2023-5_Vol 11_AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here!
I hung out with my grandma a lot while growing up. Most of the time when the weather was warm we were all kicked outside to go play. We built forts in the forest, swang from vines and would catch tadpoles in the pond!! Gram was always up to something…. Working in her garden, patching the roof, or building something.

When the weather would change and the cold air would turn warm, she would get all of her winter clothes washed up, fold the winter clothes up nicely and store them away. She would pull out all the warm clothes and give them a fresh wash (as they typically smelled like mothballs after their hibernation), and place them in drawers or hang them up in the closet.

In my mind (at the time) it never made sense to me…. Why take all the time and effort to do that – when she could just leave everything in her drawers and closets? To me it was a waste of time. You know how you were as a kid, you thought you knew everything!!

Now here we are…many years later…. And I am writing about it… Thank god it didn’t take me that long to grasp what she was doing and why she was doing it.

Yes – I know that doing all that work can be time consuming and the weather is beautiful and you rather be playing outside… But, as with all things Organizing – if you take the time now to do it, it will save you extra time down the road!!

Swapping out your clothes can be very beneficial:
1. You save time – It puts what you will be wearing regularly out in front of you so you don’t have to sort through all the sweaters and cold weather clothes – which will save you time in that morning hustle and bustle!!
2. You save Closet space – PRIME real estate!! The winter clothes get stored away and the warm clothes get put away allowing room for your clothes instead of having everything squished in together. Again – the clothes you will be wearing more often will now be front and center and easy to access.
3. Allows you to analyze your clothes – Is it ripped? Stained? Does it fit properly? – now is your chance to toss/donate it and not have to wash/dry/put it away again (again, saving you some time in the long run!!)
4. You are giving your clothes a breather. Yes, I know they are just clothes – but doesn’t everyone deserve a break? Give them some time away from the washer and dryer, or from hanging in the closet. Think like Kondo – say thank you and carefully pack them away and let your winter wear rest for the season.
5. It gives you something to look forward to next year!! Surprise – look – it is that sweater you haven’t seen all year – have you forgotten how cozy it is!!

Sounds pretty good right? So set aside some time this weekend or one night after work and:Sort through your clothes
1. Separate cold clothes and warm clothes.
2. Separate clothes that don’t fit, are stained, are holy, or you don’t care for anymore from the clothes you are keeping and love (for both warm and cold clothes).
3. Carefully fold or hang the warm clothes.
4. Pick a favorite top, sweater, hoodie, jacket etc. to leave out for possible chilly days/evenings.
5. Carefully store away the winter clothes.

It really is that easy. It’s more time consuming than anything. But again – it’s all about the long run…

Till Next time!!

2023-4_Vol 10_AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here! 

It has been a little while since we have posted.  Ok – a long while.  But guess what? That is life. It happens to everyone.  I am sure quite a bit has happened in your lives the past year.  We learn and grow from the changes.  And that is a beautiful thing.

Guess what today is? AO’s Birthday!!!  Architecturally Organized turned 2 today!! I have been organizing all of my life.  Seriously.  I would plan out how to rearrange my bedroom before I moved the furniture around, because I wanted to see if it would fit…. I have always loved to organize and I still can’t believe that here we are now…. 2 years in.  It’s a pretty wonderful thing!!

So for me – thinking about AO (what I call Architecturally Organized when talking to friends and family) and where I want it to go, and how I want to expand, where I want to take things….. It is an awesome (and scary) feeling…. But that leads me to my goals.  Big Goals… small goals… What I see and hope for the AO future.

Upcoming Goals

• Zoom.  Architecturally Organized is branching out with Zoom.  For those of you who live far and wide, but still need help with accountability and motivation – we are here to help!!
• Etsy.  Architecturally Organized will be available at Etsy.  With Digital Planners, Printable Labels, Notebooks, and fun Organizing themed shirts, totes and mugs…. “Organizing… it isn’t for the faint of heart” is my new favorite shirt!!
• Patreon.  2024 is  going to start off with Patreon.  I am working hard to create great content for everyone!! Monthly and Weekly Organizing challenges including video tutorials of those challenges!! Meal Planning!!  There will be Digital downloads and Printables available, I am super excited!!  All things to help you have an organized home and lead an organized life.

What are your goals for this year?  Tell me about them!! Put them into motion!! 

Till Next time!!

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here! 

Guess what today is? It is the first day of the new Season….Today is officially the first day of Summer!! 

The Summer Solstice – The longest day of the year…. the Sun is at its highest point in the sky today.

What does that have to do with organizing? Absolutely nothing.

We are not talking too much about organizing today…. Not talking too much about anything really… I figure… Everyone needs a time to relax and regroup…. To just take a minute and forget all the worries and stressors…. To clear your mind…. Everyone needs that sometimes… Why not take the time now?

Looks like today we are talking about self care… 

Take the day to take some time out for yourself….

