Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here!

In like a lion…out like a Lamb.. we’ll see!! It is the middle of March….The clocks have changed… and in just a few more days Spring will officially be here!

With Spring… comes Spring Cleaning!! Now I know that is not the same as “Organizing”… but the two really do go hand in hand with one another. Whether you are organizing or cleaning – start one room at a time… one task at a time… and don’t let it overwhelm you!

Now when it comes to cleaning there are a few different ways that you can attack it…. Start by room or by task….You could pick the Kitchen and just do all the cleaning for that room at one time, or you could choose the task – say Dusting. Go through the house and do all the dusting at one time.

Below is a room by room list of Spring Cleaning items to tackle!! Now open up those windows – let the cool breeze in and help air out your house… and don’t forget to have fun!!

Entry (Including hallways) 
Dusting: wipe down crown molding, window trim, cabinet trim, wipe down cabinets, cabinet doors, and cabinet hardware, and base trim.
Glass-Clean all windows, Doors and Glass Cabinets.
Linens-Wash linens (Curtains, etc)
Surfaces-Wipe down all surfaces (Walls, Wall Switches, Countertops, etc.).
Floors-Sweep/vacuum and mop floor.

Kitchen
Dusting: wipe down crown molding, window trim, cabinet trim, wipe down cabinets, cabinet doors, and cabinet hardware, and base trim.
Glass-Clean all windows, Doors and Glass Cabinets.
Linens-Wash linens (Towels, wash cloths, curtains, etc)
Appliances-Clean all Appliances (Microwave, Dishwasher, Stove/Oven, Refrigerator).
Surfaces-Wipe down all surfaces (Walls, Wall Switches, Countertops, etc.).
Floors-Sweep/vacuum and mop floor.
Toss out any old or expired food items in cabinets and fridge/freezer

Living Spaces (Dining Room, Living Room, Family Room, Den, etc)
Dusting: wipe down crown molding, window trim, cabinet trim, wipe down cabinets, cabinet doors, and cabinet hardware and Base trim.
Glass-Clean all windows, Doors and Glass Cabinets.
Soft Surfaces-Vacuum Seating arrangements and rugs
Linens-Wash Linens (blankets, throws, Curtains, etc)
Surfaces-Wipe down all surfaces (Walls, Wall Switches, etc.).
Floors-Sweep/vacuum and mop flooring.

Bathroom
Dusting: wipe down crown molding, Grab bars, towel bars, cabinet trim, wipe down cabinets, cabinet doors, and cabinet hardware, and base trim, etc.
Glass-Clean all Mirrors, windows, Doors and Glass Cabinets.
Accessories-Clean toilet, sink, tub, etc.
Linens-Wash linens (Towels, wash cloths, shower curtain, curtains, etc)
Surfaces-Wipe down all surfaces (Walls, Wall Switches, Countertops, etc.).
Floors-Sweep/vacuum and mop floor.

Bedrooms
Dusting: wipe down crown molding, window trim, Base trim.
Glass-Clean all windows, mirrors, glass doors, etc.
Soft Surfaces-Vacuum Seating arrangements and rugs
Linens-Wash Linens (blankets, throws, Curtains, etc)
Clothes-Tidy up closets and drawers (fold/hang clothes, etc)
Surfaces-Wipe down all surfaces (Walls, Wall Switches, etc.).
Floors-Sweep/vacuum/mop flooring.

Keep in mind – this is a very broad list… It will get your house spick and span… but if you want to go a little deeper…try adding these items to your spring cleaning list:

Entry (Including hallways)
If you have an Entry Closet – go through it, empty it out and sort the items.
Apply specialty products to your flooring (if you have hard wood-polish, if you have porcelain or tile-check your grout, etc.)

Kitchen
Clean sink, faucet, garbage disposal
Set oven to “self clean”
Apply specialty products to your flooring (if you have hard wood-polish, if you have porcelain or tile-check your grout, etc.)

Living Spaces (Dining Room, Living Room, Family Room, Den, etc)
Clean window blinds/curtains
Shampoo rug/polish hardwood floors
Move heavy furniture and clean under it.

Bathroom
Check the expiration dates on items and toss what is expired.
Clean your showerhead
check your grout

Bedrooms
Go through your clothes- donate/purge items that no longer fit/you don’t like.
Flip your mattress.
Shampoo rug/polish hardwood floors
Move heavy furniture and clean under it.

You can get as tough and gritty as you need to – it’s all up to you!! Take it a day at a time and you’ll get it done!!

What are your favorite spring cleaning tasks?
Tell me about them!!
I’ll talk to you later!!

Blog Post 19- 6 Steps to Organizing your Home Office by Angela Caddy

2022-3_Vol 6 _AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

2022-2_Vol 5_AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here.

