Ask the organiser - finding the right handbag

Is it normal to want to switch purses about as much as you change your underwear because you can't find one that is "just right"?

Part of my problem is I can find a planner that I want to stick with. I feel comfy with a 3 ring binder planner, but I guess can't make up my mind what size. I don't really want to carry around a lot and I guess I try to be like the other moms around me but my situation is different; I sometimes would like to just have a pocket planner, but I like to see details, ya know?

I am a mom, wife, have a part-time Avon business, work overnights, and am the only driver, I keep track of all administrative aspects of the house and am just confused. Do you think I should just stop and analyse what I like and need and stop trying to adapt to other people...

Charity Wilt

It is absolutely normal to want to keep switching purses (I call them handbags). That's because either you haven't found what works for you, or you don't want to accept what is right for you and your situation. There's no point having a tiny bag if you have lots of stuff you need to carry around.

You are comfortable with your 3-ring binder and it's working for you, so EMBRACE that. Don't try and be like all "the other moms" because your situation and theirs is so different.

About the size, I understand you don't want to lug around a huge binder because a) it's unattractive and b) it's heavy so my suggestion is to experiment going to a slightly smaller size and see if that compromises much on how much detail you can see on the pages. You should be able to tell after about a week if it's working for you or if it's cramping your style, in which case, switch back :)

I think with the handbags there are two things that happen to me:

1. I get bored with using the same handbag day after day after day, which is why I have about 20 (tell your husband - he'll think you're great for only having 6!)
2. I do find that I can use one for a long time if it's really functional.

I bought this beauty a few weeks ago. I love this colour because I feel sassy whenever I wear red. Also, there are so many pockets which means everything has a place and I never have to hunt for anything in this bag. Which also means it stays neat and tidy, another bonus!

I've used this one for the last 3 weeks non-stop without getting irritated (which is big, for me).

So, Charity, getting back to your question... I think you'll keep changing bags until you find a really functional one that also looks good. Definitely make a list of what you're looking for so you can keep your eyes open, and also when you're in the store, repack your things and "fit on" the bag so you can see if it works for you.

Related posts
Organising my handbag
Organising my green handbag
Tackling my handbags

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Mind map it!

Sometimes, when you're not very far along on the Journey to Organisation, you may start feeling overwhelmed.

There are SO many places to start so you become indecisive.

Should I start in the kitchen? Should I start in the study? Should I start in my craft room? Maybe I should tackle the kids' rooms?

HELP!

Okay, okay, re-lax...

Here's what I suggest you do:

1. Grab a piece of paper and go to one room. Do not leave until this is done.
2. Draw a circle in the middle of the page and write the name of the room you're in (let's just say you're in the office, since this is what I love organising).
3. Then draw spokes like the rays of the sun for each section in that room that needs to be organised - e.g. desk, bookshelf 1, bookshelf 2, etc.
4. Now look at each individual area and draw some more spokes off of each main spoke. For the desk you may have...top of desk, drawer 1, drawer 2, under desk, and so on....

Now you have a visual plan of EVERYTHING that needs to be done in a particular area.

Then you tackle each of those sub-spokes until all the little sections are done. As you finish a section, cross it off in a different colour.

The thing is, those little bits can easily be done in 15-minute segments and before you know it, you've sorted an entire room.

At least then there's one room you can call a sanctuary - and then the next, and the next...

If you're a more linear thinker and don't like the "messy" nature of mind maps (for many years, I didn't either but I seem to be "breaking loose" these days), may I suggest that you print out the master to-do list on my site under Free tips and downloads. Use a different page for each room and simply list all the areas, one after the other.

Everything is still contained on one page, just in a linear, logical fashion. You'll still start working on one room at a time.

This works for me. Has this post helped you? Leave me a comment and let me know how you prevent overwhelm.

Travelling light - how to organise your clothes

This is how I usually travel for 4 - 5 days within South Africa. This is an actual picture of my luggage when we flew to PE for our anniversary last year.

(when I wrote those two sentences, it reminded me of the lady's voice on the London Underground. This is West Ham. This is a district line train to Upminster. If you haven't been on the Tube, you'll think I'm crazy).

Anywayyyy, and this is how we travelled to the UK and Ireland for 22 days in May 2008. The blue and grey bags are mine and the lime-green and red ones belong to Dion.



Aren't you impressed?

I never thought I'd EVER be able to travel like this. Never.

