Laundry adds up quickly these days with the various activities that require multiple outfit changes - work, exercise, gardening, date night, etc. so I thought I’d provide a few tips to help conquer the clothes piles.

1. Multi-compartment hampers - if you have a lot of clothes or a lot of family members, sorting laundry as you go is a huge time-saver! Assign a type of clothing item to each compartment, such as whites, darks, cold or hot wash only, and drop your items into the appropriate section so they are already categorized come laundry day.
2. Dry-clean only hamper - by hanging a bag dedicated to dry-clean only items on the back of the bathroom or closet door, you can grab the bag and go when you’re headed to work or out to run errands.
3. Carry-all for detergent and softeners - for those of you who need to travel to the community laundry room or laundromat, it’s a good idea to have a tote or bin for all your detergents, bleach, sprays and dryer sheets. The recycled bags sold at grocery stores with a flat bottom are great for this purpose. Keep everything together in the bag and then just throw it over your shoulder and grab the laundry basket and go!
4. Write it on your calendar - schedule set laundry days and stick to them. It truly helps to have an appointed day each week to get this chore out of the way.
5. Reunite those socks - place a small basket in the sock drawer for all those socks who have lost their mate during the transition from foot to hamper to washing machine. It will turn up eventually and you won’t have to go hunting for the missing mate!

A fridge crammed with food can be frustrating. Valuable time is wasted searching for the last can of soda, repositioning things so they don’t fall out, or worse, realizing something has gone bad and having to empty out entire shelves to find the culprit.

The EZ Slider is a neat product idea that will save you from refrigerator horror stories and keep things within easy reach. This smooth sliding drawer is secured to a shelf by suction cups, gives you quick access to food items and lets you store smaller edibles in one spot so they don’t get lost.

Shop for it here

Qwest Field isn’t just for the Seahawks! Last week’s annual tradeshow featured a different type of winning team - Wing-It Productions who won the Extreme Office Makeover Contest sponsored by Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce members and Microsoft.

Wing-It Productions is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enlightening, educating and entertaining audiences of all ages by producing theatrical events and bringing the art of improvisation into the mainstream thought of our everyday culture.

The office makeover includes over $35,000 worth of services and products, such as a complete new software package, IT consulting, marketing and advertising, office supplies and most importantly, business organizing services to keep it all straight from Innovatively Organized. Their new office will be unveiled later this summer, and I’ll be updating you with the progress as soon as we get started!

Another clutter buster! This is a new product I learned about at the recent NAPO conference I attended in Orlando last month. Pixily is an on-demand document scanning service that digitizes paper and electronic collateral and stores them on a private web account for easy access from any web browser. It gives you different options to upload or send them your assets (paper file, photo or PDF) so you can easily search, share, download and organize your documents.

I’ve set up a test account and have been playing with it already.  It’s very user friendly and I think it would be a great way for you to scan their monthly receipts or notes from a meeting.  Check it out!

Fresh off the NAPO Conference last week, I’m headed to the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Tradeshow today (Tues).  This is a busy time for the Chamber since May is also Small Business Month.  As an entrepreneur myself, this show is a great way to network and learn about other small businesses … and I get to share that information with you!  There are several event sponsors and exhibitors who provide a variety of resources for small and large businesses.  Check back later in the week to find out who, what and where.

Innovatively Organized will have a booth at the show - stop by to receive our special organizing offer.  The tradeshow is from 3 PM to 7 PM.

Also, the winner of the first-ever Extreme Office Makeover will be announced tomorrow in the middle of the tradeshow.  So exciting!

See you there!

I’m back from the Annual NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) conference which was held in Orlando last week. As promised, I scoped out all the new products that will hit the market soon. A great benefit to my job is that I get to test and sample these items before you go out and buy them! The first one I want to tell you about is from SC Johnson - they have introduced another product to their Ziploc line - the flexible tote.

Unlike rigid bins, these stackable totes can fit into tight spaces, so they are ideal for hall closets and small bedrooms. I suggest utilizing them to store sweaters, blankets, and off-season clothing items. They also feature an easy-to-close zipper and two built-in handles. They will come in two sizes: XL (10 gallons) and XXL (22 gallons).  You should be seeing them in your local Target store soon!

Seattle’s business radio station, KKOL 1300AM, interviewed me earlier this week about the importance of being organized and how busy professionals can benefit from adding processes to their day and eliminating clutter. It was great fun to have this opportunity to share tips and stories with such a broad listening audience.

Click here to Listen Now!

Enjoy!

Many of my clients know that I have lots and lots of “favorite things” when it comes to organizing, and this magnetic dry erase board is definitely one of them. I know this isn’t a techy new gadget, but this one has some unique features that makes it stand out from the rest. For starters, it can sit on your counter or desk, so it works even if you sit in a cubicle or have limited wall space. Secondly, it has convenient pockets for pens and paper and five risers for photos, cards, notes, etc. And it comes in a gorgeous solid bamboo frame.