by kathilipp | Feb 13, 2014 | Home |
It has been a week.
Half of it I’ve been traveling, the other half had, well, life.
And while the stuff in my house seems overwhelming, this challenge seemed even more so.
Some weeks I’ve be racking up huge numbers. But this week not so much.
Do you feel like a 2014 Things Drop Out?
Here is what to do when you feel like you’re falling behind.
- Take a real look at the numbers. In order to stay on target for the 2014 Things, you need to get rid of about 37 things a week – that’s less than six things a day. You can so do this.
- Concentrate on small areas. Do a drawer, or a shelf. Don’t say, “I’ll do the garage today.” NO. Don’t set yourself up for failure like that.
- Get some help. Set a timer for you and your kids to get as much out of your rooms as possible. I know of one mom who is using the challenge for her kids to earn screen time.
- Ask a friend to help. Get on the phone and the whole time your chatting, both of you can be getting rid of stuff. Everything is easier with a friend.
- Picture your house lighter. Get a vision of what it’s going to look like when you’re done.
We can do this girls.
What tiny area are you going to work on this weekend. Tell me in the comments and you’ll be entered to win The Get Yourself Organized Project!
by kathilipp | Feb 12, 2014 | Home, Uncategorized |
Here are three important tips that you need to remember when packing your toiletries bag:
1. Go for the smallest toiletries bag possible. It seems easier to get a big bag, you know like those old train cases that our parents used to pack, but when you try to pack a big bag, you end up bringing things that you do not really need just because you have room. And you will end up with every cream, lotion, and perfume you own. All of a sudden you are bringing face cream that you have not used in ten years! If you must have room, larger bags can be handy in organizing your items as long as you get one with separate compartments that you can put your hair products in, first iad supplies in , and cosmetics in for quick finding.
2. Think about your traveling style. If you are going to be carrying on your luggage, you will have to put liquids in specific bottles that carry less than 3.4 ounces. The guidelines are specific and will be checked! And remember, toothpaste is considered a liquid. Yep, I had a friend who had to dump a brand new tube! Of course, it was the extra large whitening kind. Be prepared so you don’t waste money!
3. Pack extra baggies just in case. Besides putting each container in a separate baggy so liquid does not accidentally open and spill, it is a good idea to bring extra baggies. Whether you need them for a quick clean up or to bring stained clothes home, it is good to have extras. Believe me, you will thank me when your little one decides that he is done potty training and decides to go right.then.and.there.
Traveling can be fun, and with these quick tips, your toiletries bag will be a place that you can find needed supplies, not another area of stress. What good tips can you share as far as packing a toiletries bag?
by kathilipp | Feb 10, 2014 | Home |
The Challenge 2014 is underway and it brings even more goals to accomplish. But how do we make organizing work? Here are Four Quick Start Evaluation Steps to make any organizing goal more manageable:
1. Find two friends (at least) to do the project with you. It doesn’t matter if they’re phone friends, Internet buddies, or face-to-face girlfriends you meet with at Starbucks down the street. Find someone to keep you accountable.
2. Pick a room—any room to start the purge. I would pick the room that’s giving you the most stress and start there. You’ll feel better when some of the pressure is taken off.
3. Evaluate your plan. This is where people often give up. If something doesn’t work, they will scrap the whole idea. You decide what steps you’re going to take each day. Then after trying it, see if that is a good goal. Feel free to change it, but just keep your focus on trying to organize areas of your life.
4. Be flexible. The intention of The 2014 Things Challenge is not to add stress, but to make your life simpler by removing the clutter from your life and helping you stay organized. Just do something, intentionally, every day. If you can be flexible in the day to day goals, you will learn to be flexible when things come up that you cannot control. And in this way, we are no longer jut purging clutter from our homes, but also the clutter of disappointment or anxiety if something doesn’t go perfectly in our life. Because let’s be real. Life on earth is not perfect. But we do have a perfect God that will help us get through it!
by kathilipp | Feb 5, 2014 | Home |
Step One: Your Plan of Attack
Find a system that works that will keep you current with laundry. If you do not have one, here is what we use:
In our hall, we have four, 30 inch tall, plastic laundry hampers. Each one is a different type of laundry:
* Whites
*Colored underwear
*Everyday clothes
*Jeans, towels, sweats
This helps all of us to be able to sort the laundry quickly and easily.
Step Two: Sort It Out
Get your laundry room area cleaned out in order to be most efficient. This might take an afternoon if your area is small. If it is larger, I suggest taking fifteen minutes a day to get it in order. The best tip I have for this step is that we have a permanent “Give Away ” box in our laundry area for our clothes our kids have outgrown. When the box gets full, I take it to Good Will.
Getting rid of clutter can be a blessing to someone else as well. {click to tweet}
Step 3: Clean It Up
Before you start stocking up the shelves, give them and your washer and dryer a good wipe down. Deep cleaning makes any space a good one.
