Top Three Organizing Tips to Remember

January is National Get Organized month; so let’s start out the New Year right! Get motivated, get organized, ask for help when you need it, avoid distractions (television, cell phones and computers especially), challenge yourself to organize one small area at a time and always remember why you wanted to get organized in the first place. Always remember to keep it simple and don’t expect perfection; instead work towards efficiency, saving time and money, reducing stress and clutter and improving your overall quality of life.  

     To help get you started, here are my Top Three Organizing Tips to Remember...        

• Tip # 1:  Toss all items you no longer want or need on a regular basis using Toss Buckets or Baskets: These are basically any large container, box or basket used to collect your family’s unwanted items. You can use a small laundry basket, a large decorative basket or even a simple cardboard box decorated by your kids; whatever works best for you and your family. And, if you do have kids, it’s best to have one in each of their bedrooms at all times so they are within reach. Or, if you prefer, you can place one large basket in a central location of your home such as a laundry room, or in a hallway just outside the bedrooms. Remember, if they’re kept within reach and emptied on a regular basis, they are more likely to be refilled more often. So, empty them each time they get full and then toss, sell or donate those items immediately.
• Tip # 2:  Practice the one in, one out rule: The way this works is...for each and every new item you bring into your home, one or more items should be going out. And, this doesn’t have to be the same kind of item each and every time. For example: if you purchase a new sweater, you don’t have to get rid of another sweater. You can simply find something else such as a pair of shoes, a belt or pair of pants. And, if you can’t find any of those items either, find something else in your home such as a book, a coffee cup, a movie or even a small kitchen gadget. The important thing is to make sure you are consistently tossing one or more items each time.
• Tip # 3:  Designate a permanent storage spot for every item that comes into your home and then keep it there when you are not using it! If you think about all the items in your home right now that have been sitting out for a while - maybe you have a large pile of papers sitting on your desk or you dropped something on the kitchen table as you walked through the door - if these items have been sitting out for more than a day or two, the reason is usually one of two things...you either didn’t bother to put them away or you simply hadn’t established a designated storage spot for them yet. And, if that’s the case, take the time to find a sensible place to store those items and then put them away when they’re not in use. It’s like the old saying goes... “a place for everything and everything in its place”. And that applies to everything! Once you’ve designated a storage spot, it becomes much easier to then put those items away.             

Once you’ve done all these things and cut the clutter down to a minimum, remember, maintenance is key. So, set aside five to ten minutes each day (schedule it in if you have to) and walk around putting things away and tossing those items you no longer want or need. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the clutter disappears when you take the time to do this each day. 

Article written by Christina Scalise, author of Organize Your Life and More     

Website: OrganizeYourLifeAndMore.com