O.C.D. Experience Blog

organize

video

11 Apr 2012

If you have a hard time keeping your money, receipts, membership cards, and business cards from bulging out of your wallet, this post is for you. Organize & Create Discipline has specific suggestions that will definitely help you keep your wallet neat and not bulky.

Say NO MORE to this:

and say HELLO to this:

Step 1:

Collect all of your receipts and take them out of your wallet. Receipts for large merchandise purchases or merchandise you might return keep them in a folder Label each tab or section by date or categorize your receipts by item. For example: Shopping, Accessories, Electronics, Home Goods, Appliances, etc. For all other cash receipts, they should be reconciled with your accounts and then put into an envelope or folder that is labeled for the current year. This keeps your files organized and just in case you get an audit from the government for tax purposes, you will have your receipts in order.

Receipts that are significant and that have warranty’s associated with them should be scanned and filed appropriately on your computer. If items are especially important, they should also be added to an insurance policy which will require proof of purchase/receipt confirmation. A scanner can be found at most local office supply stores. This is an efficient way to keep your receipts organized and consolidate the amount of papers you have. Our O.C.D. favorite is the Fujitsu ScanSnap.

Step 2:

Organize your cash in numerical order. $1 bills go first, then $5, $10, $20 etc. Your cash will be easily accessible whenever you need to get money out of your wallet.

Step 3:

Use your loose change. Everyone hates the jingle of change, so when you have the chance, spend it! Or, at the end of the day put your change in a cup, jar, or box and once it gets full take it to the bank and exchange it for bills. Most banks and even pharmacy’s have Coin Stars or coin exchange systems that you can dump your change into in exchange for store vouchers or cash for a 3% service fee.

Step 4:

You do not need to carry around your membership cards. Take pictures of both sides of each card so you have your name and ID # and the bar code recorded. Make sure you either take the picture with your phone or email yourself the picture so you have it stored on your mobile device. This way, you don’t have to carry all those cards that take up unnecessary space in your wallet. O.C.D. Experience consultants also recommend that you use password protectors for your credit cards. If you lose your card you will have your card’s information backed up on your phone.

Step 5:

Get a business card holder for your desk. When someone gives you their business card your should discipline yourself to add their contact information in your phone immediately. That way you don’t have to search through a pile of cards or papers to find the person or company you are looking for. If you have the chance, give the business card back to the person who just gave it to you. This will give you another reason to strike up conversation and they will be shocked you already put the info into your phone. If you decide to keep the card use a business card holder like the one below. Make a habit and discipline yourself to input all of the cards from the holder by the end of each work week so the holder is empty at the start of each week.

Step 6:

Watch this helpful video of O.C.D’s Justin Klosky on how to organize your wallet the O.C.D. Way!
- - Tags:
  - efficiency
  - functionality
  - organize
  - receipt scanner
  - wallet organization
  2 Comments
- - Tweet
  Short Url
post
9 Apr 2012

Organize & Create Discipline’s Seasonal Closet Change

With the spring season in bloom and summer just around the corner, some of your closets may be in need of a seasonal change. Not all of us have the room to store all of our clothing in one space and some of us just like moving things around when the seasons change to make getting dressed more efficient. For this reason twice a year we get a little closer with our clothing. For those of you who do a seasonal swap every year this post is a good one for you!

Following the O.C.D. Experience Spring Cleaning tips and having a Spring Swap Party, it’s time to put your wintry clothes away and bring out those bright colored pants you’ve been waiting to wear all year. Follow Organize & Create Discipline’s suggestions on how to make an organized, efficient, and functional closet change.

Gather your thick sweaters, bulky jackets, and winter boots. Before you store them away for the new season, decide what you wore and didn’t wear. Make a pile of the items you are ready to leave behind and put them aside. Clean your saved items before you put them in storage. If you store clothes with stains on them they could ruin the fabric or material over time so make sure they are stain-free.

Choose from several options like these to store your clothes: large plastic bags, plastic air tight bins, multiple compartment hanging bags, or garment bags. All of these storage products can be found at The Container Store.

Organize & Create Discipline especially loves this Elephant hamper that can definitely be used for storage:

Not only are these storage units versatile, they are also easy to use. They hold a lot which make space for your in-season clothing. Make sure to label each storage unit into categories – for cold weathered inhabitants: sweaters, scarves, long underwear, socks, scarves, etc. so you know what is in each one and stay organized. Organize & Create Discipline consultants suggest that making a Master List is a great way to keep track of the things you put in storage. This way, if you ever find yourself looking for your favorite cashmere black sweater you can always check your storage list to see if it’s there.

There are several ways to preserve your clothes. Using herbal sachets is one way. These keep your clothes in storage smelling good and prevent moths from making holes in your favorite sweater. You can order them here. Another way to keep your clothes fresh in storage is to use a dryer sheet. This will also help keep your clothes smelling good. Make sure to store your off season clothing in a dry, cool and clean place, away from any moisture or heat to prevent your clothes from getting smelly or moldy.

