5 Steps to Declutter & Organize
5 simple, mostly painless steps to declutter & organize:
1. Gather
Once you've chosen a category (office supplies, socks, tools, etc.) pull all items together. Sometimes this is as easy as dumping a drawer; other times it involves trekking back and forth and hither and yon. Note: don't try this with large, heavy items like furniture, or cinderblocks.
2. Sort
Put like with like. This is a marvelous activity for young kids or older folks. Recruit help!
3. Choose
How many of what kind do you really need and will you realistically use? Not too many people need 20 pairs of black pants, 5 hammers, 45 pens, or 100 hotel shampoo samples. Seriously. You'll feel amazing after paring down. You'll feel lighter, have more energy, and save huge amounts of time not having to look for things and being able to easily put items where they belong.
4. Contain & Assign
Now that you can see how much space items need, choose the right sized container for items (bins, boxes, drawers, closets, etc.) Chances are you already have boxes and bins and other containers kicking around. There's often no need to buy fancy ones, unless you want to! Assign a permanent home for sorted items (which drawer, what closet, which shelf, etc.), dividing your available space into three "zones":
Zone A:
Items used frequently should be assigned homes close by and easy to get to. When these items are stored right where you need them, they'll be easier to find and easier to put away.
Zone B:
Items used only every so often can be assigned homes in the middle spaces. Note: Don't agonize over zone decisions; you can always move items later!
Zone C:
Items used only once a year or so (holiday decorations) can be assigned homes up high, down low, in the back, or farther away.
5. Donate
Cincinnati has tons of non-profits serving local children, adults, and families who need and will actually use all that extra stuff cluttering up your home and life. Paring down not only frees up your life, it directly helps improve the lives of others.
Once you've chosen a category (office supplies, socks, tools, etc.) pull all items together. Sometimes this is as easy as dumping a drawer; other times it involves trekking back and forth and hither and yon. Note: don't try this with large, heavy items like furniture, or cinderblocks.
2. Sort
Put like with like. This is a marvelous activity for young kids or older folks. Recruit help!
3. Choose
How many of what kind do you really need and will you realistically use? Not too many people need 20 pairs of black pants, 5 hammers, 45 pens, or 100 hotel shampoo samples. Seriously. You'll feel amazing after paring down. You'll feel lighter, have more energy, and save huge amounts of time not having to look for things and being able to easily put items where they belong.
4. Contain & Assign
Now that you can see how much space items need, choose the right sized container for items (bins, boxes, drawers, closets, etc.) Chances are you already have boxes and bins and other containers kicking around. There's often no need to buy fancy ones, unless you want to! Assign a permanent home for sorted items (which drawer, what closet, which shelf, etc.), dividing your available space into three "zones":
Zone A:
Items used frequently should be assigned homes close by and easy to get to. When these items are stored right where you need them, they'll be easier to find and easier to put away.
Zone B:
Items used only every so often can be assigned homes in the middle spaces. Note: Don't agonize over zone decisions; you can always move items later!
Zone C:
Items used only once a year or so (holiday decorations) can be assigned homes up high, down low, in the back, or farther away.
5. Donate
Cincinnati has tons of non-profits serving local children, adults, and families who need and will actually use all that extra stuff cluttering up your home and life. Paring down not only frees up your life, it directly helps improve the lives of others.