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.