Making the Minimalist Mindset Work for You
Minimalism?! Isn’t that when people randomly get rid of all of their stuff and promise to never buy anything again? Or where people completely deprive themselves of every possible indulgence and impulse? And don’t you need to have all-white walls, zero decorations, and only wear reclaimed clothing? Take a deep breath and suspend your skepticism for just a few short minutes! In this article, we are talking about the minimalist mindset—a way of thinking that can help you be more intentional about what you purchase, what you keep in your home, and how you spend your time and money. We are talking about intentionality, NOT deprivation! We are talking about one (very flexible) method of prioritizing your space, time, and money to elevate the things and people that matter the most to you. What is the minimalist mindset? One of the founders of the modern minimalism movement, Joshua Becker, describes minimalism as intentionally living with only the items that support your purpose. In other words, the minimalist mindset can help you focus on what’s most important to you rather than becoming distracted and bogged down by excess things, events, and obligations. The idea is to focus on finding joy and contentment with what you already have, rather than mindlessly pursuing the latest consumer trend on Instagram. The minimalist mindset encourages you to make purchases with purpose, rather than impulse. And instead of just living with the clutter around you, a minimalist mindset can help you see with more clarity what you can part with to make more room for what matters to you. What are the key benefits of minimalism? If you’ve been following Bee Organized for any length of time, you know that clearing away your clutter has numerous benefits, including: increasing your happiness and feelings of well-being while reducing your anxiety giving you more of your most precious resource—time—by reducing the amount of time you spend looking for lost objects, cleaning and dusting, and trying to be productive amidst the chaos improving your physical and mental health by removing hiding spaces for dust and allergens, reducing stress, improving sleep, and much more Adding a minimalist mindset to the mix can help you save precious financial resources by encouraging you to be more thoughtful before making purchases. Focus your purchasing power on those items and experiences that match up well with your life priorities—and save yourself from the headaches that come with impulse purchases. Practical steps to get started! There is no single correct method of bringing more of a minimalist mindset into your life. In this section, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite pieces of advice for wrapping your brain around this new way of thinking: Take some time to assess your current lifestyle. Ask yourself what feels cluttered either physically or mentally. Is it your bedroom? Your social calendar? Your shopping habits? Whatever part of your life is causing the most angst is the best place to start. Then you can use that successful momentum to keep rolling into other parts of your life! Use our famous Power Purge to make instant headway on clearing the clutter out of a specific space. Remember to start small so that you don’t get overwhelmed! Practice mindful consumption in whatever way works best for you. Don’t just add things to your literal or virtual cart. Stop and consider whether you need this item, whether you have something already that would fit the bill, where you will keep it, whether you will still be glad you bought it a month or a year from now. Try a 30-day declutter challenge, where you conscientiously remove something from your home every day for a month. Or make a pact with yourself that every item you bring into the home must be matched by two items that you remove from the home. Get rid of your duplicates! In our experience working with clients, homes tend to accumulate multiple versions of the same things beyond any point of reason—think extension cords, vases, charging cords for obsolete technology, grocery bags, travel mugs, baseball caps, and more. Embrace quality over quantity. How many times have you bought multiple of something when you only need one because it seemed like a good deal? The goal isn’t to ban all incidents of buying multiples—it’s to normalize the idea of stopping and actually thinking about whether buying extra is a good use of your money and storage space. Does it match with your priorities for your life? What is standing in your way? We know that it can feel overwhelming to start the minimizing process. If you haven’t made any attempt thus far to organize or declutter your home, looking around at all that you’ve accumulated can stop people in their tracks before they even start. We hear this a lot, which is why we rounded up our best advice for getting started into a five-step process. We also know that it’s difficult for many folks to adopt a minimalist mindset because we are living in an age of consumption like no other! We are constantly bombarded on our various screens and in real life with social pressure to buy, buy, buy—whether we need the items or not! Find confidence in your own choices about how you want to spend your money, and what items you want to invite into (or out of) your home. As you get started, understand that decluttering can be a very emotional process. Even objects that only have negative feelings attached to them (like guilt or stress) can be difficult for people to dismiss from their home. This recalibration of your emotional relationship with things takes time and practice. Give yourself grace as you work toward prioritizing the things, people, and experiences that bring you the most joy. Remember that YOU have ownership over your life and your priorities, and therefore YOU get to have a major say in how objects and clutter and consumerism take up space in your mind and home. Make a plan to bring a more minimalist mindset into the new year—and if you need help simplifying your hive, you know you can call in the Bees!
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Reset, Recharge, Reuse!
January falls at such a complicated time. It’s a time of hope and excitement for the new year and all of the events and opportunities that will unfold. And for many of us, it’s a time for a bit of belt-tightening as we tally up the expenses and extravagances of the last few festive weeks. January is the perfect time to reset your home for the new year, recharge your social battery (and bank account), and find ways to reuse what you already have. Reset! Now that the excitement of the holiday season has come to a close, it’s time to reset your spaces to prepare for the months ahead. You’ll need to find new homes for the gifts you received, pack up your holiday decorations, and attempt to get back some semblance of order in your home after the gauntlet of travel, celebrations, and house guests. If you need a reminder about our reset philosophy, take a peek at our recent blog post on the subject! As you are resetting your home, it’s also time to reset your budget. You are not alone if you spent a bit more than you intended this holiday season—in fact, 70% of Americans report that they go over their holiday shopping budget. This is the sign you are looking for to get back to your regular spending patterns! As you restore order to your budget, remember that getting and staying organized is a fabulous way to keep your budget in check. Recharge! While the holiday season brings joy and connection, it can also bring loads of stress. According to research by the American Psychological Association, nearly 90% of Americans feel stressed during the holidays. Be mindful of saying yes to social engagements in January—many of us have overtaxed our social battery with travel, houseguests, and holiday celebrations. In addition to recharging your social battery, look for ways to recharge your bank account! Some of our clients swear by a No Spend January, while others look for different methods of righting their financial ship. One simple way is by challenging yourself to eat primarily from your freezer and pantry for the next month. Itemize what you have and build your meal plan each week accordingly—now is the time to find a recipe that uses up a few cans of those garbanzo beans you’ve been hoarding or that flank steak that’s just chillin’ in the deep freeze. You can even experiment with plugging your ingredients into a recipe match maker to help you use what you have without running to the grocery store. Reuse! We know we say this a lot but it’s worth repeating: You don’t need to buy a bunch of gimmicky items to get yourself organized. Most of the products out there are going to just add more clutter rather than help you remove clutter from your homes! Reuse what you already have and don’t forget to take advantage of neighborhood free groups on Facebook (just search for your city’s name and the words “Buy Nothing” to find your local group). There are so many ways to extend the life of items that have already been purchased. What if this is the month you actually collect the various clothing items that need to be mended (a stuck zipper or a fraying hole or a fallen hem), googled the closest alterations shop, and expanded your closet without adding new items? Or what if you and a few friends sorted through your closets and got together to swap clothing (or decorations or dishes!)? Not only do you get a few new-to-you items, but you also make progress in ushering excess clutter out of your home. We hope the patterns you establish at the beginning of this new year help you make room for the people and activities you love in the coming months. And, as always, if you’d like that expert touch in helping you streamline your home, you know you can call in the Bees!
