Sort & Declutter: It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Once you chosen your priority area, the first step to organizing any space is to sort through the items.
You’ll begin pulling everything out and making decisions about each individual thing. We recommend setting up boxes and bags for common categories.
Keep
Donate
Garbage/Recycle
Elsewhere
Place each item into their corresponding category. If you come across something you want to keep but doesn’t belong in the space, place it in the “elsewhere” box. This will keep you focused on the task at hand rather than distracted by going into other rooms to put something away.
We always remind clients that the mess gets worse before it gets better because you have to pull everything out of any given space. Don’t let this discourage you! It’s totally normal!
After you’ve sorted through everything in the space, take out the trash and recycling, place the donation box somewhere out of the way (you’ll add to it later), and then it’s time to tackle the “keep” category.
Categorize & Contain: Things Begin to Take Shape
Now that you’ve sorted and decluttered, it’s time to decide how to arrange the items you’re keeping. As you go, continue to question whether it’s necessary to keep each object.
Here are a few tips:
Keep like items together and group them into categories. Examples: utensils, cookware, bakeware, etc.
Shop your home first. Check for bins, baskets, or boxes that you already have to store each category before you head to the store.
Keep things simple. Use containers that fit easily in the space. Store frequently used items in prime real estate spaces and if an item is rarely used, find an out of the way space for it.
Leave room for growth. Don’t stuff everything in so it only fits when perfectly arranged. Think of how you’ll use the space on a regular basis and what might be coming into the space in the future.
Label, Label, Label: It Truly Helps!
Professional organizers LOVE their label makers.
It may seem like overkill to you, but labeling makes all the difference in keeping up the space you just organized. If you have a family, housekeeper or babysitter the labels tell them exactly where something goes. And if you live alone, you’re likely to forget some of the spaces you decided things belong- so label!
Don’t fuss over buying a label maker if you don’t have one- try premade labels from The Container Store or Amazon or write-on (and reusable) container clips-as long as you can read the label you are good to go!
Establish Daily Habits: The Consistent (or should we say Persistent) Tidy in Ten
It is often said, that the New Year is a great time to develop new habits.
Maintaining an organized home is easier when you establish routines. Once you’ve worked your way through successfully decluttering your home, maintaining it is an easy habit. Spend ten minutes (or less!) each day tidying up, and encourage family members to put items back in their designated spots. With labeled shelves and bins, they have no excuse to claim they don’t know where things go! 😆
Small daily actions prevent clutter from piling up all over again. It’s all about creating new habits, and though it’s challenging, it’s definitely worth it!
A few hints we recommend to keep your systems in oder:
Elsewhere Landing Spaces:
Place baskets or bins in high-traffic areas to collect those “elsewhere” items that have navigated throughout the day or week or heck even month into a zone they don’t belong. Think mudroom, kitchen, or on a stairs landing. In your ten-minute daily reset even if you don’t have time to return these items to their home, you can put into a bin to handle at a later date
Drop Zones:
Create a drop zone for mail, schoolwork and any other paperwork. This could be a bin, folder or kitchen cabinet shelf- it doesn’t matter but what does matter is periodically you use your ten minutes to sort the paperwork into action items (and act on them), toss, or store (and file them away). The same technique can be used for sports/dance gear and even for electronics.
Having a supportive expert by your side along the way can make all the difference.
Now is a great time to hire a Professional Organizer! Contact Contained and Co. here for a quick chat to learn how it works and see if we’re a good fit.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Keeping you Contained,
Brandi and Lindsay