Posts - The Little Organising Company

Declutter and Organising Takeaways

Prepare the space for your declutter: Make space to work in. Label bags ready to put in charity shop donations, recycling, rubbish and items to sell.

Look at Pinterest or in magazines to get an image of what you want your room to look like eventually – it will give you ideas and provides motivation to finish the project. For inspiration look at my Pinterest board

Choose a small area to start with, to build up your declutter muscles. Start with say a sock drawer or a small category like kitchen spatulas.

Keep an ongoing charity bag in your wardrobe – if you come across something you are not sure about put in in your charity bag – when it’s full, if you’ve not needed/looked for the items in there, donate it. For a list of places to donate your pre-loved items see my Donation Directory

Use it or lose it – any clothes you are not sure of during any declutter/edit wear them in then next 7 days (even if just around the house). Any items you don’t feel good in, re-home. It’s a great reason to wear a ball gown or suit around the house!
Remember why you are doing a declutter? To make more space in your home. Think about what you actually use now (not because you used it a lot in the past)
Ask yourself – DO (do i use it?) WHEN (when did I last use it?) WHY? (what purpose does it serve me to keep it?)
Waste – is an item still wasted if it lives in your home and doesn’t get used? Put your efforts into re-homing it, rather than throwing it away. Consider if you are actually going to sell it or if donating the item to charity is a better use of your time.

As you declutter start to group the same items together, ready to decide where they should live in each room or where in the house.
Put most frequently used items in ‘prime storage’ (the most accessible cupboards in a room and the least used items (like seasonal items) put high or in hard-to-access storage.
Before you buy containers or storage measure up to make sure it fits exactly.

Make it easy to see where things are but using open containers, clear boxes are good and clearly labelled.
Make the most of all space – use walls, and inside cupboards and hang things up. E.G. this works well for jewellery or for storage under stairs. Command hooks are great for quick and damage free hanging.
Even if you don’t want to fold all your clothes, fold and put into containers clothes you dont use as often, it will help you find what you want easily, while not messing up a drawer or shelf when you look for it. It also looks good which will help with motivation to keep it that way.
Discuss and communicate with everyone in the family where something should live – take in account everyone’s habits and needs.

A list of places for you to donate, sell or re-home your pre-loved belongings. My free Donation Directory

Especially the more unusual stuff…

Bathroom Storage Ideas

Ideas for Organising a Bathroom:

2 minute read

1. Colour

Divide playroom items by colour:

Humans are very visual, categorising by colour is a great way for any child or adult to find something.
Use with clear containers or jars
Works well with books, games, books, lego, clothes and crafts

2. Hang stuff up

Make more space using vertical storage:

Get creative
Use backs of doors, walls and ceilings

3. Use a trolley

Create flexible storage:

Compact, fun and easy to move around
Easy for kids to see what they have
Store items upright where you can

4. Zone the room

Divide playroom into areas (do this even if you don’t have much space):

Stand back and look at the activities your child or teenager does now
Categorise and put similar things together
Then match the storage to each of these

You might want to consider zones for

Dress up
Desk for homework
Messy play
Lego or Duplex
Boardgames
Books
Large toys

Collectables

Soft toys

5. Sentimental box

Create a keepsake box for sentimental items:

Just like us if we mix up everyday items with our keepsakes it adds to the clutter
Get kids used to this concept early in life
Encourage them to store the ‘just for sentimental items’ somewhere special
Sit with them to edit this intermittently

Top 3 wasy for an Eco Christmas

See 3 easy ways to be eco-friendly at Christmas (and give yourself more time too)

Gifts

What is enough? Try to avoid last-minute buying. You’ve probably got enough already. Everything we buy will eventually be thrown away. So consider this with what you buy and consider what extra clutter you might be adding to your loved ones’ homes.

For the person who really has everything they need, give an experience present or charity donation gift (to their favour charity or even an animal adoption)

2. Food waste

5 million puddings, 2 million turkeys, 74 million mince pies go to waste each Christmas.

– Try not to overbuy

– Put waste food in to food caddy for recyling

– Freeze leftovers and label

3. Christmas Tree

Fake or real? Either way, you can make a significant eco-friendly impact at Christmas.

Plastic – buy the best quality you can afford, store carefully and keep for a minimum of 10 years

Real – if it is cut at the base – the tree will capture carbon from the atmosphere as it grows (yay) but this will be lost back into the atmosphere on disposal or even increased depending on what you do with it after Christmas.

Going into landfill (where anaerobic digestion) takes place releases 3 times as much carbon back into the atmosphere – adding to climate change

Just making sure you take to the green composting at the recycling centre or arrange council or charity collection for composting will prevent any carbon from being released.

It might seem like an extra hassle at Christmas but it was worth the effort of getting it into your home, so you can drop it off after.