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Saying NO to Holiday Perfection Means Saying YES to What Matters!
A central part of the Bee Organized mission is to help you simplify your life so that you can carve out time and space for the people and activities that mean the most to you. No month is more fully jam-packed than December with its infinite activities, shopping, chaos, and pressure for perfection. As you think about the dozens (hundreds?) of tasks before you this holiday season, we want you to consider whether you really have to do it ALL! In fact, we’ve brainstormed the following list to help give you permission to let go of some of the holiday chaos. Nine Things You Have Permission to Say NO to this Holiday Season Giving ALL the Gifts. For many people, this is the first place to look when you are trying to streamline your holiday season. Think about ways to cut back or simplify your shopping and giving. Maybe this is the year to focus on giving experiences (think tickets and memberships) instead of objects. Perhaps this year you can give group gifts to couples and families on your list instead of multiple smaller items. Maybe instead of finding unique gifts for every teacher and party host, you buy several copies of one great gift (assorted teas? a fancy cookie tin? a seasonal candle?) that would work for a variety of folks. You have permission to simplify gift-giving in whatever way makes the most sense for you this year! For more simple gift giving inspiration, check out Feel Good Holiday Tips. Every Single Social Invitation. Some holiday get-togethers fill you with joy and connection … and some are utterly exhausting and bring nothing but stress about what to wear and what to bring as a gift for the host. But you don’t have to go to everything you are invited to this holiday season. You have permission to only go to the events that feel right to you—and send your regrets to the rest. Holiday Cards. Some of us relish the tradition of picking the perfect card design, writing out addresses, sticking on dozens of stamps, and depositing a large stack of holiday cards in the mail. If this is you, keep sending the cards! But if it’s just one more thing taking precious hours when you are already short on time, skip it this year. Send an email instead or just post your cute family photo on social media. You have permission to let it go (and spend that $0.73 per stamp on something else!). Outdoor Lights. Elaborate lighting displays can add excitement to your street—but for some of us, they are just one more thing to buy, manage, maintain, and store. What if you didn’t precariously stand on a ladder to clip your lights onto your gutters? What if you didn’t spend precious time trying to untangle lights and replace broken bulbs? For less than $10, you can get a string of battery-powered LED lights—you have permission to wind them around a wreath for your front door and call your outdoor decorating complete! The Traditional Tree. There is no rule that you have to buy a live Christmas tree OR drag your artificial tree up from the basement every single year. The internet is jam-packed with ideas for untraditional and simple Christmas trees—whether you simply decorate a houseplant you already have, use a strand of lights and ornaments to create a 2D tree on a wall, or come up with something uniquely suited to your home and personality. If you do opt for a traditional tree, you have permission to leave some—or most—of your ornaments in their storage container. All of the Decorations. If you’ve managed your own home for more than a few years, odds are that you’ve collected more decorations than you have the time and energy to deal with. You don’t have to adorn every vertical and horizontal surface of your home with decorations! You hereby have permission to just choose a handful of your favorite—or most meaningful—decorations to display this year. Elf on the Shelf. More power to you if you have the time and mental space to creatively position the elf each night after your children go to bed. But you don’t have to! If you love this holiday tradition, then carry on. But if you haven’t started it yet—or you are wishing you never had—you have permission to tell your kids that there is an elf shortage this year and that you are lucky to have such good kids year round so the shortage won’t affect you! All the Baking. If you have big plans for baking this holiday season, make sure you revisit our blog about getting your kitchen ready for the holidays. But do remember that just because one of your parents or grandparents baked 24 different types of cookies each holiday season doesn’t mean that you have to. You have permission to pick your favorites (either to eat or to make) and save the rest for another year. Homemade Everything. Of course people love and appreciate homemade gifts, whether you’ve crocheted a scarf or poured a candle. And they love homemade food, too—from a jar of jam to an elaborate meal for your entire extended family. But not everything that you can make is worth your precious time. You have our permission to make just those things that bring you the most joy to give to the people who would most appreciate your labor of love. This holiday season, give yourself permission to let go. And if that doesn’t work, listen to us! You have OUR permission to set aside some of the holiday pressure this year … and every year. And, as always, if you find yourself in over your head, you know you can call in the Bees!
