Thank you for joining us for the sixth installment of Tidy Thursday! Here at VolunteerSpot, we’re committed to simplifying the busy lives of parents, teachers and active volunteers. Along that theme, we’re pleased to support your personal efforts in getting organized and gaining quality time and present guest organization expert April Welch, The Mental Clutter Coach! Today, April discusses how creating good organization habits for the hectic days of summer is the key to keeping tidy (and sane). Thanks, April!
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The Life-Cycle of a Beach Towel
By April Welch
For this week’s post I decided to do things a little different.
I thought I would record the life-cycle of a beach towel in my house. {Yes, I’m an organizer. Yes, I can organize stuff. Yes, I live with others ~ who do not share the same traits}
So, why is there clutter during the summer? You could blame it on
- Lazy days
- Summer heat
- Relaxed schedules
- Having too much fun
But when it comes down to it, I think it’s really about where things live.
Take a look at your habits.
When you get home do you drop things in their usual spot?
Or are you already thinking 10 steps ahead & barely remember dropping anything?
All the things that are part of the summer lifestyle rarely belong anywhere ~ except being used for fun, right?
Sort of.
The reason it creates clutter is because in between uses, it doesn’t have a sense of direction.
For example you could try some of these recommendations:
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- maybe replacing some of the heavier blankets stored for next year
- no shelf? No problem ~ use a laundry basket by the door & stand the
clean towels up on end so they’re not mistaken for being dirty {rolling
makes this easier}
- this makes it easy to do a laundry run at the end of the day
- send the kids on a scavenger hunt with a laundry basket to collect items
- make room for beach towels on a shelf in the linen closet during the summer
- teaching everyone to drop their wet stuff in the tub when they undress
- create a plan of who will clear out the cooler after it’s been used
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- boys put the food away
- girls wash it out & put it somewhere to dry
- clearing a spot for shoes near the main entry/exit door
- so many people use baskets or bins ~ I say this is the one place you don’t want to containerize {things get too buried}
- use a small rug or a beach towel to help determine boundaries
- when you find shoes laying around just toss them in the “shoe pile” & let their owner sort it out later
- having a ‘Go To’ spot for sunscreen central
- In my own home we actually use an entry table for the sunscreen {it has
small decorative cubbies with doors}. In previous places we’ve lived,
with less room, I’ve used the counter in the guest bathroom, a drawer
in the kitchen & during really active summers ~ the “bag” I lugged
around with all things necessary for summer mishaps.
Most importantly, when trying to tidy up the summer clutter, try creating places for things to belong. If everyone knows that the beach towels are in the linen closet, they won’t have to ask where to put them once they’re washed folded & ready to be put away {I know, I’m dreaming, but wishful thinking is sometimes as good as the first step!}
Next week we’re all about how the kids can help out with “Chores that Actually Get Done”.
Keepin’ it Tidy,
April
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April Welch, CPO© is a Certified Professional Organizer residing in Central Washington State with her husband & two children and has been instinctively organizing most of her adult life.
While her philosophies are centered on how individuals are ‘wired’ she believes in providing a fun and educational environment with simple solutions to all organizing dilemmas. She offers live workshops, virtual organizing, tele-classes, habit assessments, public speaking, a radio show online and most recently Mental Clutter Coaching. April is the Franklin Covey® Family Organizing Guru & the Spokesperson for ListPlanIt.com April can be found on: Facebook and Twitter
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