Alejandra Costello

What was one organizing message you heard (or saw) as a child that you are grateful for today?

Does anyone need to declutter? If so, I have a fun weekend decluttering challenge for YOU!

Today our TeamOrganize community got together for 60-min (on Zoom) for a "Speed Decluttering" session. It was like a fun scavenger hunt game!

We focused on 5 rooms - finding 5 items per room to let go of. We only had 10-minutes per room (so no time for overthinking!!!). We used a timer to keep us focused. We added music to make it more fun. The goal was to let go of (at least) 25 items TOTAL.

Here's the plan we followed:

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👚 Round #1 (10-min) - [Declutter Closet] Find 5 items...
☑️ You don't feel good in
☑️ You never wear
☑️ Ideas: shirts, pants, accessories, shoes, socks, coats

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🥣 Round #2 (10-min) - [Declutter Kitchen] Find 5 items...
☑️ You don't need
☑️ You don't use
☑️ Ideas: specialty gadgets, promotional items, containers

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🎨 Round #3 (10-min) - [Declutter Office] Find 5 items...
☑️ You don't love
☑️ You have excess of
☑️ Ideas: notepads, supplies, books, binders, cords

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💄 Round #4 (10-min) - [Declutter Bathroom] Find 5 items...
☑️ You don't use / expired
☑️ You didn't like
☑️ Ideas: cosmetics, hair care, samples, linens, candles

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📦 Round #5 (10-min) - [Declutter Storage] Find 5 items...
☑️ You haven't used in ~12-months
☑️ You no longer love
☑️ Ideas: decorations, storage bins, holiday / misc items!

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☎ Round #6 (10-min) - [Wrap-Up]
☑️ Organize donations
☑️ Research donation options
☑️ Schedule pick-ups / drop-offs for ASAP

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I ended up getting rid of 57 items (see photo).

If you need to declutter, grab a timer, and give it a whirl! If you're having trouble letting go, focus on the lowest hanging fruit items (the easy-no-brainers) versus the hardest sentimental items.

Comment below if you'll join in AND when you'll do it! You can go for 60-minutes straight (like we did) or do 10-min here and 10-min there. BUT YOU MUST FINISH BY END OF WEEKEND!

For those of you that DID join today... any words of wisdom you'd like to share with others?!?! 🙌🥳💃

What 3 things do you strive to do each morning so you can feel organized for the day ahead?

It’s January, it’s cold, it’s grey outside, there’s less sunlight. As a person affected by winter, if it looks like I’m easily doing the dishes here… I am not.

But I am carrying on one spoon at a time so my future self can wake up to a clean sink.

How is everyone staying motivated to do their chores these days????!

Good morning! 🌞 If you can see this post, I invite you to stop scrolling and join me in tidying up for 20-minutes!!!! Set a timer (any timer!) and just make your space “better than it currently is!” If you only have 5-minutes, that works too. 5-minutes is still POWERFUL!!! 🔥 Comment below if you’ll join in and what you’ll work on!

(I’m working on my messy bedroom 😬)

Pick 3 emojis to describe HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL once your house is organized!

Good morning! Does anyone need to organize under a bathroom cabinet? If so... an EXCELLENT solution is using an around-the-pipe organizer to maximize your vertical space! If you have a lot of small items (hair accessories, oils, travel items, etc.), use baskets (ideally fun colored!!!) to keep items sorted. Label baskets with high-level categories!

P.S. - This system also works well under a kitchen sink or in other cabinets with (or WITHOUT) a clunky pipe! 🚿

If someone asked you for ONE PIECE OF ADVICE on getting organized, what words of wisdom would you share?

Thank you 'Live with Kelly & Ryan' for inviting me to share organizing tips on your show yesterday! 🙏

Here are some of the clutter-clearing tips I shared for "A New You in 2022!" (and a few I didn't share due to running out of time!):

1. 💪 Since it's the new year and a lot of us are setting goals / making vision boards, making time to get organized NOW will set a foundation so your future self has an easier time achieving your 2022 goals without the distraction of clutter slowing you down.

2. 🧠 When letting go, focus on the gain (rather than the loss). What will you gain by letting go? Here are ideas: more space, feeling light & free, contribution to others, easier time getting ready, faster to clean, easier time focusing, etc.

