Organizing Small Spaces - How to Organize the Entryway to Be Inviting and Functional

First impressions are important, and your entry way is the first thing to greet you and your guests. It needs to be both inviting and functional by providing a spot to drop your keys, bags, and coats when you arrive home. But if it's not organized, it's easy for this small space to become cluttered and unused, causing frustration as you're trying to get out the door. Follow these tips to create a useful, beautiful entryway.
* DECIDE WHAT SHOULD RESIDE IN THE ENTRYWAY - Ideally, the entryway should be a spot for coats and other outerwear, umbrellas, daily-used backpacks, purses, briefcases, cel-phone, laptop, and totes - anything you need access to as you leave your home.
* EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT STASH OF THESE ITEMS - Pare down your coat and tote bag collections. Toss broken umbrellas, gloves without mates, and boots that don't fit. I often see entry coat closets and mudrooms overrun by tote bags. How many tote bags can you use at any given time. A few is all that you need. It's time for the rest to go! Your goal here is to keep only those things you frequently use.
* REMOVE EVERYTHING ELSE - Don't let your entryway become a catch-all for things you don't know what to do with. (This is not the spot for the turkey roasting pan!) Sort, toss or donate things that you really don't use or need, and assign new spots elsewhere in your home for the must-keeps.
* MAKE GOOD USE OF YOUR SPACE - Most entryways have a closet. Reevaluate its set-up. If it has a single rod across the top, could you raise it a bit and add a second rod below, doubling your hanging space. Could shelves be added above the rod or run across the depth of the closet? This makes use of storage space in the top of the closet that is often wasted. Could you add a tiered shoe rack on the floor? Or an over the door coat rack or shoe holder? I use these often to store gloves, hats and scarves. Maximize every inch of the space! While you're at it, invest in sturdy wooden hangers so your coats hang neatly. I love to use the inside of the door to hang an over the door shoe holder to hold gloves, scarves, and hats.
* USE CONTAINERS TO CONTAIN CLUTTER - This not only makes for a neat look, but it will also help you quickly find what you need. Label baskets or containers on the shelves for out-the-door items, such as umbrellas, mittens, hats, and dog leaches. If, due to space constraints, you must keep other types of items in this closet as well, be sure to categorize and containerize them, labeling as you go. I use 28 quart clear containers and smaller.
* CONSIDER SPACE OUTSIDE THE CLOSET - This is especially necessary if you don't have a closet or if it's very small. For example, a coat rack or set of wall-mounted hooks in the entryway will work wonders if you're short on closet space. Likewise, a pretty urn can hold umbrellas, a bench with storage under the seat can hold outerwear, and a wicker basket on the floor can hold shoes. By simply declaring a "home" and containing these items, you'll instantly take your entryway from messy to marvelous.
* SET UP AN OUT-THE-DOOR LAUNCHING PAD - Dedicate one basket near the door for items that need to leave the house, such as library books, DVDs to be returned, dry cleaning to be dropped off, and things to be delivered to family or friends. A charging station for all the electronics is a great addition to your launching pad. That's where I keep ours, where I charge my cell phone, camera battery and Blue Tooth.

Janet Nusbaum (AKA The Organizing Genie), owner of Simplified Spaces, is an Organizing Consultant, Author of Mom, Can I Help Around the House and Speaker. Janet loves creating order out of chaos and teaching others to do the same. For more helpful clutter-clearing tips, visit Janet's blog: http://www.TheOrganizingGenie.com

Tips to Keep and Display All Your Children's Files

Many parents often feel confused to organize their children's files, especially if their children like to collect things and get some projects from their teacher everyday. Of course, children are sometimes careless, so they often let anything unorganized. That is why the organization task often becomes parents' responsibility.
Having kids gives a great feeling but it sometimes causes you a headache when looking at things spread to all over the parts of the rooms. Besides having toys, they also have other things like papers, photos, school projects, and more. Since you cannot predict when guests will come to your home, it is just not nice letting the guests see your messy home.

To organize large projects, you will need an area where you can permanently display them. Some projects are so big, such as a relief map of an area or a scale model of Vesuvius, making you find no space large enough to store them. In a response to this, you can consider making the photograph of them then scrap-booking a page in an album. Then, add some details about the project, pictures, and also the grade received.

