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How Much does a Professional Organizer Cost, anyway?

February 4, 2020

This is the BIG question everyone wants to know: how much does hiring an organizer cost, anyway? Do I have to be wealthy to get organized? Here’s some tips and tricks!

That very much depends on the size of the project, how fast the organizer is, how quickly you make decisions, and the amount of clutter and backlog in your home or office.

Potential Organizing Cost 

A new organizer may charge a lower hourly rate because she (and it’s almost always a she) doesn’t have much experience, so you’ll pay less per hour. For example, a 10-hour job may cost $500. A more experienced organizer will charge more and get the work done faster. She has thousands of hours of experience. Therefore, you might pay between $750 and $1000 for 10 hours of organizing. In large metropolitan areas, the organizing cost will be higher.

Also, most organizers give a discount for a package of hours, which is paid for after the initial meeting (the assessment). Most organizers give a 5 to 10 percent discount for paying up front, either at or before the first organizing session. This could save you hundreds of dollars in organizing cost over the life of the project. Link to similar article here.

Cost/ Benefit Analysis

Here’s a suggestion: do a cost/benefit analysis to see if a less experienced organizer is worth the savings. If your time is valuable, weigh the benefit of hiring a faster, more experienced organizer versus a slower, less experienced one. Since time is money, and money well spent saves time, the organizing cost is worth it.

When you ask a lawyer how much money it will cost to win your case, he doesn’t know because he cannot predict the research, how long the case will take, etc. Likewise, a professional organizer will not be able to tell you how long your project will take until she has finished the assessment and done at least 1 work session with you. This is not because she is inexperienced. A lot of variables come into play to determine the length of work: her speed, your decision-making speed, how much clutter you have to work through, and the level of organization you desire. Similar to presenting a court case, organizing is a process of preparing, making a plan, and working through all the clutter in your home and in your brain. 

Organizing is a process, not a one-time event. As any professional organizer will tell you, she is often a coach as well as an organizer. She coaches you through the often-difficult process of letting go. Therefore, the number of hours she states as an estimate is just that—an estimate. Think about it this way: you wouldn’t say to your therapist—I’m only going to work with you for 10 hours, even if my PTSD isn’t fixed. S/he wouldn’t agree to see you as a patient.

Now apply that to organizing; if your project isn’t finished, the work with the organizer is not done either. The process of getting organized is logical. It is a multi-step project based on a proven method and an orderly completion of all the steps. So, if you skip a step, you sabotage the results. Complete the steps and you complete the project. And you have a lasting result. For tips on hiring an organizer, click here.

Two ways to structure payment

First, the pay-as-you-go option. In this model, you pay for each session at the time of service. This is easier to budget for because it will be a certain amount per week or per month. Also, the organizer cost will be full price; no discounts.

Second is the package option. In this model, you pay up front for a set number of hours. This requires a larger initial investment and commitment. The organizer will usually give you up to a 20 percent discount. As you can see, the package discount makes the professional organizer cost more doable.

An organizer prefers to sell a package because she knows a client is more likely to finish the project when they have paid for the whole package. It shows a level of commitment to finish. With the pay-as-you-go model, distractions or other monthly expenses may crowd out the organizing goal. Often, this is the case.

Organizing is a Service

Keep in mind the reason organizers do what they do is because they like to help people. She is not in this profession because she wants to get rich. She is service minded and loves to see you successfully reach your goals for organization. You know the thrill you get when you serve someone who really needs it? Well, that how your personal organizer feels when she helps you improve your life. Especially if you tell her just how powerful an impact getting organized has had for you.

Recommendation: Set a Budget 

Most organizers, in the first meeting or intake, will ask what your budget is for the project. If you don’t know, she will share her rates with you and you decide the speed which you’d like to see results. Personally, I work with people’s budgets and have been known to give discounts to those who truly have limited resources.

When setting a budget, keep in mind the cost of not getting organized. What is the emotional and productivity cost of being disorganized? How much do you pay for storage units per month? How many bills have you missed due to lack of a system, which incurred late fees? Or, how many duplicate tools or other items have you purchased because you cannot find the one (or two) you already have somewhere? When you think about the cost in this light, the organizing cost is a bargain. Link to How Organizing saves you Money here.