3. ⏰ Create a daily habit of putting things away that are out of place. Grab a timer, set it for 20-min, and move things closer to their ideal home (if they don't have a home yet). The whole goal is to just make it better than it currently is. Add music or a podcast to make the task more enjoyable!

4. 🗄 If you're a person who prefers to pile papers rather than file, use a stackable drawer system for organizing active papers. Label the outside of each drawer so you know what goes where.

5. 📋 Long to-do lists can feel overwhelming and paralyzing. Instead, start each day with a sticky note by writing down your top 3 priorities for the day (in bullet form). To figure out your top priorities, ask yourself what's important to YOU plus what's timely. Focus on that!

6. 💓 One key to staying organized is to A.B.C.D. - Always Be Consistently Decluttering. Meaning - when you come across something you no longer need, use, or love - toss the item into a basket to share with someone in need. Once the basket is filled, drop it off at your favorite charitable organization. Continue to refill. Label the basket with something that inspires you to give such as – "Give What You Need" or "How Can I Help Someone Today?"

7. 📂 Sort and organize your most important documents that are difficult to replace into a labeled file tote so in case of emergency, we can easily grab everything and go without having to think about anything. Use a file tote that is fire-proof and water-proof safe.

8. 📬 A great habit to get into is checking and sorting the mail daily! Immediately shred or recycle any unneeded items. Use a 3-section organizer to sort remaining items into timely action, action, and processing. Set a reminder on your phone to process contents in the action piles.

9. 💊 Round items (spices, vitamins, craft paint) are best stored on round organizers such as a lazy susan. Create your own lazy susan by going to the dollar store and grabbing two round baking pans and a pack a marbles. Put the marbles between the baking pans and you instantly have a lazy susan for a total cost of $3 (plus tax!!!).

💥 If you're ready to get unstuck and clear the piles of clutter, you can register for my FREE Clutter-Busting Bootcamp here! 👉 https://www.teamorganize.com/register

5 Ways to Prep for Holiday Guests & Minimize Holiday Stress

Hello all! How is your December going so far? I just wrote a new blog post on "5 Important Ways to Prep for Holiday Guests & Minimize Holiday Stress"

In the blog post, I cover:

🎄 What NOT to do when cleaning the house for guests
🎄 How to deal with judgmental comments about the clutter
🎄 Where (and how) to focus your efforts when prepping the house
🎄 And more!

You can read the article here:

5 Ways to Prep for Holiday Guests & Minimize Holiday Stress If you’ll be anticipating visitors this holiday season, here are 5 things you can do to minimize holiday stress when it comes to the clutter.

Today I am grateful for our team that works behind-the-scenes to make all of this possible - Stephanie, Tiffany, Matt, Ed and all the contractors we've worked with over the course of 13 years.

There is so much involved in running a business. And working with great people is KEY!!! 🙏

Here's a photo from 2014 of me, Ed, Stephanie, & Matt at our "work potluck" at our old house! Seven years later and we're still going strong as a team!

If you've ever emailed us, called us, live chatted with us, enjoyed the colorful graphics / charts in our courses & checklists, or someone on our team was able to support you or answer your question, please leave us a comment below! I'd love to share this gratitude post with our team! 💜

Today I’m grateful for the kind people that make volunteering possible. A couple weeks ago I spent Friday night at the grocery store picking out thanksgiving dinners for 5 local families.

Every step was such a J-O-Y: making a list, shopping for others, picking out foods I'd want to eat, packing each bag, swiping the credit card, and then dropping it all off.

Today I came across such a helpful post from Jairek Robbins who gave tips on donating food to food banks and wanted to share in case it's helpful for anyone else reading:

Here's Jairek's post 👇

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So, I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:⁣
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1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.⁣
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2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.⁣
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3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.⁣
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4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴.⁣
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5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.⁣
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6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real gift.⁣
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7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.⁣
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8. Sugar and flour are treats.⁣
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9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.⁣
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10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.⁣
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11. They rarely get fresh meat.⁣
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12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.⁣
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13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.⁣
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14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not good sandwich bread.⁣
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15. Butter or margarine is nice too.⁣
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16. Eggs are a real commodity.⁣
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17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.⁣
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18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.⁣
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19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.⁣
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20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.⁣
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In all the years I have donated food at the Holidays, I bought what I thought they wanted, but have never asked. I am glad I did. ⁣
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If you are helping a Family this year, maybe this can help you tailor it more. It did for me!⁣

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Hope this list is helpful for someone else reading!!! 🥘