Six Ideas to Make the Laundry Chores Easier

Laundry must get done, but it takes time to do it right.  Who wants to spend their time doing laundry?  Below are six ideas that can make doing laundry easier and more organized.  If it is easier, then the task is less likely to be dreaded as a major chore.  If it is organized, then it will be time well spent instead of feeling like it was hours wasted.

6 Ideas for Laundry Chores

1. Organize your laundry room!  Have all necessary supplies and equipment are there and in easy reach.  Open shelves are easier to work from than closed cabinets.  This also makes it easier to recognize when you are almost out of something.  You can add it to your shopping list instead of having to make an extra run just to get detergent.

2. Share the laundry chores with others.   Get everyone in the family to gather their own dirty clothes and bring them to the laundry room for sorting appropriately.  Older children should be taught how to help out with sorting and doing all types of laundry.  Start them washing with something easy like towels and after they have the hang of that, then show them how to do clothing.

3. Mobilize the process.  Instead of one "dirty clothes" hamper, make several available to be sure clothes get into the hamper instead of into a pile on the closet or bedroom floor.  If you have multiple larger bathrooms, then this is the logical space for hampers.  If bathrooms are small, then a hamper or laundry basket in each bedroom makes more sense for getting everyone to get together their laundry.  Baskets can be used to carry dirty laundry to the washing machine ares.  Then after washing, drying, and folding laundry, it can be returned to each basket to be carried into the correct bedroom.  When the basket is picked up by the clothing owner, clothes on hangers can be placed over the top of basket to go back to the closet into that bedroom in one trip as well.

4. Timing is everything!  If your washer and dryer do not have load buzzers to let you know a load needs to be moved to prevent moldiness or wrinkles, then consider using a timer.  The time can be a portable kitchen timer or an app on your phone.  Set it for about half an hour depending on your normal wash or dry cycles.  Carry it with you into other rooms where you are multi-tasking to save time by cleaning, exercising, or playing games with the kids.  When it goes off, check your load and reset timer if appropriate.

5. Do not like ironing?  You can prevent the need to iron clothes, if you get them out of the dryer quickly and then hang or fold them immediately.   Since immediate may not be possible if you did a large load, as you pull clothes out of the dryer, flatten stack things like t-shirts and shorts on top of the dryer so you can quickly hang up trousers and collared shirts first.  If you find you still have some wrinkles before wearing and hate to iron, consider tossing the item back in the dryer with a wet washcloth for 10-15 minutes to remove most wrinkles.

6. Scheduling is also important.  Some people like to do all their laundry on the same day so they have evenings free.  Others prefer a free weekend and plan 2-3 specific nights to do various types of laundry loads.  Do what makes the most sense for you and your family.  Having a schedule for laundry duties helps you manage your time better.  If you have older children, who will be helping with some of the laundry chores, a written schedule will keep them on track too.  

Get Organized for Laundry Time with Sorting Tips and Helpful Hints

You probably heard the nightmare stories of people who did not separate their whites from their colors and ended up with a favorite white item turning to pink, grey, or blotchy - thus being rendered unwearable.  So how do you separate your laundry so you do not end up with unintentioned tie-dye effects from color bleeding?  Sort first by what temperature of water, then by colors.  If you want to conserve water or do laundry less frequently, then sort colors mainly into dark and light load options.

Tips for Sorting by Temperature with questions:

1. Can it be washed in hot or warm?  Check the tags in clothing, most will say cold water.  What about towels and washcloths?  YES they can handle the heat for removing germs and fungus!  Undies and T-shirts - Hmm, maybe?  If it is pre-shrunk or previously-washed white undershirts, then yes.  If it is a colored T then NO!  Delicate fabric undies should be washed in cold (by hand or on delicate cycle), but most cottons and cotton blends can take hot. What about the socks?  Most can take hot so throw them in with the towels to remove odors and germs.
2. Is it denim?   Then let the jeans, shirts, and washable denim jackets pile up until you have 3 or more items to wash from this category.  This way those can be in their own small-to-large load to wash on COLD.  Denim is typically the most heavy-weight and color-bleed clothing, so let it bleed together to keep color darker longer and not damage lighter clothing  However, if it is an older softer pant/shirt and not likely to bleed anymore - plus you do not want to wait until you have a full denim load, feel free to toss it in with ta dark load of other cold items.
3. Should it be washed in cold?  Then separate into light and dark piles per below.  Why? To prevent the dark colors bleeding onto lighter colors of course.  

Tips for Sorting by Color when washing in cold:

• Whites - Separating is only necessary if you wear a lot of white and creams.  This will keep them whiter and brighter longer.  However, if you do not have a full load of whites, just toss those you want to wear soon or often into the lighter color pile.  
• LIGHTS - These should be your pastels and citrus-tone brights (lemon, lime, tangerine). If you do not have a full load of whites, just toss those into the lighter color pile.  
• Medium or Mixed - You have to make your own judgement by the most dominant color or the delicacy of the fabric as to whether it goes into the light or darker pile.  I find most non-black delicates seem to  fit more into the light pile.  
• DARKS - These are usually anything that does not fit into the above sorting categories. 
• Reds - These can be included with darks.  However if you love red and have lots of shades of this color, you may want to let dark pinks and various red shades pile up to make their own category.  This way the reds do not discolor others or become dingy by your navy or blacks.
• Blacks - Seen this as a recommendation similar to my denim above.  It is up to you if you want to just put them in separately, or add them to the denim pile for first washing, or just throw them into the dark pile after their original washing has removed excess dye.

