i love to organize!

Some days I feel like I’m barely keeping everything going and I’m constantly juggling fifteen different projects, people, activities, etc. This is why it’s so important for me to stay organized. If I take ten seconds to put something back where it belongs, I save thirty minutes later by not having to search for it.

I’ve gotten a few emails on how I keep things organized, so I thought I’d share it all with you. If you have tips for me on how to save time and stay even more organized, please let me know! I’m not an expert and I find that as life changes we have to change our organizational ways. I’m a huge fan of Excel spreadsheets for budgeting and creating timelines for projects. But what do we do with all the stuff around here?

Handbags

I have about three handbags that I rotate throughout the year. Switching them out is a breeze because I have small pouches in them that hold all of my stuff. Nothing, other than my wallet and cell phone, float freely in my handbag.

I have this cute set of Toss Designs pouches that fit perfectly in my handbags. Each pouch holds something different: 1. lipstick and powder, 2. feminine products, 3. writing utensils.

I just transfer these cute bags to the new purse when it’s time to switch. Easy peasy!

Calendar

I use the MomAgenda Mini Daily and the MomAgenda wall calendar to keep our schedules going. The mini daily goes everywhere with me and the wall calendar hangs on the bulletin board in our office/playroom. My daily to-do list goes in the mini daily, but our family activities and days that we’ll need a sitter for Hudson go on the family calendar.

It has been really helpful for us to keep track of everyone’s activities and to juggle three people’s schedules.

Mail

We have a mail sorter that sits on our kitchen counter. I go through the mail every day and throw away what we don’t need and keep the things we do need. If it’s an invitation, I respond to it immediately and put the date on our calendar if we can attend. If it’s a bill, I put it in the mail sorter and we usually pay the bills over the weekend. In the last year, we have really taken care of our mail pile up issue. I cannot stand stacks of paper. I like to deal with them immediately and get rid of them.

We also have a filing cabinet (it’s actually attractive) that holds all of important stuff that we can’t trash. We try to go through that once a year and purge the things that we know we don’t need to hang on to anymore.

Toys

Our playroom cubbies and shelves are finally finished and we’re just in the process of arranging them. But I will show you a sneak peek. It is so great to have vertical storage rather than having so many toys scattered on the floor. I’m still in the process of choosing containers for the cubbies based on our needs. Containers can be expensive, so I want to make sure we know exactly how we want things to be organized before we make any purchases. I’m also planning to put a TV in that large opening in the center, but we’re just looking for the right TV and the right price!

The categories that I have for containers are 1) small plastic toys, 2) puzzles, 3) small stuffed toys, 4) bouncy balls and roll-around balls. You can probably see that Hudson has tons of books and those are honestly his most favorite toys.

His big toys that won’t fit in the cubbies are just hanging out on the floor of the playroom, but it’s nice to get some of our floor space back.

How do you keep your house organized?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments

  1. says

    I love the MomAgenda caledar! I think I will try the mini for this upcoming year, I need something to carry around and I like to see it in writing and I don’t have a fancy phone either.

  2. says

    I am NOT an organizer by nature. We’re trying to get our house under control. It’s not out of control, but we have very little storage space. Only two closets that aren’t in bedrooms and they’re both teeny. It makes me crazy. We are totally doing the bookshelves like you have above in our office. That is JUST what we need. Did you have them built or did you buy them?

  3. says

    Love this post! I love to be organized, and with a new baby, our needs are rapidly changing and I’m struggling to keep up! I have a set of Vera Bradley bags that I keep in my purse and I have really been wanting to get a MomAgenda. I love the new cubby system that you guys have! I’m hoping to have something like that in our next house.

  4. says

    This post came at a perfect time because I have been in an organizing mood lately.

    We have a similar systems for organizing our schedules. I keep my own planner and write all of our family commitments on a big calendar.

    I’m going to use your idea about the smaller bags to move around when I change purses. I also love those cubbies and may do something similar for my son’s room.

    Thanks for the great ideas!

  5. says

    I’m also a big stickler for organizing. I wish my husband felt the same though!

    Now that we’re moving to a larger place, I’m hoping it will be easier to organize items and I hope to get rid of things we have not been using.

