Staying organized during and after the party

“Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.”- Winston Churchill

Last week Organize & Create Discipline paired with event planner Heather Schertz to discuss organizing the perfect party. In the previous article we took you through the pre-organization of the party (Organizing the Perfect Party). This week we complete the party planning process by explaining how to stay organized during and after the event.

PARTY TIME

So the party is bumping and all of your guests seem to be completely involved in the festivities. So, why not take a few minutes to do a soft clean and organize your supplies? Sweep the kitchen of empty bottles, cans, plates, and any other garbage you find. This will make cleaning up much easier and will also keep the atmosphere of your party fresh and inviting. Organize your beer and liquor bottles so you know exactly how much you have left of each option. Taking the time throughout the event to reorganize the space will make a world of a difference... trust me!

“A fun trick to keeping tabs on your beverage supply is to number each like bottle with a permanent marker in descending order,” says Schertz. “For example, during your Margarita Madness Party you have 4 bottles of Tequila Avión, each numbered 1-4 and you start by using bottle number 4. By the time you get to bottle number 2 you will need to find the designated driver to make a run to the store!”

CLEAN UP

No one looks forward to doing it, but cleaning up can actually be a fun experience. If you've been slowly maintaining your trash collection throughout the party, you're one step ahead of the process. Make sure that you're prepared by buying some heavy duty trash bags from your local hardware store. Get the industrial strength bags which will ensure there will be no rips or spills. There is nothing worse than cleaning up a bag of trash that has torn open, with beer and food flooding your floor or carpet. Throw anything and everything into the bags and take them to the curb. Also, make sure you pay attention to recyclables as most party garbage tends to be recyclable. If you are so bold and are a true O.C.D. Experience follower, take the time to do a hard clean before you go to bed. Waking up to clean counters and vacuumed floors is really refreshing in the morning. It is always much easier to wrap things up at the end of your night then start a new day off with the previous day's trash lying around. Put all furniture back in its original place and reorganize and recreate your perfect spot like you remember it.

“One recommendation I give to clients is to plan ahead for trash. If you are having a very large party, order an extra bin from the city. In most cases you will only have an extra bag or two which you can ask your neighbor to consolidate into their bin,” says Schertz.

AFTER THE PARTY

After the party has ended and before you put any pictures on Facebook, make sure you send out thank you notes by mail or e-mail. Thank you notes show how much you appreciated your guests and also gives you the opportunity to relive that party one more time. Make sure you have your master party list readily available and organized so the thank you note process doesn’t become too time consuming. If you threw a party where your guests brought gifts, make sure to have someone create a list including the giver's name and the gift received. This way when you send thank you notes you can actually thank your friends for the nice gifts they brought. Don’t be ignorant; be organized and courteous. It will speak words about you and will only make people want to party with you again.

“It is always nice to receive a kind note in the mail,” says Schertz. “Plan ahead and use stationery that matches your party’s theme!”

And like always, I want to hear from YOU! Tell me what organizational questions cross your mind. Email Organize & Create Discipline at ocd@ocdexperience.com and maybe your organizational challenge will be discussed next week.

Justin Klosky is a professional organizer who runs Organize & Create Discipline ( www.ocdexperience.com ). You can check his website for more tips and videos on how to organize your life.