Recently, a new client came to me, eager for my expertise. She told me she had read in an article that the cost of hiring a professional organizer is worth every penny. I agree. Link to article here  

Need help? Contact me! I provide a free 30-minute exploratory call.

Resources:

How Organizing saves you Money: Read Article

Want to be happy? Buy more takeout and hire a maid: Read Article

Reasons to hire a professional organizer from NAPO NJ: Read Article

5 Tips for Hiring a Professional Organizer: Read Article

3 Surprising things I learned from Hiring a Professional Organizer: Read Article

by Jenny Morin

Tips and Tricks to get Ready for Your Garage Sale and Unload Some Stuff: One Person’s Trash is another’s Treasure

January 28, 2020

1 Advertise well.

This is one time when advertising in your local paper pays off. Broadcast your event on FB too. You can create an event and invite friends.

Garage Sale Wisdom

Label prices clearly.

To avoid having to tag everything, have a$1 box, a $5 table, a $10 table, etc. Larger items need to be tagged. Also, don’t forget to comb the house for items to sell, especially the kitchen and kids’ rooms.

Buddy up.

Find a friend or two who have stuff to sell. Big items like furniture tend to draw “drive-by” buyers. Put large items out in the driveway or on the lawn to draw in customers.

Be flexible: If someone offers less than you were hoping for an item, be willing to entertain that offer. Make a counter offer that’s higher, and you will find most people will meet you in the middle.

What’s sure to sell:

“Dishes, cookware, kitchen gadgets are at the top of buyers’ lists.

Other popular items: toys and kids’ gear (strollers, playpens), artwork and frames, tools, lamps, and furniture (don’t rule out pieces with a few nicks or chips).

Save items like these to sell online:

Anything high-end with a searchable name (like Venetian Glass). Use Ebay for trinkets that are easy to ship like jewelry, gold coins, comics. Use Craigslist or FB marketplace for heavy or large items so buyers will be responsible for pickup.

In order to go this route, be patient. I just ended up selling most of the tools from a client’s yard sale that happened 6 months ago. We got a good price, but they took up space in my garage for most of that time.

Be Realistic: If you know you’ll never get around to selling online, you’re better off purging stuff at the yard sale, though you probably won’t make as much as you would through a resale site.

Resources: 

https://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-magazine/table-contents-more/may-2014-toc
by Jenny Morin

Plan White Space into your Day to Decrease Stress at Work

January 28, 2020

Too much to do is a common problem for today’s working women and men, especially those involved in management and knowledge occupations. Time management is crucial for these professionals!  (Examples of knowledge occupations: Managers, Programmers, architects, CEOs, healthcare & support, and so on.)

If having too much on your plate is getting discouraging or frustrating, trying a few time management strategies I explore in the article will provide relief.

I worked with a company and the 2 top administrators, a man and a woman, both felt overwhelmed by all the tasks on their plates.  I posed a few exploratory questions to ’Jake’ and learned his schedule was completely overbooked.

“How about delegating some of your tasks to other people here?” I asked.

In this case, both admins said No, it would not be appropriate to delegate several of his responsibilities to others in the company. They felt those people already had enough on their plates.

         So, what is left? Any other strategies we can try for someone with too much on their plate?

 Well, like Mom always said, you’ve got to clean your plate! And I mean that literally.

         It’s time to create some white space.

It’s important to recognize, no matter who you are or what your job is, that things will come up during the day and you need to plan room for them in your schedule.

The best time managers have unstructured time planned into their day.

 The only way to do this is by creating white space into every day.

And the way that works best is if you have a good handle on how long your planned goals for the day will take. That leads us to the first way to reduce stress: Planning.

Step 1: Estimate How Long your Tasks will take

Many time coaches call this time estimating. It’s something I teach in my time management seminar and in private time coaching sessions. A simple but effective concept, which you can do by timing how long different, often repeated tasks take you. Like creating an agenda for an upcoming staff meeting, calls to clients, following up on a lead, or tracking numbers for last week, for example.

