Reducing Clutter

Let me preface this post with saying that I'm a little embarrassed to show you this next image. Our kitchen counter has been an issue for as long as I can remember and we're working hard to make it better.  Take a look at this picture.

Scary, right?  At least I have the Clorox wipes handy in case it's too scary for you!  This has been a problem for as long as I can remember {I think I inherited this habit from my parents}, I called on Tanna with Complete Organized Solutions.  She asked me some simple questions to help me narrow down what the issues were.  Jump over to her write up about it as it has some really helpful tips.  She made the process so easy and fun.

Here is what my counter looks like this very minute.

And we've had it looking this way for a week! Let me zoom out so you can see I'm not kidding around!

Here is what I learned from Tanna.  To de-clutter, it takes daily action.  Immediately pitching, shredding and filing items that come in the door.  I purchased a cute file box from Target {I can't find it on their website} that now sits in our office so if there are things that I need to keep handy for a little bit, they go here.  I knew that the electronics were a huge issue-- we have so many hand held devices around the house that a charging station was absolutely necessary.  Here is a great list of  charging stations -- and most of the stores have them on clearance right now as they were a holiday item.

Now, all I need to do is dress up the space next to the charging station every once and a while by adding flowers, don't you think?

What keeps you organized and keeps things from piling up at your house?

How to Organize your Mail

Do you ever have mail pile up to the point that you don't know where anything is?  I think we have all been there when life is busy.  I would like to share a tip that I find helpful for keeping my mail and bills organized, and easy to find.

The minute I bring the mail in the door, I sort it.  I pitch all the junk mail first.  Then I open all of my bills, and write the date they are due along with the amount due on the front of the envelope.  This helps me keep organized so when I sit down to pay bills, I know what priority to pay them.  After I do that, I put them in order of their due date in my mail/key holder.

I know, she isn't the prettiest thing on the block.  I'm working on getting a new one.  This one was given to us as a wedding present, and it has been well used, but it doesn't match our style one bit.  I'm thinking of getting one like this from the Container Store.

What do you think?  It's so much cleaner than the one we have now- as you can see, it collects a lot of clutter.

Do you have any tips for keeping your bills and mail organized that you'd like to share?