Monday, January 10, 2011

52 Weeks of Organizing


One of my ever existing goals is to get myself and our home organized. I am NOT an organized person! I'm really not! Chalk most of it up to the fact that I'm really just lazy and it makes it even harder. That's why I love FLYLady. I have found such inspiration and an actual plan that I've been able to follow now for almost a year (off and on) with pretty good results. Our house is getting cleaner and more organized...one room at a time.

One of my fave websites for a few years now (especially when I was menu planning) is Org Junkie. Laura hosts several really great challenges, along with the Menu Plan Monday (MPM) meme. This is something I'm hoping to get back into this year, but one thing at a time right!?!?!

This year Laura is hosting 52 Weeks of Organizing. She has a great planner that you can print out and then every Friday she will have a post where people can show what they've been doing to get more organized this year. You work on your projects one at a time, week by week. I was really excited when I read about this and decided right away it went great with what I was learning to do with FLYLady. So I decided to join in! 

My first project was our mudroom. I've been working on our mudroom pretty much since we moved in, about 2 1/2 years ago. I could never get it to be the functioning, welcoming space I wanted it to be! It's not big by any means, but it is the first place you encounter when you come in through the garage. Because of my tendency to pile instead of put away the mudroom very quickly became a disaster zone! But no more!

One of the first things I did was move in the sofa table that used to be in the living room. I decided to rearrange the living room a little bit when we put away the Christmas tree to make it feel a little more open. When I got finished there was no place to put the sofa table. Then the light bulb went off. The mudroom was the perfect place to put this wonderful piece of furniture to good use. So I started dragging things out of the mudroom and pulled the sofa table in. It was a perfect fit! 


Now we have a perfect "launch pad" or "command center". The bottom shelf is where Brianna will keep her dance bag and her back pack. The basket on the top is being used for out going or incoming mail. Also being kept on here will be my Control Journal (not pictured because it's being used! lol) and our emergency information binder, once it is finished. 

The two drawers are being utilized. Inside the left drawer is our address book, return address labels, stamps, envelopes and checkbook. Also going to add our tithing envelopes, I just hadn't put them in here yet when I took the pictures! In the right drawer is where we will be keeping our cell phone chargers and things like that will be kept. 



Above the table is this great mirrored coat hanger that my mom didn't have room for, so she gave it to us. On it will be hung my purse, the diaper bag and of course, the fly swatter! lol


On the opposite wall is the key holder, next to the alarm pad! hehehehe No more misplaced keys! 


And finally right across from the door is our dry erase calender. We also attached a hanging file to gather things that need to be filed away upstairs in the office. I guess that will become part of my weekly desk day routine. Gotta add that into my control journal! :-)


I am very happy so far with the way things are working now in this room! Steven walked through it last night as we were heading out into the garage to clean up a little and he said "Man, it looks clean in here!" *grins*






So there's my week 1 of the 52 Week Organizing Challenge. Thanks Laura for the motivation! Can't wait to post this weeks project this weekend...the coat closet/game closet.

3 comments:

Elle said...

I wish we had a mud room. Instead when we walk in from our garage, we just are in the kitchen and all our boots and whatnot end up in the kitchen. so maddening. I like this idea. Very nice. Our front entry way kind of reminds me of this. We don't have a table in the front, but I have a rack with hooks. We don't have a lot of places in our house where can store things. It really is awful. I need to get creative. I love reading others ideas. It inspires me a lot!

Shelly said...

You did a great job! I really need to get organized too, I just don't think I can do one thing every week though. I guess I'm too slow and lazy to complete 52 things. But you have inspired me to do it in my own time. Although I do foresee some purchases to help me get each room organized ;D

danae said...

it looks great! i too am a fan on flylady & all of my routines are modified from hers over the years! thanks for visiting me at the casteel casa. good luck on the coat/game closet!