Blog
In addition to actually doing the organizing, another of Angie’s passions is writing about organizing.
She has been writing a blog on organizing ever since Shipshape Solutions launched in 2016. Most of the blog posts were also published as monthly newspaper articles in the Kingsport Times-News and Johnson City Press.
To access the Shipshape Solutions Blog, you can either:
Click on a category below to see all the blog entries from that category; OR
Scroll the feed of blog entries below
- Apps
- Bathroom
- Business
- Children
- Christmas
- Computer
- Decluttering
- Digital organizing
- Estate planning
- General Organization
- Getting Records Together
- Goals
- Health
- Home Organization
- Kitchen
- Media
- Medical
- Mental clutter
- Minimalism
- Moving
- New Year
- Office
- Organizing Principles
- Paper organizing
- Phone
- Photo Organizing
- Photo organizing
- Preparing for Death
- Purse
- Residential organizing
- Resolutions
- School
- Technology
- Television
- Time Management and Productivity
- Travel
- Working from Home
A Solution for Cluttered Bookshelves
Do you admit that you’ve got too many books, but you struggle let them go? Do you long for beautiful styled bookshelves that aren’t stuffed to overflowing with clutter? This article is just what you need to solve your problem!
Tired of New Year's Resolutions? Try a One Word Theme Instead
Are you tired of making New Year’s resolutions you can’t keep? Or are you ready to just try something different? Try a one word theme!
Stop Giving (Meaningless) Gifts
If you don’t want your gift recipients to react like this when they open your gifts, read this article!
Simplify the Season & Save Your Sanity
Even if you agree with the song that says “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” the holiday season can be stressful! This article can help you make this year’s holiday season a more peaceful one.
Organizing Your Spices
I’m often asked, “What’s the best way to organize ____?” There is rarely one solution that works perfectly for everyone. Nowhere do I find this to be more true than when organizing spices. Whether for myself or my clients, I’ve arranged spices at least ten different ways! There’s no such thing as “one size fits all”.
When deciding the best way to organize spices, there are two main decisions you need to make. Those two decisions will lead you to very different organizing solutions. Check out the options in this article.
What’s in your On-Deck Circle?
Everyone needs a space for items that are in transition from your home to someplace else. Examples of items that might be included include a book to return to the library, a store purchase needing to be exchanged, or an umbrella usually kept in the car. What’s the best place to put things like these? And what should you call this space?
Drowning in Email? Three Tips to Tame your Inbox
If your response to seeing your email inbox looks anything remotely close to this, you need to read this article! Three practical tips with nautical names can help you get it in control and keep it that way!
A Sentimental Journey: What to Do If It’s Special
Sentimental items are especially difficult to deal with because of the associated memories. Since they can often be an emotional landmine, I recommend using tips like the ones in this article to help you make the best decisions.
Five Organizing Lessons I Learned from Mom
Our mothers or other parental figures are often responsible for teaching us basic organizing principles that serve us well throughout our lives. In this article that published just before Mother’s Day 2022, I share five of the most important organizing lessons I learned from my Mom.
Phone Addiction: A Hard Habit to Break
I’m a bit of a tech lover, so of course I love my iPhone. But it’s been a HUGE source of attention clutter for me. In this article, I share my journey and practical tips for breaking the addiction to my phone.
Don’t Let Your Crafts Become Clutter
Those of us who love crafting know that it requires LOTS of supplies. Without careful planning, crafts can be a source of clutter! My latest newspaper article gives practical tips for preventing craft clutter.
One of my best opening lines ever may whet your appetite to read this one—"In a moment of temporary insanity in 2017, I purchased a stack of wooden crates filled with vintage 1986 Tennessee Homecoming Centennial Coke bottles."
Chaotic Closet No More
The winner of the Chaotic Closet Contest received a fantastic prize—a custom closet renovation by A Place for Everything Closets and free decluttering and organizing. Take a look at this transformation!
Ten Myths about Professional Organizers, Busted! (Part 2)
Whenever I introduce myself as a professional organizer, there are several common responses. The most common response is a blank stare and the reply, “What’s that?” Many of the other common responses are included in this list of myths below, along with a myth-busting explanation for each. This is the second of a two part article. Read on to test your knowledge and to determine whether you might benefit from hiring an organizer.
Ten Myths about Professional Organizers, Busted
Whenever I introduce myself as a professional organizer, there are several common responses. The most common response is a blank stare and the reply, “What’s that?” Many of the other common responses are included in this list of myths below, along with a myth-busting explanation for each. This is a two part article, with five myths included in each. Read on to test your knowledge of professional organizing and to determine whether an organizer might be helpful for you.
Three Wise Tips for an Organized Holiday Season
It’s early November, and I don’t know about you, but I start getting a little anxious about this time every year just thinking about the upcoming holiday season. With warnings of supply chain issues, some retailers are starting extra early with holiday promotions. Although some people say the holidays are “the most wonderful time of the year,” they can also be a stressful time. In this article, I’ll share three wise tips to help you be more organized and less stressed this holiday season.
Clutter Conflict: What If My Partner Won’t Declutter?
One of the questions I am asked most often is, “How can I make my spouse/roommate/child/etc. declutter?” It’s a common dilemma, and unfortunately, the answer isn’t an easy one. My purpose in this article is to help you understand how clutter can sometimes lead to conflict and what you can do to solve the conflict.
Shipshape Turns Five: Reflections on Five Years as a Business Owner
The month of August, 2021 was the fifth anniversary of my professional organizing business. While every anniversary is significant, this one represents a monumental landmark. Read on to find out why #5 is extra special and for significant events in the timeline of my business.
Cleaning, Organizing, & Decluttering: What's the Difference?
Many times since launching Shipshape Solutions in 2016, people have confused cleaning with organizing or decluttering. In fact, I often hear all three of these terms used synonymously. Although the terms are related, they're definitely not the same thing. This article explains each of these terms and how they are related using the example of a cluttered kitchen counter.
Got a Chaotic Closet? This Free Contest Could Solve Your Problem!
In this article, we announce the partnership with A Place for Everything Closets for the Chaotic Closet Contest. You’ll also find plenty of organizing tips for your bedroom closet.
Organizing is Hard. Chaos is Hard. Choose Your Hard.
Ultimately, we can choose the hard of organizing or the hard of disorganization’s consequences. It’s our choice. After five years of helping clients organize, I can tell you with surety that time spent organizing is worth it. The hard of organizing causes less suffering than the hard of chaos.