41: How to Keep Unwanted Critters Out of Your Storage Areas

This week, we're diving into the eerie realm of keeping pests out of our storage areas, pantries, and closets. We are sharing top tips for avoiding these little creepy crawlers and what to do if you do find them in your storage areas while organizing. Grab your brooms and get ready for some storage magic as we keep our spaces less eek! and more chic.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Keeping your storage spaces organized, safe, and critter-free!
  • Tips for Preventing Water Damage
  • Preventing Pest Infestations

Mentioned in this Episode:

Keep or Toss Decision Tree

www.organizedandproductive.com/keeportoss

Garage & Basement Organizing Products on Amazon I recommend: Amazon Storefront Here (*earns commissions)

The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or are constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!

Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast

Connect with Stephanie

https://www.instagram.com/theorganizedflamingo/

34: Unlock the Hidden Powers of Your Email Inbox: 5 Must-Know Features

Do you dread opening up your email because it’s a messy digital pile of messages? On today’s episode, we have five essential features that can help you stay on top of our emails and prevent overwhelm, especially during times when we're away on vacation or taking a well-deserved break. We are sharing and how to create efficient email habits that will save time, increase productivity, and ensure that important messages don't slip through

In this episode we talk about:

  • Tips on how to avoid being bombarded with email messages
  • Underutilized email features challenges and how to avoid them
  • Getting your email inbox under control

Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 031: Ctrl+Alt+Declutter: Taming the Digital Chaos

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/31-ctrlaltdeclutter-taming-the-digital-chaos/

Episode 015: The Pros & Cons  of Subscribing to Email LIsts

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/15-the-pros-cons-of-subscribing-to-email-lists/

Episode 013: Untangling the Web: How to Practice Good Digital Hygiene

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/13-untangling-the-web-how-to-practice-good-digital-hygiene/

Episode 002: Digital Space vs. Physical Space Organizing

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/digital-space-vs-physical-space-organizing/

The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!

Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast

Connect with Stephanie

https://www.instagram.com/theorganizedflamingo/

Simple – Functional – Personalized

A method I like to use often is our Simple Functional Personalized System. This system is all about figuring out how much time you have on your hands to tackle an organizing project and labeling it as a “simple”, “functional” or “personalized” task.  

This is a great system for organizing with a purpose.

⭐ 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 – it's quick. Think less than an hour. Like organizing your desk drawer or your event files. You don't have to preplan too much. Solutions that come right out of the box. These are the projects you can do while listening to a podcast and be done.⁣

⭐ 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 – takes a bit longer but less than 4 hours. Examples include organizing your bathroom cabinets or putting together your list of tasks you want to get done for your event. You probably need to pay a little more attention because you are visualizing the function of that space and task. ⁣

⭐ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 – tailored to what your wants and needs. Plan on at least 4 hours for this project. This could include figuring out what kind of shipping station you need and how it will flow if you are a small business that ships things a lot. It has to work for everyone using it, so it's not an out of the box solution

Your organizational project will almost always fit into one of these three categories and sometimes it will be combined. 

If you combine them, you add up the hours of the categories. So if it's a simple AND personalized task, your project will be at least 5 hours. If you want your project to be simple + functional + personalized, then it'll take more like 9 hours. ⁣

Use this method next time you are planning your next project and share what you did with us on social media and how long it took you!

⁣𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨? ⁣

Creating Your Household Boutique

You have been home a lot more, not going out as much.  You might be on an organizing frenzy or want to be.  You are tired of seeing your same old stuff and need change.  Yes, you can throw your stuff away, you can donate it or you can sell it, but you can also keep it and create a Household Boutique.

Well, how about creating a household boutique?

What is a Household Boutique? Well, it’s a store, but in your own space! You can apply this idea to your office, too, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll just talk about the space at home.  

A Household Boutique is something that lives in a storage space that acts as your store or shop.  It can be as big as your basement or as small as a bin.  The main concept is that it’s the place where you go to “shop” before you actually go to a store (or online shop) and spend money on something you may already have.  This format is different from a storage room or closet, as it isn’t a place where you store stuff and forget about it.  This is a living, breathing set up for you to go to first, before going shopping.  In order for it to work, it should adhere to three simple concepts: be easily visual/accessible, be well cataloged somewhere, and have a shop name.  Read below for details and the simple outline of how to create one of your own.  

Your home is like a store.  Every item in your house should have a purpose or a value, so very once in a while, you should do an inventory of your “stock”.  

You’ll Need:

  • Stickers
  • Excel or Microsoft (or any searchable document will work)
  • Shelves or bins
  • A special place designated for your mart like a closet, an extra room

Creating your Household Boutique

  1. After cleaning out and re-organizing your space, separate the items that you are not ready to throw or give away.  These are the things that are in limbo.  Maybe you don’t use them often, maybe they’re brand new or maybe you just want to take a break from them.  This differs from items that you know you won’t use anymore and are ready to be retired or thrown out.  
  2. Choose to do either a well-documented catalog of those items or how you will display them so you can easily “see” them and get to them.  You can choose to do both but that’s one extra step and who has time for that?! (But heck, go for it, you flamazing gal!)
    • Catalog: this can be listing all of your items on an Excel sheet (or Word) and making it easily searchable.  The goal is that a year from now when you are looking to redo your bedroom and wondering which “lamps” you might own, you will easily pull up what you already have “in stock”.  Can you repurpose them? Here is where this list will be very important.  If you end up using that item, great! You just saved yourself from spending money on something you already had at home.  If you do not use it, then you will mark it on your spreadsheet.  Next time you are ready to purge your shop, you’ll go through your list and see how many times you passed on that item.  After 3 times, it’s time for it to go! There truly is no purpose for it in your life.  
    • Display: if you have space and/or you are a visual person, then this method will be for you.  (Keep in mind that displaying anything means it will collect dust, but the payoff is worth it!)  This method is simple — you display your items so when you need something, you just open up the area and choose what you want to “buy”.  There are a few ways in which you can keep track of what you have used.  Put a color sticker on the items and, when you use it, remove the sticker.  After a year, take a look at what still has a sticker and determine if you still want it. 
  3. A name! Every shop needs a name.  Pick a name for your shop/boutique that speaks to you.  You’ll want to visit your shop a lot more if you personalize it.  
  4. Lastly, regardless of what method you use, take pictures of your items.  Not necessarily one by one, but just enough so you can see what you have, and place it in a folder.  Most phones allow you to catalog your pictures and place them in a “folder” while the pictures remain in your general album.  

