One time I was organizing under our sink, for example, and I stacked lidded boxes on top of one another. There have been instances where I have spent a lot of time setting up a system and making it look pretty, but when it came to day to day use, it just wasn’t practical or workable. Don’t be afraid to change organizing systems that aren’t working.įinally, don’t be afraid to tweak systems that aren’t working for you. New habits don’t form overnight, but if we create smart organizing systems and make it a priority to maintain them, over time, putting things back where they go will feel more like second nature and less like work. Maybe start with the kitchen and put a post-it note on the fridge that simply says, “Put it back!” Or try a similar note on the bathroom mirror or on the closet door. One way to get into the habit of putting things back where they go is to give ourselves a visual cue. Add a visual cue as a reminder to maintain the organizing system. I work hard to create solid organizational systems though, so if I want to maintain them, I have to commit to returning items to their place when I’m done. My scatterbrained side tends to leave materials and half-finished projects lying around everywhere! When I was organizing my pantry, for example, I put all of my spices together, all of the canned goods together, all of the baking items together, etc. Put like items together.Īs we’re removing items from the space and decluttering, we can begin to separate like items into groups. This second step– decluttering– often happens in tandem with step three… 3. Or if we get rid of items and our closet is still full, maybe we could relocate blazers to our coat closet or off-season items to under bed bins. If we find decor items in our kitchen cabinets, for example, maybe those could be moved to a storage space instead. Related: How to Declutter When You Have Trouble Letting Go of Things Does the item need to be relocated?Īlong with selling or donating items, decluttering a space can also mean relocating items to a more appropriate spot. I have a tendency to hold on to things because I think I might need them “someday.” But in reality I use a lot less of my stuff than I realize. We only want to put back what is absolutely necessary! We’ve cleared out our space and have this beautiful blank slate in front of us. We can either have the stuff or we can have the space– not both. The more we can get rid of, the less cluttered our space will feel. ![]() And if it’s stained or worn out, I know it’s time to get rid of it. If I haven’t used an item recently, that’s a pretty good indication that I can discard it. I try to be as ruthless as possible during the decluttering process. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of items that need to be removed from a space, break it down into smaller chunks and work on it a little bit at a time. Or in a bedroom, we could break it down to organizing our clothes, organizing our nightstands, and then organizing the floor and/or other surfaces. In the kitchen, for example, we could break down the project into organizing the refrigerator, then organizing the pantry, then organizing the cabinets. In that case, we can break down the room into smaller parts and tackle one part at a time. If we’re working on organizing an entire room, it may not be practical to remove everything at once. (When I cleaned out my craft closet to organize it, this scene happened before the pretty, organized “after” pictures! Eeek!) What if my room has too much stuff to take everything out? ![]() You can learn the system in the video below or read the info in blog post form. But if we chip away at the clutter little by little, before we know it we’ll start feeling organized! ![]() Then they can move on to the next area and the next. It can be something as small as one drawer!) When I get emails from readers that say “I feel so unorganized and don’t know where to start!” I tell them to pick one space in their home and use the following steps to declutter and organize it. How to Organize Every Room in Your Home: A Proven Strategy How to Organize Every Room in Your House: Frequently Asked Questions. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |