canvas, empty the closet of all the contents and sort and purge unwanted items, toss, donation, and trash. With the space clear you now have a good opportunity to throw…

10 Tips for His Closet To all you men out there that find value in an organized closet, this blog is for you! And to all, you women out there who love your man and want to help him improve his side of the closet, listen up! Most men’s closets and clothes are straight forward but it isn’t always true that they have less than women.  I see an equal share of very full closets.  When I work with male clients and even at home with my husband, I pull everything out of the closet and drawers and simply ask…

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…