ON THE BLOG
Explore insightful tips, inspiring stories and expert advice that transform everyday tasks into efficient and meaningful routines.
Love Yourself, Love Your Home, Love Everything
It's February and everyone's celebrating love (thank you Hallmark) and this year we want to focus on the best love of all: self-love, specifically organization as a form of self-love.
Read MorePets are family members and just like other family members, they accumulate a lot of stuff. Pets have many accessories and their own needs, with a little bit of organization you can really make a great impact in your lives.
Keep important documents in a file
It’s important to have a dedicated space in your home for pet records, such as immunizations, pedigrees, adoption and microchip records. Keep these records up-to-date and if they aren’t current, ask your veterinarian to send you updated copies. These will come in handy when the time arises and will help friends or family find the documents easily. Don’t forget to add an updated picture to this file as well. In case they get lost, you will be able to print flyers quickly.
Gather all of your pet supplies
Once you have all of your pet supplies laid out, you can quickly view what you have and start getting rid of broken food bowls, damaged toys, expired treats, etc. The next step is tossing old or damaged supplies, then you can organize what your pet really uses. Most pet rescue organizations love donations! Things you might consider donating include, old pet towels, belongings from a pet you no longer have or old collars and leashes you no longer use.
Time to organize
Once you have your piles in categories of donate, discard and keep, you can begin organizing your pet’s belongings.
Start by sorting the item type around your home. For example, put your pet’s toys in a basket, put your grooming supplies such as nail clippers, brushes and shampoo in the room you would groom your pet, then, put leashes and collars in a basket or bin near your entryway. Another option is to install peg board or hooks in a closet near your entryway for hidden storage.
Pet food can be stored in a variety of sealable container which keeps food fresh and bugs out. I prefer tubs on wheels for easy maneuvering.
Organizing your pet supplies doesn’t have to be a complicated project and it will make a lasting impact. Our team at Organization and Relocation would love to see your before and after photos of your pet’s new and organized home!
Written by: Angie Spann, Project Coordinator
Read MoreWhen you think of organizing, we generally think of purging and decluttering and reducing what the amount of contents we store and have in general. While that is true, how we store, and accessibility of our contents also need to be taken into consideration.
Being able to see stored contents makes a huge difference in being able to utilize products long term and prevents purchasing duplicate items which leads to the feeling of clutter and being overwhelmed.
Although wicker and linen baskets can offer a lovely design or decorating touch, they offer can “hide” stored items and contribute to the continued cycle of clutter. We recommend clear storage solution or labeling a not visible storage container. There are a variety of beautiful labeling options that can satisfy even the most discriminating design palate AND make sure everything stored is still visible!
Read MoreMAKE A PLAN
Choose one room at a time. Prioritize what area is the most important or require attention first. “Without clarity of a plan or a goal, there is a tendency to be overwhelmed with the task of organizing,”
LESS REALLY IS MORE
In order to organize you need space and that usually requires reducing, or "purging" what you already have. But it need not be a negative process! Set up bins so that sorting is easy, or hire Org & Relo where we can walk you through the process and dispose of items you no longer need.
SETTING UP SYSTEMS
You may want to start with small spaces first and build confidence. Try and keep yourself from being distracted and emotional about the task ahead. Org & Relo offers services that can help you ease the burden and stress of any space large or small.
RELOCATION TIP:
It is important to use the correct box based on weight and size of the item.
Small book boxes – ideal for books, small heavy items, pantry.
Medium boxes – ideal for folded clothes, shoes, kitchen items that are not dishes.
Large boxes – ideal for bedding, large bulky items that are not too heavy.
Are you planning a move this year? Contact us today to get on our schedule! The best moving companies book out 2-3 months in advance, don't wait until 2 weeks before!
Written by: Corinne O’Doherty
Read MoreWe recently worked with a widow whose husband had died 3 years ago and she is putting her house, which she has lived in for over 30 years on the market. The basement and garage were full of her husband’s old hobby equipment. To her and her grown children is was a mountain of “junk , a hurdle, a burden, an obstacle preventing her to move on with her life.
When she first spoke with Org & Relo, she just wanted everything “gone”. On closer analysis however, we were able to identify items of not only financial value but personal value to her and her family. With a team of four organizers we were able to sort items for resell and donation, cutting down on the amount that would be removed for trash. Saving her not only the cost of disposal but also making her money with the reselling of her husband’s tools and ham/short wave radios.
