Want to Get Organized?

By Kate Riley August 6, 2010

Getting and staying organized is a huge challenge for anyone with a busy life.  Between blogging, projects, and the daily ‘mom’ obligations, staying organized is definitely one of my biggest challenges too. 

What about you?  Do you struggle with staying organized?  Do you want to declutter your home, but don’t know where to start?  Whether your home needs a complete organizational overhaul, or you have just a room or two that is outside of your clutter comfort zone, here’s an opportunity to discover how to create an organized space you’ll love.

organizing 101 banner

This weekend, my lovely sponsor Simplify 101 is offering two readers a spot in the online workshop Organizing 101 ~ the opportunity for a fresh start!  

In Organizing 101, you’ll learn basic organizing concepts, plus you’ll uncover the reasons why your past efforts may not be working.  The workshop is packed with motivation, inspiration, and most importantly, the tools you need to get organized once and for all and just in time for back to school.  Here’s a sneak peek 2 minute video that gives you the skinny on what you can expect in this workshop. 

Spread out over six weeks, you’ll have plenty of time to review the materials that provide answers to your pressing organizational issues.   You’re free to review the weekly materials on your own time over the six weeks, online or in PDF format, or even in MP3 format.  

organized home image

You’ll have the support of a professional organizer to answer questions, plus a friendly online community, you can take action and organize your home. 

The kind folks at Simplify 101 are offering two lucky readers a free spot in the Organizing 101 online workshop – a $75 dollar value, starting this upcoming week.      

Eligibility to win one of two free spots in the Organizing 101 workshop:

1)  Leave a comment simply describing your biggest organizational challenge !  

2) For a second chance to win, either link to this giveaway on Facebook OR tweet this giveaway with a link on Twitter, and then leave a second comment telling me where you mentioned this giveaway (FB or Twitter). 

Giveaway ends Monday August 9th at 8 p.m. PST ~ two winners chosen by Random.org. 

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If you’d like more tips on organizing your home or office top to bottom, sign up for Simplify 101’s organizing newsletter right here !   You can also follow the blog and get even more daily tips.

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY WEEKEND !

 

298 comments

  1. Wow! WHat a great giveaway! I need some serious help in my sewing/craft room.
    Winning this would be phenom!!!!

  2. I need to win this in the worst way! My most challenging area is my laundry room. It’s where everyone comes in from the garage, and drops everything, papers, shoes, backpacks, nevermind the laundry! Everytime I think I’m going to go in there and organize I get overwhelmed and walk out again.

  3. I seriously need organizational help. The worst area for organization is my dining room. That nice large flat surface (table) is a catch-all for everything…even my purse.

  4. My biggest organizing challenge is what to do with/where to put/what to get rid of when it comes to out-of-season stuff! This includes seasonal decorations and seasonal clothing for myself and my kiddies. We have a small apartment with very – VERY – little storage space. Most of our out-of-season stuff gets put in boxes under my bed – only to be forgotten the next time it’s needed.

  5. I have a good feeling about this! My biggest org challenge is finding homes for things that do no have one!

  6. Ohhhhh, please! I try. Oh, how I try. And yet, I still can’t seem to quite. manage. it. It frustrates the heck out of me knowing I have something which I then cannot find. Ugh!

  7. I always feel overwhelmed by paper and by sentimental items…they both tend to build up on me and create clutter everywhere!

  8. My whole house is a challenge. We’ve made progress, but we have troubles letting go of things and we need to find homes for things and return them there. I know there so much more to learn!

  9. My biggest challenge is my crafting stuff! I don’t even know what I have because it’s buried in our guest room closet. :( My fingers are crossed! :)

  10. Love, love, love anything that helps me get more organized. I do pretty well most of the time, but sometimes things tend to fall apart. My biggest challenge is the little stuff – the stuff I seem to move from place to place because I can’t figure out where it really needs to live.

  11. I have these bizarre, shallow mini-closets (broom closets?) and shelving in my bedroom (formerly the living room). I would love to maximize the space as I have miniscule storage in my home.

  12. My biggest organizational challenge is my kitchen! I don’t have enough cabinet space so everything gets piled on top of each other and looks awful! Thank you for the chance to win this :)

  13. Our office is in the process of becoming a nursery… which means our guest bedroom is now a guest room/sewing room/office… and a complete disaster!

  14. My biggest strugle is the area around my computer where all of my paperwork seems to congregate and grow! I need help!!!

  15. We just moved into a new home and I’m really struggling with how to organize properly from the get go. Really trying to avoid the “I’ll get to it later when things calm down” attitude.

  16. My biggest challenge is paperwork/ crafting supplies. It’s hard to release items. Would love to be better organized and more productive as a result.

  17. My biggest challenge is the office that my husband and I share. We both work from home often so it’s stressful that this space is so disorganized!

  18. My biggest organizational challenges are paper clutter & getting my husband to buy in to putting things back where he got them!

  19. My biggest organizational challenge is our lack of utility storage. We live in a tiny apartment with very little closet space and no garage. Finding a home for the camping equipment means displacing off-season clothing storage, or the like.

  20. ‘Round here it’s KID”S TOYS that are the biggest problem. I’m convinced that they reproduce and skatter themselves while we sleep!

  21. Oh I need to win this. Where do I begin. My kitchen pantry. I try and try and it ends up a big mess with no idea where anything is? The next spot is my basement. We have a storage room that just seems cluttered all the time.

  22. Paper is my biggest organizational challenge. I homeschool my children. Just trying to keep up with my records and their paperwork is daunting. Add to that their co-op classes and projects and we have a real mess. Then there is my household paperwork…. We have a paper monster.