To trick on limited space, using a filing cabinet will be a good idea. It is perfect to set up a filing cabinet for older children as they usually have more responsibility. Add some categories to divide the files, such as ones dedicated to the subjects of the school projects. Then, you can keep a section for notes or materials your kids are going to use for final exams.

For younger children, making your own creation of a Weekly Wall of Fame will be a good idea to keep their artwork and papers. To make it, you can use a bulletin board and put it in areas like room or study areas. In weekend, you can tack up some of the work that they bring home from school. In this case, you can sort the works to what needs to be filed. However, you should ensure that the photographs are displayed safely by laminating them before tacking them up on the bulletin board. Then, make sure that you have properly stored the photographs that are not going to be displayed.

Your children may often receive invitations or birthday cards and it is just so important to keep the cards until the happening day. To store the cards, you can keep them in storage you have prepared before and remember to keep only the important cards. The important cards here could be the ones that that really mean something special to you or your kids. Finally, you can give them something as a reward of their file organization. It makes you kids learn to organize their own files without your help as they will have more responsibility from doing a small thing.

By Roger Elliott

Organizing a Child's Closet and Room

Storage Racks: Adding shelving to your child's closet can create places for all of those little things that you do not necessarily need to hang.

Stacking Bins: Bins are easily accessible by children and color coordinating or labeling each bin makes cleaning up a snap.

Linen Storage: Children often have a lot of extra sheet sets and comforters. Making a space for extra linen storage can keep it from spilling over into a clothing area. You may want to use crates up on shelves to keep them separate. Another option is to put them in large shallow containers underneath the bed.

Laundry Hamper: Make sure that your child has easy access to a laundry hamper. Ones that match their room decorations will encourage them to actually use it. Teach them to put their clothes in as part of their morning and night time routine. Then, when it is full, they can help do the laundry.

Cabinet: Adding cabinets to a child's room can be relatively inexpensive. Cabinets make great spots for keeping games, puzzles, art supplies and books. If you have a young child or a baby, you can keep diaper changing materials, out of reach medicines, humidifiers and thermometers in a cabinet, safely out of sight and reach.

Nets: Nets are great for getting all of those stuffed animals off the floor and out of the toybox. They can really take up a lot of space. Putting them in a net also keeps them out where your child can easily pick which one they want to sleep with at night. Plus, the net makes a fun place to play stuffed animal basketball.

Pocket Organizer: Pocket organizers are great for shoes, but they can also be used for a plethora of other children's needs. Mittens and gloves, socks, small cars or building blocks, art supplies, you name it. As kids get older, it seems like the pieces of their toys get smaller and smaller. See-through pockets make organizing tiny pieces a snap.

Hooks and Clips: Hooks and clips can help keep backpacks, coats and scarves off the floor. Ball caps, book bags and anything that can hang can be placed on a hook. Then, not only is it put away, but it's easily accessible for quick bolts out the door. Wet winter coats are able to dry without getting other clothing wet.

Children's Hangers: Using children's hangers will help you get the longest life out of your child's clothes. Adult hangers can stretch out the shoulders of your kid's clothing. Getting exciting colors of children's hangers that match your child's room can make the closet more a part of their decorations. Using childrens hangers will encourage your child to hang their own clothes.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right children's clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization.

How to Organize Coupons

You have finally jumped into the exciting world of coupons but now you do not know what to do with all of them. After clipping coupons from Sunday papers and printing coupons from the internet, a big pile of coupons will soon form. Putting all of them in a large envelope for safe keeping is a good way to put them away so they are not scattered everywhere, but you will find that it is too hard to find exactly what you are looking for. You will need a way to organize all your coupons so you can easily find them. You will also want to use something that will allow you to carry your coupons with you to the store. There are lots of different ways to do this but there is not a best way. One method of organizing may work for one person but not for another. Here are a few options to get you started.

1. Use a small expanding file folder that is sized for photos. You can organize your coupons by using broad categories such as baby, dairy, or pet. You can arrange these categories in alphabetical order or in the same order that you would pass each category in your grocery store. Many people find that they outgrow this method very quickly, especially if they get multiple Sunday coupon inserts each week.

2. Use an empty craft or fishing box. You can create your own dividers for categories out of index cards to organize your coupons. Using a box allows you to fit and carry more coupons.

3. Use a large binder with baseball card holders. For this method, you can buy binder dividers to separate your categories. This method is especially useful for people who get multiple inserts. Each coupon can have its own slot and all the multiple coupons can fit too.

