We’ve all heard the expression that opposites attract.  This statement is the overarching theme of my marriage to my great, but completely opposite husband.  I grew up as a “Crest kid”, my husband is a loyal Colgate user; I grew up drinking Pepsi, my husband, Coke; I grew up in a house full of girls (except for my dad), my husband grew up in a house full of guys (except for his mom); I’m a planner and my husband flies by the seat of his pants.  I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you the details.  I’ll just say that one of our most notable differences is the fact that I’m very organized by nature (surprise!) and my husband definitely isn’t.  I do have to give him enormous credit because he’s taken on some of my organized ways to make me happy and help me keep my sanity.

Every now and then my over-organization and my husband’s lack of organization becomes a point of contention.  My husband’s tendency to lay his clothes on anything and everything sticks out in my mind the most.  It was a normal occurrence to find the outfit he had worn to work that day draped over the back of a chair, a bench, and even our bedroom lamp!  For a while, my nightly ritual consisted of collecting the scattered clothing and hanging it in his closet.  After all, I was the only one bothered by the mess, so why should I expect my husband to hang up his clothes at the end of each day if he was okay with them strewn about.  The ritual of hanging his clothes lasted quite a while, but I began to feel myself losing it.  Just the thought of picking up after someone day in and day out began to drive me crazy, and somewhat resentful.

I had a few options I could pursue.  I could continue hanging his clothes each day, start the stereo-typical nagging technique…or buy an over-the-door hook!  Yes, a simple solution, but a definite “aha” moment for me.  Problem solved - my husband now just uses the over-the-door hooks to hang anything he doesn’t feel like hanging in his closet.  The hooks are on the back of his closet door, so everything is out of sight.

Sometimes a simple solution can go a long way in saving your sanity!

(by Lisa Hartig)

“Getting organized is more than just purchasing great containers to hold all your stuff.  It’s about using what you have, donating what you don’t need, and recycling whenever you can.”  - Southern Home Organizers

Here are some useful green organizing tips you can start implementing today:

• Utilize recycled products when available
• Reuse items around the house rather than buying new products
• Limit what you send to the landfill by donating, gifting, and recycling what you can
• Purchase organizing products from companies that adhere to environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices
• Use a small white board instead of multiple paper notepads to jott quick notes
• Sign up to reduce your junk mail (check out www.reduce.org)
• Donate items you no longer use on the Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org)

As you create files and folders to sort and store your paper, please stay away from the category of “Miscellaneous”.  Why, you ask?

Each time you create a file labeled ”Miscellaneous” or “Other” or even “Random Stuff” that is exactly what that file is going to become.  Instead of letting one file become a catch-all for the papers you don’t want to deal with, start making decisions!  Even if you end up with 5 files with only one piece of paper in them, it is better than having a vaguely labeled file with 10 papers in it.  Remember, you want to be able to find each paper you file quickly.  Start making decisions about your paper, filing them appropriately, and you’ll then be able to find things when you need them much easier than before.

Next time you don’t know where to file a paper, just use the first thing that comes to mind… and I’m going to hope “Miscellaneous” isn’t it!

To efficiently store items in your kitchen, keep items you use together near each other.  Determine the use of each item within your kitchen and when you use it.  Organize your cabinets and drawers so that cooking, storage, and baking items are kept in dedicated areas together.  To help you accomplish this, you may want to check out some of my favorite kitchen organizing products:

Turntables (or Lazy Susans)

Shelf Organizers

 Vertical Hanging/Door Racks

Stay tuned for more favorite kitchen items in future posts too…

If you are scrambling to pay your bills each month or tend to pay bills late you should consider setting up automatic bill pay through your bank or financial institution.  This will do a lot of the work for you and will cut down on the amount of time you spend paying bills.  Just be sure to read the fine print with your banking service, to avoid paying unnecessary fees.

Ask yourself the following questions to find out if you may be wasting time getting your daily fix of caffeine each morning:

Are you one of the 52% of Americans over the age of eighteen that drink coffee every morning? 

Are you drinking coffee each morning because you “need” it to increase your productivity? 

Do you spend time each morning ordering your caffeine fix from the local coffee shop down the block?

Have you ever thought about making coffee at home in the morning but then decided it would be easier or quicker to get it ready-made from a coffee shop instead?

Have you ever remarked to a co-worker that you didn’t get your coffee that morning and will be more productive once you get a cup?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then you should keep reading.  According to an online article about Coffee Facts and Statistics, “Coffee drinkers that get a cup to go from a local coffeehouse before work will wait in line nearly forty-five hours each year!” Whoa, that is ALOT of time.  That is nearly one hour each week that you may be spending in line and waiting “to be productive”!

Instead of standing in line and wasting all that time each day, try using a coffee maker at your home or office.  To ensure you are not wasting valuable time that I know you could use for better things, make sure the coffee maker you have includes a timer and delayed start option.  Whether you are planning to drink coffee at home or at the office, take just 2 minutes at the end of your day (while you still have energy flowing) to prepare the coffee maker for the following morning.  Then set the timer and delayed start option for the specific time you’d like to have your caffeine fix the next day.

Once you start having coffee waiting for you at the time you set, you’ll start saving time and gain productivity easily.  Try it tomorrow morning and see if it helps you save time!

I recently came across an interesting online service.  Have you ever been in need of a tool or craft item that you only need for just a short time to help you finish off that one specific project and you really don’t want to spend the money buying one?  Are you filling up your storage space with items that you only use once a year or possibly only once every five years?

Well, the online service that I have recently found fills this need.  Instead of running out and purchasing a new ladder, hammer, or drill to complete your quick home project, check out the Loanables website and see if someone near you has a ladder, hammer, or drill they are willing to let you borrow.  From what I can tell, this system really is a win-win for both parties. 

I’m sure we all have tools or other items just sitting in our sheds, storage rooms, or garages that are simply taking up space and not being used.  Well, those items could not only be used by someone else but could also bring in some extra money for you too.  Just take a moment and think about all the “stuff” you have stored away that someone else could potentially borrow when you’re not using it.  I bet you just thought of at least five items without even trying.

The next time you plan to put away your rake, ladder, etc consider loaning it out to a neighbor instead.  This may just be the way you can now pay for your daily caffeine fix!