Sometimes it can feel like your life is all over the place. Work is a mess, home is a mess, and your life just needs a good old-fashioned overhaul. From keeping your space neater at work to getting those darn dinners cooked, we’ve culled some of our favorite tips from over the years and put them all together in one quick and easy cheat sheet. You don’t have to tackle everything at once but sometimes it helps to see the top list of solutions listed in one place.

Three Ways to Control the Cyber Clutter:

1. Start using Dropbox. This fantastic web-based storage system is the best backup-without-thinking-about-it solution we know of. Rather than saving everything to your desktop, Dropbox saves all of your files in “the cloud,” which means you can access them from any computer, anywhere using your user name and password. Just download the app, make the dropbox your main “virtual filing cabinet” (using any filing names and conventions you want) and you never have to think about backing up again. The program will automatically update and sync files between the cloud and your computer whenever it’s online. So those vacation pictures you just uploaded to your computer, yes, they’re backed up too. We’ve used it for years, love it, and never lost a file.

2. Adopt a systematic file-naming convention. The number one virtual time-waster? Hunting for files you know you have but just can’t seem to find. Pick a simple naming convention that you use on every file you create, from spreadsheets to Word documents. Nobody is judging your file names for the next Pulitzer prize, so make it something you’ll know and understand. A format we love: “date created _file name.” But it doesn’t matter what your system is as long as you do it consistently.

3. Schedule regular digital clean outs. Just like you schedule your time to clean the gutters or plant the bulbs, you need to set aside time to regularly clean out your files. Whether it’s five minutes on Friday afternoons or twenty minutes once a month, weed through and delete folders and files that are past their prime. Trust us, if you haven’t opened it in a year, you don’t need to keep it.

Three Ways for Keeping your Desk Clutter-Free

1. Use a Pen & Notebook. This is the simplest and neatest way to keep track of to-do’s, to-call’s, and other notes. We especially love the built-in delegation component to the Do&Delegate.list ($8.95) and, if you’re working full-time, the ordered lists in the Do&Delegate.work can be a real sanity-saver. But really, any inexpensive composition notebook can be effective too. It’s not necessarily what you use, just that you get in the habit of writing things down.

2. Keep Paper Filing Basic. What matters most is that you can put your hands on the files you need, quickly. So keep your system simple – and use stacking files as they are great for file people and pile people. Pick one day a week to file papers that are taking up valuable desk space. If you come across a paper that doesn’t fit in an existing file folder, keep it in a “general” folder for a week. Once a month take 15 minutes on a Friday afternoon and clean out your folders.

3. Establish a Clean-Up Routine. Sadly, cleaning the clutter on your desk is not a one-shot deal. The key to keeping it under control is to do one or two things to organize your office on a regular enough basis so you avoid the big ordeal of having to dig out from under a massive mess.

Three Rules For Making Weeknight Meals (Less Painfully):

We have an entire chapter devoted to this important topic in our book, Pretty Neat.

1. Subscribe to the TheScramble.com. This membership-based website that delivers a comprehensive weekly menu right to your inbox every week, complete with shopping list, should seriously win an award. It’s fantastic. When you sign up, you will get a week’s worth of recipes and a shopping list for easy and quick grocery store runs. Sarah’s been a subscriber for over a year and will vouch that the recipes are yummy – and easy enough for a harried kitchen novice to whip up. Plus, if you don’t like the menus generated automatically for you, you can always search the database for alternates.

2. Fine-tune your knife skills. Find a community college, culinary school or shop, or even a local restaurant where you can sharpen your skills with a knife. It doesn’t sound like much, but knowing how to wield a knife and properly chop can shave ten minutes off your prep time in the kitchen.

3. Have Some “Get Out of Cooking Free” Dishes in the Freezer. Whether the meeting ran late, you aren’t feeling up to snuff, or you simply don’t want to break out the sauté pan, there are going to be some days that you won’t be able to cook. Plan ahead and make double portions of certain dishes, like lasagna – or this yummy (and easy) homemade Mac & Cheese recipe from Apartment Therapy, that freeze well. That way, you (or anyone who is home before you) just need to open the freezer and defrost it without having to pick up the phone or turning to not-so-healthy frozen dinners.

Three Ways to Put Yourself on Your To Do List!

1. Make it a Judgment- and Guilt-free zone. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you need lofty goals in order to set aside time for yourself. Remember that you don’t always need to working towards something – it just needs to be a time for you to recharge.