  23. Hmmm, I am organizationally challenged in so many ways it is hard to pick one! But I have to say the garage. It is constantly getting filled up with boxes waiting to be broken down, stuff waiting to go to the consignment store, my kids’ toys, on and on. But the worst part is that I walk through it many times a day to get out to the car, so I am constantly reminded of what a holy terror it is!

  24. My biggest challenge is paper: bills, old schoolwork, greeting cards, professional paperwork, etc. It just all ends up in piles, which means I can never find anything I need.

  25. Pick me, pick me! My biggest challenge would have to be my hobbies and craft stuff for sure! I have most of it jammed into my pantry, where only half of the space is actually used for food. Then some is in my bedroom, where the sewing machine is. And some is in our home office, because there is shelf space there. So I guess that’s actually a bunch of organizational challenges in one! I especially need to get the craft stuff organized so I can separate out the stuff for my Girl Scouts from my family’s projects. I so need this!

  26. Paper is my biggest challenge! All those bills and such; it’s such a pain! Also, my shoes are never organized. I have way too many to actually find the ones I need!

  27. Yikes! Where to start? I hate clutter and I have too much stuff. Right now my two problem areas are my kitchen and my basement which is so full of “stuff” that we have paths that we walk through to get to what we really need. I have trouble letting go of some things I should just let go of and move on. I’d love to be able to participate in this workshop! Thanks!

  28. Just left a link to this on my Facebook page! Keeping my fingers crossed =).

  29. The closet needs major help. And, I just don’t ever seem to know what to do with just random “things” that always seem to be around.

  30. Piles, piles, piles! They are everywhere. On any horizontal surface – the floor, the entertainment center, counter tops, dining table, my dresser, and just about any place else I can think up. I need storage solutions for every room of my house and would love to win this!!!

  31. I have avoided my craft room for 2 years now. It’s full of scrapbooking supplies that I don’t use but can’t seem to get rid of. The space could really be used for another purpose. Help!

  32. My biggest challenge? Organizing our homeschool/dining room! We have so many paper, books and educational materials.

    Thanks so much!

  33. My biggest organization challenge? Getting everyone else in the house to put things back where they found them, I can’t tell you how many times I go to get frog tape, scissors, etc., and they aren’t were I put them last! Janell

  34. Here’s my current organizational challenge: I recently staged my house to sell it — cleared out a ton of stuff, took away furniture, took down some of my organizational staples — and then decided to stay in our house. Now I have to reintegrate some of the stuff, but not all, because it turns out that I love the new, clearer look of the house. But with two kids in school, and their hobbies, and parental hobbies … how do I keep the clearer look while getting the organizational punch I used to have?
    Thanks for the great giveaways!

  35. My biggest organizational challenge is my office. When I’m getting down to finding a place for everything, there are little things I’m not sure where to put and it all just gets overwhelming for me.

  36. Awesome giveaway! At the moment most of my things are organized, but in the beginning of September, I will be moving into a tiny 330 square foot studio apartment that I know I am going to have a hard time organizing!

  37. I have the worst time with JUNK DRAWERS! No matter how many little basket you put in them, there are always things that need to be put away, and it seems I can never keep up with them. Little game pieces, parts and screws I may or may not ever need again, batteries, markers, padlocks…..aaaah! You get it. And I think they multiply like bunnies everytime I walk away from the drawer. PLEASE!!! HELP! :)

  38. Our biggest organizational challenge is papers. It seems they are every where and nothing has a permanent home.

  39. I am overwhelmed by paper clutter – newspapers, ads, bills, school stuff (for my son and myself – I am a teacher), scrapbooking stuff, receipts, etc.!!

  40. There are lots of areas in my house that need organization. At the moment, it’s my crafting area that needs the help. My husband says I should just get rid of 3/4 of the “stuff”. However, that’s not solving the root problem, is it? :)

  41. Never have been a great organizer. I am an avid scrapbooker and I need help organizing my scrapbook space. I need a way to find what I need in my stash so I can spend more time scrapbooking and less time hunting through my supplies.

  42. I actually love the task of organizing (believe it or not) but it seems that I always fail with the office paper and the random little pieces of things that you never know what to do with. I am excited about this giveaway!

  43. My biggest organizational need always centers around the mail–just can’t get a grip on it.

  44. Ugh, my biggest issue is definitely my closets but it is by no means my only issue! I definitely need some help :( lol

  45. My life in general needs organizational help. Yikes, stuff every where. Pick me!!!

  46. This is a tough one….I am so disorganized with anything that has a door or drawer. The house looks great, clean, organized, but if you DARE to open a closet or a drawer…..MESS! Would love the chance!
    Thanks

  47. I have a hard time finding homes for all the piles of stuff that find homes on my counter, desk, kitchen table…everywhere. I also struggle with the kids toys!

  48. Wow, I would LOVE to win this class! My biggest challenge is how do I start? I end up shuffling things around my home because I don’t even know where to begin.

  49. My biggest organizational problem is my home office. I went from a work office to a home office and the amount of drawer space has been reduced dramatically. I have no idea where to put stuff.

  50. My biggest struggle is keeping my desk in my classroom organized. The school day is insanely busy. I am in front of kids for 6 1/2 hours and as soon as they leave, I’m off to meetings until it’s time to go home. The papers pile up fast!

  51. My junk drawer, right inside my back door, is a catch all! Funny how it takes only about 10 minutes to clean out and another 10 minutes to mess it back up!

  52. My biggest issue is paper, and with school about to start again I am dreading the piles that seem to become fixtures on my kitchen table!

  53. Just one challenge? Can it be my husband? If it can’t be my husband, then I will have to go with having a home office in the master bedroom (and it’s a rental so no construction alterations allowed).

    I still think it’s my husband.

  54. An 8 month old baby, a pack-rat husband, and a 1,000 square foot 2 bedroom apartment. My entire life is an organizational challenge. :) Although I guess my linen closet would be the primary concern. Things fall out when you open it….

