Though this summer has been busy with family outings, play dates, and regular household maintenance, I have used my time wisely in getting a few organizational projects completed. Some of the projects have been planned while others were the result of a distraction. 🙂

After organizing my first bookshelf in my dining room, the second bookshelf appeared cluttered. You know what that means . . . another organizational project! I love sorting the items – donating what we do not need, throwing out anything broken, placing similar items together, and cleaning the area. My kids are always bringing home more toys, crafts, and projects. Having a place for them keeps the clutter off our dining room table and the mess to a minimum.

Since my living room and dining room space is the hub of our house, we have 2 bookshelves to hold all the projects, craft items, and our cookbooks. This choice might be unconventional, but it works for us.

After my deep cleaning project, I decided on using time wisely and organized the second bookshelf.

BEFORE:

At the start of this project, the 6 shelves held the following items on the corresponding shelf:

1. Creative Cook’s Kitchen books and tall cookbooks by height,
2. Miscellaneous cookbooks by height,
3. Entertaining books and recipe cards,
4. Story of America history card collection,
5. School papers, projects, and “if you don’t know where it goes, then put it on this shelf” items, and
6. Silverware box surrounded by story collection books.

In following the 10 steps to organizing a bookshelf, I was able to donate a couple unused cookbooks, place similar items together, and open up more space.

AFTER:

Now the 6 shelves are clean and hold items our family uses without clutter:

1. Creative Cook’s Kitchen books and tall cookbooks by height,
2. Miscellaneous cookbooks by height,
3. Entertaining books and recipe cards,
4. Story of America history card collection,
5. School papers to keep and small centerpiece for dining room table, and
6. Silverware box surrounded by story collection books.

Taking the bookshelf one shelf at a time breaks down the big project into small manageable sections. Start small (one shelf) sorted, cleaned, and placed back neatly. Then the next shelf, and continue until your project (entire bookshelf) is complete.

I was thrilled with the results: a clean bookshelf with similar items together and some empty space. Since I keep my home organized year round, this project might seem insignificant. Though many might not notice the difference in the before and after pictures, I know that the shelves are clean (not dirty), clutter-free (donated or trashed items not used), and better organized (pleasing to my eyes).

Question: In using time wisely, what you are doing to keep your house organized? Whether your project is small or large, please share your projects in the comments.

Though unconventional, I have 2 bookcases in my dining room. These bookcases hold cookbooks, arts and crafts, puzzles, projects, and toys. Since we work on our crafts at the dining room table, the best place to house our craft supplies is in the dining room. The farther away the supplies are to the work area, the more time I have to spend carting the supplies from one area to another. To use my time wisely, I have bookshelves to hold these items in my dining room.

During my recent deep cleaning project, the first bookshelf was in need of organization. From getting used, some items had made it to the wrong shelf, were not needed, and took up too much space in the current arrangement.

BEFORE:

The 6 shelves held the following items on the corresponding shelf:

1. Handmade gifts collection and cookbooks,
2. Science encyclopedia, cake decorating books, and recipe box,
3. Crayons, paper, paint, Model Magic, and a puzzle,
4. Play-Doh and Moon-Doh,
5. Puzzles, and
6. Bags, lunch boxes, and toys.

In following the 10 steps to organizing a bookshelf, I was able to donate some of the unused books, place similar items together, and open up more space.

AFTER:

Now the 6 shelves hold similar items on their corresponding shelf:

1. Handmade gifts collection and cake decorating books,
2. Coloring books, paper, science encyclopedia, and practice books,
3. Craft supplies: paint, crayons, stamps, and Model Magic,
4. Play-Doh and Play-Doh supplies,
5. All puzzles, and
6. Bags, lunch boxes, and toys.

Taking the bookshelf one shelf at a time breaks down the big project into small manageable sections. Start small (one shelf) and continue until your project (entire bookshelf) is complete. I was thrilled with the results: a clean bookshelf with similar items together and some empty space.

How about you? Do you spend 10-15 minutes a week organizing? Try it. Start small, and come back to report your progress in the comments.