2. Schedule it. Whether it’s one hour a week or an afternoon on the weekends, make sure that you build it into your schedule. If you don’t, you won’t do it. It’s that simple.

3. Build your Support System. Women are great at many things, but many women don’t like to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask others for assistance, whether it is watching the kids or providing emotional support. Get creative about asking for help. Starting a new diet? Ask your husband to shelve the family’s outings to the ice cream parlor. Need someone to watch the kids while you try a new Pilates class? Switch off with a neighbor. You’ll be surprised by how helpful people can be when you just ask. We’ve got lots of great articles about the best strategies for delegating and free printables designed to help you get things off your plate (and done well by someone else).

{feature photo via: i heart organizing}

How to Organize Kid Stuff Like a Teacher

Have you ever walked into your child’s classroom and thought, “Wow, I wish I thought of that!?” Have you ever felt a tinge of envy on Back-to-School-night when you saw the clothesline displaying all of those little masterpieces or viewed the perfectly organized cubbies holding supplies and books? We love our teachers. They’re patient and creative and fill our children with a sense of wonder. They impart knowledge and encourage our children to question, read, and explore new worlds and new ideas. But, yup, we’re a little jealous too. How is that they are able to keep the classroom perfectly tidy with more than 20 kids and we can’t get a handle on the drawings and stories of just our own? And we won’t even go there with that perfect teacher handwriting. But wait, teachers teach, right? So, maybe we can all learn a little something from their organizational style.

Four Ways to Organize Like a Teacher:

1. The Power of Containment.

Every classroom comes equipped with a variety of bins, baskets, cups, and yes, the almighty Ziploc bag. Organization needs order, right? Use those principles at home to keep things contained. Crayons and pencils can go in freezer-sized Ziploc bags or old coffee mugs, books can go in baskets, and papers can go in binders. It doesn’t really matter what kinds of containers you use, just that there are enough to house your children’s clutter.

2. Label Everything.

Don’t let your kids give you the excuse that they don’t know where something is supposed to go. Look around your child’s classroom the next time you drop them off or pick them up. You will notice that every bin, every box, every bookcase is labeled. Try it at home and you’ll see sooner rather than later that there is no more room for debate about whether (or where) things should be put away.

3. Remove the Emotion.

Do you think your child’s teacher cried when she put little Bobby’s drawing in the garbage? Nope. In part because she is confident there will be many more masterpieces to come. But also because she has celebrated the current masterpiece in some sort of display, whether that’s taping them to a wall, or hanging them on a display “clothesline” made out of yarn. Follow her lead. Choose one piece a month to display and when the time to put up the next month’s work comes, let go of the current artwork without remorse. If you’re still struggling, take a picture of the piece before tossing. That way you’ll still have the memory without the clutter.

4. Send it Somewhere.

Just when teachers might be feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the artwork/homework/paperwork, they get to send it home to us. Gee, thanks. But instead of getting buried under a pile of construction paper snowmen/angels/bunnies, take a cue from the teachers and send it somewhere. Grandparents love receiving drawings from their grandkids…what better way to spread a little joy (and free yourself of the clutter!). If you don’t have grandparents living, deliver a care package to a local nursing home.

What have you learned from your kid’s classroom & teachers? How do you display the artwork? How to do organize for your kids? We’d love to know!

10 Storage Ideas

Though the look of a pedestal sink is sleek and modern, you might find that you’re sacrificing a good amount of much needed storage space in exchange for style. There are different ways to have the best of both worlds though, as we found out when researching how to make a pedestal sink enhance instead of hinder your bathroom storage.

A curtain to match the décor in your bathroom might be just the trick to turn the space around the base of your sink into extra room for your items. {via www.athome24.com]

Installing a medicine cabinet above your sink is an easy way to add some extra storage, without taking up floor space. {via projects.ajc.com}

A unique rack design keeps your towels handy right where you need them the most. {via www.everyfaucet.com}

Decorative and stylish, a cabinet fitted to go over your toilet can make use of space in an unexpected place. {via luxuryhousingtrends.com}

A wrap-around rack might be just the trick to keeping your loose bathroom products in order. {via www.bednbathgallery.com}

A slim set of stylish shelves can add a good amount of room for towels, plants, tissues, and anything else you might have. {via www.decorpad.com}

Choosing a style with extra space on the sides leaves room for soap, mouthwash, etc. and a place to hang extra racks off of. {via www.faucetdirect.com }

Mounting a shelf/rack combo is a simple fix. {via www.actureans.com}

If you’re a DYI type of person, modifying an old table to fit around your sink can be an interesting way to give yourself some more space. {via tlc.howstuffworks.com}

An elegant shelf above the sink makes a place for your beauty products without overwhelming the wall space. {via jkhomestead.blogspot.com}

The possibilities are endless. Don’t look at the sink as something to work around and “deal with” when it comes to organizing your items, but rather something to play off of and use to express your own creativity and taste.