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Organizing Your Kitchen Will Help You BEE Ready for the Holidays
The holiday season is getting close—and with it will come the whirlwind of cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating, hosting, and more! For most of us, the kitchen is the center of our busy Hive, and it’s a place that takes on extra responsibility during the holiday season. As you count the days until your first holiday festivities, you can help your future self by purging, restocking, and organizing three prime areas of your kitchen. Recipes and Cookbooks If you are like us, you have recipes in every conceivable form—emails, bookmarks in browsers, handwritten recipe cards, print-outs of aspirational recipes, and cookbooks upon cookbooks. Before holiday cooking and baking begin in earnest, think about finally getting a handle on your recipe situation. As you tackle your recipe collection, the first place to start is by taking a hard look at your cookbooks. The most optimistic version of yourself might have bought most of your cookbooks—or perhaps you’ve received cookbooks over the years as gifts or family heirlooms. The first step, as always, is to use our famous Power Purge to sort through the cookbooks and recipes that are just taking up space. Look through your cookbooks and take photos of any promising recipes before clearing the books out of your kitchen. Consider moving to a completely digital recipe organization system. Some of us have had excellent luck using Google Drive to keep our recipes organized—whether it’s a spreadsheet of links to recipes from all over the internet or a series of folders where you keep photos and PDFs of recipes sorted by category. We know of some folks who make it a policy to always email themselves recipes with very clear (and searchable!) subject lines. If you have a variety of recipes on paper and don’t feel compelled to scan them into the digital world, think about using a binder to organize and preserve your recipes. You can use clear plastic sleeves with pockets to protect handwritten recipe cards from drips and splashes. Use a three-hole punch on your recipe printouts and a few tabs to divide your recipes into appetizers, desserts, holiday favorites, and more. There is no one right way to organize your recipes, so feel empowered to adapt our strategies to fit your needs, usage patterns, and emotional connections. Spices and Seasonings When was the last time you spent some quality time tending to your spices? How many of them have long expired, never been used, or have lost their aroma? Before the holiday cooking begins, get your fragrant seasonings organized! Before you start organizing anything, you need to discard those spices and seasonings that are too old to be useful. While most experts agree that it’s safe to use expired seasonings and spices, you should toss anything that is clumping or just smells off. Pinch a bit of the spice between your fingers and rub them together—if there is little or no fragrance, it’s probably time to replace that container. Once you are down to those containers of spices and seasonings that are still in good shape, be honest with yourself about which ones you will foreseeably use in your cooking. If you are an adventurous chef who regularly experiments with new types of cuisine, your spices and seasoning needs will be much broader than someone who limits their cooking to tried and true recipes and styles. Think about what organizational style will streamline your cooking. If you use a wide variety of spices, alphabetizing the containers could save you time searching when you are whipping up a new dish. Some folks have better luck with keeping their top 5 or 10 spices in easy reach, while they store the remainder in a container or cabinet. Spice racks, drawer inserts, or spinning trays can all help you make the most of your space. Whatever way you decide to organize your spices, make sure they are clearly labeled and in a cool, dark place when possible. Finally, think about those recipes that you make during every holiday season—whether it’s cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving or black-eyed peas on New Year’s—and make a list of herbs and spices to have on hand before the cooking commences! Baking Ingredients and Tools The final area to give yourself a holiday head start is with your baking ingredients and supplies. Essentially, you need to take inventory of the supplies you will need for your upcoming baking, whether you are making cornbread for Thanksgiving stuffing, pumpkin pies, or the whole range of Christmas cookies, candies, and other sweets. To begin, take EVERYTHING out of the baking section of your kitchen so that you can see what you have, what is expired, what tools need to be refreshed, and which ingredients need a re-stock. Check through our list to help prompt your memory about what you might need in the next few weeks of festivities: Flour: All-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, gluten-free flour if needed Sugars: Granulated sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar (dark and light), other natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup Dairy: Butter, eggs, milk, buttermilk, heavy cream Flavorings: Vanilla extract, almond extract, cocoa powder or chocolate chips, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon Other key ingredients: Shortening, vegetable oil, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, cornstarch Supplies: Parchment paper, food coloring, sprinkles, cookie cutters, muffin/cupcake liners Take a close look at your baking equipment too. If your favorite spatula has taken a beating or you notice your loaf pans are too scraped up to release properly, think about ditching and replacing them before you are up to your elbows in flour! We hope getting your kitchen whipped into shape now will give you more time to do the things that bring you joy during the holidays! And if you get stuck somewhere in the process, you know you can always call in the Bees to get you back on track!
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Simple Steps for a Clutter-Free Garage
For some people, the garage is an afterthought—just a place to toss anything you don’t want in the house or to precariously stack every bike helmet and soccer cleat the kids have outgrown. But what if, instead, your garage worked for you? Giving some time and thought to what you store in your garage—and how and where it’s stored—can help make your home safer, more livable, and more functional! Step One: The Power Purge Did you know that 25% of homeowners have so much clutter that they can’t fit a car in their garage? Don’t waste your time organizing things that shouldn’t even be taking up space. Your first step—and it’s a BIG one—is to part with your excess items. We know this can feel overwhelming, which is why we have spelled out exactly how to tackle this project in our Power Purge blog post. Remove items from your garage that you no longer need, are broken, or are remnants of some forgotten project you don’t intend to come back to. Once you’ve cleared out the excess, you will have a much easier time organizing the rest. Step Two: Sort into Zones The most efficient way to organize your garage is to group similar items together into zones that make sense to you. Not only will this help you find items when you need them, but using zones can also help every household member know at least the general area of where to put things away. You’ll need to tailor your zones based on your needs and climate, but here are a few common zones to get your wheels turning: Sports equipment Pool/Beach toys Gardening supplies Tools and hardware Seasonal decorations Auto maintenance Camping gear Cleaning supplies Recycling and trash Snow removal Step Three: Go Vertical Once everything has been sorted into logical groups, you can figure out which storage areas in your garage make the most sense for each category of items. The one piece of advice we cannot say enough is to KEEP THE FLOOR CLEAR! Invest in shelving, hooks, wall-mounted baskets, and even overhead storage racks to maximize your vertical space. If you are like most homeowners, your garage troubles began with a ring of clutter stacked around each wall. Getting everything off the floor and onto walls and shelves will do more than anything else to make your garage more efficient. Step Four: Safety Check The garage is home to so many tools, liquids, and other substances that need to be stored safely. As you finalize your amazing work of organizing your garage, take a few minutes to double-check for potential hazards. Start with these main categories, but also keep an eye out for other hazards that are unique to your situation: Blades—Make sure anything with a blade (whether a large chop saw or a box cutter) is securely stored and out of reach of kids. Liquids—Lighter fluid, antifreeze, pesticides, paint thinner and other potentially hazardous—or just messy!—liquids need special attention to make sure they aren’t at risk of being knocked over or grabbed by little hands. Tipping—If you are lining your walls with shelves full of heavy things, ensure those shelves are firmly secured to the walls to prevent tipping. Triple-check the security of any heavy items stored or suspended above your head. Tripping—Walk the perimeter of your garage and look for potential tripping hazards. Make sure all exits from the garage are accessible. Fire extinguisher—Every garage needs a fire extinguisher. Make sure yours is current and easily accessible—not on a high shelf behind a hundred other things! Cleaning out and organizing your garage definitely isn’t easy, but it’s oh-so-worth-it in the end. And if you get stuck somewhere in the process, you know you can always call in the Bees to get you back on track!
