 It’s gift-giving season! I’ll bet you’ve already put in a lot of effort: making your gift list, budgeting for the gifts, planning the gifts, comparison-price shopping for the gifts, buying the gifts, and squirreling the gifts away in a hidden corner of your home. Now it’s time to wrap the gifts! Does this seem like an insurmountable hurdle? Let me make it easier on you with a few key strategies. THE EASY WAY OUT You really hate wrapping presents. And you have no time for it. Here are your two options.
 SET UP FOR SUCCESS Maybe you hate wrapping gifts because your supplies are stored inconveniently and you don’t have a good station. My favorite storage options:
Be sure to store all your supplies together so you don’t have to hunt all over the house. In addition to tissue paper, bows, and tags, be sure you have good scissors (multiple pairs if you have wrapping helpers) and tape in a weighted dispenser so you can use it one-handed. LIMIT YOUR OPTIONS You don’t need dozens of different papers and millions of bows and ribbons to wrap a pretty gift. The excess will only add to your frustration. One of these two strategies will help you find your signature style.
LEARN THE SKILLS Wrapping is no fun when you don’t know what you’re doing. Quit fumbling around and learn how to wrap like a pro. Grab some practice paper and boxes and watch a few to perfect your technique. It might seem like a hassle, but investing 15 minutes now will save you so much time and headache later. Check out my wrapping tutorials here:
REUSE OR BUY NEW?
Wrapping gifts is much easier when you use good-quality bags and paper. The cheap stuff rips, causing frustration and waste. Go ahead and toss out:
If gift wrapping has been a chore for you, I hope these strategies will banish your frustration. Ultimately, wrapping should be a fun time to think about the recipient and how you hope they’ll feel when presented with your lovely gift.
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 I’ve organized so many kitchens that I’ve lost count. From the perspective of a Certified Professional Organizer®, it doesn’t much matter whether a kitchen is old or new, super high-end or very basic. What matters is how functional it is.
I’ve seen remarkably well-planned kitchens in small condos and apartments. And some surprisingly inefficient kitchens in recently-renovated high-end homes. I organized two different converted-mill apartment kitchens which each had only a single, 7”-wide drawer. In the entire kitchen. One drawer. Try finding a 7”-wide drawer organizer. Where are we going to put the silverware?! Then there was the beautiful, modern kitchen with a barista-worthy built-in coffee station occupying an entire end wall. But no pantry. No plan for storing food in the kitchen. And the homeowner doesn’t even drink coffee! More than once, a client has lamented that they should have consulted with me before doing the renovations. Yes! Definitely consult with a professional organizer prior to undertaking major renovations. An organizer can help you pare down what you have, understand and communicate your habits and preferences to your architect, designer, and contractor, and go over plans with an eye toward functionality and ease of use. But in case you don’t bring me in as a consultant for your kitchen renovation, just use this handy list.  “Is it normal to be really nervous?” asked Rebecca* as she greeted me at the door. “I don’t know what to expect!”
Yes, it’s common to feel anxious the first time you have an Organizing Session with a Certified Professional Organizer.® Maybe you’re worried I’ll judge you because of your mess. Definitely not! Far from being judgmental, I’m impressed when someone takes the step of hiring a professional to help them get organized. Nerves also stem from being unsure of what exactly we’ll be doing. Will I be directing or doing the work with you? How exactly will we tackle your project? Let me demystify the Organizing Session by telling you exactly how it works.  A common question I get when helping clients organize their closets is, “What kind of hangers are the best?”
My answer? The best hangers are the ones that work for your closet and your clothes. There’s no one universal hanger. Instead, match the hanger to the job. That said, there are some guidelines for selecting the right hanger.  Does your family have students heading back to school in the next few weeks? Have I got you covered with Back-to-School tips for making an organized transition from summer to school! What's your Back-to-School challenge?If TIME MANAGEMENT is what trips you up, don't miss my blog and interview with the fabulous Leslie Josel, inventor of the award-winning Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management®  Are you worried about how to TRANSITION FROM SUMMER mode to school? Use this blog to make a plan.  Do you have a student HEADING TO COLLEGE? Here are my tips and tricks for an organized start.  If you're getting my newsletter, then you already have access to my top 3 Back-to-School blogs and more. If you're not yet subscribed, what are you waiting for?
 Here’s the problem: Your kid is a prolific artist. The artist part is great, but the volume is an issue. How many crayon drawings of your family, poster-paint apple trees, and construction-paper collages are you supposed to be able to manage? If you’ve been following my advice, you’ve Set Up a System to Deal with School Papers: A temporary display space to show off this week’s latest greatest creations and a bin or portfolio for long-term storage. But you’ll notice a secondary problem. You’ve saved all of your child’s wonderful creations, but they’re stored away where no one looks at them. Why keep a precious memento stored in a bin, |
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