Sorting It Out

Earlier I showed you pictures that might disgrace any other professional organizer, but I'm not your ordinary organizer! I know the best way for me to help you is to show you. And if that means showing you my mess, then that's what I'll have to do. I know it won't look like this for long though, so I'm ok with biting the bullet and allowing you in to take a peek.

We've learned that the first step in the SOS Method is to SORT. So, that's where I started when I began to tackle this "junk" room. Keeping in mind that most of the items that were being stored here were designated for my garage sale, it was easy to quickly sort what staying and going.

We did end up having our garage sale, but because of our town's immense flooding last week, it wasn't a very big turn out. So, we're holding it over for another weekend. I did get all of the garage sale items moved out of the room though and boy, what a difference!

The items on top of the desk are what we're keeping, not that they'll all end up in this room, but those are the things I have to find room for somewhere or futher weed out. The desk will end up going as well. The rest of the room is a now a blank slate except for a couple of spare coats hanging in the closet.

The items that are being sold next weekend will be sorted into groups so that garage sale customers can more easily browse. Maybe I'll have to post tips on organizing a garage sale too. More to follow on further omitting and storing of the remaining items and finally getting this room into shape in preparation of making it a bedroom in posts to follow...right now I'm pooped!

Feel free to post your own SOS projects and link up here. Also, time is running out to sign up for the special drawing so go here to find out more!

Total Room Makeover

So far we've looked at small and medium SOS Projects. I've showed you how I used my SOS Method to complete these organizing projects. They've been fairly simple and quick to complete so far. This one is going to take several posts to show my progress because...well, because I can't do it all in one day. That's why. You'll soon understand why.

Here's the background on this room: it's in our lower level of our split level home. It's been used as a craft area, a play area, almost a study area, a general storage area and most recently a garage sale staging area. Our hope is for it to be converted into a bedroom for our "pre" teen daughter who currently shares a room with her 5 year old little sister. Not a good mix.

These pictures are the room in its pre-garage sale state. I've been stock piling things over the last few months in preparation for this huge sale. I actually prefer to donate items to charity throughout the year and don't typically recommend saving items for a garage sale that may or may not come about, but I had a larger than normal amount of stuff to unload because we're redecorating and remodeling. It also helps with the cash for new decor!

Now...you see why my progress will need to be posted in stages! You literally cannot walk through this room. It's been a dumping ground for the past several months. But that's OK. I can see my goal. And I'll still follow the same path to get there as I did my smaller projects: my SOS Method. No worries! Check back to see how I'm coming along.

Our Kitchen Pantry

Yikes! Our pantry has gotten out of hand recently. I knew it was time to tackle this project again, but I admit I'd been putting it off. I wasn't discouraged so much that it had once again become disorganized. I've learned that being organized doesn't mean you never have to re-organize. I've come to accept that there's maintenance that goes along with it. It was just one of those "have-tos" on the bottom of my list. At first glance the pantry may not appear to be in too bad of shape, but I couldn't find anything and was constantly moving things from side to side trying to see behind taller items. So it wasn't working for me any longer.

Lucky for me, just as with any organization project, I knew right where to start. My SOS Method: Sort, Omit and Store.

After assessing the situation I figured it would be best to work from top to bottom. I began removing items and placing them into groups on my countertop. (I wish I would have thought to snap a picture of this stage...sorry!) Thinking in terms of the way I would use the items in cooking helped me to know what categories to SORT them into. I began removing and grouping baking items, drink mixes, sauces and condiments, canned goods and so on until the shelves were clear.

The next stage was to OMIT things I didn't need. For some of you this may mean expired items or food of questionable freshness. I usually keep up on this pretty well, so I didn't have anything too old to throw out. I did have some things I could combine, like pouring the new bag of sugar into the caniseter to save space.

A couple things I decided were better off moved to another location. Like the foil and plastic baggies found a new home in a nearby drawer with our paper plates. It's funny, I've always kept my foil and baggies in that exact spot in the pantry for over 15 years. It just never occured to me before today that they made more sense a few feet away. Be on the look out for those sort of things. Many times we get stuck in the same pattern and overlook more convenient storage options. If you're not sure, try it for a few weeks and if you don't like it there, move it back.

