Nothing beats a beautiful, functional organized space! Let’s work together to cut the clutter and the stress to create a peaceful organized home you love.
There are five simple steps to follow no matter what space you are organizing. These steps are progressive and need to be followed to create the functional space you desire.
Pick just one space, a space that is manageable to you. How much time do you have? Can you tackle a dresser or just a drawer? If you have lots of time maybe you can do an entire closet. The worst thing is to stop partway through and not be able to complete the project. Creating a huge mess is very discouraging so pick a space that you will be able to finish in the time you have set aside. Now take everything out of that space.
Sometimes decluttering can be challenging because decisions need to be made about what to keep and what purge but putting the time and effort into the process will reap so many benefits. Clutter is just delayed decision-making. While decluttering can feel overwhelming initially, the payoff is worth it in the end. We are looking for progress, not perfection!
Some of the benefits of decluttering include:
To be most effective, take the items you are decluttering out of the home it lives in. For instance, if you are decluttering your clothes, take them out of the closet and put them on the bed. I guarantee you will look at them differently when they’re not in their home and you will get rid of more of them.
Start with the easy part by getting rid of the trash or broken items. The key is to focus on what can go so that you are only left with the items you want to keep. It is easier to make decisions if you have fewer items to make decisions about. While making these decisions consider if the item still serves you and plan to keep a reasonable amount based on the amount of space you have. If you can’t see it, you aren’t likely to use it.
Once you have decided what is no longer serving you, bag up any donatable items and deliver them to the donation center, and sell or consign anything of value. It is always important to us to be mindful to find the proper donation solution or opportunity to repurpose donation items. Check out our Calm the Chaos Blog to learn more about our suggested donation process!
Now is the time to put like items into categories or piles that make sense to you. You make your own rules! Sort by color, season, or by category. Once this is done you will determine a place for each category. At the end of this process, you will likely find items that belong in a different room – so make sure to find a new home for it. You can do this!
Once you can see what you have and how much you have you will know what type and size bin or container you need. Shop your home first and see if anything you already have will work. When you are ready to place the items back in place try adding drawer dividers or inserts to give the space definition. If you need to purchase new containers, make sure to measure the space!
By labeling the bin or container you increase the chances of putting it back where it belongs. This also helps other family members to put items back in its proper place. When everything has a home, it becomes much easier for everyone to keep up with putting things away. Labeling can be fancy or simple and as easy as using a marker or a label maker.
Want some of your own?! You can order your own, beautifully customized labels HERE!
Be sure to keep a few simple tips in mind to prevent clutter from returning. Declutter a little bit each day. By setting aside 20 minutes each day you’ll avoid having to spend hours in the future. Also, before purchasing anything new ask yourself, “Do I really need it?” or “Where will I keep it?” If there isn’t a good option don’t bring it home. Additionally, follow the one in, one out rule – if you buy a new shirt, that means one has to go. Keep up with it on a regular basis and reset as necessary.
Now it’s time to maintain and enjoy so that you can have more time to do what you love in life!
