Organizing Tools: what you need to get organized

One of the keys to staying organized is to routinely edit your closet, home office, or workplace.  The reason most people think they don’t want to clear the clutter  is because  it takes too much effort or it’s too time consuming.  Truth be known, it’s more about the fact that clearing the clutter is a very emotional process that feels like therapy.  It takes emotional stamina to declutter.    –  Anne McGurty, NAPO Colorado Past President, CEO/Founder, Strategize & Organize. www.strategizeandorganize.com  480-442-2014

My favorite words are “I’ve been looking for that.” It makes me smile when my clients say that. I like to give people something they thought they had lost. For many of my clients make organizing is  a low priority, without realizing that disorganization is such a major trigger of stress. Organizing allows you to be in control of your things instead of the other way around. As a professional organizer, I never know what I’m going to come up against. Sometimes I’m sorting paper; sometimes I’m discovering that forgotten coin collection. My job is to solve problems, so I never go to a client’s home or office unprepared. Here’s what I keep in my workbag:

IN THE TRAVELING BAG

• Brother Label Maker (and extra batteries) 
• Post-it notes for everything
• Screwdriver, hammer, pocket knife, tape measures
• Ziploc bags, for sorting
• SmartPhone with  camera, crucial for restaging so you can re-create an area.  Not to mention the satisfying before and after pictures.
• Paper clips, pens, pencils, tape, scissors, rubber bands, clipboard, calculator
• Pendaflex hanging file folders, insert tabs, and Avery labels
• Personal Emergency and Stamina items: Stevia packets, hand cream, protein bar, water bottle with Super Reds, Q96 and stain remover

THE BAG:   A garage sale find in my Paradise Valley, Arizona, neighborhood. SCORE!