(L to R) Lisa Carlquist, Laura Ray and Belinda Skelton

I had a great time as a guest on Belinda Skelton’s WSB Radio show, broadcast live from the Atlanta Home Show on Saturday, September 6, 2014. Her other guest was Lisa Carlquist, from one of my favorite vendor partners, Artisan Custom Closets. We talked about organizing closets, garages and paper stacks in the hour-long call-in segment.

We discussed how long to keep paper, and I mentioned the list would be on my site. Here’s the link: http://organizeatlanta.com/general/keep-it-or-toss-it-how-long-do-i-keep-paper/

It’s wonderful to be asked to be on Good Day Atlanta (Fox 5) for a second time! I was interviewed on their live show for kitchen organizing on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014.

The kitchen is the heart of the home, so making it peaceful and functional is so important. Here are my tips below from the show for your kitchen:

Or, watch my Fox 5 clip here!

1) Get rid of the clutter, don’t organize it! (Think mismatched plates and glasses, and unused small appliances.)

   Read more...

Laura Ray has been named President of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) – Georgia Chapter, effective December 9, 2013. Laura, who was in her second term as Vice President of the NAPO-Georgia Board 2013-14, and in her third year on the Board, was voted in after the current President resigned.

The Organizing Authority(R), the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), is the premier association dedicated to the field of organizing. Since forming in 1985, NAPO has been dedicated to serving its members through education, networking, industry resources, and promoting the profession to the public.

Pantry before and after by Laura Ray Organizing

Yahoo! Finance did a nice short video on which foods to save indefinitely when you clean out your pantry. They are 1) pure honey, 2) sugar – all kinds, 3) rice and 4) salt. Click here to see more.

If the kitchen is the heart of your home, then making it an inviting, comfortable space that functions well should be a priority. But how? What can you do to make it more peaceful? How do you make it function more efficiently? Here are a few tips that can help:

1) Get rid of the clutter. Clutter creates visual confusion. Go through everything in your kitchen and decide whether you use it and love it. If it doesn’t meet these criteria, it’s clutter! You may find a dish set you don’t use anymore, glasses that don’t match, duplicate cooking utensils, or small appliances that were a good idea at the time.  Read more...

I had a great time on Good Day Atlanta (Fox 5) today! The staff and anchors were so nice. Anchor Buck Lanford interviewed me about organizing your closet as part of their Get Organized Week series. They were most impressed with the Cap Rack, which can hold about 16 baseball caps or golf visors.

My philosophy about closets that I shared:  Your morning closet experience can be great or chaotic. Getting more organized helps set a better tone for the day.

Watch my Fox 5 clip or just check out my tips and product recommendations from the show:  Read more...

Happy Mother’s Day, moms! I have a lot of moms as clients. What I always tell them? We’re not going for perfection, but we do want “homes” for every item. There needs to be established places, or “homes,” for shoes, backpacks, keys, briefcases, purses, toys, clothes, gadgets, items to return to the store, etc.

Spending the time to assign homes simplifies your day. How? At the end of the day, maybe after dinner, you can take 20 minutes and zoom around each room putting items back in their homes. Since there are no decisions to make, it’s mindless and easy. And, of course, get your family involved whenever possible.

Face the day with peace of mind and confidence by organizing these daily-use spaces in your home.

1) Kitchen — It’s the heart of the home and usually where everything lands when it comes in the door. If the kitchen is in chaos due to mail, school bags and recent purchases, it can add stress to your day and be a barrier to family meal time.

2) Home Office — Win the battle against paper and develop systems for handling paperwork and mail. If you have a home-based business, you want an orderly, professional-looking office so that you can focus on your business. Being organized in this space means an easy-to-use filing system and a space that you enjoy being in.  Read more...

They say the size of your trash can is directly related to how much you are willing to throw out. Go bigger. If you have an itty, bitty trash can by your desk, get a bigger one. And, if you handle your mail in other rooms, like the family room, keep a trash can in there, too!

If you go an entire season without wearing that great shirt or perfect pants, then maybe you don’t love them as much as you thought. How do you remember if you wore the items? Turn the hangers away from you at the start of the season. When you wear the item, turn the hanger back to normal.