August is a time of transition – still enjoying the summer, but knowing that fall isn’t far behind. As we move back toward our structured routines, here are some organizing projects and ideas to implement to give you an organized end to the summer and a fresh start for the fall.
1. Photo Organizing ~ Organize the photographs you took this summer. Determine your favorites and place them in your favorite keepsake – digital or hard copy. Don’t leave this until ‘another time,’ because as we all know, the backlog of photos really adds up.
2. Bedside Reading ~ Go through your bedside reading and purge or recycle everything that has been sitting there for more than 6 months. The reality is that if you haven’t made the time for it, you won’t get to it.
3. Clothing Inventories ~ Take an inventory of everyone’s clothing needs. Figure out who needs what for fall & winter before just buying aimlessly. Search for store coupons & back to school sales.
4. Coupons ~ Go through store and grocery coupons and weed out all of the expired ones.
5. System Refresher ~ Now is a great time to re-work your organizing systems for doing laundry, shopping for groceries and managing your incoming mail.
6. Towel Turnover ~ Go through all of your beach towels and bath towels and save only the ones in the best condition. Many animal shelters accept donations of towels, so check with your local shelter to see if you can donate your over-used ones.
7. Calendar Entries ~ Take some time to enter important dates and recurring events in your calendar/planner. 2015 calendars are readily available now as well, so whether your version is electronic or paper, start inputting all of your appointments and commitments.
8. Focus on the Mudroom or Entry ~ Tidy the space to reflect the season. Begin to transition towels and sunscreen to activity, sports, school, and work needs. A place for everything and everything in its place!