Been putting off getting that junk room tackled? Why not break it down into manageable steps and take it one step at a time.

Keep your holiday shopping list with you now at all times. Pick up things when you find them out doing errands & have a spare 10 minutes. #holidays #organize

Plan an Amazing Thanksgiving Feast with Help From Everyone

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving is a food-filled festival of thanks and is a perfect time for family and friends to come together. That is, unless you’re the one doing the hosting. Family traveling across the country to bunk in your too-small guest room? Serving 12 but have room for just 10? Thanksgiving can be stressful if you’re the one doing all of the work. Take a minute and think back to that first Thanksgiving? It took a whole village of Pilgrims and Indians to pull it all together! Keep that in mind when you’re planning your holiday celebration and ditch the martyrdom. Nobody needs to cook, bake, decorate, and clean up all by themselves – who needs that thank-less job!

Sarah on “embracing imperfection”

“I have finally learned that it doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be enjoyable or memorable. My husband and I both come from large families, and now that everyone is grown and has kids of their own, it’s even bigger. I couldn’t make the event perfect if I wanted to since it’s just too big, but it has become more about being together than what or where we are eating. Instead of stressing out about every last detail, I get organized by trying to pick a few things that are important to me and focus on them. For instance, I love centerpieces, so I try to put my energy toward crafting pretty ones instead of worrying whether my napkins are ironed.”

Alicia on “giving the gift of help”

“You know that old adage about how it is better to give than to receive? I think it’s absolutely true, especially when it comes to the holidays. People do really like to help, so enlist them when planning your holiday. Nobody said you had to cook everything, so split it up and hand out assignments to those who ask. They’ll be happy they were able to contribute and you’ll have a lightened load.”

Here are three organizational tips to take the tension out of Thanksgiving:

1. Map it Out.

There’s nothing worse than sitting down to dinner, only to realize that you left the sweet potatoes in the fridge. Map out the whole meal, including everything from start to finish. Make your shopping list, figure out who is bringing what, and determine timing for the oven. It even helps to lay out the dishes with notes indicating their contents – you’ll never forget a dish if it’s staring you in the face!

2. Table Setting.

The Thanksgiving table is where it all comes together, so get organized by spending a few minutes planning out what you will use and if you need to borrow or buy any pieces (like a large platter for the turkey!). Remember that your guests are coming for the event, not to see what your wedding china looks like, so don’t fret if you don’t feel like polishing the silver or don’t have enough salad plates. A pretty table doesn’t have to be formal. Another way to handle the table setting is to get the kids involved. They love to hunt for pinecones for centerpieces or glue feathers onto paper turkeys.

3. Plan Activities for Little Ones.

It is a long day, even for the adults, so make sure the kids have something to do. Put one or two people in charge of coming up with entertaining indoor and outdoor activities to keep the kids (and the parents) from climbing the walls.

Picking Up the Pieces and Organizing after a Loss

By Alyssa Davis of Metal-Wall-Art.com

Life happens every day, and there is never a guarantee that it will unfold happily. There are times in everyone’s lives that a change occurs whether it is welcomed or not. One of the most devastating changes that any human can endure is the loss of a loved one. This loss comes with many faces. It can be the loss of a child growing up and moving away. It can be the loss of a worn out marriage that is ending in divorce. It can be the loss of a career job, or it can be the loss of a life. Any loss, regardless of how tragic can leave a person a disoriented and disorganized

Since a life changing event can have a cascading effect on a person’s life, it is really important to deal with the emotions that accompany the event before making any permanent life changes. By taking a moment to regroup and take a breath, decisions can be made with a level head resulting in better choices. When judgment is clouded by fear or grief, there is a huge potential for a disastrous outcome, so waiting until the first waves of sadness and anger pass makes getting organized much easier in the long run.

Unite for Changes

While changes are on the horizon, they do not have to happen overnight. Undoubtedly other people are also affected by this loss, so a good place to start is by gathering with them to discuss what challenges the future holds. Each individual reacts to a situation differently. What causes sadness for one person may very well illicit fear in another. By acknowledging everyone’s concerns, not only can everyone support each other emotionally, but they may offer helpful insight into solving tangible problems as well.

