Ring in the New Year with resolutions to take your home to a new level of organization. There’s no time like the present to tackle projects, determining to make 2011 your most organized year yet. For the five Sundays in January, look for tips and ideas to shape up your space right here.
Clutter in general is a major complaint when it comes to the obstacles to getting and STAYING organized. So as the year starts off, let’s get back to basics. Tackle clutter by getting to the root of the issue. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: my favorite motto about organization is “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Clutter builds because the “stuff” does not have a proper home within your home. So you pass it by or pick it up, only to leave it right there because you cannot determine immediately what should be done with it. So you do nothing for now. Am I right? Repeat this process with enough random items, and you’re living in a clutter space.
Break the cycle. Eliminate clutter by giving value to the things you keep in your home – enough value to need them, use them, and store them properly. If you do not need something, do not use it, and do not care for it, let it go. Pass it down, donate it, or throw it away. Easier said than done? Yes. But the rewards you heap onto your home and your family, if you commit to this process, are where the true value can be found.
Hit the hot spots, the areas frequently cluttered. Ask yourself why; determine what is piling up in certain areas and for what reasons. Do pieces of mail and other paperwork brought into the home seem to end up in a pile on the kitchen counter? You may need a designated mail area where you can quickly sort what requires action, filing, or throwing away, and have the right supplies to carry that out on a regular basis. Is the back door a mess of shoes, backpacks, and sports gear? You could incorporate a system that fits your family’s needs, including boot trays, hooks, bins, and cubbies or shelving, to get you all in and out the door in a neat fashion.
Everyone’s needs vary. Maybe you struggle with books, magazines, toys, small appliances, cooking and bake ware, hobby supplies, linens, accessories, photos, or knick knacks. Regardless, the ultimate keys are: 1) to keep and store only what you really need and want and banish the excess from your home; 2) incorporate the right supplies – bins, containers, baskets, and specialty storage pieces – to fully utilize your space and create that “place for everything;” and 3) maintain the systems you set up through frequent picking-up and clearing-out to keep “everything in its place.” That’s how you get your January off to a fresh start.
DesignInMind Column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star on January 2nd.