Which green tree is best to buy is a little more complicated. For more on Christmas Trees – listen to Sliced Bread podcast

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001svkh

References: Belfast University, BBC, UK Gov.com and The Soil Association

Top 5 ways to organise toys

Top hacks for Organising Toys:

2 minute read

1. Ikea Kallax storage

Add Ikea Kallax storage unit(s):

Use for larger toys and games
Label each container by toy type
Use a photo label to help kids keep their own stuff tidy
Use new box dividers if necessary to keep categories separate
Create additional storage and add on top of other cabinets (secure to the wall)

2. Sort by Colour

Divide toys or games items by colour:

Humans are very visual, categorising by colour is a great way for any child or adult to find something.
Use with clear containers or jars
Works well with books, games, books, lego, clothes and craftstoys

3. Use a trolley

Create flexible storage:

Compact, fun and easy to move around
Easy for kids to see what they have
Store items upright where you can

4. Hang stuff up

Make more space using vertical storage:

Get creative
Use backs of doors, walls and ceilings

5. Zone the room

Divide playroom into areas (do this even if you don’t have much space):

Stand back and look at the activities your child or teenager does now
Categorise and put similar things together
Then match the storage to each of these

You might want to consider zones for

Dress up
Desk for homework
Messy play
Lego or Duplex
Boardgames
Books
Large toys

Collectables

Soft toys

How to Organise an Annoying Cupboard

4 min video – Get Organised: How to sort out that Annoying Cupboard

How to make a cupboard work better for you

Edit and declutter
Remove and recycle out-of-date, crusty or broken items
Decide if something really needs to be in here
If it’s backstock or rarely used, store it in harder-to-access places (I put a few items in the attic in a storage box)

Why? The less stored in a cupboard the easier it will be to access what you actually need

Measure up the cupboard
Choose containers that fit exactly

Tip: Cut baking parchment to fit the bottom of a drawer or cupboard then take this to the shops and try out what fits

Add drawers or shelves to maximise the storage space
Choose quality products, more likely to be functional longer term, reducing waste
Group the same times together
Use smaller containers to divide up larger containers if required
You might want to separate out different people’s stuff – if this helps keep it organised
Label containers if required

Products used in the video:

The home Edit & Idesign storage drawer @Johnlewis

The home Edit & Idesign bin organiser Small @Johnlewis

Various fridge bins from @homesense

If you have any questions about what I did or the products get in contact.

See where to recycle, donate or sell your unwanted items see my Donation Directory

How to create the perfect playroom

Top hacks for Organising a Playroom:

2 minute read

1. Colour

Divide playroom items by colour:

Humans are very visual, categorising by colour is a great way for any child or adult to find something.
Use with clear containers or jars
Works well with books, games, books, lego, clothes and crafts

2. Hang stuff up

Make more space using vertical storage:

Get creative
Use backs of doors, walls and ceilings

3. Use a trolley

Create flexible storage:

Compact, fun and easy to move around
Easy for kids to see what they have
Store items upright where you can

4. Zone the room

Divide playroom into areas (do this even if you don’t have much space):

Stand back and look at the activities your child or teenager does now
Categorise and put similar things together
Then match the storage to each of these

You might want to consider zones for

Dress up
Desk for homework
Messy play
Lego or Duplex
Boardgames
Books
Large toys

Collectables

Soft toys

5. Sentimental box

Create a keepsake box for sentimental items:

Just like us if we mix up everyday items with our keepsakes it adds to the clutter
Get kids used to this concept early in life
Encourage them to store the ‘just for sentimental items’ somewhere special
Sit with them to edit this intermittently

The Organised Wardrobe

2 min video – The Organised Wardrobe: Before and After Transformation

If you have any questions about what I did or the products get in contact.

What my client said:

“Imogen kept my thinking on track, she asked pragmatic questions, and continually queried how we were organising would work for me and my habits. She managed my expectations and was clear about what we would achieve offering the benefits of what we were doing. 10 out of 10″

Tips: How to Edit and declutter more from your wardrobe

(and let go of what you don’t need)

Pick a favourite charity to donate items to before you start
Picture items you donate going being re-homed for a second life (instead of unloved and unworn in your wardrobe)
Remove damaged, torn, or broken items
Remove items that don’t fit you now
Remove items that don’t make you feel like Beyonce or Lizzo or like your own beautiful self, you deserve this now, today
If you are not sure, then try it on or wear it in the next few days, you’ll soon remember if there is a reason why you don’t wear something or if you have just forgotten you had it
Be honest, if you haven’t worn it in a few years, let it go
If you are keeping something for sentimental reasons then take it out and put it in a separate Sentimentals Box, freeing up space
If you are keeping something because you might fit into it in the future, consider when that change happens if this is the item you’ll celebrate that with or if you’d probably get something else even better then
Once you have edited, consider which choice items you need to complete and compliment what you have, buy next with this in mind
Remember the ‘buy cheap buy twice’ proverb when considering future purchases.