1. Take a Bubble Bath.
2. Soak in the sun (Get that vitamin D in!!)
3. Express Gratitude
4. Start reading that book you have been wanting to start.
5. Learn how to sew.
6. Take a nap
7. Take a walk
8. Go to the Gym
9. Watch your favorite movie
10. Set a goal list
11. Deep Clean something (Don’t laugh – some people find this completely relaxing!!)
12. Play in the garden
13. Take a day trip

If those activities don’t float your boat…. Think of something that does and do it!  How does that sound? Just relax… destress…chill… whatever you want to call it!

Get your headspace cleared out…. Once you do that… well…it will possibly help make it a little easier for you to start tackling your to do list.

Till Next time!!

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here!

I don’t know where some of you are from – but here in Jersey summer weather is here!!! The AC has been kickin… the pool is getting used… and we are soaking up the sun!!  But, not every day is going to be a beach or pool day…

Today is one of them.  It is gloomy looking outside, it wants to rain any minute.  The skies are gray and it is humid out…. It is not a day to be hanging out by the pool!

So on these days… or when it is rainy…or even on the days that it is just TOO hot to go outside – why not take a minute (or a few) and organize your email.

Yes – I said organize your email.
I know I am not the only one who lets their email get out of control.
I know there are more of you who have hundreds if not thousands of emails just sitting in the inbox.
I know there are half attempts at folders that never got used…. At things that have been sitting in your inbox for over a year… just hanging out…. Doing nothing except taking up space!!

So – take the time to clear it all out!!  Below are some steps you can take to help you organize your inbox!  Have fun!!

7 Steps to decluttering your Inbox

1. Unsubscribe – Go through the random emails and take a minute to unsubscribe from their mailing list.  This will cut down on the amount of spam coming into your inbox!
   • If – you get a ton of emails for coupons and such and you feel you CAN NOT live without them – you can:
     • A – Set up a new separate email specifically to be used for coupons and fliers and any other things that you get when a website asks you to enter an email address – see what we are doing here? This will allow you to still receive all the coupons and crap you want – without it cluttering your regular email account.
     • B-Use automation – Set it up so that when these emails come in they are automatically sent directly to a specific folder so that it does not sit in your inbox.

2. Use Labels and folders – Using Labels and/or folders is beneficial for items that you want to keep on hand/save.  Also, using labels will make things easier for you when you search for a particular email!!

3. Automation – For unimportant things-have them automatically go to a specific folder.  I mentioned this above – but Automation is worth mentioning twice!  Automation allows you to receive an email and it will automatically put it in a specific folder you created.  It will not be in your inbox.  It will not pass go or collect $200.  It will go directly to the folder. Neat and Tidy!!

4. Flag and Star – For Important items that you need for later – be sure to flag or star them! This will also help you find them much easier and at the same time give you a to-do list of sorts!!

5. File items to keep – If you have emails from your mom of all the wonderful recipes you and her plan to create – make a folder for that (yes mom- every recipe you have sent me is in a folder – at least they should be). Seriously though – If it is important, create a folder for it to live.

6. Trash items – Everything that is not in a folder, not flagged or starred… not a “to-do”…  go ahead and get rid of it!! There is no use keeping it.  Let it go!!!

7. Maintenance – is KEY!!!!!! I would add a million exclamation marks to this if I could – as it is SOOO easy to let things get carried away and then before you know it you are drowning in a million emails again!!
   • For Future – when you get an email, take the time right then and there to read it and then decide what to do with it: Trash, Unsubscribe, Flag or Star as important, or label it and file it away for use at a later date!!!

See – now that wasn’t so bad was it?!?! Now-when the next rainy day comes…you will be ready to tackle your inbox!!

Till Next time!!

2022-6_Vol 9_AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here! 

Tis the season to clean up the yard, maybe open a pool, and light up the grill!

We are in full “outdoor clean up” mode right now.  It can be a little tricky as we are having the pavers redone and are working around that.  But, we are getting the pool open, thinking about what we want to plant and we are also in the planning process of building a small outdoor kitchen.  And that gets me thinking about all the ways it can be organized lol.

I am not joking.  I am imagining taking all of the outdoor grilling tools and permanently removing them from the kitchen!!! No large spatulas and tongs getting stuck in drawers.  Freeing up cabinet space that currently holds the summer/outdoor plates.  No more stabbing myself with a Kabob skewer while reaching to grab another utensil…..

Doesn’t that sound dreamy?!?!?!

It’s embarrassing what gets me excited!

Either way – I thought it would be fun to talk about Grilling and Organizing. Remember kids – you can organize anything and everything -so why not your grilling gear?!?! Let’s get to it!!

So just like with organizing anything else – you stick to some pretty basic rules.

1. Assess

Find all your grilling tools.  Do you have some in your kitchen? Some in the Garage? Some in the basement? Take the time to look for all of your tools and put them all together. All of them!!!!! Assess what you have.  Figure-how can you organize anything until you can see what all you actually have.

So once you have gathered everything, now you can take the time to….

2. Sort

Sort through all the items and start categorizing them into separate piles.  Designate Cleaning tools vs Grilling tools vs Serving tools vs…. Anything else your heart desires.