How will time estimating help you be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day?

How will this, in turn, decrease stress?

Step 2: Plan for Interruptions and Crises

It is helpful to track how much time each day the interruptions and crises take. Try tracking these for a week or two, then average it.  While you’re at it, observe what time of day have the most interruptions. Then you can plan for these disruptions and a lot of the guesswork will be gone. You’ll have a good idea how many interruptions come and also, what time of day they tend to happen.

Can you see how this would be helpful to you? Try this strategy of actually scheduling enough unstructured hours into your day so that when emergencies come up, you already have time planned and can take it all in stride.

I guarantee your level of stress will decrease!

Step 3: Create an Opportunity List

And one other thing you may be wondering: what happens if I don’t get the amount of interruptions I planned for? This is a good situation to be in!

In that case, planning a list of other things you’d LIKE to get done that week would be handy. I call this an opportunity list.

  1. List tasks or small steps in a project that you’d like to fit in.
  2. Then, in the empty left-hand column, estimate how long each of these tasks might take you.
  3. When a window of time opens up, say you have 15 minutes before your next meeting, plug in one of the 15 minute tasks. 

We all know there is no shortage of things to do. That’s why you’re reading this, yes? So, here’s a challenge for you: Start adding more white space to your day; at first, add 30 minutes, then an hour. Gradually increase it. Remember white space does not have to be one block of hours, you can disperse it throughout the day.

Let me know how this helped you! Once you’ve tried these strategies, reach out to me on FB or Instagram.

Or comment below. Thanks!

RESOURCES: https://jkglei.com/white-space/  Why you need white space in your daily routine by Jocelyn Glei

by Jenny Morin

Does Multi-tasking Really Save you Time?

March 11, 2019

Or does it cause mayhem in your life?

I’ve been thinking a lot about productivity this month. Multi-tasking has been on my mind; I am not a fan.

Many of us juggle
too many things at once.

Multi-tasking, to me, means doing two activities at the same time, or alternating between them in short succession, back and forth, back and forth.

In fact, the other day I took a phone call while cooking dinner and talking to my 14-year-old son. Sound familiar? I bet it does. No one got my full attention, and dinner took longer. I’m sure my son didn’t feel heard, either.

I tend to multi-task in the office too. Sometimes it works; most of the time it doesn’t.

When multi-tasking doesn’t work

  1. If both activities require your attention
  2. If one of the activities is dangerous (i.e. chopping vegetables or running a chainsaw)
  3. During problem-solving or brainstorming activities
  4. If you have ADD
  5. When you are doing focus work: writing, pitching an idea, working on an important project, composing, or other creative pursuits like painting
  6. When a family member is confiding in you
  7. When a friend at work has a problem and needs your advice

Two pertinent questions to ask before you multi-task: Will multi-tasking actually save me time here? Or will it divide my focus and cause my work to suffer?

When multi-tasking can work

  1. When one of the activities is mindless (like dishes) and the other activity requires some focus (like talking on the phone).
  2. Repetitive tasks: Something that you repeat over and over again like answering commonly asked question on a phone call and sorting your mail, for example.
  3. Yep, I believe that’s it.

Do you see why I am not a fan? Like you, I’ve gotten myself stressed out by multi-tasking when I shouldn’t have.

There may be other options that work for multi-tasking, but to me it is not worth it.

Why multi-tasking is not worth it

“Stop multi-tasking. No, seriously—stop. Switching from task to task quickly does not work. In fact, changing tasks more than 10 times in a day makes you dumber than being stoned. When you’re stoned, your IQ drops by five points. When you multitask, it drops by an average of 10 points, 15 for men, five for women (yes, men are three times as bad at multitasking than women).”

This is from an interview with Tony Wong, a project management black belt whose client list includes Toyota, Honda, and Disney, to name a few. He’s an expert in keeping people on task.  (From blogger Ilya Pozin.)

I’ve encouraged my time coaching clients not to multi-task, because it makes everything take longer and it divides your focus, meaning you do crappy work on three jobs at a time instead of great work on one job.

Stories . . .