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The Wonders of a Weekly Reset
Imagine it’s Monday morning. You’ve got a jam-packed week ahead of you with a million different events and obligations. What if you look around your house and see that everything is in its place? And what if your fridge and pantry are fully stocked with a meal plan at the ready? And what if you glance at your calendar and see every single opportunity and potential conflict listed so you have a full picture of who needs to be where and when? You are starting to get the picture! One of the best things you can do to manage the chaos each week is to let the magic of a Weekly Reset work for you. Dedicating a couple of hours each week to systematically restoring order to your home can save you stress throughout the week—and can help you set aside some of the mental load that goes with keeping your busy life buzzing along. As you think about what you should include in a Weekly Reset and when to get it done, consider the ebbs and flows of your week. For many of us, it makes the most sense to work through our Weekly Reset on Sundays, but do what feels right to you. Read on for a few of the key areas we like to include in a Weekly Reset, but feel free to ignore the sections that don’t make sense for your unique life or to add in areas that will set you up for success each week! Whatever your Weekly Reset looks like to you, make sure you have a checklist for each area so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each week. Kitchen Reset The kitchen is arguably the most important space in the home, and taking the time to reset it each week will save you time, money, and frustration. Here are a few tasks we put at the top of our Weekly Reset list: Fridge, Pantry, and Freezer—Take a few minutes to scan each shelf for spoiled food, items that need to be used sooner rather than later, and inspiration for your meal planning this week. Toss out anything that needs to go, put anything that’s out of place back where it belongs, and add missing staples to your shopping list. We recommend keeping a running shopping list that your whole household can access so that as things run low, they can be added to the list. Countertops—Return appliances, food packages, and other items to their storage places, sort through mail and other paperwork, and deal with those items that tend to stack up near the sink, like water bottles and travel mugs. Meal Planning and Prepping—Meal planning is the key to eating well on a budget, with minimal waste, and without the daily drama of figuring out what’s for dinner. Once you’ve finished your Calendar Reset (below), you will have a much better idea of how many meals will need to be prepared this week, how many people will be eating, or whether any of the meals need to be super quick or eaten on the road. Some of you might also find that meal prepping, in addition to meal planning, will help your household have the best possible week. Prepare individual servings of grab-and-go healthy snacks, layer salads in mason jars, create homemade Lunchables, and divvy up leftovers into microwave-safe containers for quick work lunches. Calendar Reset We sometimes wonder how we would get anything done without a shared Google calendar. Between work and school, social gatherings, quality time with the extended family, rehearsals and practices, volunteer activities, and community events and opportunities, we are guessing your lives are as full as ours are! It’s a blessing, to be sure, but it’s also a lot to manage. That’s why you need to include your calendar in your Weekly Reset tasks. Make sure you chat with every member of the family so that everyone’s activities are accounted for, including: Regular work shifts as well as irregular work events School days, field trips, tutoring, dress up days Extra-curricular practices, games, rehearsals, performances, lessons Family and social events, birthdays, get-togethers with extended family Infrequent obligations like oil changes and dentist appointments As you are filling up your calendar, don’t forget to block out time for things that are important to your wellbeing but tend to get left behind, like scheduling in time for exercise or a date night with your sweetie. Laundry Reset As you prepare for the week ahead, you not only need to be sure that you have the regular clothing and linens for the week, but you also need to be ready for any special clothing needs. After you’ve updated your calendar, you will have a better handle on whether and when you need specific uniforms, dress clothing, costumes, or favorite outfits for the week. The goal is to avoid those last-minute searches for a missing jersey, spirit day outfit, or the need to do a midnight load of laundry to wash that irreplaceable clothing item for the next morning! Household Reset Just because YOU are the one reading this blog doesn’t mean that YOU are the one who has to reset the whole house! Get everyone involved in figuring out how they can set themselves up for success each week. This will look different for every home, but here are a few ideas to get your started: Reset your own bedroom, closet, dresser, and nightstand Make sure bathrooms are stocked with whatever they need: shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, and other items Clean out your email inbox and other places where you receive messages Do a quick cleanout of your purse, briefcase, or backpack The Weekly Reset is key to restoring order to your home and life before the next week begins. Taking the time to prepare for the week ahead can help clear your mind as well as your home. And, as always, if you need help developing a Weekly Reset routine that works for you, call in the Bees!
