Keep a small organizer/planner in the glove box of the car. Make certain there is always a pencil in it. File your important registration and insurance papers in it. Also it comes in handy if you have the misfortune to be involved in an accident or if you have a breakdown. Just jot a note to those helpful persons who approach the car and let them know help is on the way etc.

Repurpose old plastic egg trays to store earrings and other small items. Works great.
I also use these to put my pills into before packing them into the plastic 7 day pill cases.

If you are finished with it put it away.

For my SPICES in my 'over the counter' cabinet.... being a rather short person, I took a Sterlite cubic three drawer container... somewhat "See-Through" and filled each drawer with spices grouped by category... Baking (cinnamon, nutmeg,etc...), Sauce Herbs (Rosemary, oregano, etc...), and Spicy (Paprika, chili flakes, ginger, etc.) I love pulling out the smooth shallow drawers that fit perfectly on the shelf... neat and tidy.

Hang a cork board on the INSIDE of a kitchen cabinet or pantry door. Recipes, magazine clippings, kids notes and upcoming events stay handy and hidden without cluttering the front of your refrigerator.

Each one of my kids has always had a drawer for their things. It started when they were toddlers, then as they grew it morphed into a place for me to put in their lost mitten or school papers. Now that the three are out on their own, I find it useful for recycling the items I no longer need and they see it as a great little "gift" area.

I just re-organized my gift wrap/ribbon closet and discovered old stockings are great to slip over gift-wrap paper rolls to prevent them from unrolling. The stockings cut into short segments also fit nicely onspools of ribbons to spare us from chasing across the table or room. I then gather coordinating rolls of ribbon and paper together and place upright in an old crock. It helps knowing which ribbons and wraps are meant to be used together. Tags can also be slipped in the rolls too.

I am a seamtress and re-use tissue square-shaped botique boxes for lose scraps and threads. So convenient!

One thing: Go through the mail each day. With websites and computers able to easily access info, I found that I don't have to file so much anymore.
When in doubt,
throw out!

INITIATIVE. If there is something you have to do, or something you say you will put away or file, or someone you need to call, or some appointment to make: DO IT RIGHT AWAY.

We are semi-retired, and for the last year we've lived half the time in an apartment in Texas and half on a boat that we keep on the East Coast. In large part this choice is my husband's dream rather than my own, and I thought this was the reason I became unhappy with the living situation during the first few months. Upon reflection, though, I realized that this wasn't the problem. Rather, it was that II didn't feel in control of my environment or my life and I needed to make some changes in both areas..

I'm fanatical about organization and thought I had gotten everything set up well in both locations. . However, both of them are a lot different than the larger homes we've lived in for the past 20 years, and some of my systems weren't working well in these new environments. Once I recognized that, I was able to identify the specific problems and make the necessary changes. In both cases, this sometimes required thinking outside the box because of the space limitations.

The other problem was that I felt I really struggled to switch from one place to the other and felt I was wasting 1-2 days getting back on track each time we switched. I minimized how much stuff I need to pack by keeping two sets of regularly used supplies in each location. This way I spend little time unpacking and putting stuff away. I also allow myself enough time before leaving either location to leave it clean and uncluttered. Before I leave either location, I make a list of things that need to be done upon my return and forget about it until then. This way I can hit the ground running.

As a result of these changes, I'm enjoying this life much more. When I'm on the boat, I'm relaxed and able to enjoy the time I'm spending with my husband in some beautiful areas and all the new people we've met along the way.

I realize that my situation is unusual, but I think that the tips might be useful to other people. No matter how perfectly organized we are, there are always going to be times when changes occur and systems don't function well. Often it just requires a little tweaking or creative thinking, but you have to identify the specific problems before you can come up with a solution. Also, I've found that my approach to the boat trips has helped me get back to normal more quickily with all my travels.

While my kitchen is relatively large for a 1,276 square foot house, it includes not only a utility closet for the furnace and water heater, but is also home to my washer and dryer. No room for a desk in a cozy nook!
But it is the hub of the house and the primary phone and answering machine live here. Clutter makes me crazy and it wasn’t long before the cords and messy look of the units on the wall drove me to consider a way to hide them.
I purchased a simple and inexpensive outside-mount medicine cabinet, covered the mirror and lined the inside with wallpaper that matched the kitchen. A few holes drilled inside allowed access to the phone jack and for cords to run invisibly. And there was enough room for a pencil pot, note pads and even key hooks. The ceramic placque from my sister hid the phone jack, too.
It still looked a little too much like a medicine cabinet with wallpaper on it when finished so with a little hot glue and a picture frame in a complementary color, I was finally able to display a favorite photo from a French farm. Et, voila!

