S – Sort: The first step is to sort your items into categories.  You’ll want to put like items with like items, (paints with paints, pencils with pencils, etc.).  This will tell you how much stuff you actually have in any one category.

T – Toss: Once you know how much stuff you have it’s time to take stock and toss any items that you don’t use, are outdated or unusable. I suggest that you keep only what you love or need.  Tossing can be anything from throwing in the garbage to donating or selling an item.

A – Assign a Home: This is the part of the process that is like putting together a puzzle.  Finding just the right space for your items is part of the creative process.

Think about how you use the items.

Think about where you use the items.

Think about how often you use the items.

C – Contain: Containerize any items that are possible and feasible to contain. It will help make items easier to find and store. Label, when necessary, especially those items with closed tops. Keep the systems you choose as simple as possible.  If you have items that you rarely use and don’t want to get dusty, then using a storage container with a closed top is a good choice; however, if you have supplies that you use frequently, then an open top container may be a better choice.

K – Keep It Up: This may involve building new habits if necessary and practicing putting items away after they’re used.

It’s easy to get stuck in your own space with organizing projects. If you are stuck, please call or email for a free consult!

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks Our Time

The post The Stack Method appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

You might ask, what is vertical organizing? It’s an organizing method that stands everything up so it’s easy to access and put away. Marie Kondo made this technique very popular; however, the method pre-dates Marie and can be used far beyond clothing. The trick is often in containerizing the items you want to stand vertically and working within the shape of the space you have for storage.

There are many ways to fold clothing and towels so they stand, but matching the fold to the space you actually have and therefore maximizing your space is the key to vertical organizing. For the purpose of this blog, we are going to focus on 3 different spaces that you may not have considered for vertical organizing.

As I have said many times over the years, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to organizing, so be creative and don’t forget that function comes first. All the items in a space should be easy to take out and put away. If the system falls apart the minute something is removed or it’s difficult to put an item away, then you may want to reconsider the system. Containers are often the key to vertical organizing, so picking the correct container is an important part of the process.

Office Drawers:

There are many items in office drawers that can easily stand and allow for much easier assess. My favorite is using colored file folders to file (stand up) colored tissue paper.

Post-it notes

Note pads & note books

Envelopes

Note cards

Wrapping/tissue paper in a file drawer

Comforters & Blankets:

There are many ways to fold blankets so they stand in your closet. Check out this video to get you started with lots of folding techniques. The beauty of standing them is that you can see what you have and don’t have to dig them out from under a pile of blankets.

Jeans:

If you have lots of jeans, you might consider standing them on a shelf. Using shelf dividers, about every 12 inches will help ensure they stay standing.

Vertical organizing is a functional way to organize your space for easy access.  If you would like to learn more or need help getting started, don’t hesitate to call or email to schedule your appointment today.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks Our Time, LLC

The post The Benefits of Vertical Organizing appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

What is the Cost of Clutter?

Clutter can be expensive and the cost of clutter can be divided into 3 categories: financial, physical and emotional.

• The financial cost of clutter can result in lost or displaced money in the form of checks or fees. When unopened mail accumulates, it’s often followed by late fees that have accrued and missing tax records can lead to financial penalties.
• The physical cost of clutter includes stress and anxiety experienced by the inability to locate items when they are needed. Time wasted searching for items is frustrating and physically exhausting.
• The emotional cost of clutter frequently comes in the form of confusion and a sense that we have lost control of our circumstances.

How do we regain that sense of control?

Getting organized is one way we can take control of our daily lives and navigate through challenging transitions.  We often feel that if we achieve a certain goal or arrive at a particular milestone, life will suddenly be better. There may be some truth to this, however, it’s frequently the journey itself that transforms us. The journey involves change which can be difficult and frightening.  Even though we know that change is the only constant in life, we still resist it. We resist letting go of things, places and even people who are no longer a positive fit in our lives. Sometimes the act of “letting go” is the path to control.

De-clutter Your Mind, Body and Space

Let’s look at three organizing concepts to de-clutter your mind, body and space:

1. Create a schedule: Make sure the entire family is informed and involved. The most imperative tasks should be scheduled first and the remaining tasks in order of importance.
2. Make a list: This is the fastest way to physically reduce stress. This list can be created on paper, computer or dry erase board. The objective is to get the tasks out of your head, then use the list!
3. Sort, categorize and purge! For small jobs like a junk drawer, sort all the items into categories that are similar in order to determine how much of each category you own. Then purge what you don’t want or need. The left-over items will determine the type of storage container needed for proper organization. For larger piles or stacks, like clothes, it’s best to simply sort items into “keep” and “let go”. The goal is to quickly reduce the size of the “keep pile” and then categorize and organize the remaining items.

Embrace the Journey

We can choose to embrace the journey or we can avoid it as the world moves forward. Change can be difficult and we all occasionally need a little help and guidance to arrive at our destination.

If you are struggling and need a little assistance, we would love to help you embrace the journey. Give us a call at 610.847.5422 or schedule a free consultation.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks Our Time, LLC

The post Is Clutter Robbing You of the Life You Deserve? appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

The good news is that many organizing projects can be tackled using the same method.  We use the STACK method for our clients because it’s simple, easy to follow and it works on almost any organizing project.

S – Sort: The first step is to sort your items into categories.  You’ll want to put like items with like items, (e.g. paints with paints, pencils with pencils).  This will tell you how much stuff you actually have in any one category.

T – Toss: Once you know how much stuff you have it’s time to take stock and toss any items that you don’t use, are outdated or unusable. I suggest that you keep only what you love or need. Tossing can be anything from throwing in the garbage to donating or selling an item.

A – Assign a Home: This part of the process can be accomplished by asking yourself a few questions.

