Do you spend a lot of time fumbling through your closet looking for the mate to your running shoe, searching for your keys or riffling though a stack of papers for an unpaid bill? Chances are you want to get organized but just don't know where to start. Congratulations! By signing up for the iGet Organized Community Challenge®, you've taken the first step in your journey to conquer clutter.
Who am I? I've spent the last 15 years sharing my expertise as a national magazine editor and lifestyle expert. Before you start to panic about perfection, take a deep breath. I don't expect your cabinets, closets and drawers to look camera ready. This challenge is not about copying what you see in the glossy pages of a shelter magazine -- it's about organizing your home so you can find what you need when you need it. Realize, too, that organizing is hard work. It's like dieting: You can't lose 10 pounds in a day (although I so wish I could), and you can't get your entire house organized in one day. It takes time and discipline to cut through the clutter, separate the important things from the junk and develop a system that works for you.
I am here to help. Consider me not the professional organizer, but rather the trusted friend who offers you an honest, unbiased opinion as to what you should keep and what you should toss. I am a busy mother and a wife with a job, friends and family who, like you, is trying to balance it all. Organizing just comes naturally to me and I am hoping by the end of this challenge it comes a bit more naturally to you too!
Every day, over the next four weeks, we will tackle together some of the most problematic areas of your house. We will start with the entryway (all the mail, boots and coats), then move into the kitchen (pots, pans and plastic food containers -- aren't you tired of looking for lids?), home office (paper, paper and more paper) and end with the bedroom closet. I will suggest ways to change your patterns of behavior and recommend tools and accessories you can buy to help you get organized. One of the biggest bonuses of completing the challenge? At the end of the month, you will hopefully have shaved wasted minutes off each day, wasted days off each year, time better spent enjoying the company of family and friends, exercising, reading, pursuing other hobbies and interests or taking a fabulous vacation. Consider fulfilling that activity or interest your light at the end of a very organized tunnel!
I invite you to visit the iGet Organized group, where you will find the daily assignments and connect with me and with other challenge participants. To really take advantage of this cool community offering from iVillage, join the group, set up your own profile (it's quick), upload your photos (before and after), discuss assignments with fellow challenge participants and contact me on the forum if you have any questions or problems. Let the organizing begin!
