Small Projects, Big Impact

Leave a comment January 18, 2016 Maria

Many people resolve to get more organized at home around this time of year. However, many quit before they even start because it feels too overwhelming to tackle everything at once.

Now, let’s think about this in a different way.  Instead of thinking you have to get the whole house organized in one fell swoop, consider small projects you can easily approach that will have big impact on your day-to-day functioning. I’m not talking about projects that involve taking down walls, emptying rooms of their contents or rearranging an entire space. I’m talking about things like the junk drawer in your kitchen, your bathroom vanity, or your medicine cabinet. Maybe even your sock drawer…

Starting with smaller projects builds momentum and more significantly, inspires many of us to do bigger projects. So, even though your attic or garage are enormous endeavors (and feel impossible to begin), starting with smaller projects is a great way to strengthen your, “I can do this,” mindset.

And, just because a project is small in scale doesn’t mean it has minimal impact. Here are a few small projects I’ve tackled this month that have improved life around our house in big ways…

• Junk Drawer No More: Our kitchen junk drawer was a disaster. It had become the final death stop for anything that didn’t have a home. I found it difficult to find necessary things like clips, tape and scissors. So, I decided to give it a clean up and get it organized. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to open this drawer now. I added some great sorting trays and some decorative paper to the bottom of the drawer for added pretty.  My kids’ response: “Mom, you can’t call it a junk drawer anymore.” Well, that was the point.

Kitchen Junk Drawer: Where things go to die in the Siegel house.

A few drawer sorters and quick clean up: Junk Drawer No More!

I help my kids with their hair in the morning before school (in the kitchen).  I highly suggest extra hair accessories for your kitchen if you have girls!

• Bathroom Vanity Clean Up: I knew I needed to take on this project when I was getting frustrated finding my makeup and putting away my hair dryer. It didn’t take long (around an hour), but it has made getting ready for my day and getting ready for bed so much more pleasant. And, I got rid of SO. MUCH. CRAP. I had toiletries and medicines dated 2013. Seriously.

Before: I know… I can’t believe I’m showing you this.

Little project…BIG Impact!

• Small Switch-Up, Big Impact: We have an armoire in our bedroom that has housed a television for years. However, we never watch tv in bed. Like, ever. I decided to move the tv upstairs to our bonus room where we have our elliptical so that we can watch movies while we exercise.  We usually watch shows on our tiny phone screens. Talk about big impact!  Our armoire is now being used for linen storage – something we desperately needed in our bedroom.  This small change is major for us and has made exercising so much more enjoyable! And…I love having a big space to store extra sheets and towels.

So what projects can you do that are small in scale, but will have big impact on your day-to-day life?  Think about spaces like your entry, a bookshelf, or various drawers.  Maybe even your laundry room?  How could a small change / quick clean up make a big impact?  Here are some common clutter spaces you might start with…

• Hall Closet
• Entry Area
• Tupperware Drawer
• Linen Closet
• Undergarments Drawer
• Toy Bins / shelves
• Bookshelves
• Your Closet drawers
• Entertainment Console
• Dining Room Buffet
• Shoe basket/rack in the entry area of of your home

I hope this has inspired you some. If you need more ideas or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to help.

Happy Organizing!

~Maria

G.R.E.A.T. Goals In Action

Leave a comment January 5, 2016 Maria

If you tuned in yesterday, I laid out an approach that can be easily used to achieve goals for projects in your home this year.  I created the acronym G.R.E.A.T to help guide your efforts.  Here it is again:

G – Identify the Goal.  What do you want to accomplish? Be as specific as possible.

R – Relevant Right Now.  Your goal should be relevant to your life right now.  How will accomplishing this project improve your home/life right now?

E – Execute the Plan.  Write down a step-by-step plan for how you will achieve your goal.  Be as detailed as possible.

A – Accountability.  Having accountability helps many people achieve goals.

T – Time Frame.  Some goals are lofty and need to be accomplished over time, while some can be achieved in one session.  But, every goal needs an “end date.”

G.R.E.A.T In-Action

To help you see this approach in action, I tackled the cabinets of our master bathroom, which were in dire need of an overhaul.  Getting ready had become frustrating because I was hunting for things and there was too much stuff to dig through to get to what I needed.   This was definitely a relevant right now project.