Here’s an example of an author multi-tasking and actually WASTING time instead of saving it.

“Yesterday, I tried to edit some chapters, submit a Bookbub ad, and update my profile in Draft2digital. I jumped around for an extra hour, and my Bookbub ad ended up timing out, so I had to do it over again today. That was a good hour wasted.” ~ Frank Morin

Yes, that’s my husband, who is a writer, and a programmer. He’s an Indie author, so he not only writes the books, he markets them as well.

Another example from a Mom, we’ll call her Tammy: On a weekday, 2 of her sisters had come over with their children, so they had 10 kids at her house. Tammy was multi-tasking by making muffins and feeding the kids lunch when her son reminded her he needed a ride to orchestra. After preparing lunch for the adults, she resumed muffin making and chatted with her sisters. As she was mixing more batter, she got a phone call from her son. He had been waiting for 30 minutes to be picked up! She said, “I felt so bad for forgetting him!”

There’s the crux–multi-tasking distracts us, which leads to forgetting some of the most important people in our lives. That in turn leads to guilt, especially for parents. Remember, next time you’re tempted to multi-task while with your family, see how relationships deepen when you give them your full focus.

Next time you are inclined to multi-task, ask yourself a few questions: Will it actually save me time? Is one of these tasks mindless or repetitive? And if the answer to one of those questions is no, resist the urge to multi-task!

Resources:

@Ilyaneversleeps

by Jenny Morin

Yes, You CAN reach your Goals: 5 Steps to success

January 29, 2019

Are you sick and tired of hearing about goals?

Well, as humans the urge to set goals and improve will not go away. See this picture of me at the top of the mountain? Did me and my family get there without effort?

The journey to the Mountain had many obstacles that day. . . .

No, we had to get up early, pack all the ski equipment, pack the food, drive 2 hours to get to the hill, survive a hawk dive bombing our windshield, then put all the gear on, pay for the lift ticket and finally get on the chair lift to the top.

And once we’re at the top comes the fun part—We get to ski down, with muscles burning!

If you are sick and tired of failing at your goals, you are not alone. Statistics show that most people have abandoned their New Year’s goals or resolutions by mid-January. That is a depressing thought! But what about the people that stick with their goals? How do they do it?

5 Steps to Achieve your Goals

1. State your vision

Those who are clear about what they want to accomplish and are SPECIFIC about the details will generally win the day. Our vision that Saturday: spend a day skiing at Mt. Shasta.

Another example: if I say, I want to spend less money this year, is that specific enough? No, you need to create a realistic budget and pick an amount you’d like to save each month.

2. Eliminate your obstacles

What stands between you and your goal? For us, the obstacle to getting to Shasta ski hill was the cracked windshield.

If you don’t know how to create a budget, that’s an obstacle or a hurdle to jump over. You’re in unfamiliar territory and you need a guide. Find an expert to help you. A financial planner, your banker, or a friend or associate who is good at budgeting can show you how.

3. Commit your Resources

Identify the resources you already have, and then what resources you need. Our resources for skiing were the truck we used to drive to the hill and the time and money spent.

For the goal of saving money, you might need to spend a small amount of money in order to save a larger amount in the long run. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

4. Create your SYSTEM

Behind every organized person or result, there is a system in place for everything to run smoothly. For goals, this is a plan with steps in place. Once I do A, then I’ll do B. And once I have the hang of B, I will move to step C. Does that make sense to you? Using the ski trip example: first pick a date, then pack gear, drive, pay and finally ski. Think of a process with logical steps, culminating in reaching the top step, your GOAL!

By the way, what are you going to do with the money you saved? Think of a fun reward to spend part of your savings on. What would motivate you to save? Personally, I love vacations, and it is worth it to me NOT to have the latest fashions in order to travel. It’s all a matter of priorities.

5. Maintain your Success

Just keep on truckin’! When you’re in the HABIT of following a budget and saving money, all you have to do is maintain that mindset for your success.

Motivate yourself with inspirational quotes, checking your savings balance. Or think about what you’re saving for: that great vacation or new house–it will keep you on target to reach your goal!