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Buzz into Better Book Organization
If you are a book lover, you know the optimism and excitement of cracking open a new book. Whether it’s an author you know and love, a recommended read from a friend, or your book group’s latest selection, every book you open is an opportunity to connect with and learn from the wide range of human experience. Americans buy roughly 700 million books in print each year from booksellers—not counting the many more volumes purchased at book fairs, at author events, and through local used book sales! In fact, 25% of Americans own more than 100 print books—and even more in digital formats. We’ve put together our best advice from the Bees on how to know when to let go of old books, what to do with the books that no longer need to stay in your collection, and how to organize the rest! There Are NO RULES in Book Organizing. The most important rule of book organizing is that there are no rules in book organizing. You don’t need to organize your books like the library does or your bookstore does or your mom does. Organizing your books is a very personal choice, and what works for one will not work for all. Each book in your home entered your collection for a reason. Maybe the you from 20 years ago adored the author, or you inherited a collection from someone you love, or you bought a parenting book (or 10!) to read when you have more free time. If you’re like us, you have many books that you’ve never read and never intend to read. And if you are like us, some books in your collection are a direct connection to your heart, either because of who gave them to you or how they make you feel. As you think about your collection of books, reflect on whether you truly need to hold on to every book you have, and consider how the books you keep might do a better job of serving you and your home. Letting Go of Books You may come to realize that you have more books than you want or need in your life. We hereby give you permission to let go of those books that are taking up space without giving you anything in return. If you are struggling with the process of sorting through your books to select what to keep and what to let go of, remember that the Bees have developed a tried-and-true process for that! For book lovers, the idea of throwing away a book is an abomination! Luckily, there are so many places and organizations that would love to acquire the books that you are ready to pass along. Here are a few of our favorites: Little Free Libraries: More than 150,000 Little Free Libraries can be found all over the country—no library card required. Anyone is welcome to drop off or pick up a book to keep. Find the closest ones to you by using their library locator map! You can drop off a few books from your collection while keeping an eye out for new-to-you books that you would love to read! Public Libraries: Most public libraries appreciate donations of gently used books. While some books might be added to their regular collections, others will be sold at periodic book sales to raise money for library operations and activities. Book Drives: Keep your eye out for charities, schools, and international education nonprofits who might be collecting used books. Everything from textbooks to romance novels can find a second life! Now that you’ve found new homes for the books you are willing to part with, it’s time to think through how to organize the volumes you are keeping. How to Organize Your Books The most important question to ask yourself is what organizational style will best serve you? If you rarely or never refer back to a book on your shelves, you can feel free to organize your books aesthetically. But if you are the kind of person who needs to be able to find a specific volume, you will need to use a more systematic approach. Here are a few of the most common ways to organize home libraries. Topic or genre: Create separate sections for categories of books, just like you’d find at your local bookstore. Gardening? Nonfiction? Travel books? Alphabetically: If you have a large collection, a simple way to organize them is alphabetically by either the last name of the author or the title of the book. Color: Arranging books by the color of the spines can make for a strikingly beautiful display in your home—whether you put them in rainbow order or just chunk them together for bright bursts of color. Size: The shelving you are working with may play a role in choosing how to best organize your books. Consider separating hardcover and paperback books, if it works for you. This can help you maximize space and make the different heights of books less jarring. Whether you organize for aesthetics or for functionality, keep in mind these key ideas: Use vertical space. Consider using vertical stacks of books in addition to the typical horizontal display you’d see in a library. The variety can be more efficient in using space and be more attractive to the eye! Include breathing room. If you can, leave some empty spaces on the shelves through the selective use of stacking or book ends. Incorporate other objects. Think about tucking a few framed photos, houseplants, and other treasures among your books. Rotate your books. If you have limited shelf space, you can keep it fresh by rotating books in and out of storage whenever you have the whim. There is no rule that you must have all of your books displayed at the same time! Remember our most important guideline of all—there is no single right way to do this. These are YOUR books, in YOUR space, and you can organize them in whatever way feels best to you. And, as always, if you need help organizing your books—or any other space—call in the Bees!
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Road Trip Ready
Paving the Way to Smooth Travels There’s something special about the Great American Road Trip. Miles of open highway stretching out in front of you. Roadside attractions of all shapes and sizes. Infinite opportunities to learn, bond, explore, and maybe even bicker with a sibling. There’s truly something for everyone! As you prepare for your next adventure, thoughtfully organizing your vehicle will save you time, money, and frustration on the road. Read on for our tips and tricks to make the most of your time away! The Benefits of Pre-Trip Organizing You’ve picked your destination. You’ve plotted your route. Now it’s time to wedge everything into wherever it fits and hit the road, right? Wrong! Taking the extra time to get your vehicle organized before your trip has numerous benefits: Less stress and frustration. Digging around for sunglasses while everyone is napping. A phone charger that doesn’t quite reach. Snack wrappers everywhere. A box of markers barely out of the grasp of the youngest kid. All of these micro-stresses add up and can dampen the mood of even the happiest traveler. More time. When you’ve carefully chosen which items to bring and where to put them, you will spend less of your vacation time searching the trunk for elusive items, or even worse, making expensive and time-consuming stops to replace what’s missing. Easier food options. Having well-organized, pre-packaged food options ensures that you always have healthy (and less expensive!) food and drinks available, regardless of where your path takes you. Entertained children. If you’ve traveled with kids (or adults!) of any age, you know that boredom can quickly spiral into something worse. Having a well-organized vehicle can help passengers keep themselves entertained and engaged. Wondering where to begin? Read on for our space-by-space ideas for whipping your chariot into shape before you hit the road! Organizing Your Vehicle, One Space at a Time Before loading your car for your road trip, you’ve got to start the same way you would with any organizing project—taking everything out of the space you are organizing to see what’s there, making smart decisions about what can stay and what should go, and only then organizing the rest. If you need a refresher on removing excess clutter from any space, revisit our blog for a step-by-step guide! The various spaces in your car fulfill specific functions, so make sure you are prioritizing which items make the most sense for each space. Center Console: The Domain of the Driver. The center console is the only space that’s truly accessible for the driver, so make sure that it has everything they need within reach: sunglasses, phone charger, lip balm, gum or mints, quick access to a playlist or podcast, water bottle, etc. Glove Box: The Domain of the Co-pilot. The driver gets the glory, but it’s the co-pilot who makes the road trip happen! The co-pilot often serves as navigator, drink opener, squabble solver, tech guru, snack distributor, and more. We recommend using separate bags or pouches to keep categories of items organized and easy to find in the glove box: Extra cords for various gadgets Health supplies (hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, headache and stomach meds, band-aids, neosporin, tweezers, etc.) Important documents, such as your insurance and registration information Sleep supplies for nappers (eye masks and ear plugs) Pen and paper The Backseat: The Domain of the Passengers. Accessibility is key—backseat passengers need to be able to reach their activities and snacks without unbuckling. A few things that might help: Back of seat organizers can keep a wide variety of items within reach. Many folks have had