Organizing Challenge

I am going to enter this organizing challenge. My first challenge has been to try to copy the cute little picture from her blog to mine. Haven't figured that out, but you can go here to see all the details. It's going to be fun...come on and join us.

I think my area is going to be the school room/ office. I will post pictures soon of the "before" and then I'll get started organizing.

Let me know if you join the challenge and we'll be able to encourage each other! :)

Later that same day...
Okay, I am directionally challenged today. I didn't follow all the directions for the Organizational Challenge. I am supposed to lay out a plan (that'd be good, huh?). I took these questions from Laura's post found here.

She writes:
You'll need to ask yourself a couple of questions. I've borrowed these from a great article I found on About.com written by Sarah Aquirre:

1. What do I want the purpose of my room or area to be?
hmm, good question. I think my main purpose of this room is to keep our homeschool supplies (books, games, toys, etc.) organized, in addition we use this room as an office where our computers are. (The kids have a hand-me-down computer for their educational games.) So, I do want it to be functional and peaceful.
2. What do I need in or near the room to serve that purpose?
I need bookshelves, toy box, containers for supplies, computer desk, chairs, filing cabinet
3. What can I remove from the room? junk (HA!), outdated supplies, books we are not using, I'm sure there is more to add to this list.
4. What problems do I see with the room? E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. must have a place or else the room is in a shambles in no time.
5. What organizational tools might solve those problems? containers, clearing off shelf space to allow for extra things that may come into the room--and need to be in here.
6. What habits need to change to solve the organizational problems? When I bring something in this room, I HAVE to put it away promptly.
7. What kind of a budget do I have to create the organized room of my dreams? Hopefully I have everything in this room I need already to organize it, but if not, no more than $30.
8. What kind of a timeline is necessary to organize the room? Organizing Junkie is giving me a month and I'm taking it!
9. What is my plan of action?

• Next week after we are done dog sitting (her kennel is in the school room), I plan to start with the piles of unfiled papers, putting them in the file cabinet or school notebooks or trash.
• Then I'm moving on to the bookcases and I'm going to go through all the books and make sure that I really want to keep what I have on the shelves currently.
• Next, I'll tackle the top of the bookshelves. (I've stacked many a thing up there.)
• Go through toys and throw out and give away whatever I can get away with, the rest will be containerized.
  
• Computer desk--declutter and organize what's left.
• All around the edges of the room--what is all this stuff??
• The shelves on the wall that contain games, construction paper, etc.
  
• Assess what's left in the room and figure out where to go from there.

There is much to be done in this room and it looks like I'm going to need to tackle at least 2 of these points each week in order to be done in time.

Finally ask yourself:

10. Who can I ask to help me with this? I have a friend or two that I could ask (I know they are turning off their phones right now! :) My oldest daughter will be a big help and of course, my Hunny will be there to haul away the wreckage (to Goodwill or wherever).

Okay, now I'll be taking pictures and posting them in the next day or so. I have to admit that I'm tempted to clean before I take the pictures...but that would defeat the purpose and I surely won't win any great prizes that way. Hey, did I mention that there are some nifty prizes. Really you've got to check out this challenge. Stay tuned...