Helpful Laundry Hints: 

• Washing denim inside out will help keep new color longer.  This will also protect the washer and dryer from scratches by the metal on most jeans.  
• Be sure to turn screen-printed items (such as message and image  t-shirts) inside out before washing to keep it looking new longer.  Why?  If you plan to machine dry because the design will stick to sides of hot dryer and slowly disappear with each new washing.
• Using a mesh laundry bag for delicates will allow you to machine wash more of them and reduce your need to hand-wash.  Also the same-type of bags can be used to protect items that snag or catch on other clothing easily - such as hosiery, crochet or loose knit tops, leggings, and anything with open-lace trim. Most items that you would put into a laundry bag would require line drying, so do not use the bags in your dryer. (NOTE: do not go the cheap dollar bag route, they may not last more than a couple of washings.)  
• Do not use fabric softener or only use it sparingly, same for dryer sheets.   People like to buy soft towels, but that fabric softener actually makes the towel less absorbent and therefore less effective.  Softener also leaves a residue on other fabrics that eventually make the clothing seem dingy instead of clean.  There are also health issues related to the use of the liquids.  To reduce static cling, consider using dryer balls or hang dry instead of using the sheets.  

If you have additional laundry tips, please share them in the comments for this blog post.  If you are looking for time saving laundry saving tips, check out ideas for laundry chores.  Happy laundry day everyone! 

How to Fold Almost Anything

I shared a great video for folding sheets in the past.  The 2-minute Fixology video below not only better explains how to fold the fitted sheet (see first video for storing method), it also includes clothing items you may want to: put in a drawer, pack in a suitcase, or put on a shelf.  If you are still confused about how they did the t-shirt since they do not talk your through it, check out the step-by-step video on t-shirt folding.

Cleaning Hacks and Infographics

It is time for Spring Cleaning!  My mother was the queen of clean, even from a wheelchair in her eighties! Her baby sister is also the princess of stain-removal!   Me?  My family is shocked by my cleaning almost everything with baking soda!  Below is an infographic to help you 

Cut Your Cleaning Time In Half, click the link at bottom of infographic to see larger size or download a copy.  For more great infographics to get you started, check for more at 10 Infographics That Will Make You a Pro at Cleaning Anything and another  "poster style" version at the bottom of the detailed text post for 11 Hacks for a Tidy and Clean Home.

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Home Office and Kitchen: Quick Organization Tips

Good Housekeeping
Sept.2017 Cover

In browsing at the September issue of Good Housekeeping (on Amazon), I found several good pictorial articles for getting organized to share.  For home office organization, there was a “spot the difference” in two modern desk area looks starting on pages 50-52.  The not so obvious “High or Low” difference was about $4,000 in cost.  If your home office is in a shared room (kitchen, family room, or bedroom), I suggest the use of a large rug as a mock room divider to keep the office in its designated space.  It is ok to spread out beyond the space for a big project as long as you re-confine the office work to the rugged-in area each day. I also like the revitalization of the idea of “Color Block Cubbies” on page 47, whether it is for work, play, various sports activities or by family member.

If you have a spouse or roommate who cannot properly “Load the Dishwasher” (pg. 94) or “Do Reorganize  the Fridge” (pg. 104) the way you like, you may want to leave the magazine lying around in a common area and have it open to the appropriate short article.  I can recommend their tips, since I am already obsessive about organization of these two kitchen appliances in the same ways.  You may also want to check out GH’s 3 chef knifes test or this kitchen knife chart.

Since we are on the kitchen topics, this issue had more than 10 recipe ideas.  I plan to try 1-Step Basil Pesto to see if it is as good as mine, since it appears much simpler.  I also want to try S’mores Icebox Cake for a future gathering.

Travel and Organization Tips

Good Housekeeping
July 2016 Magazine Cover

Great articles from the July 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine (on Amazon).

"16 Top Tested Travel Tips" - since this is in the magazine and not yet on the website, you may want to check out links in my older post Travel Tips and Packing Ideas. You may also want to check the luggage posts related to Carry-on vs. Checking for airport-related travel.

"How to Organize/Declutter Your Car" - here is a sample slide show from an older on-line version titled "14 Genius Ways to Organize Everything in Your Car" on the magazine's website.  As a bonus, I found this great blog post with ideas to keep the car clean as well as organized.

General Housework and Cleaning with Mamma

In previous posts, I shared how my Mom loved to cook and how we looked for things she could do as alternatives to her physical therapy.   You might not think cleaning is a fun alternative to exercise, but my Mom was a clean freak.  To her killing germs and having a neat, clean home was a sign of caring about the people and things around her.  With that in mind and with the therapists okay, I looked for ways to let her help around her own house.  I cleared the activities with her therapist before I introduced the various ideas to Mom.  Then I would plan to let her do at least one housework related task per week.  This way she could still felt useful and was less likely to get bored.  Bored?  Although Mom was forgetful, some things stuck in her head and she would wonder why she would need to do somethings again so soon.   That is why I tried to mix it up with things that should be done but were not urgent cleaning needs.

