Contributed by Rachelle Dawson, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Spring cleaning – actually any cleaning – can be a monumental project when it involves not just cleaning but also organizing. Yet when you take the time to organize your life well, you may find the resulting peace and order worth the effort.

To organize effectively, you must pick containers and systems that group like objects together and keep them that way. Containers, shelves, bins, compartments, and files help you designate a home for every item which concerns you. Because you probably deal with a variety of items, you’ll need a variety of organizing aids.

The facts of life

What your family needs to know

If an emergency happened, would your family know where to find critical information about insurance policies, family doctors and legal papers like wills and deeds? It’s important to keep these information organized, and a “What My Family Should Know” planner from Harriet Carter can make it simple. Just follow the prompts and enter the information. Each adult in the family needs one, so they make wonderful and thoughtful gifts.

Power when you need it

Finally, a way to keep track of batteries!

If your house is anything like mine, your spare batteries are rolling around in the backs of drawers all over the place. And when you do find one, the only way to test it is to put it into that flashlight or remote and see if it works. Fortunately, Walter Drake has a better way.

Thais handly battery storage case will keep all sizes of batteries together and easy to find. And they’ve even included a built-in battery tester so you’ll always know if it’s a good battery before you put it into your electronics.

Leather Planners

Organized schedule, organized life

Maintaining an organized life isn’t just about controlling physical clutter. Sometimes organizing your schedule and thoughts can be just as difficult a task. Whether you’re a student, professional, homemaker, or a little of everything, an office supply store offers calendars, planners, or notebooks which help you track all your responsibilities. Note your family’s activities in a large desk calendar, mark your appointments in a pocket-sized organizer, or use a planning notebook to plot steps for completing your next term paper or work project.

Brylane Home

Big and small

Brylane Home offers organizing solutions for all sorts of items, big and small. Here you’ll find everything from closet dividers and spice racks to freestanding pantries and rolling carts. Some of Brylane’s more innovative products aren’t easy to find elsewhere. For instance, if the original box for your artificial Christmas tree is falling apart, Brylane offers a rolling, zippered duffel box that can store a tree plus garlands. Or the two-tier dish drying rack saves space in a cramped kitchen.

Office Supplies

File it

Paper clutter can be one of the biggest challenges, even for otherwise organized folks. Not only does it make your home or office look messy, misplaced (or missing) papers can cost you big time when it comes to paying bills, doing your taxes, using warranties or even just re-reading that article or whitepaper you need for work.

Setting up a simple filing system for your papers can tame that paper monster quickly. Just pick the file folders and paper pouches you need, decide on a few catagories (by year, year and month, or category), then start filing. Keep a shredder handy to dispose of the papers you don’t need while you file, and before you know it, you’ll have an organized home. Plus all those shredded papers make great packing material! A win-win!