  6. says

    our mail is kinnnnnd of out of control. i try to throw away immediately, but sometimes i just shove it all in a basket we have under our entry way table and forget about it *bad bad bad*. why can’t you live closer to me? i would seriously pay you to help me be more organized!

  7. says

    I have to admit, I wasn’t that impressed at first. I saw the calendar and thought, psh I totally do that too!! even color coordinated!!

    But then…you showed your toy organization, and I am TOTALLY impressed. I just throw ours in a toy chest. You are one ORGANIZED lady and somehow you make it look so comfy and pretty!

  8. Jenn says

    Why did it never occur to me to keep things in pouches in my purse?! I’m constantly digging around in there and losing things because it’s a free-floating mess. I’m off to buy some little organizer pouches right now!! Thank you! 🙂

  9. says

    I absolutely love all of your organization methods. My apartment isn’t super organized (just because it’s not really HOME yet) but I am OCD when it comes to to-do lists and calendars. TSeeing what I need to get done throughout the day/week is incredibly relaxing. I love your mail organizing method. I’ve wanted a sorter since I was a kid! Thanks for sharing!

  10. says

    We do the same thing with the mail, except sometimes Evan is slower to decide which of his items can be trashed (this is the man who bought an external hard drive with a mega-gig or giga-ton or whatever a huge amount of memory is for his work emails which he refuses to EVER delete). I bought some of the Kassett Series boxes to get his “still deciding if this stuff is important” piles out of sight! They are CHEAP and good looking! And they come with the labels… love!

    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/11496/

    And I’m a huge believer in the purse pouches… a concept I once explained to A.C.’s very pregnant wife in my old AF boss’ bathroom after a few too many kir royales during a Partnership Cocktail Party. She was very intrigued. Oops.

  11. says

    Erin! Totally cracked up when I saw DiPrato’s on your calendar! We’ve got to meet for lunch one day…have you tried making the pimento cheese yet???

  12. Ginger Perry says

    Love the litle pousche for your purse! Great idea. And the toys look great. Will have to keep the storage unit in mind for when we get some kids! I love the MomAgenda calenders too. I have one on the fridge that I right everything on, but I don’t have one to carry around with me that I can right reminders to myself in! Keep up the good work.

  13. says

    I havea good grocery tip- when you make your list, also make a meal list so you know what your options are. I clip it to the frige with the recipes behind it. It really has prevented us from eating out so much!

  14. says

    Love this. I call my self the organization nazi! Clutter drives me nuts. I keep a basket for the mail and go through it once a week. The Mr has a container for his manly stuff on the dresser. We just hung another series of hooks in our closet for additional clothing items instead of having them pile on the door knob and the list goes on!

    Last spring we bought a 13ft bookshelf. Currently it’s books and pic frames, but I’ve purposely left the bottom shelves open for baskets to hold baby toys in the long run!

  15. says

    I am such an organiser as well! I love your idea for the mini bags inside your purse, I am forever looking through mine to find my chapstick or whatever… must use this idea! Thanks 🙂

  16. says

    We stay pretty organized, but then there’s only the 2 of us! I’ve found that the best way to keep things organized is to keep things simple. I can’t stand clutter or having extra stuff in the house. I go through our wardrobes at the end of each season and anything that hasn’t been worn more than once goes to the charity shop (unless it’s something classic and meant to be worn rarely). We also have a filing cabinet that I sort through, and space saver bags that fit under our bed. We use clear plastic storage bins under there, too, and on the upper shelves of closets. I’m the type who likes to have everything put away and out of sight, so we have furniture with doors and drawers and not many open shelves, but I love the way your storage and cubbies look 🙂

  17. says

    I love so many things about this post! First, I love to be organized! I just function so much better and feel less stressed when things are organized. I really like your idea about the little bags for your purse. I’m definitely going to have to try that. The mail is a constant problem at our house too. We are still doing some “stacking and piling”, but at least now I have it delegated to my desk in my walk-in closet. Would love to see your “pretty” filing cabinet! Please show us pictures!

  18. says

    I’m obsessed with organizing; unfortunately my husband isn’t! I love my MomAgenda – last year I had the Desktop planner but got smart this year and chose the smaller version so I could take it *with* me! Your playroom looks great and I can’t wait to see the finished pictures.