Please note that some of the links below may take you to Amazon to view an item.  As an Amazon Associate, I only get tiny commissions if you buy the item - so feel free just to view what I am talking about for your own information only.

Cleaning the floors was one substitute the therapist agreed she could do instead of her arm stretching and strengthening exercises. Mamma could not vacuum a carpeted from her wheelchair because it was too hard to push the vacuum and her chair too.  However, she could clean the kitchen and dining room floors if she had the right tools.  She was used to a straw broom, but I got her a Swiffer Sweeper because it is lighter, easy to push, and she could easily see that it was picking up dirt.  When she wanted me to “sweep the big stuff” first and then let her mop, we simply put the wet cloths on her Swiffer.   If there was an especially sticky spot which the Swiffer mop would not remove, Mamma had a spray-pump bottle she kept in the wheelchair with her.  Since Mom used to mop her floors with Pine-Sol when I was growing up, we made a mix of water and that for the floor spray.  This way she got the scent she associated with clean.  Mamma would spray the sticky spot and let it sit while she mopped on the other side of her chair, then come back and re-mop the sticky spot up.  She was amazed at what a good job the little Swiffer did as she made her way around and under the dining table.  Sometimes, she was tired after doing the small dining area and I would finish up.  Other times, she wanted to do the tiny kitchen herself as well. 

Since Mom like the Swiffer so much, I got her Pledge Wipes to use on the dining table, living room furniture, kitchen cabinets, and the ½ wood paneled walls in the dining room.  When I was a child growing up, Mom swore there was nothing better than Pledge for cleaning wood.  Due to her arthritis, she had problems pushing buttons on spray cans, so the wipes we a perfect solution.  When she wanted her bedroom dusted, she supervised the work I did in there.  It was harder for her to maneuver her chair to clean the way she wanted in her bedroom.  When we cleaned kitchen cabinets, I did the ones above the counter with paper towels and spray Pledge, as well as the counter-tops with Orange spray.  Mom did the cabinets below the counters using the wipes on the opposite side of the small kitchenette.  No matter where we cleaned, she always smiled when she saw the dust or grim was gone and a shine was left behind.

Another kitchen cleaning project that Mamma could use as an arm and hard therapy alternative, which we did every few months, was to clean up the refrigerator.  I would pull out a few shelves or drawers and put them on the dining room table.  Mamma would sit at the table with a bowl of warm soapy water that contained a wash cloth and a dry hand towel.  She would clean and dry whatever items were on the table while I wiped down the inner walls of that part of the refrigerator.   When the inside was done, we would get clean damp cloths and do the outside of the refrigerator.  Mamma would clean from the middle down on one-side, while I cleaned from the middle up another side.  Then we would switch places until both sides and the front were as clean as she thought they should be.  She was happy while doing the work but she always needed a short nap afterwards.

If we were not sure of the best way to clean something, my Mamma would suggest we call her baby sister and ask her.  She admired her sister’s ability to clean anything until it shined like new!

Handling Your Paper Files 2: Maintenance Tips

File Cabinet w Hanging Files

In my first post, I covered setting up your filing system.  In this post, I will share tips for maintaining those files.

Up Keeping

Everyone says they hate filing, but if it is done on a schedule rather than being put off, it can be a pleasant way to wind down at the end of a day or work week.  It is best to try to file a document as soon as you are finished with it.  However, this is not always practical especially if the files are not conveniently located for instant filing, try to file every day at the same time, whenever possible.  If there is not a lot of filing to do, pick a particular day of the week to do all your filing.  For daily or weekly filing, have a holding place for file items until it is time to do your filing.

Saving Time

For those files used by multiple people or which contain multiple folders, create markers to hold the location of the file in drawer when it is removed.  These markers may be empty folders labeled “Out”, “In Use”, “Return Here”, or post-it-notes/sticky notes that say the same thing.  Using a marker makes it easy to see that a folder is missing when someone is looking through the files, as well as where to put the folder back to reduce your filing time.  If you wish to further secure files to make sure they are returned, you may want to have an in/out log of who took which file and when it was brought back. 

When Traveling

A copy of the file information sheet or index card may be useful when you r traveling for work includes data review.  When traveling take a folder marked “File” that has the sheet or card stapled to front of it.  Then take another folder marked “Review” which contains documents or articles in it.  After reviewing a document, decide if it is for filing or trashing.  If trash, toss it if it is not a sensitive document.  If it is sensitive, place it in the “File” folder with the word “Destroy” written on it or have a third folder marked “Destroy” for these documents.  Then when returning from trip, destroy the documents appropriately.  If the document is for filing purposes, consult file sheet or card for file categories or names and mark it on the document via writing or post-it-note for where it files upon returning from trip.  Consider buying a set of sturdy plastic folders or pocket folders for this use when on travel. 

