“I have got to get organized!” Have you said this lately? Maybe even said it today? Well, you are not alone. I hear this often from friends, family, even myself! It may not make your top 3 New Year’s Resolutions, but I’m sure it crosses your mind frequently.
But what do we REALLY mean when we want to get organized?
Is it getting rid of some old stuff in your attic? Is it going thru and donating old clothes that don’t fit? Is it finally unloading those last 5 boxes you never unpacked when you moved years ago? Maybe. If you really ask yourself, what does “getting organized” really mean, I think you’ll find something deeper. Perhaps what you really feel is something like:
I’ll tell you friend, IT IS POSSIBLE!
You are not alone. Many families have been there. You would be surprised and relieved to know that just a little effort and motivation will get you and your family past the place you are now and on the path to peace in the home! For the next few weeks, I’ll be focusing on the heart of getting organized and provide solutions to kick-start this new year on a positive path.
The first step to getting organized is to GET RID OF CLUTTER.
I know you feel like you don't have time. But, do you have 5 minutes a day? The job of decluttering doesn’t have to take hours at a time. You can make slow and steady progress in just a few minutes a day. Here’s how.
But WHAT do you declutter?
As you go thru the room, grab items that are broken, damaged or expired, Put those items in the trash or recycle bags. For items that still work are not damaged but you don’t use or want them; put those in the donate bag. Make you goal to gather 20 items each day. At the end of 5 minutes, empty the bags into their containers for weekly pick-up. Note – GET FAMILY INVOLVED. Offer a dime or quarter per item the kids collect to give away!
Five minutes a day consistently every day will add up to a bigger declutter job. Slow & steady wins the race. Consistency builds habits. Developing a habit of daily decluttering is a great first step to getting organized and STAYING organized. You can do this!
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I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe we are already one week into the new year! If you haven’t yet taken down your decorations, and need a little nudge to get you motived, KEEP READING because I have 3 great tips for storing Holiday Decorations that will save you TIME and MONEY! Take a little time to declutter. It is worth it! I'm not talking a full blown purge session, but before you store your decorations, take a few minutes to assess what you have. - Minimize. The more you have, the more time it takes to put up and take down. Evaluate the joy the item gives to your family against the time needed. If it's not worth the time and energy, then let it go! - Trash items that are broken. Light strands, ornaments, inflatables. Do not continue to store thinking you'll fix one day. I've spent hours trying to get a broken light strand to work. It is not worth it! Trash and move on! - Donate items that are in good working order, but you have not used in last two years. Styles change. Don’t hang on to these things because you MAY want to use them again. Think about how happy someone less fortunate will be and how happy they would be to have that decoration that is sitting in a box in your basement. If the items you trashed need to be replaced next year, make a quick note in your calendar now for the month of October to purchase replacements. Making a note now while it's fresh on your mind will save you the trouble trying to remember in 10 months. Looking for directions and tips on what and how to declutter? Read here! Use standard storage totes There are so many tools, tricks out there. It is VERY easy to buy things because they are cute or appear to be functional. But you don't need them. Here are a few key items I do recommend using:
Limit Special Storage totes. You don't need them! Please, please do not go crazy buying every single gadget out there. It is quick and easy to replicate the inserts. With the standard 66 QT Sterilite along with some homemade inserts, you can easily manage the standard decorations, such as:
Store items logically placing like things together. If your box is for outside lights, store hooks or accessories needed for this purpose. A few other tips for storing boxes:
If you are looking for ways to maximize your storage space, read here! I hope this post has given you some ideas and motivation to do some light decluttering and get those decorations packed up using standard, low cost materials saving you time and money!!