It looks so pretty, right? Until…you open the actual cabinets.

INSIDE… it’s really not pretty.

The good, the bad and the totally disorganized!

Goal~ Empty, sort, purge and organize contents of bathroom cabinets.  Clean out space, then return relevant, usable contents to clearly labeled areas.

Relevant Right Now ~  A more organized vanity will make getting ready so much more efficient and pleasant.

Execute the Plan ~

1. Empty all contents out of cabinets and drawers.
2. Purge and discard expired/unused toiletries, medicines, and makeup.
3. Wipe down drawers and cabinets.
4. Return remaining contents to specific areas / drawers.
5. Label drawers and bins to remind me where to store items and maintain order over time.

Accountability ~ That would be you – reading this blog!

Time Frame ~ Done by end-of-day Monday in order to share with readers.

Here’s how it went down.

Why am I saving all of these hotel bottles of lotion? I have no idea.  And what are these pliers doing here??

I just love a clean, blank slate…

After…

I threw away so. much. stuff.  An entire garbage bag of stuff, to be exact.

One drawer dedicated to hair care. Easy.

When I look at this I wonder, “Why did I wait so long to do this?”

I purchased nothing to accomplish this goal.  I used baskets I had lying around and repurposed what was already there.  The entire project took about an hour.  I love instant gratification!  Starting with a manageable project like this will get you motivated and build up momentum to tackle larger projects.  And, like so many things in life, starting is the hardest part.

Ready to do great things in your home?  Go!  Let me know how it goes…

Happy Organizing,

 ~Maria

Creating GREAT Goals for Your Home in 2016

Leave a comment January 4, 2016 Maria

Happy New Year!  I hope your 2016 is off to a fabulous start and that you have used the new year as an opportunity to reflect on all that is good.  If you are like most, you’re also using the new year as an opportunity to identify some areas in your life you’d like to change or improve upon.  Greater home organization is high on the list for many of us (myself included!), so today I’m sharing an approach to help you achieve G.R.E.A.T.ness at home.  You can apply this approach to just about any goal, but I’m focusing on home organization projects.  Here goes…

How to Create G.R.E.A.T. Goals for Your Home

G – Identify the Goal.  Be as specific as possible.  For example, instead of saying, “My goal is to organize my bathroom,” say, “Purge, sort and categorize contents of my bathroom. Discard expired/unused toiletries. Return remaining contents into cabinets in an orderly manner.  Label areas to help maintain order.”  The latter has specific actions embedded in the goal.  These action words will help you hone in on exactly what you want to accomplish.

R – Relevant Right Now.  Your goal should be relevant to your life right now.  All home projects take time, so make sure your energy is going to the most relevant ones.  Start with projects that will have the greatest impact on your day-to-day living.  They can be small projects, like your junk drawer or medicine cabinet.  Be clear about why the project is relevant to you and/or your family members.

E – Execute the Plan.  Write down a plan for how you will achieve your goal.  If you created an action-oriented goal, the plan for execution will be easy.  Today, I’m tacking my bathroom cabinets.  Here’s the plan:

1. Empty all contents out of cabinets and drawers.
2. Purge and discard expired/unused toiletries, medicines, and makeup.
3. Wipe down drawers and cabinets.
4. Return remaining contents to specific areas / drawers.
5. Label drawers and bins to remind me where to store items and maintain order over time.

A – Accountability.  Having accountability helps many people achieve goals.  This blog is my accountability!  Maybe your spouse or family members can hold you accountable.  Maybe have friends over at the end of the month for dinner to hold you accountable for organizing your dining room.  The buddy system works wonders here, as well.  If you have a friend that also has home projects on their “To Do” list, motivate and hold one another accountable.

T – Time Frame.  Some goals are lofty and need to be accomplished over time, while some can be achieved in one session.  But, every goal needs an “end date.”  One of my favorite quotes is, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”  Write your goal on your calendar.  Set an alarm.  Just give yourself a due date.

I will report back to you with my bathroom vanity project by tomorrow.  But, to hold myself accountable and to be totally honest with you, here are the before photos… (Warning: It ain’t pretty!)

The good, the bad and the disorderly…

Those drawers hold way too much stuff….

Not sure why there are cleaning supplies stored here, but there you have it!

Now go set some GREAT goals!  I hope I’ve inspired you!

xo ~Maria