Like I said before, each person will find that one method works better for them than others. A large binder is probably the easiest way to organize your coupons. You can put the binder in the seat of the cart and flip through the pages without having to fumble through a stack of coupons. However, this may not always be the best option. For example, people with babies probably will not be able to carry both their baby and a large binder/box into the store. In addition, the baby has to sit in the seat and there would not be room for a binder or box. For these people, a large expanding file folder that can fit into a purse would probably be more beneficial. Each person's situation and coupon experience will determine which method is best. Also remember, these are only a few options. There are many other ways you could organize your coupons, so get creative and find the best method for you.

By Brandi Yates

I am a stay at home mom of three children and I am always looking for ways to save money. Here you can find discount coupons and Coupon Organizers

How to Get Organized in Early Spring For a Great Summer

Winter is coming to an end and you are looking forward to a summer of fun and accomplishment but what do you do first? You know you need to start getting ready. You have the energy and desire to do something but what should you do? The weather is getting a little warmer, the sun is out longer and you feel like doing something. It is still too cold to spend much time outside.

Your yard is still snow covered or the ground is too soft and muddy to work on it. You would like to put all your winter clothes and winter stuff away but you know there might be some more snow and cold for awhile yet. This time of year is the limbo time between winter and summer. The extreme difficulty of dealing with winter is over but there is enough winter left that you cannot just put everything away and only have your summer stuff out.

You need an organized plan to use to jump start your summer preparations. Here is a plan that will get you organized and moving forward towards a great summer:

1) Go through your winter clothes. Anything that is ripped, stained and beyond repair needs to be thrown out. All the winter clothes that are still good but that you did not wear at all can go into a bag to drop off at your favorite charity. This includes clothes that are too big, too small, that are really not you or that you just do not like for whatever reason. This is the perfect time to do this because you will not be needing these clothes anymore soon.

2) While going through these clothes you should make a small list of your wish list for the types of winter clothes you want to get next fall. Put this list in your planner book so you have an early jump on your ideas for next year.

3) Get out your spring and summer clothes if you had them put away for the winter and put them in your closet. There should be room because you have removed some of your winter clothes in step 1.

4) Go through your spring and summer clothes and make a list of what you really want to get now. This will be your shopping wish list to use in the next few months to make sure you are looking for what you really need and want.

5) Put away any remaining Christmas decorations and anything else related to winter. It is still too early to put away everything needed for winter. You will still need boots, coats, mittens, hats, shovels and salt. What I mean is to put away things that are not needed for winter but that are reminders of winter.

6) The big thing to do is to finish your indoor projects. You really need to push to finish any home painting or remodeling projects now. Spend the time and money to get this out of the way. Once the nice weather hits there will be a lot more distractions on your time. Trying to work on outdoor projects and indoor projects at the same time is just too difficult and draining. Planning travel and fun activities around your remodeling is
frustrating.

7) Move your cars out of the garage and sweep your garage floor as much as you can. Where I live they use a combination of sand and salt on the streets to deal with the ice and snow so my garage is filled with both. You will be needing to sweep again later in the spring but it really helps to get as much dirt picked up now as you can.

8) Sweep your sidewalks and the main areas of your driveway where most people walk. By spending some time sweeping you will be minimizing the amount of dirt tracked into the house.

9) Vacuum your car and clean and straighten it out. Do not put away your winter stuff yet. Where I live in
Wisconsin we can still get snow up through the middle of May. So you really need to wait to put away winter stuff until winter is for sure done.

10) Do some straightening in the garage. It is too early to put away the winter stuff but you can spend some time working here to make the big cleaning easier later.

11) Look at your equipment for your summer activities and make lists of what you need. If you golf, see if you need golf balls. If you fish, make a list of the fishing tackle you want to buy. If your outdoor tools are in poor shape, put together a list of what you need. Put these lists in your planner book so you can start getting these things as you can afford them.

12) If you have kids or are a biker, get your bikes out and fill up the tires. If your bikes need to be fixed either fix them, get them to the bike shop or buy new ones. As soon as the good weather arrives everyone will want to go for a bike ride.

13) If there are any Christmas decorations still up outside, get those removed and put away.

Here is a list of tools you will need to get these things done:

- Big garbage bags and ties. You will use these bags to throw out your clothes as well as haul any other clothes to charity.