You see, keeping a goal is not impossible. With commitment, some time and the apropos resources, you CAN set reasonable goals and successfully reach that summit!

RESOURCES:

Did you know getting organized can actually SAVE you money? Click on this link to learn how.https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/2016/01/organizing-save-money/

Help for mindset: Read Mindset by Carol Dweck.

Help for habits: The power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

by Jenny Morin

Time to Simplify Your Holiday?

November 16, 2018

Remember the boy scout motto? Be prepared.

I find the earlier I start preparing for the holidays, the more I enjoy the season. Since I’m a Christian, I’ll concentrate on the Christmas holiday. Whatever your religious faith, December is a busy time of year and most people around you vibrate with stress.

If you follow the following tips to simplify the holidays, your stress will be reduced and the holidays will be more fun! Remember a little bit of planning goes a long way.

Why make a list?

  • Tasks not written down often bounce around in your mind, distracting you.
  • You see what you need to do at a glance.
  • Crossing off completed items brings a feeling of accomplishment.
  • A list helps you prioritize your tasks.
  • Your holiday preparation will be more efficient.

Try and set aside 30 minutes at the end of November. Then brainstorm all the things you have to do or want to do before the big holiday.  This can usually be done in one sitting. Then look at your list, cross off a few of your most dreaded tasks, especially time-consuming ones. If it absolutely HAS to be done, it doesn’t mean you have to be the one to do it (the tips will explain). To make it easier next year, save your list on your computer and file it under a folder named CHRISTMAS. You’ll thank yourself later!

10 + tips to simplify the Holidays 

  1. Ask your family what they really care about. Cross everything else off. Get out of the mindset of creating a ‘perfect’ Christmas. It’s amazingly freeing.
  2. Get help. Work together and delegate to family. Ask what tasks they will take on. Make sure to keep each person’s strengths in mind.
  3. Save some time on cards by not sending any, OR by using Sendout cards to do half the work for you! It’s a painless way to send cards to people who are important in your life. With Sendout cards, you make a card online, put in names and addresses, then they send it out for you. No licking envelopes! It costs about $1 per card & stamp. And it will take even less time next year because you’ll have all the addresses entered! My amazingly helpful Sendout cards person: Teresa Ball: Sendoutcards.com/teresaball
  4. Make cookie dough in early December. To save time in December, I’ve frozen butter cookie dough 30 days ahead of time. then I defrost the dough and  baked cookies. To me,they are delicious and I cannot tell the difference between fresh and frozen dough. For some of my recipes and pictures, see my husband Frank’s blog: http://www.frankmorin.org/2018/10/twelve-cookies-christmas/
  5. Outsource. Is there anything you could hire out, like putting up outside lights? Or, can you get someone else to do your wrapping? Here in Southern Oregon, the orchestra kids wrap gifts at Fred Meyer for a donation to their program. It’s a win-win!
  6. Mail any domestic packages first week of December. The lines are shorter, and there’s plenty of time to reach loved ones. Plus, you will have peace of mind. Hint: Send books or movies because the US Post Office has a special “media rate” which is cheaper than the regular postage cost. Even easier: order online and have gifts shipped directly to family and friends. No lines, no waiting!
  7. Keep it simple: For teacher and hostess gifts, chocolate and coffee gift cards are the most appreciated. Take it from me, they don’t need more mugs. I recently read an entire article by a teacher, and the top 2 most appreciated gifts are coffee and chocolate.
  8. Going to a potluck? Make it easy on yourself by bringing a one-pot or crockpot meal. Something you can put together in the morning in 20 minutes like a roast, a simple soup or marinated little smoky sausages will save you time and stress.
  9. A few days before Christmas, prepare everything you can for Christmas dinner in advance. Bake pie crusts, tightly wrap and freeze. Cube bread for stuffing. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need. Don’t forget the crispy fried onions for green bean casserole!
  10. Easy Christmas breakfast: Put together a breakfast casserole that stays overnight in the fridge. Then, you get to enjoy Christmas morning because you just pop it in the oven when everyone gets hungry!
  11. Use gift bags and sticker gift tags whenever possible. They save so much time. Have plenty on hand. They are cheaper when bought in bulk online.

