Get Organized By Joana

According to Forbes, the typical executive today wastes almost one month a year searching for lost information. According to the American Demographic Society, Americans waste more than 9 million hours each day looking for lost and misplaced articles.

I love this article in today's LA Times fashion, shopping and the impact on our planet. Just because it's a bargain, doesn't mean you have to buy it. Something to think about in 2018.

If you're a fast fashion addict, you're taxing the planet I challenged myself to wear everything in my closet in six months or lose it forever. It sparked a shopping revelation: Fast fashion equals something close to zero commitment.

Now is the best time to get your house in order. Summer is over. Kids are back in school. Are you tired of being stressed out because of the clutter? Are you throwing your money away because you can't find things? Let's cut through the mess, get organized and rediscover your space together. I can help. www.getorganizedbyjoana.com

Do you have a box of VHS tapes collecting dust? Want to share you wedding or bar mitzvah video with your kids but don't have a player to play them in? I offer a videotape to DVD or flash drive conversion service as part of my organizing business. Preserve and enjoy those memories forever so you watch and enjoy them once again. Contact me for more information.

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, and organized 2017. Here's to creating space in your life and in your home for all the things that are most important to you. Here's to getting rid of all the clutter and obstacles that keep you from reaching your dreams and goals. May 2017 be everything you hope it to be and more.

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, and organized 2017. Here's to creating space in your life and in your home for all the things that are most important to you. Here's to getting rid of all the clutter and obstacles that keep you from reaching your dreams and goals. May 2017 be everything you hope it to be and more.

Back to school is back to business in cleaning up the gross bits and pieces lurking in my kids' rooms. We're talking candy wrappers, goody bag stuff, broken knick-knacks, things with missing pieces and all the basic crap that's accumulated. I go through shelves, drawers and closets and especially under the bed. I don't focus so much on toys, stuffed animals and bigger items as I prefer to do this with my girls before the holiday season. All "treasures" discovered are placed in a garbage bag in the garage for 30 days. My kids have these 30 days to claim anything they realize is missing and want back, otherwise it's recycled, donated or trashed. This has worked in our home for 9 years and nothing has ever been reclaimed. Happy cleaning!

Helping my cousin Shirley Bovshow sort through her personal library of gardening, design and food related books. She recently moved into a new creative design studio and does not have enough space for her extensive collection. We've made piles of what she's keeping and donating. The "keeps" were placed on shelves depending on the subject matter so it's all easy to find when she needs it. Congrats on your new office, Shirley. Check out my cousin on the Home & Family show on Hallmark Channel. Also look for her on Facebook to see her upcoming schedule of classes in her studio.

Are you losing the battle to spam and junkmail? Time to control the mail clutter with my number one tip...Get rid of it. Mail clutter is an uninvited guest in our home...DO NOT LET IT IN. They are not welcome! Sort all mail before before even walking through your door. Keep what you need and immediately recycle the rest. Delete spam right away as well. The longer unwanted mail sits in our home and on our computer, it takes up valuable space, collects dust, creates stress and wastes time and resources. For other valuable organizing tips please contact me at www.GetOrganizedByJoana.com.

Custom garage built-ins can be very expensive. When we moved into our home a year and a half ago, the garage had no cabinets or shelving. We went to our local hardware store and purchased heavy duty hangers for less than $3.00 each to hang bikes and folding chairs and plastic storage shelves for $40.00 a package. These easy to install and simple to assemble organizing items, were cost effective, easy to find, and created space for important things in our garage...like our cars.