  55. My biggest organizational challenge would have to be paper – mail, homework, bills, recipes, etc. – what do I throw out, what do I keep. I would love to be able to take this class.

  56. I’m a teacher and classic bibliophile! I have papers, books, past students’ projects that were just too amazing, creative, or hilarious to throw out.

  57. Wow so many challenges to getting organized. My biggest challenge is my computer/work area at home. It seems to pile up and it is in the kids playroom so it get covered with their stuff also. Plus it is where my craft supplies are kept. Need I go on?

  58. My biggest challenge is my craft room!! I feel like I get it all organized and functional and then I do one project and it’s a mess again!

  59. I have a really hard time organizing all my craft supplies, my bedroom and my childs bedroom. In fact I need all the help that I can get!!

  60. I definitely need help with incoming paper–no matter what I try, we end up with stacks of mail/magazines/lists/notebooks all over the place.

  61. This giveaway just came at the right time. I’m the process of organizing and cleaning out our home office. I swear you can’t walk to open the window there is stuff everywhere. I need someone to help me how to maintain it organized and clean when we are running in and out of the house. I know that this giveaway will help me organize the rest of my home.

    *crossing fingers*

  62. My biggest organizational challenge would be my scrapbook room. I have collected a LOT of supplies over the years and am ready to have them more organized. Would love another opinion to organize everything better.

  63. My biggest organizational challenge would simply be to find the time to do everything I want in a week – between work, planning and preparing meals and keeping the house clean I feel like I never have time for the things I want to do (play piano, watch Gossip Girl on DVD, read) … and we don’t even have kids yet! Would love some help in this area :)

  64. Oh my!! I would love this opportunity! My office is a disaster area and is home to such random items- toys, files, dead plants, Christmas gifts! I really need a push to get organized and create a vision for this room!!

  65. What a practical giveaway that’ll keep on giving! My master br needs the most help. With 6 kids I often put my room, closets and bathroom on the backburner to make sure that the kids rooms’ are organized and clean. If company is coming over, the excess stuff gets stashed in my room. Now it’s a mess in there! HELP!

  66. My biggest organizational challenge is junk. junk of all kinds: junk mail, kids’ junk, clothing junk (doesn’t fit anymore), project junk (someday I’ll do something with this!) decluttering would really help me a lot.

  67. I would have to say closets are my nemesis. With 6 kids, we tend to just shove stuff in the closets just to get it out of the way. I could definitely use help with that.

  68. Wow what a great giveaway! I LOVE to be organized but live with unorganized people! And then I give up because you can’t do it all alone. So I guess I pick – everywhere my kids leave stuff – their rooms, the entry, the playroom … guess that’s more than one!

  69. This contest comes at the perfect time for me. I have been organizing my financial paperwork – and just last night I watched Suze Orman’s Women and Money DVD to get inspired. She emphasizes that one of the qualities that wealthy women posses is cleanliness. I’d love to enroll in this workshop, because I feel like I have tamed my financial paperwork, but I’d like to set-up systems to make organizing the rest of my life simpler!

  70. So I am organized – really, but get pretty overwhelmed and want to attack it in a broad sweep so I don’t procastinate or run out of time

  71. My biggest challenge is the everyday clutter. IT seems like I can find time to organize, but keeping it up another story. Everything seems to end up on the counter in the kitchen or the desk there or just urgh… you get the idea.

  72. What a great giveaway – I a fairly organized person, but I have to admit, my home office is totaly out of hand. HELP!

    :)
    ButterYum

  73. this is definitely something I can use. I really want to learn how to keep the ball rolling once you’ve started. I always seem to fizzle after a month or 2. Also how to get everyone on board!

  74. I’m back to announce I’ve posted your giveaway on my facebook. Thanks for the second opportunity to win!

    :)
    ButterYum

  75. I’d love to win this! I have been wanting to be in the Simplify 101 workshop for a long time! my biggest challenge is the whole basement, it’s my kids play area/craft area/lounge area.

  76. biggest challenge is paperwork that collects on the counter…and paperwork that collects in the office

  77. My biggest organizational challenge, my pantry! How the heck do I keep everything where its suppose to go? Should I label?! I have no idea and it drives me bonkers

  78. My biggest challenge is my office! The paper and files and all of it! I end up not using the space as much because of the clutter!

  79. I would have to say my biggest challenge with organization is keeping everything organized! Nothing can ever seem to get back to where it needs to be when someone else takes it out.

  80. My biggest organizing challenge is definitely our Office/Sewing Room/Future Homeschool room! It’s a mess and every time I try to get a handle on it, it wins!

  81. My biggest organizing challenge is getting my (pack-rat, mess-making) husband on board with all my systems and other various organizing efforts.
    – Danielle
    other-option AT hotmail DOT com

  82. My biggest organizing challenge is closets! When we moved in, we jammed everything we could into them and slammed the door so we looked unpacked. Six months later, that’s proving to have been a bit of a mistake…

  83. Wow, what a great and practical giveaway! What Mom couldn’t use something like this?

    For me one of the biggest challenges is just keeping on top of the basic home administrative stuff. Things like clearing out my letter tray, putting those medical receipts in the right place, sorting the receipts that need saving, following up on the many sticky note reminders on my desk, etc, etc, etc.

    Not to mention just getting random little things back to their home. It might be a bottle of nail polish that was left out, or that single sock sitting on the floor, or putting that book back in the shelf, getting the shoes put away on the rack. Just little things that really aren’t a huge deal…that is until they all pile up, and voila, you have a mess on your hands in no time!

  84. I would love to win this…it would be so interesting to hear the advice of a professional. I always try to START out organized, but my problems come when we have a busy few weeks, and the systems I’ve set up fall by the wayside. And, of course paper pile up doesn’t help, since I hate filing things!

