December 13, 2023

The Art of Maximizing Kitchen Storage: A Professional Organizer’s Guide

December 13, 2023/ Jeannine

In the heart of every home lies the kitchen, a hub of daily activity and culinary creativity. However, it's also a place where clutter can quickly accumulate, making cooking and meal prep more of a chore than a joy. As a professional organizer, I’ve seen how a well-organized kitchen can transform daily routines and enhance the joyment of your home. Let’s explore some effective strategies to maximize kitchen storage and create a more functional and welcoming space.

1. Embrace Clear Containers: One of the simplest yet most impactful changes you can make is to transfer pantry items like grains, pasta, and baking ingredients into clear containers. Not only do these containers make it easy to see what you have (and when you’re running low), but they also provide an aesthetically pleasing, uniform look to your shelves. This approach eliminates bulky packaging and makes use of vertical space, allowing you to store more in the same area.

2. Invest in Adjustable Shelving: Fixed shelves often leave unused space, especially with varying sizes of kitchen items. Installing adjustable shelving solves this problem by allowing you to customize the height of each shelf according to your needs. This flexibility is perfect for accommodating everything from tall appliances to short spice jars, ensuring that no inch of space goes to waste.

3. Categorize and Label: Organization is not just about where things go, but also about how easily you can find them. Categorizing your kitchen items and labeling shelves and containers is a game-changer. This system helps everyone in the household know exactly where to find and return items, reducing clutter and saving time during meal preparation.

4. Utilize Vertical Space: Don’t overlook the potential of vertical space. Wall-mounted racks for utensils, pots, and pans or hanging baskets for fruits and vegetables can free up valuable cabinet and counter space. Just remember to store likewise items together so everyone knows where to find them.

5. Drawer Dividers and Organizers: Drawers often become a catch-all for miscellaneous kitchen gadgets and utensils. By using drawer dividers and organizers, you can designate a specific place for every item, making your drawers as efficient and easy to navigate as your shelves.

Maximizing kitchen storage is more than just a way to keep things tidy; it’s about creating a space that supports and enhances your daily life. With these strategies, you can transform your kitchen into an area that’s not only functional but also a pleasure to use. Remember, the key to effective organization is to tailor solutions to fit your unique space and lifestyle. As you implement these tips, you’ll find that an organized kitchen is the ingredient you need for a more harmonious home.

May 09, 2022

Tips when searching and hiring a professional organizer

May 09, 2022/ Jeannine

First impression, is the expert easy to work with and understands what's important to you and what your organizing goals are.

When searching for a professional organizer, the first impression is important. An expert should be easy to work with, understand what's important to you and your organizing goals, and have good time management skills. The expert should also be willing to work with you rather than for you.

Asking questions about the expert's organizing philosophy can help gauge whether or not their approach matches yours. For example: does this person believe in using bins or drawers? Do they think labeling things is important? Is it more important to keep things visible or out of sight?

What kind of experience or credentials does the organizer have, is he/she good at listening and do they have good time management skills

You should ask your potential organizer the following questions:

“When interviewing a professional organizer, make sure that he or she understands what’s important to you”

Are they reputable? Most professional organizers are certified through an organization, which means that they have passed an exam and know what they're doing. If a person doesn't have any certification, you can always do some research into their background or check out their website to see if it looks professional and well-maintained.
Is he/she accredited? Many organizers will also be accredited by Marie Kondo or another organization that offers certifications for organizing services. This means that these experts have gone through extensive training on how to properly implement her methodologies, including folding techniques and more efficient ways of sorting clothing items into categories like "keep," "toss," and "give away." If someone has this kind of certification, it's likely their skills are top-notch!
How much experience does he/she have? Does this organizer specialize in home office closets, pantries or whole-home decluttering projects? A good organizer should have plenty of experience working with clients who need help getting things under control at home so they can feel more relaxed when spending time there each day (which ultimately leads to less stress).

What if they start packing up everything without asking if it's okay first and then they decide what will go where without consulting you first!Is this someone who will organize things according to your own preferences?

Before you hire an organizer, make sure that you have a clear understanding of your overall goals and needs. You should also be able to describe what kind of environment you want to create in your home or office.

If the professional organizer does not understand these things before starting work, it may end up being a waste of time and money for both parties involved. It's very important to know in advance whether they will arrange items according themselves without asking if they are okay with how they are placed or what will go where beforehand, or if they will listen closely and make changes until their client is satisfied with the result.