Next, I needed to STORE the things I intended to keep. I took a look at my different groups and mentally divided my shelves to come up with "zones" for each group. I decided I also wanted to try some plastic baskets to try to help keep things in the groups I'd worked so hard at sorting. I had a couple on hand that I had taken out of a previous re-organizing project. So, I began placing items back onto the shelves, placing some of the smaller items into the baskets.

I did end up purchasing two new baskets in a larger size for some of our sauces and baking items. But it was easy picking those out at the store because I knew what I needed when I got there. I knew from using my 3-step process, how many more baskets I needed and what size. I didn't hit the store without a plan only to come home with too many or not enough of the right kind of storage product.

One important thing you should know about this project: I only got rid of or removed a total of 4 items. This reorganization project was accomplished by utilizing the space (even as small as it is) to its best potential. I spent right around $5 on the two baskets and about 3o minutes total on the project. That's it! I finished off by adding some labels to the baskets with my label maker. Take a look around your home and see what you can tackle using the SOS Method. I'd love to see your success stories here! Please leave us a comment! I've also added a Mr. Linky if you want to post to your own blog. If you haven't registered for my SOS drawing, visit my initial post to find out more!

My Desk Needs Help

I cannot believe I'm showing the world what my desk looks looked like just a few days ago. This is our computer desk. Everyone in my family uses this desk so it sees ALOT of stuff. Bills, banking, two home based businesses, school reports, occasional kid clutter (you know, misc. toys and hair accessories, that sort of thing), mail...you get the idea. Stuff goes on here.

Let's go on a little tour, shall we? You'll notice a myriad of papers, my "Polar Pop" addiction indulgence (in my defense, I really have cut back), computer, keyboard, etc. You can't really see from the picture, but there's also some things that don't belong in the "office" area. Even the area under the desk did not escape, as it had been used as storage space during our recent home improvement project, where anything and everything got "stuffed" under it and had not yet been relocated.

Using my SOS Method I began to Sort items into groups. Papers to be gone through, filed, discarded, receipts to be entered into our checking program, coupons that I'd clipped and my recipe project (putting favorites on the computer) all got sorted into piles. Anything that I came across that did not belong went into the shoe box over to the right. Things that already had a home on the desk (pens, paperclips, etc.) got put back to rights. Pictures that somehow made their way to the desk, but never to the wall were put in a pile to be hung once the project was complete. This is important, I DID NOT let my guilt take over and stop work during the sorting process to hang up photos that have been sitting there for weeks. Many times we make the mistake of getting side tracked during organization. This is how projects don't get finished.

Next was the Omit stage. Now, I've become accustomed to omitting during the sort and as a separate step. You'll get more used to this as you become comfortable with the process. So, if you find things during the sort that you definitely want to get rid of, put them in the appropriate place (trash, recycle, pile, etc.) But it's always a good idea to look through your keep piles after you're done sorting to try to omit more. I usually work with a trash can, recycle pile, donate pile and shredder depending on the job.

After omitting everything that I was going to be able to, I began storing the remaining items into their appropriate or new homes. I was lucky in that I already had all of the storage items I needed, it was just a matter of putting things in them. This would be the point though if I was lacking anything, that I would begin making a list of things I needed like drawer organizers, storage totes, file folders, etc.

Storing things always comes last. Don't try to determine what you need at the start of your project. You're apt to either keep more stuff than you normally would because you just bought the jumbo size tote or make extra trips to the store because you underestimated your needs. Here are some things that I use to help keep my desk space organized. Don't let the before pictures fool you...these things really do work when you haven't spent the last few weeks being lazy!

My desk doesn't have drawer space, other than a filing drawer, so I have to be creative with the storage space. I found a small drawer divider insert for under a dollar that fits perfect into this wicker basket. I liked the basket because it concealed the plastic, but you could just get a divder and call it a day. It all slides under the space below my computer monitor and holds paper clips, staples and all the little odds and ends.

A canvas bin takes the place of another drawer and holds computer cd's, cables and such.

