How I organize my emails.

Source

I have this thing where I like to keep less than 20 emails in my "Inbox" at any given point in time.  If I'm REALLY being honest, I like to keep it at less than 15.

I usually immediately read, respond to, and archive my emails with appropriate labels.  The 15 or so I'll keep in my Inbox are usually emails that need me to take some action that I cannot do "immediately."  Usually, to write a lengthy or thought-out response (so monthly emails from my faraway friends stay here), something I need to refer to quickly from my phone (the ticket pickup information for the ballet I went to last night), something I want to RSVP for but need to check my schedule first, etc.

After coming home to over 100 new emails after my week in Cancun, I narrowed it down to less than 30 pretty quickly and easily.  But it's been at 27 emails for the beginning of this week.  I just got it down to 17 and I feel SO SO good.

Mission: Accomplished!!!

Organization Vacation: Laundry Room.

Continued from this post.

I must admit I was inspired by Kristen over at The Frugal Girl.  She somewhat recently cleaned up/out her laundry room.

I kept ignoring my laundry room thinking: this isn't my house so it's not my problem (temporarily camped out at my parents).  But I don't think that's fair PLUS it's really been bothering me.

Here are some before photos:

View from the doorway - seriously disorganized shelves (and a whole lot of random stuff including garbage underneath).

Corner of randomness that is impossible to get to.

Floor is covered by drying rack with dry pants from 3 weeks ago and bags of clothes we mean to donate.

So yesterday, on my one day off for the holiday season, I decided to tackle the laundry room.  And I MUST say I feel SO SO good.

For starters I moved clothes that weren't really drying (winter coats) and put them where they belong in the foyer closet.

Shelves next to doorway - I grouped by category and found acceptable storage containers for winter accessories and sports paraphernalia.

Consolidated cleaning supplies and excess paper products into the previously useless corner. AND I made a bucket of gift wrapping materials!

Bagged the "to-donate" bins and put them in the trunk to drop off.

The biggest challenge for most people in cleaning projects is that it gets a LOT worse before it gets better.  You have to take everything out and it looks messier than it originally was - but once you sort through all that it gets better!

I always start with dividing into 3 categories: 1. Garbage, 2. Belongs here, 3. Belongs somewhere else.  This makes it easy to figure out what has to go back into the space.  Garbage is the easiest to take care of usually (unless you have a horde of batteries and weird electronics and biochemical waste).  Then the "belongs somewhere else stuff" - just take it out of the space you're organizing.  Even if you have to temporarily move it back - it's super helpful to see the space with JUST the stuff that HAS to go there so you can figure out what to put where.  Anyway, I didn't have to buy anything new - enough garbage/stuff for other rooms came out of the storage containers in the laundry room that all I had to do was re-purpose.  So instead of holding a bunch of garbage and random stuff, each container now has a purpose: plastic bin of scarves, plastic bin with sports stuff, bucket of Daddy's hats, all the plastic bags are in the tall metal garbage can, etc.