Jul 01

1 Simple Tip to Make the Seasonal Change a Little Easier

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Fall Is Approaching…

July is here! Hopefully you’re in the midst of summer fun. But before you realize it autumn will be here, and with it school for kiddos, cooler weather, changing out the wardrobe, heavier shoes, protecting plants, switching out summer gear for winter, etc. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with the change of seasons, begin your prep now. How? Simple.

Make a list of all you need to accomplish

I’m a big fan of lists and keep an ever changing, constantly updating “to do” list on my phone.
if you tend to feel overwhelmed with all that comes with the change of seasons (which is different for every person), take advantage of this tip and get your list going now. Whether you’re a paper and pencil person or someone who keeps everything on their phone, once you’re in the midst of the craziness of fall, you’ll be glad you have the friendly little reminder that will leave you feeling productive and on top of what you need to tackle. Just make sure that list is easily accessible and not in a place where you’ll forget it!

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Mar 04

0

A Simple Tip to Take Away the “Out of Town Guests Stress”

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant Monthly Newsletter

Out of town guests arriving can be extremely exciting and at the same time extremely stressful. One way to cut down on the stress is to keep things organized so you know where everything is at a moment’s notice.
And what’s one way to do this?

Keep ‘guest’ related items in the room they belong

With this tip I’m thinking specifically of towels and linens. If you have a designated guest room, utilize the closet or dresser space for those items. If guests stay in a child’s bedroom, keep the linens tucked away in the closet where they can’t be used accidentally. Typically I’m a big advocate for keeping everything in one place (such as a linen closet) but sometimes you have to break the rules in order to eliminate the stress of looking for something only to find it’s been used by a “non-guest”.

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Dec 03

0

How To End the Year the Right Way

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant Monthly Newsletter

One in, One out… Or two

Christmas is 22 days away! And some of you have no idea where you’re going to put all of the new stuff (cuz let’s be honest, a lot of it is “stuff”). If you’re already in panic mode just thinking about finding space for the new loot, take this one simple piece of advice:

One in, One (or two) out

It’s a simple concept – for every new item you get, remove 1 (or if possible 2) of the same item that you already own. I know this can’t apply to everything, but it can be used more than you think – Clothes, toys, kitchen gadgets, hair utensils, tools, linens, shoes, electronics, books, jewelry… And plenty more categories!

This Christmas doesn’t have to be the tipping point for a chaotic and unorganized home. It can be the start of a MORE organize home if you deal with each item as you go. No more cramming and shoving. Take an item, give it a home and if an older version needs to go, let it go
(cue the song that now’s playing in your head

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Nov 05

0

My #1 Tip for the Holidays

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant Monthly Newsletter

Let the holiday season begin!

If you’re like me, November 1st meant turning on Christmas music and beginning the countdown to December 25th!
If you’re not like me at all, you don’t appreciate my mentioning Christmas since we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet. Well, whether you like it or not, the holiday season is approaching which means lots of food and lots of stuff.
One way to help combat this problem of “more” is to:

PURGE

Your pantry, your fridge, your closet, your kids’ closet, their toys, etc.
Go through the areas that can get overcrowded once the holidays have passed and make some room.
What’s better than Thanksgiving leftovers? Not much.
So make room for them by purging your pantry and fridge before the big day.
What’s better than a brand new Christmas sweater?
Not much, so make room in your closet by purging items you don’t want to keep.

It doesn’t have to be a lot, but I guarantee getting rid of even a few things
will make a difference in your stress level when trying to find a place for the new items.

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Sep 03

0

My First Rule of Decluttering

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant Monthly Newsletter

Top Shelf’s First Rule of Decluttering

Recently I’ve gotten several clients with larger organizing projects and sometimes they are totally overwhelming, to my clients and even to me.
I typically schedule several hours at a time for jobs like these, but some of my clients have tighter time frames or budgets so longer days aren’t possible.
When that happens the first thing I choose to do once we start the job is

– a general decluttering of the area.

There are almost always items that don’t belong in the space and removing those items will make a big difference during the beginning phases of the organizing process. Keep this in mind the next time you have an overwhelming project and don’t know where to begin

– start by eliminating the items that don’t belong.

This will make what does belong easier to organize and makes the end goal attainable.

You got this!

– Jenna –

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Aug 06

0

A Fall Check List

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant Monthly Newsletter

Fall Check List

Hello August and hello transitioning from summer to fall. Whether you’re already feeling the change in the weather or are still battling scorching heat, August means changing your mind set from summer vacation to school, colder weather and bundling up inside on cozy nights!

Here’s a little “to do” list to get you ready for a great and organized fall!

