Look around you. You are surrounded by stuff. Take me for example. I am sitting in a bedroom that used to be one of my daughters. There’s a bed, desk, window seat, typewriter, trumpet, stuffed toys, and a closet that has old electronics, bins of my father-in-law’s journals, old clothes, memorabilia, and who knows what else. This room is one of the least of my worries as far as organization goes. But the closets in the hall and the study are another story. Talk about places in need of a thorough purge!
My guess is that you too have spots in your home in need of organizing and if you don’t then you get a gold star for the day and can stop reading. If you are looking for organizing ideas then here you go! First, you get my method and then I’ll give you some additional resources to check out. Keep in mind that what works for one person doesn’t work for another. Pick and choose what works for you and make up your own technique. Please comment below with organization ideas that have been successful for you.
My Method
My method for organizing looks something like this:
Clear everything out of the area you are organizing. If it’s a closet, dresser, or room, you don’t have to clear out EVERYTHING. Start with a shelf or a drawer or a small section.
Grab a garbage can and a box or some kind of container to put in things to donate or give away.
Throw away any garbage you happen to find.
Identify the items that don’t belong in that space and put them where they belong or put them in a pile to distribute throughout the house later.
Decide what you 100% know you want to keep and store in that space. Put it back in the space in an orderly fashion.
Look at what you didn’t put back in the space. Ask yourself some questions about those items such as, “Do I still want this?” “Do I use this often enough to warrant keeping it?” “Would someone else benefit from having this?” “Shall I give it to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.?”
Determine if you need bins or organizers of some sort to organize your space well. Procure those things.
And finally, organize the space in a way that everything is easily accessible.
A Few Notes
If you don’t have enough space to store what you want in a particular space you need to either get rid of stuff or find a new spot for it somewhere else in your home. One of the best ways to organize is to just get rid of things.
That is easier said than done. So many of us are very emotionally connected to things mainly because they hold some sort of memory. To make getting rid of things easier, have someone help you organize and declutter. Loved ones can often help us with letting go of things, especially if they aren’t being used and no one wants them. You can also take a picture of an item and then give it to someone who you know will use it.
If you aren’t emotionally attached to something but just aren’t sure about getting rid of something then put it in a box with a date on it and 6 months to a year down the road, if you haven’t used that thing then get rid of it.
Once in the empty nest part of life there are so many things in our homes that are no longer being used like toys, balls, games, art supplies, books, athletic equipment, old school projects, musical instruments, clothes, etc. I am not advocating getting rid of everything. If you have grandchildren or have them coming in the future you know you want fun things for them to play with but you don’t need the volume of those things that you had when your children were living at home. Those things can bless other children’s lives. When you get rid of them your house will feel more spacious, open, and even calm. I say calm because having clutter and too much stuff creates a state of confusion, not peace.
And there you have it, my wisdom on organization. Hopefully you’ve found some helpful nuggets. I know that I’ve been helped by writing this article. And you know that messy closet in the picture at the top of this article? I am now motivated to get it organized! I’ll post a picture when I’m done. If what I wrote wasn’t as helpful as you had hoped, below are more ideas on organizing. You will want to check them out. Good luck with your organizing adventure. I’d love to hear how it went.
More Ideas
The Undo List – A great article outlining six things to “undo” as a way to organize.
How to Organize Your Home Like a Professional – Contains ideas for getting started on your organization project including planning and how to organize every area of your home.
100 Best Organizing Tips for the Tidiest Home Ever – Talk about some clever ideas for organizing all kinds of things!
Too Much Stuff? – An article with step by step directions on organizing a room.
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