NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION…
2015 is the year to CONQUER YOUR CLUTTER and GET ORGANIZED!
Are you feeling overwhelmed and totally stressed out with the clutter in your home? Do you have piles of paper and stuff everywhere? Do you feel like your house is a mess and therefore suffer with CHAOS – Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome? Vow to make 2015 the year to finally restore a sense of order and calm to your life. You CAN conquer the clutter in your home and create an organized system where there is “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
5 Tips On Decluttering and Getting Organized:
- Make a commitment to get your home into shape. You have to WANT it! You need that “eye-of-the-tiger” and determination to really do it. It IS hard work in the beginning but just remember to keep your eye on the prize… a clutter-free home you can enjoy and be proud of. Just like eating right and exercising is how you maintain a healthy lifestyle, being organized is a life-style too. Once you get organized, you want to stay organized.
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The GOOD NEWS: Getting your home into shape is A LOT easier than getting your body into shape. When you declutter, you are creating space. You get results instantly. It’s easier than you think. Dare I say, decluttering and organizing can and should be fun!
- Get yourself BANANA BOXES! Yes, you read that correctly. As a Professional Organizer, this is my absolute favorite organizing tool. You can get them at most grocery stores- for FREE! They are sturdy, they have handles and they stack beautifully. Why banana boxes and what are we supposed to do with them you ask? Well, START SORTING! The first step in the decluttering and getting organized process is sorting all your items into CATEGORIES. Each banana box represents a category. Example: T-shirts in one box, bathing suits in another box, unopened mail/paper in another box, etc. Keep going. This is how you start to create your system. Your foundation for order.
- Decide what items you are going to KEEP, DONATE, SELL or TRASH.
As you are sorting through all of your items, have a big trash bag ready. The items that “jump out at you” that you know are broken- trash ‘em. Get ‘em out. That’s a no-brainer.
Have a big box or bag ready for donations (Goodwill, Church, Synagogue, etc.) The items that are still good but you really never use or never wear- donate. Feel good about donating. Remember the famous saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. “ So true.
For the items you want to sell, consider having a Garage Sale, Ebay, Craig’s List, Consignment Shops, etc.
- Create HOMES for all your items. This part is crucial! For the items you are going to KEEP, you need to know where every single item “lives”. Once you’ve decluttered and you’re left with only the items you’re keeping, now the magic will start happening. Your organized system, your foundation, will start to take shape!
- MAINTAIN your clutter-free and organized system by always doing the following:
- Put every item you use back in its proper HOME.
- Always store “like items” with “like items”. Don’t mix your categories.
- “One item in, one item out” rule. Only keep what you have the room to store. If you don’t have the use for it or don’t have the room to store it, don’t buy it.
The trick to staying organized is just keeping up with your system. Staying organized is all about forming new habits. Once you get into your new routine, you will find that keeping a clutter-free, organized home is easier than you think and life will run so much smoother and more efficiently.
Now, go forth, DECLUTTER, GET ORGANIZED and HAVE FUN!
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