  85. My biggest challenge is my pantry. I have a big walk in pantry which is wonderful but things quickly get out of control in there.

    Thanks for the give away!

  86. I just moved from a tiny apartment into a 3-story house. I’m nowhere near unpacked and have no idea where to begin! I have always been disorganized. You could never find the floor or furniture in my apartment because it was always covered in stuff. Now I’m terrified that I won’t be able to keep the new house organized. And I really want my kids to grow up in an organized environment and learn good organizational skills for the future! I want to be a good role model for them so they don’t end up like this when they grow up!

  87. I’m entering on behalf of my mom. I live out of state and wish I could help more, since she hasn’t had time to deal with clutter while working full-time, caring for my grandmother before she died, and having to settle estates for several relatives. She always gives so much of herself but is practically buried under ‘stuff’ they’ve accumulated as a result of helping others. Thanks for the opportunity!

  88. Do I really have to pick just 1 biggest challenge :)? If I got lucky enough to win the workshop, I’d probably start w/my home office…it’s just scary to walk into.

  89. As a busy pastor’s wife, homeschool mom of six, and part-time freelance writer, I need all the organizational help I can get! I’d love to be entered.
    I will also post this on my FB for a second chance.
    Thanks so much,
    Amy O’Quinn/picketfencemom

  90. Just posted this on my Facebook page for a second chance.
    I imagine I’ll have lots of friends coming over here to check this out!
    Have a blessed weekend,
    Amy O’Quinn

    BTW, I happened to find you via a comment you left at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam on a past post that Jen linked to again recently about ‘Do the Next Thing.’ Looking forward to visiting here often!

  91. It is my desk. Not just my desk at home but also the one in my classroom. I get it all neat and clean and the next thing I know there is just a pille of stuff on it by the end of the day. Thanks for the chance to win.

  92. Hi! My biggest challenge is organizing my sewing/ crafting room. With all that fabric and stuff, it’s soo hard to keep it neat. Thanks for the giveaway!

  93. Oh, how much i need this! As an author I write from my home office where i find that slowly the household clutter has crept up on me almost squeezing me out. Where is my sanctuary? My place for creativity? Help! I need structure, organizing.
    Will you save me and release Ms Muse my creativity again?

    Jane Beckenham

  94. Oh, I am so frustrated with all the papers, coupons, receipts, etc……..they just sit in piles! Like I have two vouchers for an airline ticket…….and it sits on my dresser, because I don’t know what to do with stuff like that! I’d love this !
    Suzanne

    I’m headed over to link to this on FB!

  95. What a great giveaway – I need this for sure! I am constantly trying to get organized, but I have so much trouble actually STAYING organized. With two little girls (13 months and 28 months) I feel like the toys are always all over the place, spilling from one room into another. The second I get them neatly sorted, it’s a mess again – please help!!!

    Lindsay

  96. My biggest challenge? The whole house! My husband is a pack rat extraordinaire. He is at home all day while I work, so I come home to a mess I can’t keep up with. The one area that isn’t totally destroyed is my kitchen, because he doesn’t cook much. Help!!!

  97. My biggest organizational challenge is my kitchen. I love to cook and have LOTS of pots, pans, utensils etc. But my kitchen has very limited space, so I’m always knocking something over or fishing through the cabinets in hopes of finding the item I need. It’s a bit frustrating, so I would love tips, advice, and ideas on how to make it more functional. Thanks so much!

  98. My biggest challenge is paper…kids schoolwork, important messages, coupons, ads, etc, etc. Plus, keeping everything else organized (and making it a way of life!)

  99. My biggest challenge would have to be keeping track of all the paperwork that comes into the house – how to sort, store and maintain it all usually results in a huge pile on the kitchen bench! I could do with some help, so thanks for hosting such a worthwhile giveaway – I have my fingers crossed! K xx

  100. Love this giveaway! I need help with everything! My classroom, my clothes, my crafts, you name it…I need help!!

  101. No question, our office is where we need the most help! I’d love the opportunity to learn from professionals!

  102. oh the list is long!!!
    I guess the one that needs the most help is the old craft room turned grandsons bedroom… only it is really neither one yet it’s just in limbo :(

  103. My biggest organizing challenge is fighting my natural disorganization while working a full time job and not have the time and energy to keep things put away! :-) I could TOTALLY use this!!

  104. Pick just one challenge?? The paper and “things” that come into the house each day with 3 busy boys – especially now as we are temporarily living in an apartment for next 6-8 months and the clutter is compressed into smaller space.

  105. Our “bonus room” is my biggest challenge. Right now it’s half guest room, half all-kinds-of-junk. It’s supposed to be a place for me to craft, but it’s more of a dumping ground.

  106. Oh my! This is like a dream come true. I really want to be organized but I’ve never really completely gotten there. The first rooms I would work on would be my craft room/home office and my bedroom.

    Thanks so much to everyone for offering this.

    Pat B.

  107. Love this giveaway. My biggest challenges: mail and the garage…help! Thank you.

  108. Oh I could use this sooo badly..I have several challenges right now..my office is a disaster..I just don’t even know where to start, and my dinig area is a mess, papers etc..so those two areas..

  109. I’ve bought so many books and magazines dedicated to Organizing but I just can’t seem to get started on my own.

  110. For me it’s all of the paper and things that don’t have a home. Looks like a great class!

  111. I would LOVE to win this… My biggest struggle is living with a family member who has ADHD. This person is now a successful adult, but we face considerable challenges in keeping our home–and thus our lives– organized and under some degree of control. For many, many years (especially while my children were very young), our home was chaotic and chock-a-block, which was NOT condusive to our emotional well-being. Things have improved since I began making a sincere effort to de-clutter, and find places for the important things we use on a regular basis. However, I have been trying to do all of this on my own, and the mammoth task often feels as though it is going to be too much for me.