Purging and Archiving

Constant file maintenance includes each time a personal file folder is open and if it contains multiple sheets, quickly check through it to see if can toss any outdated materials to thin it.  If not a document control or configuration management requirement to keep old versions, be sure if you are filing revisions or reports to keep only the latest version.  Regular file maintenance is keeping files compact and up-to-date by planning regular times to purge files of old or no longer relevant data.  Purging could occur monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, or yearly depending on needs.  Keep only papers that will be useful later to save space.  Otherwise, trash it.  If you decide to get rid of any files that contain financial or contract data, check with lawyer or accountant first to see if records need to be archived to long-term storage for awhile.  Archive file cabinets and drawers are typically favored for storage of paper files due to their ease of entry.  However, if file drawers are not available or not practical in archival location, consider using boxes to store files on shelves.  Any records in long-term storage should be marked with the year of the data.  If storing archived files in boxes, type up a list of what is in each box.  Make two copies of list.  Secure one copy of list on the outside of the box and then the other in front of box, just in case the outside list tears or comes off.   In addition, mark on the box when records can be tossed so yearly clean up of archives may go faster. 

Going Paperless

Unless necessary, do not keep paper copies of files that may be stored in a computer for quicker and easier access.  Where possible, transfer any paper files to computer disks via scanning to prevent having to keep files full of papers. 

Handling Your Paper Files 1: Set-up Tips

File Cabinet with Hanging Files

Whether you work alone or with a group of people, there will be paper and there will be a need to file it.  Here are a few ideas for setting up and maintain a filing system.  If you are creating a file system for a business or office, there is a lot to consider.  So to keep if less overwhelming, I am putting the information in two separate posts: 1= Set-up and 2= Maintain.  So come back later for the second half.

Personal Workspace Filing

You will want to keep files you use daily close to the reach of your work area.  Consider either in front of a conveniently located file drawer or in a standing vertical file holder on your work surface.  This way you do not have to get up too often to get the data you need for current projects. All other work files should be in a different drawer or storage unit out-of-sight and out-of-the-way to prevent clutter and distractions.  Put files you seldom reference or archive files in a location other than your immediate work area. 

Selecting Storage

If you are using short but deep drawers to store items, use divided trays to store small items and keep them from rolling around.  This way finding items is easier.  Taller, wide drawers work well for using to store files, if a file cabinet is not desirable.  Actually, a file cabinet is just several file drawers stacked on each other in a stable unit.  Drawers that are not large enough to use for files and too large for small office items, may be used for storage of office supplies such as paper or large quantity purchases of smaller items.   When deciding where to place drawers, be sure to allow enough space to pull out drawers completely.

Setting-up

When setting up a filing system in your organization’s department, small business, or personal home office, hanging files will work best for your main categories.   Place well-labeled detail folders for sub-categories in the main hanging file.  Keep your filing system simple and easy to use.  If not easy and pleasant, appropriate filing will not happen in a timely manner.  If you think visual emphasis will make filing easier, color-coding by subject or importance may be desirable.  Color-coding can be the folder color or the label color but use only one method throughout system.  When filing information in folders, always place the newest information in the front of the folder.  Most often when consulting a file folder the most current data is what is required.  Therefore, if the newest information is at the front then the process of digging into the folder is quicker.  It is usually easier to skim through a thick file to find information than to have to search through multiple thin files to find the required data. 

Sharing

If others share filling system, jointly decide on what the filing system should look like.  If this is not possible, explain the filing system and get buy-in to it before proceeding.  If you are using a shared filing system ( such as in a business office) and it is set-up as something other than alphabetical, numerical, or date, then include a typed information sheet or index card on outside of the file location.  This information sheet makes it easier for others to understand the filing system.  Having the information sheet posted means no one has an excuse for not correctly re-filing so that others cannot find desired files in the future.  If you are sharing the files with others, you may want to consider placing the files close to a door to reduce interruption to work flow of the person sitting closet to the file location

Business Style and Reducing Closet Clutter

Glamour Magazine
March 2016 Cover

I was looking through the March 2016 issue of Glamour magazine (on Amazon) while waiting for an appointment.   I saw many ugly clothes, a few things I might consider wearing for professional looks (“What Are You Wearing to WorkToday?” and “How to Dress for the Job You Want: The New Rules”) and a little bit of actual glamour in the current fashions. 

I also found some short articles with really good ideas for cleaning and organizing your closet - so you can find those fashions you want to wear!  One article in the issue was the “9 Things to Take Out of Your Closet.” While looking for that article on-line, I found these two good articles:

• “7 Easy Ways to Make More Space in Your Closet” 
• “7 Things You Should Never Wear to Work.” 

Money Matters for an Organized Office

If you run a small business out of your home, store, or office, you need to control your money because it matters for running your business.  Or perhaps you or are in charge of various money distribution or travel arrangements for an organization, then you also need to keep good financial records. Below are a few suggestions for running an organized office with money concerns. 

If you use a petty cash box, it needs to be lockable and kept in a safe at night.  During the day, keep

it secure it to the inside of a lockable drawer.  If you do not have access to a safe, secure the box by mounting it in the drawer by screwing through it and into drawer bottom.  For security reasons, you need to be sure to have cash out and ready for known delivery times so no outsider sees where cash box is kept.  Also, be sure to keep a log of how petty cash is used to track expenses and know when to replenish it.  You will need to keep receipts of cash expenditures for accounting and tax purposes.

In your files, keep a list of credit card types, numbers, and expiration dates. This way it is easier to cancel and replace credit cards if one is stolen or lost.  In addition, having a list of all company cards makes it easier to collect back credit cards if someone leaves the business.  When traveling, make sure someone has access to a copy of the credit card list in case help is necessary for getting cancellation and replacement if something happens during your travel. 