Happy New Year!!!!  Hope it was a Healthy and Happy one!!

So here we are… a new Year.. a new Month… and a new Day!! What are you going to do to celebrate this fresh start? What will you organize? What resolutions have you made?

Organizing drawers…closets…rooms in my house… for me that is pretty simple… but for some reason – keeping my electronics organized is a WHOLE other ball game!! My phone.. My email… my computer… ipad… It always gets crammed full of things… So I thought what better way to start the year – than starting it with neat and tidy electronics!!!

That is what I will be focusing on this month!!

I was reading an article and it made me laugh… it gave a list of items… Your desktop has a million icons, your document folder is filled to the brim, you can’t find files…and a few more… These are signs that your computer is not organized efficiently

And unfortunately…I could relate to some of these items!! Which got me thinking… I really need to sit down and organize my computer! So here we are!!  (click on the underlined text above to read the Article).   Now it goes a little more in depth with file naming and organizing… but it is a good read!

Let’s do it… let’s organize our Computers!!

First things first… we will Purge!! 

As Elle Woods would say… the Rules of Haircare Organizing are Simple and Finite!!  I am sorry for that… but sometimes you can’t argue with Legally Blonde!!  We will Purge out anything we can!!  We will remove any and all duplicate files that we have.  We will empty out – and by this I mean – temporarily file away and/or throw out unneeded files in – our “download” file folder.  

Next is figuring out a proper way to organize your folders.

Everyone is different.  There is no right or wrong way… just a “right way” for you. You have to find and build a system that works best for you! 

Is this a personal computer or a work computer? Or is it combined? Will you have personal files… Will you separate your business files by project or by client?  Will you keep “like with like” – all digital files together, all family files together, all business files together….These are all things you have to ask yourself when trying to create a system that will work for you.

My computer is both personal and business.  So I have a plethora of folders!! But creating the right folders and keeping them organized is where it gets tricky for me!!

I have read that it is best to have a few large main folders and a ton of subfolders within them, I have also come across the notion of having one folder on your desktop and within that folder having everything else – that way your desktop remains free and clear.  And I won’t lie-there is a big part of me who likes this idea and thinks I will have to try it!!

Another thing to think about is your naming and filing system.  You don’t want to have super long file names, but you also want to make sure they are easy to find.  For my Business files – I name everything with a date first.  2022-01-03_File Name.  This works for me and is my preferred method of file names.  You need to find which way works best for you!

But…. You need to be consistent with the file naming!!  Don’t change up the way you enter it…don’t forget to put a 0 in front of your single digit month.  These are silly little things but can make a big difference when you are trying to search for something!

Something you may be forgetting about… that you really should take advantage of…. is your Taskbar! Make good use of it! Pin the items you use the most.  Keep your most used folders pinned there for easy access!

The MOST important thing to do… and the one thing that I am …. Horrible at remembering to do…. Backup your computer!!!  Seriously… I don’t know why I haven’t learned by now… There have been a few occasions when my hard drive crapped the bed and I lost everything… I had some things in the cloud and some things in other places so I was (thank god) able to scrounge around and find things… but it was a pain in the butt and no one wants to spend time doing that!! Backup your computer!!!!! Can’t say it too many times!

Lastly – after you have combed through your files and they are in a pristine and organized manner… empty out your trash – or if you are nervous about it, wait a week.  See if you find yourself looking for something that you accidentally tossed.  After a week or two – if you don’t find yourself digging through the trash – get rid of it!

You can use these steps for your phone, tablet/ipad, etc…. 

How do you keep your computer organized? Do you have any tips or tricks you would like to share?? Let us know!!

Well… that’s it for now!! Stay warm and I’ll talk to you later!!

2022-1_Vol 4_AO Newsletter by Angela Caddy

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here.

Are you all ready for Christmas?? Are your presents all wrapped and ready to go? Ya – me neither!!  This year I am a little less organized… a little less prepared… oh well…it happens!! No reason to stress! I will get everything wrapped… and everything will still turn out great!!

January is almost here – and with January comes “GO Month”!!!

Which is perfect for me since I am feeling a little un-organized and out of sorts!! What is GO Month you ask!?!? Why it’s Get Organized Month!! LOL.  Yes, I am serious! NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) initiated this as a way to help inform and educate non organizing professionals on ways to help organize their homes and lives as well as increase their productivity.  Seriously- think about it – I did a post earlier about the domino effects of organizing – and it really is legit.  When you are organized you are often: Happier, Healthier, and Productive.

GO Month is celebrated all month long!! I use the term “celebrated” loosely 🙂 

So I thought….I would create a monthly chart of small Projects/things for you to tackle during the month of January to keep up with GO Month!! We can call it the January Organizing Challenge! Who’s with me?!?!?!

