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Entries Tagged 'Decluttering' ↓
- Solid decisions made on what to let go to declutter
- Lots of items on to charity
- Only most important things kept to prepare for a move
Tags: charity, declutter, DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog
What is the 2nd home organization mistake that I want to help you avoid?
Home organization mistake #2: Buying up a bunch of organizing supplies like totes, bins and baskets before you tackle the decluttering process.
I know, it’s oh SO fun to walk into Target or the Container Store and get caught up in the excitement of the colorful baskets and the potential for getting organized by buying stuff. I get all tingly walking into Storables myself, I get it! But, but, but, I know the pitfalls of buying first and I see unused organizing products and organizing books in clients homes all the time.
1) You don’t actually know what you need until you know what you have. I have literally worked with clients that I thought were going to need big wall units from Ikea to hold all their stuff. Then they went through their belongings, made solid decisions about what to keep or let go and boom-they didn’t need 2 wall units, just one. I recently had one client who didn’t even need a wall unit once they decluttered a closet that could then be used for storage.
The moral of the story-declutter first, see what you have left and then reward yourself with a shopping trip to store everything that you chose to keep. Don’t forget to label!
If you missed it, you can read home organization mistake #1 here.
Tags: Container Store, decluttered, Decluttering, decluttering process, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, home organization mistakes, Ikea, Storables, Target
OK, Stop, Collaborate and Listen, it’s time to look at the top 3 home organization mistakes that I want you to avoid so I can save you a few headaches! Who needs another headache anyway?
Home Organization Mistake #1: Being unclear about how you want to use your room or space before you dig in to declutter.
Sit down and think about what activities you want to do in the space, how you want the area to look and how you want it to feel? Do you want to walk into the room and feel relaxed, energized, productive or peaceful?
Take time to write down how the activities that you want to use the space for. This makes it much easier to know what items to keep & what to let go or pass on. If an item doesn’t fit in with your goals for that room, then part with it or store it in another room of your home.
Home organization mistake #2-coming up!
Tags: declutter, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, home organization mistakes, room, space, top 3 home organization mistakes
urItalian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, created the 80/20 rule or Pareto Principle. Which is:
“The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.” Wikipedia
- 20% of our activities account for 80% of our results
- 20% of our clients will account for 80% of our sales
- 20% of our tasks will account for 80% of the value of what we do
With this in mind, you can apply it to our stuff in our homes as well. Whenever I talk about cleaning out closets, I let people know that generally we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. That means we tend to wear the same things over and over while having a lot of other clothes just hanging there taking up valuable space.
With that in mind, it’s important to look at what we are really using in our homes and determine whether or not we have a lot of stuff just sitting there while using the same items over & over. When you are ready to start the decluttering process, I suggest that you place all items of the same type together so you see the sheer volume of what you have and then choose the best ones to keep.
In your closet that may mean keeping only your best & favorite shoes & belts. In the kitchen that may mean only keeping your best and favorite coffee mugs. In the bathroom that may mean only keeping your best and favorite shampoos and perfumes. In the laundry room that may mean only keeping the cleaning products that work the best.
You too can declutter your home by keeping the best and letting go of the rest!
Tags: 80/20 rule, Add new tag, declutter, declutter your home, decluttering process, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Pareto Principle, Vilfredo Pareto
Did you really have to buy everything that you have been using recently? It seems that when we need something or when we even think we might need something, we run right out and buy it. But maybe that’s really not the best way for us to do things. The more we bring into our homes, there’s more of a chance that we are going to throw off our clutter-to-calm ratio and have too much clutter on our hands. One way we can strive to reduce clutter is by borrowing something instead of buying it, at least find out if it’s an option before you run to the store. Maybe you need a baking dish in a size you would hardly ever use, can you borrow one from a family member or friend? Maybe you are making cheesecake for your first time, can you borrow a pan to make sure you like making cheesecake first? Maybe you are going out on the town, can you borrow a shirt from a friend before running out and buying a new one?
Not only will borrowing from others help you reduce clutter in your own home, it will also save you money-now that’s a win/win!
So the next time you need something, at least pause and ask yourself if someone else has it that would be willing to let you borrow it before you make the decision to buy it!
Your home organization expert-Monika
Tags: clutter, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, reduce clutter, reduce stress
Have you ever had trouble thinking or moving in a room because you felt overwhelmed by all of the stuff? I know in my own office, if I start having too many papers out all at once, I feel like I can’t think straight to work. Fortunately for me, I have a system in place so I can restore order quickly and get to work. But with my clients, I find they feel stuck.
So, even though you may feel overwhelmed, it’s time to tackle those areas that are stressing you out and get organized now. Take back your space, you’re the boss! When you start to make progress, you will feel better and you will feel more in control. Getting organized is more than just getting rid of some stuff, it can actually be life-changing.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, keep these organizing tips in mind:
- Use the time of day that you have the most energy to tackle your project.
- Set a timer for the amount of time you can comfortably work, even just 30 minutes will make a difference!
- Choose one area at a time to declutter. It may be one drawer, it may be one wall unit, just choose one area and then move onto the next.
- Remember that it took a while to get disorganized so it’s ok for it to take a while to get organized again.
- Bring in reinforcements to help you through friends, family or a professional organizer. Having someone next you can make the process easier and more fun too.
- Put on some music to get you going-I love music!
It’s well worth your time, energy and efforts to get organized so you won’t feel overwhelmed in your space anymore!
Tags: declutter, disorganized, DIY organization, get organized, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, organizing tips, professional organizer, space
I was teaching a class this week on garage organizing and one of the points I brought home was to try not to get overwhelmed by your organizing projects. I know that can be easier said then done. When you are looking a covered floor covered with who-knows-what, shelves jammed to the brim and boxes that haven’t been opened for years, it can be overwhelming. But you can break it down and make it manageable, you can get organized in 15 minutes a day if you just keep plugging away at it consistently and you stop bringing new things into your home during the process.
