3 Tips To Being Semi-Organized

photo credit: Sean MacEntee via photopin cc

I am far from being the world's most organized person. We have 2 pairs of scissors in the house and I only know where one pair is. It would seem that the other pair got swallowed by some black hole deep in the house. But believe it or not, I can still retain some sort of organization so I know where the most important things are.

One problem most people have trouble keeping together is paper clutter. I know I am a big habit of writing something down and then just placing it in a box or on top of something without thinking twice. After a while, I either forget to throw it away or go through it. But one way you can combat paper clutter is to do a monthly cleaning. Once a month, sit down and go through every scrap of paper in the desk, nightstand, or wherever your paper clutter accumulates. If you're not sure if you need it or not, wait a week. If after a week you no longer need it, throw it away! For papers you do need, but sure to file them immediately so you know exactly where to look for them.

For book and magazine (or in some cases, catalog) lovers, all of those large things can take up a lot of space. If you kept a magazine for the recipes, tear out the recipes and throw away the rest of the magazine. If you don't plan on ordering from the catalog anytime soon, you can purge that as well. If you read a book and didn't care for it, you don't have to throw that away. Most libraries will take lightly-used donations. You can even ask around at some of the locally-owned bookstores and see if they will buy your book(s) for cash or store credit. One of our locally-owned bookstores buys books from residents for store credit.

Washi Tape Cord Organization via Landee See Landee Do

Technology has invaded our homes and now we have tons of cords that end up confusing us. I needed to unplug the cable box because it had frozen (which is weird, right?), but since the lamp, TV, and our VCR (Yes, we still have one. It still works!) are plugged into the same power strip as the computer, it can be hard to decipher which cord belongs to which electronic, especially at 10 o'clock at night. One way to keep you from unplugging the TV when you meant to unplug your iPhone is to take masking tape or light-colored washi tape and make little banners for the cords. Use a Sharpie to label the banners so you know exactly which cord you are tugging on!

What is your number 1 tip to stay somewhat organized?