All those cost savings pale in comparison however to the true treasure on of our organizers found when culling through her husband’s old text books; a manuscript he wrote about his experiences during the Korean War. Priceless. Now that her basement and garage are empty of the mountains of old books and unused electrical equipment, our client can move forward with the next phase of her life with her children and grandchildren AND have important mementos that honor her late husband which she can share and pass on.
Written by: Corinne O'Doherty, Project Manager
Read MorePlanning a move? Chances are, someone in your household is not so eager as you are to make the change. Who is dragging their feet? Your spouse who just finally started to feel like your house was a home after months (or maybe years) of finding just the right furniture, art work, and paint color? Your 7-year-old who has only lived in one place his/her whole life so far? Your dog who knows the best places to bury their bone? Or is it you – dreading the idea of packing, packing, and more packing…then figuring out how to move items from point A to point B, then unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking…and trying to still work at the same time!
We talk about it often. Moving is one of the top stressful life events. That said, there are those individuals who love to move. They are invigorated by the changes and new opportunities that a relocation can offer. Maybe that I you. If the move involves more than a one person household, likely someone is not on board 100%.
Here are a few tips to dealing with moving when everyone is NOT “All aboard”.
Talk about it and make the decision to move together. Listen to each other’s positives about moving and also their concerns. They may be different, they may still not want to move, and that is ok. Just acknowledging each others feelings is huge.
Involve them in the process of making the house a home. Let them choose the paint color for their room, pick out a new rug, or write a special message on the floor before the new carpet is installed.
If possible, visit the house together as a family before the move happens. Maybe have a picnic in the dining room or take sleeping bags and have a sleepover before all the “stuff” arrives. This is a good reminder that memories are created by being surrounded by our loved ones and not material things.
Explore the community together by eating at a local restaurant, checking out the local shops, join the neighborhood page to get suggestions of local events.
Be patient. Change is hard, even when it is for the best.
Written by: Jennifer Gowler, Project Manager
Read MoreIt’s the resolution that’s as old as time - to lose weight in the new year. Right? So many of us, so many times, find ourselves on January 1st (or any other date, for that matter) resolving to take the weight off for good this time! But why is it that we keep ending up at the starting point over and over again? Does your workout fall to the wayside at the end of a busy day? Does it feel exhausting to find the time shop, prep and cook all of your healthy meals so you start to slip back into convenience and comfort foods? If you quickly lose steam on your weight loss plan due to these types of obstacles, maybe it’s time to change your approach, not your diet. Here are 4 simple steps to make your health and fitness goals a reality.
1. Hard schedule your workouts
You show up to work at a specific time each day, right? If you came in for half days or just didn’t show up for weeks at all, that wouldn’t bode well for your career. Well, if you don’t show up for your health you’re going to lose it, just like a job. Create a schedule that you can maintain for the workouts of your choice, and go for perfect attendance. Choose your workout time wisely, like early mornings for example, where no other appointment, errand or task could get in the way. For maximum results, try to workout at the same time each day to solidify the habit.
2. Prep your meals
This is a biggie and worth repeating. Prep your food each and every week. Choose one day to grocery shop, prep and cook your meals for the week. Not only is this one of the most sure-fire ways to maintain a consistently healthy diet, but it is going to save you time (not to mention money) in the long run. Cook in batches, portion out your meals, freeze the excess.
3. Log your food
Now, I’m no diet guru, so I won’t be advocating for any certain diet or exercise methods. However, the one common thread that most diets have is to highlight the importance of keeping a food journal and logging your meals on a daily basis. One of my favorite tools for logging food is the calorie counting app, Lose It! We all know there’s a lot more to nutrition than just logging calories, but from the standpoint of accountability and tracking, this app is the best. You can log meals, snacks and exercise. One of my favorite features is a scanning option that loads the nutrition information instantly from a photo of the bar code. Brilliant! Plus, it’s free!
4. Develop a bedtime routine
There are multiple reasons why sleep deprivation will destroy your weight loss efforts. Research shows that people who stay up late consume more calories than those who go to sleep at a reasonable and predictable hour each night. Sleep deprivation interferes with the hormones that signal hunger and fullness levels. Plus, when you're tired, your body demands energy and you’re more likely to cave in to sugar and comfort food cravings. An organized and consistent sleep schedule won't just make you feel better—it'll keep you focused and motivated.
5. Set actionable goals
Set your goals, then break them down into actionable steps. I know you want to lose 40lbs, but if you keep thinking of that number you will be discouraged when you only lose 2 pounds in two weeks. Set an achievable amount of weight loss for the month, write it down, and post it somewhere in your home or office where you will see it every day. If you’re following steps 1-4, then you will surely make it there!
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Organization & Relocation is a luxury professional organizing and relocation concierge company.