- Paper that fits into your planner book and pen to make your lists of the winter clothes you would like next year, your list of the warm weather clothes you want now, your list of equipment needs for your summer activities and your list of outdoor tools for your outdoor summer projects.

- Boxes and bins to pack away your winter and Christmas type decorations.

- Broom, dustpan and garbage can.

- Shopvac or vacuum you can use outside.

- Air pump for the bike tires.

- Motivation, energy, time and money to finish those indoor projects.

You can see from this list that the work will be a combination of indoor and outdoor work. Doing these types of tasks will be a pleasant reminder of the wonderful summer weather that is coming and all the fun you are going to have.

About the Author:

Hans Hallanger is The Organized Man. Do you dream of having more free time, of a simpler life, of less stress, of an uncluttered home, of well-designed storage systems and about getting more done? My website, http://www.organized-way.com/index.html is full of easy ways to quickly improve your life. Sign up for my FREE newsletter and get a FREE Ebook titled "Seven Ways to get Organized Right Now".

Clutter and Hoarding - How to Organize Your Cell Phone Numbers

Does your cell phone address book need organizing? Now's the time to make life more convenient for you by organizing your cell phone numbers. When you organize your phone numbers, and clearly list your contacts with the correct number, you make a better use of your time on the cell phone. Here are four simple ideas to get the job done.

1. Start out by developing a process. Decide whether you're going to create an address book with the contact last name first. Or, are you going to just list all of your contacts by first name and the first initial after the first name. A drawback to doing it this way is that you may have more than one person with the same name. Yet this could be a good way if you don't remember people's last names and you could still differentiate the listing by the last name or something like that.

So probably the most efficient and beneficial way to organize your cell phone address book is by putting the last name first and then the first name.

2. When you decide to "clean up" your cell phone address book, do this task when you're sitting in an undistracted place. That means either in your home or, if you're in your car, make sure that your car is parked and the engine is turned off. Too many people needlessly cause accidents by using their cell phone while they're driving. This can be very dangerous to you. So if you're going to take the time to clean up your address book, think about what you're doing. Decide to do this task in a way that is safe and effective for you.

3. An alternate way to organize your cell phone address book might be to include a specific ring tone for a specific number. However, in the printed version of the address book, you're still going to need to understand who's calling and who you are calling. For this reason, I believe the most effective thing that you can do is to organize your cell phone address book in alphabetical order with a last name first.

4. Whatever it takes for you to be able to quickly access the phone numbers in your cell phone address book, make it a priority to organize those names. In a hurry, you will feel glad that you knew how to quickly reach those people. In the long run, choosing to have an organized cell phone address book, you'll reduce stress and more efficiently be able to get a hold of the people that really matter to you.

The "Wandering Butterfly Clean Up Technique" is a wonderful way to make it easy to clean up. It is excellent to use when you don't feel like cleaning up, yet you get something done! To receive the free document, click here http://www.easykeytoclutter.com Many clutterers benefit from the gentle, easy and empowering process of hypnotherapy, especially with a hypnotherapist who specializes in clutter. Beverly E. Taylor, the "Clean Up Queen" is the only person in the world who has written a book using hypnosis to help people easily clean up clutter. She was the featured hypnotherapist on the TLC TV show, "Help! I'm a Hoarder."

Organize Life - Change Your Life Positively Through These 8 Steps

Today's world is full of lies, negativity and road which ends in darkness. Most of the time, people find themselves sometimes in lives when they know that they are living negatively, when they know they have to change. Sometimes people think that they are living positively but in fact it is not how they think, it is not always as simple as it seems. It doesn't matter in which growth stage we are we can always push the button for positive change and give our best.

The first step - Realize

The realization is the first step, when people realize that they are walking the wrong way of life, they have the chance to change. Also the strength of the realization is important, the stronger the realization, the stronger will to change will be created. Although the realization itself can't start the change, but it is the crucial thing to have. People can't change something that they don't even know they have. "Sometimes realization comes by itself, sometimes by ourselves, no matter from where it came, it is our responsibility to either start to work on it or to forget about it."

The second step - Accept

Realization can sometimes be connected with acceptance but in majority of cases it is a different term. Without acceptance of the negative realization and negative self we also can't start the change. People must accept something that they have to fully start changing. It is in many cases hard to accept something negative in ourselves, but it is also a crucial thing to do. "The difference between successful and the rest is that successful people are not afraid to accept themselves."

