Organizing 101

So you were not given the organizing skills like me when you were born, but you were probably given other talents such as creativity or music that I was not given.  The good news is that you can easily learn some organizing skills and use them to help get your space organized.

One skill is to know that your space does not need to look as if it is in a magazine.  Unless you are selling your home, your space should fit your current life and be livable.  Perfection can be harmful when starting to organize.  Some of my clients are perfectionists and that is why they are unorganized.  They start one space and then move to another and never finished the first section and when they come to try to perfect all areas, they become overwhelmed and quit.  Every space is different for every person, so don’t try to keep up with the Joneses.

Another organizing skill is to take each space in sections.  Break it down into manageable pieces.  Most of my clients look at all their spaces as one and immediately become overwhelmed. 

I also recommend really knowing the difference between want and need.  As you look through the space you are organizing, ask yourself if the item is something you really need or just wanted when you purchased it. 

Skill number 3 would be to use the acronym SPACE when starting your organizing project.  S would be to sort like things together to really get an idea of how many you really have.  P would be to purge the items you no longer want, need or use.  Many charities are glad to take your purged items and if you need help finding a charity, give me a call.  A is to assign your items to a specific location in your home more specifically where they will be used.  Obviously, certain items, such as holiday decorations should be stored in a storage area, not where they will be used.   C is to contain those items in a properly sized container.  That is why I tell my clients not to go out and purchase containers because they usually have enough, they just do not have the right items in them.  E is to equalize and to periodically come back to those spaces to ask yourself if they are still serving your current life. 

Organizing is a learnable skill but is not really completed as our lives change and so should your space.  Purging consistently will leave your home clutter free and your life less stressful.