Now that you have space for your in-season clothes, it’s time to reorganize your closet O.C.D. style:

- Color coordinate your button downs and blouses

- Stack your fold-able shirts by length of sleeve: long sleeves go on the bottom of the pile and tanks go on the top

- Use different colored hangers to separate your clothes into specific sections or categories

With these useful O.C.D. Experience tips, you will have no problem reorganizing and changing your closet for the upcoming seasons!
- - Tags:
  - ocdexperience
  - organize
  - spring
  - Spring Cleaning
  - storage
  - summer
  - winter
  No Comments
- - Tweet
  Short Url
post
5 Apr 2012

Organized Summer Planning

With summer fast approaching there are a bunch of things to think about and plan ahead for. Where do you want to go? What trips do you want to take? What activities do you have in mind? What kinds of things do you want to do? What kind of job do you want? What are some things you need to prepare for summer? The O.C.D Experience has come up with several important themes to get your mind running on summer planning and organization.

1) Trips

Summertime is great chance to travel and visit family, friends, and new and exciting places. There are several inexpensive, alternative ways you can reach your destination with out paying the hefty prices traveling by plane can bring. The O.C.D. Experience loves traveling by train because it saves money, has a flexible schedule, it’s comfortable and relaxing, has room for more baggage, and it’s a trip within itself! Amtrak has really great routes that travel all over and across the country, like the Empire Builder. What is so great about these Amtrak routes is that they run daily and you can hop on and off whenever and wherever you’d like. Click here for more information on the routes Amtrak has to offer. Once you book your trip, we recommend you use Tripit to help you organize your travel plans. You can get more facts about Tripit and what the O.C.D. Experience has to say about this great organizer here. Have fun planning your trip!

2) Activities

Here is a summer DIY activity that the O.C.D. Experience and O.C.D. Events thinks would be fun for everyone! Get a pair of white canvas sneakers, acrylic paint, and a few different sized paint brushes. Paint your favorite designs and symbols and create your own, unique pair of sneakers made especially by you and for you! This DIY activity is great for people of all ages: a crafty play date for kids and an original way to show off artistic talent for teenagers and young adults.

3) Jobs

With the school year fast approaching, it’s time to think about what kind of internship you want for the summer. If your’re a teenager or young adult, here are some tips the O.C.D. Experience has for you: First, think about what you’re interested in and what you want to learn more about. Second, pursue your interests and research places, people, and companies that align with the things you are passionate about. Third, network. Get in touch with the contacts you want to work with and take advantage of your resources. Use your High School and College Career Services to help you find contacts and get in touch with Alumni. Internships are a great opportunity to gain experience in the field of your interests and sometimes even secure a job right out of college.

4) Exercise

With the beautiful weather summertime brings it’s hard to resist taking advantage of it. There are a bunch of things you can do to exercise while your outdoors: run, walk, hike, bike swim, kayak, the list goes on and on! In order to motivate yourself to go outside, the O.C.D. Experience recommends that before you begin your workout you should: update your playlist so you have fresh new beats to listen to while you’re on the go, eat a small snack like a handful of almonds to give yourself a boost of energy, and use MapmyRUN to help you keep track of your exercise routine.

These planning tips will help you organize your thoughts so when summertime finally approaches you will already have these things organized and planned out!
- - Tags:
  - DIY crafts
  - exercise
  - ocdexperience
  - organize
  - planning
  - summer
  - trips
  No Comments
- - Tweet
  Short Url
post
22 Mar 2012

It’s Spring Cleaning Time!

Unsure of what to give away? The O.C.D. Experience has some helpful tips for you!

1. When was the last time you wore it? If it’s been over two years its time to give it away.

2. After you go shopping its always a good idea to clean out your closet and sift through the things you haven’t worn in a while.

3. How long have you had it for? If you’re debating on keeping a raggedy old black t-shirt with holes in it that you’ve had forever, it’s time to give it up. You will find another one.

4. Is this thing something you wear or use a lot? If not, ask yourself if it is really worth keeping.

5. If you think twice about it, give it away.

Don’t know what to do with all your Spring Cleaning giveaways??

The O.C.D Experience is here to help you out!

There are several places you can bring your clothes, accessories, bags, jewelery, you name it.

While there are a bunch of places like Good Will or Salvation army, which are great places to donate, there are also many second hand stores that you can make a profit out of your Spring Cleaning giveaways.

Here is a list:

1) Second Time Around

http://www.secondtimearound.net/

2) A Second Chance

http://www.asecondchanceresale.com/Default.asp

3) Beacon’s Closet

http://www.beaconscloset.com/

4) Buffalo Exchange

http://www.buffaloexchange.com/

5) Ina

http://www.inanyc.com/

Happy Spring Cleaning!
- - Tags:
  - ocd experience
  - organize
  - Spring Cleaning
  2 Comments
- - Tweet
  Short Url

organize

11 Apr 2012

9 Apr 2012

Organize & Create Discipline’s Seasonal Closet Change

5 Apr 2012

Organized Summer Planning

22 Mar 2012

It’s Spring Cleaning Time!

O.C.D. Experience Twitter

Social Links