The third step - Check the present situation

Checking the present situation is a important thing to do. Look at things that are advantageous to you and the things that are not. Look at what you have, look at what you can have and don't have. Check your situation on anything you are doing, school, job or relationship with the partner; anything. "We can't see what we can do if we didn't even check what there is possible to do."

The fourth step - Organize

After you checked all the things present in your life, you should organize them. List the things which are beneficial for your development, for your relationship with the persons you love or should love. List the things which are not important for you, which are "a waste of time". Time goes by really fast and we never know when we will get into the position when we think that it is late. "The computer needs to organize itself to work properly, it is same with humans."

The fifth step - Push the start button

Firstly look at the things which are most important in means of time. Either it is a positive thing or negative, just do the thing you should do, for example a important homework or finishing an important article. After we fixed the most crucial things, it is important to start on the things which are damaging for our lives. Most of the time they are addictions which are hard to get rid of depending on our will or self-control. There is no ultimate formula to get rid of negative addictions right away but these steps can also be used in getting rid of the addiction, just it needs more power of will and a stronger realization about the negative influence which are continuous and infinite if we don't start to control it. "If you don't start to change yourself, who will?"

The sixth step - Don't give up

It is hard to control ourselves and giving up is the easiest thing to do anytime. We should keep the mindset that the harder it is to control, the more benefit will we have after. We still can't see the whole picture of the benefit after but the truth is that it is always greater than we think. We shouldn't give up because we never know when the addiction will disappear. We shouldn't give up because life is precious. "For every change there is the first step, the second step, the third step and after you don't even count."

The seventh step - Look at the improvement

Look at the life you had before and the life now, don't you feel proud of yourself? People should know that sometimes they should reflect on their past to see the improvement and feel happiness rather than looking at the long way they still have to go. If we put a group of successful people, some are happy and some are not. The difference is the mindset, the unhappy people think of the way they still have to work on to get to the ultimate success when the happy people look at the past and the improvement they made possible through time. "Sometimes changing the way we look can change our mood."

The eighth / last step - Forget about it and continue

The last step is really simple, there are no steps. Our mindset should totally change so that it is automatic that we fix the negative things and continue on things which are beneficial for us. It should be a habit, a positive habit. "Changing thyself is very hard but also very beneficial, depending on the change."

Some people say that life is all about self-pleasure and some say it is about constant development. Both are important but we should have the skill to distinguish pleasure and real happiness.

My name is HyunSoung Kim. When I grow up I will be an positive psychologist who helps people choose the positive road. If you have any problems or questions about your life, future and frustrations please feel free to ask me by sending a e-mail to kim_h_soung@hotmail.com, it is always my first priority to fully help others.

How to Organize a Coat Closet in 6 Easy Steps

Does your coat closet only get more cluttered with the change of seasons? Is it too packed to place the coat of a friend or two in? Then its time to follow these 6 simple steps to organize your coat closet:

Before you begin just make sure you have a good hour or more to complete the job.

1. Remove Everything From the Closet

In order to get organized you need to know what you are dealing with, and you need to start from scratch. You'll probably find coats from every season, a few missing gloves that have been lost for years, more shoes can boots than you can imagine, and who knows what else.

As you remove each item group them into piles based on each person in your home. You may find some people have much bigger piles than others by the time the closet is empty :)

2. Clean the closet

Give it a good scrubbing, dusting, even a quick paint job if you have the time.

3. Evaluate your storage system

Does your closet efficiently store coats, shoes and the other items you store in it? If not (especially if its an older closet) consider going down to the local home improvement store and look at closet organizer systems. You can spend anywhere from $20-$30 for a few new shelves and brackets, to several hundred for entire top of the line closet organizer systems

4. Organize and Store by Person

Depending on the season you want to store 1-2 of the "best" coats for each person in your home. So go to each "pile" you created when you emptied the closet and grab 2 of their coats. If its winter then for each person you may want a really heavy coat plus a slightly lighter coat. Summer time might just be a fleece and a rain coat for each person.

Each person should have their coats in an assigned position in the closet, like Dad gets the far left 2 spots, Mom's coats go next to, etc. Keep it organized as you store the items so you know exactly where to find what you are looking for and where to return them when done.,

5. Store additional items

In winter time store all of the hats, gloves and scarfs in a box. If you have a large family then give each person a shoebox to store their own season items and put the boxes on a shelf in the closet. Also store an umbrella for rainy days.

