3 Reasons to Treat Yourself to a Custom Closet

I'll bet that at some point you have walked into your closet and immediately became frustrated. Were you looking for a shoe?  Did you misplace a piece of jewelry? Did you just not have time to sift through the messy piles?

We have all been through it!  Here are 3 (and a surprise final one at the end) reasons to TREAT YOURSELF to a custom closet:

1) YOU DESERVE IT!

Don't you believe that you deserve a life that is organized and free of frustration? That's all I have to say here!

2) IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!

Imagine a day that starts off with no struggle to find your stuff. Imagine not fighting with your spouse because you are bumping into each other in the search for your clothes. Imagine putting away your stuff easily at the nd of the day. Imagine a closet that has a place for everything and at heights your child can reach..... they can put their own stuff away! IMAGINE..........   It's all possible and YOU DESERVE IT!

3) INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOUSE! 

Unless you are thinking of moving, the value of your home may not be on your mind. Custom closets is value that you can live with and use every day!  If it feels good to you to open your doors and see and organized space, think about how impressed and excited a potential buyer might be!

And guess what....the final reason is...it's not as expensive as you might think!

There are so many options when it comes to custom closets, including designing and building it yourself! Here's a video to give you some ideas:

Please visit my website for more ideas and design options!

3 Ways to Avoid Distraction While Working

Have you ever felt that you are working  tirelessly but getting nothing done?

Whether you work from home or in an office DISTRACTION can be a problem and suck the time away from you!  We try to prioritize, we try to plan, we try to stay focused but external stimuli get the better of us!

Here are a three suggestions to help avoid distraction while you are working:

PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY:  Not on the desk next to you. AWAY. In a drawer or a bag where you can't see it!  Save checking your texts and personal calls/e-mails for your break time.

SET DO NOT DISTURB:  Put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door (or if you have the technology on your phone). Let people know that you are serious about concentrating and getting work done!

COMMIT to completing one task before starting the next.  There is nothing more easily distracting then a new task.  Finishing a task before starting another will make you feel like you have accomplished more in a day.  Having a bunch of unfinished tasks can leave you feeling dissatisfied at the end of the day.

These are easy things to try.....what can it hurt?

The worst thing that happens is that you get more done! OH MY!

 

 

 

It Feels So Good to Give... and I Don't Mean Money

They say "charity starts at home" and that is true! If we don;t take care of ourselves, we certainly can't help others.

But when we can boy does it feel good!

These thoughts are coming to me now as I am starting to dive into the hard work to create the yearly charity event I created called CANNED SEDONA. As I go through months of stress, anxiety and uncertainty, people ask me WHY I do it.  

I do it because I enjoy helping people. If I am making even a small difference in someone's life it makes me happy.

Everyone can give to people in need. It doesn't take much or mean spending a lot of money to help!

Here are 4 easy ways that you can help another person today:

1-  FOOD: Buy an extra non-perishable every week and make a collection to donate to your local food bank.or shelter

2- CLOTHING/HOUSEWARES: Give your old or unused items to the charity or shelter of your choice.

3- PARTICIPATION:  Do a Walk-A-Thon, volunteer or join a committee to help larger organizations raise money

4- LOVE: Volunteer to walk dogs and play with cats at an animal shelter, read to children in the hospital or spend time with the elderly.

None of the above options will cost you much but they sure will make other people happy!

Let me know how good it feels!!

 

 

   

 

The Corner Rules

Many of my clients ask me "How do you use the corners in a closet". Well, in my experience there is only one EFFECTIVE way to use corners but there are many options out there. 

Take a look: 

#1 - The Angled Corner Unit: With that small an opening....how will you ever know what is back there..never mind how you get to it! Once you hang clothes on the rods they will cover the opening even further and will make that access even more difficult!  

#2- Curved or Corner Shelves: Are not terrible when there is no hanging beside them but again, you will have items stuck far back in a corner which will probably never get used.

#3- Curved Rods: You can see for yourself in this photo that they are not a great use of space. Items can not hang the full range of the rod.

