Spices Everywhere!

I cleaned out my spices yesterday, and was it revealing! I have five containers of vanilla extract, four of cumin, two giant containers of oregano, three of coriander and enough black peppercorns to last until the next century. I threw out some old ones and tried to combine half-empty boxes and jars. In the same cabinet – a lazy susan – I also found seven bottles of hot sauce. What’s more, we use very little hot sauce!

It’s so easy to let the spices get out of control. It’s a waste of space and a waste of money. With mine on a lazy susan, I have no excuse. I can’t even say they were buried in the back. I also have a beautiful stainless steel spice rack on my kitchen counter.

There are plenty of ways to efficiently store spices. I’ve heard of people using clear shoe bags. If you have a pantry, you can hang it on the inside of the door. Since the pockets are clear, it’s easy to see what you have. If you’re building a new home or renovating your kitchen, you can have a built-in spice rack. You don’t need a lot of space. Just a sliver somewhere will do it. Take a look at stores like Costco and Bed, Bath and Beyond. There are some gorgeous spice racks available now.

Any ideas for keeping spices under control?

Adult AD/HD?

My husband is a clinical psychologist. He specializes in high conflict-post divorce couples who still have to parent children together. But he has another speciality: adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, better known as adult AD/HD.

You've probably known about AD/HD in children, but did you know adults can have it, too? My husband has it, which is one of the reasons he does a lot of work with AD/HD adults. He truly understands what they're going through every day!

Adults with AD/HD are usually disorganized and easily distracted. They may find it difficult to focus on tedious activities. They frequently have piles laying around everywhere. If this sounds like you, talk to your doctor. There is medication available to help you, and you can start learning some behavioral techniques, as well. Also, read a few books by Dr. Edward Hallowell, an AD/HD expert. Start with his classic, called Driven To Distraction.

Just because you're disorganized doesn't naturally mean you have adult AD/HD. But if you are nodding your head to the symptoms above, it's worth looking into some professional help. It can make a huge difference in your life.

Too Many Clothes!

What is it about us women and clothes? Do we put too much emphasis on our appearance? Has society forced us to put too much emphasis on our appearance? Is there really something in our gender’s genes? My daughter loves to go shopping. She loves to buy clothes, try on clothes, swap clothes with her friends. I can get sucked in it, too. I’ll always stop to read a fashion article. I can let an outlet mall pass me by. My husband, on the other hand, hates to go shopping. About every two years, he goes to a clothing store and, in about 20 minutes, spends several hundred dollars on business clothes. Then he’s done. My son hates shopping even more than his Dad. I don’t ever give him clothing for a gift, simply because to him, that’s not a gift.

But I’ve made a conscious effort in the last few years to whittle down my closet. For years, I wore about 20 percent of what was hanging in there. Today, there is nothing in my closet I don’t wear on a regular basis. Here’s how I’ve done it:

I organize my wardrobe around a couple of colors. For me, it’s pink and black. Why? Pink it my best color, and black is still the most basic color, as well as the easiest to dress us. I have a straight black dress that I can wear with flip-flops and a straw hat on the beach or with heels and pearls for an evening wedding. Coco Chanel was right on the mark when she invented the little black dress.

I buy as many pieces as possible from Chico’s. If you’ve never worn the Travelers line from Chico’s, you are in for a treat. For one thing, all the black pieces are the same shade of black. But most importantly, the Travelers pieces do not wrinkle. Yes, I’ll say it again. They absolutely do not wrinkle. As far as I’m concerned, that’s just important at home as it is when traveling.

I go for quality, not quantity. Enough said.

While I have only a few pieces of basic clothing, I have lots of jewelry and lots of shoes and bags.

Every few months, I edit my closet.

I’m happy to say that I have empty space in my closet. If it doesn’t look great on me, it goes out. How about you?

It's About Time!

When I was growing up, there was a sitcom on television called "It's About Time." The storyline was about two astronauts who broke the time barrier and ended up in caveman times. All of a sudden, time had a new meaning for them.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by time issues, too. I jump from one project to another, while telling anyone who will listen that "I've got too much to do," and "I just don't have enough time."

Truth is, I do have enough time; I'm just not managing it well. When that happens, I try to step back and look at the big picture. I need to do some mental shifting. What's really important right now? What is the project I need to focus on right now? It's so easy to do the urgent, rather than the important, and the only way to get out of that box is take a step back and see the big picture. Then it's a lot easier for me to make priorities and manage my time.

