Do you feel overwhelmed when you think about decluttering your closet or tackling the playroom? Does the garage make you want to turn back in fear when you think about organizing the junk that’s taken years to accumulate in that catch all space where people claim you’re supposed to park your car? Well look no further. Organizing is my superpower and I’d love to share with you how to organize ANYTHING with these 5 simple steps.

When I see a disorganized space, I get excited! In clutter, I see potential for my superpowers to get to work. Honestly, I feel like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I can visualize everything floating to where it should be, magically making the room right again, making calm from the chaos. Ok, so I know that sounds crazy, but it is what I see in my mind. If only it were that simple though.

For you, organizing and decluttering can be that simple!

Just dive in and leave a bit of guilt and emotional baggage at the door. (easier said than done sometimes…) Tag this post on Pinterest or share on Facebook so you can keep coming back to it! You’ll be amazed at what following these simple steps can accomplish.

You’ve got this. Let’s get started!  

1. TAKE EVERYTHING OUT and do a rough sort

Instead of doing little bits at a time, a practice where you’re bound to lose motivation and get lost in the process, take EVERYTHING OUT. Are you working on your clothes? Pile every single item on your bed to see what you truly have. During the “take everything out” process, I often do my rough sort, grouping like items in piles around the room or on the table. I recently went through our “big closet”. It holds all the hanging clothes for our family: shoes, dress clothes, office supplies, party decorations, memorabilia, books and more! I took everything out and the entire bedroom was filled. We couldn’t go to bed if the job didn’t get done that day! Instant motivation. Besides seeing the true volume of what you have and not missing any items, this step makes sure you get the job done!

2. Recycle and Trash

Instantly pair down the mess by getting rid of items that should have been trashed long ago or recycled. Sometimes there is guilt associated with trashing items, even if we know they are no longer needed and hold no value for anyone else either. Your concert tee shirt from college with holes in it? Trash. I know it was a fun time, but you can hold on to that memory without the ratty old tee shirt that will never be worn again and spends 99 % of its time buried in a forgotten drawer.

Paper in our house, seems to multiply and take over and ends up in the strangest places. I would say 98 percent of all paper can be recycled, most is unimportant and can be found online. No need to hold on to or store it away. Just recycle, clear some space for yourself and move on.

3. Remove and relocate items that don’t belong

The biggest enemy to keeping a house tidy is not putting things back where they belong when you’re done using them. (Or… maybe it’s having children.) Either way, it seems that things always get misplaced. Returning items back to their proper place in the home, or at least to the room they should be in, will help you to declutter whatever area you’re currently working on.

4. Sort into 3 piles: keep, donate or trash

Whatever remains goes into three piles: Keep, donate, and trash

1. Keep: You love it. You use it. It makes you happy. It adds value to your life.

2. Donate: It is in good condition and can be used by someone else. However, in your home, it’s not reaching its potential. Let someone else find joy with it and be blessed by your ability to let things go.

3. Trash or Recycle: If items are beyond repair and you’re not willing to repair them, or they are just trash, don’t feel guilty. Trash them. No one wants your sweat stained t-shirts with holes. No one wants your worn-out socks. It can be hard at first to throw things out. People want you to feel guilty. But the damage is done. You’ve either used the item to its fullest and it is not wasteful to throw out, or you made a bad purchase and you can do better next time. You can’t change past, so throw it out and move on to being better in the future.   

5. Put away in a logical way, keeping like items together!

There are so many theories on how to organize your home. At this point, you do you! Put things back in a way that feels right to you. The most important thing is to not do this step until you have pared down and really know what you need to store. You’ll be amazed at the problems solved just by completing the steps above!

If you feel overwhelmed by your clutter, it’s time for a fresh start! I hope these steps can help you break through the barrier you get stuck at when you feel panicked just staring at a room full of stuff and don’t know where to begin. Decluttering your “stuff” will prompt you to take ownership of your space and confront why you’re living the way you are. Keep what will define how you want to live moving forward. In my experience, it can lead you to making other positive life changes, refocusing your vision on what is important to you. It’s a way to begin a cleansing process that can lead you down a path to better health and better self-care. I hope in some small way I can help you to start your journey.

If you’re really ready to declutter your home, I highly suggest reading Marie Kondo’s book: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It is so inspiring and details her extremely effective method for tidying your home.

Full disclosure, I’ve always loved tidying, organizing, and cleaning, but this book is truly amazing and motivating! I can’t praise it enough!

Start your journey today! Start with your clothes if you want to follow the KonMari Method. You won’t regret it! Simplify your life for less stress. You’ve got this!

Quick Tips:

  1. Start with bulkiest items first, it creates more space and has the most visual impact in your space which will help motivate you. 
  2. Leave items with emotional significance for last so you don’t get hung up on them and forget about the rest of your project. Begin by sorting items you have the least attachment to.
  3. If you’re struggling with what to keep. Ask yourself, does it add value to my life? If this item were gone, would I really miss it? Why am I not using this currently and can I fix it to make it something I will use in the future? Has this item already served it’s purpose, and is it time to let it bring someone else happiness? My favorite question was “If I were going to move, is this item worth packing in a box with care and carrying all the way to a new house?” If the answer is no, then… it’s not worth taking up space in your home now. Let it go and live your best clutter free life!

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