But wait!

We went on a 3-day trip from Dublin to Cork and surrounding towns (Kinsale, Clonakilty, etc.) and I only took the backpack! I know, I can hardly believe it myself.

Do you remember my super-duper plan to keep within the cabin luggage allowance of 15kg?

It worked.

I threw away decluttered 7 long-sleeved tops, 1 t-shirt, 4 pairs of socks, 2 books and of course, all the presents we took with us.

I was prepared to throw away some more stuff so I packed those right on the top in case they asked us to pay. Fortunately, I was only 0.8kg over so they didn't charge us anything.

I will definitely do this again when we travel because it worked for me.

How do you make sure you stay within the baggage allowance when you fly? Or do you just pay if your bags are too heavy?

Organising your CD listening

Please excuse the shockingly bad pictures - as you can see, with and without flash was equally bad!





















In an effort to overcome perfectionism, I am just posting them and trust that you'll still hear my message LOUD and CLEAR.

Anywayyyy, I have this weird tendency where I like all my CDs to be listened to equally so this is what I do.

(if the pictures were better, you'd be able to see but ...well...we do what we can)

One of my goals for the year is to listen to a worship CD every week. I'm not in the car very much because I work a mere 20 minutes from home, and I must listen to the news, so this is a real stretch sometimes.

So I take a CD to the car on Mondays usually and try and listen to it twice all the way through during the week. This is to keep me focussed on God and not on the other drivers cutting in front of me, etc.

On Fridays when I get home from work, I take the CD and return it to my CD rack, but upside down, with the writing facing the other way. So when I choose the new CD for the next week, I know immediately which ones I've already listened to.

And so on. And so on.

And when they're all the wrong way around, then I flip the whole rack (that's the kind of CD racks we have) and start all over again. Bear in mind that I only have about 15 worship CDs that I LOVE, so it's really not that complicated a system.

That's what works for me!

Draft blogger works for me

Early in April I read about draft blogger on a works for me wed post.

I immediately set out to try it because that's what I do - I am impatient about learning new things and I just can't wait to try things out.

Oh my word - and it worked beautifully, so I set up the next week's worth of posts which all posted on time.

And I was hooked.

I'd considered moving my blogger blogs to wordpress because of exactly this functionality since as you know, I plan my blog posts.

Not anymore. Or at least not for that reason.

This feature enabled me to write up all the posts and schedule them to publish while I'm away on holiday.

I love it! And it's definitely working for me.

• Simply log into http://draft.blogger.com/home and
  you'll see your normal dashboard.

  Type your post and change the post date and time.

  Click Publish and you'll get a "this will be published on _______" message.

  As easy as that - you are done!

BTW, my website and Clutter Control Freak are both on wordpress and I can't figure out how to increase the font size there. Can you help?

Keeping your junk drawer organised

Just because it’s a junk drawer doesn’t mean it has to be disorganised!

Have a space for everything
Make this as general or as specific as you like.

Small stuff together, big things together, children’s things together, etc.

Use lots of dividers!
You can use an old cutlery tray, the bottoms of cereal boxes, etc.

Clear it out regularly
I like to put a bit of masking tape in the corner with the date when I last organised the drawer. This will also help if you have unidentified keys – you know if you’ve had them there for 6 months that you probably won’t use them ever again, so you can throw away.

This is what works for me.

How do you organise your junk drawer?

3 questions that will reduce your clutter by 50%

Flylady says you can't organise clutter and I absolutely agree with that statement.

One of the mistakes we all make is we try to organise the stuff in our home by buying storage containers, moving it around from room to room, and arranging it differently within the room.

I want to propose a different approach:

Before you even bring it into your home, ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. can I afford it?
2. do I need it?
3. where will it go?

I've been asking myself, "where will it go?" for years now and just this ONE question has stopped me from many an impulse purchase. It's definitely working for me.

Write these 3 questions on a post-it note and stick it in your wallet.

If you have a clutter problem, next time you're at the shops, make sure you ask yourself these 3 questions before you buy anything. And if you've bought some things recently and you don't have the money or the space for them, return them!

Which other questions can you add to this list?

WFMW - organising my handbag

Today is a recycleable WFMW so what better time than to recycle and talk about one of my favourite things - my handbags :)

This is what I wrote last year...


I love handbags! Honestly – my mother used to tease me about it when I lived at home because I always had my handbag with me.

