April 10, 2008
Spring Decluttering and Organizing
Spring is the traditional season to clean, declutter and organize homes and offices. In order to do that, there are two questions that need to be answered: where to begin and how to get started. There is often more to do than time allows for and thinking about it can be overwhelming. Organizing your thoughts and planning your attack before doing the actual hands on work will make it go faster and easier.
First, list all of the target areas you want to address. Next, break down large projects into smaller tasks and determine what steps you need to take to complete each of them. Be sure to have an ample supply of trash bags or boxes on hand. Label five of them: Toss, Recycle, Repair, Donate/Sell, and Keep and use them generously as you are going through your things.
Make a commitment to achieving your decluttering/organizing goals by scheduling appointments with yourself. Put them in your planner or on your calendar and treat them just like you would any other important appointment. Start off by working 15 - 30 minutes at a time and increase that as your tolerance, ability and confidence increase. Start with the area(s) bothering you the most.
Having too much "stuff" can create waste. You waste time looking for what you want; waste precious space on items you seldom or never use; waste money on storage, maintenance and insurance and waste energy thinking about organizing all of it. Recognizing that you are being held hostage by your possessions is the first step towards simplifying. Simplifying does not mean living a possession-less life. It means eliminating those things that drain you of time, money, space and energy. Decide what simple living means to you and bear that in mind as you proceed. Vow to keep only what you use, love and can comfortably manage and your life will be easier. Get rid of things that are torn, broken beyond your willingness to repair them or worn out, but please don't relegate unused or unloved items to the landfills. It's wasteful and selling or giving them as a donation will mean cash in your pocket and/or a tax deduction. For more information on where to sell or donate items, please visit the Resources page of my website.
When you think about the organizing process think retrieval, not storage. The ultimate goal is to be able to find what you want when you want it. Since most of us use 80% of our possessions only 20% of the time, scrutinize the 80% very carefully and be willing to determine its true importance so you can make an informed decision about whether it stays or goes. If it’s going to stay, determine where is it going to go and how is it going to be stored. When deciding what to keep, avoid playing mind games with yourself about how items that add little or nothing to your life might be useful someday. Ask yourself when was the last time you used the item and under what circumstances would you need it again. If you haven’t used it in two years or more and can't envision when you would need it in the future, let it go.
Once you're done purging (reducing the number of things you have), you will discover that you now have more room in/on your closets, shelves, drawers, file cabinets, bookcases, etc. for the beautiful, useful and meaningful things you have chosen to keep. Use your newfound space wisely and be sure to leave yourself some breathing room. Avoid adding any new storage areas or furniture, as this will just create more places to accumulate clutter and start you on the road to disorganization again. Storing items close to the places where they are used will make it easy to find what you want when you want it. The more steps it takes to do something the less likely it is to get done.
While I think a top-to-bottom Spring cleaning is a great way to get rid of the winter cobwebs in our spaces and our heads - and spending your time getting organized now means you will have more free time later on – you don't have to think of it as the all-or-nothing operation it is often viewed as. You can do it all or just a little at a time. Since organizing is a lifelong, ongoing process, not a one-time event, the point is to get started and have a concrete, realistic plan for continuing. Since organizing is all about changing behaviors and making wise choices, choose what works best for you.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009