Posts - The Little Organising Company

How to organise your Home Office and Paperwork

(2 minute read)

My Top 10 paperwork tips

Paperwork has a habit of quietly multiplying. Add chargers, notebooks, post, stationery and everything else that lands on a desk, and suddenly your workspace isn’t working particularly well anymore.

The good news is you don’t need a complicated filing system. Start by making things simpler.

1. Start with a clear desk

Take everything off your desk and only put back what you regularly use. Your desk is a working surface, not long-term storage.

2. Gather your paperwork together

Before organising paperwork, find it. Gather papers from drawers, bags, kitchen worktops and anywhere else they’ve accumulated so you can see what you actually have.

3. Declutter before you file

Don’t spend time beautifully filing paperwork you don’t need. Recycle or shred what’s no longer required first.

4. Create simple categories. Avoid dozens of complicated files. Start with broad categories that make sense to you, perhaps:-

Important documents
Banking
Investments
Pensions
Utilities
Housing
School
Cars
Pets
Health
Warranties / Instructions

5. Create a ‘To Action’ place

Have one clearly defined place for paperwork requiring action: bills to pay, forms to complete, appointments to book. Check it regularly.

I prefer not to use paper ‘in trays’ with paperwork items lying down, as items tend to get lost under each other. Try a narrow container, where paperwork can be stored upright and is easier to see.

6. Separate ‘To File’ from ‘To Action’

Paperwork you need to keep shouldn’t be mixed with paperwork requiring you to do something. Give them different homes.

7. Be realistic about stationery

How many pens do you need? Test them, remove the ones that don’t work and keep a sensible amount of what you actually use.

8. Give technology a home

Gather chargers, cables, headphones and spare technology together. Recycle obsolete technology responsibly.

Research suggests that UK households throw away an estimated 26 million cables every year. In addition to discarded wires, people across the UK hoard roughly 627 million unused cables in drawers and cupboards (ref. Not for profit- Material Focus)

9. Reduce what comes in

Go paperless where it genuinely makes life easier, unsubscribe from unwanted post and think before printing something. Return unwanted post free via post box with ‘Return to sender and remove me from my mailing list’ written on it.

10. Make your system easy to maintain

The best filing system isn’t the most elaborate one. It’s the one you will actually use.

And remember, being organised isn’t about having a perfect desk or beautiful files. It’s about being able to find what you need, when you need it, and having a workspace that helps rather than hinders you.

Imogen x

The Little Organising Company

For ideas on where to donate your unwanted items, see my Donation Directory

How to organise other people’s stuff

3 Minute Video

At a recent WI talk, someone asked me, “Is five lawnmowers too many?” It sparked a discussion about dealing with other people’s stuff. In this short video, I share one simple question that can help you tackle it.

10 things to declutter from your home today

(2 minute read)

10 things to declutter from your home today:

Unloved mugs
- If your cupboard is overflowing, it is time to donate unused mugs and remove any damaged ones
Worn-Out Towels & Bedding
- Frayed towels, threadbare sheets, and pillowcases you never use—donate clean to charity in a bag labelled ‘rags’ (they get a price by weight for unsellable textiles)
Expired or old spices
- Expired spices lose flavour— remove the ones you never use
Excess Reusable Bags
- How many do you need?
- Match this to the space you have to store them
- Fold to save space – See my bag folding video
- Donate to charity shops who often use for customer purchases
Half-Burned Candles
- If you have candle stubs gathering dust, melt them down or say goodbye
- Keep only the ones you still enjoy using
Charging cables or sockets
- How many do you still use?
- Remove the broken or frayed.
- Remove out-of-date
- Remove mystery ones – to identify them use Cable Guide
- Recycle the value metals in cables – For a cable recycling guide
Technology packaging Recycle empty tech boxes — do you still have the box your Hoover came in or the mobile phone you don’t even have anymore? You don’t need them after setup, and they take up valuable space.
Expired or old make-up
- You deserve the best
- Reduce the clutter – Hotel miniatures, half-used bottles, and old makeup
- Keep only what you use regularly
Duplicate bottle openers or stirring spoons
- How many bottle openers do you have?
- How many stirring spoons?
- Decide on the number you need
- Remove the broken, damaged or multiples
Pens
- Collect all together
- Test (ask for help with this from family members)
- Remove the damaged or unusable
- Decide how many you need for any area
- Donate any full unopen packs to charity or offer batches of good quality random pens to local primary schools or nurseries (post on Facebook or ask friends for contacts)

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

How to organise your garage

(2 minute read)

To Edit and Declutter your Garage

Plan Ahead
- Check the weather forecast and aim for a dry day.
- Gather tarpaulins or dust sheets to create space to allow you to move and categorise items as you work
Capture the Moment
- Take a “before” photo to see your progress later
Empty the Space
- Take everything out
Sort and Dispose or Donate
- Have recycling bags, rubble sacks, or a skip ready for waste.
- Remove broken or unrepairable items
- Anything you haven’t used in ages donate or re-home for free
Create Sorting Zones
- Set up dedicated areas for “Re-home” and “Sell” items.
- Group similar items into categories like tools, pots, gardening supplies, seeds, or bike gear.
Decide What Stays
- Be honest about what’s useful or meaningful and only keep those items
Organise and Store Match each category to the best storage space in your shed based on size and quantity.

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

Top 5 ways to maximise garage storage and keep tidy – 1 min video

How to maximise gargae storage and keep it tidy:

Start by reviewing the current storage
Does your current furniture or shelving makes the best use of the space?
Hang as much as possible to free up surfaces
Consider investing in wall-mounted racking systems that suit your storage needs and can be adapted over time.
Use clear, labelled containers to group similar items, and repurpose old Tupperware or takeaway boxes for smaller things like screws, bolts, or seed packets.
Give everything a proper home and label shelves and containers so it’s easy to find and put things back.
Finally, improve the lighting—brightening the space will make it far easier to use and keep organised.

Garage storage ideas

My unpopular decluttering opinion…

Tell me what you think...

2 minute video

I believe sometimes we feel guilty about the wrong thing when decluttering. Put that energy into the real challenge. Tell me what you think and that last thing you decluttered.

And did you see the unexpected visitor, who I didn’t know was in shot!

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