06 Feb

Unclutter Your Wallet

Posted by Heidi DeCoux, under Self Improvement

Do you have a wallet that is overflowing with stuff? Are you constantly frustrated that you can’t find what you need because there are receipts, cards, or misc notes crowding the important things? The following are some simple suggestions to get your wallet organized and keep it organized once and for all. You will learn what to have in your wallet and what NOT to have in your wallet, how you can be ready in the event of an emergency, and important information on how to protect yourself.

Things that SHOULD be in your wallet

* Gift Cards – Treat these like cash and keep them with your cash. Over 30% of all gift cards are lost and never get redeemed.

* Credit Cards – Only the credit cards you frequently use should be kept with you. If there are cards that you no longer use, they should be kept in an envelope in your safe deposit box or they should be shredded.

* Driver’s License or ID

* Emergency Contact Card – On a piece of paper that is approximately business card size, type the names and numbers of two different people you would like someone to contact if there were an emergency. After laminating it, keep it behind your ID or Drivers’ license. The police and/or hospital would then know whom to call if you were in an accident.

* Medical Insurance Card – This would also be helpful in an emergency or accident.

* Auto Insurance Card – It can be helpful to keep a copy of your insurance card in your wallet if you own and operate a vehicle. Typically, insurance companies will send you an extra one. If your car is stolen or if you are in an accident and can’t get at the one in the glove box, this would be helpful.

TIP: You should photocopy everything in your wallet. Keep copies of the front and back of all your credit cards. Copies should be kept in your safe deposit box. You will, then, know exactly what you lost and whom you need to call if your wallet is lost or stolen.

Items that you should NOT keep in your wallet

* Business Cards – A couple of your own business cards could be kept in your wallet. However, as you accumulate business cards from other people, either place them in a file or enter them into your address book and toss them.

* Receipts – Place your receipts into a simple and efficient filing system as soon as you get home from shopping. My Fast-Filing Method program explains how to set up a super fast self-cleansing filing system.

* Misc Notes & Papers – Rather than writing on napkins and misc. scraps of paper and shoving them into your wallet, use a more effective system for organizing your information. Also, in my Fast-Filing Method, I explain how to use a Capture Tool to easily and effectively keep track of misc information.

May this year be your best and most organized yet!

Heidi DeCoux is publisher of Life Made Simple e-Magazine, a professional organizer and creator of the Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ by simplifying their homes & schedules. For more info, free tips, and to receive her FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com

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21 Jan

Bathroom Cabinet Organization

Posted by Josh Krundle, under Self Improvement

When you get ready for work in the morning, can you find what you need in a snap? If you have never considered your morning routine and the storage within your bathroom, you probably have tons of items spread all around in random fashion. When you begin to determine what you need to actually get going and out of the door quickly, you are on your way to creating more order in the bathroom!

Once you have taken a tally of what you actually do every morning and every evening, you can begin to organize the tools you need to complete each task. Are the items you use regularly in a convenient location?

When you begin any organizing project, there is always a moment when you appear completely disorganized. In fact, you are! You need to take everything out of your cabinets and spread them all over the counters and possibly event the floor.

You need to begin sorting your items in to categories. Think about your routines and split the times in to morning and evening. The remaining things should go into other categories such as medicines, makeup etc.

You will inevitably find things that you have no idea where they came from including a random loose aspirin or sticky piece of gum. Once your drawers are empty clean them thoroughly. When you fid pennies and other loose coins find a small bowl or box and keep them separated from the toiletries. Eventually, you will need to develop a zone to keep loose change. This place is usually best when it is located close to where you undress at the end of the day.

Clean out your drawers and take a tally of what items you have not yet moved into groups and make quick decisions about where they will best fit into the mix.

It is now time to begin to place items back into your drawers. Make sure to put the most frequently used items in the top two drawers or most easily accessible space.

This method is considered storing by function not by ‘like with like’ and, in my opinion, works well for daily routines. There are many other methods you can employ to organize your bathroom. Take this advice or create your own system; the main idea is to have a system and not random landing zones in your bathroom.

For those with a pedestal sink and not a single drawer in the bathroom, it can get tricky and require a great deal of creative thought to find the perfect organizing solutions. A common way to increase your storage space is to go vertical. Take into account every inch of space you have open on the walls and ceiling. Perhaps you can hang a basket from the ceiling above the sink to hold your hairbrushes and other items. Maybe you can squeeze a shelf above and behind the sink.

If you don’t have any wall space by the sink, there is always space above the commode. Use a pre-made toilet shelf or install several shelves above. If you have a recessed area, consider going wall to wall with your shelves for maximum storage. Hang as many as possible about 12 inches apart and at least 12 inches deep. If you can squeeze in18″ deep shelves, you can also easily use this area for towels, washcloths etc.

Women who inherit this type of bathroom with a pedestal sink are the hardest hit. A basket or container that can be placed on the sink in the morning might have t suffice. Finding a small shelf or table that fits in between the sink and the wall might also become a good solution.

Finding a place to store makeup is a big challenge if you do not have bathroom drawers. Do not feel like you have to put on your makeup in the bathroom. It might be easier to use the top of your bureau. Install a lamp or overhead fixture so you have nice lighting and you might end up liking it better than your bathroom. An ingenious client uses a tabletop jewelry box to store her everyday makeup. She saves tons of time each morning by opening the shallow drawers ad accessing her makeup quickly and effortlessly.

Have fun and get creative – there is no one way to do anything but always a way that is best for you and your daily routines! The trick is to experiment and keep refining your storage until you have used your space to it’s fullest potential!

Chia Trams is an expert author, professional organizer and image consultant she ia also a contributing author for addspacetoyourlife.com .

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