good luck with repurposing a door shoe organizer for this! A box or narrow crate in the center can be a game changer for helping kids keep track of their items—and limit the amount they are packing. Many vehicles have an abundance of cup-holders! A few plastic cups from the kitchen can help passengers make use of this valuable space—think crayon storage, headphones and cords, or snacks! The Cargo Space: The Storage Domain. If you love the game Tetris, now is your time to shine! Use the space in your trunk or cargo area as strategically as you can, being mindful of when you will need access to each item. Place your most-likely-to-need first items closest to the bumper, so you don’t waste precious time moving everything out and then back in to reach something. It’s always a good idea to make sure you have a travel safety kit with you (especially if you are expecting difficult weather) Tips and Tricks to BEEgin Your Journey We’ve rounded up a few of our most-used items and ideas for organizing your journey. Daily Tidying. Every day, take the 15 minutes to clean out trash and debris, refill snacks and activities, and put everything back in its place. Bring the things you need to keep your car tidy: Wet wipes? Trash bag or can? Paper towels? Repurposing Items. You don’t need to spend a bunch of money buying gimmicky car organization products. Think about how items you already own can help you accomplish your goals. Don’t have a place to hang a grocery sack for trash? Stick a removable adhesive hook in an accessible spot. Need something to organize kid art supplies or snacks in? You finally have a reason to use that old shower caddy! If you don’t have time to divide out bulk snacks into smaller bags for the road, toss a package of coffee filters into the snack bag. Coffee filters cost pennies, hold their shape, and take up minimal space. A Place for Everything. The biggest chaos-makers in a car are those items that don’t have a place to live, so make sure that you figure out the most sensible spot for each item, and then encourage the whole family to put the item back in the same place every time. Frozen Water Bottles. We love it when we remember to freeze a few bottles of water before a road trip. They serve as ice packs while they are frozen, and then eventually become beverages! The Almighty Snack Bag. Being mindful about the variety of foods you bring—and how they are packaged—can save you time and money on the road. You will save money by not being subjected to that upcharge for convenience at your stops. And you’ll save time at your stops by putting an end to the endless browsing and indecision about what to pick. Mesh Bags. We never bombard you with countless organizational products because we know buying more things won’t solve your clutter problems. One of the very few exceptions is these mesh zipper bags , which keep you organized when traveling without adding a lot of extra weight or bulk. New-to-You Activities. If you have a road trip coming up, keep an eye out for activities that will keep weary travelers entertained. Whether it’s borrowing a stack of magazines from a friend, printing out instructions for new card games, downloading a couple of podcast episodes from a comedian, or pulling out a set of forgotten window clings for the kids, brainstorming for fun new ways to occupy your time will be worth every minute! As you BEEgin your next summer adventure, we hope spending a few extra minutes before you leave will help you make the most of your time making memories, one mile at a time! As with any organizational project, if you need help, you can always reach out to the closest Bee Organized location for the compassionate, confidential, and judgment-free support we are known for!
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Listen to the Bees to Get More ZZZs
The Key to Better Sleep is Organization More than a third of Americans report they regularly have difficulty falling or staying asleep. In fact, struggling with sleep is so common that many people think that it’s inevitable. You have more control over your sleep than you think! Before you reach for that melatonin or medical sleep aid, you owe it to yourself to consider how the state of your bedroom can improve—or diminish—your sleep quality. The Importance of Sleep We all know that to live a long life, we need to make healthy food choices and exercise regularly. But according to the National Institute of Health , the quality of your sleep is just as important for your health as diet and exercise. So why do we treat healthy sleep as a luxury rather than a priority? The research is abundantly clear that the quality of our sleep impacts all areas of our lives—from how long we live to our likelihood of encountering numerous diseases. Here are just a few of the latest studies: Longevity: According to the Mayo Clinic, women who get adequate sleep live about two years longer on average than those who are sleep-deprived—for men, it’s five years longer! Cardiovascular health: Researchers from the medical school at Columbia University tell us that not getting enough sleep can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, and inflammation. In addition, the American Stroke Association reminds us that those who struggle with sleep are at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Dementia: Researchers from Harvard inform us that adults who struggle with getting enough sleep are twice as likely to develop dementia after retirement. The most likely reason for this is that our bodies use every minute of our sleeping time to flush away toxins that accumulate in our brains during the day. And more: If all of the above reasons aren’t enough, researchers have also connected poor sleep to weight gain, diabetes, kidney disease, car crashes and even lower perceptions of relationship quality. The verdict is in. The quality of your sleep is too important to leave to chance. It’s time to get serious about improving your sleep health—and the best place to BEEgin is in your own bedroom. Your Sleep Quality Depends on Your Sleeping Space There’s no two ways about it: People sleep better when they sleep in a space designed for their sleep needs! As we’ve discussed before in our blog, several research studies have shown that nighttime sleep is shorter and less restful when the sleeping space is cluttered or disorganized. Dr. Pamela Thacher, a psychologist at St. Lawrence University, found in her research that people who slept in cluttered bedrooms were more likely to experience a sleep disorder. Research published in the journal Sleep noted that when people try to sleep in cluttered rooms, they can have lower sleep quality because the clutter causes anxiety. Neuroscientist Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib explains that a messy bedroom will overstimulate your brain and cause it to associate your bedroom with stress, making it more difficult to fall asleep in the space. So if we know that we need quality sleep to live our best lives and we know that the state of our bedroom directly impacts our ability to get that sleep—how do we get from Point A to Point B? Read on for the Bee’s roadmap for whipping your sleeping space into shape! How to Organize Your Sleeping Space Your poor, neglected bedroom. If you are like most of our clients, your bedroom is the space that needs the most TLC. The primary bedroom is often the place that collects the most cast-offs from other areas of the home and becomes the default storage place for things that you don’t have the time or energy to deal with. Your bedroom is the last space to get much-needed attention, whether it’s new paint, a deep cleaning, or a complete makeover. We get it that most of your visitors never venture into your bedroom—and that spaces used by all members of the household can take priority—but there’s no time like the present to commit to better sleep! Organize Your Routine: You’ve heard a million times that little kids need routines. But adults need routines too! Having a bedtime routine helps organize your brain and helps prepare you for deep sleep. Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at the National Institute of Health, notes that one key to quality sleep is building a consistent sleep schedule. And the University of Chicago strongly recommends “developing a bedtime routine that helps you wind down for the evening.” The internet is full of great bedtime routines for adults—you can start with these bedtime routine ideas from Psychology Today! Organize Your Nightstand: The space closest to your bed is prime real estate for helping you sleep fully and deeply. Do not give up the space to clutter. Instead, think carefully about what items you need by your side as you settle in for a good night’s rest: your phone charger, sleep mask, lip balm, book, ear plugs, retainer, and more. Make sure every item has a place to live and you’ve removed the items that will just get in your way. Organize Your Bedroom: Ready to put the time and effort into organizing your sleeping space? Follow our step-by-step guide for decluttering any space on our blog. And if your bedroom is jam-packed with excess stuff, begin with our famous Power Purge! You deserve a functional, peaceful space for sleeping—in fact, your health depends on it! And if you get stuck along the way, you know you can always reach out to the closest Bee Organized location for the compassionate, confidential, and judgment-free support we are known for!