8×11 January Go Month by Angela Caddy

Each day of the month you can do one small project to help get your home and mind organized.  I plan to join along with Social Media posts as I tackle the daily projects and I hope you will join in! Tag me in your posts and add the hashtags!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and a Healthy and Happy New year!!
Stay warm and I’ll talk to you later!!

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here. 

Today we are going to talk about cleaning out your fridge… Sounds like fun right??  Well… as it turns out-next month hosts a day… November 15th and that day happens to be National Clean out your Fridge day!  I swear they have a day for everything!  

But figure – it makes sense that they would host it right before the holidays! Now is the time to do a full clean out on that fridge!! Purge and clean!!! Don’t get me wrong – I clean out my fridge weekly (Clean it out Wednesday night as that is the night the garbage goes out!!), I toss any uneaten leftovers, I wipe down any spills that I see…but that is about it… I am not always the best at checking expiration dates (I swear this trait runs in my family!!!)… but if I see something not looking right I will toss it.

So let’s do this!!! Let’s open up our fridge and see what we have inside shall we?!?!?!!  Just like my post about the 8 steps of Organizing…. What was step 1?? Pick a space and stick with it – That is what we are going to do…go shelf by shelf, one at a time… 

We will begin with the Purge!!!
Start by throwing out any expired food you see.  Toss out anything that you will not use before it is expired-better yet, if you know of a family or friend who would use it-ask them if they want it (some may think this sounds weird – but my friends and family are close and will share pretty much everything lol).  If you have unopened items that you never got around to using – but most likely won’t ever use – look into donating it to a food bank.

Do this for EACH shelf, drawer, rack, etc in your refrigerator AND your freezer!! Then move on to the next phase….Cleaning!  Ya – this part is not exactly super fun.. But once your fridge is cleaned and organized you will feel so much more happy!! Ok – wipe everything down… your drawers, your shelves, etc… scrape that gunk that is in the back corner that you didn’t know had spilled.. Clean it up good so we can move onto the fun stuff!!

We are spick and span clean and now its time to Organize!!! Hold up – don’t go putting things right back where they were.. Believe it or not, but some thought needs to go into the organizing order of operations!! 

There are so many tiktok videos of beautifully organized and color organized refrigerators out there… but one thing I have noticed.. They don’t always take into consideration where they are putting items/vs how pretty it looks.  Yes… where you put items really does matter!! And I am not just talking about veggies and fruit in the crisper drawers.

Think about it in Zones… your fridge has a few of them… 

Zone 1 – The Door: this is obviously not the coldest place in the fridge as it gets blasts of warm air anytime the door opens.  This is where you want to store condiments.  Soda.  Juice.  Butter.  Items with preservatives go here… things that will not spoil quickly.  I know that there is an egg compartment in the door, but please… use it for your butter and DO NOT store your eggs here!!  Your milk does not want to be stored in the drawer either.  You may drink a lot of it and use it up fast – but tell me.. What sounds better to you… a glass of cold-ish milk or an ice cold glass of milk??? Exactly.

Zone 2 – The Top Shelf.  This is also one of the warmer spots in your fridge (with the door as the warmest).  This is where your leftovers should be kept.  This is where foods that have already been, OR do not need to be, cooked should be placed.   The temperature in this area tends to hold steady.  

Zone 3 – Middle shelf.  This shelf stays pretty cold (typically you will get colder as you go down each shelf). This is the area where you want to store your dairy.  Your milk, cheeses, eggs can all be placed here!

Zone 4 – Bottom shelf.  This is typically the coldest part of the fridge. This is where you want to store your raw meat and your fish.   I have a designated bin in my fridge and in this bowl goes frozen meat that is being thawed.  If for some reason there is a hole or puncture to the frozen packaging – any spills or leaks of thawed meat juice is contained in the bin and allows for easy clean up and no contamination!!

Zone 5 – The Crisper Drawer – Where you keep your Fruits and Veggies.  Now you don’t want to put all fruit in one drawer and all veggies in another drawer.  Your fruit and veggies can be combined – what you want to look out for is the amount of ethelyne each produces – that is what you want to combine by….keep high ethylene producing produce away from other produce that does not produce as much.  This gas will promote faster ripening (and over ripening!!).

There we go – that wasn’t so bad was it?!?! Just think, now you have so much room to store leftover stuffing and pumpkin pie!!!!

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Leftover??

Hello Everyone, Angie from Architecturally Organized here. 

