I don’t know about you, but for me, fall is a time to organize. A lot of people will organize certain areas of their homes along with their spring cleaning, which makes sense. But for me, I like to spread myself around a little. 🙂 No matter what time of year you decide to get organized, here are 5 basic steps to getting any space whipped in to shape.
1. What’s the Plan?
Before you actually begin organizing, you’ll need a plan. Evaluate the space and decide what purpose is the best fit. Is it a pantry? Closet? Crafting zone? Office? Maybe it’s a guest or multipurpose room. Whatever it is, it usually helps to empty the space first, so you can really see the size, shape, and other elements that will be involved.
2. Donate
Now that you’ve evaluated the space, it’s time to decide whether each item should stay or go. Look at each piece one at a time and think about it….but not for too long! If you haven’t used it in a while or don’t really need it (be honest with yourself here), it can go in the donate pile.
3. Sort it Out
Once you’ve decide what stays and what goes, it’s time to organize things into real-life categories. Have bags, bins, and boxes ready! Anything that doesn’t need to be stored in that closet any longer can be thrown into a temporary “relocate” bin to put away in the proper place later.
4. Organize
For most of us, this is the more enjoyable part. And if you don’t enjoy it, think about how nice that closet, office, drawer, or file cabinet will be when this is all over and you can finally find everything. When planning where to put everything, think about how to maximize the space. Should you use stackable bins? Wall shelving? Over-door storage or overhead racks? Don’t be afraid to use wall and ceiling space in order to save room to move around inside. And of course, use labels on every container.
5. Maintain
As you know, a house is never just “done.” There will always be laundry, papers, leftovers, dirty dishes, and more to take care of, and the same principle applies to any organization project. Once you have your things sorted and put away, it will take maintenance to keep it neat. Visit the space at least weekly, and make sure things are put away in the right place when they’re done being used.
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