Organization Challenge Week One - Space Audit

Welcome to Week One of the Organize Your Stuff Challenge! Let's get down to the nitty gritty - today we're going to do a space audit. Let's see what you have that works for you and what's bogging you down in the scrapping process.

This week I'm going to start off with scrapping. What a GREAT Challenge, huh? Seriously, tho - I want you to complete a layout. Any layout, it doesn't matter. And I want you to have a pen and notepad nearby when you do it. Scrap how you normally would, and at each step, I want you to make a note about your supplies and how it's helping or harming your process. So suppose you start with photos. Can you easily locate the ones you want? Great! Why was it so easy? Or does it take you half a year to find that one photo of your neice in the pink swimsuit? Then that's obviously a problem area. On to paper. And journaling. And embellishments. Et cetera. You should go through most of your supplies in this process, making note of which ones are easy to find exactly what you need and when you need it, and which ones make you want to give up scrapping altogether. If you don't use certain supplies on the layout, or if you have piles of stuff that need a home, then take note of those separately once your layout is done, but use the same guidelines. And hopefully you will start to see a trend in those supplies that work well in their current storage setup. Maybe they're close to your workspace. Maybe the boxes are labeled clearly. Maybe it's in a divided cart. Regardless of the reason, you've already found a system that works for you, and you can start to apply this type of storage to the problem areas in the future.

As this week goes on, I want you to post your lists - the good, the bad and the ugly. You can then compare your list to the Challenges and see what weeks you might be interested in, either by re-vamping your storage system or offering advice to others if you've found a great solution that works for you. Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all in organizing - even if you have the most bizarre way of storing ribbon on the ceiling using small bits of chewing gum, it may be the perfect solution another scrapper is looking for (but I hope not. Really. I do. It's unsanitary).

As promised, here is my list from the scrapping audit:

What works:

Photo selection - easy to pull from photo binders

Layout ideas - notecards filed by number of photos in Cropper Hopper boxes

Finding tools - tool caddy near work desk

Choosing embellishments - items in labeled containers, which are in labeled drawers

Journaling - pens in caddy by type and color

Finding stamps and stamping supplies - organized by theme in Rolodex, stamp pad rack

Alpha organization - labeled drawers by color

What needs help:

Finding coordinating paper lines - all are mixed in by color, it takes too long to sort through

Choosing die cuts - some of my containers are too small, they need more space

Sticker/rub on organization - love my PSBs, but the shelf they're on is a nightmare to navigate

Kits - if I take one out, they all fall over. I don't want to even touch them!

From my lists, what seems to be working for me is containers, by theme or color, and labeled. So I will make sure to incorporate those features in my new storage systems for my "problem area" list.

In the meantime, I'm going to make note to check out the weeks on paper organization, die cuts, stickers/rub ons, and kits! Post your lists, and I hope to see you next week, when we'll don our thinking caps for a brainstorming session!

Stacy