Seven small projects help organize your life

It’s time to get organized.

Here are seven projects — based on suggestions from The Container Store — that can be completed for next to nothing. Can you imagine how your life would change if you did just one of them?

Create a family communication center: Designate a small area as the one-stop spot for phones, chargers, iPods, grocery lists, keys, calendars and schedules. Keep everyone on the same page, even if there’s just one of you.

Organize the junk drawer: Junk drawers are good catchalls for keeping unsightly items out of sight. But you may have to clean them out once a month to stay on top of household detritus.

Set up a cleaning station: Winnow your cleaning products down to a select few and keep them all together so you don’t have to run all over the house looking for the Swiffer refills.

Organize makeup: This will involve throwing most of it away. Keep what you use and ditch the rest or donate it to your daughter’s dress-up box.

Establish order in the fridge and freezer: Be realistic about what you’re going to use. Dig through your freezer before planning meals to use things before they’re past their prime. Otherwise, what’s the point of having a freezer?

Toy storage in the family room: It doesn’t get much simpler. Buy some storage bins so you can put things away. Group like things together to minimize chaos. On a budget? Gather some like-sized cardboard boxes and decorate them with the kids’ drawings and stickers.

Quick closet face-lift: Organize your items by style and color for a Zenlike feeling when you open your wardrobe. Purge routinely. Use space to the fullest by adding or removing shelving for the right number and size of storage cubbies. Keep the easiest access to most-used items.

See www.containerstore.com for more expert tips and ideas.

Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.