Control Your Childrens Clutter!!

Ever feel overwhelmed by all the papers, notices, artwork, and other items your kids bring home from school? Don't be a pack rat!! We'll show you how to "Trap the R-A-T" (RETAIN, ACT, THROW)

1. School flyers: Nearly every day, your child brings home flyers announcing some school activity, bake sale, field trip, or other such notices. Unfortunately, these notices tend to pile up unless acted upon. As soon as practicable, read the flyers and perform the following R.A.T. exercise. RETAIN: All school flyers that you need to keep (class lists with phone numbers, emergency procedures, etc.) ACT: Make sure you have your calendar while reviewing the flyers, and mark any important dates. Once you mark the date, you should be able to "throw." THROW: Anything you suspect you won't need in the future. Don't be afraid to throw, as you can always go back to the school and ask about the content of the flyer if necessary. There should be approximately a 4 to 1 ratio of "throw" to "retain."

2. Art Work: While it would be great to be able to keep all of your childrens' artwork in perpetuity, most of us don't have enough room in the house!! I recommend that you follow the 3 "F" rule.

FRAME: Some outstanding pieces of artwork deserve framing. Buy several acrylic frame boxes at The Container Store and hang the framed artwork around your house, in your basement, or in your child's room. Your kids will appreciate the recognition they get when you go the extra mile to frame their art.

FILE: Not all art is frameworthy. But it may not be trashworthy either! Keep those items which demonstrate talent, and you may someday decide to frame. Make a file box for each child, and let them decorate the box. When they bring something home they want to keep, ask them to file it in their very own keepsake box.

FLUSH: No need to keep random scribble, or works that don't meet your standards. There should be a 1 to 3 to 5 ratio of Frame, File and Flush. And don't forget, much of the "filed" art can be used as gifts to relatives. You may also consider taking digital photos of your child's art, and storing it on disk. Although it's not the same as the original, this is a good way to reduce the clutter of the overwhelming amount of art that comes through the door.

3. Art Supplies: To create a masterpiece, your child needs the proper tools. Everything from markers, crayons, paints, and brushes need to be organized or they will quickly overtake your home. Keep everything in a portable box that they can bring from room to room, and separate the crayons, markers and other stuff into baggies. Make it clear that they are responsible for maintaining order for their art supplies. You may also consider purchasing a small "art desk" and a bookshelf so they can have their own area in the house to do artwork. Put the supplies in separate lined baskets in the bookshelf for them to use.

4. Birthday invitations: To keep track of all the birthday parties, it's best to follow the "GO or NO" rule. Once you get invited try to make a decision quickly. Mark it in your calendar and make a birthday invitation file so you can keep the ones you need (i.e. if there's directions you'll need the day of the party). If it's a "NO," respond within a day or two and "flush" the invitation.

These are just a few of the ideas to help kill the clutter. To go the extra mile, a professional organizer can help you meet all of the above challenges, and more.

About The Author

Betsy Fein is the President of Clutterbusters!!, a professional organizing firm based in Rockville, Maryland. For a free evaluation of your home or office, and to review clutterbusting products, go to www.theclutterbusters.com. Copyright 2003

feintimes@aol.com

---

Getting Organized for Achievement

Getting and staying organized is critical to achieving your goals.... Read More

Secrets to Eliminating Emotional Clutter

Are you plagued by clutter in your personal or professional... Read More

Have an Ugly Day

"Do something every day that you don't want to-do; this... Read More

The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Organizing Your Kids Rooms

1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing... Read More

The Love It Or Lose It Principle: One Simple Key to Living Clutter-Free Forever

It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More

10 Tips to Get Organized and Clutter-Free- Now!

1. THE LOVE IT OR LOSE IT PRINCIPLE: Every item... Read More

The True Definition of an Organization

The true definition of an organization is one that is... Read More

Can You Really Improve Your Organisation Skills

I'm sure most of you have heard of Zig Ziglar... Read More

Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 1

Digging out from under stacks of paper might seem like... Read More

10 Organizing Tips for Road Warrior Parents

Parenting is always a challenge, but particularly so if your... Read More

The Problem With To-Do Lists

Do you use to-do lists? Do you find it satisfying... Read More

Stress Management: 10 Universal Laws to Get and Stay Organized

1. The Law of the 1st StepA good first step... Read More

Does Your Storage Make Sense?

What do your storage spaces look like? Do you know... Read More

Just How Organized Are You? Take This Quiz For Individuals

The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More

10 Tips on Color Coding Your Paper: From Chaos to Coherence

Color-There Is No SubstituteIn anatomical illustrations you see the brain's... Read More

Four Easy Steps to An Organized Closet

The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More

5 Reasons to Organize Your Home Today

Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those drawn toward... Read More

35 Santity Savers - Get More Productive

Use these 35 sanity savers this year to help you... Read More

Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster

Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink ?... Read More

Three Effortless Ways to Win the Paperwork Battle

Buried under mountains of paperwork from your company? Do the... Read More

After the Clutter: 5 Steps to a New Daily Routine

I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More

The Magnificent 7: Tips for Cleaning Up Clutter

Clutter is postponed decisions®. Here are some suggestions to simplify... Read More

Lightening The Load

When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is,... Read More

5 Steps From Clutter To Control

Are you overwhelmed by clutter wherever you turn? Here are... Read More

Relieve Vacation Stress By Planning Ahead

Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end... Read More

Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 2

We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they... Read More

9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization

Home organization means being able to find your stuff when... Read More

Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have

"Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More

The Balance of Balance

Life is about maintaining a balance of all aspects. At... Read More

10 Easy Tips for Digging Out Your Desk Today

Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried... Read More

A Simple Effective Tool To Get And Stay Organized

Often we are in overwhelm because we are holding too... Read More

Letting Go Of Your Excuses

At this point, you have probably run across some belongings... Read More

Addiction to Clutter

Clutter is a big problem for many people. At a... Read More