Organization through Duplication

There are times when I can't share quickly enough all of the blog posts that I have running through my head.  There are other times, like now, that I can't think of a single thing that I have a desire to share.  During these times, sometimes ideas for blog posts seem like butterflies.  The idea will come close for a minute and I will just get a good look at it and then it will flutter away again.

I have toyed often with the idea of being a professional organizer, so I thought I would share some little organization tips that I use in my personal life.  And, from lack of anything better to share, I will give you some unsolicited information (but I guess that is what blogging is all about!).

I love to organize and I have little things I do to make my life go more smoothly and be more organized that I think just seem natural or obvious to me. But I have found that they may not seem so obvious or natural to someone else.  Also, I am not a clutter person and I think many times duplication can be unnecessary, but I have found that there are some things that it helps me to have more than one (or three) and more than one (or three) places for it.  Sometimes organizing can be a creature of its own and keeping things organized can become more of a burden than a help.  I love to organize, but I also think that organization should make your life easier and be an integral part of your life and how you live it.  That is why one organizing technique that works for one person may not work for another person.

A lot of these things don't really cost that much more or take up that much space, but saves us a lot of headaches, literally!

Here is a random list of things that I keep duplicates of and it may or may not be helpful to you.

1. Headache Medicine. I keep Tylenol and ibuprofen in both the bathroom closet and in the kitchen.  Since drinks are in the kitchen and I spend a lot of time there, it just makes sense to have it in the kitchen, too.

2. Facial Cleanser. I keep facial cleanser in my shower and on my sink.  I used to only keep it at the sink.  Then, if I was in a hurry and wanted to just wash my face in the shower, I would have to remember to put it in the shower.  Then at night, I would have to take it back out of the shower again.  It doesn't really cost me any extra to have it in both places, since I just use each bottle twice as slow.  And an added bonus is that I don't run completely out of it, since I always have some left in one of the bottles.

3. T.V. Remotes. We bought an extra t.v. remote and keep it in a drawer in the kitchen.  I will admit, we did this first because we had lost one and then after we broke down and got another universal one, we found the other.  But after we had two, I have found that it is very helpful.  If we need to turn the t.v. off quickly and don't want to locate the remote, I always have one in the drawer that I can use.  Also, if the kids are too focused on the t.v. and not listening to me say it is time to turn the t.v. off and do homework or get dressed, etc., I can just open the drawer and turn it off.

4. Hairbrushes and hairbands. In the same kitchen drawer with the remotes, I keep a brush with hairbands around the handle, in addition to a brush in each of our bathrooms and in Bella's bedroom.  Since our kitchen is the hub of activity, especially in the morning, it is easier for me to keep a brush there, so I am not running to the bathroom or trying to get Bella to come back to the bathroom or bedroom to get her hair fixed.  I also keep hairbands and a small comb in my purse and in the van, just in case I forget or need to do a quick fix of Bella's hair while we are out.

5. Scissors. I keep scissors on both sides of my kitchen and in both bathroom closets and in my container that I keep my thread and needles in.  This saves me so much time from having to run from one place to cut something and then have to remember to get the scissors back to the right location.  And, again, if you can't find one pair or they are being used (which happens often with kids), I know I have another pair.  I also keep a small pair of sewing scissors in the van console.  This has been very helpful to get tags off of purchases that the kids can't wait to use until we get home or last minute gift wrapping.  They also came in handy when someone was trying to tie something to their car and needed to cut some twine!

6. Pens and paper.  I have pens and paper everywhere.  Whenever I print something, if I end up not needing the page, or it was a coupon or something that only took a small portion of the paper, I always immediately cut the paper up into small note size sheets.  That way, I can keep from wasting paper and I always have paper to make quick notes on and I don't feel too bad about throwing it away, since it was already re-used once.

7. Recycling bins.  I think that the number one reason people choose not to recycle is because it isn't easy or convenient.  When we first moved to this house, I didn't really want the ugly blue recycle bin in my kitchen.  It quickly became a pain to run recyclables downstairs all the time, but I didn't like them sitting on my counter either.  So, I got a regular kitchen trashcan with a lid that I keep in my kitchen and I just put all the recyclables in there together and just take them downstairs to the blue bins about once a week. 

8. Craft containers.  I rarely use things like traditional jewelry boxes or other organizers that are made specifically for one thing.  I frequent the craft aisle and get containers that are practical for my purpose I am using them for now, but they could also be re-purposed if I found that I didn't really need it for the original purpose anymore.

9. Baggies.  I have baggies in every size (which sounds strange for a person who is a major recycler!), but I think it helps to have multiple choices, so that you can have one that is big enough for what you need it, without having extra unnecessary bag.  I even get small baggies from the craft aisle that are made for beads or small jewelry that are great for really small things, like when I need to carry one or two pills or a button or other small misc. thing that doesn't even require a snack size bag.

10. Books.  I have books everywhere, for me and the kids.  We have baskets in the living room and on my night stand, shelves in the kids rooms, hidden in the bathroom drawers, on a bookcase by the door (so I can grab it on the way out, if I am going to an appointment and need something while I wait), and some in the back of my van seats.  This is an area that I have to battle clutter in constantly, but it helps to have books available everywhere, so we don't have to carry books constantly from one room to another.

This is not an exhaustive list and there are many other ways that I try to streamline how I do things, which I may share in future blog posts, but this is just an idea of ways that I am super-crazy-obsessive, but timely and organized in the process!