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It’s the e-mail I promise you have time to read. Twice a month, you’ll receive an e-mail
with two organizing tips from me (Laurieann – Owner of Organize It Mom!). Organizing can
be overwhelming but not if you take it one tip at a time.
Good Luck!
Laurieann Thorpe
July 1
It’s pitch time: the IKEA store is an organizer’s dream. I have yet to encounter an organizing problem
that could not be solved with an IKEA system. A word of caution though; plan to spend some time when you go. There’s
LOTS to see. They have a great playland for potty-trained kids (when it’s not full - call ahead to check).
On my last trip to IKEA, I picked up round, magnetized, clear-lidded containers that I’m using everywhere - for
nails in the garage system, for barrettes in the bathroom medicine cabinet and for small scrapbooking supplies in my
scrappin’ nook.
July 2
Are you using toy labels? They are a dream. Organize your toys - have the kids help
and then label them so there is never any question where things belong when play-time is over.
Take organizing with a friend to a new level. Do an organizing road-rally. Get a group of 3 or 4 friends and tackle
one organizing project at each house. If one mom doesn’t want to organize, she can babysit in return for her organizing
project. Have fun with it. You may find that your friends need that old ______(you fill in the blank) you’ve just
been dying to get rid of.
June 1
Want to control your paper? Stop it before it even comes to you. Type “stopping unwanted mail” into
Google and learn how to prevent paper from landing in your mailbox. Catch it before it lands on your counter in a pile.
Put your shredder between the mailbox and your counter. One organizing professional keeps hers in the garage so
junk mail never even enters her house.
June 2
Use discipline dice - list consequences 1-6. Your kids should help you come up with these. Make sure “say
sorry and give hugs” is one of them (they always think that one is the worst torture - so it’s very effective).
When kids are out of line, they role the dice and take the consequence.
Wheel of consequences - same idea. Take the wheel out of one of your games (any board game with a spinner).
May 1
Are you using the back of your doors? This is such a great space - don’t waste it. You can hang
a clear shoe organizer over your pantry door to organize baggies, tin foil and wax paper. Hang a shoe
organizer in your hall closet for hats and gloves. Hang towel racks on the back of kid’s doors to keep
their towels off the floor and out of the bathroom. Use hat-racks on the back of doors to hang hats
(of course) and ties and shirts!
Line top of hard-to-reach areas with wax paper. Instead of scrubbing when they get dirty, just
replace with new paper.
May 2
Keep children’s dressers in laundry room - establish the laundry room is the place where they should
always dress and undress. You’ll be amazed at how clean their rooms will stay.
When your child can negotiate hangers, insert a tension rod in the closet. Adjust the height as she grows.
April 1
Have an abundance of photos? Take them to your local copy center and have them laminated to make
placemats. Your kids will love them and so will you!
One of my customers turned me on to this great tip. Originating from
www.housefairy.org, use this tip to keep your kids motivated about cleaning their rooms. Explain that there
is a clean room fairy (sister of the tooth fairy) who will come and visit (no one can be sure when) and if their
room is clean, she’ll leave a surprise. This is such a great idea and has already worked for me. The fairy may
want to purposely visit when the room isn’t clean and leave a note like, “sure hope your room is clean next
time so I can leave your surprise!”
April 2
Empty toilet paper rolls make the best cord organizers. Fold the cords and tuck them into the roll. For
longer cords, use empty paper towel rolls. This is a great system for cords behind your TV or computer. If you
label each roll, moving (whether you’re rearranging furniture or moving to a new house) will be a breeze.
Use empty paper towel rolls to keep hanger creases out of your dress pants. Cut a slit in the roll and
then slide it over your hanger. Then when you put your pants on the hanger, you won’t get that unsightly
crease that usually ends up right above your knees.
March 1
Right after Christmas and Springtime are my favorite times to organize.
Start small. Pick a spot that will have a small domino effect. Sometimes
one kitchen cupboard can turn into a whole kitchen rearrangement and that
can be overwhelming. Don’t start those projects unless you have a lot of
time to devote.
Use a friend. Your best friend will be, well... your best friend... for
organizing. Sometimes you need an objective party to tell you that the
green-sequined skirt you wore to prom is just not worth hanging on to
anymore. Invite a friend to help you get organized and then return the
favor. A word of caution, do not invite someone to help who is invested in
your stuff in any way - they can not be objective (don’t ask your husband -
he doesn’t want to help anyway and it’s gonna get ugly - just let him watch
football okay?).
March 2
Keep a basket by the door. Put old magazines, books, or toys in it and when you have visitors,
tell them to help themselves as they leave.
Instead of using an unwieldy spice rack, use Velcro dots to stick your spices to the underside
of a cabinet. The rack will be gone and the spices won’t take up counter or cupboard space!
February 1
Give yourself some credit. Stop seeing what isn’t done and pat yourself on the back for all of the
things you are getting done.
Help your family help you by not doing everything for them. Make them responsible for their stuff.
When your husband says, “Where are my keys?” respond, “I don’t know.” and then fight the urge to get up
and find them for him. Every time you find them for him, you teach him not to care where he puts them down.
You are not helping anyone if they can’t do anything without you.
February 2
Keep a basket by the door. Put old magazines, books, or toys in it and when you have visitors,
tell them to help themselves as they leave.
Instead of using an unwieldy spice rack, use Velcro dots to stick your spices to the underside
of a cabinet. The rack will be gone and the spices won’t take up counter or cupboard space!
January 1
When you set goals (or resolutions) remember the difference between the goal and the immediate
task. “Paint the living room” may be the goal but “pick up paint swatches”
is what should go on your to-do list.
January is the best time to organize. That’s why all the organizing supplies are on sale right now!
Teach your kids how to fit their new Christmas goodies into their space. Establish a January de-junking
tradition. Anything not worn or played with since last Christmas should definitely go!
January 2
This is my favorite closet organizing tip. You can do this today! Go into your closet and turn all of
your hangers so the hooks face you. When you wear something, hang it back up, hook facing the back of the
closet. After a set amount of time, get rid of anything that still has its hook facing you. You’ll know
what you’ve worn by the direction of the hangers.
Keep a check-out list with videos/dvds/cds or anything people tend to borrow from you often. You’ll never
have to do a telephone search to locate “Sleepless In Seattle” again.
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