One way to handle meals is to set up each night of the week into a type of food category.

• Monday: beans
• Tuesday: pasta
• Wednesday: soup/stew
• Thursday: salads
• Friday: pizza (make or delivery)
• Saturday: grill outside
• Sunday: meat – red, poultry, pork

Left overs can be used for lunches.

By assigning a category to each day, it takes a lot of the work out of coming up with something different and feels  like half the dinner decision is made.

Also start a crock pot of sauce on Monday morning. Use the sauce all week. If the kids need quick meals before/after practices, it’s made for pasta, pizza, meatballs, etc.

Take a few minutes to sort mail as soon as it comes in the door. If more than one person receives mail, have a place labeled for each recipient.  Have a trash can, shredder and envelope opener in the same place that you sort your mail.

Open and read your mail daily or at the very least once a week.
1. Trash or shred junk or unwanted pieces.
2. Place personal mail into a file labeled Personal.
3. Place bills into a file labeled Dated.
4. Place catalogs in a file labeled Reading.
5.  File all items needing filing (try not to have a To Be Filed file – it’s just another delayed decision).
6. Place magazines in a magazine rack and keep this culled every quarter.

Here is the key step! Set up a routine to clean out the Personal, Dated and Reading files  so that they don’t pile up. I suggest once a week. 

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Open and read your mail daily or at the very least once a week.
1. Trash or shred junk or unwanted pieces.
2. Place personal mail into a file labeled Personal.
3. Place bills into a file labeled Dated.
4. Place catalogs in a file labeled Reading.
5.  File all items needing filing (try not to have a To Be Filed file – it’s just another delayed decision).
6. Place magazines in a magazine rack and keep this culled every quarter.

Here is the key step! Set up a routine to clean out the Personal, Dated and Reading files  so that they don’t pile up. I suggest once a week.

• Remove items that don’t support sleep
• Un-muddle the mess
• Dust
• Position your bed advantageously
• Change the sheets
• Do a comfort and ergonomics check
• Start a nighttime routine
• Watch what you eat
• Keep a pen and paper by your bedside

1. Remove items that don’t support sleep.
Try not to include computers, work desks, exercise equipment, televisions, they don’t do anything to help you relax or get to sleep.
 
2. Un-Muddle the Mess.
Without a clutter-free foundation, these tips won’t be as effective. Start with the floor and the surfaces in your room. Later, go deeper into closets and drawers. Clear out the things you no longer use and donate them. Put things in their proper home. If they don’t have a home, make one for them. Throw out or repair anything that is broken. Finish things that are undone or get rid of them. Clutter is usually a delayed decision. Make the decisions necessary to de-clutter the bedroom! Clearing clutter is the foundation to releasing stuck energy and getting a good night’s sleep. If you need help in this area – give Muddle Management a call!
 
3. Dust.
Keep your bedroom as well dusted as you can. Excess dust in your room makes it harder for you to breathe. It can cause allergy symptoms and seriously disturb your sleep. Keep dusting wipes in a utility room near your bedroom so that you can easily dust frequently, especially if you have pets.. Do in-depth dusting 2-4 times a year and your lungs with thank you!
 
4. Position your bed advantageously.
In the practice of Feng Shui, placement of objects is essential to encouraging positive energy flow. You should be able to see the door from your bed, but not have your bed directly in front of the door. A power position in the room allows you to feel more secure and sleep better overall.
 
5. Change the sheets.
Make sure you change your sheets at least once a week, but for some people who are very sensitive to energy and dust, every 3 to 5 days works better.
 
6. Do a comfort and ergonomics check.
Are your pillows right for you? Is your bed soft enough to not cut off your circulation during the night? Are the colors in your room soothing? Does your alarm clock wake you up gently or do you hate the sound of it? Make any necessary corrections to help you physically sleep better every night.
 
7. Start a nighttime routine.
Don’t work just before bed! I know that I have a hard time with this one but it does make a big difference in my sleep. Don’t do bills or watch the news or any other things that can cause you stress just before bed. Start by preparing for the next day. Make tomorrow’s To Do list, pick out clothes, gather things you need to take with you, brush your teeth, hair, etc. Then relax, read, listen to music or sit outside and get closer to nature.
 
8. Watch what you eat.
Are you snacking on chocolate, soda, or other foods that may have hidden caffeine in them after dinner? What you eat, and when you eat it can seriously affect your sleep. If you snack before bed, choose whole, unprocessed foods as much possible like nuts, fruit, raw veggies, and homemade low salt popcorn are better choices than candies or ice cream. 
 
9. Keep a pen and paper by your bedside.
If you can’t sleep, often it’s because your mind is racing. Whatever is rolling around in your brain and won’t stop, you need to get your thoughts on paper so you can get them off your mind! This helps clear your mental clutter so you can rest!
 
Some input provided by Ariane Benefit.

If you have any organizing questions please  contact me. I’d love to hear from you.
Relax. Contact us today!

Kind regards,
 
/Samantha Naeyaert
Owner, Muddle Management
Vice President, NAPO-DFW

In this economy your friendly professional organizer is here to help you use the spaces that you are already paying for the best that you can! We can save you money and time. It is in our transitions that we de-clutter and prioritize our time and our items.

Samantha’s Observations: It is transition that causes chaos in our lives and chaos causes disorganization.  But without these transitions, we might not have the opportunity to get more organized. And I am living this lesson this month!

Personally our home was turned upside down recently due to a change in our household.

