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how to get organized at work

Organizing Messy Cables At the Office and Home

By Blog, Business Organizing, Home Office Organization 2 Comments

Every office needs to have their cables organized. It’s a must!

 

Since we’re all so busy working at work, our cords are typically a tangled mess under and on top of the desk because we “have no time” to fix them. Then there are all the extra wires and cables for charging your tablets, phones, earbuds, and so on!

In some households there are even multiple computers, 2 tablets, 5 cameras, 8 music devices and 3 or more cellphones. Which just magnifies the tangled-mess problem!

 

That’s a lot of wires to keep organized!

 

Before You Start Your Journey to Organized Cables

Before we actually begin the process of getting organized cables, turn off your computer and start to untangle the wires.

 

It sounds simple, but you’d be amazed at what I see as makeshift setups in offices that people use simply because they don’t take the time to organize their cables!

Next, get out your label machine and label the wires and cables according to their uses. A good place to place the labels is on or near the end you’ll plug into the electronic device. For example, I have two printers so I labeled the cables on the end that plugs into each printer. That way I can easily see which cable goes to which device!

 

Labeling your cords is easy with 720Pc Self-Adhesive Cable Labels. I’ve used these on many projects and actually always have them on hand in my organizing toolbox! Mac cables are already easy to identify and they typically don’t need to be labeled.

Someone was thinking over there at Apple!

 

Once you have all of your cables detangled and organized, use Velcro(R) One-Wrap(R) tie straps. These reusable Velcro ties are another handy organizing product you can always find in my toolbox, and ideal to wrap around cables to tie them up nicely or group specific ones together.

Start Working Towards Organized Cables

 

If you have cords running across a room or along a baseboard that you want to hide, check out these cord covers.

Tired of cables dropping behind your desk or on the floor? Use these small Cable Drops! They come in all different colors and will magically clean up the clutter from your desk!

 

My favorite cable organizer for offices, TV’s, media centers and kitchen desks is the YAMAZAKI Home Web Cable Box, available on Amazon. It comes in three colors ranging from white, brown, and grey.

This small cable box has neatly organized all the cables in our own living room – including a floor lamp, two phone chargers, and all of the stereo equipment!

 

It will hide away extra cable lengths, power strips, Surge Protectors, and more! You can easily tuck all cords inside the box and close the lid. It’s seriously that easy.

And, there’s one last thing that we need to organize… and that is the extra lengths of cellphone, music device, and earbud cords. I really love these cool Bobino Cord Wraps. They are perfect for organizing the aforementioned cords, plus USB cables and thicker laptop cords.

 

You could also use the 12pc Bobino Cord Wrap (assorted sizes) to tidy up your cellphone cord while you have it charging. You’ll love all the cool colors and never having to undo tangles!

 

 

The beauty of having your cables organized is that it makes your desk look instantly more organized. And you’ll be able to vacuum up all those dust bunnies!

 

Another area I get asked to organize often is the home’s charging area.

 

To start this, make a list of which electronics you’ll be charging here and measure the space you want to put your charging station in. Then go shopping! Make sure the charging station you buy will work with all of your devices. Sometimes you may need to purchase extra connectors if it’s a large variety.

 

For the true geek who has every portable device on the planet, check out this funky gadget charger – the Grass Charging Station. A compartment underneath the grass hides all of the power adapters and cables.

 

Who said organizing can’t be fun?!

 

Give these a try and let me know in the comments how the newly organized cables work for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Smart Home Organization Ideas

75 Creative Ways to Use A Label Maker

By Blog, Checklists, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

Is a label maker worth it?

 

I say… label makers are one of the most useful tools ever made!!

 

Beyond labeling in the kitchen or whichever common area first comes to your mind, these organized little machines are ready to help you in every room of your house (and office too!).

 

But before you go buy the biggest, fanciest label maker, first ask yourself these questions to determine the right one for your needs.

 

Which one to buy?