But you know what happens if you buy something that doesn’t suit your lifestyle? Everything is a mess and you can’t find anything in there.

By the way, I bought this one at House of Leather in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a lovely versatile size and so is the colour. They also had lilac ones which were also stunning but I decided to go with this neutral colour.

So if I can, I try and choose a bag with the right amount of pockets. If you ever go into a handbag shop and you see a woman emptying all her stuff into a new handbag, that’s me ;) Because I want to make sure my diary fits nicely along with everything else .

The two bags pictured are absolutely perfect for me! I wish I had more exactly like them and I’ll tell you why now.

1. Two pockets – to separate the book stuff from the other stuff

2. The book portion has enough space for my A5 day planner, my small notebook and my business notebook (where I write my weekly business goals).

3. The other side has two little pockets. One for tissues, my little, orange calculator and a pen, and the other for my cell phone.

4. You can see my gorgeous, green wallet on the left, next to that my make-up bag and my blue pencil case.

So everything fits in beautifully.

Karen, here is the red handbag you commented on before.


But if I do use a bag with little or no pockets, then I use some see-through mesh bags (R12,99 for 3 different sizes at Sheet Street) to organise my stuff. It makes it so easy to find things and to change handbags.

This is what works for me.

Now, what does your handbag look like?

How do I keep it organised?

There is such joy and pleasure from seeing a beautifully organised and functional space.

But how do you keep it looking that way?

After all, life happens, husband, children, YOU (!) all need to use the space and before you know it, it looks like a bomb went off and destroyed your organisational bliss ;)

So I understand why this is the ONE question I get asked more than any other (after where do I start?).

I have two words for you: REGULAR MAINTENANCE.

There is no quick fix although... the more regularly you maintain, the quicker it takes.

It's the old adage of a stitch in time saves nine!

I've shared before that I do my filing about once a week. It takes me less than 5 minutes and I usually tackle the pile while waiting for an audio to download, or something quick like that.

However, if I leave the filing for a couple of weeks, it's a 30-minute session when I get around to it.

So let's go over the maintenance process:

1. pick a regular time (5 minutes per room per day is a good place to start)
2. link it to something you normally do (I switch on the kettle for my last mug of tea/ coffee every night; while the kettle's boiling, I do my quick tidy/ organise of my desk/ study area because I hate starting work in a mess)
3. don't stress if you don't get to it one day (keep a positive attitude and start again the next day)
4. constantly tweak (if something's not working, change it to suit your lifestyle)

This is what works for me.

How do YOU keep it organised?

P.S. Have you heard my welcome message on the sidebar? --->>> (under my picture)

Favourite organising tools #11 - Ziploc bags

If I had to go around my house taking pictures of all the ways I use Ziploc bags, I could probably start a Ziploc blog - the obsession is that bad!

I am reading Angela Yee's book, I'm not neat but I'm organized, and she said says for storage, to always choose clear over opaque. That's what reminded me of why I love Ziplocs so much. And of course, I agree totally. I always tell people to only buy clear plastic containers for the kitchen - it will change your life. No more food going off because you can't remember what's in the back of the fridge.

Anywayy...here's how the Ziplocs work for me

I have all sizes, all colours in my cupboard because they're just so versatile. But I will restrain myself from gushing and only tell you about a few of the uses in my home!

1. This is my organised travel toiletries bag. It stays permanently packed. As you can see, I have lovely green Jiffy bags for hair, face, body and make-up. It's easy when I get back to see what I need to replenish so I'm ready for the next trip.


2. Then we have my gym clothes. I don't like my shoes touching my clothes - am I weird? So I put my gym shorts, T-shirt and socks in a big Ziploc like this and toss that on top of my takkies (sneakers) in my gym bag.
3. And of course, I blogged about the gift wrap in December. I love the way the ribbons and bows are all kept separate yet you can see exactly what's in each packet.


Some of the other ways I use Ziploc or Jiffy bags:

Kitchen

1. Open bags of biscuits (cookies) or chips
2. Cheese
3. Cucumber
4. Ice blocks (take up less space in the freezer in a ziploc than in the trays)
   

Study

1. keep different categories of greeting cards separate - birthday, thank-you, Christmas, etc
2. iPod, cords and charging station
3. camera cords

What do you use Ziploc bags for?

Here's how Suzanne uses Ziplocs.

Organising library books

We are BIG readers in this house. I bribe the librarians with donated books so they let me take more than the standard 6 at a time. Now you know there's nothing I won't do for books.

