Getting organized can help you live your best life.
Since living with clutter causes unnecessary stress and frustration, I want to share with you how I like to sort through the clutter and get organized. Now, keep in mind that decluttering and organizing is not one size fits all, but try this out to see if it works for you.
Use this organizing process with any area in your home.
I suggest starting with an area that feels most “heavy” or stressful to you. You know that feeling, right? That annoying weight that you can’t exactly pinpoint, but you know it’s there hovering over you when you see the clutter. Start there! Then, move on to the second next stressful area. Take it one room at a time.
The first step to getting organized is to make a mess.
This sounds counterintuitive, but it sometimes helps to drag everything out so you can see it. For many people, it’s easier to deal with the clutter when it’s all out in the open because you can’t ignore it. You may be surprised by all the clutter that’s been hiding inside drawers, under beds and inside boxes. Tip: to avoid getting overwhelmed focus on one small space at a time.
Next, sort your clutter into 5 piles.
These five piles are relocate, revisit, trash, donate and keep. The relocate pile consists of items you want to keep, but don’t belong in this area. The revisit pile should be very small. These are items you’re having a hard time making a decision on. Sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow. The trash, donate and keep piles are self-explanatory.
After sorting it’s time to get things moving.
After you have completely sorted the clutter it’s time to get things moving. 1) Take the trash out 2) Put donation boxes in your car 3) Relocate items to the correct rooms 4) Make decisions on the revisit items. It’s easy to forget what you own when you can’t see clearly through all the clutter. Once the clutter is gone you will have a clear picture.
The following step to getting organized is more sorting.
Organizing involves lots of sorting. Now, sort all your “keepers.” At this point, you should only have a keep pile hanging around. Group all like-items together. All pencils together, all t-shirts together, all random cords together, all widgets together, etc. It’s tempting to skip this step, but don’t. Sorting will make step 5 easier.
Finally, make it beautiful!
This is the step we see on Pinterest. This is when we get to decide how we are going to display or store everything, but keep in mind that using cute baskets and containers is not going to get you organized. Being organized is about keeping like-items together in smart locations. For instance, it’s smart to store all your spices next to the stove because that is where you use them.
Getting organized is about making life more efficient and less stressful. Stay organized all year long by putting everything where it belongs and repeating Steps 1 – 5 at least four times a year. Getting organized is such a great resolution, but staying organized is even better.
If you tried this technique out and it just isn’t working for you that’s OK! There’s nothing wrong with you, you just have your own organizing style. Yes – you have an organizing style. We all do. If you are stuck, I encourage you to check out the Loving Your Home Club where we lean into our unique styles and learn how to create momentum!