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Kitchen or dining room tables can easily become a catch-all for everyone’s belongings.  Mail, school books, car keys, pens, pencils, and other miscellaneous items can quickly appear, and at dinnertime, end up in a large pile of clutter somewhere else in your household.

To curtail this habit, try organizing a central area for everyone’s belongings right inside the door to your house.  Install hooks on the wall so that purses, coats and backpacks can easily be hung upon entry.  A bench or short shelf can be placed directly underneath the hanging area for clearly labeled catch-all bins for each member of the family.  This will also help during the course of the day when picking up around the house.  Items found around the house can be placed in these bins, and each family member should get into the habit of making sure items are emptied from the bins and properly put away each evening.

If your kitchen table doubles as an arts and crafts studio or location for your kids to do their homework, make sure that there are bins, shelves and containers nearby that neatly organize school, office and arts supplies, and keep them within easy reach.  Help establish good habits in your children by ensuring they are held responsible for putting these things away as soon as they are done using them.  Make sure snacks are kept on plates and drinks are kept on coasters to ease cleanup time.

A nicely decorated table spread is also an ingenious way to keep the table from becoming cluttered.  Spread a nice tablecloth and place a large centerpiece on it, or even set four or six formal place settings on a dining room table that is not used for meals each evening.  Your family will be less likely to lay things on these tables since they can see there are already things there.  You’ll also be ready for company at the last moment this way.

Related Tags: dining room tables, formal place settings, pens pencils, cleanup time, dining room table

In this modern age of electronics and rapidly advancing technology, you’ll find many options available when it comes time to upgrade your address book and daily planner, even if you should decide to stick with your tried-and-true paper version.

Paper-based planners, contact management software, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart mobile phones can all help you get your schedule and contact information organized quickly and effectively.
 
Don’t keep separate contact books for work, home and other activities.  Instead, merge them into one with clearly labeled divisions or categories.  You might also decide to color code with small labels to designate personal, professional, or other types of contacts, such as your child’s school or troop leader. Collect all your addresses before entering them. Don’t forget to include community resources, professional associations and co-workers, medical and dental providers, insurance contacts, and other professional and personal business contacts in addition to your personal address book. Check that addresses are current and correct, and update those that aren’t. Be sure to include alternate phone numbers and e-mail addresses where applicable.   Devise a system, such as a calendar tickler to remind you of birthday, anniversary, graduation and other and holiday cards.  Notate whom you sent them to and when.

Should you choose to update to a PDA or mobile phone for contact organization, those equipped with Blue Tooth technology have the capability of synchronizing with computers if they’re within a few feet of each other.  This is a quick and convenient feature that alleviates the worry of cables or ports.

If you decide to continue to use your paper planner, be sure to photocopy important information so you’ll have it at your fingertips should your planner be misplaced or destroyed and you have to recreate it.  Try to choose one that allows you to easily add more pages or different types of tools such as a receipt folder, business card organizer or detailed calendar.  This way your planner grows with you when events in your life dictate, such as a career change or addition of an activity.  

Related Tags: personal address book, blue tooth technology, contact management software, paper planner, birthday anniversary

American driver spend on average about 15 hours in their car each and every week.  With busy hectic schedules, our cars are quickly becoming our home on wheels, so it should be as no surprise that our cars can easily become infested with clutter.  And just as we have a system in place at home, so should we in our car.  An organized car keeps distractions at bay and essential items within easy reach. 

Visor CD holders and passenger seat organizers are great items to have to keep your life in the front seat calm, cool and collected at all times.  Each of these organizing tools keeps important items within easy reach, such as your water bottle, toll money, or map. 

If a good portion of your time in the car involves hauling your children back and forth to daycare, on shopping excursions or to weekly activities, it’s likely that your backseat is a toy box on wheels.  There are simple and affordable mesh nets that can be placed over the back of the front seats so that books, toys, and allowable snacks can be kept within easy reach.  Encourage your children to place their items in these organizers when they are getting out of the car, and you’ll encourage them to learn how to pick up after themselves in your home as well. 

Trunk organizers are a great storage tool for keeping those needed items from floating back and forth in the trunk during car rides, and provide a safe haven for your groceries to travel home in.  Cargo nets can also be installed in the trunk to accomplish the same secure environment. 

Lastly, keep your pooch safe and secure in the back by placing a dog divider in the back of your minivan or SUV.  This keeps them safely contained in one area during the commute, thereby decreasing the likelihood of him bounding onto your lap and getting in your way during the drive.  It also contains him in an enclosed area if he’s dirty from playing in the mud or water.

Related Tags: seat organizers, trunk organizers, playing in the mud, toll money, storage tool