Mom's Best Tip for Staying Organized

My Mom was a naturally organized person. Everything had its place in the house. When she finished using something, she put it back in its place. She called me a packrat because many things were special to me. My room was always full, which meant cluttered, to Mom. 

As the oldest daughter, I spent my life shadowing Mom, helping her, and learning everything she did. While I didn't meet her standards for keeping my room orderly, just living with Mom, I learned the principles of how she kept the whole house orderly. 

As a Professional Organizer, I often work for clients who do not have my Mom's knack for staying organized. They are happy to pay me to clear the clutter, and restore a pleasant environment. Delighted with the new-found order, they often express concern about keeping the order after I am gone. 

I offer them the best tip I learned from Mom. It was like a mantra I heard her say over and over, my entire life. "Don't Make Mess on Top of Mess." Working with clients, I aim to locate things in places that make sense to them, in light of how they live and work. The goal is to store each item in the place the client would naturally go to look for it. That makes finding and putting away, a no-brainer.

The trick comes in when someone has found and used something, or many things, for cooking, or doing a project of some sort. The result is lots of items on a counter, or a table while they are in use. Often happy with the satisfaction of completing the task, or hurried by time to move on to something else, the clean-up gets neglected. Clutter is born out of those items not put away. 

So Mom's best tip for staying organized is "Don't Make Mess on Top of Mess." Take the few minutes to clean up and put away one project before beginning the next. This works for things as simple as the dishes. Take a minute to rinse the breakfast cereal bowl and spoon and put them in the dishwasher, and the lunch plate and glass, too. Then by dinner time, the counter and sink are available. The room looks organized and inviting giving you much more incentive to begin the next task. 

My Best Wedding or Event Planning Tips

After participating in planning a wedding recently, and serving as the Coordinator on the big day, I came away with some tips to make it easier. 

Start the Planning Early 

There are more decisions to make than you realize. So give yourself plenty of time to get clear on what your budget is, and what your options are. Then you can choose exactly what you want. This is your day or your event, so put your signature on it. Securing your venue is likely going to need some lead time. Do you know that some venues book a year or more in advance? Onine, there are many great planning checklists with timelines to help you.

Create an Outline and a Timetable

Have a timetable of what needs to be done in the months, weeks, days before the event. Do as many things as possible before the big day. 0Furniture is best assembled and put up in jeans, not tuxedos.) On the big day, double or triple the amount of time you think things will take. There will always be unexpected things that need to be handled. Have a clear timetable of how you want the day or evening to flow. A wedding coordinator is a great help with making this happen as you wish. 

Arrange for Available, Capable, Reliable Help 

Remember that a person can only be in one place at a time. So don't assign the wedding party to be putting up tables and decorations at the same time they are supposed to be getting dressed, or having a run through. Tell your trusted helpers exactly where you want them to be, at what time, and what exactly you want them to do. 

Have a Quick Repair Kit and a Plan B for as Many Things as Possible

Any big event, particularly a wedding, is live performance, similar to theatre. So you never really know what to expect. What if it the decorations won't stay up? What if it rains when you plan to be outdoors? What if the tablecloths arrive wet and unusable? What if some of what you rented doesn't get delivered? What if a bridesmaid steps in her hem and tears her dress before the ceremony? 

Make a kit with needle and thread, scissors, tape, safety pins, bobby pins etc. Definitely make both an indoor and outdoor plan if the weather is iffy. Have one or two people willing to help with anything unforeseen that arises. And simply decide that it is going to be wonderful, no matter what happens, and enjoy each moment. Just like theatre, the audience never notices most of the slip ups, they just remember how the event makes them feel!