Get Organized: Part 3

In the January 2011 issue of Better Homes and Garden, Berit Thorkeloson suggest that you make this year a year to get organized. These expert tips will help you shed all that unwanted stuff as quickly and painlessly as possible. It is also a great way to show your kids how to get and stay organized. Below are 5 more tips:

1. Tackle your junk drawer first.  Remove anything your don't use at least monthly, then sort what's left into the compartments of a drawer organized that completely fills the drawer.  You won't have room to stash things that don't belong there.

2. Every time you arrive home, clear the car of anything that doesn't permanently belong in it.  Keep a tote or basket in the car for this purpose, and draft your passengers to help.  Nobody leaves the car empty-handed! Stay vigilant, and it'll become second nature.

3. Make clutter-busting a family game.  Write tasks on Ping-Pong balls.  Each person chooses a ball, completes the task, then chooses another one.  After 30 minutes, whoever has the most balls gets a prize, like a no-chores day or control of the TV remote.  Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch authors of Pretty Next: Get Organized and Let Go of Perfection

4.Get creative with storage containers.  Try a ceramic egg tray for paper clips and rubber bands, a tackle box for crafts supplies; a napkin holder for incoming mail; and a garden tote for kids' art supplies.

5. Make tow coffee dates with a good friend. One the first one, go through her kitchen cabinets to identify and get rid of clutter (lidless plastic containers, mismatched glasses, petrified spatulas, etc.) On the second date, do the same in your kitchen. Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch