I remember years ago when I hosted my first yard sale. The neighborhood was hosting a big event where you can go between driveways to shop, making it the perfect opportunity to clear your home of unwanted items once and for all. My girls were excited and ready, because with yard sales meant a lot of fun, like lemonade stands, learning about money, earning money, and finding new homes for old things. I had organized all of our items into boxes, did an insane amount of decluttering (okay, a little more than usual), and what happened? It rained.

If you don’t love your closet then you can probably relate to the “band-aid” fixes. You know, the products that you think will solve your problems and while they might work a little bit, sometimes it’s the closet itself that needs to get re-done.

We recently redesigned our client’s closet because–like many of our clients–she knew that there had to be a better layout which would make it easier for her to keep up with. The thing is, not all closets are created equal. Some closets have a combination of long hang and short hang, shelves and shoe racks, but more often than not is a closet perfect for your needs without a little bit of tweaking.

I’ve noticed that having an office space that is beautifully designed and organized isn’t just a trend. Companies seem to be taking the time and are investing more in their employees and their surroundings by bringing in experts to create better work environments. From how the furniture is designed to the office, companies have taken notice of the positive impacts that organized office spaces can have on their employees and their productivity.

As a professional organizer, I’m always asked if I “make” my clients get rid of stuff while helping them declutter. In case you’re wondering the same thing…the answer, in short, is: absolutely not. In recent years there has been a growing interest in minimalism and a greater emphasis on “less is more”, but before you jump on the bandwagon and rid your home of anything that doesn’t bring you joy, take a moment to carefully review a couple of categories before letting them go.

Who has issues in the morning and would to shave off a few minutes from their morning routine? There are so many ways to make the most out of your confined space in a shower so that you are not only more organized, but you are able to speed up your daily routine (win-win!). Similar to every area of your home, organization can streamline your daily routine and help you save time, money, and frustration in the long run. And all this while in the shower!? Yes. It’s possible.

The weekend is a time where I’m able to focus on a couple of projects from my ongoing to-do list, and I’m looking forward to getting my house totally back together after our spring break trip (I mean, I always forget how much laundry it entails!).

What’s on your to-do list this weekend? Whether you’re somewhere warm or in the DC area like where it’s calling for snow, I know that a lot of you are in spring cleaning/organizing mode!

Regardless of the size of your home, your under the sink storage is probably far from ideal. These kitchen and bathroom spots are great for the added storage opportunity, but due to their awkward and small footprint they can often become a dumping ground for your supplies, grocery bags, and bulk cleaning sprays. 

The good news for you is that under the sink organization is one of the quicker spots to dive into during spring organization. Sure, there are pipes and short dimensions to deal with, but a couple minutes of dedication to this area will make it a small but mighty powerhouse for your storage needs.

While it can be tempting to think of how you can transform your entire home during spring cleaning/organizing, it can also be overwhelming and time consuming. Instead, narrow your focus to a few select areas that will make the most impact, like your kitchen and pantry. When you set out to organize your kitchen and pantry, make sure to avoid making these common mistakes so that you can save on time, money, and ensure that you make the  most out of your available space.

Basements, garages, and attics can quickly become full of clutter because of how much can be packed inside and the lack of upkeep that it requires (function definitely trumps design in these areas so it’s easy to make excuses for their disorganized state). Think of each of these spaces as another room in your house–a place where everything should be purposeful, visible, and where you can still walk around to access everything. At least once every year pull every content out of the storage area and review what should stay and what should go.

A few months ago I hosted a workshop event called Cleanse Your Closet with the consignment gurus from The RealReal. The workshop was held at the inspiring BUREAU coworking + event space, and we spent the evening chatting all things closets, including how to create the best closet layout for your space, how to organize your clothing, and how to handle situations like knowing when to consign an item, how to handle sentimental items, and how to store out of season clothing.