Begin to go through summer clothes/items and create a “donate” pile for those you want to get rid of. This can mean summer clothes you didn’t wear at all, clothes and sandals that won’t fit your children next summer and other summer items that are just collecting dust. Why let them take up time and space?
Clean out your oven and microwave. Those 2 areas get used a lot more in the colder months than they do in the warm summer months so make sure they’re ready for whatever you bring at them this year!
Did you go on a summer vacation? Go through your pictures now and organize/store them however you want (digitally or in a bin or book).
Clean up your outdoor areas – this includes pruning whatever needs to be cleaned up before it gets too cold, all outdoor sitting areas and fire pits.
Check your heating system to make sure it’s working properly. In the moment, it seems like there’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night feeling like an icicle because the heat went out!

This isn’t a long list, and I’m sure there’s more you have to do to prep for fall, but completing this list now will make the next couple months a lot easier for you and your family! Get to it!

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Mar 05

0

Spring Cleaning is Just Around the Corner!

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | One Comment

Eating an Elephant

March Newsletter

Spring is coming. Are you ready?

March = (thoughts of) Spring. Spring = Spring cleaning. If the thought of spring cleaning stresses you out, remember 3 important tips:

1. Top to bottom*
2. Inside to outside**
3. One room at a time***

*Clean effectively (start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor)
**Clean smartly (begin inside, where you live, and end outside, where dirt lives)
***Clean realistically (tackling one room/space at a time will give you a quicker sense of satisfaction and will help motivate you to go on to the next space)

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Feb 05

0

Are Winter Clothes Causing a Clothing Jam in Your Closet?

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant

February Newsletter

Keep a bag, box or bin in your bedroom (in the closet or under the bed is ideal so it’s not out in plain view) and whenever you put something on that doesn’t fit well, has a defect, or you just don’t like anymore, do NOT put it back where it came from! Put it in your “donate” holder. I guarantee you’ll get rid of more clothes than you think you will AND you’ll eventually clear your closet of clothes you never wear.

(bonus: the feelings of guilt you feel every time you look at those
‘never worn clothes’ will go away once the clothes go away!)

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Jan 01

0

Begin The New Year By Looking Back

By Jenna Nelson | Weekly Tip | No Comments

Eating an Elephant

January Newsletter

Christmas is over and the new year has begun! January is a great month to look back over the past year to see what items in your home didn’t get used. Whether it’s clothes, shoes, jewelry, tools, perfume/cologne, books, bathroom or kitchen items or other random items around the house, there are probably several things that need to find their way to the “donate”, “recycle” or “trash” pile. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but purging even a few items will help get your new year off to a good, and organized, start.

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Sep 18

0

One Size Does Not Fit All in Organizing

By Jenna Nelson | Least Favorite Organizing Tools, Weekly Tip | 2 Comments

I think we can all agree that Pinterest is both a blessing and a curse. As a whole it provides amazing ideas, recipes, inspiration and laughs (I could spend all day on the humor page), but it also gives an incredble influx of information that not everyone can handle and sometimes (okay a lot of times) makes us ungrateful for what we have, jealous for what we don’t have, envious of someone else, and sometimes we spend more money than we should, just to keep up with what we see on Pinterest. I’ve searched MANY Pinterest pages and boards looking for ideas and inspiration for my clients and if there’s one thing I’ve learned , it’s that, when it comes to organizing, you have to create your own system. You can’t copy someone else’s work and expect it to work flawlessly for you. Yes, you can grab ideas, find bins, labels, organizing tools and more but don’t find a picture on the internet and say, “This works for them therefore it will work for me.” It’s not going to happen. Each space is as unique as the person/family using it and should be organized that way.

Here’s why – your space won’t have the same items the other space has, your needs and expectations are different from the other person’s needs and expectations, and your space as a whole is probably different, even if it’s just slight. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s a cookie cutter build and you have an exact match to a space you love but guess what, you’re not that other person! You’re you! With your own life to live and with your own life that will fill that space differently. No two closets I’ve worked in are ever the same. My clients have different preferences. There may be similarities, but never identical in the items they hold. No two pantries are the same. Again, there may be similarities but I have never come across an exact match for any pantry I’ve seen or worked in.

And I don’t know about you, but I love that. I love the challenge of coming up with new ideas that will work for my clients. I love the process of transforming their space to fit their specific needs. I love seeing the satisfaction on their faces when it’s done and they realize what we’ve done can be maintained after I leave because it was organized with them in mind!

So yes, do your research, find ideas that will work for you, get inspired! But when it comes down to it make sure the way you’re organizing fits you and your lifestyle. You’re unique and your space needs to reflect that.

Have any stories to share about your own way of organizing? If you do, share it with me! Let me know in the comments below!

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Closet

1 Simple Tip to Make the Seasonal Change a Little Easier