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Unpacking the Power Purge
When people begin a decluttering project, they go in with the best of intentions. They imagine that just a little motivation and some bins and labels will surely solve almost any organizational problem. But all too often, aspiring organizers skip the most important step of all: The Power Purge! Reorganizing the objects without getting to the heart of the problem—that we all have Too Much Stuff—is just a temporary fix. It’s more like a Band-Aid than true healing for your cluttered home. If you don’t go through the process of saying goodbye to your excess clutter, you’re just moving stuff around, which still takes time and effort but gets you no closer to having a peaceful, clutter-free home. Unless you’ve recently fully organized a space and therefore are just maintaining your good work, any decluttering effort will benefit greatly from careful consideration about which items should stay in the space, and which items should be removed. But how do you choose which items should remain and which items to set free? Thankfully, as professional organizers, we’ve developed a tried-and-true process that can help bring clarity to this series of overwhelming decisions. As you touch each object that currently lives in the space you are organizing, ask yourself the three key questions of the Power Purge. Don’t think about this process as getting rid of things that are important to you; instead, think about it as an opportunity to make room for the people, activities, and things that you love! 1Does This Item Make Me Happy? If the item you are focusing on makes you smile or brings back a wonderful memory of someone you love or an adventure that you had, keep it! Don’t feel pressured to throw away things that are meaningful to you. As you go through this process, some items will have obvious happy emotions tied to them: family photos, precious gifts from a loved one, that perfect sweater. Other items will bring you joy for reasons that you can’t put into words and that is fine too! To be able to keep an item, you don’t have to justify why it makes you happy—just feel the positive emotions and keep it! But not everything that you think should make you happy actually does make you happy. The magic of the first key question of the Power Purge is that it gives you permission to let go of items that you or others think should make you happy, but don’t. You have the permission to let go of memorabilia, or old collections, or things you purchased that you regret. You don’t need to hold on to things just because you feel like you should. This is your home and you get to choose what is lifting you up and what is holding you down. Just because something doesn’t make you happy doesn’t mean you should necessarily get rid of it! Also, never forget that there is sometimes a middle ground in these decisions. For example, instead of keeping the entire 64-piece set of your grandmother’s china, keep a special tea cup that you will use or put on display as a reminder of her. We keep most items in our homes not because they make us happy, but because they serve a function. That brings us to the second key question of the Power Purge. 2 Is This Item Useful Now or in the Near Future? Just like in the first question, if you answer YES to this question, it’s a no-brainer that you should keep it. It’s up to you to decide what “regularly” means for you, but our Bees advise that if you are using it every year, that’s likely enough to warrant keeping. So if you have been holding on to that fondue pot for that “someday fondue party” for the past five years, either plan the party or ditch the fondue pot and borrow one when you get around to planning that party. Keep in mind the 80/20 Rule as you’re simplifying: We only use 20% of our items 80% of the time. Things get more complicated when you answer NO to the question “is this item useful.” If you are performing the Power Purge on your closet, there’s a very good chance you will run across clothing that you haven’t worn in years…or even decades. If the item doesn’t make you happy (and especially if it makes you feel a negative emotion like guilt or regret), and you aren’t using it regularly, now is the right time to let it go and move on. Letting go of items that you don’t use regularly (and that you don’t love) can sometimes be extremely challenging. Getting rid of the item means admitting to yourself that it was a wasteful purchase in the first place—or that you bought it for the wrong reasons. Sometimes, it means facing the fact that you did not stick with that hobby you bought the equipment for or that the one dress you are waiting for a chance to wear may have already gone out of style. It’s natural to feel the occasional strong emotion as you sort through items. Don’t let the emotions surprise you—and BEE sure to give yourself the gift of self-compassion and a judgment-free zone as you feel your feelings. This work of purging what is no longer useful or meaningful to you will give you more room in your life for clarity and joy! 3 Is This Item Valuable or Irreplaceable? You’ve made it to the third key question! As you consider the item you are focusing on, you’ve already determined that it does not make you happy and you do not use it regularly. The answer to the third key question will help you figure out how to best deal with this item. If the item is valuable, you will likely need to take more care in figuring out how to part with it. In this context, valuable items are those that either cost a significant amount of money when you originally purchased it—or are likely worth a significant amount of money now. (You get to decide what a “significant amount of money” means to you!) Sometimes, people hold on to an item for no other reason than because it is valuable. The third key question in the Power Purge is your reminder that just because something is valuable doesn’t automatically mean that it deserves to take up space in your home. If the item is not useful to you and it doesn’t bring happiness to you, now may be a great time to sell the item, give it to someone who would love it, or donate it to a cause that is meaningful to you. Check out your local Facebook “Buy Nothing” groups, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and other websites to find a variety of options for giving your items new life. The second part of this question asks you to consider whether the item is irreplaceable. If the answer to this question is YES, but the item does not make you happy and is not useful to you, all this means is that you may need to take more care in deciding where it goes after you’ve decided to part with it. There’s a chance that one-of-a-kind items mean more to someone else than they do to you, and it might make sense for you to check with them before disposing of the items. For example, perhaps you have a crate of Kindergarten art from your grown child taking up space in your guest room. It’s completely reasonable to sort through it and keep the ones that make you happy and then decide that you no longer need the rest. But since the items are irreplaceable, it might make sense for you to share the contents of the crate with your adult child so that they can decide if they too want to keep any of the crayon masterpieces. The same reasoning holds true with all those photos you’ve collected over the years. Give yourself permission to dispose of pictures that don’t bring you joy, are of poor quality, or you cannot name the people or places. For large framed photos, take a picture and let it go! Digitizing photos and photo albums is a great way to eliminate the actual items. Remember that just because something is irreplaceable, it doesn’t automatically mean that it gets to take up space in your home! You’ve done it! You’ve thoughtfully considered each item in the space you are decluttering, and you’ve (hopefully) given yourself permission to part with so many of the things that were weighing you down. The great thing about the Power Purge is that you can’t find a loophole in the line of questioning. These three questions were designed to press you and make you be honest with yourself. The more you do it, the better you’ll BEEcome. Removing all of the extra items will make organizing what’s left go so much more smoothly. As you work to transform your space, let happiness and usefulness BEE your guide, and savor the sweet nectar of a decluttered life! If you need a helping hand to get started, reach out to the Bee Organized location nearest you—our Bees are ready to give you the compassionate, confidential, and judgment-free service you deserve!