I've shared before how I am weak when faced with book sales but for the most part, I buy non-fiction and get fiction from the library.

This little table is next to my main desk in the study.


My stuff is on the left and Dion's is on the right.

1. When I get home from the library, I unpack the orange bag and stack all the books on the top.
2. As I finish reading, the books go back in the orange bag. The idea is that by the time the books are due back, all of them are back in the orange bag, ready to go.
3. Of course that never happens but at least I know immediately which ones I have to renew and which can be returned.
4. This system works beautifully for me!

As for Dion's pile, I have no idea what his system is :) Incidentally, we bought his bookbag (folded under that blue book) at a bookstore called Collins at the Sydney airport for AUS $2.

Do you take books from the library? What do you do to organise your books?

Our launch pad works for me

I have a 3-drawer wicker thing just inside our door.



1. Now it's summer here (south africa) so we have caps in there - the sun is potent and whenever we go outside I like to be protected - and of course, our individual umbrellas (they are the small ones).

In winter, I keep gloves, scarves and woolen caps.

One drawer each and an extra for miscellaneous of the same type (extra umbrella, or extra gloves).

I put the 2 gloves together and turn them inside out so they are little balls (hope this makes sense) so there's no hunting around for a missing glove.

2. I keep my church Bible on top of the wicker thing.

3. My office in a bag and our gym bags are also there, as well as any errands that have to be run.

So before I leave the house, I grab my handbag, work bag on the other side of that wall, and then anything else from this little station.

It definitely works for me!

How do you remember what to take with you?

Organising with health problems

I'm working smart today and making this my Works for me Wednesday post!

Jo has left a new comment on your post "Fall Y'all bloggy giveaway - a virtual organising ...":

My organizing question is- how does a mom of three, who has cancer and health problems, become good at organzing despite her Adult ADD? Tough one I know but one I battle constantly. WANT to organize, exhausted all the time, start something and never finish. I just want to get things done for once.

Here's what I sent Jo in an email but I'd love you all to also pitch in with your ideas.

Hello again and thanks for your great question.

1. If you know HOW to organize (have systems and so forth), then I’d get some highschoolers in, pay them minimum wage and get them to do it according to your specifications.


2. Can your relatives help?


3. Advertise on your blog for someone good at organising/ professional organiser to come in and help you – maybe do an hour or two free and you can do a nice testimonial for them.

The main thing is that once the systems are there, you can get anyone to “follow your rules” even if you physically can’t do so.

Readers - please share your ideas in the comments! Thanks.

If you want to answer some more questions :), visit http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com

WFMW - Organising your craft supplies

Now that I'm making these beaded bookmarks all the time, I needed to have a cheap solution that took up very little space and kept things organised.

I took a box and used 2 ice-cube trays from a set of 3, and used the partitions to keep all the beads and my other bits and pieces separate. The box is quite deep so I can easily put another layer or two of trays on top of a piece of project board as I get more and more beads (although I am not keen on just buying and buying).

BTW, if you look on the left of the box, you'll see the gorgeous purple ones that I (almost) don't want to sell. I am crazy!

For the moment, this really works for me. I can see at a glance when I'm running low and I can see which I need to make more of :)

I actually need to declutter as well (don't laugh) because I bought some big bags of assorted beads and I can see I'm not really into some of them so will donate to my friend's daughter.

How do you organise your crafty stuff?

Favourite organising tools # 8 - sunshine organizer

I am so excited to tell you about this favourite tool of mine - the Sunshine Organizer. This calendar really works for me.

I was given mine as a gift and I had hardly walked in the door when Dion put it up on our wall and started filling it in. I had a small one up already but we both love this one so much because there is A LOT of space. And it's yellow/ orange so it makes me happy!!!


This is perfect for a family with kids, or any busy family (like ours). There's enough space for Dion's stuff and for my stuff and best of all, neither of us has to scrunch up our handwriting to make it all fit :)

The features of the calendar include:

1. 14 months (starts in Nov 2007 and runs through to Dec 2008)
2. Large blocks to write in
3. Lined blocks to write straight
4. See your month at a glance
5. Starts with Monday so you have Sat and Sunday together ( shaded)
6. Emergency Numbers
   

When you open it to hang on your wall, cupboard, etc, it looks like this. Look how much SPACE there is!!!

back of calendar with instructions for use, emergency numbers, space for telephone numbers, etc.

this is a page in use - see all the writing, stickers, etc. Lovely!

