Tag Archive for: clutter

organized utensils

3 Step Organizing Process

junk drawerWhat happens when you open a junk drawer? Do you ignore the mess and slam it shut as soon as you locate what you were hoping to find inside? When I open a junk drawer my fingers start itching to dive in and organize. I fully understand that this is my own personal reaction, and is not one that is commonly shared, but I’d like to alter your reaction to a junk drawer. I hope to accomplish this by providing you with the knowledge on how to successfully organize a junk drawer, and other disorderly spots. Supplying you with the tools needed to master the organizing process will give you a means to act instead of react.

The organizing process is a means to create order from disorder by following 3 steps.
3 steps to organizing process

 

 

sort junk drawer

 

The first step of the organizing process is sorting and categorizing. The idea is to separate all the items in the junk drawer into categories that are similar in function and/or purpose. One helpful tip is to label each category and don’t allow yourself to leave the project. For example, it may be tempting to put the medication that you find in the junk drawer in the medicine cabinet, but once you remove yourself from the organizing process, it’s easy to get distracted. Instead create a category labeled “Belongs Elsewhere”, put the medication in that category, and continue sorting all the items in the junk drawer.

 

The second step of the organizing process is removing the detritus from each category. It’s noticing items that are better kept some place else (i.e. find home category), items that have an existing home some place else (i.e. belongs elsewhere category), and items that are no longer wanted, needed, or used (i.e. give away, recycle, and toss categories).

find homebelongs elsewheregive away

 

 

 

 

 

The third step of the organizing process is placement of what is going back into the junk drawer. The idea is to focus on function and pay close attention to how convenient it is to find what you need when you need it, and how convenient it is to put items away. A helpful tip is to have a specific home for each category you’ve created, and if a category has too many items, subdivide the category. Use organizing tools and products to facilitate easy access and function. I’ve used a drawer organizer to help organize the junk drawer.

drawer containerorganized drawerThis organizing process can be used to create order from disorder in any space.

By following the 3 steps you can organize all your spaces, places, and stuff.

 

 

 

© July 2015  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

 

More Clutter Excuses

dishesWe all hold onto things for a variety of reasons.  Some of those reasons are valid and worthwhile.  For example, I’m holding onto my Grandmother’s necklace, because it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry that I enjoy wearing, especially when I want to be reminded of her.  Unfortunately, some reasons for holding onto things are not valid or worthwhile.  For example, the only reason I’m holding onto my (never used) serving dishes is because they were a gift.  When the reason for holding onto something is not valid or worthwhile, it could be a clutter excuse.  Clutter Excuses provide us with reasons to hold onto something, so we don’t have to make the (potentially difficult) decision to get rid of it.  I find that honesty is the best policy when it comes to making decisions.  By honestly answering thought provoking questions regarding why we are holding on to something, we can truthfully evaluate it’s significance in our lives.

A common clutter excuse I hear is, “Someone gave, or bequeathed it to me.”  I believe that a gift is meant to bring joy, and that no gift-giver wants their gift to be a burden.  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s a burden and time to let it go.

  • It’s yours, and you can do anything you want with it.  What would make you happy?
  • Can you keep a piece or portion of it, and get rid of the rest of it?
  • Can you take a photo of it and then let it go?
  • Do you know someone else who will treasure it?
  • If it’s just in a box in the attic, is it worth keeping?

Another common clutter excuse I hear is, “It’s still good.”  Not everything we part with is broken or unusable.  It’s okay to get rid of items we don’t need, want, or use, even if they are still workable and usable.  There are several options available to us when passing on items like this, and removing them provides us with a less cluttered space.  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to pass it along to someone else.

  • If it’s still good, why aren’t you using it?
  • Could someone less fortunate benefit from it?
  • What are the costs of getting rid of it, verses the cost of keeping it, storing it, cleaning it, and maintaining it?
  • How much space is it taking up?
  • How stressful is it to keep it?

I don’t have any children of my own, so I don’t use this common clutter excuse, “I’m saving it to pass on to my children.”  Have you uttered this excuse?  If so, answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to stop saving and let it go.

  • How sure are you that they will want it?
  • Are you willing to ask your children if they will want it?  If they are too young to ask at this moment, will you ask them in the future?
  • What are the costs of letting someone benefit from it now, verses the cost of keeping it, storing it, cleaning it, and maintaining it?
  • Could someone less fortunate benefit from it, now?
  • How stressful is it to keep it?

It does take time to make decisions and get rid of stuff.  Have you ever used time as an excuse?  “I don’t have time to deal with it.”  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to make time.

