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Getting Organized – The Basics

Cottage Home, Featured, Home-Keeping, Organizing

the blog:

I must have said several times, ‘I’m going to get organized!’. For what did I get for Christmas, a crafty organizing carry-all. It’s pretty cool with drawers and such. But that craft closet is a scary monster right now! It’ll take more than that sweet carry-all! I’m so ready, this is my year, to finally get organized. I’m ready to simplify, to declutter and to know where things are – and find them there! Here are the basics I’m going to begin with.

Assess Each Room

I will take a straight-forward honest assessment of each room. Define your space. Only store those items in that room that support it’s use.

Evaluating:

  • The Room’s main function
  • Alternate Functions
  • Storage needs
  • Available storage

Combine Items and Create Topics:

  • What Needs to Be Stored
  • Items Most Used
  • Storage Topics: books, papers, office items, games, videos, clothing, craft items etc…
  • Decide Where Items Will Be Stored

Sorting System-Which Works Best For You:

  • Room by Room
  • Item by Item 
  • Category by Category

There are many ways to attack getting organized and sorting your items. What works best for you – If you want to go room by room, make sure that if you can’t stop – you DON’T put those things you’ve sorted back where you found them! You can use the box method, labelling them: discard, donate, other room, storage, other room, etc…

Simplify

Have you ever thought you were out of something only to find when cleaning that you had two or three of those items. Organizing and sorting will help with that. Also, we really have to honestly evaluate –

  • Do we really use that item?
  • Have you used it often – or for what it’s intended for?
  • Is this something you love, treasure?
  • Is it truly decorative?
  • Is it in good shape?

There are more questions we can ask ourselves, you get the idea!

Long-Term and Seasonal

I and I know many others, LOVE to transform the decor seasonally – Christmas is gone, now it’s time to decorate for winter, then spring, etc…Create a system where those items are stored and stored well.

Real Estate

You know in real estate one of the key criteria is ‘location, location, location’. That’s the same for storage – only let those things that are most important be stored in the drawers and cabinets that you intend them for. No stuffing away!

Give Yourself Time

This won’t take a day, a week or even a few weeks. Even though we’d like it too. Think of your goals and what you want to accomplish – visualize not only your home organized, but how you’ll enjoy it all the more when it is.

Few More Thoughts:

  • Stay focused
  • Avoid Procrastination
  • Don’t get Distracted (that one’s for me!)
  • Label, label, label – next to importance to ‘location, location, location’!
  • Contain It! One of my favorite – storage can be cute with decorative baskets and such!
  • Color Code – files, billing, seasonal – you name it!

O.K., I’m ready – are you? I’m pumped! I can visualize my home: a place for every thing and every thing in it’s place. I have to keep on top of myself, but I KNOW it’s doable! 

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