Because I love this Sunshine Organizer so much, I offerered to put a link in my store so that you, dear blog readers, can also get your own one. Scroll down the front page just a bit to view the details.

It only costs $18.95 or R130 which of course, includes packing and postage. Please note there are two buttons so please choose International or South African. International readers, it will get to you within 3 weeks and South Africans, it will get to you within a week. Or if you're really desperate to get yours, you can collect from Debbie, the creator of this gorgeous product, in Randburg.

Buy your copy now.

Works for me - double-duty items

I recently came across this two-in-one dust pan and bathroom bin at Pick & Pay for about R15. They had them in lime-green (pictured), hot pink, yellow and blue.

I love it because when it stands upright (like in the picture), it is a bin and when I want to sweep the bathroom, I just turn it on its side and it scoops up the dust. I also like that it can fit into my small bathroom's awkward corner so I use less space.

I've had this for a few weeks now and it certainly works for me.

3 kinds of lists that work for me

There are 3 kinds of lists that I use.

Master list
This is a place for a "brain dump", a place for ideas you might want to pursue in the future or possible projects

You can work off one master list for months, like I do with business or blogging ideas.

I have a master list of things to do in the house which I've been working on since we moved in. Honestly, I think there will always be items on this list.


To-do list
This list can be monthly, weekly or daily.

The difference between this list and the master list is that this one has a time deadline to it.

I have a monthly to-do – I keep this one with broad goals like go to the gym 10 – 12 times – a weekly to-do with about 5 - 7 business tasks to get done and then my daily to-do which spreads out those 5 – 7 tasks so that I have only 1 or 2 to do daily.

I want to caution you to only put about 6 items on your daily to-do list so you don't become overwhelmed!

Checklist
This is a place with a list of items which you check/ tick off.

Examples are my shopping and travel lists.

This list is ideal for anything you need to do regularly, like a list of weekly cleaning tasks, office supplies, routine business tasks, etc.

Do you like using lists? Which ones do you use?

Ultimate guide to productivity - my top tip is...

Here are the rules from Instigator Blog:
1. Write a post on your best productivity tips.
2. Include links to other people that have written posts, or include their tips in your post with proper attribution.
3. If you use Technorati Tags then tag your post “ultimate guide to productivity”.
4. Tag others in your post to spread the meme. Tag as many people as you like!
5. Link back to Instigator Blog, email Ben and he’ll be sure to include at least 2 links back to you.

Happy Productivity!

My top productivity tip is FOCUS.

This is THE SINGLE WAY I get lots of things done. Single-minded focus.

I always have lots of great ideas (I don't just call them good ideas :)) floating around my head but when you start lots of projects all at the same time, that is the surest way to get nothing done ;)

So I prioritise my list and focus on one thing at a time.

And sure enough, when I'm all there in mind and body, things get done quicker and more effectively.

And how do I stay focussed?

Well, you'll have to come see tomorrow because I'll post another one of my favourite organising tools to keep me on task!

What is your top tip?

I'm tagging all of you reading. But especially Beth and Suzanne. If you blog, blog it and link back. If you don't blog, leave your tip in the comments. In fact, leave the one-sentence version of your tip in the comments anyway.

Have an organised and productive day! And go to www.rocksinmydryer.net for more WFMW tips.

Works for me Wednesday - healthy recipes

I've been really bored with my same old, same old recipes so I went looking to my favourite book haunt, Exclusive Books, and found this:


This has 30 delicious recipes and the whole thing is packaged so beautifully. All for R97 (divide by 7.37 for US $).

The best thing about this unique recipe book is the format of the recipe card - on one side you find a picture and the ingredients and on the other side there are step-by-step instructions to make the meal. Did I mention pictures?!!!

So when I'm cooking, I stick this card to the kitchen cupboard with Prestik and

1. my hands are free
2. the recipe stays clean
3. I have more counter space

This definitely works for me!

What do you do with your recipes while you cook? How do you keep them clean?

Works for me Wednesday - cooking with meat

I really don't like looking at or touching raw meat or chicken. I try to handle meat as little as possible which is why I separate bulk packs all at once so that it's DONE!

So when I cook, I put a sandwich bag over my hand before I touch the meat. In this picture, I'm making chilli con carne.

This is something that definitely works for me - it keeps my hands clean!