By having everyone invested in the changes that are to follow a tragic loss, like death or divorce, the string of inevitable changes in everyone’s lives will be much more palatable. By gathering, lamenting, brainstorming and coming up with an action plan, everyone has a vested interest and a hand in forming the direction of the future. Most importantly, the bond of the group, such as a family, remains healthy and strong even through a very stressful time.

Managing Fear

By first addressing everyone’s fears, it clears the air for a solid and healthy thought process. So when a parent needs to get a job, move the family to a new house, or relocate to another town, they can understand the worst fears of each child and do whatever is necessary to assuage them. Discussing the big picture that is the future and soliciting solutions for upcoming problems, hands power back to a group of people who feel very frail and insecure at the moment. With task in hand, everyone can contribute towards building a future that is even better than the one that has been lost.

Step by step, addressing problems and crafting solutions for them will move everyone forward in an orderly and predictable manner. Even if the solutions do not work, any problem can be tackled time and time again until a viable solution is found. Some choices will not be easy, and others will not be so very difficult. In the end, by having a process to follow into the future, a family can be made even stronger by a tragic loss.

Alyssa Davis, writes exclusively for Metal-Wall-Art.com, and specifically about designing with decorative wall candle holder and outdoor metal wall decor.

Get Organized at Work

What comes to mind when you think of germs? The toys at the pediatrician’s office, public restrooms, the shower floors at your local YMCA? While all of these places can harbor germs, did you know that one of the dirtiest places is your own desk? It’s not just the phone or the keyboard that attract germs, though. It’s the crumbs from last week’s blueberry muffin or the reusable water bottle that just never quite makes it through the dishwasher. Add on the piles of paper clutter and your desk is a war zone of germs and disorganization. In fact, a recent study showed that your desk has 400 times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat. Grab some disinfectant wipes and swipe the surfaces! And don’t forget that clutter is as bad for your health as yesterday’s coffee cup. Clutter not only makes us feel stressed, but it makes us less efficient. When someone asks you to send them the Word document containing last week’s meeting notes, does it take you a little too long to put your fingers on it? Set a new plan in motion for tackling clutter before it makes a mountain out of your desk.

Three Rules for Keeping your Desk (and Office) Clutter Free

1. Book it!

Set a recurring monthly appointment (the 15th of each month is a great choice) in your Outlook or your calendar and prepare for some heavy lifting. This is the day to roll up your sleeves and get rid of anything that doesn’t serve a serious purpose.

2. File It!

Pick one day a week to file papers that are taking up valuable space on your desk and seriously messing with your office chi. Friday afternoons tend to be slower in most businesses, so use that time wisely to get yourself prepped for the next week. If it doesn’t have a file folder or you don’t know where it goes, keep it in a “general” folder for a few weeks. Go back to it on your monthly day (see number 1) and if you haven’t used it, toss it.

3. Pick your Top Three.

Some days the assignments pile up and the work seems insurmountable. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and overworked, spend a little time at the beginning of each day to determine your top three most important tasks. It seems small, but identifying the most important items on your to-do list ensures that you focus on the right things that need to be tackled at the right time.

Three Rules for Taming Virtual File Chaos

1. Do Not Let Email Rule Your Life.

Yes, it’s really tempting to check email every time you hear that little ping when one drops in your in-box, but resist the urge! Instead of checking every few minutes and losing your concentration on the project or task you were doing, set aside windows of time when you check. For instance, check first thing in the morning, right before lunch, and then again later in the afternoon. Do whatever works for your schedule and your particular work style.

2. Get a Separate Email Address for Junk.

It might seem counterintuitive, but give us a minute. Did you ever notice how your email address has everything from notes from your boss to newsletters from the website where you ordered your Christmas cards? Get a free email address (yahoo, aol, etc.) to use exclusively for online orders, etc. Check it once a month instead of having those emails clutter your regular in-box. Chances are it’s all trash anyway.

3. Make Time to Organize Online.

It’s the same philosophy as your regular desk, but just because you can’t see it right away doesn’t mean clutter isn’t piling up on your hard drive. Pick a day as your designated “file” day when you delete what you don’t need and archive what you do. Not only will it free up space on your computer, but it will mean that you can put your hands on that Word document when your colleague asks for it.

Game Giveaway: LES MESS Organizing Card Game For Children & Parents 7+

We are giving away one Les Mess Organizing Card Game For Children & Parents, Ages 7 and Up! This game, designed by Leslie Jacobs of www.lesmess.com, will motivate your child to get organized and clutter free! And it’s 100% Guaranteed! Our own Alicia Rockmore used the game and you can read her full review HERE.