Sunday October 3rd kicks off “Get Organized Week” aka GO Week!!  Not to be confused with Get Organized Month -which is held in January (which is sponsored by NAPO). Go Week has been around since the early 90’s!  It is a week-long event to help everyone stay organized (Sunday Oct 3-Saturday Oct 9th)!! Why am I just learning that this is a thing? That’s another “new thing” for me that I learned this week!!! (Sidebar/Sidetrack  – the other new thing I learned this week –  I just posted on Tiktok about it – I love the Doors (band) and now that we are getting into the halloweenie spirit I like to watch movies to put me in the mood – So I watched Death Becomes Her… and saw a clip when Bruce Willis falls in the pool – well they have Jim Morrison standing there about to get in the pool… How did I never notice that it was supposed to be Jim standing there?!?! I was dumb founded!). 

Anyways – So here we are – This starts the busy time.  We just had a birthday-the fellows oldest just turned 17, his youngest is about to be 14, I will be…. Hush your mouth!!! But I will be turning another year older…Christmas shopping will begin soon (I start early and buy little stuff here and there throughout the year-but now comes the times for christmas lists and the heavy hitters), Halloween and trick or treating will be here … then you go to bed and wake up and it’s time for Thanksgiving and then you blink and it’s Christmas…. So… let’s get ready for all that! Let’s get organized and prepared for all the fun that is in store for the next few months….

So – being that this coming week is GO Week I have a few small projects for you to attack… to help you be organized and on your toes for the holidays ahead and the new year to follow!!  These small projects.. Well.. they are things that you don’t normally think about… they just get tossed to the side because it’s stuff that you think really isn’t too important…But…when you need something from them… you are usually scrambling trying to find the info/item.  These are mostly quick projects that won’t take too long.  I have 7 listed – one for each day of GO Week!!  

1. Organize your contact list.
   Yes it is a silly thing and it may not be the most exciting… but make sure you have up to date addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, anniversaries, etc for your friends and family. And – if you don’t already do this – give your contact list a boost by adding notes by the contacts – things they are into, possible gift ideas for future reference! This will help out when the time comes for gift giving and card sending!

2. Organize Christmas wrapping and tags.
   Go through all of your gift bags, wrapping paper, and tags.  Take an inventory of what you have and how much.  If you can – hold out till after the holidays to buy any new items (things will go on sale and be cheaper and then you’ll be ready for the next year), if you have to buy stuff-don’t go overboard – just get what you need and wait till after the holidays so you can restock while its on sale!!

3. Organize your holiday decor!
   Hear me out -You don’t have to get nitty gritty with this (unless you want to of course), for now – just macro organizing…. This is me assuming that you already have everything organized into separate containers for the holidays… Now is when you take the time to just pull out those containers… maybe pop the lid off and take a peek inside.  Make sure that the label and content match….lastly.. Like with like…make sure all the Christmas boxes are together, all the Easter containers are stored together..etc Now – when you put them back in their storage locations – put them back in a way that makes it easy for you to grab what you need when you need it… Just think – when December comes and you have to pull out the decorations they will be all ready for you and you will be glad you did this!!
4. Organize (and clean) your refrigerator.
   Seriously!! The holidays are just around the corner!!!! Empty this baby out!!! You need to make room in here for all the yummy leftovers and pumpkin pies and stuffing.. And I can go on and on.  Clean it out – it will make you feel better!!

5. Organize your Baking Pantry.
   Again – Seriously… (OK – Seriously I have been watching too much of Grey’s Anatomy-this is my first time binge watching it and they say Seriously A LOT!!) If you do a lot of cooking and baking for the Holidays you will want this purged, organized and want to have a good understanding of what baking essentials you have on hand – and what you need to buy for the upcoming festivities!!

6. Organize your Food Storage containers.
   Will you be hosting any Holiday Dinners this year?  Well – even if you aren’t – take the time to go through your food storage containers.  Make sure they all have lids and that the lids close properly.  Depending on how much space – store them with the lids on or with them off.  Toss away containers that are cracking.  And Don’t forget to set some aside for friends and family to take leftovers home with them after your gathering!!

7. Organize your planner/calendar/to do list.
   Everybody needs to have a good grasp of the days, weeks, and months this time of year.  Make note of what days the holidays land, When kids will be out of school, what days you have off from work, When trick or treating is, when you are celebrating with family outside your home.  Plan out when you will start your holiday baking.  When will you finish up your Christmas shopping? When will you start wrapping presents?  All things to just jot down and ya know – kind of get a grasp on things because… well, if you thought this year went by fast… well the next few months will fly by in the blink of an eye!!

So there you go – a week’s worth of projects that: 

1. A) won’t take an enormous amount of time. 
2. B) will help you out in the long run.  
3. C) are small and won’t overwhelm you.

These projects are not exactly glamorous, but by tackling these projects it will allow you to make the most of your time when the holidays do arrive!!

What are some goals or “to do’s” that you set for yourself before the holidays?