Client Eado Get it Done: Pantry Organization Before & After

This is a pantry organization project that I did a couple of years ago. The client chose to go with the hyacinth bins, we also used a can organizer and the rest we used what the client had per their request. Most of the times, we also use bin clips with these types of bins. 

Here is what we did:

• Take everything out
• Wipe down shelves
• Go through and get rid of anything that is expired
• Sort like items together
• Put most like items into bins
• Put the bins back into the pantry
• We put water and large appliances at the bottom of the pantry
• Find what you need in the organized pantry!

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What I Have Learned During COVID-19 Pandemic & Quarantine

Wash your hands and clean surfaces often. Of course I wash my hands regularly, but man have I washed and sanitized my hands so much that they are dry beyond belief and my eczema has really been acting up. I use this lotion during the day and this lotion at night, which has helped tremendously.

Sloooooow down. I can't tell you how good it has felt to slow down and take each day as it comes. I love having so much more quality time with my husband. If we had to drive traffic was super light and so much less stressful here in Houston where traffic is always bad. Not having event obligations has been great. Slowing down overall has been amazing.

Gave me a lot of time to think. I have obviously had a lot of time to think and there are certain things in my life I will no longer be doing and certain things I have no interest in participating in. I have so much to be thankful for.

Never take things for granted. Not working and not being able to see family has been the absolute hardest thing. Loss of income is sad, but not life threatening. We take SO much for granted from going to the store to going to out with friends to certain services we utilize on a regular basis and the list goes on and on. I am going to try hard to not take things for granted as much.

It affected me more than I realized. I felt like there was one thing after another that happened from being hacked to clients saying they couldn't leave Google reviews for Eco Modern Concierge to cleaning out items and seeing how emotional it was. I miss seeing clients & friends, I miss social interaction and I just miss so much. Some days were much better than others, but there was also so many silver linings during quarantine and all this.

We saved so much money. Looking at our budget it was I opening not being able to go do anything. Not driving, not going out to eat, not going into stores as frequently, etc. has really helped me in our personal life and in my business life. We will definitely curb our spending in so many areas.

I need social interaction more than I realized. I am a home body to a degree, but man do I miss family, friends, clients and colleagues SOOOO much. I need that social interaction for happiness and comfort. Thank goodness for social distance walking, zoom calls, email, phones and Netflix party. With all of those things I have been able to stay in touch with a lot of people, which has been great.

Find happy moments. Even though a lot of stressful things happened during quarantine, the littlest things are making me so happy from daily walks to bike rides to talking to friends on the phone.

Photo by Taylor Simpson on Unsplash

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Client Use What You Have: Bar Organization

This bar organization project has been sitting in my draft folder for years and I thought I would finally share. It is nothing special, but shows that you do not need to have fancy organizing supplies in order get organized. This client said she had been wanting to organize this space for a long time, but just hadn't. Here is what I did:

• Took everything out
• Wipe down the surface
• Consolidate all of the alcohol and bar related items together
• Put back into the cabinet and grouping like alcohols together and trying to put back in by size if possible

This was a quick, simple and easy thing to do, but it can look overwhelming, which makes you want to not tackle it. I get it. Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done with an organizing project in that 15 minutes. 

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Client Busy Woodlands Mama: Toy Closet Organization Before & After

Anyone still working from home and running out of things to organize? I thought I would share this toy closet that I helped this client in The Woodlands, TX organize last year and there was no extra money spent here. This family has actually since moved from this house. Here is what I did:

• We pulled the things that were right in the doorway out. 
• The client went there are get rid of everything she no longer needed, which wasn't a ton, but definitely helps. 
• Then we sorted like items together like games, lego, household items, decorations, etc. 
• Then we grouped those sorted items onto the shelves to give it a more cohesive look.
• We put items like the vacuum back in after. 

What you don't see in the after pictures below is that the left side there is a shelf where things like batteries, bulbs, and household items like that went. The organization process is so different for so many people. Do what you can, when you can. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! Remembering the ones who have served and continue to serve our country.

Photo by Jim Stapleton on Unsplash

5 Productivity Tips + Hacks That Helped me During Quarantine

Being productive can be very hard for many people. During quarantine I heard a lot of people say "I wanted to be productive, but couldn't get motivated", this was even coming from some of my professional organizing friends. As a professional it is my job to help others be productive. Surprisingly, I was very productive the last 2 months, but mainly because I did a couple of things that helped me not get so overwhelmed. Here are a few things that I did.

I made a huge master list of EVERYTHING that came to mind that I wanted / needed to do. This included business and personal tasks. Then I set a goal of getting at 3 things done each day. It could be a simple tasks or hard task.

I broke up big tasks into smaller manageable tasks. This helped me not get completely overwhelmed with the big daunting tasks. Some of the big tasks included going through photos on a hard drive, updating my website's shop page and writing letters that I had been meaning to send.

I made a chore chart of the smaller tasks that I wanted to work on daily. This chore chart help me stay motivated in accomplishing my daily goals.

I tackled many hard tasks first that I knew would help me function better and not feel as stressed. There were several things work wise that I knew needed to be done that would help me feel better in the future like updating the holiday card mailing list, finishing the process of getting my trademark done and finally connecting with lawyers, etc.

Staying on top of things. Because I didn't feel too overwhelmed with my to do list once I started doing these things, it became routine and I was able to stay on top of things pretty well. That doesn't mean I never skipped a day of doing one of my daily tasks or ever felt non-motivated. All in all because I did try to make it a habit it was easier to achieve overall.

What are tasks that you got accomplished during quarantine?

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Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash

Client Awesome Writer: Closet Organization Before & After

I am still trying to catch up on blogging organization projects we worked on from years ago and this is one of them. This client was located in the Boulevard Oaks / Southampton area of Houston. She is a writer and her husband is a pilot. We spent many hours organizing and she went through every single item in her closet. Here is what we did:

1. Take everything out
2. Declutter
3. Put into keep and donate piles
4. Put everything back in the closet
5. Put like items together like shirts, pants, dresses
6. Arrange by color
7. Rearrange the shelves and get rid of a lot of things on the shelves and put items from the shelves into drawers

We went through the racks, shelves and drawers and the client was really able to clear a ton of clutter. 

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