They give advice for a living, but what inside tips do they swear by? We found out!
“You can’t organize clutter. Ditch all those
containers and pretty little boxes you use to store
stuff — they’re just dust collectors. Throw things out
and keep only the containers you use. When you have no
place to keep all that extra stuff, you won’t have the
extra stuff!”
Marla Cilley, creator of FlyLady.net, an organizing
and housecleaning Web site, and author of Sink
Reflections
“Find a new home for things you don’t need by
having a garage sale or donating to Goodwill or the
Salvation Army. You can also go to sites such as
Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org and advertise what you
want to get rid of, then arrange for the person to come
pick up the item. It’s a really good way to detach from
your things because you know someone else really wants
it.”
Donna Smallin, author of Cleaning Plain &
Simple
“Create an information area that you can call the
Family Communications Center. Put up a blackboard or
dry-erase board so you can leave notes for one another,
and set up a color-coded file rack where you can keep
mail, invitations and school papers. That way, all those
things are contained in one specific area, instead of
all over the house.”
Nancy Black, owner of Organization Plus, in Beverly,
Mass.
“Regift or return a present if you don’t like it.
Just because somebody gave it to you doesn’t mean you
have to love it or have use for it. Get rid of the
guilt. No one is judging you!”
Jill Pollack, a Los Angeles organizational expert
whose celebrity clientele includes Jennifer Tilly and
Brittany Murphy
“Expect
organizing to be painful.
It takes time to undo the mess, so do this in small
steps. You’re going to have to face some of your bad
habits in order to change them. You might discover that
you’re a compulsive shopper and that’s why you have so
many things. Most of us don’t welcome change, but it’s
an inevitable part of life.”
Vicki
Norris, author of Restoring Order and a regular expert
on HGTV’s Mission: Organization
“Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to
spend money to get organized. Use things you already
have around the house to store things, such as baby-food
jars or that empty plastic container from the Chinese
takeout order. You can store nails or screws in those.
Store the kids’ crayons and markers in shoe boxes.”
Barry Izsak, president of the National Association
of Professional Organizers and author of Organize
Your Garage in No Time
“Use a small bookcase as your night table. Keep
it neat, clean and uncluttered by putting a lamp to read
by and your alarm clock on the top shelf, using the
second shelf for the books you’re currently reading and
keeping magazines on the third shelf.”
Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing From
the Inside Out
“Make a daily to-do list, but write it in the late
afternoon, when you’re already in the swing of
things, thinking about what needs to be done and saying
‘I’ll do this tomorrow.’ If you do it before bed, your
mind will be too stimulated and you may not be able to
sleep. And writing your to-do list in the morning
doesn’t work, either, because you’re liable to feel more
overwhelmed thinking about everything that needs to be
done during the day.”
Diane Hatcher, owner of Time-Savers Professional
Organizing Services Inc., in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
“People feel the pressure to have a perfectly
organized closet, but the truth is, we don’t all live in
spacious places. Go to the dollar store and buy a
shoe bag with clear compartments that you can hang
either on the inside of the door or on the closet rod.
You can organize anything in there — cleaning supplies,
scarves, belts, hair accessories. They even make smaller
versions for kid-size shoes, which are perfect for
storing Barbies, Legos and art supplies.”
Debbie Williams, author of Organized Kidz
“Live your life in your home so it makes sense to
you. It’s OK to leave things out. It’s about what
you can tolerate and what you are comfortable showing
your friends. Sometimes you may have to shove things in
closets if guests are coming to visit and you don’t have
time to organize. It’s not a permanent solution, but
don’t despair — you’ll get to it eventually. Focus on
the important areas instead. It always helps to have the
guest bathroom and the entryway look presentable. Having
a clean, tidy and welcoming entrance area, both outside
and inside, makes a good impression, and people will
most likely be more forgiving about the rest of the
house.”
Sally Allen, owner of A Place for Everything, in
Denver
“Resist comparing yourself to others and thinking
they’re better at organizing and cleaning than you are.
Choose two or three of the most important things you
want to accomplish during the day, and then if you get
to do anything else, consider it gravy! Remember,
there’s always tomorrow, and the world is not going to
end if you don’t get something done today.”
Maria Gracia, president of Get Organized Now! in
Watertown, Wis.