6. Evaluate what is left

Chances are you still have some piles still left hanging around from when you emptied the closet. If there is still plenty of room in your coat closet then allow each person to have an additional jacket, sweater, or fleece. Do not try to fill your closet, leave room and some extra hangers for guests.

But if you do not have much space then do not try to store all 4 season's worth of coats at the same time. You are far better off getting some plastic bins and storing off season coats in them and place them in the attic or basement. This will keep your closet more organized.

In regards to what may still remain in your piles, at this point you should consider donating them because the plain truth is you don't have room for them or they are just not as important anymore. Or they are simply trash.

So feel good about your new organized coat closet, make a donation and get a tax break! Donating something you've worn and loved in the past can be very difficult, but you will feel empowered by how organized you are now.

By Bob Hennessey

Time Management - Plan, Prioritize, And Organize Your Time More Efficiently

As many of us are painfully aware, time is a valuable but limited resource that we never seem to have enough of. In the increasingly hectic and fast-paced world in which we live, there is a pressing need to learn how to manage time as efficiently as possible. This article presents a brief overview of why you need to plan, prioritize, and organize your time more efficiently.

To develop good time management skills is to embark on a journey taken by many people in the past. This journey is simply following a path of proven principles that will help us gain control of our time. It is a journey that can begin only after a person realizes the need to use time more efficiently.

Your time can be capably managed by planning, prioritizing, organizing and knowing how to effectively deal with competing activities.

First, planning ahead is a key component to managing your time. Carefully look at every activity that you will need to do in the week ahead. Next, prioritize in ranking order the items that are most urgent or have a deadline for completion. Finally, Organize your activities by scheduling each one in your daily planner, calendar, or personal digital assistant (PDA).

By actually scheduling the things you need to do in your calendar, you have in effect reserved a block of time to do these things, and you will be more likely to get them done than if you had not scheduled them.

Time management is an art in itself that includes arranging, organizing, scheduling and budgeting time. This helps us become more productive and efficient at work, school, and all other activities.

When it comes to learning about how to manage time more effectively, you will find many self-help books, articles, and other written material on the topic of time management. In addition to written material, there are many time management classes, workshops and seminars specifically designed to equip people with time management tools. With a plethora of information available, there is really no good reason not to educate oneself in the fundamentals of time management.

In conclusion, we have seen that time management can be accomplished by planning, prioritizing, and organizing your activities. The list of people who can benefit from better time management is a long one, and includes students, teachers, factory workers, managers, business owners, artists, musicians, contractors, engineers, clergy, and countless others. The fact is, nearly everyone can benefit from learning the principles and techniques of how to be better stewards of time.

By: Jesse Whitehead

How to Organize Your Wardrobe

A large majority of men rarely think of organizing their wardrobe. We all sort of cling to the old die hard "dig and find" method. Despite the fact that it takes longer to find anything, organizing that old closet just doesn't sit very high on the priority list. In fact, it often times makes it to the "I'll get to it some day", or the "I'll get around to it" lists. There is hope for us closet neglectors though, and surprisingly it's not rocket science. If the initial set-up is done right, it is fairly easy to develop a system that will make your life much easier.

Organizing your wardrobe in reality comes to personal choice. Whether you prefer your pants to be stored on the right or the left doesn't matter as long as you are creating a well thought-out system that is easy to keep up. Stick to the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Stupid Simple) method. If you have no idea where to start, then this article is right for you. Below are a few general tips on how to organize your wardrobe. Use the tips that work for you. Use them to customize a system that works best for you.

First, start by completely emptying the wardrobe top to bottom. Clean the storage area as is required. Chances are that clumps of dust have piled up over the years in the corners. Empty your wardrobe completely and use a vacuum to get rid of all that dust. Next, sort all the things out that you no longer wear. If you are a pack-rat, this might be quite difficult. If this is the case then follow this general rule of thump: If you haven't worn something for at least a year, give it, or throw it away.

Now that you have limited the amount of clothes, organizing them will be much easier. When organizing your wardrobe make sure to put the clothes that you most frequently wear in the most accessible area. Start by thinking about different clothes for different seasons. If it is summer, store all your winter clothes in a separate storage bin. Once again you have narrowed down the clothes to organize. Next, look at all smaller items such as socks and underwear. Sort through all the single socks, and put the ones together that still have a matching pair. All small pieces that are part of your daily attire should be stored away in an easy accessible drawer.