Favorite family tradition: The Christmas Jar

This is our family’s Christmas Jar. All year we save our coins in a cute jar with a nutcracker lid. In December, we count the coins and find a local family in need to give it to. We put the jar and the book The Christmas Jar by Jason F. Wright on their doorstep, knock and run. Most of the time we add a turkey or a ham for their dinner and a family gift like a game we enjoy. It’s the best feeling.

The kids really love this tradition. I love it because it helps them develop compassion, generosity, and realize how blessed they are.

5 fun traditions for Holiday cheer

  • Make cookies together. Probably my family’s most cherished—and delicious—tradition. Click for recipes and photos: http://www.frankmorin.org/2018/10/twelve-cookies-christmas/
  • Lighting candles for 8 days, and having apple latkes.
  • Spend time as a family. Act out the Nativity with costumes using Luke 2 in the New Testament. Include some carols! To make it service-oriented, perform it at a rest home! Bathrobes, towels and neckties make great Shepherd outfits.
  • Go on a tree-hunting adventure at a local tree farm. Find the ‘perfect’ tree or your very own Charlie Brown tree. To find them, type ‘Christmas tree farm near me’ in your browser.
  • Gift matching pajamas to the whole family and open them Christmas Eve or the first day of Hanukkah.

Just for you:  See how many things you can cross off your list with my Simplify the Holidays guide, a free gift!  This guide lists Grants Pass and Medford, Oregon resources for outsourcing holiday decorations, lights, gift-wrapping,  Sendout Card services, and more!  https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/simplify-holidays/

For some Christmas budgeting help: https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/2015/11/tis-season-spend-wisely/

And for some helpful holiday tips and a fun Organizer’s 12 days of Christmas poem: https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/2017/12/12-days-christmas-tips/

by Jenny Morin

10 back to school tips to save you time and energy

August 21, 2018

Back to School Tips for an Easy Transition

Can you believe it is almost September? It’s almost that time again, for kids, teens and college students to go back to school. If the thought of shopping for school supplies and clothing fills you with dread, I’ve got some pointers to save time and energy.

In the past, I have visited several stores to get the best deals for the long list of school supplies. I don’t do that anymore. It takes too much time. But I think it makes sense to find out which store has the lowest prices on the bulk of things you need, and purchase there.

One way I’ve found to make the back to school easier is to start preparing several weeks early.  Of course, being an organizer, I encourage you to take some inventory first. And that means LISTS!

10 Tips for Quick Back to School prep

  1. Inventory clothing: find out what still fits from last year.
  2. Inventory school supplies: doing a quick inventory of what is left over from last year will save you money, and you won’t end up with 20 pink erasers or 25 one subject notebooks filling up cabinet space.
  3. Make separate lists for clothing and school supplies needed. Does your child need any special sporting supplies, like running shoes or soccer cleats?
  4. Do your research: can you purchase some of your school supplies online and have it shipped, or have an order ready and waiting for you to pick up in the store?
  5. Start to get your kids (and yourself) up earlier to prep them for the earlier wake-up time. Experts recommend using 15-minute increments. Start a few weeks early. That way, you’ll have one week at the actual wake time to get everyone’s internal clocks acclimated. Less grumpiness all around!
  6. Practice your morning routine. Everybody gets up, eats breakfast, brushes, gets backpacks ready, etc.
  7. Speaking of backpacks, make sure and have them loaded with everything but the lunch 1 to 2 days before school starts.
  8. Lunch supplies: Make sure you have a good supply of your family’s favorite school snacks.
  9. Talk about after school routines. Are they going to walk, bike, take the bus or get picked up? This may be different from other years. And talk about getting rides, and checking in with Mom or Dad if after school plans change so s/he doesn’t freak out.
  10. Make a plan for yourself. With children going to school, you may have more time on your hands. Instead of just going with the flow, take time to think about what YOU want to do. Dust off the piano and start playing again? Take a class? Write or paint? Having a plan will keep your mind and spirit active and give you some much needed ME time.