A literature sorter helps me use the vertical space to the best potential. I can store printer paper, special paper, even a calculator, paper trimmer and extra business cards, which proves you don't always have to use things to store what they were intended.

And the finished product....

How can you use the SOS Method to spruce up your space? Try it on your next organizing project and let us know the results. You can post comments, or link to your own post on your blog using Mr. Linky. Don't forget the prize drawing. Read about it here.

Sendin' Out an SOS

If you haven't read my initial post on this new series I'm doing here, catch up on the details in the first post here. While you're there you'll want to be sure to register for the upcoming drawing by linking on the Mr. Linky on that post. (This is the only way you'll be registered in the drawing!)


One thing I found when helping people get organized was that most of the time, they had no idea where to start. That's when I came up with an easy to remember acronym. It's what I call my SOS Method and it stands for Sort, Omit and Store. And this simple, easy to remember approach can be used when beginning any organizing project. Over the next few weeks I'm going to show you how I use the SOS Method in my own home, step by step. I'll post project updates from small (drawers and shelves), medium (like closets) to large areas (whole rooms) so you can see how this method works with any type of organizing project. You're welcome to comment and/or link up to your own blog with your own SOS projects as we go along.

Here's a breakdown of the steps I use:

1. Sort. Whether you're facing the unknown contents of your junk drawer or the entire mountain of clutter in the spare room, you're going to start with sorting. Sort your items into categories; like with like, similar use with similar and so on. You should be able to find easy to recognize categories for all of your items. While you're doing this keep your eyes peeled for anything that you're sure will be going in the trash or passed along to donation or another area of your home and set those aside.

2. Omit. Go back through all of your items and further remove anything that doesn't fit into the plan of your newly organized space. You may choose to omit items by donating, selling, throwing out, recycling, relocating or passing on to someone else who you know would want the item. Please check with them first before deciding that you are just going to show up at their door with your cast-offs! Sometimes we have the best intentions, but our idea of a treasure is not always someone else's.

3. Store. The items that you've decided are keepers need stored. Sometimes you have all of the storage products you might need. Other times you have to improvise or head to the store to purchase something more fitting and functional. Before you make a trip to the store, make sure you take any measurements you might need. For example, take measurements of your drawer for a new drawer divider, or the shelf height for storage bins.

Keep your specific types of storage needs in mind, like; CD storage, magazines, office supplies, clothing, etc, so that you're not just shopping blindly. Have a purpose in mind and a plan. The internet is a great way to get a good idea of all of the organizational products available without spending a lot of time at the store.

Once you've used the SOS Method, you'll never be at a loss as to where to start or what to do next when you're organizing. Sort, omit, store...remember it, use it and get organized!

Ready to Take on Bigger and Better Things?

We've been working on Take 5 Friday projects for awhile now, I thought it would be a good time to throw in some bigger organizing projects. Plus, I'm doing some major overhauls in some areas of my house, so it's a good time for a little show and tell. I'm baring it all over the next few weeks, so to speak. Yep, even I have areas that get chaotic and cluttered. Didn't I tell ya, I'm not perfect?! So, it's time to reorganize, and guess what? You're coming with me!


We'll be putting Take 5 Fridays on hold for just the next few weeks until I get through my projects. But, by all means, if you're up to doing both, you can always do some Take 5's too or work back through some of the past weeks if you joined in late.


But, I don't want to do this alone. I have to have some of my friends with me! If you're up to taking on some of what I'm calling SOS Organizing (more on why in a later post), leave a link below. Those who have signed up here will be in the drawing for a prize (haven't decided what yet) at the end (haven't decided when yet)...Don't you just love how decisive I am?


Remember: You have to leave a Mr. Linky at least on THIS post for the drawing because it will drive me crazy trying to account for everyone at the end if you all link on different posts. You don't have to commit to weekly posts or links unless you want to, but I would like to have your comments on any project you've accomplished when I post mine. If for nothing else but so I know you're out there! I'll try to remember to add a Mr. Linky to each project for those who want to link to their own blog post.

There you go, I'm sending out my SOS! Who's in it with me?