Ask yourself these questions:

 

  • How many font options would you like?
  • What size of labels will you need to print?
  • How much room do you have to store it?
  • How simple it is to learn and use?
  • Does it use batteries, a rechargeable battery, or plug into the wall?
  • Are the tape cassettes easy to find?

 

Advice For Buying A Label Maker

 

In my opinion, the Brother brand label makers are the absolute best. I have gone through many, many different brands and styles of label makers over the years, and Brother brands have never let me down.

 

They’re simple to use, it’s easy for me to find tapes in person or online, and the overall quality is just top-notch!

 

However, I use a couple of different label makers depending on my client’s style. I’ll list them below and tell you some of the differences between them, too!

 

Label Maker Comparisons

 

The first, Brother P-Touch PT- D610BT, automatically cuts and trims the edges of the label so I don’t get a huge empty white space on either end. It also fits a larger label tape for bigger prints.

 

The second, Brother P-Touch Cube Plus PT-P710BT, uses larger tapes (24mm) which allows for large, easy to read, and beautiful labels in a pantry, linen closet, or on storage bins. The 24mm black tape with white font has quickly become my new favorite choice of tape because it actually has the look of a custom label!

 

 

Both of these label makers use laminated tapes. Using laminated tape is KEY for making professional-looking labels.

 

I prefer to stay away from the cheap paper tape that lower models use. This type will curl up once cut and leaves a lot of white residue when you peel the label off. Yuck!

 

So now that you have an idea of WHAT you’re shopping for…

 

Head out for the fun part! Or stay in and shop with your fingertips (our fave!)

 

Our Favorite Label Makers

(Remember to only buy what fits YOUR needs!)

 

 

How to Organize Your Entire House
with a Label Maker:

 

1- Office Cords and Plugs

  • Routers
  • Printers
  • Monitors
  • Laptop chargers

2- File Folders and Cabinets

  • Color code for more organization

3- Binders

  • Spine
  • Tabs
  • Pockets

 

4- Receipts Area

  • Bin / Basket / Container
  • Binder clip

5- Notebooks

  • Meeting notes
  • Reference notes
  • Specific projects

6- Drawers

  • Drawer dividers / containers
  • Office supply sections

7- Highlighters

  • “Important dates”
  • “Priority to-do’s”
  • “Goals”
  • Color code tasks for different people

8- Miscellaneous Cords

  • Phone charger
  • Laptop charger
  • HDMI
  • Ring light
  • Names on chargers for each family member

 

9- Bulk Office Supplies

  • Items taken out of original packaging

10- In-Tray

  • Sections for mail, paperwork, different kinds of documents you receive

11- Linen Closet Shelves

  • Towels
  • Sheets by size
  • Guest
  • Satin pillowcases

 

12- Laundry Excess

  • Items decanted / taken out of original packaging
  • Detergent
  • Softener
  • Bleach
  • Dryer sheets / balls

13- Laundry Baskets

  • Lights
  • Darks
  • Whites
  • Delicates

 

14- Board Games

  • Storage shelves of games
  • Age range
  • Type of game
  • Kid-friendly

15- Hobby Section

  • Shelf in closet
  • Project boxes
  • Drawer / Cupboard in storage furniture

16- Kitchen Cooking Utensils

  • Whisks
  • Tongs
  • Spatulas

 

17- Spices

  • Decanted items
  • Mixed bottles, give uniform labels
  • Easier to read

18- Snack Zone

  • Kids
  • Sweet and salty
  • Healthy

19- Baking Supplies

  • Bin of baking supplies
  • Sort by holiday

 

20- Health Section

  • Protein powders
  • Smoothie additives
  • Supplements

21- Meal Prep Jars

  • Salads
  • Smoothies
  • Juices

22- Frozen Items

  • Smoothie ingredients
  • Meat
  • Soups
  • Expiry dates on homemade items

 

23- Allergy Notes

  • Mark with yellow or brightly colored label tape

24- Bulk Decanted Items

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Oats
  • Coffee
  • Dried nuts

