10 Steps to organizing your home
Image by meglet127 via Flickr
Following the 10 steps to organizing can help you meet your goals of a clutter free home.
1. Take a look around and view the big picture: how do you want your home to look like? view all your spaces and the items that occupy it. Vision what your end goal is for each area and jot it down in your notebook. For example take a look at your family room, is there clutter beside and around the entertainment center? Items lying on the floor like remote controls, DVD’s, magazines. Focus on what you want to do with the room and jot down what it will take to keep it organized.
2. End goal visualization: Imagine the room/space as you would like it. Keep this image in mind as with step 1 to keep yourself focused on organizing.
3. Priority list: once you have gone through your house envisioning how each space will look (organized) start a task list. Break down each area into sub tasks, make sure they are manageable. Each area or room should be listed as a separate project and then each project/room should be broken down into sub-tasks.
4. Think like an artist: What does a artist start with? a blank canvas. Remove everything from the room/area you are about to organize.
5. Stack: using your organizing tool kit sort everything into four piles: Keep (going back in to the room), Toss (to the dump it goes), Donate (off to a charity), and repair (fix it)
6. Review your piles: Remember the big picture you have envisioned in steps 1 and 2. Review all the items in each pile and see if they fit into the big picture. The goal of this step is to focus on the keep pile. Do you need or love that item? Why are you keeping it and does it fit into the big picture. If your hesitating on deciding on an item in the keep pile maybe it should be moved to toss or donate. Sometimes you have to let go.
7. Every item needs a place: make sure each item has a home. Do not let items sit about in an non defined area. Remember to keep like things together. For example you have removed everything from a room. In the keep pile are there items that should be placed in another room or storage area?
8. Containers: Once you have organized or designated items for certain rooms and storage areas then purchase storage containers. Remember to measure the space where the containers will reside before going to store to ensure you get the right size.
9. The most important task/step in organization is: Put things back into their designated space after it’s used. Get in the habit and over time you will realize that just putting items back in their “home” will keep your house de-cluttered. Trust me on this one but once your in the habit of putting things away you will wonder why you didn’t do it earlier!
10. Maintain and re-assess: As your life changes so will your organization needs. Re-assess every so often when there is a change in your life like marriage, children, divorce etc.
Related articles
- De-clutter when? (declutterdujour.wordpress.com)
- Which Room Holds the Most Clutter? (casasugar.com)