    As a teacher, I understand how valuable it can be to create a structured, predictable environment for my family. However, I am struggling to establish and maintain order, while showing others in my household how important it is to embrace this change in our lives.

    The opportunity to participate in this workshop would give me the encouragement I need to keep moving forward, as well as the skills to make a well-ordered, comfortable home a reality. I sincerely believe that it would help my family members, too.

  112. My “problem” area is our kitchen! It has a desk area where mail, papers and junk gathers! HELP!!

  113. Our master closet is a nightmare, you can hardly walk in there. Also my kitchen is a big problem! I shared a link on Facebook, thanks so much!

  114. my biggest challenge is TMI (too much info) in the form of clippings, files, info etc..too many interests and so many “tear sheets” for the style files, binders, etc that I still have not gotten around to. Add to that memorabilia, BIble studies, photos……………..the decluttering DOES take time and DECISIONS!
    waht if something happens to me before I get it all”together?” EEEEEEKKKKK! I just don’t stay HOME long enuff to just DO IT!

  115. My biggest challenge… hmm. It is either my office (I am a department head with two assistants and not nearly enough time) or having moved into a much smaller home. My sons’ room is not unpacked due to being one-third the size of their previous room and my not having enough time at home to work through it. I am an avid crafter with no crafting space. What do I do?!

  116. I’m not organized at all. And I’m expecting baby #3 in just a few weeks. So I desperately need to get organized! I really need to win. :)

  117. I was pretty organized until kids came along. . . then paper and more paper took over!! I need help with paper organizational strategies.

  118. Oh…..where to start…..my pictures, my kids toys, my sewing/crafting room…..my laundry, my kitchen it all needs organized!!!!!! It’s hard to KEEP it all where it belongs.

  119. My toughest organization problem is the office/playroom. With the constant build up of paper combined with the daily toy explosion of two little boys, it gets a bit chaotic. I would LOVE some new ideas, tips, or tricks to tame the clutter :)

  120. My biggest challenge is a toss up between laundry and paperwork. I have a tendency to have piles of both if I don’t really keep up with the domestic drudgery.

  121. My biggest organizational challenge is new things that come into my home…they seem to sit in limbo FOREVER before finding a home…and only after the rest of the house has been torn apart!

  122. My biggest challenge: my husband. If I could get him organized, my house would be magazine perfect: )

  123. I have too many junk drawers!!! I think I have one in every room and they are so cluttered that you can barely get them open or closed!!

  124. My basement! Everything just gets tossed down there to take care of later! When will later come?

  125. What a great giveaway! My biggest problem is paper. I have trouble with keeping the office organized and going through mail, receipts, etc. Our garage and attic also need help!

  126. My biggest organizational challenge is paper clutter. Everyday brings an onslaught of paper from the mailbox, the kids school, work, etc. I’m drowning in paper!

  127. Would love to put gliders in my bathroom vanity and some baskets. It would make it easer to keep everything neat. Now you have to get down on your knees to get anything out from under that area

  128. My biggest problem is my DISHES! I am a self confessed dishaholic and have TONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need more space to store them OR a new system to organize and store them!!!! XO, PInky

  129. My biggest organizatin challenge is living in a small 2 bedroom apartment with a one year old myself and my husband. We have so much stuff and so few closets that everything just piles up. there is not enough space, and I have recently started a crfting “business” so now I need to find a space for that as well.

  130. I live with my husband, our 14mo old daughter, two dogs and two cats in a 1200 sqft. home. I am due with our 2nd baby in Nov. I love to organize, and you would think with a smaller home, it would be super neat. Wrong! The builder left so little room for storage that I’m struggling to find places to store my stuff. I hate hoarding and I am not a packrat, so my challenge is every room because I have come to believe that there is NO room left to move into. Our bedroom closet isn’t even dep enough on one side to fit a shoebox in lengthwise (and being a wanna-be-organized-person, I keep my shoes in their boxes). I’d love to learn the secrets of organization in a small area.

  131. Office! We just moved into a new place where we actually have space to dedicate a whole room to be our office rather then a small corner and somehow it has become a jumping ground for all things we don’t know what to do with a the moment. Help us reclaim our office!

  132. I just moved and my whole house is crazy but I’d say I need help with my desk/office.

  133. Where to start…. I can pick an area in each room of my house that needs to be organized! Papers to be filed are thrown into dresser drawers, the kitchen junk drawer is always a mess, my pantry has everything from lamps to diapers to vacuums, and only one of my homes 3 closets is used for clothes- the rest are used for storage! Help, I need this!

  134. My biggest organizational challenge is finding a place for everything. I was watching Oprah yesterday on hoarders, and I can’t say I’m anything near that, but I do have stuff that I don’t necessarily have a place for and it seems to “pile up” in my playroom.

  135. My biggest organizational problem is having 4 kids (ages 13, 13, 4 & 1) & keeping up with all of their stuff while trying to keep our lives going. Just no free time for me right now.

  136. i think my worst organizad area is my desk….but lets be real…i need a whole house organized!

  137. wow! what isn’t my organizational issue. drawers, camping stuff or the whole garage/shed!! crafting supplies!!!

  138. My bathroom is a big organizational challenge for me b/c there is a medicine cabinet, but no counter space or drawers. Everything just gets left on the sink – not pretty. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  139. My biggest problem is finding a place to store the things that we are not currently using.