When I am decluttering with a client, we don’t have a crew, it’s not TV and we can only take one area at a time. We can’t take on 3 areas at a time now can we? So, how do we do it?
- We find the area that is causing the most distress and we start there. This is often on the floor because we may not be able to enter the room until we create space to walk.
- We make sure all of our supplies are next to us-garbage can, donation bag, recycle bag, etc.
- We stay focused by staying in the area that we committed to. It’s when you start jumping all over the place and start zigzag organizing that you’ll be in trouble.
- The client makes decisions on what to part with and what to keep quickly.
- When we finish the area we committed to, we move onto the next area if there is time left during our appointment.
If you can’t carve out long periods of time to get organized, such as 2-3 hours, then commit to 15 minutes a day. Set a timer and go for it, you can do anything for just 15 minutes, even something you might not want to do! 
Tags: Decluttering, DIY organization, Garage Organizing, get organized, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, organizing projects
I was teaching a class about decluttering earlier this week and I presented the many ways that disorganization costs us before coveri the solutions. How does clutter affect you and what is the cost? Here are some of the many reasons why we should blast clutter and take back our space!
Clutter & disorganization can cost you:
Emotionally: The emotions I often hear are stress, overwhelmed, frustrated and angry.
Physically/Health: If you cannot deep clean your home, you could suffer from allergies or injuries. You may also have physical affects from stress and may not feel like you have the time to take care of yourself.
Relationships: Often people are embarrassed to invite friends and family into their homes. They may also have discord within the family regarding the condition of the home, especially between husband and wife. Kids can also be resentful if they feel like they can’t invite friends into their home.
Financially: Just think about when you are searching for something you already own in your home and you can’t find it. What do you do? You go out and buy another one. Now you’ve just spent money that you didn’t need to spend and you’ve created more clutter. I also find that clients often lose money. It’s very common for professional organizers to uncover money with clients when we help them sort through paperwork. The best find I’ve had so far was $500 cash in a box that had been in the trunk of a car; that was a great day!
Time: Wading through clutter takes time and when you can’t find what you need, it usually comes with a dose of stress. Who needs a dose of stress?! And time is money, if you are losing time running your business or at your office, you are losing money.
There really are many more ways that disorganization comes at a cost, but this is a great starting point to realize that it’s not just about donating some stuff to charity, getting organized is about solving lot of other issues in your life. And that’s a good thing!
Tags: clutter, Decluttering, disorganization, DIY organization, getting organized, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, professional organizers
Picture walking into a room and looking at the desk in front of you, a desk meant for your child to sit at to complete their homework. The desk is sporting an empty chip bag, some library books, a few Legos, coloring paper, random toy cars, 3 puzzle pieces and pencils and markers are strewn about. Or is this your desk? Either way, it’s not a desk that is functioning properly for anyone to work at.
Let’s turn that around and easily turn a cluttered desk into a fully functioning desk-yeah! Just follow these easy organizing tips to help your child clear a space and get their homework done with fewer hassles.
Organizing Tip #1: Remove everything from the desk that shouldn’t ‘live’ there, this is the time to remove wrappers, puzzle pieces and Legos, etc.
Organizing Tip #2: Place items that are used less frequently further away from the workspace. A great solution is to place shelves above the desk to house reference books or extra supplies like computer paper. This is a great way to use often overlooked wall space.
Organizing Tip #3: Place items that are used the most, closest to the workspace and don’t keep more than you need; you don’t need 3 pencils cups when one will do. Place items like scissors, glue and pencils close at hand.
Organizing Tip #4: If your child likes to move around your home to do homework such as on the floor or in another room, then create a mobile supply caddy. For more on how to create a homework supply caddy, please read more here.
Organizing Tip #5: Help kids maintain their now neat desk by decluttering and organizing on a regular basis. Just like areas in our own home don’t just stay organized, neither will theirs. Set a schedule to deal with the wrappers and toys that may find their way back to the desk once again. When you have a system in place, restoring order should be much easier than it was starting from scratch.
Help your child learn valuable organizing skills while getting homework down with fewer headaches because who really needs another headache anyway?!
Organized Children's Desk
Tags: Decluttering, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, organizing kids, organizing skills, organizing tips, paper organizing
This looks weird doesn’t it? Last night I was touching up my roots all by myself for the first time (yes, I admit it) while wearing these sturdy, little rubber gloves that came inside the package. I was rinsing out my hair, thinking to myself, “These are really nice little gloves.” Of course it seems like nice, little gloves should be kept just in case I need them for something in the future. But then my professional organizer brain took over and I asked myself, “What would I actually use them for?” And I didn’t have an answer. But still thinking they were nice gloves, I laid them on the counter to dry so I could sleep on it. Well, I slept on it, took a picture for this blog and then threw the gloves in the garbage. I just can’t justify keeping them and taking up space if I can’t think of how or when I will use them and they are stained so I don’t want to toss them in the donation bag.
To organize your home, really think about how you will use something before you decide to keep it or even bring it into your home. Sure, lots of things look like they could be handy or useful, but you should ask yourself if you will truly use them and ask if you already have enough. Sure margarine tubs can be useful, but how many do you have? Sure Tupperware works great, but do you still have the lids to use them effectively? You get the picture…
Declutter by kicking excess stuff to the curb so you have room for the things you really do enjoy and use in your home. Donate those items so someone else can use them, recycle them to help the environment or throw them away if they are beyond repair.
Tags: declutter, DIY organization, donate, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, organize your home, professional organizer
