.:Tidy Tuesday:.Easy Organization Tips for the Busy Lady

Welp, school has started back in full force. I’m thankful that teaching interior design does give me an avenue for utilizing my organization bug (there are ALWAYS papers or something in the classroom to organize) and my creative heart (I really enjoy coming up with new projects to help teach my students design concepts!). However, with the school year, much to my dismay, comes much busy-ness. This has been a struggle for me as I learn what being a wife is all about AND 4th year teacher (yay!) AND girls’ small group leader AND daughter, sister, friend….SO I enjoy finding new ways to stay organized at home. I may have a touch of OCD, but I still think it’s fun and it really does keep me sane to be organized at all times, in all areas of my life. Here are some practical tips I’ve collaborated from 1) my first couple of years living with a man , 2) an old REAL LIFE magazine from readers on organization, 3) good advice from friends:


• When cleaning and/or organizing, listen to music! It’s fun and speeds me up actually!
My current fave: Ingrid!


• Have a small trash can in the house just for recycle. Read and sort through the mail near, or somedays even over that recycle bin. You know the majority of mail just adds up to clutter!


• If you don’t need it, GIVE IT AWAY! Don’t we all have a lot of “stuff” that we don’t use?


• Label, label, label! Solves the “Honey, where are the ________?” questions.


• Bulletin boards! Near stairwells, entryways, on the back of doors for those paper/events/business cards we can’t lose!  Ballard Designs has some really fun and functional magnet, bulletin boards:




• Store gift wrap in plastic storage containers with rollers on the bottom. Hide the under the bed for easy access.


• GIVE the gift of organization – exchange “help sessions” with a friend for a special occasion gift…(I’ll help put up your Christmas décor if you help organize my closet!)


• Pick up the daily “stuff” (shoes, jackets, couch blanket) and take it upstairs on your way to bed.


• Color code your closet. It will help those early mornings run a little bit smoother when you are looking for clothes for the day.


• Do it yourself. Why cause an argument when it will take you 2 seconds to pick up his wet towel from off your new carpet?


• Marry a “clean freak” – then he’ll do it himself :)