Happy New Year!
January is GO Month! Get Organized Month. Did you know that getting organized was #2 on the Top 10 List of New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 according to statisticbrain.com? It ranked second only to…you guessed it…losing weight.
This doesn’t surprise me, of course. After all, being organized creates more time, space and energy in your life to relax and do what you love. And let’s face it, there’s a lot of fun stuff to do in Colorado! So where should you begin?
START SMALL
Don’t let the task ahead overwhelm you. Don’t start by saying, “I need to organize my entire house.” Start by saying, “I want to organize my closet so I can save time getting ready each morning.” Or, “I want to clean out my garage so I can park my car in it.” When you break a large task into smaller, more manageable projects, you set yourself up for success. And once you accomplish one goal, you’ll feel so good about yourself and what you did, you’ll be more than ready to tackle the next one.
CATEGORIZE
Whether it’s a drawer, cabinet or whole closet, you need to take everything out of that space. Then sort the items. I use 4 basic categories:
- Keep
- Donate
- Trash
- Belongs Somewhere Else
I find it helpful to have 4 bins or bags so I can toss items into the appropriate bin as I go. At the end of your organizing time for the day, take the Trash bin out and move the Donate bin to your car so you can drop it off on your next trip out of the house. You can move the Somewhere Else items into their proper rooms (but don’t worry about organizing those other spaces…just concentrate on the room you’ve already started).
ORGANIZE
Once you’re left with items you want in that space, it’s time to put them in their proper place. There’s no right way or wrong way to organize. It’s all about what works for you. The things you use most often should be the most accessible – between neck and knee height and toward the front of a closet or cabinet. Store things you rarely use up high and down low.
PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
Finally, step back and congratulate yourself. You’ve gotten started, and whether it’s one shelf, one cabinet or an entire room, you’re on your way to being more organized – which means you’re on your way to having more time to enjoy the things you love to do.
And, if all else fails and you just can’t seem to get or stay motivated…call me! 🙂