We asked our readers to share their best organization tips with us. The tips are divided into six categories. Read on to see if yours is here.
Cleaning
- Keep
a garbage bag in your car to keep your car tidy from trash that could
accumulate. Bethany, Milwaukee
- Clean
up as you meal prep! What a difference it has made for my time spent in the
kitchen. Stacie,
Goshen
Decluttering
- First,
out with the old! Then able to organize. Denise,
Bronx
- If
you haven't worn it or used it in a year, get rid of it. Kevin,
Newburgh
- When
organizing take everything out and start with a clean slate. Lauren,
Springfield
- Organize
one drawer or cabinet each weekend. Marissa,
Liberty
- Go
through closets each season and donate, donate, donate. Renee,
Warwick
- Making
sure the desk is clear of paper at the end of every day...start with a clean
slate tomorrow! Todd,
Albany
Labeling
- Using
labeled bins to organize the pantry. I watch a lot of hacks online to organize
my space. Andrea,
Hopewell Junction
See what our staff had to say about this great
Planning
- Make
a plan and stick with it by setting goals. Albert,
Poughquag
- “Visual
schedules, 1 minute rule: if you can do the job in a minute or less, do it now
instead of putting it off!” Allison,
Putnam Valley
- I
am a family of 4. In my calendar we each have a color to indicate which one has
something going on every day. That way I know who to prepare for the next day. Amy,
Middletown
- “Collect
all the data! Make note of where all the schedule updates come from - different
email lists, texts, apps, etc. and make sure you’re subscribed and get
notifications/alerts to see when there are new dates, changes, etc.” Anneliese,
New Paltz
- Set
reminders on your phone or set a timer when you have time constraints and need
to move on to other tasks. Annemarie,
Clinton Corners
- Meal
Planning! No more scrambling to figure out what's for dinner or last mute trips
to the supermarket. Bethanne,
Fishkill
- Keeping
my schedule on my phone on a widget that can be seen every time I open my
phone. Heather,
Saugerties
- “Color
coding with markers for chores, points, and bathtime schedules. Kids pick random markers, each marker color
has a corresponding chore. Points are given (and taken away) as colorful
pompoms to fill a jar for a special outing/toy/request. Bath time schedules are
done with self-decorated by children popsicle stick to rotate.” Jennifer,
Hopewell Junction
- My
kids put any school-related paperwork that needs parent attention or approval
in a special basket. The basket is right near where they keep their school bags
so that they can remember to take out any important notices. They’ve gotten
into the habit so that now I don’t have to rummage through their school bags or
continually ask them every day if they have anything for me to review. Margaret,
Pelham
- “I
have 5 children and organization is a MUST in my home. I label all my children’s
things by color. Each child has their own favorite color and that is what we go
by. Colored baskets, colored chairs, colored bags and colored LISTS. Each child’s
chores are listed based on their favorite color and all they have to do is
follow the color list and do what is stated under their color. We have fun with
it and the children LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it this way.” Stephanie,
Middletown
Sorting
- Making
a list on your phone on your phone notes app do you don't forget. And adding
bill due dates to your calendar. Jennette,
Poughkeepsie
- I
use hanging shoe organizers for weekly outfits. One for each day of the week
for my kids. Karen,
Hopewell Junction
- Our
Winner “This might sound crazy
but laundry at my house is insane. We just moved our two girls into their own bedrooms
and gave them their own hampers. So, my 8-year-old now does her own laundry. We
toss it all in one wash - wash it on cold. Nothing too complicated. I help my 5-year-old
because she’s young and too short, but trying to show her how so she can handle
it as she gets older. It shows them responsibility and helps ease up the never-ending
laundry for me. It isn’t super organizing but it helps keep me on top of the
laundry better which means less laundry in the house which means a more
organized house.” Liz,
Wappingers Falls
- “Organization
is subjective. If clutter being out of site out of mind is what best suits you
then it’s ok to have a junk drawer or messy closet. Let those be the places you
can easily store something until you have the time and energy to thoughtfully
rehouse. If you donate as much as me, you’ll want to keep a box in a closet or
in the garage to quickly tops the outgrown clothes and toys. Never forget the
power of purging. If you haven’t used it yet you probably won’t ever. No need to
organize items that just move around the house.” Maureen,
Wappingers Falls
- Everything
should have a home! If things are sitting out in the open and they don't have a
home - find a home for it or get rid of it! Helps majorly with clutter. Michelle,
Poughkeepsie
- “Labels
are a necessity. Donate, sell or throw out anything that hasn’t been used or
worn in the last two years.” Tracy,
Lagrangeville
- “Documents
& receipts are the biggest challenge in keeping things organized in our
family. Anytime I get new papers that may or may not be needed in future, I try
my best to scan them right away using CamScanner App, convert it into a PDF
file, and save them in my computer into categorized folder. I then shred the
originals. Make sure to have a backup copy in an external hard drive though!” Umesh,
Poughkeepsie
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