In addition when traveling, if using travelers checks, make a list of travel check numbers and the number to call if they are lost or stolen. Again, you need to give this list to someone that can help get the checks replaced if something happens.  Also, be sure to take an envelope to put all expense receipts in during travel to keep them together for expensing later. 

Another financial data list that is a good idea to put together includes other vital data such as where all accounts are and what types they are.  Place this list in a secure place for future reference or give a copy to someone like a lawyer or accountant for safekeeping.  

Managing Time for Homework and School Activities

I have posted three videos aimed at helping students get organized fro school work.  I thought it would be nice to share a time management application aimed at students as well.  Maybe such an app would be a good solution to getting organized for better grades and less stress before the next school semester begins.  One app to consider is MyHomework which can replace your child’s traditional paper-based student planner with a digital tool on their favorite electronic device (phone, pad, or computer).  Check it out at the link above and then discuss it with your child to determine whether they would use it.  It is free and supported by advertising.  If you do not want to see the ads, you will need to pay for that option.  

The student video posts were:

• Organize Students with Homework Caddy
• Managing Study Time by Prioritizing Home Work
• Getting Organized with School Work 

If you would like to suggest more apps for school kids, put them into comments on this blog post. 

If you are looking for an app for managing your time, check out 9+ Apps for Time Management.

Organizing Your Files in a Cabinet or Drawer

When determining your file

Hanging folders in file drawer.

categories, do not make the system so complicated that there are several folders, each with only a few papers in them. Instead make a logical filing system of categorizing and sub-categories.  If you like visual clues to make finding files easier, consider color-coding your files with colored labels or folders.  

Categorizing

• Main Categories = Limit major categories between 6 and 10.  Start your filing category names with a noun verses an adjective or verb to keep things simple.  An easy way to do this is to file main or major categories in the order they will be used most by you with the least at the back.  Use hanging files with marked tabs are an excellent way to make it easy to see major categories. 
• Sub-categories - Create sub-categories within the main categories, if necessary. Subcategories would then go in individual labeled folders within the hanging folders.  Make your subcategories labels within the major filing either alphabetical or numerical to make searching easier.  Do not use both alpha and numbers on different folders as this becomes complicated and confusing.

Here are three types of data you may want to consider filing for future reference. 

Financial 

If your filing includes financial data and tax information, subcategorizing by dates makes more sense.  For instance, you may want a major category of IRS then subcategories by year for filing purposes.  Be sure all the supporting tax data is in the correct year folder to save time, if there is an audit.  Be sure to keep personal and business expenses separated too.  If tracking business expenses, keep mileage and expenses folder(s) by year or year/month to keep all receipts and travel records for future use in accounting or taxes.  A summary record at the front of folder or on a computer will help your better track your expenses.  If you are driving related to business, you may want to keep separate folders by year for mileage reports so the expense folders do not overflow.  Keep mileage and expense folders close together in your business or personal filing systems.    

Research 

If your filing includes research materials, literature, magazines, and catalogs keep only the most current information or the articles of interest rather than keeping the whole document.  Keep these items in appropriately marked folders by subject where data retrieval will be easy.  If you want to keep a file with references in it, the file should contain the name and number of a person to contact or a web site that may be accessed for additional data.  File your research and periodical clippings by subject category instead of by source name.  When looking for the clipping, finding it is more likely if you have filed it by subject.

Contact 

If your work requires a lot of people contacts, make referral folders for each person you will be communicating with frequently.  File the folders alphabetically by the person’s name (you decide if first or last name on folders works best for you) and then place the items to pass to the person or notes for discussion in the appropriate person’s folder.   This will save you time in getting ready for meetings with people as well as in the actual discussion, since everything is already together including any notes for have taken or wish to share. 

For general ideas on filing, see articles:

• Everyone Hates Filing - Yet - Everyone Wants An Organized Office - Right?
• Tips For Saving Time and Space With Files

Office Supplies in Your Work Space

Office Supplies

If you want to keep you work space organized, don’t have too many supplies lying around.  Keep only the supplies you regularly use in your immediate the work area.  Supplies that are only needed occasionally should be stored elsewhere or borrowed when needed.  Things like paper cutters, whole punches, copiers, fax, and others items are often not used on a daily basis and should be in a place where everyone that needs them can utilize them.

Stocking Supplies

You may want to be sure to keep plenty of your often-used supplies on hand to save having to order often or going to the supply store.  Keep a master list of the supplies you use often so you can tell when to restock.   When an item gets low mark it on your list, that way on next supply run can pick-up everything necessary at once or place a single order before running out of supplies.  Also, plan when seldom-used items are necessary as well in order to include them on an order or buying trip.   Only buy what is currently useful within the next few weeks.  Resist buying something that may be used but currently does not have a purpose.  Buying unnecessary items only robs you of storage space and eventually has to be part of a purging operation. 

Storing Supplies

If you are using drawers or cabinets to store supplies, label them with what is in each so you do not have to open each one when looking for items.  When deciding where to place furniture used for storage, be sure to allow enough space to fully open drawers and doors.  If you do not have drawers, you may want to consider bins or shelves for storing supplies.

What should your work surface be like?

Workstation

We have looked at what is best for a work chair in your office or at your work station.  Let us now
consider possibilities for your work surface for same activities.