Where to donate or sell your unwanted items see my Donation Directory

Secret to organising a shed

Shed Storage – Top 5 ways to sort out your shed – 1 min video

Shed storage ideas

1 minute read

The Edit and Declutter

Check the weather forcast (aim for a dry day)
Get spare tarpaulins or dust sheets, to lay on the lawn or patio
Take a before photo (so you can see what you’ve achieved after)
Get everything out
Have recycle bags, rubble stacks or a skip (depending on the scale of the project) ready for waste items
Dedicate an area for Re-home and to Sell items to be put as you go
Remove broken or un-repairable items
Remove items you just don’t need anymore (be honest about when you last used them)
Decide what’s to be kept
Organise into categories on the tarpaulins as you go e.g pots, gardening, tools, seeds, bike stuff etc.
This will help decide how best to store it once you start to put it back – match the quantity and size of items to the best place in the shed

If you want ideas on where to donate your unwanted items see my Donation Directory

How to maximise shed storage and keep it tidy:

Take a look at the empty shed
Does the current furniture or shelving best use the space?
Look to hang up as much as possible
You might want to invest in wall racking to exactly match what you have to store e.g Wall storage systems and is flexible for future storage
Use clear, labeled containers to put the same categories together
Dig out old Tupperware and take away containers which can be great for storing seed packets or screw/bolts etc.
Choose an exact place for everything – label shelves and containers, so everyone knows where things are and where to put them back
Sort out the best lighting possible for your shed and budget – a dark space will be harder to use and keep tidy

The secret to being more productive working from home

Your Home Office

“We all get distracted, it’s how we manage this that counts”

1. Think about what you like best about working from home? Maybe it’s a bit more sleep in the morning or being able to get involved with daily family activities. What have you enjoyed doing and what really matters to you? Think about what is non-negotiable in your day and what you don’t want to miss out on. Book these in to your routine and remember this is the trade-off for other parts of your working day.

2. We all get distracted, it’s how you manage it that counts. We get interrupted by others at home, lose focus, get frustrated or anxious as we try to keep on top of work or finish projects.

Start with the physical space and set-up of your work area to reduce distractions. Be deliberate in your choice of work space. Don’t underestimate the effect a good home working environment has on your concentration and well being. Keep an area tidy, studies show a mess reduces our ability to focus on a task (Sabine Kastner 2015).

Then think about those you share your house with. Discuss your working hours together, consider what everyone needs. Just because you are at home doesn’t mean you are off work. This might not always translate to younger members of the family but explain when and what you will do together daily, and talk to them about what you do in your work time.

Are you looking after yourself outside of work? If you are physically and mentally well then this will show in your work. Don’t allow good habits to slip while at home. It will be better for you and your work long-term. Eat your 5 a day, rest, divide work and relaxation clearly. Don’t work late and over time, which is really easy to do, allowing a recharge and rest will aid problem solving and decision making. A Stanford study showed longer hours didn’t increase productivity (John Pencaval, 2014).

And lastly, and most importantly, ask yourself when you are most productive? Noticing your own habits and natural tendencies and working with them is key to maximising your productivity. Try different things to find out what works for you: start early, try exercise before work, or swap some work hours to the evening when your children are in bed. It’s time to get creative and really work out how best you work and make the most of it. Don’t forget to communicate any changes you are trying with your colleagues and those you live with. Being flexible and open will help others help you. You being more productive is better for your company or colleagues in the long-term, so ask them to help you. For more support find an accountability partner, a person you trust, to check in with regularly regarding your to do list. You can help keep each other on track. Just by vocalising what you want to do and what you haven’t done, to someone else, will focus your actions.

Distracted? Not getting your to-do list done?

Productivity tips:

Use Pomodoro timer*
Dress up for your day
Leave your phone away from you
Choose 3 things you need to get done today
Declutter your desk/workspace
Do one thing a day which aids your mental health

* breaking tasks into easy to achieve, focused slots, Pomofocus

For more: What productive people do to stop getting distracted (3-minute read)

Top 5 ways to organise shoes

Shoe Storage – Top 5 ways to keep shoes tidy – 1 min video

Shoe storage ideas

1 minute read

How to maximise shoe storage and keep it tidy:

Get editing, are you holding on to shoes you don’t use?
If you are keeping a pair of shoes just for sentimental reasons, put them in a mementos box or on display – don’t keep them with your everyday shoes.
Add actual storage to where you keep your shoes (not just in a pile)
If this is overflowing – can you store less-used shoes elsewhere?
Consider storing out of season footwear away
Maximise hanging space (inside a cupboard/downstairs toilet door)
Don’t overfill the bottom of the wardrobe with shoe storage, this can add to a cluttered feel and it’s tempting to pile other stuff on top of it.
Consider investing in a simple modular wall unit (this way you can make it fit exactly what you have. See video for where to get.
Baskets work well for children’s shoes – label one container for each child – so they know where to put them away after use.
Change your shoe storage to reflect any change in lifestyle or hobbies. Make it work for you.

If you want ideas on where to donate your unwanted items see my Donation Directory