Rubbermaid - Adventures in Organization

Junk Drawers - The Finished Project

I finally took some time this weekend to organize my version of a junk drawer. I filmed the results so you could see what I did!

Now I just have to get in the habit so keeping these containers organized!

Sock Drawer Organization

Every Monday through Friday I continue to have the same problem. I have a hard time finding socks. I'll admit a few of the issues.

1. I never match up socks when I put them away after washing
2. I have too many socks. Even socks that I don't have matches for
3. I don't have enough light in the morning to see really well.

So, the question is.... how do I get my socks organized? I'm looking to you for suggestions.  Thanks in advance.

A Year Ago on Adventures In Organization - July 2008

The year is zipping past quickly. I can't believe it's July already. It seems like just yesterday we were easing into 2009. Anyway, the 1st of the month we do our 'Year Ago on Adventures in Organization' blog post. This month we're looking back at July 2008 to see what we were talking about last year.

Browsing through the July archive it quickly became clear I was very busy last July. From the start of the month through the end of the month I was working on my garage makeover project. Steps 2/5 through 5/5 all took place this month. Below are the posts associated with this project.

• Part #2: Planning is half the battle (or at least some of the battle)
  
  
• Part #3: Tackling the installation - One step at a time
  
  
• Part #4: My garage is really starting to shape up
  
  
• Part #5: I love my garage! I never expected it to turn out this good
  

In addition to my garage makeover project, Jamie Baker posted about how to assemble a deck box. This is one of the most common questions our customer service team receives during the month of July.

Megan Murphy posted a Produce Saver - "How to" Usage Guide. This post originated from some of the comments we received on the product reviews & ratings on rubbermaid.com.  She was finding some people where not using the containers properly which resulted in their produce not lasting as long as it could.

Brian Miller, from our Canadian office, did a post on the results of a garage makeover contest his team held last year. The results were wonderful and the winner ended up with a really nice garage.

Once again I hope you enjoy looking back through these posts.  I would also like to thank Harry Hoover (@mycreativeteam) for giving me the idea to do these posts. I had asked him early last year how he came up with some many good blog posts and part of his response was to reuse existing content because often times it's still relevant, valuable and of good quality (or something along those lines).

The Consumer Queen's Garage - The Professional Organizer's View

As I have mentioned before, professional organizer Melissa Smallwood of Organized Life by Design volunteered her services to help the Consumer Queen organize her garage. Now that the Consumer Queen's garage is decluttered, she was able to send Melissa her garage dimensions and a better idea of what needed to go in the space. Melissa was then able to start to put together  a detailed organizational plan for the garage. As she started this process, I was able to ask her a few questions to get a better idea of what professional organizers do and how they tackle a customer's organizational problem.

1. As a professional organizer, when you first talked to the Consumer Queen about organizing her garage, what information did you need to know?

I needed to know the scope of the problem (she was able to provide me with a video and pictures), I need to know how the clutter became an issue, what the client's goal is for the space and more practical things like the dimensions of the space, budget, time frame for project, etc.

2. What is an organizational plan that a professional organizer will give you?

This will vary according to the professional organizer. There are more and more of us offering virtual organizing services similar to the services I am offering the Consumer Queen. The plans I provide my clients include my insight into how the area became disorganized (or why organization is lacking in general), ways to improve organization generally and then specific steps for organizing based on the individual client's needs and preferences. I also provide a maintenance plan and follow up so that once someone has invested the time, money and energy in becoming more organized they don't turn around 3 months later to find the space a mess again. The plan will also include product recommendations within the budget guidelines the client has provided me with.

3. What were you thinking about when you were drawing up the Consumer Queen's garage plan?

Her husband's health issues and the fact that kids play in there means that safety needs to be in the forefront of the design. My biggest goal is getting room for the car in there :-)

4. What was the most challenging aspect of creating a design for the Consumer Queen's garage?

The many purposes the space needs to accommodate versus the space available

5. What should a plan from a professional organizer include?

Again this will depend on the organizer and the type of services you are receiving. When I worked with local clients (hands-on) my plans were less involved and less specific because I was implementing them. With virtual organizing clients the plan is much more detailed and "user friendly" so that the client can easily make the changes called for. Any basic plan should be specific to the client's needs, situation and goal for their space.

6. What makes plans effective?

Effective organizing plans are NOT canned. Everyone has a different organizing style or personality. Any plan needs to reflect the unique desires and style of the client and their situation. Organizing is not a one size fits all field.

7. Why should people consider hiring a professional organizer instead of doing the project themselves?

A professional organizer can look at the clutter/disorganization objectively and can assist with insight into how the problem came to exist in the first place. A professional organizer can also narrow the focus and set realistic goals to make sure a project is successful from start to finish.

Store Your Wedding Treasures Safely, Smartly and Stylishly

We recently received some suggestions from Sharon Naylor of how our Rubbermaid products help keep newlyweds organized and thought we would share:

            Throughout your wedding planning, you kept all of your notes organized in a binder or on a spreadsheet, knowing that the organized bride is a happier bride. You know where everything is, can find a contract or a receipt at a moment’s notice and have all of your bridal party members’ and vendors’ phone numbers programmed into your cell phone. Being organized makes wedding planning a breeze.

            After the wedding, organization is even more important! You have so many beautiful keepsakes that you’ll surely want to store safely and securely so that they’re in perfect condition when you take them out in the future to reminisce and perhaps even show your kids someday.

            Safely and securely are the key words here, and that’s where Rubbermaid becomes your saving grace. When items, particularly paper items, are stored in your home, they’re in danger of getting ruined by moisture, less-than-perfect air quality indoors, even bugs who like to munch on paper. As scary as it is to think about, some bugs are known for being attracted to the glue on envelopes. Besides critters, you would surely want to protect your priceless keepsakes from any water damage due to floods, pipe leaks, and any kinds of spills in your home. Wedding couples who have stored their wedding day keepsakes in cardboard shoe boxes almost always experience damage to their invitations and other items, so I highly recommend Rubbermaid storage boxes for all of your wedding keepsakes. With these inexpensive, sealed-lid storage boxes, your keepsake items are safe, secure, protected from the elements, and bug-free. Your treasures will be safe.

And organized. Imagine the top shelf of your closet highly organized with stacks of these clear or fashion-lidded storage boxes, rather than mismatched shoe boxes or even the paper bags that some brides and grooms use. Their result? A mess. Your result? An organized collection of your keepsakes, easily arranged and immediately identifiable.

Here are some of the wedding keepsakes that will be happy to spend their Happily Ever After in your collection of Rubbermaid storage boxes:

• Invitations & Save the Date Cards
• Maps and inserts
• Greeting cards from guests, for wedding, shower and engagement gifts
• Souvenirs from showers and engagement parties
• Your bow bouquet
• Honeymoon keepsakes such as shells, postcards, shell anklets
• Copies of your registry and personal wedding website – printed out for storage because many aren’t kept online forever!

Sharon Naylor, www.sharonnaylor.net, is the author of over 35 wedding books, a resident wedding expert at iVillage Weddings, and a frequent guest expert on the top bridal and news shows. She is a recent newlywed, living in Morristown, NJ with her husband Joe.  Read Sharon's full bio at http://www.sharonnaylor.net/about.htm.