  140. My biggest organizational challenge is probably my husband. He tends to move things, not put them back, or always “forget” where things are. :)

  141. I work from home, and my husband has runs his own business out of our house. The mountains of paperwork are overwhelming! Mail, catalogs, invoices, notes, project plans….it never ends! I’d love to learn how to deal with this better (oh, and also have organizational issues with children’s clothing, my craft area, out of season decor…etc! :)

  142. My biggest organizational challenge is my office/guestroom/craftroom. We recently had our 2nd child, when our 1st was 18 months (surprise!). So all of a sudden, my nice clean organized office became my cluttered office, our tiny guestroom, and my messy craftroom. I work from home so it’s even more frustrating when I’m staring at this clutter all day every day! HELP! :)

  143. My problem is that I’m a big “piler” and I also have difficulty throwing things away. *Sigh*
    Maybe one day I’ll get everything organized. :)

  144. Oh my goodness!!! This is my first visit to your blog, and I’m in love! As a self-employed mom of 3 (4 if you count hubby ;) ) my biggest challenge is LAUNDRY………….it’s a disaster………….our bedroom floor is COVERED in dirty laundry, the laundry room floor is COVERED in clean laundry, there’s some laying on top of the dryer, some in baskets, you name it! UGH! I can’t seem to figure out how to organize it all (the dirty, the clean, the dressers, the closets – any of it) to make it work!

  145. Time – I need more help with organizing my time. A tangible thing would be our storage room. I coordinate efforts for the homeless and I have a room full of clothes, toiletries, and just stuff in general, so any ideas on helping me get on top of that would be great. But you have to help me find the time to do it first :) Homeschooling Mom to 2 and Baby #3 on the way.

  146. My biggest challenge is compartmentalising all of my roles into one home: me as a mom to a gorgeous 19 month old girl, me as a teacher who’s starting a promotional title of Head of English Department next month (and has paperwork, folders, newspaper clippings & pens strewn everywhere), me as a wife – how do I cram more hours into the day to get chores done, ironing done, and even to muster up the energy to do them, and finally me as a houseproud, interiors-loving, keeping-up-with-the-Jones-woman: finishing off diy, testing out wallpaper swatches …. I’m a working mom who wants to have it all & doesn’t think she should have to compromise.

  147. My biggest challenge is paper clutter & cabinet/closest storage. I am always asking my husband if I could hire someone to come in a organize the house for me. If I win my wish would come true…to have an organized house. The best part, I will be able to say I did it. Okay I know with some help of course. For my second chance to win I shared on both Facebook and Twitter. I really want to win!!

  148. My biggest challenge would be my whole house. I have an old house with very scant storage space. “A place for everything and everything in it’s place” is a tough one for me. I don’t know where to put things. Would LOVE to win this. Thanks for the chance to, CG and Simplify 101.

  149. My biggest challenge is a tie between kid clutter and paperwork. I would love love love to win this. I definitely need help!

  150. It is almost hard to pick just one spot! After having my boys (2 and 11 months) I have just gotten behind on everything! Our closets are a disaster and we are drowning in paper…I dream about being organized again one day. I would LOVE the help :)

  151. I think that I would have to say my office/craft space or my kids bedrooms. They are 16,13, and 9 and each of them have different areas that need help. I am not an organized person by nature so I have not been able to help them get there “stuff” organized. I have these wonderful dreams of one day being able to go into my craft room and say today we are making xyz and I know where everything is. HELP ME PLEASE :)

  152. Junk Drawers are my weakness! I try to convince myself I am organized if everything is put away…but don’t look in the drawers!

  153. My ENTIRE house!! I need help in every space of my house. We have small closets and my basement is not functioning as it should.

  154. My biggest organizational issue is my kids’ clothes! Where to keep them, when to go thru them, etc, etc!

  155. My biggest problem area with organization is with paper…the kids papers, bills, my craft papers, theres piles of papers everywhere! I even have piles of paper in the kids play room…ahhh! I would love to win this spot!

  156. I need to organize my pantry. Badly. We’re a family who have eclectic tastes, so I’ve got to find a way to get in hand all those little packages, bottles, jars, and boxes of things like carob powder, rice flour, various vinegars, myriad types of crackers, etc. It’s driving me bonkers!

  157. Our biggest problem is our office. In addition to the mess of the stuff that belongs in there, it is also a dumping ground for anything I can’t find a home for. I started trying to clean it up weeks ago, but I just don’t know where to start…HELP!

  158. Oh pick me!!!! I don’t think I can pick just 1 challenge to organizing for me, but I instantly thought of 2 biggies for me. One – I don’t have a place for everything…I just don’t know the best place for everything so my “stuff” doesn’t have a “home.” Two – I keep too much STUFF… I like it…. I tend to be sentimental and nostalgic about it all… so it gets hard to declutter and get rid of it. And wait, I thought of a third… Three – I just have TOO MUCH STUFF.
    We’re at a point in our year where some of life is just dying down, slowing down a bit and it feels good. This is a perfect time to look at our life, our home, the way things are run and change what doesn’t work.

  159. I recently moved back home, and my biggest problem is that I am surrounded by years and years of my “stuff” and I just dont know what to do with it or where to begin clearing it out. It seems like everything I want to chuck has sentimental value. But I am drowning in my crap, I need to eliminate. I need some zen in my life.

  160. My problem area is my kitchen. It’s where we cook, eat, drop off, store papers, everything. We have enough space…even a desk in the kitchen, but I just don’t know how to utilize it well.

  161. I think our biggest organization issue is with mail/paper/receipts. We bring it in and just create piles everywhere! That and organizing our closets would help big time!

  162. my toughest challenge is getting my entire house organized. My home office is a mess, my pantry needs to be organized, my closets are overflowing… I just have never figured out where to start :)

    Hopefully I will now!

  163. Office or kitchen….just pick one????
    Can’t ’cause they are both a mess!

  164. My BASEMENT….oh boy is it scary. Would LOVE some tips on how to get the bad boy organized! :)

  165. My house is tiny with almost no closets. I had a decent system for organization but that failed miserably when my oldest daughter hit the stage where she liked to empty everything. Now that my second daughter is here I am desperate to find room, organize and make it work in our tiny house thats now bursting at the seams with a disorganized mess!