Don't Fight Every Battle

Getting all worked up about things you can't control is another way to waste time. I can easily slide into this, and I have to always remind myself that not every battle is my battle. Here's a good example. I learned something yesterday about the high school my twins graduated from last year. In a nutshell, the principal does everything he can to quash school spirit, and this last one is something I cared about greatly during their senior year. I got mad; I wanted to send him an email; I wanted to write a letter to the editor.

Then, I took a deep breath and let it go. It's just not my fight anymore. I can use that energy for more positive things that directly affect my family. I won't take the 30 minutes or so I would use writing a letter to the local newspaper. For my life right now, that 30 minutes is better spent on something else.

See what I mean? Think about what you do all day. Chances are there are many moments that can be better spent on something more productive.

I Need More Time

Time management seems to be an issue for everybody. Our college freshmen twins are learning quickly the value of using time wisely. Mom's not there anymore to say, "Study for your test," or "don't forget you need your tennis racquet this afternoon." Now, they're in charge.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a few extra hours in the day? Even one extra hour would help --or would it? I fear that if we had 34, not 24, hours in a day, we'd still feel there's just not enough time.

In my humble opinion, the number one, absolute best way to have more time is to declutter. We need to stop buying stuff and start getting rid of stuff. Here's an example: You need to iron a shirt, but you can't find the iron because it's buried in the closet. And then if you do find the iron, you've got to pull the ironing board from behind all those purses and shoes and find a place to set it up in a cluttered room. And then you trip over all that clutter on the floor when you pull the ironing board through the room.

I've been decluttering for years now, but I've truly become serious about it lately. Our house is for sale, and we're giving serious thought to living on our houseboat. Talk about getting rid of extra stuff . . . try living on a boat!

College Organization

Our twins just moved into their college condo. While it's incredibly large when compared to the apartment I lived in during college, they still need to maximize every inch. We've combed the discount stores for organizational products, and we've found some good ones.

My daughter put a three shelf chrome cart in her bathroom (only $14 from Target) which holds a ton of stuff. She also put a hanging bag for shoes on the inside of her bathroom closet. The pockets are clear, so it's easy to see at a glance what's there. She's using it for toothpaste, tampons and lots of other stuff.

Our son took two desks from home which have good storage. Two desks aren't too many for him, He put his computer on one, along with a handy container for all his CDs. He'll use the other desk to spread books out, which he likes to do. He also purchased his first tie rack for his closet.

They've got the kitchen really organized. It has a pantry, which is great! They put stacking shelves on the floor for soft drinks, and they actually organized all the food in there. Breakfast stuff together, snack stuff together.

Now, the only question is whether they will stay organized!

Get Your Systems in Place

I'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts you have some systems in place that work so well you don't even know you have them. Maybe it's the way you have your Tupperware arranged in the kitchen so you don't spend precious minutes looking for the lid that matches the container. Perhaps it's the way your makeup is organized in the bathroom, so your hand automatically reaches for what's next. It may be the way you handle your morning review at the office.

Whatever, everybody has some systems that work. What I've been trying to do is think about all the actions that are required of me every day. How can I improve my systems so the have-to-do items flow automatically? I'm convinced it just takes some concentrated thinking to figure this out.

What are your systems?

The One Year Drawer

The One Year Drawer has been an organization lifesaver at our house. There was a time back in the day when I would try to get super organized every January. I would make a file for each month and include folders for each bill, along with more folders for other receipts and paperword we needed to keep.

You guessed it. I kept it up great for . . . the first two weeks of January! That's when we finally started the One Year Drawer. We designated a drawer inside a chest to be the recipeint of every single thing we might need for taxes. No more folders, no more tedious labeling. When tax time came, I emptied it out and put the tax information together. We've done it every year since. Sure, it takes a few hours to go through all that stuff. But the rest of the year is carefree! And when you need some paperwork, there's no lost time looking for it. It's all in the One Year Drawer.

Where Should I Start?

Organizing clients often say to me that they are so overwhelmed by clutter they just don't know where to start . . . and so, they don't do anything at all. I always ask them what is bothering them the most right now? Is it the kitchen desk? The papers in the home office? The playroom piled to the ceiling with toys? The bathroom countertop cluttered with q-tips, makeup and shampoo? Whatever it is, that's where they need to start.

And that's where you need to start, too. Make a dent in the area that bothers you the most, and you'll immediately feel better. You'll be energized to try another spot tomorrow. Don't get overwhelmed. Remember, just 10 to 15 minutes makes a huge difference.

Hoarding

I've had one hoarder among my organizing clients. He was actually referred to me by his psychiatrist. The problem with this extremely nice man was that he didn't want to change. His wife wanted him to change, but he didn't. It was emotionally painful for him to throw something out. We finally stopped meeting.