While my kitchen is relatively large for a 1,276 square foot house, it includes not only a utility closet for the furnace and water heater, but is also home to my washer and dryer. No room for a desk in a cozy nook!
But it is the hub of the house and the primary phone and answering machine live here. Clutter makes me crazy and it wasn’t long before the cords and messy look of the units on the wall drove me to consider a way to hide them.
I purchased a simple and inexpensive outside-mount medicine cabinet, covered the mirror and lined the inside with wallpaper that matched the kitchen. A few holes drilled inside allowed access to the phone jack and for cords to run invisibly. And there was enough room for a pencil pot, note pads and even key hooks. The ceramic placque from my sister hid the phone jack, too.
It still looked a little too much like a medicine cabinet with wallpaper on it when finished so with a little hot glue and a picture frame in a complementary color, I was finally able to display a favorite photo from a French farm. Et, voila!

I am notorious for buying journals and notebooks just because I think that the cover is either too cool or too cute. The problem is that I am not a "put my feeling on paper, journaling" kinda gal. My solution? I use them to organize all those lists and scrap pieces of paper! I have a journal with nothing but household/organizing tips that I have collected, one for reciepes, on dedicated to all things Christmas. I keep a small one in my purse so that if I have an idea about a gift or an idea for home improvement, I can job it down and not worry about forgetting it by the time I get home. So I can appease my need to buy journals, but they get used too!

I grew tired of looking for a matching pair of my daughter's flip flops. Then I found www.mypairtree.com. Now I don't have to go digging around in the bottom of her closet to find her flip flops! This is the only thing I have found that is designed specifically for flip flops.

By the time an area of my life appears on my disorganization radar, it's already been months or even years in the making. Yet for some reason, my brain tells me that creating order out of chaos should only take an afternoon, two days tops. So I commit to take on the project, but instead of working, I find myself staring at the mess overwhelmed and paralyzed at all there is to do.

My solution is to keep a running list of VERY small tasks. "Hang picture," "Shred old bank statements," "Gather photographs," etc. Every evening I handle two or three tasks. Okay, so it took me three months to organize my basement, but now it really is organized. The disorganization monster is cunning - I have to sneak up on it bit-by-bit to get the upper hand.

It seemed like the only times I noticed my husband and I weren't keeping track of our receipts was when I would find one crumpled up, or when we needed a specific one to return something. I solved the problem by placing 2 small boxes side by side right near where we drop off our keys. One is labeled "Minor Purchases", for receipts that we probably won't need later, such as groceries or fast food. The other is labeled "Major Purchases", for receipts that have any item that we may return, like small appliances or clothing. It's such a relief to only have to look through one small box instead of searching frantically through the whole house!

This sounds so simple, but a place for evething and evrything it it place. I use clear tubs for a lot of my items. The best tip that I can share is one for storing hats & gloves. I have a 3 drawer rolling cart in my front closet with gloves, hats, & scarves. This way when the cold weather hits my husband and I know exactly where to look for these things.

I found these great shoe boxes on line from Shoebby.com and they are the perfect solution for all the shoes I have in my closet which are either in the original boxes (all mismatched) or in rubbermaid boxes with photos on th eoutside. These boxes are absolutely crystal clear and are drawer types so that I nver have to fumble around looking for the right pair of shoes to go with my outfit! I stack them up and pull just the pair I want without all my shoeboxes coming down on me. You should try them.

1. to arrange my grocery list in order of area in the grocery store as I go through it and cross the item off once it is in the cart.

I have recently had some health problems and the doctors or offices that do anything medical always want to know your history and what meds you are on and what you are allergic to. I type up my history and current meds (with dosages) and I just hand it to the office, nurse or doctor. That way I don't have to write everything over and over again and when I go to a new doctor's office I don't have to answer a million questions. You would not believe how many nurses appreciated this because it made their job easier and saved them time. As far as meds go I don't have to haul them in whenever I see a doctor. Every thing is right there.

I had several unused 4x6 frames, all plain but in a variety of colors. I use them to display quick reference lists at my desk. Instead of having several pieces of paper tacked to the walls of my cubicle, I printed lists of info used frequently and put them in the frames--which look so much nicer and neater!

I ask my husband for ideas...then he is part of the solution and gets credit for being smart! Like using the "dryer sheets" to get the lovebugs off the front of the car. I didn't believe until he made me try it... he was so right.. they just melted right off in seconds. Rinse again with water after rubbing them off!

Our sunroom is our dumping ground. I used a lift-top blanket chest for the cat's litter box. Removing one end panel allows access for Seymour and Emmi. The top lifts to access the box, the box of cat litter, the scoop and the bags. Looks great, no one knows what's in there and is also used as an end table for the chair next to it. Our winter scarves, hats, gloves and the like are in individual baskets in the bottom of an antique barrel-top desk there too. Out of sight but easy to find. The top of the desk holds cell phones, Blackberries, keys and mail. Completely organized!