Location

As they say in the real estate world, look for the best place to put your work surface within the limits of your available office space or within a room of your home.  Now that you know the real estate location, what should you consider next before placing the work surface into your work area?  Make sure the area feels right and that where the work surface is place is not a distracting location.  What do we mean by that?   For example having your primary work surface at a window with view of the garden may be calming to you, but having a view of the sidewalk or street may be distracting to you due to people or vehicle traffic.  Some people prefer to have their work surface facing a doorway so they can see who is coming into their area.  However, again this may be distracting due to people movement around the office or in the home, so it could prevent your ability to focus.  If you prefer turning your back to the door to prevent possible distractions but still want to know when someone may be entering your work area, a mirror posted on a wall above your work surface may be a solution to that as it limits how much you see behind you.  When it comes to location, you have to decide what works best for your focus and work style.

Primary

Your primary work surface should be at your elbow level.  That would be where your wrists remain straight and your forearms are horizontal when working at it. For most people, the primary work surface should be off the ground by 30 inches for handwriting and 26 inches for computer work.  However, to get the right height for you, concentrate on what keeps your elbows at approximately a 90-degree angle when working and does not cause fatigue your arms and shoulders.  If your work does not require use of lots of extra materials, then try to limit your movement with a work surface or desk that has drawers for storing what you are not using.  Having at least one deep drawer for files and other drawers for supplies and material storage makes working easier since your items are nearby when you need them. 

Organization

Keep urgent items on your work surface and everything else in baskets or files that are out of sight.  However, make sure they are easily retrievable when you need them.  When placing your tools or other work items on your work surface, place the items you use the most often within arm’s reach to prevent movement and strain.   Remember to save your workspace by removing things from the work surface when you are not using them.  One way is to consider hanging reference data, which is not sensitive, on a bulletin board close to the computer or phone.  If your data may be semi-sensitive, but not does not need to be secured by locking it away, tape it under your keyboard or pencil tray inside a drawer.  If your data does need to be under lock and key, place it in the first and closest folder in lockable file cabinet or desk drawer. 

Secondary

You may also want to consider having an optional standing work surface for some work tasks to reduce back strain from sitting too long. If you think two work surfaces require too much extra cash and space, remember this second work surface can double as extra space for spreading out if you have a task that requires.  If more work surface is often necessary for your work, you may want to consider using rolling tables, carts, or small storage or file cabinets to create an L-shaped area.  A cart with shelves that is movable for extra work surface or storage space wherever it is necessary may be ideal because you can move it out of the way when you are no longer in need of the extra surface area.  Or if the work is rare and not too large, you may just need a small triangular-shape table in an open corner for use as a temporary work surface.  If you have a credenza, chest, or other furniture which may be useful as a possible work surface, keep it clean.  That way your work area looks tidy and you are ready for those large jobs that need to be spread out over a larger area than your primary work surface allows.   

Re-purpose

It is also acceptable to use your guest chair, if one is available in the work area as a holding space for in-work items or reports.  Move this chair closer to the work area to limit your movement.  Using the guest chair in this way also has the added benefit of discouraging people from coming in, having a seat, and taking up your time when you have an urgent task or project to complete.  If people have to stand to talk with you, they will cover what they need to say and move on quicker.  If you feel the conversation is necessary, you can always empty the chair temporarily to the floor or another surface to allow for longer conversations.  Just make sure you keep the work stack within your line of sight, but not so close to the other person that it may be tripped over.

** Bonus tip for increasing your productivity- Stay organized by making sure you to clean off your work surface each day before leaving your work area.  This ensures a clean work area is available for you the next time you start working.

Shopping For Things Japanese and Unique

Diaso Pink Fish Bag/Purse

My son likes many things Japanese and is studying the language to move towards linguistic mastery.  He travels some with his current job and often meets tourists from Japan with whom he can converse to personally test his proficiency.  Someday, he aspires to possibly work with Google Japan where language mastery is required.  Anyway, he currently is into all things Japanese. 

Therefore, when a Daiso store was opened locally, we went to check out shopping for Japanese items.  I was surprised to find they sold more than candy, snacks, and trinkets like the smaller “far east” type stores do under a different name inside shopping malls.  They had lots of home items for the kitchen, as well as storing and organizing!  The variety was surprisingly larger than they offer via the internet. True, they are no Container Store, but they do offer several unique storage and organizing items at reasonable prices. 

There was too much to see in the short time we were there.  We bought some snacks to try, a bubbler, and I got a cute pink fish drawstring bag to store a long strand of pink freshwater pearls in.  Since you are supposed to store real or glass pearls in bags to protect the pearls and string, rather than hanging them which stretches the string prematurely.  I thought choosing a bag the same color as the pearls inside it would make it easy to quickly find the pearls I wanted to wear.  They also had a red fish bag, but I didn’t have red pearls and worried that the color might fade onto anything stored in the bag. The fish bags inside the store came in 2 sizes (priced the same regardless of size) and would be great gift bags for small items like jewelry. The largest fish size is less than 6 inches in diameter.  The store also has finger nail polish and hair accessories that could be good gift items to put in the bag.  The larger bag is may also be used a cosmetic purse or travel jewelry bag – so using it as a gift bag is like giving 2-gifts-in-1.

I plan to drop by again when I am in the area so I can more closely browse the aisles. 