If any red flags come up, consider interviewing another professional organizer.

If any red flags come up during the interview, consider interviewing another professional organizer. The last thing you should feel is like your personal belongings are out of control and that someone else is going through everything that's important to you without asking your opinion first.

When interviewing a professional organizer, make sure that he or she understands what's important to you—and how much stuff there actually is. You want an organizer who can help you manage all those boxes of old paperwork for them not to get lost forever under piles of new paper and magazines. You also want someone who can keep track of your progress and keeps you motivated and not make you feel guilty or ashamed.

May 04, 2022

How a mind map can help you get to your goals faster

May 04, 2022/ Jeannine

A mind map is basically a diagram that allows you to organize ideas and help you work toward your goals. You can use it for pretty much anything, from organizing your closet to becoming more productive at work. Here are just a few examples:

Organize your values and beliefs so that you can have clarity in what path to choose moving forward. You can focus on certain areas of well-being such as finances, physical/emotional health, community, career etc..
Arrange your thoughts when making a big decision, such as purchasing a big-ticket item, paying for school or planning a wedding
Brainstorm all the different tasks involved in preparing for an upcoming interview or presentation at work so that they don't seem intimidating anymore! It's much easier when everything is laid out clearly (and color-coded!) than when they're scattered across dozens of sticky notes on your desk or hanging off various surfaces around the office."

Write the goal in the middle of the page.

Write the goal/attribute in the middle of the page.
Next to it, write down a list of sub-goals or related items. These will be smaller tasks that need to be completed before you can complete your primary goal.

“Organize your values and beliefs so that you can have clarity in what path to choose moving forward. ”

Draw lines from the center, and label each one with a step toward achieving the goal.

Start by drawing a circle in the center of your map. Now, draw lines from this center point to each of these steps.

For each line, write down all the steps that are required to get you from where you are now (the center) to where you want to be (wherever the line ends). Make sure that each step is clear and concise; avoid using too many words. For example, if one of your goals is “learn French” then instead of writing “Learn French” or even “Go on Duolingo for five minutes every day for six months until I can say 'Bonjour' without sounding like an idiot…” try something like "Get Duolingo app on phone."

To keep things simple, use just one arrow per step—and make sure it points in a direction toward achieving your goal. If there's more than one way for something to happen or if there are multiple ways for two or more steps to connect then consider adding images (like arrows pointing at other arrows) or symbols next to those connections!

Fill in each step with sub-steps.

Step 1: Define the problem before starting on a solution.

Step 2: Set goals, and don’t worry about what other people's goals are.

Step 3: Be ambitious, but stay realistic. If you have your heart set on landing more clients than you can handle in three months, it may be time to adjust your expectations!

The final step is to fill in each of these steps with sub-steps that will help you achieve your goal faster and more effectively. For example, if your main goal is to get fit by running marathons by December 31st, then under "Set Goals," write down specific training plans and weekly mileage goals for each month leading up until the big race day (December 31st). Don't forget to include rest days and cross-training days too! This way, when those pesky thoughts pop up saying things like "I'm never going to make it!" or "This hurts so much!" they won't derail all of your hard work—and who knows? You just might surprise yourself with how far you've come by December 31st after all!

This visual roadmap can help you focus and feel motivated!

The most important thing to remember is that a mind map isn't a quick project. It's not something you can knock out in an afternoon, so I highly recommend setting aside some serious time for it. Start with the center and write down what each step should be. How many steps do you want? What's your timeline? Do you know where this will take you?

Write everything down! Don't worry if it looks like a mess at first—this is only the beginning of your journey, and there are many twists and turns ahead!

April 14, 2020

How to Organize Your Home Office for Good

April 14, 2020/ Jeannine

Home office organization san diego professional organizer

Guest Blog: Melissa Bryan from Mrs. Melissa Bryan Home & Office Solutions is a professional organizer who shares methods to keep you and your family happy, healthy, and organized. You can find her tips and tricks along with a healthy dose of large family living on her website www.mrsmelissabryan.com or check out her Facebook page for where she shares her daily stories and words of inspiration. If you are a fan of inspiration, be sure to find her on Pinterest

Lessons from Marie Kondo on eliminating paper clutter once and for all

Recently, I tackled a home office for a friend. She has a beautiful home and is herself a very organized person, but her home office had gotten out of control. After building her new home, several boxes from different family businesses had finally all made their way to the home office from storage. This created a large collection of papers and left the family without a space where they could work and enjoy. How can you organize your home office for good?

