For me, for you...

My dear old Mac laptop, that I have had since 2006, is slowing down considerably and the funds are not there to replace it at this time. I've been deleting some things, trying to make room in the memory and then I came across my list of bookmarks--my extreeeemely long list of bookmarks--and I thought "Hmmm, blog=free storage=less clutter on my computer." So now when I come across something simplicity-minded that I want to save, I will post it here. For me: free storage and a way to organize some of my bookmarks! For you: handy dandy information from me!

One website in particular may appear regularly in my posts--Apartment Therapy. This site was co-founded by a former Waldorf teacher. I used to look at it quite a lot when I was in "baby room decor" mode and found many refreshing and affordable ideas. Now, I receive their updates on Facebook and notice that I don't have the time, need, or desire as much to look at their most common posts, which are house and room tours. But from time to time they post something that I find more practical and such was the case recently when I came across these organizing tips.

Here are, briefly, Apartment Therapy's ten tips on "How to be your own professional organizer," (the complete descriptions can be found by clicking the above link):

1. Get ready the night before
2. Open mail over the recycle bin
3. Write it down
4. Slow and steady wins the race
5. Time out
6. Play cards
7. Pad your time
8. Set goals
9. Give it up
10. Put it away now

I think numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 10 are pretty self-explanatory. The two that I plan to try very soon are numbers 5 and 6, which are basically cleaning games for you and your family. Number 5 suggests setting a timer and, with your children or without, doing as much straightening up as you can in the time you've allowed yourself. I can imagine this working for me and my daughter. Number 6 is also game-like as it suggests writing down a number of chores on index cards and you draw, or each family member draws, a card and that is the chore du jour (there are 'free days' included). My kids probably need to be older for that one, but I like the idea.

My husband is so good at number 10 that sometimes it gets on my nerves. He'll walk in the front door, walk straight to his desk, open the mail and recycle the envelopes before he even says hello (I guess that's number 2 too)! Luckily, it sometimes rubs off on me (not the anti-social part, just the "put it away now" part)--but not often enough !

Number 9 is a big one for the Simplicity Parenting folks. Especially in the realms of children's clothing, books and toys. The book perhaps doesn't speak strongly enough to the fact that we need to hold ourselves, the parents, to similar standards. "Give it up" refers to the idea of putting unused items in a box and after a certain amount of time, if it's still unused--give it up!

I confess that just before my baby arrived last Spring, I engaged a professional organizer to help me with getting the storage areas (closets) in our new condo organized. It was helpful, but sadly I have been not been 100% able to maintain the order we established, but maybe 75% and maybe that's not so bad! The biggest thing that stayed with me is to "keep like things together"--duh! But it's odd how, for example, I had craft supplies split into several spaces!

My efforts in the area of organization fall back into one of the ideas above--#4, "Slow and steady wins the race." I need to remind myself that even if I do something very small, teeny tiny even, that maintains or creates a more orderly household, it counts (hence the idea of "small doable changes"), and I get to be proud of even the smallest bit of domestic productivity during my full days!

And so do you! Which of these ideas will you try? Or maybe you've tried some already? I'd love to hear about it!