Once you have a system, clutter dissolves and order reigns
For some of us, organizing presents a challenging prospect. Too many things, not sure how to begin, where to put things, how to sort, the list goes on. So what happens for many, is that the piles sit and grow while we try to contain them in bags, boxes, suitcases, drawers, cupboards and the garage. We keep telling ourselves we’ll get to it “someday” and hope that it won’t grow worse. Those “somedays” accumulate and months and years pass until we have small pathways through the stuff that has piled higher and higher.
What to do? It begins with a fresh approach. That’s often when clients call me because the issue has grown out of hand and they don’t know where or how to begin and the anxiety and overwhelm the clutter creates, keeps them wanting to bury their head in the sand. By a fresh approach I mean looking past the detritus and seeing that it’s just stuff and that stuff can be separated out and designated in specific ways.
With large projects, start with designated bags and/or boxes: #1 for Recycling of paper products; #2 Recycling for plastic bags and recyclable plastics; #3 e-waste such as computer cords and broken and outdated electronic/computer items; #4 Shredding sensitive documents; #5 Box for papers to keep and sort later; #6 Donation items such as clothing, shoes, books and the like that others can reuse; #7 Box for art related and office supplies not needed to donate to schools or creative reuse centers; #8 Box for office supplies to keep; #9 Box for photos to be sorted later; #10 gathering other like items together such as tools/hardware, clothing to keep, kids toys to keep, etc.
The sorting process is key in order to see what you have and what needs to go and what to keep. Once that is done and the items eliminated are gone, then it’s a matter of the things saved how they will be stored and where. Often people will have a category of things in 3 or 4 different spots rather than making one central location for all of it so the things of that category are easily found. What’s the best way to store these various items depends on what it is and how often its used. Winter coats can be stored in space saver bags and can live high in a closet or on top shelf in the garage and returned to use with inclement weather. Kid’s backpacks and sports equipment used daily needs accessibility near front door or in garage to move into and out of car as needed and stored in a clearly defined place that is easy to reach.
Storage zones work best so you know what you have and you can find it when you need it. Having camping equipment in one area of the garage that, once its used, is returned to that area so it doesn’t pile near a door or elsewhere and can’t be found when needed. Just like removing a shirt or blouse from the closet, the hanger lives in that section and when said shirt needs returning to closet, it already has a home.
Simplify the process and create a system that works well for you and that makes sense. If it’s too complicated, chances are you are less likely to use the system and maintain it and things then break down in the process, reverting to a mess. If you should need help, give me a call at 510.501.1213 and let’s get you organized today!