Step 4: Label It and Put It Away
This is the fun part! Label everything in order to make it easy to find. Some examples are stain removers, dryer socks, and socks (Mismatched Socks might be a better title sometimes).
Step 5: Keep It Up
The best way to keep up with laundry is to do it every day. The other thing that will make your life a lot easier is to remember this rule: Until the clothes are put away your laundry isn’t done. Just because the clothes are clean, and dry does not mean the laundry is done.
These steps will change laundry from something you dread to something that you can get done quickly in order to bring blessing to your self and your family.
by kathilipp | Feb 3, 2014 | Home |
The number one question I get when it comes to organizing is about ALL THAT PAPER. What do I do with it? What do I need to keep? How do I keep it from coming into my house? Please make the MADNESS STOP!!
Sigh…
I strongly suggest you gather all your loose paper into one place—every clutter pile of mail in your living room, all those magazines you want to save but aren’t sure why, the random sticky notes, coupons, envelopes. Search every nook and cranny around your house, and everything that was once a tree (except your furniture) goes in the box. It might be hard at first. I know that large stacks of paper make me want to roll up in a ball in a corner and weep uncontrollably. If you are already there, here are a few verses for you for FREE to comfort you!
Fist off, keep the paper from coming in the door. Here are a few tricks to stop the incoming flow:
- Stop It at the Source: If you aren’t reading the magazines, don’t let them renew. Call the customer service number of catalogs you receive to get off their list.
- Stop Giving Out Your Address: Don’t enter that sweepstakes to win a boat or free windows for your house. Or at least check the box that says they can’t share the information. (And don’t worry – we here at KathiLipp.com NEVER share your info.)
- Keep a Recycle Bag in the Car: I would have my kids go through their backpacks in the car and any paper they didn’t need (or I didn’t need to see) got put in the bag.
- Have a Plan: Our mailbox is in our garage, right next to our recycle bin. At least 60% of paper never comes into the house as it goes directly into the bin. If your box is outside, sort the mail at the box and walk into the house with two piles: one to handle, one to recycle.
You will need to organize this pile of papers into three boxes:
FILING –
This box is for anything that you need to file. Every household should have a simple filing system for receipts, warranties, tax returns, and all those other papers that aren’t currently “in motion” but may need to be referred to at a later date.
Try to keep your files as lean and mean as possible. You don’t need to keep your check stubs from college or warranties from a fridge you no longer own. Since so much of our lives are stored on our computers, we can get rid of a lot of the paperwork we no longer need. You can find most instruction manuals online, scan articles to keep on your computer, and put reminders directly on your digital calendar.
If you are still getting bills in the mail from your regular utility companies, get online and ask to go paperless. Yes – it will save some trees, but more importantly, it will save your sanity.
GIVE AWAY –
Do you have magazines that your library or some other organization would love? Ask first, and then drop them off.
GARBAGE AND RECYCLING –
You shouldn’t have much for the garbage, but I suggest a shredder for any sensitive information you want to get rid of.
Set aside one day a week to do all your paperwork. If only for fifteen minutes that day, being consistent will make the difference in a home cluttered with paper and one clear for real living!
Finally – my gift to you! 
This little filing system keeps all my papers organized and where I need them, when I need them. It has saved my bacon more times than I can count!
What do you struggle with as far as papers? Please tell me I am not the only one…
by kathilipp | Jan 27, 2014 | Home |
Everything I learned about organizing, I learned in kindergarten.
If you are participating in the 2014 Things Challenge, you know that we need to not only get rid of things, but organize the things we have in an easy way.
The most organized rooms most of us will ever experience are at either a school or a hospital. Since I frown on having to go through minor surgery in order to gain organizing tips, I choose instead to draw my inspiration from the classroom.
I have an inside track. My stepdaughter, Amanda Lipp, is an associate teacher at a childcare facility. While she and I were discussing how she wants her room to be set up for her students, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between a well-set-up classroom and a well-set-up home.Here are Amanda’s guidelines for a well-run classroom:
1. Everything has a place and everyone knows where that place is. Everyone in the house knows where things are because items have an established place.
2. Clearly label items with words and a picture. Label your drawers, bins, tubs, and baskets in a way that everyone in the house can understand.
3. Keep the room clutter free so children can easily roam and play. I stay on top of clutter so that we don’t have to clear off a table before we eat dinner or move piles of paper from a desk before I can work on it.
4. Clean up areas when “children finish playing” and before beginning another activity. After I’m done with a project, I put it away so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess.
5. Arrange the art on the wall neatly, using frames, canvas, backgrounds. A room with too much artwork will feel chaotic and agitating. I keep things in my home simple and uncluttered. I want the people in my home, not the stuff, to be the focus.
These are easy first steps to take to create an intentional life where you have the freedom to do things, not spend time trying to find things!
Do you have any “tips” to help a home run like a classroom, organized and efficiently?
Any teachers out there that can give us the secrets to organizing?
It has been a week.