Creating Lighting in Your Office or Work Space

Lighting in your work area needs to be appropriate for the work you are doing.  Using a soft or

Desk Lamp

indirect light to prevent eyestrain and related headaches is very important.  Deciding on where to place electrical lights or taking advantage of natural light needs to be considered.

Electrical Lights

Adequate overhead lighting is important to see things.  However, a ceiling light is often too far away for concentrated work.  In this case, your will need a lamp.  To save surface space, consider mounting lamps and lights on the wall.  Lamps should tilt so that it shines on your work surface and not directly in your face.  In addition, it should not reflect off a computer monitor into your eyes, cause a glare on the monitor, or a glare on work surface.  Lamps with a three-way option allow setting the light level as needed for reading, detail work, or offset for monitor brightness.  To save power in a work area where you may be doing off-hour work, consider a motion sensitive light or a small plug-in lamp, such as a night-light.  This will not affect others who may be working nearby,  prevent accidents if arriving before everyone else in an office , and will make it easy to find your work area in the dark without disrupting others. 

Natural Lighting

Using light through a window may be a low cost complement to electrical lighting during the day.  Windows can provide excellent and effective sunlight.  However, activity outside the window may be distracting.  You need to consider if these distraction may be good or bad for you while in your work area.  If  your window overlooks a garden or water, it might be a relaxing diversion from stressful work, but keep it a short diversion.  Excessive traffic outside a window can be a bad distraction. Windows may provide a sense of more light if the sunlight bounces off a white wall opposite that window, thus making the entire work area well lit.  Also, be aware that uncovered windows can affect the room temperature causing it to feel colder or warmer during specific seasons and certain times of day.  You can control or diffuse window light and better control temperature changes through the use of curtains or blinds.  

Selecting Shelves as a Storage or Display Option

You may have an office, you need to get organized.  Or you may have a collection of items you would like to display in your home.  Using shelves is a reliable way of storing and displaying items.  You can easily see most items using various types of shelves.  You need to decide which shelf option or combination best fits your needs and is most cost effective for you.  The different type of shelves include built-in, freestanding (both closed-sided and open-sided), cabinets, and modular.

Built-in shelves

If you want shelves are built-in or on the wall, you must make sure shelf frames or brackets are securely attached to wall and shelves are correctly in place before putting items on them.  If it is not secure, it can easily be tipped and fall, which may break items or hurt people. Whether your shelves are wall-hung or freestanding do not overload them as this can cause shelve bowing of the shelf and potential safety problems.   To reduce errors or prevent yourself and others from using the shelves for purposes other than your primary need, consider labeling them.  You can group items on the shelves by category or title and then label the shelves with what should be stored on each shelf or section of a shelf.  

Freestanding – solid-sided shelves

If you want freestanding units instead of nails or screws in the wall, be sure to place heavier items on bottom shelves to anchor the unit and lighter items on top to prevent tilting.  If your freestanding shelves do not look very stable, then you should consider bolting them to the wall for extra stability.  An advantage of freestanding shelves, especially those with solid sides, may be placing them back-to-back as a way to create more storage space in a small area.  Additionally, shelf units with solid backs may be useful as room dividers.  Bolting freestanding units together may increase stability, but may reduce flexibility for moving them around later on.  If the shelves are far apart and items to be stored are short, consider getting an extra shelf to put into units that are adjustable. If shelves are not adjustable, creation of additional space may be possible with the addition of hanging or stackable shelving units or baskets and trays placed between the shelves.

Freestanding - open-sided shelves

If open sides are not a problem for your storage needs, metal shelving or a baker’s rack can make a nice freestanding shelf unit.  This is especially true where shelves will be holding other types of containers that may hold office or art supplies.  Purchased baker’s racks may have wider shelves at the bottom so they are more stable or they may include wine racks at the top.  Wider shelves make it easier to have larger storage bins or baskets beneath.  The wine racks work well for rolling and storing large documents that will not fit in a file folder without folding, such as drawings or posters.  Baker’s racks are often more ornate and decorative than wooden shelves.  This makes them especially nice in areas that are seen by others.  However, these racks are sometimes too wide open on the shelves for all types of storage use.  This can be fixed by putting a thin board or cardboard over the shelf that will be covered by the items being stored or displayed. 

Cabinets

Cabinets are merely shelves or drawer units with doors to cover the items you choose to store there.  When deciding where to place cabinets, be sure to allow enough space to fully open the doors.   If you cannot open the doors completely, it will make opening drawers or removing large items harder.  Using cabinets make labeling neater because the outside of the drawer or the edge of the shelf can have labels that are visible when a door is open and hidden when it is closed.  If cabinets are not available and hiding items is still desirable, you can create closed or hidden areas using wall or corner shelving covered by curtains, screens, dividers, or special panels. 

Modular (or Cube) shelving

If you find yourself moving or rearranging your work area often, then bolting things to the wall or each other will only hinder that process. For other shelving possibilities, may want to keep things modular for flexibility in use and movement.  Modular units may allow for growth or decrease in space or work needs.  Modular shelving includes wooden or plastic units and cubes.  These are very functional for creating a shelf or wall unit for quick customization of your storage space.  These come in a variety of sizes that can accommodate music, books, and other objects.  These modular units have the extra advantage of being easily configurable to an unusual space and are often portable if need be.   Be sure to check the stack of modules for security and safety before loading materials on them.  Then check them again after the units are full to be sure they will remain in place.

