Think Organised for the Whole Family

Do you have trouble getting your family on board for being organised? Sometimes, they may just think it's too complicated. What we've learned to do without thinking about it seems so simple to us, but we forget that we haven't communicated what we want from our family members. We just want them on board.

Following are some simple tips to help us get our families to think organized--sometimes without realizing that's what they are really doing!

1. FAMILY MEETING: Hold a family meeting and explain to your family that you need help to be able to maintain the family home. You aren't the only person in the family and shouldn't be the only one doing all the work. BUT, the family needs to know what and how to help you. Don't just dictate what will be done, but ask for their input and take their suggestions seriously. One of the advantages to the whole family working together to keep things organised and clean is that it takes much less time, leaving the whole family free to pursue fun activities together.
   
2. CHORE CHARTS. One of the outcomes of your family meeting can be dividing chores up. With input from the family as to which chores they'd prefer to do, set up a chore chart that lists everyone and the chores they are responsible for. Explain too that none of the assignments are set in stone, they can be re-negotiated in the future. Everyone likes to have some choices and this is a good way to do that.
   
3. MAKE IT SIMPLE. Do your children just toss their clothing into the wardrobe without hanging it up? Maybe the problem isn't that they don't want to do it right, but that they just can't. Is the closet rod too high for them to reach? Are the hangers too big for their clothing? You can lower the entire rod, or if you want to have room for hanging cubes, add a lower rod to one side. You can install a lower rod in half the closet, simply by hanging it from the upper rod. This will leave the other side free for hanging cubes that can also be used for storage. In addition to lower rods, purchase some smaller hangers so that they aren't so bulky and frustrating for the kids.
   
4. DIRTY CLOTHES PILES: Does your spouse consistently toss his/her dirty clothing in a single spot on the floor? Help to get your better half to think organised by placing a hamper in the exact spot he/she tosses those dirties. This way you are making it easier to `think organised' without having to pick up piles of dirty clothes behind your spouse.
   
5. TOYS EVERYWHERE? Do you have toys all over the place with no one putting them away? If you have small children, make it easy for them. First, pare down the amount of toys. Many times, our children have more toys than they ever play with. Find their favorites--those toys they play with consistently. Then pack up the rest. You could donate them, or just pack them up and store them to be rotated. Second, get rid of the toy box. Kids can't find anything in a toy box so they won't use it, or if they do, the mess from trying to find something is all over. Use cubbies, or cubes that you can find in any department store. Third, if your children are very small and aren't reading yet, use pictures to label each bin so that they know exactly what goes where. When there isn't an overwhelming amount to be picked up, and they know exactly where it goes and that they can easily find it later, they are much more able to keep the toy mess to a minimum. You might also make a rule that only one toy at a time can be out. For them to be able to play with a new toy, the old one has to be put away
   
6. LABEL, LABEL, LABEL! Do you despair that nothing will ever be put in its proper place? If you don't already have a label maker, buy one. They are a very helpful too--for your pantry, linen closet, medicine cabinet, kitchen cupboards and drawers. Label what goes where. The labels are small enough to fit on the face of a shelf and big enough to be easily read.
   
7. REWARDS. Don't we all like rewards? Our families are no different. The rewards don't have to be monetary. They can be a favorite meal prepared, a favorite movie or even a day out with Mom or Dad. There are a number of rewards that will work. Very small children love to get stickers, or sweets, or balloons. Older children would enjoy one- on-one time with Mum or Dad, or both. Dad's reward could be an afternoon fishing or golfing. Mum's reward could be spa time (at home or at the spa). There are any number of ways that you can reward the family for 'thinking organised'. Find what works best for your family and your situation.
   
8. MAKE IT FUN: None of us like to do drudge work, including our children. When most people have a bit of drudgery to do, they tend to put it off as long as possible, even to the point of avoiding it altogether. Our families are no exception to this rule. Young children especially like to race the clock, so set a timer and challenge everyone to a beat-the-clock game. In a specific amount of time, see how much stuff everyone can pick up and put away. When it`s fun, everyone enjoys participating.
   
9. REVIEW: This ties in to the family meetings and chore charts. When the family knows that they aren't arbitrarily stuck with a chore forever and ever, it makes it a bit easier for them to be willing to take on a chore they don't particularly like, or aren't familiar with. With periodic reviews, say once a month, or once every two weeks, you and your family will be able to assess how things are going and to decide if you want to redistribute the chores.
   
