Quick organizing wins
Have you ever organized a space and felt a huge sense of achievement? Every time you look at that space you get a little energy boost? It’s such an awesome feeling and those little pockets of organization can help make us feel centered and calm when life gets chaotic. With all the extra decorating, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining that is coming up, a little extra organization can help us stay on top of things. I know this is not the time to tackle a huge space (at least not by yourself) so I’m offering tips for fast projects that anyone can do in a short time.
Organizing Guidelines
Trying to declutter and organize at the same time can only lead to frustration. Instead, I recommend tackling these tasks individually and in a specific order. This approach works well for any space, whether it's large or small.
First, sort before decluttering or organizing. Sorting is just putting things in similar categories (like with like). Don’t try to make decisions about what to keep or let go until you’ve sorted because we make our best decisions when we are looking at a whole category. Once we’ve sorted, it’s easy to see our favorites, our least favorites, and make our best decisions. Here are my guidelines to avoid frustration:
Stay in the space you are working in until you have completed the full sorting and organizing there. If you leave the space, you risk not finishing the project. Avoid getting sidetracked by quick errands to take items to somewhere else in the house. This can easily turn into checking email, getting something to drink, putting on a load of laundry - you get the idea. Start by setting up a few key organizing tools - like donation boxes, trash bags, and a basket for items that belong elsewhere in the house. Having these on hand allows you to sort efficiently without getting distracted.
Organize once sorting and decluttering are done. Put things back into the space by order of use. What you use most frequently should be front and center. Group extra inventory to the side or back or in a basket so you know where to look when you run out. Use containers to help maintain organization by separating categories and keeping similar items together.
Turn decisions into action. Once you’ve completed the sorting, decision making and organizing process, it’s time to take some action. Collect donation items and trash, then walk through the house with the clothes basket, putting everything away at once. Don’t forget this step or the things that we worked hard to sort and make decisions about will become another pile of clutter and work to do on another day.
Celebrate a completed organizing project! Take 5 minutes a week to reset your space and keep it organized.
Fast Organizing Projects
Here is a list of organizing projects that can be performed in under an hour and will provide an organizational boost to your home before the holidays.
Under the sink - Pull everything out and sort. Look for duplicates and combine like products or set excess to one side. Look for anything unused (weird smelling candles or random vases) and set aside for donation or disposal. Put everything back in sorted order with the most used items at the front. A container to group cleaning tools can be very helpful to maintain organization.
Pantry - Sort and group similar items together. As you sort, check expiration dates. To keep items from being pushed to the back and expiring, designate a specific spot for food that's nearing its expiration date. An “Eat this first” shelf or basket is a great money saver! Take note of duplicate and missing items now to make holiday shopping easier and avoid spending money on things you already have.
Sock drawer - Sort socks by type. Eliminate any that are worn, stained, or unmatched, especially the pile of unmatched socks you’ve been hanging on to for who knows how long. It’s not the end of the world if we waste a sock but the time we waste every morning looking for socks to wear does add up. Put socks back in the drawer, sorted with most used socks in the front and least worn socks in the back.
Holiday decorations - Sort and edit as you pull out of storage. Holiday items are especially appreciated by donation centers during this time of year. Holiday decor fashions change just like everything else. If you haven’t used decorations in more than two years, that’s a good reason to let those things go. Even one box of donations means one less box to manage in the upcoming years.
Food storage - Tidy up boxes of ziplocs and food wrap.. Keep 1 box plus a spare for each category in an easy to access area. Move excess to another location so critical kitchen can be used for holiday preparations.
Medicine cabinet - It’s cold and flu season so might as well prepare for it. Pull everything out and sort by category. For example, group together painkillers, cold medicines, digestive aids, and first aid. Next, review expiration dates. Eliminate the expired items and place the closest to expiring at the front.
Bonus round - Look for things that will not be used this time of year and move them to a storage area of the home. Beach towels, ice cream makers, swimsuits, and 4th of July platters can all be moved now to make space for celebrating THIS season.
Enjoy the success of organizing these small spaces! These steps and the skills we use to tidy small spaces will help us go on to tackle the bigger, more challenging spaces when we are ready.