In post Options to Consider for Shelving Book Clutter basic books were discussed.  If you want to store more floppy items such as magazines, pamphlets, catalogs or other non-book items, these may be better suited to drawers.  However, they may be stacked on shelves or a better method is to use a magazine holder to keep them upright in shelves as if they were a book.  Another idea is to use boxes or bins to lay them in so the entire thing can be pulled out to allow for finding the magazine or catalog that you need.  See also Storing Items using Bins, Baskets, Boxes, or Plastic Tubs for ideas on how to arrange for storing loose items on your shelves or work surface.

Tips on Getting Your Office Organized repeated

In the last one and a half years, I have posted several ideas for getting organized at the office, those post are noted below for your convenience.  For more ideas, see the 3 video posts from the To Be Productive business blog and the 1 from this blog below.

Tips from Office Organization Videos

• Six Useful Tips for Office Organization
• Ten Top Tips for Getting Organized at the Office
• Tips and Techniques to Best Use Office Space
• How toOrganize a Home Office

Tips from Office Organization Posts

• Organizing Your Computer Work Space
• Organizing Email and Interoffice Memos to Save Time
• Seven Tips for Organizing Paperwork in the Office
• Organize Telecommuting with a Mobile Office
• Organizing Equipment in Your Work Space

Organizing Equipment in Your Work Space

In a previous post, you learned tips for organizing your work space for computer use and how to make the computer itself more organized and safe.  Computers are not the only equipment in a home or work office.  There are printers, scanners, fax machines, copiers, and more.  Below are a few ideas for organization of this office equipment too.

Printer

If you use a printer often with a computer, place it on the work surface or a shelf near the computer.  If you want to purchase a printer, consider a 3-in-1 that has print, copy, scan, and/or fax capabilities as this will saves lots of space in the work area.  If the printer will not be  used often, because most work is on-line, then use a long cable to connect the printer and computer and place the printer on a surface or shelf in a spot out of the normal work space.  However, if you can get a Wi-Fi compatible printer for your computer, that may be better as it will not require cables.  Optionally, if you work for an organization and do not print often, consider using a company network printer to eliminate the need to have one in your personal work space.  If space allows, keep printer supplies such as stationery, labels, envelopes, extra paper, and ink cartridges near the printer in stacked bins or trays, on a shelf, or in drawers.

Scanner

Scanners are computer accessories that may be useful to place documents or pictures onto the computer for ease in storage or transmission.  If a scanner is desirable, be sure to get the one that fits your specific need.  Small scanners that will take business card data and import it into a contact database on the computer are especially useful for people in a sales or marketing position. Other document scanners differ in size from small units that roll paper in and out, larger flat bed versions for laying paper on top, or versions where a scanning unit may move across the paper on the work surface.  Do your research to determine which type of scanner best fits your need before purchasing one that may not do the job correctly or take more space than you are willing to allow for it.  The scanner placement should be relative to the computer based on how often it will be used, the same as a printer.

Copier

If a copier is often used for your work, then find the convenient place for it depending upon how often it is used and by how many people.  If multiple people use copier, then it should be centrally located for everyone’s ease in use.  If primarily one person uses it, then it should be closest to that person.  Whether that person uses it often or occasionally will determine if placement is near the work area or within the individual’s personal work space.  If work space allows, keep the copier supplies such as various sizes and colors of paper, labels, envelopes, toner, and more near the copier in stacked bins or trays, on a shelf, or in drawers.

If a copier will not be used often, is cost prohibitive, or there is no space for one, then consider computerized options.  For example if a computer with both a printer and scanner attached is available, a copier substitution would be by the use of the scanner to reproduce the paper to a copy and a printer to print out the copy.  There is also fax/copier/printer equipment available that can do double or triple duty while requiring space for only one piece of equipment. 

Fax Machine

Facsimile (fax) machines are not as common as they once were, due to the internet and being able to send much data via the computer.  However, if a fax machine is required for your type of work, locate it in different area from the normal workflow.  This way when the occasional fax does come in, a break from work will be going to get the fax.    

Even better than a fax machine, is to eliminate the equipment with fax software on a computer that allows sending a fax via the phone/internet/network connection directly to a fax machine or computer elsewhere.  This allows the fax composition, viewing on the computer, transmitting to others, or saving for later reference.  If a paper copy of the fax is desirable, printing it from the computer is an option.  Consider using the computer in lieu of a fax machine if you are receiving few faxes and therefore a separate line for fax may not be necessary.  If the computer is a usable option, the additional benefit of not having to pay for two phone or internet lines may make using the fax software cost effective.  Another option to consider is fax/copier equipment that can do double duty as a fax or copier while requiring space for only one piece of equipment.   See printer section for more ideas.

Other Equipment

Other equipment would include any machines, appliances, or devices used in work or creative endeavors that do not fit into other categories listed before.  For this equipment, determine if it is still useful and if it belongs in the new work area.  If it does, then include it in organizing plans.  If it is no longer useful, then determine how best to toss it and move on.  When you are looking for new equipment, do research, shop around, and get the one that best meets your needs.  Bells and whistles seem great, but if they not used what good are they really?    If the equipment is necessary often for your work or special projects, it should be in the primary work area.  If not, place the equipment in an alternate location to save workspace for other things.