10. LIGHTEN UP: This is applicable in more ways than one. It is impossible to organise clutter, so if you have too much stuff, you need to lighten your load. Donate items that are in good condition (gently used), or hold a family garage sale. Set the sale up so that each member of the family gets the proceeds from their items. Or, you could agree as a family to combine the proceeds for a special treat, maybe a trip to an amusement park or similar attraction. Give your family an incentive to part with things and they will more than likely be willing participants. Another way to lighten up is in our attitudes. Sometimes we get so focused on the things that need to be done all around us that we forget to just enjoy our families. Don't make that mistake.
    
11. ENJOY YOUR ORGANIZED FAMILY: It only takes doing something 21 times to make it a habit. Introduce these suggestions slowly and when each one is a habit, start on a new one. Then you will have a home that requires less care, one because you have lightened the load, and two because the whole family is taking part in the care and maintenance of the home. This leaves you free to enjoy more family time together.

Organise Your Garden This Spring

"I'd rather have roses on my table, than diamonds around my neck." Emma Goldman

…. well most of the time! But I don’t think many things are as rewarding as gardening – that might just be the Martha Stewart coming out in me.

Of recent years, gardening has become something many of us have had to let go due to the drought which has gripped the country.

However, organsing your garden now so it’s in full bloom in the Spring is a great idea. Whether you have a balcony or an acre block there is something you can do to create an “outdoor room” (as Jamie Durie would call it).Whilst we would all love to have the Backyard Blitz team knock at our front door, sadly this is unlikely.

So how do you get your garden into shape? Well, it takes planning, for example, there is no point buying a load of plants when you don’t have the soil ready.

Plan – think about what type of garden your want and how you will use the space. Will you have lots of lawn or more garden beds or even a pool!

Professionals – some elements of your garden may need to be carried out by professionals, such as tree lopping, retaining walls or electrician for lighting features.

Prepare – prepare soil either for lawns or garden beds and build it up with organic matter.

Plantings – consider using natives and drought tolerant plants. Check with your local council about plants that are suitable for your area. In Brisbane such a service exists together with a “Free Plant” programme where each household is given 2 free native plants each year. There is also a cash-back programme where you can claim up to $50 each year for plants.

Precipitation – some permits are given to allow watering on new garden installations and some further water restrictions will apply – check with your local authority. Finally, it may be worth considering installing a tank within your Plan so you can maintain your new outdoor room – many rebates are offered for tanks, so why not take advantage of it!

Happy Gardening!

Trailor Trash - Confessions of a Serial Hoarder

I don’t know how many of you have the day-time luxury of tuning into Oprah – I have to confess I am a fan!

A recent episode show featured a “serial hoarder”. This family had 15 tonnes of garbage removed - yes you read correctly, that is equivalent to 15 Toyota Corrolla’s and that was just plain old garbage, they hadn’t even got into the serious stuff yet.

They finally removed enough clutter from the home to fill a 10,000 foot storage unit! (that’s about half of Suncorp Stadium!) This was a very serious case of hording indeed.

Not only did she have her house literally filled to the roof, she had her triple garage completely loaded with more stuff – they hadn’t been able to put their car in the garage for over 10 years!

Whilst I am yet to come across a case of hoarding this serious – they key is to recognize the signs before it becomes this overwhelming!

Are your cupboards bursting with gifts that “might be good for someone”, or memorabilia that “reminds me of the time when …..” , or collections that “I started when I was 15 …” clothes that “I’m going to fit into when I loose these 5kg”. Do all these items end up in cardboard boxes and often shoved in the spare room or garage? …….

This got me thinking – the humble garage (if you are lucky enough to have one), is often a forgotten hide-away for our clutter. Does your garage look more like a storage unit at Millers than a nice little home for your precious car?

Often the lowly garage is used a storage area or “black hole” to house our clutter, just to get it out of the house. We live in hope that by placing it in the garage it will miraculously disappear; it is afterall one step closer to the garbage, or hopefully we can ignore the fact that we may have a problem with hoarding!

Whilst the obvious use for our garage is for our cars, it is an ideal area to convert into a very clever storage area for those lesser used items such as luggage, sporting equipment and of course gardening equipment (if you have a garden). There some fantastic systems available that can be attached to walls and even hung from the ceiling that can create a special home for all your belongings!

You’d be surprised how much can be stored when you introduce often ingenius organising systems. Both your possessions (the ones that remain after you have had a good de-clutter) and you car can live in perfect harmony.

…. Oh so what happened to this family on Oprah. With the help of Australian organizer, Peter Walsh, they held a garage sale to end all garage sales, raised $13,000, then used the money to completely make over their family home – and probably some therapy!