Organizing

How much time do you spend looking for things? Does it frustrate you? It sure does me. I hate wasting time searching for things. Now, loosing things cannot be entirely eliminated, especially if you have toddlers (yes, things really do walk off all by themselves sometimes); but loses can be greatly reduced. 

The key to reducing searching time is:

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place.

Really.

If you walk into your house and sometimes put your keys in your purse and sometimes on the shelf by the door and sometimes on the dresser in your bedroom and sometimes on the kitchen counter, you will NEVER be able to find your keys. So the true magic key to always being able to find your keys is to pick one place (a small pocket in your purse works well because you can do that away from home too), and ALWAYS put them in that place no matter what. Then anytime you need your keys, you know exactly where they are.

In fact, let’s talk about purses. There are certain things you always carry with you. Pick a purse that has plenty of pockets and assign each item to a specific place. I use a diaper bag for a purse. I put papers in the place with the changing pad (along with a spare diaper and a small case of wipes. My youngest is two so that is all I generally need.). My phone is in one of the outside bottle pockets, my keys clipped to the zipper pull, my camera in an inner pocket and my organizer in the middle (my organizer has pockets for my drivers license, check books, credit cards, money, ink pens, and business cards). The zippered pouch holds things like pads, lip balm, safety pins- stuff I really need, but only occasionally. This bag is big enough to hold a small laptop next to the organizer. 

Anytime I need something, I know exactly where to get it. When I had a bottle baby, I had a special place for the bottles of water and another for the can of formula. Add a place for a spare change of clothes and a few toys, and I’m good to go.

 Whenever I get home, I repack anything I used while I was gone. This way I am always ready to leave in a minute’s notice.

This principle applies to the whole house.

 I have designated one area as the “baking center.” Anything to do with baking goes here in its assigned place; mixes on the top shelf, ingredients on the next, canisters of flour and my mixer on the counter, measuring spoons and cups and whisks hanging on the wall, attachments to the mixer and wooden spoons in the top drawer, bowls on the first shelf in the bottom cupboard and muffin tins, cake pans, pie plates, and bread pans on the bottom. This whole counter is only about two feet wide, but, because it is right by the fridge, I can make anything I want without moving a step or hunting for stuff. Everything I need (except water) is right there. In fact, I could almost get what I need with my eyes closed because it is put where it belongs every time.

How about a “Wrapping center,” a box with wrapping paper, tape, ribbon and scissors?

A “Fix-it Center:” hammer, nails, tape, glue, tacks, clamps, etc.

An “Art Center” would have paints, crayons, pencils, tape, glue, scissors, papers of all colors and textures, chalks, etc. Maybe an easel and smock too.

A “Charging Center” would have a powerstrip with all the rechargeables in the house plugged in. I actually think this is one center that will eventually be built into every new house!

Once you get the idea of making centers and picking places for everything to belong, it gets kind of addicting. And you will love the ease with which you can find things when you need them!