#4- The Lazy Susan: This works, sure...but again if you have anything hanging next to it, it will rub and hinder the spin of the shelves. Clothing folded in rectangles do not fit easily on a round shelf. This is a decent solution for shoes or purses.  

#5- Rods in 2 Directions: This is the most common use of corners and it does not work at all. It is physically impossible to hang the length of both rods. The shoulders of the clothing just smashes into each other.

#6- The Spiral Rod: Oh Yeah, this one is cool for sure but it takes up a ton of space. You can actually get more pieces of clothing on a regular rod then on this gadget. 

So what is my corner of choice? The Access Space:

The Access Space makes use of one wall completely and then leaves room for the clothes on the opposite wall to hang properly. When the correct amount of space is allowed, not only can you see the clothing in the corner, but you can easily reach it as well. 

I'm not saying the other ideas are wrong, just that in my 20 plus years o experience, this seems to work the best.

Do you have your favorite? Please share your thoughts!  

Short & Sweet Closet Organizing Tips

I know many people are preparing their kids for "back to school". This is another great time of year to get all your their (and YOUR) spaces organized.  

With the hustle and bustle of daily life, wouldn't it be nice to be able to find the clothes and things that you need in your closet in an instant?  

Here are some short videos to get you started! 

Drawers vs Shelves: 

2) Sweater Storage

3) Choosing Hangers

I hope you enjoyed these tips! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Referrals Make the World Go Around

Referrals make the world go around....the business world anyway!

Did you know that:

  • 65% of new business comes from referrals – New York Times

  • 92% of respondents trusted referrals from people they knew – Nielsen

  • People are 4 times more likely to buy when referred by a friend – Nielsen

A lot of  people I know run small businesses and struggle to compete with larger companies, so, when someone does great work for me I am happy to shout to from the rooftops!  

Small business owners and independent contractors, have a harder time spending the required amount of money on advertising or marketing to make their brand or services known. They count on word of mouth to help their business grow!

That is not to say big companies who do a great job do not deserve their kudos! Of course they do.

Good work deserves praise!

What do you say we all help each other out?

Think of 3 really great experiences you have has with any company / person / service and share them here!

I am excited to hear all of them! 

Day 10......Have You Kept Your New Year's Resolution(s)?

Most of us make and break our New Year's Resolutions every year!

Really.....what's the point? 

Do I have to wait until New Year's to decided I will:

  •  go to the gym

  •  stop drinking

  •  lose weight

  •  spend less money

Do any of these sound familiar?

I have stopped making them....why set myself up for failure over and over again.

We are who we are! If there is something we may want to change about ourselves, our habits our lives, it can be done on our own schedule and at our own pace!  

Remember: YOU ARE PERFECT THE WAY YOU ARE!

Happy New Year! Enjoy every second of it on your own terms!

How do you choose?

Today I wanted to talk to you about hangers.......how boring right?  

Not really!  There are so many to choose from.....how do you decide? 

I also decided to take this opportunity to try video my hand at video UGH! 

ENJOY!

Uploaded by organizeatoz on 2016-07-27.

The 3 A's for a Great Closet Makeover

Normally we follow steps 1-2-3 or A-B-C but in my experience you need to follow the 3 A's for a great closet makeover!

ACCESSIBLE CLOTHING: This may seem obvious but if your don't really stop to think about what clothing you are storing where, you may end up having to close the closet door to get your favorite shirt while the gown you wear on occasion is always at hand's reach! Make sure the clothing you wear the most often are the ones that are the easiest to get to everyday!

ADDITION OF SPACE:  Organizing anything is great but when it comes to organizing a closet, gaining more space should be at the top of the To Do List! There is not much point to simply moving stuff around when the possibility of adding extra hanging rods is just a hardware store away. Think about creating double rods, adding shelving and getting more stuff in that same old space!  

ADJUSTABLE PARTS: If you are going to invest your hard earned money into a closet makeover....Make it count! Whether you hire a closet design expert or you do it yourself, make sure you get an adjustable system. Your shelves and rods should be able to move with your changing needs. Styles change, taste changes  lifestyles change and your closet should be able to change with you!

 

An organized closet helps start your day off right! Less frustration, less time wasted, less searching for items and more time for YOU in the morning!