TOP TEN WAYS TO CLEAR CLUTTER
Renee L Brown
Restoration Organization
Begin With the Biggest: Start your organizing venture with the area of your home that bothers you the most. For example, if you open your bedroom closet each morning and are greeted with falling objects that bonk you on the head and launch you into a stormy mood, that’s definitely an awesome place to begin. Once you invest the time in decluttering and organizing that closet, you will be rewarded with an amazing jump start in energy each time you open that door. This in turn will motivate you to keep the process in motion by tackling another tough spot.
Assess the Mess: When cleaning out a closet or drawer, ask yourself the same question with each item you touch: “What do I have to do with this?” Do you need to keep, recycle, sell, giveaway, throw away or put it back where it belongs? Begin your organizing project by setting up piles for each category and as you touch every item in the space, decide which pile it belongs in.
Like Goes With Like: Assign a home where related items can all live. For example, in your kitchen, put all baking items together in one cupboard. This would include baking pans, rolling pin, flour sifter, cake decorating sprinkles, etc. An assigned area helps by having one go-to spot when you are ready to whip up a yummy treat. This works well with books, CDs, DVDs, and sports equipment.
Master the Mail: Paper piles of yet-to-be-dealt with mail are robbing many fine folks of energy. Start today with a new system of going through the mail. Set up a recycling bin and a shredder in a main area of your home and diligently process each piece of mail. Set up a file system in the same area with categories such as “bills to be paid,” “papers to be filed,” etc. When you receive invitations, write down the details in your planner or PDA and toss the invite. Then make sure to go through these files on a regular basis to keep on top of things.
Maintain, Maintain, Maintain: Once you’ve worked hard to get your space is beautiful order, you must be diligent and always remember to put items back in their new home! Just as your car needs ongoing maintenance in order to work properly, as does your home. Many people believe once they have completed an organizing project, it’s a done deal. Wrong! Maintenance is the number one key to your organizing success.
One word of caution…wait on the widgets: While it is tempting to start your project by heading out to buy all kinds of fun storage bins and organizing products, hold off until you have gone through your stuff and purged. Otherwise you’ll end up with wrong-sized bins that don’t fit the new space. And then you have to head back to the store to return stuff. Yuck! You have better things to do with your time, like enjoying your newly decluttered home!
Restoration Organization
Begin With the Biggest: Start your organizing venture with the area of your home that bothers you the most. For example, if you open your bedroom closet each morning and are greeted with falling objects that bonk you on the head and launch you into a stormy mood, that’s definitely an awesome place to begin. Once you invest the time in decluttering and organizing that closet, you will be rewarded with an amazing jump start in energy each time you open that door. This in turn will motivate you to keep the process in motion by tackling another tough spot.
Assess the Mess: When cleaning out a closet or drawer, ask yourself the same question with each item you touch: “What do I have to do with this?” Do you need to keep, recycle, sell, giveaway, throw away or put it back where it belongs? Begin your organizing project by setting up piles for each category and as you touch every item in the space, decide which pile it belongs in.
Like Goes With Like: Assign a home where related items can all live. For example, in your kitchen, put all baking items together in one cupboard. This would include baking pans, rolling pin, flour sifter, cake decorating sprinkles, etc. An assigned area helps by having one go-to spot when you are ready to whip up a yummy treat. This works well with books, CDs, DVDs, and sports equipment.
Master the Mail: Paper piles of yet-to-be-dealt with mail are robbing many fine folks of energy. Start today with a new system of going through the mail. Set up a recycling bin and a shredder in a main area of your home and diligently process each piece of mail. Set up a file system in the same area with categories such as “bills to be paid,” “papers to be filed,” etc. When you receive invitations, write down the details in your planner or PDA and toss the invite. Then make sure to go through these files on a regular basis to keep on top of things.
Maintain, Maintain, Maintain: Once you’ve worked hard to get your space is beautiful order, you must be diligent and always remember to put items back in their new home! Just as your car needs ongoing maintenance in order to work properly, as does your home. Many people believe once they have completed an organizing project, it’s a done deal. Wrong! Maintenance is the number one key to your organizing success.
One word of caution…wait on the widgets: While it is tempting to start your project by heading out to buy all kinds of fun storage bins and organizing products, hold off until you have gone through your stuff and purged. Otherwise you’ll end up with wrong-sized bins that don’t fit the new space. And then you have to head back to the store to return stuff. Yuck! You have better things to do with your time, like enjoying your newly decluttered home!