The remaining clothes should be sorted by function. Work clothes such as suits, shirts, and neckties should be stored separately from your casual clothes. Make sure you don't hang your suit jackets too tightly, and keep your neckties away from any sharp edges. Your dress pants should be hung to prevent wrinkles. If you have multiple suits, keep matching pants with each jacket.

Your shoes are best stored in an adjustable shoe shelf that you can place in the bottom of your closet. Just as with your clothes, sort your shoes by their function. Dress shoes should be on one side, and casual shoes on the other. Store your shoes toe-in first to allow easy access of a pair with one hand.

Hendrik Pohl is the owner and founder of Ties-necktie.com, an online retailer offering a wide range of quality handmade silk ties, as well as useful dress code tips for men, men's fashion advice, necktie knot instructions, and more.

How to Organize a Home Filing Cabinet

If you are having a hard time organizing your home filing cabinet then this article would be a great help for you. Ideas on how to properly store your personal files and documents with the use of a filing cabinet will be given to efficiently manage your files.

1. Think of how many categories you will need. These categories are essentially the types of files that you want to be properly stored. Assign a color for each category. This allows you to recognize easily the type of file stored just by identifying the color. An example of categories would be bills, personal files, bank statements and et cetera. You can be more specific if you want to.

2. Once you have decided on the various categories and the colors assigned to each, paste the label on the folders and store the appropriate files and documents.

3. If you are not content with assigning colors, then you may opt for having each category alphabetically ordered. It all depends on suiting your taste and of course, ease of use.

4. If you do not want to keep too much files, then sort out the files that are important and those that are of no use. In order to maintain confidentiality, then these discarded files can be shredded for your protection.

5. Make it a habit to organize recent files at a certain day of the month. This allows you to function systematically and prevent cluttering your home space.

A good home filing cabinet attractively tucks away all your files to lessen up the clutter in your home space. With the organization comes the need to choose something that suits your style and budget without compromising durability and reliability.

How to Organize and Store Your Spices

Nearly every kitchen I've ever been in has this dilemma in common. What is the best way to store cooking herbs & spices? There is no simple answer of course. If there were, there would be no dilemma! The thing is every cook has a different approach. Some buy fresh herbs, some buy frequently used spices in large bulk bags. Some buy a wide variety of spices, some just a few. But in spite of all the different needs, here are a few tips that will help everyone organize and store their spices to save time.

1. Store spices as close as possible to where you use them. If you have a large kitchen where food prep and cooking areas are not near each other, separate and store spices according to where you use them, for example:
* If you usually add spices while cooking, store them near your stove, but not so close that heat will damage them.
* If you usually add spices during food preparation, store them handy to your prep area.
* If you use spices mostly as seasonings when food is served, store them handy to your serving area.
2. If you have a large quantity of spices, and not much space, consider sorting them by frequency of use. Keep the most frequently used spices handy in your kitchen, and store the rarely used spices in an out of the way storage cabinet.
3. Store spices alphabetically, just like they do in the grocery store. This makes it super easy to find what you need quickly. This way you give every spice a definite home, and it it will be easy to put away as well. Plus, you will always easily be able to see how much you have of a spice and whether or not you have duplicates. Avoiding duplicates will save you money as well as space.
4. Arrange spices so that you can easily find what you need. If you have them stacked several deep and can only see the tops of the jars, label the tops. If you have deep cabinets, use a stepped shelf so you can see what you have.
5. If you buy bulk spices in bags, store them by adding undershelf baskets to utilize vertical space in your cabinets and shelves. Or in stackable, airtight containers that you can label easily.
6. Think twice about buying spice racks that already have spices in them...how will you add new spices when you want to? What will you do with the spices that you don't like and never use? These are kinds of racks I often find people end up donating or giving away.

Would you like to simplify your life and get more organized? Ariane Benefit is a Life Coach, ADD Coach, organizing expert, author and coach who has been quoted in Psychology Today, the Wall Street Journal, and more. Visit her popular Neat & Simple Living Blog at http://blog.neatandsimple.com Ariane has over 25 years experience helping businesses and individuals get the results they want. Take a peek inside her book, Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office at http://www.lotusbridge.com