  166. The hardest thing to keep organized is the “junk” drawer! Everything gets thrown in there and it is such a daunting task to clean it out!

  167. My biggest problem is my closet! I have a lot of clothes and it gets cluttered and disorganized very quickly!

  168. My problem area is the kitchen counter!! Mail, kids projects, toys, etc all seem to collect here and make the whole kitchen look messy!! I would love the help fixing this problem!! :)

  169. My biggest challenge is my office! It also gets stuff dumped into it and my desk is always a mess! I hate it!!!

  170. Wow… I would have to say my homeschool room which also doubles as my craft area for scrapbooking/stamping. It needs so desperate TLC!! :)

  171. i need to organize my office. there is a *chance* i’ll be telecommuting to work in the fall (crossing my fingers) and there’s no way i could work in there the way it is now. i need to separate home stuff from work stuff.
    thanks for the giveaway! :)

  172. The hardest thing for me to organize is my daughters toys and books. By the time I finish organizing, she has taken it all apart again! I really need a better system!

  173. My BIGGEST organizational challenge right now is the filing. I have a box that I just throw papers, manuals and receipts in because, one slow day, I’ll organize and file them. Well, there are no slow days in my house. HELP!

  174. My biggest organizing challenge is LIFE in general! To be more specific, paperwork (important papers to file and keep) is a big headache for me, as well as just keeping everyday clutter at bay…I don’t know how people do it!

  175. I desperately need to organize my entire house! Pantry is a mess, the office and the bedroom closet are my primary concerns. Sad thing, I’ve been working on those 3 projects the whole summer!

  176. I desperately need help organizing my paper clutter (bills, documents, notes, travel stuff, kids things, etc). And I need help finding a place for them since I don’t have a lot of storage space in our home.

  177. I have 2 places that really need work. My kids rooms!! I really need to figure out how to get them organized, so they stay that way. My kids includes a ‘mad scientist’ so there are lots of little things laying around. The 2nd is my sewing area. I’m banished to a corner of our kitchen. I need to make better use of the tiny space.

  178. Since we just moved into our new house, we’re in SERIOUS need of some organization! I’m completely overwhelmed and need all the help I can get!

  179. We have not long bought our first home so there are numerous areas we need help in organising. Particularly in setting up a home office/study & organizing the kitchen/pantry, also our wardrobes. I could go on & on!

    :)

  180. I am in desperate need of help with organizing. I don’t think i can pick just one spot. Oh please pick me!

  181. My mail… and paperwork is the most annoying and hard to keep up on.

  182. Oh Lordy, how to pick just one! Probably the worst area is my kid’s playroom. It is a mismatched bunch of furniture thrown up there and the kids just leave a trail of destruction on a daily basis> I need some help!

  183. OMG I would die to win a spot. I desperately need help with my scraproom. I have craft items spilling all over the dining room, and so many unfinished projects has taken residence in my garage now.

    the more I tried to be more organized the more of a mess I create..
    On my way to tweet now..
    Crossing my fingers :)
    Maggie

  184. Being a mother of FIVE kids, I am always looking for ways to stay organized! The kids rooms are a big problem! And of course the kitchen, where we spend a lot of time. We are outgrowing our current home and I know there’s a way to stay organized (and sane!) for the next year until we move!

  185. My whole house is so hard to organize! If I had to pick one thing though I would say all my makeup and beauty products! Every once and a while I reach to the back of my organizer and find a great color I completely forget I had! I need some serious help in that area!

  186. My biggest struggle with organization is all the “maybe” stuff. The clothes, mail, receipts and other junk that I’m not sure if I’m going to need or not.

  187. I feel like all the little sentimental knick knacks I collect are my biggest challenge because I never know what to do with them and then they’re just everywhere.

  188. you know that bathroom drawer that has everything and more stuff it should not?? yeah, it is ugly. plus, i am soon moving and would love to have a step up to stay ahead!

  189. My wife and I are such sticklers for organization and I am glad that you have pointed this out in your post. Although I do flaunt my high school and college football trophies, I keep it minimal to avoid overdoing it and getting it out of hand (just like the time I almost filled our entire house with fishing lures). Keep on writing the good stuff!

  190. I’ve been working all year long on organzing various clutter areas in my home; however, my home office still needs a lot of work. I hace paper and othera miscellaneious items that need to find a permanent home and need some help!

  191. My biggest organizational challenge is clutter. The kitchen countertops, well, any flat surface in my house has some sort of clutter on it. I would love to find a way to manage it all, so my home looks a little more visitor friendly on a daily basis.

  192. Hi CG! You really do host the absolute best giveaways on the web! Thanks for entering me to this one, as well!
    Paper is EASILY my biggest organization challenge. It stacks up SO quickly between myself and my husband both working and being in school full time – in addition to the multitudinous amount of paper needed to maintain a home!

  193. Our mail area and our home office are two places that need major organizational overhauls!

  194. My kitchen needs major organization. The table is a catch all for everything coming in the house.

  195. I moved into my very own house a few months ago, and my office is still piled with boxes. I just don’t know where to start! I walk in there, get overwhelmed, and walk out. Sigh.

  196. My home office needs some serious organizational help! I just drop my mail in there each evening and it ends up getting lost – I need a better way to organize my mail and home business documents.

  197. Wow, do I ever need this class! I’m starting wedding planning (yay!), I’m back in school and working full time. I have very little time and am the clutter queen! I know my fiance would appreciate me taking this class as well!! ;)

    Thank you, as always, for the opportunity!

    ~Kathryn

  198. My whole condo is in need of an organization overhaul. When I moved in about a year and a half ago, I just kind of shoved stuff in closets in the appropriate room. Now I’m realizing I really need to take everything out and start over – in pretty much every room (including the kitchen). It’s very overwhelming, but I know when I finish it will be a much easier place to live.