So if your kids could use a little help on the organizational front, this may be the game for you! Enter to win or purchase through the Les Mess website (www.lesmess.com).

Enter To Win!

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents over 18. Here’s what you need to do to enter to win:

• Fan us on Facebook and follow up on Twitter and post below that you have done so!

• Extra Entry: Leave a comment on this blog below (be sure to include your email when you submit the comment, so we know how to reach you).

• Extra Entry – mention this giveaway in a post or tweet with a link back and leave a comment ON THIS POST letting us know you’ve done so.

• Extra Entry – sign up for Buttoned Up’s e-newsletter.

• Please post a separate comment for each extra entry below so we know it’s been done!

• Entry period closes at midnight PST, Sunday, August 29th , and the winner will be announced Monday, August 30th.

**Note winner will be picked at random using Random.org and announced in the newsletter on Monday, August 30th. Winners will be contacted by email. Winners will have seven (7) days to contact us and claim the prize before another winner is selected.

Getting a divorce can be one of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life. Aside from the heartbreaking end to the marriage, often there are many difficult decisions that need to be made. Where do the kids live? Who gets the house? How do you divide up the assets? It’s exhausting emotionally and financially and can make an already trying time seem almost unbearable. Sarah and Alicia recently sat down with Alicia’s sister Susan, who after 38 years of marriage was caught off guard by her husband’s plans for divorce and found herself thoroughly unprepared for what came next.

“It was Mother’s Day and my husband of 38 years was in New York on business. I was planning to have a nice day to myself and hopefully catch dinner with him later that evening when he called with the shocking news that he wanted a divorce. I was totally speechless. I never saw that coming. We had raised our family together and were enjoying being grandparents and I just never expected to hear those words. What came next was even more shocking. Sure, I handled the household budget, but he was responsible for overseeing the general finances. I had absolutely no handle on our overall financial picture – things like our bank accounts, retirement accounts, and other financial responsibilities. Worse yet, not a single account or policy was in my name. When he later withdrew money from one of our accounts and then swiftly canceled my credit cards, I was left with virtually nothing. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Emotionally, I couldn’t get past the fact that the marriage was over, but then when I was left feeling helpless financially. It went from bad to worse and I was helpless. Luckily, I was able to turn to my supportive family and my sisters were there for me every step of the way, helping me get my feet back on the ground. Now, seven years later, I can’t believe I was that person. I tell everyone I know that even if you’re happy and think it will never happen to you, you need to know the basics when it comes to your finances. You just truly never know.”

No matter how happy you are or secure you feel, here are the basics that everyone needs to know to get organized:

1. Be your Own Finance Whiz.

You don’t have to love it, but you do have to learn it. Nobody should be without the basics of their particular financial situation. Don’t let one person handle everything. Set up a recurring “State of the Union” meeting once a year to discuss the entire financial picture with your spouse. It’s more than just the checking account. Find out about your life insurance, retirement accounts, college savings accounts, etc.

2. One-Stop Shopping.

Get organized by putting together a binder or folder that functions as a one-stop spot for your most important information. Buttoned Up’s Life.Doc binder is a perfect example, but anything that keeps track of your account numbers, contact information, policy numbers, and other vital information will work. It seems rather simple, since it’s really just a compilation of information such as bank names, account numbers, contacts and their numbers, but it’s a lifesaver if ever needed.

3. Shore Up Your Support.

This is not the time to be a martyr and go it alone. If you do find yourself in divorce proceedings, you are doing to need lots of advice. This isn’t just about your best friend’s shoulder to cry on (though you’ll certainly need that too), but it’s about finding the right lawyer, talking to the right real estate professionals, etc. Ask your family and friends who may have gone through a divorce for their advice on seeking the right counsel. You’ll also need support in other ways, so see if you can get your best friend to watch the kids while you schedule your conference with the lawyer. Divorce adds a lot of pressure to already busy lives, so be prepared in advance with the right support system.

4. Divorce File.

If you thought your paperwork pile was out of control before, try getting divorced. It is a serious undertaking with plenty of legal documents, correspondence, meeting notes, and other papers. It can be tempting to throw everything in a box. But we recommend getting a binder or accordion folder to keep everything organized. That way, you’ll know you have everything you need where and when you need to access it and won’t waste precious time looking for a piece of paper you know you have but just can’t put your finger on.