      ~ Jenny

by Jenny Morin

10 Quick Steps for Organizing your Pantry

June 20, 2018

Hello! I’m Emily Morin, I’m writing these pantry organizing tips for my Mom. She’s had me clean and organize our pantry several times, so I know the how-to pretty well. Follow these quick pantry organizing ideas, and your shelves will be shining with glory in no time! And you’ll be able to find what you need quickly and easily with much less wasted food.

  1. Take all the food off the shelves one shelf at a time, starting with the top shelf.
  2. Check all the food for expiration dates and throw out the expired food. Place a trash can just outside the pantry door to make this easier.
  3. With a cotton cloth, wipe all crumbs and dust off the shelf.
  4. If there’s mildew on the shelf, use a 50-50 mixture of water and vinegar to wash it off.
  5. Dry the shelf completely.
  6. Label parts of the shelf with tape or a labeler if you have one, designating parts of the shelf for certain foods (e.g. pasta, soup, crackers, bulk). Put the label on the edge of the shelf so you can see it easily.
  7. On the top shelf, put the food or appliances you rarely use. Keep the frequently-used items at eye-level.
  8. Put the food back on the shelf which corresponds to the labels you just added. Make them organized, but you can be creative with the setup to make it look neater.
  9. Repeat all these steps for the rest of the shelves, going from the top down.
  10. After you finish all the shelves, sweep out the pantry and glory in the beautifully organized pantry you just finished!

I hope these quick pantry organizing ideas help you next time you purge and organize your pantry!

~ Emily Morin 🙂

by Jenny Morin

How to Train Your Kids to Work. Yes, Really!

June 19, 2018

“Your kids are like a well-oiled machine!” Michelle Wilber.

Our sitter told me this after Frank and I came back from a multi-day trip. Apparently, after dinner, our kids got up, did the dishes and put the food away. They cleaned the bathrooms and their rooms on Saturday, as was our routine. This impressed her so much, but honestly I hadn’t thought much of it before then. Doesn’t every family pitch in work together? They should, at least this is what I believe. And it works.

So, I’d like to give some tips for how we’ve gotten to this point in our home.

What I do

  1. Make helping an expectation but keep it FUN!

Pitching in is expected in our home. My mother delegated work to me when I was young on our small farm in Maine, and I do the same with my kids. Some of my jobs included weeding the garden, mopping the wood floors, and cleaning bathrooms.

Her philosophy went something like this: I am not a slave. All joking aside, why shouldn’t kids work to make their home a more inviting place? The Mom and Dad cannot do it all.

I have a friend who was an example of trying to do all the work. She never sat down. I remember visiting her once, and I think she was able to sit down all of 5 minutes in a 2 –hour period. That’s just crazy!

I read some great ideas for making housework fun when the kids were smaller. One idea that works great for competitive families; Have a housework Olympics, and see how fast (and how well) you can complete the Saturday jobs!! The fastest, most complete cleaners win. (Mom inspects each job site.)

  1. Train children from the time they are young

This includes SHOWING them how to do it first. Some easy jobs for younger children include emptying the dishwasher and cleaning toilets (we use a non-toxic cleaner, NOT bleach).

“If you are willing to spend the time with children to train them, to show them how to clean or stack wood, they will come to enjoy it. When the kids are young, they want to be like Mommy and Daddy. They see us doing dishes or using the vacuum, and they want to try it. Let them! Show them how to do simple jobs when their interest is piqued.” From the blog 10 Tips for better Family Time.  https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/?s=10+tips+for+better+family+time

Patience is required for training. They are not going to get it perfect, and it will not be up to your standards. Just remember their coordination and level of detail is not the same as yours!

Teach them to take pride in a sparkling-clean sink and spicket. Point out how good it looks when it’s clean.

I firmly believe that teaching children to work bolsters their confidence and self-esteem. They see they can do a job, do it well, and make a difference in the way their home looks and functions. This method is more effective than constant compliments.

  1. Lower the bar

As my organizing mentor Porter Knight used to say in one of her speeches: lower the bar. Set your expectations lower than you would for an older teen or adult.