My husband and I live with our youngest, a 14 year old daughter. Things stay pretty organized with the 3 of us living in our 4-bedroom home and we have plenty of room for a guest room with its own closet.  Enter our transition — our college-aged niece moved in with us and her stuff has been piling up in the garage because the guest closet – now her closet – is already full of our stuff!

The guest closet was always a convenient place to store items that we knew we wanted to keep but didn’t need available on a daily basis. And when guests stayed with us, there was plenty of space for their clothes and even a few drawers to move in comfortably for a few days. But now, this guest room and closet is needed for a live-in situation which is a completely different use for that space.

It didn’t take long for me to get STRESSED OUT over the piles of delayed decisions; laying on my garage floor and the nieces’ bedroom floor. I’m supposed to be a professional organizer! How can I let my garage look like this week-after-week? Ugh!

Feel the transition coming?

Our Step 1 -We scheduled time to make a plan and measured the spaces available. We checked our budget and realized that we couldn’t convert the current closet shelving for a few months. So we had to go ahead and use the space that we had the best that we could.We had previously purchased Elfa(R) drawers from The Container Store to provide a bed side table and chest of drawers.  We attached rollers so that we could use these items at a later date for another room if needed! SMART! Love The Container Store!

Our Step 2 -We pulled everything out of the guest closet and determined what we could share (I prefer to use the word share instead of purge) and what we had to keep.Some items we decided to share were: Ansel Adams framed prints, a cracked Marilyn Monroe print in a glass frame that my daughter wanted to keep and had to discuss for 30 minutes before she let it go, a Barbie horse barn that belonged to our oldest daughter (we decided that since we have pictures of her playing with it we can now let someone else love it now), some Star Wars toys that our son played with and a few other toys.We are sharing these items with local donation centers, Garland FreeCycle (click here to find out if you have one in your area – it’s awesome) and Craig’s List to share these items.

By turning this transition into an opportunity we are now using all of our closets upstairs more efficiently, without much expense or time, because we set a plan and were able to make strong decisions about what was important to use in our prime real estate.

We still have some work to do but as my clients have heard me say before, at least Phase 1 is now done!

Our Step 3 -We made room in my husband’s office closet, which meant that now his office supplies, old files and Dungeon’s and Dragon toys, err, I mean very-adult-Figs, got squeezed into smaller spaces and we used the vertical space in the closet more efficiently.There were some items we shared with the recycle bin such as old software books, empty boxes for hardware (why do men hang on to empty boxes?), etc. and this gave us more space for the items we determined we had to keep like the picture boxes, picture books, memory boxes, my wedding-dress-in-a-box, comic book collections, etc. And luckily everything fit!

Our Step 4 -Our next step will be to share and organize our niece’s items from the garage into the newly cleaned out closet and this will be the fun part!Our Step 5 -Our last step will be to sort all items together, measure and purchase organizing products, and make the closet a wonderful, fun place to walk into and use efficiently!

1. Measure TwiceTime: 30 minutes

If you’re outfitting your pantry with new shelving, the first step is to measure the space you want to organize. Measure the width and depth, and take note of any obstacles that could affect how shelves fit. Write down all measurements in your project notebook or computer file.The pantry contents are sorted and ready for their new home.

2. Take InventoryTime: 30 minutes

The next step is to take an inventory of what’s in your pantry and write it down in your project notebook or computer file.

3. Research and Purchase Products Time: 1-2 hours

Please, please, please don’t purchase anything before you know exactly what you need!  Otherwise you could waste your time and money on the wrong size or the wrong product.Search organizing resources with measurements and inventory in hand. You’ll get ideas for layout and storage options, from shelving to drawers to over-the-door hangers.

Tip: Splurge on high-quality shelving and save by buying inexpensive containers.Sort the things you want to keep into boxes of like items. This organizational step makes storing the items in their final containers much faster.

4. Dump, Sort, and CleanTime: 1-3 hours

Chaos is the last step before organization. And boy, will this step feel chaotic. Clear off your kitchen table or countertops and get a stack of empty boxes. Then start going through the pantry. Throw out any expired products, or anything you know you won’t use. Sort the things you want to keep into boxes of like items.  This organizational step makes storing the items in their final containers much faster.

Once everything is thrown away or sorted, you’re faced with an empty pantry. Now’s the time to demolish old shelving, repair and paint walls and clean the floor. If you’re working with existing components, give them a good scrub and touch up the paint. Then make a new list of the type, size and number of storage containers you’ll need for the items you’re keeping. If you purchased an over-the-door holder with baskets, include this on the list. (Purchase enough storage containers to hold the items in your pantry now as well as items you usually stock but don’t currently have on hand.)

Use the turn tables for cans and bottles, like soups, oils and vinegars. Use the baskets to corral bags of rice, pasta and chocolate chips. Canisters are great for bulk items you always keep on hand, like flour, cornmeal, crackers and chips. Not only does it make it easier to scoop out a cup of flour or oatmeal, but it makes it easier to see how much is left (if you use clear containers). That’s a huge help on grocery day because you can quickly assess what you need. Once you get everything back into your pantry, the orderliness alone will make it look fabulous.

Tip: If you have the budget, the artistic desire or an open pantry, you might consider buying wicker baskets or canisters with more design flair.

5. Organize ItTime: 1-2 hours

Finally, the moment you’ve been working for. Gather your boxes of pantry goods, new containers, a label maker or labels and marker. Then begin transferring items from the old boxes to their new containers. Before you put the containers in the pantry, label them with a label maker or marker. This may make you feel a bit like Martha at first, but after your husband and kids (or you, before your first cup of coffee) put the cereal back in the right place, you’ll realize that sometimes it’s okay to be a little compulsive. ♥