ORGANIZATIONAL IDEAS:
Getting your house in shape for the new year

by Diane M. Hancock
Diane Hancock Designs, Inc.

New year’s resolutions often entail getting in shape . . .in that spirit, let’s not forget about your house. With the hectic lives we all lead, it’s never been more important to get organized and stay organized. But where do you begin?

START WITH THE EASIEST ROOM
For most of us, getting organized seems virtually impossible: that’s why it’s important to take it slowly. To get off to a good start, it’s best to begin in the easiest room and follow these essential steps.

• Remove items that belong in another room or location


• Discard items that are not essential


• Create piles of similar items

STORAGE OPTIONS & TIPS
Now that you have a clean canvas to put all of your stuff back, consider how you want to store everything. Besides shoe box containers, milk crates and plastic storage bins, there are a myriad of beautiful, practical and affordable storage solutions available today. Most stores now have departments dedicated to storage options. Before you begin putting things away, also take time to consider how often you use them. If you use things daily, then they should be easily accessible. Items that are only used during special holidays or for entertaining can be stored in the bottom of closets or even in another room. Once those decisions are made, you can start organizing and putting things away with these helpful hints:

• Consider color as part of your organizational system, especially if you have kids


• If storing in stacked boxes or container bins, be sure to label the tops and sides so you can read what is in them without having to go through every box


• Store items by size and weight relation with the largest and heaviest items on the bottom


• Look into alternative storage solutions – a set of faux leather, oversized hat boxes would look great in a corner next to a chair and can hold books, magazines, pens, paper, nail supplies and more

DOUBLE DUTY FURNISHINGS
Alternative storage solutions can even be found in your furniture . . . many furniture companies now offer amazing pieces that double as extra storage space. If possible, try incorporating new pieces of furniture that serve multiple purposes, like an oversized ottoman that acts as a coffee table and allows you to store blankets and pillows for curling up on the sofa. Or, consider an end table that has a drawer at the top and a shelf at the bottom, allowing you store store remotes, flashlights and program guides in the drawers and stack books on the shelf.

Once you’ve finished the easiest room in your house, you’ll begin learning many other tricks that work great for you. When you get to the more difficult rooms in your house, take a deep breath and again, go slow; start with a single drawer or cabinet to make the job more manageable. Remember to think outside of the box and then start stacking them.

To view a bio and additional work samples from Diane M. Hancock, click here