My car is my home away from home.  I spend a lot of time in my car transporting my kids to various activities, driving to clients homes and running errands.  It’s easy for things to pile up in the back seat, in the drink holders and in the seat pockets especially with kids in the car.  We all know it doesn’t take long for trash, shoes and books to accumulate.    

Start with the glove compartment and console.  You can multi-task and do this while waiting in your car.  Throw away out-dated insurance cards, service receipts,  coupons and anything else that’s found it’s way in there.  Keep only current insurance and registration documents.   Ask yourself if you really need all those maps.  With GPS devices and smart phones, we don’t have a need for old-fashioned paper maps as much as we used to.  Consoles are a good spot to keep phone chargers and a small box of tissues or wipes.  Do you have loose coins in your car?  If you use coins for parking, toll booths, etc. gather them up and store in a coin purse or small re-sealable plastic bag. 

Next, clean out seat pockets, cup holders and under seats.  If you don’t currently have a place for trash, designate a small container for trash.  Keep an umbrella or two in a seat or door pocket within easy reach.  

The trunk or hatch area is usually the messiest part of the car because it’s out of sight-out of mind.  Take everything out and only return items that you regularly use.  Store re-usable shopping bags so you’re always prepared when you shop and don’t have to remember to take with you as you leave the house.  I love this organizer for re-usable shopping bags .http://www.TheToteBuddy.com/ . You may want to keep a cooler bag in the car for cold and frozen groceries. 

Store an emergency kit with jumper cables, flares, flashlight, etc, at all times.   Keeping a few water bottles in you car is a good idea too.  Depending on your climate, keep a container with a collapsible shovel, ice scraper and other cold weather emergency items.  As the weather warms, swap out the cold weather container for one that holds sun screen, bug spray and maybe a table cloth or plastic shower curtain for those impromptu picnics and outdoor concerts.  See this link for organizing products that will keep all of these things together in your car.  http://www.inspirationalorganizing.com/my-store.html

Think of your car as an extension of your house and organize it thoroughly every few months.  Get family members in the habit of immediately removing anything they bring into the car. Keeping your car organized is essential whether you're running errands around town or going on a road trip.   If you spend as much time in your car as I do, you’ll enjoy that time much more if you keep an organized car.  How do you keep your Please leave your comments below.

I hear this a lot from clients. It’s hard to donate or sell things that we paid a lot for. But is it really worth that much now?  It may be very valuable to you and hold some sentimental value, but the real value is most likely not as much as we think. I don’t force anyone to get rid of anything but sometimes it’s clear that the “abundance of stuff”  is causing stress.  Ask yourself these questions to determine whether you should keep or pass on certain things.
     

If I keep it, does it have a home?  

Is the space it takes up worth it?  

Do I love and honor this item?

Is it easily replaceable? 

Will a new product be more efficient?

Do I know the true value of the item?  Will it go up or down in value?

What’s the worst thing that can happen if I get rid of it?

Have I used/worn/viewed this within the last year? 

Does it hold some special family sentimental value? 

If I’m saving this to pass down to future generations, will they honor it?  Or will they just be guilted into accepting it?


Options for creating more space by removing things things that no longer fit into your life include selling on Ebay, Craig’s List, local online and newspaper classifieds, garage sales, consignment stores, or simply donate and use as a tax deduction.  Remember that other people will get more satisfaction from the items than you will.    

If you’re having trouble with over-flowing clutter in your house, then maybe you haven’t adequately defined the function of your rooms.  Every room, closet, nook and cranny of your home needs to have a well-defined purpose.  When I go to a client’s house for the first time, I ask what the room is currently being used for.  Then I ask what they WANT and NEED the room to be used for.  My job is to get the room from it’s current state to the clients desired vision.  As I’ve mentioned before, everything needs a home.  But do you have well defined “homes” set up?

Often, the rooms in our homes are multi-functional. For example, a kitchen’s purpose is for food preparation but may also be used for eating, homework, socializing and mail sorting.  Kid’s bedrooms are for sleeping but may also serve as a play area or study area depending on the age of the child.   

The guest bedroom tends to be our “catch-all” space.  Stress sets in when house guests are expected and the bed and floor are taken over with clutter.  Define the purposes of this room and set it up accordingly.   Ask yourself if you need this room to serve as storage.  If so, then create desirable storage solutions.  

Another consideration is under-utilizing a space.  We don’t use the room for it’s intended purpose such as formal dining rooms and living areas.  This isn’t a problem if there’s enough space in the rest of the house. If not, consider breaking away from the traditional use of the room and converting it to serve a different function such as a home office or a play room if you have small children.  

Ask yourself these questions:  What do I want this room used for?  What activities do I want/need to take place in this room/ area?   It’s important to assign the purposes to a room.  Keep this vision and don’t allow the defined areas become over-taken by clutter that belongs elsewhere. 

If you walk by a typical teenager’s room, you’re lucky if you can see the floor.  It may be covered with clothes, books, backpacks and electronics.  The goal of organizing your teen’s room is having a “home” for all of their belongings.  It’s very important to involve your teen in this process.  LIsten to them and get their input.  Ask them how they best study.  If space allows, create different areas for the various functions such as studying, reading, sleeping.  Consider the 5 tips below to help in the process of organizing your teen’s room.


1)  Designate a charging station for cell phones, Ipods, etc. 


2)  Set up a desk top file for school papers that need to be kept for year-end exams and paperwork for extra-curricular activities they’re involved in. 


3)  Designate a study area with a clear work space and school supplies. 


4)  Sort clothing by like items, teach kids how to hang properly.  Use baskets and organizing containers for flip flops, hats/caps. 


5)  Encourage teens to keep a calendar/planner whether on paper or on their phone.  


Getting your teen’s room organized may be relatively easy.  Keeping it organized is the tricky part.  Make a checklist of tasks your child needs to complete daily and weekly to maintain their organizing systems.   Most importantly, articulate the advantages of being organized and be a role model for them by respecting your space and belongings.