Porter had her sons clean the bathrooms. Were they perfect? No. But they were the best her 11-yr old son could do, so it was good enough. Don’t be too picky of they will be discouraged and not want to help next time.

Instead, praise each child’s effort and bite your tongue!

  1. Encourage them

Note: I didn’t say PRAISE; I said encourage. First off, don’t be patronizing if they are older, be sincere and find something you liked about their work. If something needs to be re-done, use the sandwich technique.

I liked how you ——, could you scrub the orange ring by the sink drain a bit more? I am sure you can do it  if you put a little more time in.

But if you sense they are not giving it their full effort or doing their best, definitely ask them to try again. If they still aren’t’getting it, see if they understand what you asked them to do, and provide some more patient training.

Don’t bribe them, but definitely give them a reward or incentive. I have some special chocolate truffles I give the teens when they complete jobs they dislike. They also get paid each month for the work they do, but an immediate reward is quite effective. Everybody in my house likes chocolate. One time we motivated the kids for a big job of spreading mulch on all the flower beds by telling them we’d go to DQ afterward. My kids will do almost anything for ice cream!

  1. My kids are teens, is it too late?

When our kids were young, we lived in Vermont and heard about an amazing parenting program. It is called Parenting On Track by Vicki Hoefle. She insists you can still train teens to work.

“They might whine and complain for the first few minutes, but sit them down and explain:

“Your father and I have done you a disservice. We have been doing everything for you up until now. But if we continue like this, you won’t know what to do when you get on your own in __ years. It’s time to learn how to ______  and ______ so you aren’t helpless when you get your first apartment/ go to college/ get married.

Plus, is it really OK for the Mom or even both parents to do the lion’s share of work in the home? Parents today have less time than ever. It’s important to get the kids involved in keeping the home clean, the family fed, and the yard maintained. It’s the way life works. I don’t know any employers who would react well to the statement: “I’ve never done that, can you do it for me?” (from an earlier blog 10 Tips for Better Family Time.) https://efficientspacesco.c.wpstage.net/?s=10+tips+for+better+family+time

Vicki also has a great list of things kids need to be able to do on their own by the time they are 18. One night, when we went through that list with our kids, we realized one of our daughters had never mowed the lawn!  We soon started training her to do that. She was on board.

Also, one great thing about having older children who know how to work is: they can train their younger sibs to do certain jobs (if they have the right temperament and the two kids get along well). Otherwise, you may need to train the younger kids to make it a positive experience.

  1. Pick your battles

This is true for many things in parenting. If a child really doesn’t want to do a job, compromise and assign them a different job whenever possible. If it is something they have to do, like cleaning their room, find out what the issue is. Sometimes they may have no idea where to start, like many of my organizing clients. Just helping them with some ideas or talking about it can stave off a grumpy attitude.

  1. Keep their strengths and interests in mind when assigning tasks.

For example, my daughter Kate loves to polish wood. So she washes the cabinets with soapy water, then dries and polishes the kitchen cabinets with orange oil. Kate takes great pride in doing this job well and seeing the wood gleam when she is done. Some well-earned recognition from me goes a long way, too!

I discovered my daughter Emily likes dusting. This is a job I hate, so when I realized she liked it, she became my main duster! I got her a feather duster, which is fun, and she happily dusts furniture, bookshelves, etc.

Kyle likes to vacuum the stairs, and Jacob loves to clean the pool and do yardwork as long as he has company. We all have our strengths. Of course, my favorite job is organizing drawers, cabinets, the pantry and clearing off counters. J

The best advice I can give: start where you are. If your kids are older and you need help, start training them to do work they are suited to. If they are young, see what they are interested in helping you with, and let them (with supervision). This is a great investment in their future. You will never regret teaching your kids to work. They will contribute to your home, family AND become productive, independent adults.

     And that is important because everyone likes to feel needed.

Resources for parents:

https://www.vickihoefle.com/

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Kline and Jim Fay

Blog:  www.efficientspacesco.com/?s=10+tips+for+better+family+time

http://monicaswanson.com/category/parenting-and-family/

by Jenny Morin
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