  19. Laura says

    this post makes me so happy. i love seeing the ways others get organized. i ordered a my agenda to keep track of mine and husband’s work and my school activities and it has made things much better. i just try to put everything back in the same place i got it. we recycle junk mail and just get rid of stuff we don’t use.

  20. says

    LOVE the shelving…please, tell us where you got it or who made it for you. Also, what type of mail sorter do you use – daily/dated or just a few slots?

    Oh, and as for the TV, check http://www.woot.com daily for their deals. They always have a tv in the daily deal rotations, and they will ship to you for $5.00. Most are refurbished, but my parents got one from them with $5.00 shipping and LOVE it. It’s about 2 years old in their house now and it’s HD, too.

    Can’t wait for the post about the shelving unit!

  21. Deidra Brown says

    Erin you don’t know how glad I am that you have this post. I am wanting to get better when it comes to orgaizing things. I love the purse idea. I believe I will order some of those as Christmas gifts this year. I hate to ask but you mention the three handbags, can you share what three handbags your have? I love handbags and I am in the market for new one as we speak.

  22. says

    I do the bag thing from purse to purse! Makes switching a dream. It’s just when I stop the process that things start to get a little crazy! 🙂

    I also have a system of boxes under my sink in my bathroom for nail related items, hair items, traveling items, etc… keeps me happy!

  23. says

    Similar to organinzg, I was just inspired to do a post about cutting corners! My personal favorite is keeping a “catch all” bag on each floor of our house to store items that need to be put away on the opposite floor (ie dirty clothes, dishes, magazines, etc.) At the end of each evening, I take each bag to the apprporiate floor and put everything in it’s place all at once rather than making several trips a day…

  24. says

    This is one of those posts that I put in a “file” and save for later! Hubby is using the room I’d love to have as a playroom for his office right now, but once I’m able to change that, I’ll be coming back here for ideas! I LOVE your “toys” bins from OKL {I believe}. I am an organizer by nature, so pictures like these make me smile! Thanks for sharing!

  25. says

    What do you do with your receipts?? I’m super type A, organized, but hate that all receipts aren’t the same width and length… that would make holding on to them so much easier!!

  26. says

    I love organizing myself. I would be lost without my label maker. I have a crazy closet with shelves lined with small drawer stacks of various sizes from Office Depot that separate every little thing. I actually get embarrassed when people see it because I look cuckoo but personally I’m proud of it. 🙂

  27. crewlade drinka says

    I love this organizing post! I get really excited about organizing, but am kinda bad about follow through. we have a cubby wall in our entrance hall and I have 6 baskets there, one for bills, one to file, one for my things, one for dh, for reciepts, and one for coupons(cannot throw them away no matter if I most likely won’t use them) this works great, except that dh’s basket is overflowing b/c he wont’ go through it or throw away! I am glad you posted your playrm cubbies. I have been wondering how your would organize/ choose baskets. we have the same prob. can’t decide on baskets/containers. one thing to keep in mind is that hudson’s number and type toys will change a lot. we have legos and wooden train tracks LOTS of little things, which my son loves to dump the whole container and then move on to something else. Its really hard to find cute containers that close/latch so that he can’t do this! I think I am going to go with the pb green/ white dot canvas buckets,(think I saw the big ones in one of your previous posts pics?) so at least it will be cute and easy to pick up and conceal toys.
    your purse idea is great! my purse often looks like something exploded in there! another girls blog that I read does the same thing as you with the lil pouches. I might try this out now!
    sorry for the novel!

  28. says

    Will you PLEASE come to Ruston and help me get organized?!!?!?!? I need it so badly! I had a break-down the other night (when I did my “I just can’t do it all” post), and after asking J. if I was ‘psycho’ he told me no, and that I just needed to get organized! Humm…not my forte’. I need help…and bad! Come to Ruston and see me!!! 🙂 Miss you!

    Oh, and p.s. I saw your dad last weekend at the football game!

  29. says

    One thing I do to stay cleaned up and organized is scan things that I want to keep record of, but don’t want cluttering my files. Invitations, receipts, etc. They all get scanned and filed onto our external hard drive. Once you set up folders and a naming system, it’s a really really easy way to stay organized.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *