Organizing Your Children's Toys
Professional Organizer Ronni Eisenberg, author of "Organize Yourself" shares her best tips on organizing your children's toys and getting the kids to school on time.
Commitment: What tips do you have for parents with children who have dozens of toys that are disorganized?
Ronni Eisenberg: Parents need to establish systems that are so simple that children can learn to put things away themselves.
Begin by limiting the “stuff” that has to be organized. If your child already has a lot of toys, sort them. Could some be given away? Others can be packed into a box and put away for 6 months. When you bring the box out again, your child will be entertained for hours playing with his or her “old” toys again. I recommend shelves and bins for storing toys. (The bins shouldn’t be too big, or everything stored there becomes a jumble.)
Put a picture of the toy that goes in each bin for pre-readers. Write the word for those who can read. Dolls should go together... Legos together, etc.
At the end of every day, establish “clean up” time. You can sing or put on music to make it more festive, but everyone should help. When my kids were reluctant to put things away, I would get a big black garbage bag and tell them that anything they hadn’t picked up in the next 5 minutes was going out. I never had to throw away any toys!
Commitment: Many of us struggle in the morning to get the kids to school on time and get ourselves to work on time, while remembering everything everybody needs for their day. What tips do you have for those who want a more organized and less chaotic morning routine?
Ronni: Do as much preparation as you can the night before. Pack lunches, Select your outfit, help the kids choose what they are going to wear, lay out boots or umbrella or library books to be returned—anything you’ll need the next day.
And when kids finish their homework have them put it into their backpack, and the backpack should be placed by the door so that there are no unexpected crises! Write yourself a reminder note about anything you need to do that you can’t set out ahead of time.
Establish a family a schedule for the morning. Who goes into the bathroom first? Who walks the dog? Who feeds the dog? Work out all these chores ahead of time, and stick to the plan.
Commitment: What is the secret of getting organized that successful people understand?
Ronni: First, it’s important to define what “getting organized” means to you. To me, it means getting what I need to done every day without feeling hassled. The secret to this lies in understanding your own priorities.
You need to ask yourself: What must get done, and what can wait? Another good question to remember is “what’s the most important use of my time right now?” If you keep track of your priorities, you will achieve your goal of being organized.
Commitment: One of the biggest blocks to being organized is procrastination. You write that, "for adults, procrastination generally signals some type of internal conflict." How can a person identify the internal conflict that causes their procrastination?
Ronni: When you’ve been procrastinating, you need to think about the underlying issue. If you fear dentists, that will keep you from rushing to book your next dental appointment; if you resist tidying the kitchen because you are annoyed that your spouse never leaves it looking neat, then you have two choices:
See if you can “re-train” the spouse, or accept that he’s never going to leave it spick-and-span, and therefore you’ll just have to count on him for helping out somewhere else while you finish up in the kitchen.
Two questions can help you identify and overcome your conflict:
a) “What’s keeping me from getting this done?” Once you understand the cause of your hang-up it will be easier to deal with.
b) “What’s the worst thing that will happen if I just don’t do it?” If you’re procrastinating on paying your taxes, you better get the check in the mail so you don’t have to meet the IRS, but if the worst thing that can happen is “the kitchen doesn’t get straightened up,” then skip it until taking care of it really is the most important thing you have to do.
Commitment: What are your best tips for those who want to stop procrastinating?
Ronni: The first thing I tell clients who are procrastinating is “In the time you’ve spent thinking about it—usually worrying about it—you could have done whatever it is you’re putting off!” The next step is being certain you really have to do it.
You DO have to pay your taxes. You should call your family regularly. The report for your boss needs to be done, but you DON’T have to clean the basement or even vacuum regularly! It just depends on what your priorities are.
Once you decide you really do need to get this item off your list:
• Break the project down into manageable steps, and plot out on a calendar what you are going to accomplish on which day.
• Work in short time blocks; 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon for something that needs to be completed soon; 20 minutes per day for something where you have more time.
• Establish a “reward” for completion of the project—anything from a “reading break” to a walk to getting a manicure may be appropriate. • If you’re really having trouble getting started:
• Can you hire someone to do it for you?
• Get support. Enlist a friend to help you; then return the favor.
Commitment: You write that successful people develop systems that work for them. Can you explain that, and give us an example of how to develop a system that can help you lead a more organized and in turn, a more peaceful life?
Ronni: “Systems” are nothing more than daily routines—ways to get things done. If you always make the bed the minute you get out of it, you don’t have to worry about the bed being unmade.
Regularly wiping the sink in the morning before you leave for work reduces the frequency that the bathroom needs to be cleaned.
E-mail is a great example of where a system can be helpful. If you don’t establish a method, we could all spend all day answering e-mail! I recommend that most clients establish specific times during the day when they check e-mail (no peeking at other times, or you’ll waste the day away), and then set time limits on how long to spend.
Commitment: What are the biggest time wasters that can be at the root of a disorganized life?
Ronni: Disorganization and wasting time happen because people don’t take charge of their time. You have to plan and set priorities so that you feel in control. Everyone needs to “waste time” watching television or cruising the Internet sometimes, but you need to schedule this type of “free” time just like you do everything else.
Commitment: What advice do you have for those who have a huge CD and book collection and are not sure how to organize it?
Ronni: CDs are going the way of LP records, but if you do have a collection of them, the key is to categorize. The same goes for books. Group them by type of music (CDs) or by type of book (cookbooks, mysteries, nonfiction, etc.) and then if it’s a big category you can break it down further by artist or author.
Commitment: What are some ways to organize one's desk to maximize productivity, efficiency and organization?
Ronni: Generally speaking, your desk should be as clear as possible. Keep what you use nearby, so that what you need is accessible but it doesn’t clutter the work space. Each night before you go home, re-file and put away whatever you were working on—that way your desk is free and you’re ready for whatever awaits you the next day. The only thing left out and available on your desk should be your “to do” list.
Commitment: What are the biggest mistakes people often make when trying to organize their finances and bills? What tips do you have for those who finally want to be organized when paying bills?
Ronni: Everyone needs a system for bill-paying. Establish a certain date of the month that you always process the bills.
Select the date based on their due date so that you don’t pay late fees. If you still pay some bills by regular mail, be sure you have stamps and checks on hand and stored together, so you’ll have what you’ll need for paying bills.
When a bill arrives, open it and make certain it’s correct. If there seems to be an error, this will permit you to straighten it out before it’s due. If you’ve not yet explored paying bills online, you should. It takes a little more time to set up the account for the first month, but after that it’s very quick and easy, and you can time your payment perfectly so that you pay each bill just in time.
Commitment: Can you explain what the Household Notebook is and how it can help those running a household?
Ronni: A Household Notebook is a simple three-ring binder that provides a place for keeping track of anything from all the details of a home renovation project to a running list of the phone calls you need to make for the school fundraiser.
Buy some dividers and create the categories you need. Most people like having a “To Do,” “To Buy,” “To Contact,” and a section with all your household emergency numbers.
Commitment: What are some ways to organize housework that tend to make the job a bit easier?
Ronni: There are three secrets to getting housework done easily:
1) The whole family should help;
2) Keep cleaning supplies tucked away near the places where they are most needed—this way you zip up the bathroom when you’re waiting for a phone call;
3) Keep things tidy day-to-day. This means you have to “clean the whole place” less frequently, and when you do clean, it goes more quickly because the house is in better shape than it might have been. A job chart with assignments can help take the emotion out of delegating to the family.
Commitment: What are your best five tips for organizing a kitchen?
Ronni:
1. Keep the counters clear.
2. Keep together what you use together.
3. Organize food by category.
4. Use spinning caddies to maximize accessible storage.
5. Label and date what you freeze.
Commitment: What advice do you have for people who are constantly losing things?
Ronni: To keep from losing things, it’s important to live by this rule: “There’s a place for everything, and everything goes back in its proper place.”
If you get in the habit of putting away what you get out, or doing the exact same thing with your keys every time you come in the house, you’ll find you rarely lose things. If you are constantly looking through a junk drawer for something, then toss out the real “junk” and use dividers to set up some basic categories. For items used less frequently, note in your household notebook where you’re storing certain
To Purchase Organize Yourself click here.
About the Authors: Ronni Eisenberg is a nationally recognized time management and organizational expert who has been in business for over twenty-five years. She frequently consults or does presentations for major corporations and national business associations. In addition, she does one-on-one consulting regarding organization in the workplace. She has also served as spokesperson for several major consumer product campaigns and has created her own line of organizing products.
Kate Kelly, a professional writer, is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Parenting a Teenager and Election Day: An American Holiday. She has coauthored books on subjects as diverse as money management, running an Internet business, and macular degeneration.