  • How much time do you feel it requires?
  • If you did have time, what would you do with it?
  • Can someone else deal with it?
  • Can you see yourself making time to deal with it, if you had an incentive?
  • How much more needs to accumulate in order for you to make time to deal with it?

As I mentioned before, we all hold onto things for a variety of reasons, but the best reasons are valid and worthwhile.  I hope these questions help you conquer your clutter excuses and provide you with peace of mind.

© May 2015  Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Clutter Excuses

ClutterAccording to a National Association of Professional Organizers survey, 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by their clutter, and 78% find it too complicated to deal with.  Are you felling overwhelmed by clutter?  I understand that making decisions about what to keep and not keep can be difficult.  I also understand that when we don’t want to make decisions it’s easy to come up with excuses as to why we can’t let go of something.  I call them clutter excuses, and the best way to deal with them is to ask thought provoking questions, and to answer them honestly.  This helps determine if it’s time to stop making clutter excuses and let it go.

One of the most common clutter excuse I here is, “I might need it someday.”  We all have those tools, gadgets, and products that we can’t seem to let go of, even thought we haven’t touched them in years.  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

  •  Honestly when can you see yourself using it?
  •  When is someday?  If it’s not in the next 3 years, let it go.
  •  What would the cost be if you did need to replace it?
  •  How much time would it take to replace it?
  •  How much effort would it take to replace it?

Another common clutter excuse I here is, “I paid a lot for it.”  We all have those items that we spent a bunch of money on, but they just didn’t work out, and we can’t seem to let them go.  That stinks, doesn’t it?  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

  •  How long do you have to keep it to depreciate the value of it?
  •  If you hang on to it for another year will it have cost any less?
  •  Are you paying for your purchasing mistake with extended regret?
  •  The money is gone, why not let the item go also?
  •  Is there someone you know who will appreciate it?

“It’s valuable,” is another clutter excuse.  An amazing statistic is the average dollar amount of unopened, new merchandise in a typical American household is $7000.00  (Real Simple magazine 11-2012).  Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

  •  Do you know it’s real value and current worth?
  •  Are you considering the real value or the sentimental value?
  •  How valuable is it to you, personally?
  •  Is it realistically valuable to someone else?
  •  Is there someone you know who will appreciate it’s value?

Clutter happens, but if we don’t allow ourselves to use clutter excuses we can keep it under control.  Use these questions and let me know the outcome.

©March 2015   Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Preventing Paper Clutter

paper clutterEven the most organized people have some amount of paper clutter. It’s difficult not to, because paper comes into our space on a steady, regular basis. Practically every time we walk into our home, we bring more paper into it, either intentionally or unintentionally. So, how can we prevent that paper from taking over and prevent those piles from happening?

The simplest way to reduce paper clutter is to stop paper from coming into our space in the first place. One way to accomplish this is to go paperless with bank and credit card statements, and don’t print them out. Another suggestion is to not print emails, recipes, or other information from your computer, instead store and organize the information on your computer. A few other suggestions are to remove you name from as many mailing lists as you can, stop mail on all magazines and catalogs you don’t read, read the newspaper on-line, use your phone or another device for coupons and tickets instead of printing them, and have a paper recycle bin in the garage and toss as much paper as you can before entering the house.

Another way to reduce paper clutter is to allow each piece of paper to be in your home for the shortest possible time-frame. One way to accomplish this is to immediately recycle or shred junk mail. Another suggestion is to recycle boxes, wrapping paper, envelopes, and other paper items that we intend to reuse but never do. A few other suggestions are to shred ATM slips after you’ve reconciled your bank account, jot down event details on your calendar and toss the invitation, send the greeting cards that you have on hand, and recycle catalogs and magazines after you receive the next issue.

One more way to reduce paper clutter is to have an exit strategy for paper files and stored information. An exit strategy is a predetermined guideline that you’ve established for particular papers, files or information. One exit strategy may be to recycle or shred your utility bills after you view the confirmed payment on the next bill. Another exit strategy may be to shred pay stubs after you receive your W2. Please keep in mind that the guidelines need to fall within your own personal comfort zone. If you have questions on how long to keep particular papers, files or information, please consult a Certified Public Account or an attorney.

©March 2015 Janine Cavanaugh,CPO® All rights reserved.

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Time to Organize

Schedule time on your calendar to organize.  Treat it like an appointment that you can’t reschedule without a large rescheduling fee.  Then pick just one target area to work on, and tackle one flat surface in that area.  For example, if you’re working in the kitchen, start with items on the counter.  If you’re working in your closet, start with items on the floor.  If you’re working in your home-office, start with items on the desk.