Lillard - A moms guide to home organization: simple solutions to control clutter, schedules, and stress

Appendices

1. C.P.R. is the method: Categorize, Purge and Rearrange.
2. Keep purging simple with Yes and No piles.
3. Keep only what you use.
4. If you dont plan it, it wont happen.
5. Keep like things together.
6. Start with a good list.
7. Subtract before you add.
8. Finish one thing before you start another.
9. Organize from large to small.
10. Daily routines are a must.

Appendices

1. If you lead, they will follow.
2. Keep it simple.
3. If you push too hard, they'll fight back.
4. Give your children a few options that you can live with, and let them choose.
5. You can't overload your children's schedules and complain that you're too busy or they're too cranky.
6. Kids need downtime. Factor that in.
7. There is comfort in routine.
8. To prioritize, use the fire rule. Ask your child If there were a fire, what five things would you want to save?9. Don't be afraid to talk to your child's teacher or principal about organizational help.
9. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. In other words, focus on what's not working.

Appendices

Room:

Function of room

What do you like about the room currently?

What dont you like about the room currently?

What is in the room now? (List categories of items)

What do you want to keep in this room?

What if anything needs to be added to the room?

What contractors do you need to hire?

If needed, get three labor/materials estimates:

Appendices

Room:

Function of room

What do you like about the room currently?

What don't you like about the room currently?

What is in the room now? (List categories of items)

What do you want to keep in the room?

What, if anything, needs to be added to the room?

Appendices

There are certain organizational items that I believe no mom or family should be without. You may have some of these already, but you really need all of them to run your family efficiently.

1. Daily planner
2. Family calendar
3. Stair basket
4. House Projects Plan book
5. Home office
6. Notebookkept where you do your best thinking
7. Coupon caddy
8. Perpetual food list
9. Folder for childrens activities and school information
10. A memory box for each family member

Appendices

Appendices

Erinn Aloi, A fresh focus photography

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Lillard is the owner and operator of Space to Spare Professional Organizing Service, which has been in operation since 2003. She has a BA in Communications and Business from Marymount University. In high school and college she was the consummate student leader on the newspaper staff, student council, cheerleading squad, campus ministry, and Residence Hall Council. Debbie is also one of six children and the mother of three. Its easy to see that her organizing expertise stems from her real-life experience of handling the responsibilities of first being a busy student, then parenting, volunteering, and running her own business. Many of her clients are in the same situation.

Debbie has appeared on HGTVs Mission: Organization, The 10! Show in Philadelphia, and on numerous talk radio shows nationally. Her organizing tips and articles have appeared in such magazines as Womans Day, Better Homes & Gardens, and Disney FamilyFun.

Debbie is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Philadelphia Chapter (NAPO-GPC) and is a Certified Provider of NAPO in the Schools, a community outreach program. This program sends professional organizers into elementary classrooms with a totally interactive presentation that teaches students basic organizing principles and the benefits of being organized. For more information about her services or to sign up for her online newsletter, go to www.spacetospare.com.

The material in this compilation appeared in the following previously published North Light Books and Betterway Home Books, and appears here by permission of the author.

Lillard, Debbie
Absolutely Organized c. 2008
Lillard, Debbie
Absolutely Organize Your Family c. 2010

A Moms Guide to Home Organization: Simple Solutions to Control Clutter, Schedules and Stress. Copyright 2012 by Debbie Lillard. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Betterway Home Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 10151 Carver Rd., Suite 200, Blue Ash, Ohio, 45242 . (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine Betterway Home Books are available from your local bookstore,or direct from the publisher. Visit our Web site at www.betterwaybooks.com.

ISBN: 978-1-4403-2490-1

Designer: Clare Finney
Production Editor: Jacqueline Musser
Production coordinator: Debbie Thomas

Photo in chapter 19 by Tim Grondin; photos in chapters 24, 26, 27, 29 , 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 by Ric Deliantoni; Illustrations in chapters 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, and 18 by Christine Erikson; illustrations in chapter 37 by Len Churchill. Items featured in photos in chapters 27, 29, and 33 from The Container Store.