Revamp your life and start organizing now!
“How do I start?!”
This is one question I’m asked frequently so I thought today I would dive more into this topic.
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Begin at the beginning
For a lot of people organizing their physical space (or emotional space) is daunting. You look around your home and think “there’s just too much I just don’t know where to start”. You may come up with a plan of attack and then just never seem to put it into action. Or maybe you do put your plan into action and then become overwhelmed. First off, both of those scenarios are totally normal and common, so stop beating yourself up about it.
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Normally the root of this problem is you simply bite off more than you can chew. Instead of going slowly and logically there is a tendency to do ALL THE THINGS right now in a weekend.
Now listen, I may burst your bubble, but organizing your entire life is not going to happen in a weekend. Heck, organizing your home will not take a weekend. So take a deep breath and give yourself TIME.
Supplies
Before beginning on this organizational journey I suggest gathering together a couple of supplies. Either 3 boxes or 3 big bags, depending on what you have on hand. Designate one bag for donation, one for trash and one for selling (if you choose to). Keep these bags or boxes in a place where they are all easily accessible. I recommend you keep them closed or tied off, to keep yourself from second guessing your decisions and/or little people pulling stuff out. Got that together? Okay awesome let’s move on.
Check out my post “The organizational snowball”
Start small
To organize your physical spaces I recommend that you start small. Set aside a certain amount of time each day (or on the weekend depending on your schedule and lifestyle) that you will devote to organizing your spaces. This is a great opportunity to form a new habit! Just spending 20 minutes a day organizing a space will add up over time and before you know it you’ll be living in a space tailored to you and your family.
Start with just a drawer in your kitchen or bathroom. That’s it. Just one drawer. Declutter and organize that one drawer and then stop. You may feel super excited and say “omg but Lauren I’m on a roll I’m going to empty all the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen and just get this done in the next hour”. Okay, that’s cool but that’s not going to happen. That’s when overwhelm and burnout happen and you will 9/10 throw your hands up in frustration and decide being organized isn’t for you. Go back to the first paragraph and please go slow.
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Be ruthless
So you’ve opened that drawer and are diving in and you may be wondering what you should keep and what should go into one of those waiting boxes or bags. So ask yourself some tough questions (I promise over time this gets easier).
Does this object have a purpose and is that purpose being fulfilled?
Is it a necessity?
Is this a double of something I already have?
Do I have a similar item that does the same job?
Does this object belong in this space? Or does it need to be put back in its proper place?
Remember, this is your home and your space. The objects we choose to keep in our space should reflect who we are and fill a purpose. To accept anything less than that is despairing. Don’t keep objects because you feel you have too. For example, if someone gave you a glass bowl for your birthday 10 years ago but it no longer makes you happy and/or serves a purpose, let it go. Personally I’ve never been asked by a gift giver where their gift is, and if I ever am I’ll be honest and say that it had found a new home. Don’t feel guilty for crafting a life that is perfect for you and your family.
Need more inspiration? Check out this blog post where I go into detail on how I organize every area of our lives!
Clean as you go
Purging a space and completely emptying it of its contents means that you have a blank slate. Which is the perfect opportunity to clean it! Grab a rag and all purpose spray and wipe that space down so you’re ready to neatly organize everything.
Purchase storage last
One mistake some tend to make is purchasing ALL THE STORAGE CUBES before they begin tackling the space they want to purge and organize. Sometimes what happens is you discover you don’t actually need those beautiful cubes, and in actuality don’t need anything because you removed it from your space.
Wait until you have finished purging a space before purchasing things to hold things in. And even before that try and look around your home to see if there are storage solutions you already have instead of spending money.
Lastly, give yourself a break. Becoming organized is a marathon, not a sprint. I 100% believe that you can organize all aspects of your life and am right here cheering you on!
Happy organizing!
