How To Get Started Organizing – Tips on How To Approach Projects
The idea of cleaning out your home can seem like an impossible task with no end in sight. Take a deep breath and remember that a few hours of elbow grease will glean amazing rewards. You have to start somewhere so here are a few tips on how to kick into clean up overdrive.
Start With One Spot
No matter how many projects you have or how much of your house needs to be straightened, always start by picking one single space. It doesn’t matter if it is an area that is most out of control or just a walkway space that needs to be freed up, zero in on one problem area and set yourself to only organize that until it is done. You should only move on to the next area after you have completely finished organizing this space.
Schedule Time
You have to make the time to organize. Sure, it would be so much nicer to sit on the couch and binge watch that hot new show on Netflix but the space will continue to be a problem that spirals out of control. Tackle it now to stop it from getting worse. Organizing a single space will not happen overnight. Some projects will require several hours a day for a few days. Try to schedule smaller projects, such as a closet, during the weekdays and reserve larger projects, such as attic clean outs, for the weekend.
Toss It
Use the two year rule as you go through contents. If you haven’t used or worn it in two years, toss it. You can donate or hold a garage sale for items that might still be of use and dispose of everything else.
Take Inventory
Once you’ve gotten rid of the two year rule items, what is left? Does it belong in the space you found it? For example, a towel warmer might be of better use in the bathroom instead of on the top shelf in your closet. If an item might be of better use in another room, move it there. You will find that you start to use these items more.
Wasted Space
Think of organization like the game of Tetris. You don’t want to leave blank spaces empty when they could be useful storage nooks. Try for underneath your bed, above doors or beautiful cloth baskets that can spruce up a sparse shelf.
Go Vertical
A great way to make use of wasted space is to go vertical. Try decorative shelving systems that go up to the ceiling. This will free up so much room in your space and also add an extra visually appealing element. Store things you rarely use on the highest shelves. You can make fantastic use of shelf space by stacking containers, papers or tall piles of clothes.
Color Code
The hardest part about organizing is sticking to the habit so the space doesn’t become unruly again. Try to color code when sorting for better functionality. Bills, important papers, art supplies, office supplies, etc. can each receive a different colored bin. Kids can even organize their toys and clean up after themselves by placing everything inside a specific colored tote or bin that they were assigned.
Visibility, Accessibility and Flexibility
These are the three core rules of organizing. If you can’t see something, it slips out of your mind and is forgotten. Curb this by using transparent bins, open totes or using labels. This not only saves you time but keeps items in use. If you can’t access something, you are less likely to try and employ it. You should store items you use most frequently on lower shelves or cabinets. Try to remember to keep your storage systems flexible. You want to be able to change configurations or swap systems out to adapt to your needs or evolving storage issues.
No matter how big or small your project is you can get your home looking fabulous again by taking things one at a time and being creative with your storage solutions.
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