OrganizingLA Blog

Use the Pareto Principle for Summer Organizing and Decluttering Success

 

The Pareto Principle could guide you to be more effective with your time and your life.

What if you could use statistics to declutter your home, office and life, and keep it organized forever?

 

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule was developed in 1906 by Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist and sociologist who observed that 80% of land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Since then, we’ve learned the idea of the 80/20 rule has relevancy in almost every area of our lives:  business, time management and usefulness of everyday objects. As as a hands-on professional organizer, we refer to these principles when working with clients. The principles are relevant whether you're organizing Los Angeles, New York City, or Italy!

 

Impressive statistics:

• We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time;
• We read 20% of our magazine subscriptions 80% of the time;
• Our shelf space holds 80% clutter and junk you’ll never use;
• We spend 80% of our attention reviewing 20% of our mail and paperwork;
• We use 20% of our kitchen gadgets 80% of the time;
• We clean 20% of the house and it takes 80% of our time to clean it;
• We will use 20% of our loose recipes to make 80% of our meals;

 

The Pareto Principle gives us an excellent opportunity to look at the usefulness of daily clutter in our lives. Just because you have the space to store something, doesn’t mean you necessarily need to keep it. Because according to the 80/20 rule, you may not be using it! You can make the rule work for you by understanding the importance of priorities.

Want to add to this story?

 

Have you heard of the Pareto Principle? How could you use it to declutter your home and office? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram.

 

image above courtesy Time Management HQ.

 

 
This original topic first appeared in an edited version on Perezitos, Perez Hilton's lifestyle site featuring celebrity families and advice from pediatricians, parenting, lifestyle experts and professional organizer John Trosko. Click here to check out the original piece.

 

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Declutter And Organize Your Holiday Gift Cards

 

Gift cards are expected to be a top popular gift this holiday season. One size fits all and the recipient can purchase anything on their list at any time. Yet the cards are only useful when you can find them, right?

According to a survey by Plastic Jungle (a site where consumers buy and sell gift cards), American collectively are sitting on over $30 billion worth of unredeemed gift cards, cluttering up our homes. That’s over $300 per home!

 

Gift Card organization tips:

 

Here are some tips to treat your gift cards more like cash and leave less money on the table this holiday season:

Gather – Consolidate and gather all gift cards stashed in supply cabinets, dressers, office desk and junk drawers into a central location.

Categories – Keep your cards in one large stack. Or, you may want to divide them into categories for easy access, i.e.; children's gift cards, each family member, retail store coupons (Bed, Bath & Beyond) merchandise store credits, theater and popcorn vouchers, etc.

Write Amounts - Use a fine point marker to write dollar amount on each card. Don't use giant writing because you're likely to have to cross it out and write on the card again after your next store trip.

Storage - My clients love small plastic accordion folders to aid in the organization and retrieval of the cards. I've also used Kate Spade pencil cases, baseball card holders and wallet size business card holders. Nicely notate the contents of the envelope or tab by using a labeling machine.

Access – Store the envelopes in your purse, car glove compartment or place discretely on a bookshelf or bulletin board so your portable system is ready to grab and go.

Your Turn:

 

Moms: how do you organize your family's gift cards this holiday season? Tweet your tips to @johntrosko or leave a comment below.

Gift card image above courtesy The Grove, Los Angeles and American Express.

 

 

This original topic originally appeared in an edited version on Perezitos, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity families and advice from pediatricians, parenting and lifestyle experts. Click here to check out our piece.

Like this Topic?

Want to learn smart and practical organizing tips for your home, office and life? Save time by signing up for free topic updates and receive them as soon as they're published. Plus, as a gift receive our exclusive Martha Stewart Living Radio recorded radio interview and transcript, chock full of strategies, tips and resources direct from John.

Enter your Email Address


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Rotate Toys And Eliminate Clutter In The Playroom

Today, we answer a reader question:

Catherine from Orange County, CA asks:

 

"My toy storage and playroom have become a disorganized disaster. Christmas came and went. More toys are surely on their way in the coming year to make a bad situation worse. Do you have any toy organizing advice for managing the mountain this holiday season or throughout the year?"

 

And we answer:

 

Catherine, in just the past week, you know an even bigger avalanche of toys slammed into the playroom. My number one tip is to prepare now, before the New Year. Here's how to do it:

 

In order to minimize the amount of toys in the space, attempt to pull out toys and declutter what your children haven’t used in a while (or even new unwrapped toys they’ve not noticed). And don’t forget the books!

Once you’ve selected and pulled the toys, store them in clear containers away from the play area (in a different location if possible). Label the boxes and age group if you are storing for much later use. Then, rotate toys monthly. Save holiday or seasonal toys separately. Remember, less is more when it comes to toys. Less in the toy play area means more focus, enjoyment and appreciation for what they have.

 

Your home may not end up looking like the beautiful tented vintage french circus theme photo above, complete with red organizing boxes, sea-grass baskets, well-behaved children in white--- all a dream perhaps and you can always hope. In the meantime, follow us on Pinterest for more organizing inspiration.

 

Moms: This is the part of our blog topic where we ask you to comment. What are the best clutter free gifts you ever received?  Tweet your ideas and holiday organizing questions to @johntrosko or leave a comment below.

 

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared on Perezitos, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity families and advice from pediatricians, parenting and lifestyle experts. Click here to read the article.

image courtesy our pinterest account

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Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts For Mom

Want an attractive alternative to traditional gifts this year?

According to the annual Black Friday shopping survey from The National Retail Federation, over 152 MILLION people were expected (and did) shop in stores or online the weekend following Thanksgiving.

While you head out into the frenzy to shop, consider giving thoughtful clutter-free gifts this year. Clutter-free gifts are gifts from the heart; offerings that are healthy, consumable, imaginative and not necessarily budget-busting.  Think how you can gussy up the presentation of clutter-free gifts with bows, ribbons, nice boxes and wrapping paper.