Next time you start an organizing project be sure to focus on one room at a time. And try to stay in one area as along as possible. If you are working in your home office you may find items that belong in other rooms, and feel the urge to put something away, but dont! Not yet! As you continue working in one area you may find more items that also need to go "elsewhere". Use a bin, box or even a laundry basket to contain the items to go to other rooms. Once you get to a stopping point grab your items and deliver to all the other rooms in the house. This will keep you focused on the one area of organizing.

Do you have several packages of batteries floating around your home or office? Do you also have the mystery batteries that roll around in the junk drawer but your not quite sure they work? Heres a quick tip for organizing your batteries. Make a list of electronics that require batteries so you know what type you need. In our home AA batteries go to everything from toys, remote controls and video camera. It helps if we have extras and worthwhile for us to by multipack. The smoke detecter takes a 9 volts and you always want to make sure you have an extra to replace. We also have a few toys that take "C" batteries but rarely get used and usually end up with extras when purchasing. A great way to keep the batteries organized is with a battery organizer. Get rid of the packaging and store batteries in a case by size. A battery tester is also great to have and always keep near the extra batteries.

Holiday visits with family and friends and such a joyful time. Especially when you are able to connect the internet. Nobody wants to tinker for hours trying to get connected online. Do your house guests a big big favor and be sure to have your wifi ssid and password so they can connect. Fresh towels and chocolates are great but getting online to check email over the holidays is priceless!

We are very happy to be presenting our organizing tips at the Grange Furniture showroom in the Merchandise Mart today in Chicago. Grange Furniture has been making handcrafted furniture since 1904. You will learn the process of adapting the Grange Modular systems to all your living spaces including the living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. Organized With Style will be talking about how to maximize your space.

The holidays are here again. I know because I see all the Christmas decorations for sale in the stores. So, run to your kitchen and start organizing the pantry and refrigerator! If you are preparing meals at home or you will be bringing a dish to family or friends start taking stock. Do you still have cans of pumpkin that you didn't use last year or the year before? Before you decide to use it check the expiration date. What about those spices? How old are they? A quick tip is to write the date opened on the top of the spices. How much is still in the container? If you opened several years ago its probably losing its flavor. If you don't use much of the spice other than for seasonal cooking and baking, next time buy only a small amount in bulk at a spice store. And watch those sales of large quantities, if you haven't used it up by now you won't use in the next year.

Happy kitchen organizing!

How many screws and other mystery parts do you have rolling around in your junk drawer and tool box? Can't seem to throw them away can you? Why is this? Because you think they go to something. Before you put them in a drawer to be forgotten, make sure you identify the item. If its a screw, put it in a small plastic bag. And write the product it belongs to and any other information. Its better to add the information now and know it's importance. Rather than throwing it a drawer and letting it roll around for a couple of years eventually tossing it because you dont know its purpose.

Planning on organizing the garage this weekend? What are you supposed to do with your old ten speed and all those random broken bike parts? Donate them to Working Bikes Cooperative! Its an organization that takes old bikes, repairs them an gives them to charity in the Chicagoland area and internationally. They will take used bikes, broken parts and rusted bikes. Your old bike that hasnt been used in years could help someone get and keep a job by having transportation. Check out Working Bikes Cooperative for events or for their local partners

My sister was doing a great job organizing her super fabulous closets. She pulled out her prized cashmere sweater collection and put into bags. She continued to switch over to her winter wardrobe. As she went through her closet she began to also purge items she did not want and put those items into bags. Soon she would make a trip to the Salvation Army for donation. I got a call from her later saying "I dropped off my entire cashmere sweater collection the the Salvation Army"!
It is no fun when this happens. Thats why you have to keep track of what you are keeping and what is trash or donation. I recommend 2 colors of bags when you are organizing. White trash bags for donation and black trash bags for garbage. If you need to label the white bags with a sharpie its a cinch! Write donation, friends, family whatever label you need. Just be sure to label bags when you cant see whats inside!

Do you have a favorite pair of pants that look great with heals and flats? You really want to where them with both but unfortunately it creates a fashion problem. You cant wear them with both, its one or the other. So, do you have them altered to a shorter pant to fit with flats or keep them long to wear with heels? You could just spend a fortune on 2 pairs of the same pants and not be limited to one type of shoe! That can get expensive and clutter up your closet. Heres a fashion tip and must have for every wardrobe! Singer Instant Bond Double-Sided Fabric Tape! Adjust your pant to the desired length and attach the tape for a temporary bond. Its that simple, no sewing, no ironing, no mess. Wear your pants the length you want today and feel free to change your mind tomorrow. Just pull off the tape. Don't just stop at pants it works on shirts, dresses, upholstery and other fabrics. Use this for any quick fix!