How you use your items?

Where do you use your items?

How often you use your items?

C – Contain: Containerize any item/s that are possible and feasible to contain. It will help make items easier to find and store.

K – Keep It Up: This may involve building new habits if necessary and practicing putting items away after they’re used.

When the burden clutter is lifted from our shoulders, we may feel physically lighter, more energetic and less stressed. This relief can lead to increased work productivity, greater enthusiasm and better relationships.

Darla Pompilio

Professional Organizer

Your Tasks Our Time, LLC

The post How to Declutter and Organize Any Space appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

How many times has spring rolled around and you had every intention of de-cluttering and organizing your garage, basement or storage unit, only to find its fall again and it never got done? Organizing and de-cluttering is an arduous task and most of us have no idea how to even begin; however, there is a better way, just follow the simple steps below or schedule your consultation today!

Plan ahead.  Be sure to set enough time aside to allow you to get the job done correctly.

1) Sort & purge – create 2 separate piles (keep it simple). One for items you will keep and the other for items that need to go.

2) Decide the best way to store or contain the remaining items.  This may be bins, shelving, cabinets or peg boards.

•  Clear bins or containers work best because you can see what you’re storing
• Garbage cans work well for storing hockey and lacrosse sticks, oars or ski poles.  Be careful not to store any items that are twice the height of the container you’re using or they may tip over
•  Shelving units with wheels are great because you can move them where needed and they are easy to pull out for cleaning
• You may want to consider wall mounted specialty racks if you have significant amounts of sporting equipment, such as, skis, snow boards, fishing rods, bikes or golf bags
•  Be sure to select shelving units with wide adjustable shelves.  This way you will have enough room to store large bins and items of varying sizes
•  Be sure to label all bins, so all family members know where to store items

3) Sort the items you are keeping into different categories.  See example categories below.

•  Sports equipment
•  Seasonal clothes
•  Surplus beverages or dry goods
•  Tools
•  Household equipment
•  Lawn or garden tools
•  Chemicals

4) Once you have all of your items sorted into categories, you can store them in various zones based on your categories.

•  Use the clear bins to store loose items like sports equipment such as balls, mitts, etc.
•  Use peg boards to store hand tools, power tools, brooms, and garden tools.
•  Be sure to keep toxins locked away where children can’t gain access to them.
•  Be sure to keep dry goods and toxic chemicals in completely separate zones.
•  Do not store propane tanks inside of your garage.  If the tank leaks it only takes a spark of static electricity to create an explosion.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks Our Time

The post Quick and Easy Garage Organization appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Make sure your organizing systems fit the life that you are living now; not the life you used to live and not the life you plan on living in the future. Using the same organizing systems you had in college to manage your home is most likely not going to work. The rule of thumb is that you always want to focus on function first followed by aesthetics.

Sort by Categories or How You Use an Item

The truth is that organizing is basically a sorting process. Sort items by categories (like with like) and/or by how you use them.  Items that are used together should be stored together.  For example, if you are wrapping a present, you don’t want to have to go to one room for scissors, another for tape and yet another for wrapping paper.

Use the Right Tools

Containerize, containerize, containerize where possible and feasible.  A Proper container allows you to keep track of items, store them easier and makes things easier to use.

Purge Regularly

We are constantly bombarded with items coming into our homes and paper is the worst.  There’s mail, the kids school papers, work papers and the list never ends.  Consistent purging is one of the keys to staying organized.

Ask for Help

You don’t have to do everything yourself. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it.  Delegate tasks or hire people to do the work your not good at or don’t want to do.

Evaluate Frequently and Honestly

The one constant in life is change.  Be flexible, life is always evolving and your systems will need to evolve as your life changes.

By: Darla Pompilo

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc

The post Strategies to Simplify Your Life appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

The post Helpful Organizing Tips & Ideas appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.

Shedding the old is easy if we are not attached to our items, but often we are attached to family heirlooms and to those items we have lovingly purchased!  After all, we paid for them and consequently consider them to be good stuff!  These are the items that hinder our efforts as we attempt to un-clutter our lives. The more we accumulate, the more difficult it is to be clutter free.

The costs of clutter are both tangible and intangible.  The tangible costs include financial loss from over spending, late fees on bills, diminished work productivity because we have to spend time locating missing papers and also creating stress that can lead to depression and illness.  The intangible costs of clutter may include social embarrassment resulting from having a cluttered home, distressed personal relationships and even loss of momentum and direction in pursuit of our goals.

Detaching from clutter may be difficult, but it’s worth the time and effort if you truly wish to live a simplified and more fulfilling life

Let’s begin this journey by asking some questions about the items you own:

Do you need the items?  If not, let them go.

Do you love the item? If not, let them go!

Do you use these items on a regular basis or recently? If so maintain those items but keep them at a minimum.

How do you use these items and are they in good working order? How you use an item can shed light on whether the item should be kept.  Items that work improperly or are difficult to use can cause frustration and should not be kept.

What is your relationship to the item? If you feel emotionally attached to an item, ask yourself the following questions.

Does this item bring value to my current life style?

Is this item contributing to the life I wish to lead?

Are you keeping the item because you think you should or because you want to? It’s okay to let go of those items that were given to us by our family members.  It’s fine to keep family items that you treasure, but frequently family members donate items because they believe only other family members would truly enjoy them or would use them properly.

Learning to detach is often a journey that includes creating new habits.  One of the best ways to avoid having to purge, is to ask yourself if you really need or love an item before purchasing it?

Begin by consciously using the method for a month or so, and you will be surprised at how easily you can reduce the clutter in your home and simplify your surroundings.

The post The Clutter Free Life – How to Detach appeared first on Your Tasks Our Time.