“Do I need a Professional Organizer?”

Well, that depends.

If you have found yourself reading this, it probably means that you are looking for ways to be more efficient and organized. The “need” for a professional to help you will depend on your needs, time and budget. I am a big fan of “hiring” out tasks that are not my strengths or I don't have the time to complete. With that same philosophy, I recommend the same to my friends, family, and clients.

Your time is precious and it shouldn't be spent worrying about your long list of things-to-do. That is where professional services come in.

  • Do you have a demanding career and you simply don' have the time to cook? Yup, so you get a meal-prep subscription.
  • Are you hardly ever home and when you are, the last thing you want to do is clean? Yup, so you hire a cleaning company.
  • Does looking at a spreadsheet and filing your taxes give you a headache? Yup, so you hire a tax accountant.

The list could go on.

My point is, hiring a professional of any kind is a choice you make because it will make your life easier and more pleasant. Sometimes, we just need some inspiration to do it ourselves. Whether you want to do it yourself or hire a professional, don't forget that your time is valuable and that you are doing the things you want to do.

Kindly, Stephanie

The Size of Your Project Matters!

You've heard the sayings “size doesn’t/does matter” or “it’s what you do with it that matters”.  As kitschy and funny as those saying sound, they also apply to how you plan your organizational projects! Determine if your project is  “small” “medium” or “large” in size.  This will help you determine how much help you need so you don’t find yourself overwhelmed in the middle of the project and/or don’t finish because it became “too” much.  Here is a quick snapshot of what each of the project sizes entails:

Small Projects:

Small: you can do it yourself and it will take you less a day, regardless of how many hours it will take you.  If you think it will have to break it down to two days, it's no longer a “small” project.  Small projects are the ones you can finish without interruptions.  Think: organizing 1-3 junk drawers or organizing your purse. 

Medium Projects:

Medium: Projects that will take you more than one day, regardless of hours or more than 6 hours in a day (because this means you will have to start-stop-start).  These are the projects that you can probably do on your own but just take longer.  Think: organizing your closet or a dinner party for 8-10.

Large Projects:

Large Projects: These are the projects that may require you to ask for help from either a professional installer or a member of your household.  These projects will require multiple days and/or multiple people to make a decision (like asking your children/spouse/roommate/coworker for permission to throw something away).  Think: organizing the entire kitchen or basement or a wedding. 

So as you begin planning out your projects, take a moment to look around be honest about how big your project is, it'll set you up for success!

Kindly, Stephanie

Magazines Organization

Magazines
How do you organize your magazines?

Do you have a stack of magazines piling up in your office or home because you keep telling yourself one or all of the following?  Here is a list of things people will tell themselves and solutions.

  • That you are going to read it eventually or there may be a really good article in there you don’t want to miss.
    • SOLUTION: Did you know that your local library has an archive of magazines to look at? Head over to the library when you can and read through all the magazines you’ve been missing! Feel free to snap a picture or scan the article and read it later. 
  •  What if I need it later to create a vision board or craft project?
    • SOLUTION: Ask your neighbors, family or friends for all of their spare magazines when the time comes that you need some magazine clippings.
  • I have a collection of magazines dating back decades; what if they are worth something?
    • SOLUTION: “When it comes to magazines, there are no rules for what makes a given issue valuable to one person and not another” (flipsy.com). The only way to really know how much they are worth is to hire an appraiser or a grader. “Keep in mind that grading and appraising are two different services.” An appraiser is going to cost more but may pay off in the end if your magazine is a collectible. Here is the thing, though, appraising a magazine takes time, money and effort. Your time and effort is valuable, so if you don't think you will get to it or willing to put in the effort, use your time to do something that you truly value or go the extra mile and hire someone to tell you for sure what it's worth. If you still want to keep your collection, make sure it is stored in a tightly sealed box so that it doesn't get damaged by its environment and then it really won't be worth much!

More tips on how to organize your magazines!

  • Set time aside (maybe while watching your favorite show or enjoying a nice poolside day), go through the magazines and rip out the articles you want to read later or recipes you want to save. This will diminish your stack of papers!
  • Use them as a decorative piece. I would only advice my clients to keep sets that truly reflect their personalities (so if you like to travel, only keep travel magazines) and use them as a statement piece on your shelf. Remember, though, if you are going to move at any point, magazines are heavy to carry! (Speaking of heavy, if you place a lot of them on a shelf, make sure the shelf is sturdy enough to carry the weight).
  • Magazine holders such as these are a great way to keep them together and tidy:
Blu Monaco Foldable Pink Magazine Holder with Gold Label Holder – Set of 2 – Cardboard Magazine File Boxes Desk File Organizer
Bamboo Vertical File Folder Holder & Office Product Organizer, Store Files, Magazines, Notepads, Books and More, 2 Pack Combo Set
Simple Houseware White/Black Magazine File Holder Organizer Box (Pack of 12)

Kindly, Stephanie