Organizing The New You….But How?
Is one of your goals /resolutions this year to be organized? Organize your home, organize your schedule, your kids, your life?
It can be done! But be careful not to bite off more than you can chew and end up in “it is too overwhelming and I don’t think I can do it” land.
Here is how to start.
Planning
- Sit down with a pad of paper, pen, calendar and cup of coffee in a relaxed atmosphere.
- Make a list of all the things you would like to organize.
- Now number them in order of importance. (at least the top three areas that drive you the most CRAZY)
- Put a date beside those top 3 of when you would like to have them completed by.
- Block out at time on your calendar to start #1 on the list.
Supplies
Do not go out and buy a bunch of things to organize with. Until you know what you are going to end up with after your “sort” you don’t know what you will need. (unless you want to purchase some clear storage bins..but if you do be sure you have shelves to store them on and measure to be sure they will fit.
- Black trash bags – trash
- White trash bags – Donate (separate colors so you don’t throw out your donate items in the trash)
- Labels for boxes or bins (masking tape & sharpie marker will be fine)
- Boxes for storage (my favorite are clear bins)
Sort
Make 5 signs for each of the piles you are going to make while sorting. Then for each item only give yourself 5-10 seconds to make your decision (no time to wander down memory lane). Be tough if you want to reclaim your space.
- Keep – Love it, Use it, Can’t live without it.
- Donate – Others would put to better use, doesn’t fit, don’t like it, don’t use it (use the white trash bags)
- Storage – Holiday decorations, speciality items you use (camping, skiing)
- Move – Items that need to be kept but don’t belong in this space.
- Trash – Broken, un-donatable. Try to recycle if possible. Use the Black trash bag.
Tips
* It will seem messier before it gets better. Don’t get discouraged and keep going.
* This takes time, don’t think you will get an entire room done in 2 hours.. Start with a small area.
* Once you have sorted your items you are ready to reorganize them in an orderly way.
In addition to sharing great organization tips and tricks on Organize with Sandy, Sandy can be found chatting away on her MomTV show Mondays at 1 PM Eastern and chat blog Chat with Sandy.
Liz - FrayBabyBibsandMore
January 25, 2010I want to know whose room is in the picture and can they come over and help me organize MY sewing room!
Stephanie J
January 25, 2010I’m working in my craft “closet” today! Thanks for the tips. I am going to have to check out Organize with Sandy too.
Sarah
January 25, 2010I love getting organized. My label maker has been my best friend the last few weeks as I work to organize my scrap area.
tinygiraffeshop
January 25, 2010so helpful! thank you!
Sandy
January 25, 2010The room in the picture is my office. I got two of the 8 unit cubbys from Target when they were on sale. I also picked up some of the cubby baskets. I already had the cute pink and green buckets to use as accents. I couldn’t paint the walls the bright green I would like to (hubby uses the other half of the office…and I don’t think he’d be so happy), so I used other accent pieces to get the feel I wanted.
Thanks!
Amber
January 25, 2010This is a great post! Thanks so much. I strive to get organized all the time, and mostly fail. I think the piles will keep my husband envolved enough to help me actually finish
http://momroad.blogspot.com
Amy
January 26, 2010I love to organize! One of my favorite pastimes, although the end result never looks as nice as your picture
Badger Momma
January 26, 2010Great tips. I’m going to try very hard to quickly put things into piles but it is SO EASY to get stuck in memory lane. Especially when it comes to the plethora of drawings that my kids constantly make.
karen M
January 27, 2010I really LOVE the look of the Cubby shelf’s.. I have 3 huge book cases, that are stuffed with Cd’s book, and lots and lots of misc junk.
With the cubby, it looks more pleasing to the eye than my wood book shelfs.
Now you got me excited about getting more organized. Thank You!!!