Have you read the New York Times Lately?  We are loving this article in their Style section.  It’s a Diet Version of our Shop Your Closet and we are impressed.  While it’s hard to imagine that you can go one month with 6 items of clothing, I’m guessing it’s easier than it looks.  Think about it.  You don’t have to obsess in front of your closet for 20 minutes everyday stressing over what to wear.  You considerably decrease your amount of detergent use.  You no longer have to stress at your department store of choice- and I’ll bet your credit card will breathe a sigh of relief.

What do you think?  Could you do the Shopping Diet?

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Summer is still in full swing, but for those returning to campus in just a few weeks, now is the time to think about your next home away from home.  Dorm rooms are fun, they foster new friendships and memories, but boy are they small!  By planning ahead, you can have a stylish and organized dorm room- perfect for late night study groups, skyping back to the family and some downtime with your roomie.

Clocky®

Are you afraid of hitting the snooze button and missing your AM classes?  Well, here’s a surefire solution to get you up and at ‘em in the early morn.  You have one chance to hit the snooze button, but try a second time and Clocky® will leap off your nightstand and roll around in search of a hiding spot.  By the time you track down the beeping clock, you’ll be ready to start your day!

                                                             $39.00

As I think back on my dorm days, my best memories are the ones made with my roommate.  These are the people you keep up with for years, and you really want to make the most out of your living experience.  Roommates are tricky because you have to find a way to blend personal style, respect space and study all at once!  While we can’t help you keep a 4.0 GPA, here are some tips for handling the “style and space” aspects of dorm roommates:

1. Talk to each other before moving day.  Find out what you (and they) see as being an important part of a room.  Is it an awesome TV/entertainment center for downtime between studying?  A quiet sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of college life?  Your ideas for your room may be different, so talk it out.

2. Develop a space plan.  Most dorms will allow you to rearrange at will, so talk to your roommate and decide together how to utilize the space.  Bunk beds for more common area?  Divide the room in half?  Whatever it is, decide together.

3. Make a list of who brings what.  You don’t need 2 mini-fridges or multiple drying racks.  Divide and conquer and you will save space and keep your room free of clutter.

4. Depending on your bathroom situation, make a plan for that is well.  Sharing betweeen 2 rooms or sharing with the entire floor makes a difference.  Whether it’s a bucket and some flip flops to take to the community bathroom, or deciding who buys the shower curtain for a suite situation, make a plan.

5. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Your dorm room doesn’t have to be perfect the day you move in.  Have a  talk after a week or two and see what needs to be tweaked.  Maybe over-the-door storage for shoes isn’t working and you need to change it to under-the-bed.  Perhaps that futon might be better by the window- whatever it is, communicate with your roommate about it and decide together.

Even though space is at a premium, there is nothing stopping you from having a completely posh dorm room.  You also don’t have to do it alone.  There are great stores out there ready to help you have the best semester yet- at least as far as your room goes… check theses places out!

Target:  We know Target has a little bit of everything, but did you know that they have an entire section of their website devoted to College 2010?  From correct fitting (and stylish) bedspreads to space-saver futons, Target has you covered. 

The Container Store:  It has just about everything for someone who wants to organize anything.  It also features an exclusive Dorm Catalog with tips, products and advice for college students on how to make the most of your small space.

DormCo.com: Your room might be in an interesting (code abnormal) layout or your bed might be some foreign size only college dorm rooms seem to have.  If so, dormco.com is the place to visit.  It specializes in everything “dorm room” and carries it all.  They’ve also got an impressive amount of “extras” for the dorm room- surge protectors, study lamps, etc.

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We love spreading the organizing love in person, online and most recently (drum roll), on national television!  That’s right, folks, Ann and her team were featured on the Dr. Phil show two weeks ago.  They helped a deserving family in New York overcome a cluttered space.

We wish the folks at Dr. Phil had taken some of our lessons to heart- it seems they’re a bit unorganized themselves this summer…they forgot to tell us we’d be on the air!

So, it’s a bit late to tell you to tune in to your TV’s.  Instead we’ll tell you to watch out on the Web!  We’ll be posting the video soon.

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Traditionally summer is a laid back time of year.  You vacation, you sleep in, you lay in a hammock in the backyard and enjoy the sunshine.  While we hope you’re making the most of these long summer days and nights, don’t think that things at Ann Sullivan Organizing have slowed down!

We’ve been super busy with clients this month!  From a relocation in the Hamptons to assisting New Yorkers in taking action in their own homes and offices, we’ve been slammed!  Our clients have kept us hopping all over the city and we’re so excited about the many finished products we’ve got.

Make sure to check in with us each week- the tips and topics will keep coming whether you’re in relaxation mode or ready to start a new project- we’ll be here!

Next week we’ll have some organizing tips for college dorm rooms- moving weekend is just around the corner and we want you to be ready and excited!

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While we always want you to have organizing on the brain, we realize that summer is the perfect time to relax, enjoy family time, get outside, and forget about that junk drawer (at least for this month)!  You’re entitled to some R&R- in the meantime, we’d love to let you know what we’ve been working on:

First, Ann Sullivan has a brand new addition- me!  That’s right, folks.  My name is Katy and after a good old fashioned Southern Wedding in my home state of Georgia, I headed for the Big Apple to join Ann’s Team.

Speaking of the Team, we have been super busy.  We’re still helping clients become Organized for Life!® and in addition, we’re taking over the web!  You can always catch up with what’s going on here at the blog, but we’re on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook.

We’ve got some great blog topics on the horizon with “Back to School” leading the bunch, so stay plugged in.  Until then, take a dip in the pool, a stroll on the sand, or just enjoy a glass of cold lemonade on us- you deserve it!

Great organizing tips come in all sorts of packages.  Check out this piece of advice from the book, Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James.  She offers 100 ways to slow down and take control of everyday matters in order to enjoy your hours.  Get the book here!

Most people I know find themselves running to the supermarket at least two or three times a week, and may shop more often that that.  I made it a goal to cut by at least half the two or three hours I spent shopping each week. 

I sat down at the computer and typed up a list of all the food items I might possibly buy.  Then I arranged them in the order they appear in the aisles of my favorite grocery store.   

Before I go shopping, I sit down at the kitchen table and draw up a quick meal plan for the week.  Then I go through my computer list and check off the items I’ll need.  Since I’m right there in the kitchen, I can quickly see what we’re out of, and note those items on the list.

The entire process, from making the list to doing the shopping to putting the groceries away, takes a little less than an hour.  Just by keeping  a list, we’ve substantially cut our monthly food expenditure, and created more free time for ourselves.

Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Life, p. 16-17

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To quote Karen Kingston, author of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui:

“The Oxford English Dictionary defines clutter as “a crowded and untidy collection of things.”  Yes, that’s a part of it, but it only describes clutter at the purely physical level.  In my definition there are four categories of clutter:

• Things you do not use or love
• Things that are untidy or disorganized
• Too many things in too small a space
• Anything unfinished”

In her book she continues to definte her four categories of clutter so that you can learn where to focus your clutter clearing needs.  If you haven’t already picked up her book, we highly suggest that you do so!