I must admit that while I do not have several businesses that I run from my home office, my own space had gotten shabby and in disarray. It is so easy to set that stack of mail down and plan to get to it later or to collect everything for the accountant and become distracted. Lots of us do this right? Keeping your paper clutter controlled can be done without creating a panic attack I promise. What you need is a good plan.

If you have read the book by Marie Kondo “The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up”, she goes into detail about the order in which one should tidy. I am not an affiliate, but you can get her book here. By breaking down the categories of clothing, books, papers, miscellaneous, and sentimental, she provides a simple road map to a truly tidy home. Regarding paper she says,

““MY BASIC PRINCIPLE FOR SORTING PAPERS IS TO THROW THEM ALL AWAY.””

— –MARIE KONDO, THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP

Organizing your home office for good begins with getting everything in one place

Carry ALL paperwork to one central location. Drag it all over to your dining room table if you have one or your living room floor and group everything into one space and dig in. This will help you avoid the pitfall of having duplicate items in multiple spaces. Be sure to start with your office paper clutter and save sentimental papers for after you have completed this challenge. Sorting office papers are much easier to be objective about.

The paper clutter plan – you can do this!

Sorting – Create a now, later and forever method of sorting.

paper organization san diego professional organizer consultant konmari

Now papers are your bills. Organize your bills in the front of your cabinet or folder and toss once paid. Subscribe to online bill pay when available. This service will save you money on stamps, time, and late fees. Go paperless on bank statements. Many banks and cell phone companies will reduce their fees for using this feature.
Later papers are for taxes and business paperwork. Organize those into totes or clear plastic containers and label. One should be for the current year and one (or several) for the previous years. Shred the rest when possible.
Forever papers are important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, or contracts. I highly recommend creating a family binder. If you need an idea on how to create this, check this one out https://rockitmama.com/family-emergency-binder-free-printables-to-create-your-own/ I grab mine every time I need to file a shot record or sign my kids up for school. Even doctor’s visits may require some of this important info. Keep this where you can just grab and go.

Create a now, later and forever method of sorting.

Scan important documents into a digital format.

This method will help you to eliminate accruing paper clutter in the future. Simply scan, dispose, and go. Use a similar process for receipts; keep them in a coupon organizer until you can scan them or snap a pic with your phone and email it to yourself. Adobe has an app that makes this really simple. I know someone who uses his wallet for this. You should see the size of it!

Dispose anything that doesn’t go into one of the three categories

When you have gone through the now, later, and forever categories, you will have determined what is really needed and what can be disposed of. Tax records should be kept for 7 years. Neatly place in a tote with the years labeled on the outside. Dispose of anything you can or shred documents with sensitive information. Use this as some therapy time! Shred the stress away and recycle it! Keep a separate trash can in the kitchen for recycling. This will keep everything tidy unlike those bins that some cities provide.

What do you do with your neatly sorted piles? Organize what is left into a file cabinet or expandable file folder with labels designating each category. Your important documents should be organized according to individual and placed inside the family binder. Organize your bills according to when they are due or set them in the first file of your cabinet.

Sentimental Items

Admittedly, this is the hardest part for yours truly to get rid of. Hold those sweet child drawings and ask yourself, “Does this item spark joy?” If it does, it can go into one of the clear plastic bins. Try to limit yourself to only one bin. If you have multiple child coloring book drawings, don’t beat yourself up over tossing it. It is my preference to keep the pictures with hand prints.

Photos need to be sorted too. Be sure that you know at least one person in the photo. I inherited photos from family and felt that I had to keep these photos of a distant uncle that I had never met. Store the photos you keep into a photo box. This is the thing I personally struggle with most. No judgement my friend.

Maintenance – keeping your home office organized for good

So, how are you going to keep your papers organized for good? Find a space in your home to designate as your drop zone. This space could be a bowl, basket, or tray. After you have removed the junk mail, set the remaining mail in its place. Wherever you choose to keep it, dedicate only one place for it. Set a weekly alarm to remind yourself to take care of it and pay, file, scan, or trash it.

Enlist help if you need it for tackling this project. Accruing papers is easy thing to do. Be brutal in your conquest for a tidy home office. Create the habit and practice it daily.