  199. I’m moving into my very first house this weekend, and it would be a challenge to think of any part of it that is NOT an organizational challenge. I guess I’d have to go with the home office, but the kitchen is a close second.

  200. Paper for sure, but it’s all my kids little things that I like to keep in the kitchen…paint, cards…you know things we do together and that need “watching”. Thanks!

  201. The hardest part of organization for me, is the follow through of projects! I always have great intentions when getting started…it just takes so much to finish. This course would be a much needed push in a much more organized direction!

  202. I need help with organizing the paper in our house! Sometimes it’s overwhelming and ends up staying in piles! I also don’t want to have to spend tons of money on stuff used to organize the papers…i know that if I went to the container store, I could spend hundreds of dollars to get it all organized, but I’d rather spend that money somewhere else in my house- I need cheap solutions!

  203. My kitchen draws have always been a catch all for everything from pencils to paperclips to tea votives they wind up messy again within a couple of days. I wish I could just have some way of getting them to stay that way. Wait, just had a thought, maybe it’s not the draws that need organizing…..maybe it’s the kids and hubby! Can I get them organized? Just saying….;-)

  204. my biggest challenge would be organizing and then accessing a lot of things in a small space. With two kids in a two bedroom apartment space is a major issue. I tend to stuff things into the closet and then i can’t find things when I need them. I would love to learn some great new tips. Thanks for the offer!

  205. My biggest organizational challenge is my scrapbook space. My husband and I bought shelves and a table for the space months ago. I am still struggling with how to best organize it. Thanks for the giveaway!

  206. I need lots of help in my home. I would say my kitchen and master bath are the two most disorganized rooms in my house. I need to know what to keep around and what I should not have. I would love to learn some tips on organizing my home and ultimately my life!

  207. I would love to win! I struggle with all the paperwork that my children bring home from school, which adds to my piles of household paperwork. My kitchen becomes a breeding ground for piles of paper! Considering school is about to start, the timing would be perfect!

  208. My biggest organizational challenge is, in all honesty, my entire apartment. Since my boyfriend and I moved in together, I have trouble wrangling all of our stuff and finding a place for everything so that everything can be in its place. Papers, our guest room closet, and making the most of our tiny kitchen are also high on the list! Thanks for this giveaway – so great!

  209. Our computer room drives me insane – we just can’t seem to get it organized in a way tha tboth of us like it. *lol*

  210. I would say my biggest organizational challenge is either my closet or my “office”…thanks for a great giveaway!

  211. My greatest organizational challenge is figuring out what stuff I need within reach and what can go away. I also have a problem with “out of sight, out of mind” so I tend to leave things around as a reminder…which leads to CLUTTER. I need to get organized before my mat leave end and I go back to work at the end of Sept. It sometimes feels insurmountable!

  212. My daughter and granddaughter have recently moved in with us while my SIL deploys to Afghanistan for 8 months. My daugher is in her old room along with her daughter in her little toddler bed. I made room in the main bathroom for their stuff and room for my granddaughter’s toys, but I am having trouble “getting it all together”.

    On top of that after 34 years working, I am taking a year off (hopefully more) and would love to spend the year organizing my photos, recipes, fabric for quilts and my entire life!

    PS We stop at the Strawberry Farm near Hopland!!

  213. I seriously need this! I was just thinking about looking for some sort of online organizational program to give me the push I need (and accountability) to get a few projects tackled around here.

  214. Papers are the big problem at our house. It would be bad enough just to have the endless junkmail and bills, but the fiance and I also each have 3 years worth of grad school notes, theses, etc! It’s out of control! With wedding planning things have gotten exponentially worse over the past year! Now we’re starting to receive all the wedding gifts and there is nowhere to put them! Yikes!

  215. Glad you’re hosting this give away again! Paper (piles and piles of it – mail, receipts, coupons, etc) is by far my biggest challenge. Other than that, I totally struggle with the “place for everything, and everything in its place” strategy. I need more “places” to tuck things away and get organized.

  216. I so need to get organized I don’t even know where to start -this would be a BIG motivator -Thank you for the great give-away
    Kathy T

  217. oh how I need this. . .my goal is to get the house decluttered. . .once the kids are back in school. . so that is my goal Sept-Dec. . .what motivation and inspiration this class would be. My biggest challenge is my craft room. . a room that is suppose to bring life and creativity brings me down. . I hate being in there because of the mess and clutter. . .

    thanks for the chance to win-
    Su

  218. My scrapbook room is by FAR my most difficult area to organize and stay that way. Crossing my fingers that I win. Unfortunately I am a HUGE pack rat so I could really use this. Thanks, Lori

  219. Everything is my toughest challenge. I guess I just have a hard time getting rid of stuff and then figuring out where to put what I keep

  220. I am a single Mom with three kids. I work full time and have a hard time with incidental stuff that doesn’t really have a home. I have crap stacks of papers and all kinds of gems that gets moved and around but never really sorted or addressed. I end up losing stuff, our house looks messy and the accumulation factor is killing me! My time is at a premium and I’d love to be organized. I get easily overwhelmed and don’t make the time as I am unsure where to start. Jumping through hoops any given day is challenging. Trying to find any random thing in our home is really challenging! HELP!

  221. My husband is military and we move every three years so I would like to be able to find things with out tearing up my entire house. we have been here in Minot for almost 2 years and I still have boxes I have not unpack :( Please help! I posted a statues on my facebook and wrote to you on your but I just re-read the entry instructions.

  222. I need help organizing my crafts. Between cardmaking, baking and sewing my craft room and basement are a mess…

  223. Organizing is the most cathartic things to accomplish, but can be the most daunting! I love how ou broke it down with the organizers. Very helpful article! Keep up the great work!

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