During your transformational organizational journey, you will undoubtedly discover isolated, lonely, and non-contributing keys. Keys are items that somehow lay in the bottom of a drawer, desk, in a tool box or in very obscure hiding places.  However, keys are usually very important. They give us access to important items such as safes, cars, homes and buildings.

We need to design a system for organizing your keys so they can be beneficial to you.  Here are some suggestions:

First, gather all “key” related items that you can find.  Key chains, holders, locks, luggage locks, extra copies of keys, and what the heck, go ahead and include any padlocks or bicycle locks. Find a dedicated space in which to house all these items.  Select a decorative item in your home that is not currently being used and that which enlivens you with grace and harmony.  You may want to select something durable as the keys may chip porcelain or glass.  How about a vintage lunch box, old jewelry box or even an unused leather purse or cigar box?  Depending on the amount of key related items you have, select a place to house all these key things.

Begin to identify and label the keys as you remember or rediscover what they belong to.  You can find key labels at any office supply or discount store. They are inexpensive and are essential to helping you get organized.  Use different key rings for different keys.  I keep all of our duplicate keys on a separate key ring. If I cannot find my usual keys, I then can grab the duplicate key ring and have all the keys that I need to be functional.

You can also store your spare keys in a small photograph book. These books have the plastic sheets that you slip a 4×6 print into. You can use one of these to slip in your extra keys. Just slip each key into the plastic sheet and then insert a label for identifying the key. This is a great way to keep them organized and safe without the worry of loose keys laying around. The benefit of organizing your keys is reduced stress trying to find a missing key when you need something important.  Transformational Organization is all about reducing your stress so that you can enjoy each moment in your life and discover new and exciting things to develop your creativity and inner spirit.

To avoid costly locksmith charges, design a system of what to do if you have lost a set of keys or have locked them in your car or house.  Make duplicates of any important keys and give to a trusted friend or family member.  Be sure to label them so that you will remember what they unlock.  Make sure to give them on a key ring that has your identification on it so that they will know how to find them when you need them. Also, record in your address book or agenda, to whom you gave the keys, so that you will remember.  In my neighborhood, I am keeper of the keys.  However, occasionally, the neighbors who gave me the keys to keep, ask me if I have a key because they cannot remember who they had given it to. When you lock yourself out of your car or home, you can call this “key” person to avoid having to call a locksmith.

My rule of thumb is that I keep them for a year. As you go through the Transformational Organization process, you will likely “put your hands on” every item in your home and storage areas. If you don’t find the item for which the key belongs, then you can discard the key or better yet, use it in a decorative fashion. How about making a wind chime of all the keys that are no longer useful? Then, just in case you find that you need it for something, Voila, there it is to use! You can also use random keys for scrapbooking or making a keepsake collage. Keys always give a vintage, sophisticated look to shadow boxes and memory frames.

Here are a couple of suggestions on keyrings:

If you have key rings galore, you can reuse these items in another fashion:

Garment storage bags:  The large cloth bags that you are using to store your coats or off season clothes:  Make it easier to pull the zipper by installing a small key ring item on the zipper pull.  I was given a beautiful crystal keyring once and I just knew that the crystal would get chipped if I used it for a key ring.  Instead, I attached it to the small zipper pull on the garment storage bag that I use to store my winter coats in.  The pull is beautiful and each time I open the closet, I feel a surge of peace and happiness.  The beautiful crystal adds just a “pinch” of contentment and happy feeling.  Just imagine if you are surrounded by that feeling in your home each and every moment.  You are well on your way to making that happen.

Store discount card minis:  Many of the store discount cards are offered in a mini key ring size.  I have way too many of these to clutter my key ring. Instead, I used an extra key ring to collect and keep all these mini cards. I store them in my car so when I go to the store, I grab the keyring and then use the discount card. Then I replace in my car with coming out of the store. This way, I always have them handy and ready to save me money, but I don’t have to carry them on my key ring and add to the key clutter.

Another use for key chains is to use them as holiday ornaments.  Some key chains are travel souvenirs and can be used to make a travel tree for the holidays or for a special memory item.  On the reverse, some holiday ornaments can be used as key rings. Just slip on a ring that is designed for keys and voila.  I purchased a pewter holiday ornament that was very heavy.  I found it difficult to use it on a tree as it bent any branch I hung it on.  I didn’t want to get rid of it as I loved it. So I put a key ring that I purchased at the hardware store and slipped that on the ornament.  Now I have a beautiful key ring that I feel very happy each time I use it.  Just for today, take some time to organize your keys, decorate your key ring, find alternate uses for the extra keyrings, label and utilize all your keys, and make duplicate keys for all the important keyed items.

First, begin by trying to remember the combinations.  If you know them, begin to write them down so that you have a place to reference these. You could take a picture of a lock and then write the combination on the back of the picture. This you could store in your key album mentioned previously so that when you need to use the lock, you have the combination handy. This is also a good tip for brief case locks. I don’t know how many times I have forgotten the lock combination to my briefcase and then spend too much time trying to figure it out. Now I just refer to my “combination database” in my album and I don’t have to waste additional time trying to remember these things.

Maintenance:  To maintain your locks, purchase a small tube of graphite at the hardware store and spray a bit into each lock.  This works for door locks, car locks, padlocks or any lock you have. Regular maintenance helps to keep your locks from becoming jammed and adding to the frustration in your life. Store your locks in a dry place so that they do not rust. If your locks have a chain attached, you can spray the chain with WD40 or other oil protectant to prevent rust. If your lock is already in poor condition, consider recycling it and replacing it with another, more effective lock. Careful maintenance of your locks and keys will reduce frustration when you are trying to utilize these items.

Beauty Routine: Condition your hair!

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