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Should I Hire a Professional Organizer?
Many of us can relate to the anxiety and chaos of an unorganized home. It happens for many reasons, ebbing and flowing throughout the year. Some people are naturally messy. Some people cannot organize their thoughts and don’t know where to begin. Some just cannot focus on their space and see it in different ways. No matter the reason, struggling to organize your house, and keep it that way, is a challenge for many people. You are not alone. Whatever the reason for your struggle, hiring a professional organizer like Bee Organized to organize your hive might be the right solution for you. 6 Questions to Determine If You Need a Professional Organizer It may be tempting to go the DIY route for your home organization project. Saving money by doing this project yourself is appealing. The idea of a finished project is appealing, too. For many people, finishing an organizational project, and learning to maintain it, is the hardest part. This is what makes professional organizers worth the cost. Our Bees are pros at teaching you how to organize and maintain clutter, even when life gets hectic. If you are struggling with one of the questions below, it is time to consider hiring a professional and Bee Organized would be HONORED to help! 1 What Is My End Goal? Asking yourself this question is a great place to start when considering house organization companies. A professional home organizer is your partner in this process. Think of us as accountability partners. We are there to listen and coach you through the process. The process of organizing your home is a team effort and you are an important part of that team. We work with our clients every step of the way. Staying organized is a life skill–and a commitment. Working alongside an expert gives you the opportunity to create a home for everything and learn tips and tricks from some of the best in the business. This also helps you develop a system of keeping things organized that works for you. This goes a long way in helping you maintain the work long after the initial process is complete. Learning how to organize your space has some other benefits, as well. Roughly three in ten women report that their mornings are less stressful when they have an organized closet. That feeling can carry over into many parts of your life. When you are in an organized, stress-free space, it is easier to carry that attitude out into the world with you. 2 Do I Feel Stuck in the Process? Feeling stuck and overwhelmed is common when facing a large project. Maybe you don’t even know where to start. If you are standing in your own home feeling unorganized and overwhelmed, it may be time to start searching for a professional home organizer in your area. A professional organizer will help you take that first step, or maybe a giant leap feels more appropriate. If you find yourself feeling stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professional organizers come into your hive with a fresh perspective. They are not emotionally attached to your things in the same way that you are. Our Bees can see things you can’t and envision ways to organize your space you may never have considered. 3 Do I Have the Skills to Organize Myself? Fortunately, organizing is easy to learn. It requires some critical reasoning and thinking outside of the box, but anyone can do it. There are plenty of helpful books, YouTube videos, and how-to articles to give you ideas and tools. But if you're like most people, you're still reading this because you need help and motivation. That's when hiring a professional may be necessary. Your friends and family may have skills and want to pitch in to help, but they can sometimes be critical, which is exactly what you don't need when things are disorganized and chaotic in your home. You need a professional partner who won't judge you or your clutter. Hiring a pro is like having a private teacher, teaching you tips and better habits for an organized life, so be sure to soak in their knowledge. Learning how to be and stay organized, or teaching your kids/partner new organizing skills, might just be the best reason to hire a professional organizer. Even if you have all of the skills to successfully organize your house, a professional organizer brings you some extra support, motivation, and a gentle push when you need it. A professional organizer will work through your clutter with you, helping you decide what to keep and what not to keep. This can be an emotional process and it can be helpful to have a professional organizer that has done this work numerous times. 4 Do I Have the Time to Organize Myself? Time is a precious commodity in our modern world and many of us just don’t have the time it takes to organize our house. This is another great reason to hire a professional organizer. Time can be our biggest enemy in getting things organized and maintaining that organization. Lack of time is also one of the biggest reasons our homes become unorganized in the first place. Most people estimate that they could save up to an hour in their day if they were more organized. An extra hour of free time can make a huge difference in most people’s lives. Consider how much time it would take for you to declutter your space on your own. Most of our clients are blown away seeing how much two Bees can accomplish in a 3-hour session. When you schedule focused time with a pro, you maximize the time. Think of the synergy, accountability, and follow-through accomplished when you’re paying for an expert! A key benefit of an organized home is that once you have systems in place, you’ll save time in the long run. Simply put, you’ll spend less time looking for items as well as saving time putting things away. 5 Am I Coming Up on a Deadline? Are you having a party soon? Moving? Downsizing a family member? Deadlines are often great motivators for getting things done around the house. When you need to declutter and organize your space in a pinch, hiring a team of professionals with the expertise and the connections for services you may need, can make all the difference. If moving soon, clearing out years of accumulated 'stuff' is a process and a good organizer will discuss your goals and timeframe up front, then keep you on track and support you when making hard decisions. Bee Organized takes pride in managing your project from start to finish when time is of the essence! 6 Will I Really Finish the Project After I Start It? Are you good at pulling everything out and moving the piles of stuff, but get sidetracked along the way and never reach the finish line? We get it! Life happens and sometimes we get in over our heads. A professional home organization service can add some much-needed (wo)manpower to your project. We can offer a few extra hands and lots of experience to help you finish your project and give you the organized space you’ve been dreaming of. Hiring a professional will also help keep you on track in your project. We've seen many projects started by clients, but they become distracted and the project stalls out halfway through. If this pattern sounds familiar, and you have a habit of starting but never finishing, maybe it's time to hire a professional. Making the decision to hire a pro or DIY is a personal one. If you're on a tight budget, feel comfortable organizing and enjoy the work, then by all means dive right in! But if your superpower doesn't align with organizing, you're stretched for time, or finally ready to finish the project once and for all, give Bee Organized a Buzz today...we're ready to Simplify Your Hive! If you are ready to see what all the Buzz is about, reach out to Bee Organized, and let’s chat about how we can help you meet your organization goals. We are currently in 20+ cities across the United States. Reach out to the location nearest you to schedule a free consultation and get you started on your organization journey. It would be our HONOR to serve you!
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