25- Fridge Shelves

  • Condiments
  • Proteins and cheeses
  • Fresh produce

 

26- Utensil Drawer

  • Serving spoons and forks
  • Steak knives
  • Kids cutlery

27- Pantry Shelves

  • Dried foods
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Extra seasonings

28- Tea Collection

  • Different types of tea
  • Brands

 

29- Cleaning Products

  • Under the sink bottles
  • Items no longer in original packaging

30- Additional Drawers

  • Organizational products with drawers

31- Playroom Supplies

  • Figurines
  • Lego
  • Small part toys

 

32- Kids’ Craft Supplies

  • Construction paper
  • Crayons
  • Coloring books

33- Label By Child

  • Separate toys
  • Split things evenly

34- Toy Bins

  • Stuffed animals
  • Contents by type

 

35- Bookshelves

  • Reading age of books
  • Fiction / Non-fiction
  • Per child

36- Garage Storage Bins

  • Big, easy to read

37- Seasonal Decor

  • Holiday
  • Special occasion
  • Tradition
  • Indoor / Outdoor

 

38- Camping Totes

  • Cooking supplies
  • Tent and sleeping setup
  • Games
  • First aid

39- Emergency Kits

  • Fire evacuation
  • Earthquake
  • Lockdown

 

40- Medicine and First Aid

  • Cold and flu
  • Allergies
  • Bandages
  • Kids products

41- Beauty Supply Bins

  • Nail care
  • Skincare
  • Hair products
  • Hairstyling tools

 

42- Expiration Dates

  • Makeup
  • Hair products
  • Shower products
  • Decanted items

43- Drawer Containers

  • Cotton swabs
  • Cotton pads
  • Exfoliation pads
  • Dental care

44- Cleaning Products

  • Toilet cleaner
  • Shower cleaner
  • Countertop disinfectant
  • Items no longer in original packaging

45- Family Member Bins

  • Per family member
  • Guest use
  • Excess supplies

46- Towel Hooks

  • Per family member
  • Guest use
  • Hand and face towels

 

47- Skincare Fridge

  • Sections for different product types
  • Order of routine

48- Shower Caddy

  • Per family member
  • Sections for different types

49- Product Bottles

  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Liquid soap
  • Items no longer in original packaging

50- Traveling Containers

  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Liquid soap
  • Skincare
  • Cleaning products
  • Jewelry

51- Makeup Brushes

  • Types of brushes
  • Per family member

52- Jars of Decanted Items

  • Soap bars
  • Epsom salts
  • Dishwasher tabs

53- Mirror Cabinet Shelves

  • Sections by skin, hair, dental, etc.

54- Bath Toys

  • Bin for bath toys
  • Per family member

55- Magazine Holder

  • Types of magazines
  • Content
  • Kids or adult material

56- Dresser Drawers

  • Shorts
  • Jeans
  • Sweatpants
  • Workout clothes

57- Under-The-Bed Drawers

  • Socks
  • Shoes
  • Extra pillows

58- Bedroom Cords

  • Chargers
  • TV
  • Lamp
  • Cable box
  • Clock

59- Closet Shelves

  • Summer / Winter storage
  • Sweaters
  • Pants

60- Nightstand Drawers

  • Sleep aids
  • Lavender / Calming spray
  • Lip balm
  • Sleeping mask

61- Vanity Drawers

  • Powdered makeup
  • Eyes
  • Lips
  • Brushes

62- Storage Furniture

  • Bins
  • Baskets
  • Containers
  • Cabinets
  • Desks
  • Wardrobes

63- Remotes

  • Cable box
  • TV
  • Media streaming box
  • Videogame console

64- Plant Markers

  • Use laminated labels
  • Names
  • Caring instructions

65- Learning Language

  • Label commonly used items around home / office with new language
  • Teach little ones reading and names of items

66- Reminders

  • For self, kids, spouse
  • Do dishes
  • “Put away shoes”
  • “Clean up toys”
  • “I love you”

67- Gift Tags

  • Personalize gift tags

68- Table Setting Place Cards

  • Holidays
  • Dinner parties

69- Charcuterie Boards

  • Types of cheese, meat, cracker, dried fruits, spreads, etc.

