1 - PUT THINGS AWAY
2 - CREATE ROUTINES Linking to first tip, establishing routines and implementing them is one of the Pillars of an organized home. Once you get used to it you will follow them without a thought nor effort. NOTE: It will take about 20 consecutive days for a routine (repeated task) to take root. 3 - PERMANENT HOMES Everything you own should have a "set place" where it belongs, according to your living space, and where it makes sense to YOU! It must fit your way of thinking, and your lifestyle. Make a home for things where YOU would logically think you will find it. Where you use them if possible. Example: would you look for your cooking pots in the bedroom? No? why? Logically they don't belong there, since you don't use them there. Use these parameters for your other belongings as well. 4 - FLAT SURFACES Flat surfaces are NOT storage areas, they are WORKING ones. It is extremely important to understand this concept early in your organizing efforts, DO NOT use tables, counters, bedside tables etc. to store things ON, use them for their intended purpose like eating, cooking, working. Use storage options to store your belongings. 5 - DECORATION To keep flat surfaces clutter free and pretty use 1 decorative item as a centerpiece, like this one from Crate and Barrel , other options could be, candles, pretty soaps, flowers, bowl of fruit or a family picture. Tell yourself that this is the ONLY item "allowed" to live on that surface, anything else that you may occasionally find there has to be re-homed. 6 - 5 MINUTES RULE Use this rule when you get home everyday, DO NOT POSTPONE putting away what you are carrying with you. Coat, hat, umbrella, phone, keys, groceries, mail, take out, Take 5 minutes and put them all away where they belong, NOW. Don't allow yourself to leave for later, clean your slate now and when you are done you will be able to fully relax with nothing to do on your list. An added bonus, you will be able to find everything tomorrow :-) 7 - FAMILY MEMBERS Teach whoever lives with you to follow the rules and routines as well, after all it has to be a team effort if it needs to work. They should participate as much as possible. If it's a child a small reward might help, positive encouragement might work better than punishment. It might work for adults as well ;-) 8 - PROCRASTINATION Don't procrastinate, it might seem hard at first but it will only grow bigger every time you postpone it, and it will not magically become any easier. If the task seems too much for you to handle HIRE an organizer to get it in motion, work with her until you feel comfortable to continue on your own or until it's all done. All you will have to do after is maintain it. 9 - SMALL STEPS Plan in small increments, 15 minutes a day if you have to. You can clear a small area or pile in that amount of time, like that pile of mail on your desk, that is hiding your electric bill which is past due but you can't find. Fifteen minutes might be enough to clear your junk drawer, or under your bathroom sink. Whatever you can do in small doses, try it every day. Put it on your calendar if you have to. You can listen to music while working or take care of that phone call to grandma if you can multitask. 10 - SALES, BARGAINS, FREEBIES Avoid them, they are your worst enemy. If you want to STOP CLUTTER from entering your home, stay away from thrift stores, garage sales, freebies and bargains. They are an endless source of clutter others DO NOT WANT. Shop only when you actually NEED something, not out of boredom. If you are replacing something, get rid of the old one. If it is still in working condition donate, otherwise toss it. Do not keep just in case, if it was something you wanted you would not have purchased a NEW one. 11 - ONLINE SHOPPING Research has shown that most online shopping is due to impulse and enticement not a real need. So if you are shopping online and get tempted, place items in your virtual cart and allow yourself time to think. Give it a day or two and ask yourself: DO I HAVE A PLACE TO STORE IT? DO I NEED IT? WILL I USE IT? WHY DO I WANT IT? If you can find a valid reason why you should buy it, then make place for it by discarding something else. Often times if you allow yourself to ponder you will realize you don't really want it. 12 - ORGANIZERS In drawers or shelves use organizers, bins, or anything on hand that will help you keep items separated and together at the same time. Loose stuff is hard to keep organized, while if you create compartments and categories it will help to keep them together. Group similar things and find ways to keep them together, you can use ziplock bags, small tupperware, phones boxes, or purchase organizers like this one from Container Store . On shelves you can use bins, if they are stackable it will help you use vertical space optimally. 13 - SENTIMENTAL ITEMS These are the ones that are hard to let go. If it's just the memory your are preserving, try taking pictures and save them online in an album, such as "Memory Lane", but discard the items. You can jog memories by looking at the pictures as much as the item itself. If you are keeping items because they belonged to a dear one, try to repurpose them, there are businesses using grampa favorite shirt or ties to make new items like pillows, quilts etc. things you can enjoy, rather than keeping the items hidden in a trunk in the attic. Lots of people keep card as mementos, and these can become quite large collections, photograph them and save them as pictures including the message part. For other special items that can't be photographed or repurposed, have a box or container to store and allow only as many as there is space. As you collect NEW items you may be ready to part with older ones. Revisit occasionally. 14 - PAPERS Lots of people are going paperless but if you are not there yet, get started on reducing those piles of papers you know are hiding somewhere in your home. Papers are one of the categories people avoid the most, I have never encountered a client eager to start that task, on the contrary, they try to run from it as much as possible. BAD NEWS is, it will just grow and grow. Enlist the help of a Professional Organizer to attack the bulk, make some sense of it, and organize it. Once it's done all you have to do is follow the system in place, and set 1 day a week to go through whatever papers have accumulated, do It WEEKLY. Decide on one spot where you will save all the incoming paper and will go through on the designated day and time. It may be a basket in the kitchen or a drawer in your desk, wherever it works for you as long as it is 1 location and you will check it weekly. 15 - CLOTHES The majority of people have an overflow of clothes, even children. While it is true that we use 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, we are still buying new ones. One way to keep your closet free of clutter is to EDIT your wardrobe every change of Season. Remove what is stained, damaged, faded/discolored, or out of shape. Focus and keep what you feel comfortable in, what you love and wear often, what makes you feel confident and happy. If you have clothing that you haven't worn in a long time chance is none of the above statements apply to this garment. When you buy NEW clothes chose high quality ones that will last for a while, try to create a basic wardrobe of classic pieces you can use multiple ways in combination with accent pieces. Stay away from "fast fashion" items, these are low-quality clothing designed and made specifically for short-term ownership and premature disposal.Our landfills will be thankful. |
AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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