5 tips from a professional organizer

I spent a day recently working in my studio along side a professional organizer. It was great to have some fresh eyes in my space. Her ideas about arranging the rooms were fabulous. I laughingly argued with her on a couple of points. Our minds work so differently.  Here are 5 of the tips I took away from that day. It has actually been fun to implement them. I am very close to a full reveal of the new space. Meanwhile this gives you a peek and some helpful tips.

#1 Avoid stashing stuff where you can't see it.

 Say goodbye to the table skirts that allowed me to pile up all kinds of fabric scraps and items I wanted to maybe do something with someday. I could fill a basket or a box with stuff and then set it under the skirt and forget about it. Obviously, that is a bad habit. I am finally ready to be done with that one. I bought the book about life changing magic of tidying up, but I haven't cracked it open. I think the life changing art of making a decision is what is important for me.

Our goal is to know what we have so we can use it, right?

I got a little more ruthless about what I was going to use and what needed to get tossed or donated. Cindy, my organizer, was kind enough to drop off my donations on her way home. That way, they were gone for good. It's nice to have a built-in way to keep me from changing my mind.  I am sure I will have more purging to do before I feel like I am done.

#2  Organize by task.

Pattern making, cutting, sewing, ironing, shipping, writing, photography, I have a lot to keep straight everyday.  I was a little mixed up and random before, but I am starting to see the wisdom of this directive. I will show you photos in the final reveal. My studio has zones now which really work.

#3  Use the shallowest container possible. 

I think the photo illustrates it well. Cute Jar vs. Drawers - Which container makes more sense for ease of use?  I love having the single layer drawers of thread within reach as I am sewing. No more digging around for the right color.  My zippers are separated and labeled now too. No more digging through one large bin to find the right color zipper and the pulls that go with it. Now I just pull out the one box I need. So simple. The drawers are from target. This one looks great too.  The mini photo boxes for zippers are from Michael's. I bought them all.

#4 Keep frequently used items handy but contained. 

That means scissors are not left (and lost) on the table tops. I found this silverware organizer at Ross for $5.99. Now my cutting implements are easy to locate and grab, and blade refills are in one of the pockets too. (Notice how this is organized by task?)

#5 Keep working surfaces clear.

That is the goal. Yearly, I work myself into a standstill by having too many projects going at once, all taking up space on my tables. We have planned a place for all of those projects now, and I can't wait to show you.

What is working for you in your creative space? Checkout my pinterest board for more organization ideas.