70- Hooks

  • Keys
  • Hats
  • Purses
  • Scarves
  • Reusable bags

71- Books

  • Without name on spine
  • Journal years

72- Videogame Storage

  • Console
  • Type of games
  • Kid-friendly
  • Per family member

73- Photo Albums

  • Printed photo books name / year
  • Spine
  • Sections of photos inside

74- Recycling Bins

  • Paper
  • Glass
  • Bottles

75- Kitchen Books

  • Cookbooks
  • Recipe books
  • User manuals
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The Stacker: Improving Your Stress

By Blog, Quick Organizing Tips, Simple Living, Time Management No Comments

🤍Dear Stackers,

 

Are you looking to start really working on improving your stress this year?

 

Have you found out what your organizing superpower is yet?!

 

Batching!

 

Oftentimes when you’re leaving out those neat little piles of projects, work supplies, hobbies, to-do’s, and such… what you’re really doing is grouping like things together to finish all at once (albeit, on another occasion, but still a win).

 

For other organizing styles, this is half their battle. So how can this superpower start to benefit you and improve your stress?

 

📑 Why am I prone to Clutter?

 

Stackers can be found living in clean and somewhat-organized homes. We say “somewhat” because no matter how many organized piles you have… a pile’s still a pile!

 

The Stacker mentality falls somewhere between procrastination and hyper-organization.

 

And because of this, simply putting things away as you go through your day is not always the easiest task.

 

When everything is put away in non-transparent boxes and bins, you may feel like you’re actually packing things away. Storing them! Rendering them no longer easily-accessible.

 

But this is really not the case, and you must glue that fact into your brain in order to start improving your stress!

 

Just because something is no longer in your direct line of sight doesn’t mean it’s gone or never to be found again. When you want to pick up where you left off on something, it should all be stored neatly in a container, so you can just pick it out of the closet and get right back into it!

 

Definitely nothing to be anxious or stressed about here.

💥 Confronting the Clutter

 

Fortunately, Stackers are totally able to maintain a detailed organizing system. The struggle is just finding the time to set it up in the first place.

 

You like to pile up and organize your project’s tools, papers, and materials. Which can amount to a lot of stuff.

 

Stackers sure love their stuff!

 

But in the long run, this will only impede your efforts at improving your stress levels.

Do you notice that when you pick up a hobby, you never forget to grab all of the reading materials, cooking utensils, art supplies, workout equipment, thingys, and doo-dads that you could possibly need?

 

So the key to improving your stress with this organizing style is to adopt a “good enough” mindset when setting up systems.

 

You don’t need to micro-manage every tiny aspect of everything you try out. Just try it out, and optimize as you go! You will never really know if something works for you unless you actually try it anyways.

 

See, the biggest contributor to your piles are projects, so try to limit yourself to just three ongoing projects at a time.

 

If you’ve had an on-the-go project out for a while, it may be time to put it away. You can always come back to it later when inspiration strikes, but for now, it is only taking up valuable space in your physical world (and in your mind!).

 

It can’t feel good to walk around your home and see piles and stacks of stuff everywhere.

 

So if you haven’t used your exercise equipment in a while, consider donating or selling it to someone who would appreciate it every day. This also opens up space for something you’re more currently passionate about like creating a reading room or scrapbooking space.

😍 Living clutter-free: Is it for me?

 

“Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.”

– Barbara Hemphill

 

Your aspirations always come from a good place, Stacker.

 

You feel like you can get so many things done in a day because you can preserve your energy throughout the day by delegating tasks for later.”

Just be careful that later doesn’t turn into never!

 

At some point, we all have to accept defeat and admit we can’t do all the things every day. That’s totally normal and there is no reason to beat yourself up about it! You’ve done the best anyone could expect of you.

 

I know your weakness is not holding onto useless clutter, but you do sure love to keep useful clutter around!

