The Best Personal Organizer Projects

Project One: Kitchen

• Get your kitchen organized by making sure pots and plans, dishes, silverware, containers and appliances are where they belong. Make sure pots and pans are stacked neatly, not haphazardly. Separate forks, knives and spoons. In your cupboards, make sure things are neat and accessible. Place things that are alike together (such as spices with other spices). If you need to place racks or additional shelves in your cupboard to keep things neat, then make the effort and investment to save time and trouble when you are trying to find things you need. Organize recipes by type, such as cakes and pies, breads, soups, casseroles, vegetable dishes and sauces. Keep cleaning supplies in a separate cupboard to protect your food and dishes from chemicals. Go through your refrigerator and throw away old leftovers or expired food. Group meats and cheese together, vegetables together, fruit together, and sauces together. Only have one bottle of each open at a time to save space.

Project Two: Closets

• Go through your closets and get rid of anything you didn't know you had, haven't used in more than two years, or no longer want or need. For clothing, categorize by color or type (skirts, shirts, jackets). Make sure each item has its own hanger and that there is enough space to look at or pull out items. If you have more than several pairs of shoes, purchase a shoe rack or shoe hanging bag to keep shoes neat, accessible and in good repair.

Project Three: Paperwork and Files

• Keeping your bills, banking information, online accounts, insurance and any other paperwork organized is essential. Sort through your papers and get rid of old bills or bank statements that you no longer need. If you don't have a filing cabinet, consider investing in one. Use labeled file folders to keep papers in order and file papers properly on a daily basis to prevent a mess from building back up.

Project Four: Checklists

• For maintaining personal organization, make checklists to help you stay on track with responsibilities, schedules and activities. A checklist will ensure that you don't forget to do what you need to do and will give you a sense of accomplishment once you have completed each task. You can make task-based checklists or weekly/monthly checklists that help you keep track of recurring tasks, such as paying bills, taking out the garbage, scheduling appointments or making phone calls to family. Post your checklist where you will see it, keep it in your planner or use it on your iPad or iPhone. There are many ways to stay personally organized, but keeping a clean home, paperwork in order, and a checklist of tasks are the best ways to stay on track.