If you live with a hoarder, it's difficult. Some people have a lot of clutter, but if they want to change this habit, they're fairly easy to work with. A hoarder, on the other hand, is not. There are all sorts of reasons why people hoard, ranging from a deprived childhood to obsessive-compulsive disorder to lack of self-esteem. I'm not a behavioral health expert, so I won't try to tell you how to cope with these people. But I will say that if you find living with a hoarder impossible or if you hoard yourself, get some professional help.

The Pack Rat Syndrome

Our home is large, about 5,000 square feet, and we have lots of storage. Even so, there are times when it seems every shelf is stuffed full and every closet is packed. This makes me crazy, and so I start purging. I live with three pack rats who would like to keep every item they've ever touched. My husband's philosophy is that if it's out of sight then it doesn't matter how much clutter there is, and besides he "might need it someday." Our twins think a little differently. Our daughter gets sentimentally attached to everything. She has all the corsages, all the dresses and about three million pictures. Our son, on the other hand, just doesn't mind clutter and seems to function pretty well in total chaos.

I crave order, so I am constantly editing our home. Since we just put the house on the market, I am being ruthless. But you know what? It feels good. I should have done this years ago.

Tickler File

A tickler file can be a great way to stay on top of bills. All you need is a large accordion folder and 43 manila folders. Label 31 of the folders with the numbers 1 through 31. Label the remaining 12 with the months of the year. Put the current month in front, and then file the numbered folders behind it, starting with tomorrow's date. For example, if you started your tickler file today, you would have the file labeled August in front, followed by the folder labeled with the number 11 (tomorrow's date). Behind 11, you'll have 12 through 31, and then 1 through 11. Behind that, you place the file labeled September . . . and so on. You get the picture.

Now take your bills and place them in the folder that corresponds to the date you need to pay them. If your water bill is due on August 29 and you want to pay it August 21, then put the water bill in the folder labeled 21. If you have some bills that don't need to be paid until next month, put them all in the September folder. When you get to the end of August, take them out of September and file them in the correct numbered folder.

Check you tickler file each day. You'll never pay a bill late again.

Unusual Bulletin Board

For years, the top half of our kitchen door has served as an unofficial family bulletin board. It leads into the garage, so you can't help but see what's there. Anybody who takes a phone message just jots it on a post-it (one of the greater inventions of the last 100 years) and sticks it on the glass. Want to remember to give the dog his pill? Write it on a post-it and stick it to the door. Our teens have even had friends over who leave a note to themselves on the door!

Next time you don't want to forget the library book or the cleaning, just get it on a post-it and slap it on the door you will use to get to your car. And because you've written it down, you can get that little piece of clutter out of your head.

Just 15 Minutes Each Day

In my organizing business, I have had several clients with adult AD/HD. Clutter has taken over their lives. They actually want to be organized, but because of the AD/HD, they procrastinate or they have no task persistence and can't stay focused.

I've found the best way to deal with these people is to get them to only spend 10 to 15 minutes each day organizing. They can pick an area or a box or a closet, go at it for about 15 minutes and then stop. I encourage them to use a kitchen timer. If they do this every day for a week, they give themselves a reward. The reward can be a multitude of things, such as a nice dinner out or a movie. The reward absolutely does not need to be another piece of clutter to bring in the house.

I also encourage them to take the bag of give-away items that is a result of the 15 minute session to the thrift store right away. If the bag sits by the door, they are tempted to go through it and take stuff out to keep.

Everybody can spare 10 or 15 minutes each day. It may not seem like much, but over a month or so, those minutes add up, and before you know it, you're organized!

Organized At Last!

Organized at last! Now, doesn't that sound good? Although I am a professional writer, I also have a small business as a professional organizer. I've seen it all! Hoarders, procrastinators, people who seem to be clutter magnets. They all WANT to be organized; they just can't seem to do it. They're discouraged and overwhelmed, and you may feel the same way

Relax. You absolutely can get organized. You can have an incredible number of projects on your plate, and still feel in control. You can possess thousands of pieces of paper, and still find what you need when you need it. And when you're in control of your stuff (rather then the stuff controlling you), it will be amazing how productive and creative you can be.

I want to share with you stories of some of the people I've worked with and the tricks that have worked for them. I also want to chart my own progress along the organizational path. Although I feel fairly organized, my life is evolving, and I'm always learning a better way to do something. And I know without a doubt, I need to improve my time management skills.

So, welcome. I hope you'll share your problems and solutions. Let's get Organized At Last!