 

However, there comes a time when we must assess if the usefulness of an item outweighs the space it takes up.

 

Sure, your treadmill or bread maker might be useful… but if you’re only using them once or twice a year, that’s valuable space being taken up by something that someone else may love and use every day!

 

When playing keep or toss, think about the peace of mind an item costs you, too. This will make the biggest impact on improving your stress.

 

And if you can store it conveniently – great! Look out for clear bins and project totes, this way you can still view what’s inside.

 

To organize further, write an inventory list for each of your project boxes and keep those somewhere close by for reference. If you’re storing these boxes on a tall, open bookshelf just tuck them beside one of the totes.

 

😌 How to start Clearing the Clutter

 

The best way to get started with organizing any space is to set a timer and get to work!

 

Before you dive right into your piles though, set some goals beforehand and prioritize the most important things you’d like to accomplish in this session.

 

This way, you can keep yourself on track and if you don’t get to everything on your list, at least you’ll have finished the most pressing tasks!

 

Setting limits on yourself helps to keep distractions at bay so you can focus on the real tasks at hand. 

 

When it comes to the organizing process, it’s important for a Stacker to improve their stress levels by learning to let go. Instead of keeping things because they are simply in good condition and not broken, ask yourself “Is this useful to ME? Is it useful NOW?”

 

Filling our homes with good quality, useful things does seem not so bad! But stuffing our homes with piles of these things (however good quality or important it may feel), is never going to feel good.

 

Labeling each project box as you go will help you to remember where items belong when you do your daily/weekly resets.

 

Plus, the rest of your household can easier maintain your systems when they understand how they work and where things should go!

 

Keeping everything in its place will help your space look neater for longer. Using these methods, you should be able to create a quick, visible result.

 

Though at times it may feel frustrating and long to finish a task… remember to choose joy in the process of decluttering and organizing!

 

Let’s begin with rating your level of commitment to getting your spaces organized:

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed are you to edit, declutter, and organize the space? (level 1 is not committed at all, and level 10 is 100%, fully committed)

 

Download these free organizing assessments to track your progress in all areas!

 

Ask yourself these questions when deciding what you will keep, donate, or no longer need:

 

 

  • Do I honestly love it?
  • Do I use it weekly, monthly, or yearly?
  • When was the last time I thought about this item or used it?
  • Do I realistically need this item in my life going forward?
  • Did I even remember I owned this?
  • How many duplicates of the same item do I have?
  • What would be the worst possible scenario if I donated or passed it on?
  • In what situation would I realistically need or want this?
  • What would I like to have more space for?
  • Have my job or hobbies changed and it’s time to let some things go?
  • What keeps me awake at night or gives me stress and anxiety?
  • Am I committed to scheduling time, effort, and/or money to fix or repair this item?

 

💘 Invest time into YOU

 

Stacker, I know it’s not easy to balance putting current projects away while making everything exactly how you’d like it to look.

 

But I believe in you!

 

I know you can do this. It’s not easy to start, but once you clear off one shelf or one drawer, you gain momentum.

 

Keep a post-it note nearby if you must, but focusing on only keeping the necessities will take you to completion faster.

 

So let me know, does this feel attainable for you?

 

You will feel so much better after clearing just a couple piles and improving your stress levels! Remember to start with the high priority piles or the ones that bother you the most in order to create a dramatic, visible result right off the bat.

 

Comment below and tell me about your next organizing goal as a commitment to yourself!

 

Set a reminder in your phone to follow up in a week and let me know which strategies worked for you! Or maybe you’ll have a new tip for me?

 

Excitedly waiting to hear all about your progress!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need more help with decluttering?

 

I created the How to Organize Your Household Papers course to help walk you through the decluttering process. It includes sections on foundational organizing skills, setting up filing systems, creating household systems, and more bonus videos to make sure you’ve reached your goals.

 

For further details on the course and to purchase, go here:

 

https://sherry.mykajabi.com/store/PSNymLQL