Organization Class-Part III

If you'll remember last week, we talked about how in order to organize a space you have to clean it out first. Hopefully, it worked out for you! This week we're going to continue on with the next step which is sorting. If you made it through editing then sorting will be a breeze!

• The trick to sorting is to break your project up into small pieces.
• Try not to get overwhelmed as you go through what you've decided to keep.
• Make a pile for each thing you'll be keeping, according to likeness, color, etc.
• Categorize things in a way that make sense to you. When I organized my pantry, I sorted things this way. In one bin I placed all the breads and also included peanut butter, so everything to make a sandwich is right there. I did the same when I organized my laundry room. I put all the bathroom cleaners into one container, etc. Makes sense to me!
• When organizing a child's space, keep the categories general and simple. Your kids will be more likely to maintain the space if they understand how it's arranged.

And there you have it. Sorting is easy and quick. Next week comes the real fun when we get to place our items back in their space! You'll love it I promise!

Click here to see how I "tackled" my girls' hair accessories!

Organization Class--Part II

Hello, again! I hope you've given some thought to your organization homework from last week because now we're going to talk about the three steps you must know to organize any space. It comes in a little rhyme to make it easier to remember.

To organize any space think:

Edit

Sort

Place

Easy, huh? So let's talk about editing, otherwise known as purging shall we?

When you have a space to organize, and I'm talking about any space; a cupboard, a drawer, a pantry, a closet, or an entire room. The first thing you have to do is purge the space of any unnecessary things. After all, when it comes time to put things back you don't want to make precious room for something you didn't really want or need in the first place right?

So many people are tempted to go out and buy all the fancy storage solutions that are out there but you must purge first! Often the things you need to place your items are already there, they're just being under-utilized. So how do you go about it?

First you need to pull everything out of the space. Do a little at a time depending on the size of the space. Decide what stays and what goes. Make a pile for things to keep, things to donate, and things to trash.

It seems to me that some people develop an emotional attachment to their things. I find this especially common in my parents' generation. To them I say this: "An item only has value if you benefit from it; otherwise it's clutter. If you haven’t used it in a year, name a specific occasion when you will need it, or get rid of it. And don’t feel bad about tossing old gifts. The love came from the person who gave you the gift, not from the actual sweater or gadget. You received and enjoyed the kind thoughts, so let the object go.”  Quote from Family Circle Magazine

I tell my kids all the time, "If we kept everything that we ever acquired or that someone else gave us, then eventually those things would end up filling up and taking over our whole house."

Being able to have time to spend with my family is more important to me than trying to hold onto things. Holding onto things I don't need clutters my house, keeps me from being able to find things when I really need them, wastes my time, which in turn makes me feel anxious and grumpy, and detracts from the peaceful feeling I strive to keep in my home!

So there you have it, edit your space, let go of the things that don't matter because they are, after all, just things. You cannot take them with you when you die and all that will end up happening is you'll leave your loved ones with the burden of trying to purge for you.

Click here for an example of how I organized my pantry from start to finish.

Organization Class- Part 1

And I'm back! Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this blog but I do have some good reasons! I've been taking care of some very sick kids for the past two weeks and also I've been preparing a class on organization that I just taught on Tuesday at my church.

Now that the kids are on the mend and my class is all done, I thought I'd take the next few weeks to review what I taught in the class. So here goes!

Part I- A House of Order
First of all I had the class envision the inside of an LDS temple. If you're not LDS click on the link to see what I'm talking about. We then discussed what makes a temple orderly and came up with these answers: Nothing is ever out of place or cluttered. Everyone has a job to do and performs it in a timely and orderly fashion. It is always clean.

I then quoted this scripture from a book called The Doctrine and Covenants which is a book of revelation revealed to the first prophet of our church, Joseph Smith. The scripture says, "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. D&C 132:8.

"A clean organized room can bring the Spirit of the Lord." This is a quote I found when I was teenager and loved it so much I wrote it down on a little card to be displayed on my bedroom mirror. Back then I was not organized or neat. After years of constantly being punished for not keeping my room clean, my mom finally gave up and let me live in my filth. And I did, quite happily!

As I became a grown-up, however, and became in charge of an entire household, I realized that order and cleanliness make my house run smoother. They make things less stressful. They teach my kids to respect their home, their mother, and themselves. And most importantly, they make my home a peaceful place to be.

So here comes your challenge for the week:
Think of one room in your house or area in your life that is disorganized and ponder these questions:

1. What don't you like about it?
2. How does it make you feel?
3. How does it keep you from accomplishing what you want?

Next time we'll be discussing the first step in organizing any space albeit a drawer, closet or an entire room! Happy pondering. :)

If you're interested in learning more about my faith. Click here!