Do you want to get organized but need movitvation or inspriation, contact us today! We would love to help you get started! I absolutely love that week between Christmas and New Year's Day. The crazy time preparing for the holiday has passed and you just spend time with family and friends relaxing and celebrating life. But you known what else? I also use this week to spend some good quality time focusing on my home. This week in particular, while the attic is empty of decorations, I have made it an annual habit to go through our attic and DECLUTTER! I tell you, the couple of hours I spend doing this each year makes such a difference. Something about clearing out the old and organizing this space gets me motivated, energized and gets my spirit ready for a productive year! So, you may be thinking, why in the world would I spend my time off organizing my attic? I don't enjoy doing that kind of stuff. I get it, I am kind of an oddball. But to help convince you to give it a try, here are some benefits of organizing. Benefits of Organizing Storage SpacesSaves money. How many times have you purchased an item only to find that you already had 2 or more of them? That is super frustrating, right? Remember that scene from Christmas Vacation when Clark finds the gift in the attic he should have given out years ago? Don't be a Clark. Taking time to declutter and organize your things makes it easy to know what you have so you don't go out and buy more. In this way, being organized can save you money! Saves time and energy. Think for a moment about how much time you have spent today looking for things - your keys, your phone, your wallet or purse. These few minutes a day here and there really start to add up. When you organize a space or your entire home, everything has it's place. Building habits such as putting things back every day help keep your space organized. You will spend less time "looking for things" because you know where they are! More likely to get help from family. Now I've gotten your attention! Yes, it is true! The best way to get help from family is to make the task EASY. Having a designated place for everything and then teaching the family where things go makes it easy for them to help. Are you starting to see how just starting to get organized can get you motivated and energized? Great! Maximizing SpaceLet's get back to topic of decluttering storage spaces before all those Holiday decorations go back. Take a few minutes to examine your storage space. As you do, think about ways to maximize the space to make it more functional in these 3 ways: The Floor. We'll start from the ground up! If your storage space is an attic, then you likely have some flooring in your attic, but not a lot. You can add plywood flooring to ceiling to increase floor space for storage. A few quick notes & a disclaimer.
Go Vertical. Instead of just stacking items, consider these two ideas:
Overhead. Store items that are large, but lightweight overhead. We store our folding tables and some large clothing boxes with clothes overhead. For garage spaces, there are systems that suspend from the ceiling or you can increase height of wall shelves to take advantage of the wall space available. Get creative, but be safe. Note on lighting. It is worth it to have accessible lighting in storage spaces so you can see well and be safe. Consider adding a light fixture or use brighter bulbs. Also, make sure switch or pull string is close to entrance of space I hope this post has provided you with some ideas to inpire you to spend a little time to focus on maximizing and organzing your own storage areas. You will reap the benefit of this effort by saving money, energy, and time in the future AND making it easy for your family to help put things away where they belong! Come back for more ideas on declutting, getting organized and STAYING organized!
If you're wanting to get organized but need more inspiration or motivation, contact us today! We would love to help you get started!
Is your first step when starting an organizing project is buying new containers, bins, or hangers? Do you think organizing is moving things from one box to another, bigger container? If so, then, you’re making the biggest and most common mistake in organizing.
You may not be disorganized; you may just have too much stuff!
To organize your space the right way, your first step should be to PURGE or Declutter items you no longer use. Don't spend time Organizing clutter! How to Purge (or declutter)
DECIDE one area of your home to focus for this session. If the area feels overwhelming, start small. Pick 1 drawer, 1 shelf, or even 1 pile.
PREPARE. Once you’ve decided on your space, you need to spend a few minutes preparing for the PURGE.
START. This is likely the hardest step.
Don’t over think or talk yourself out of starting.
TAKE A BREAK. After 20 minutes, set timer for 5 minutes and take a break, but stay in the space.
Look at what you accomplished! Do you feel an emotional weight has lifted? Glance at amount of items in each pile. If there are no items in trash or donate, revisit the KEEP pile.
WRAP UP. Take next 5 minutes to do the following:
If Trash or Recycling containers are full, take outside. Move donation items to your car.
REPEAT. Keep repeating steps above in 30 minute intervals until you stop for the day or finish going thru the space.
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