Sort through everything… ya know… the whole “like with like”… do it.

Once you know what you have, and you have grouped them together with similar items

and you can see how much of each thing you have… you will now be able to…

3. Purge

Yes-Go through each category pile that you created-see if there are things you thought you would use and don’t, things you bought-but later found a better version, items that are broken, items that are… you fill in the blank and remove them.  Donate them or send them to the trash, it doesn’t matter what you do so long as you purge them out!

Once you have purged through everything you will be able to….

4. Store/Organize

This is the fun part.  Putting everything back in a neat and orderly fashion.  There are numerous ways to store your tools and accessories-For both short term and long term use.

For Short term use (things you use often) look into hooks and magnets that can put the tools within easy reach.  Think about buckets or caddies that allow you to put regularly used items in for quick access.

For long term use (storing items that don’t get used each time or get stored away during off seasons) look into different types of outdoor storage cabinets.  This also helps with keeping your everyday essential items (that may or may not be stored in a grill caddy) stored away until you are ready to use them.

Another item to look into is a designated grill cart – this may be the way to go, this would allow for long term storage as well as additional counter space. You can create your own Grilling Organization Station and keep everything on the cart that is essential to your grilling needs!

After all that work in sorting and organizing I think it is time to fie up the grill!! What are you cooking??

Till Next time!!

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here! May has arrived… flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, it is warming up!! I love it!!  So – to keep in touch with the Springtime fun stuff… Last month we tackled spring cleaning and garages… Well today we are going to take a look at our pantries.  Why??? Well, it just so happens that May 14th is when the 30th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will be held.

What is that?? In 1991 a small food drive was conducted by the National Association of Letter Carriers.  It did so well that they decided on making it a nationwide event.  In 1993 they chose the Second Saturday in May to hold the Food Drive, with one goal in mind – for at least 1 of the NALC branches in each of the 50 states to join in.  It was a big success and collected over 11 million pounds of food!  You can visit the NALC website to learn more about the history! And- Food Donations are tax-deductible (The food is given to non-profits) (Read more here).

What does the food drive have to do with Organizing?? Well – if that isn’t a kick in the butt to clean out and organize your pantry, I don’t know what is!!!

So let’s do it!!!

Ok… so “Pantry” is a loose term here… Not everyone has a pantry… So we are cleaning out pantries and cabinets and any other space where you keep bagged, boxed, and canned food.

Perfecting your Pantry

Tackle one area at a time… be it a cabinet, a shelf or what have you.  There is no reason to get ourselves overwhelmed (remember, baby steps!)!

Purging
We will start by removing the items from the space that they were stored in.
It is during this time that you will be reviewing the item.
Is it:

1. Expired? Toss it
2. Something you don’t really eat anymore or something someone gave to you that you will never use? Donate it!!
3. Is it something you do use – but have a few extra of them and want to help out people? Donate it!!
4. Is it something you are keeping? Then keep it.

See – that wasn’t so hard!!  Yes-you have a mess now, but you can’t organize your things without making a mess first – not if you are really diving in and doing a thorough job of purging and paying attention to what you have already.

Cleaning
Once we have emptied out our space we are going to clean the space out.  Wipe it down.  You do not want to put things back into a dirty/dusty/etc. Drawer, cabinet, closet, etc…

Categorizing
So-your space is cleared out and cleaned out.  You have purged out the things that you do not want/are expired/etc and you are surrounded by piles of your food items – now we can start the process of organizing!!

Start categorizing your food and separating them into separate piles.  Baking Goods, Canned goods, boxed goods, kids snacks…. You get the idea.  You can’t start organizing until you can actually see what you have and how much of it.  You can have as many categories as you want.  Have fun with this – have categories that suit your style of cooking and kitchen use!!

Organizing
So now that you have the piles laid out before you – you can actually see what you have a lot of and what categories are small, this will:

1. Allow you to know how much shelf/cabinet/drawer/etc space you will need to hold each specific category.
2. Allow you to know what size storage containers you will need/see if storage containers you already have will fit.
3. Allow you to make a simple inventory of your non-perishables (which you can then update on a regular basis)

Now you can start putting things away.  Some simple rules:

1. Location, Location, Location!! This term not only applies to Real Estate-but to Organizing as well.  Think about your Room, Closet, Pantry, Shelf as Real Estate and decide what is prime real estate vs not.
   • Things that you use the most – should be the easiest for you to access.
   • The things you use the least-should be in less accessible areas.
2. Don’t forget vertical storage possibilities.
3. Put heavier items in lower level areas.

Remember – you are organizing for YOU.  Just because you saw something in a magazine/show/online/etc and fell in love with it-doesn’t always mean you need to do the same thing-as that may not work in your space, however-you can always use the concept and adapt it to your individual needs!!

Now that your pantry has been cleaned out and organized and you want to participate in the food drive….you have a box of donatable goods but are unsure what to do…simply place it near your mailbox and your mail carrier will pick it up and transport it!  It’s really that easy!!

Till Next time!!

2022-5_Vol 8 _AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy