In order to reduce clutter, we need to get rid of more than we bring in. Think like a mathematician, the rate at which we bring things in needs to be less than the rate at which we remove things.
Tips on how to bring in less:
Tips on how to remove things:
Would you rather…
…wear a banana costume for a complete day (not on Halloween) or strategically remove all your clothes that don’t fit and flatter you?
…let go of 5 sentimental thing or let a tarantula crawl up your arm?
…thoroughly organize your junk drawer or jump off a high dive?
… have oral surgery or organize your kitchen cupboards?
…get rid of all your current tchotchkes or buy absolutely nothing for two whole weeks?
… wear a blindfold for a day or reduce your book collection by 50%?
…mow the lawn in your bathing suit or get rid of 10 items you’ve been holding onto for someday?
…donate 6 gifts you’ve received but don’t like, or shave your head?
…clear out and organize your file cabinet or tell your neighbors that you love them?
…spend $100.00 per month for a year on a storage unit or work with a Professional Organizer for 10 hours at a rate of $70.00 per hour?
So, what did you find out about yourself and your willingness to organize you spaces, places and stuff? I bet you realized that some decisions are easier than others. Please share your insights with me.
©September 2021 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO All rights reserved
Editing our possessions annually is a healthy organizing practice. This helps us prevent clutter build up. When editing our belongings there is one question we can ask ourselves to help us decide weather to keep or not keep something. That question is, “Would I buy it again if I didn’t already own it?”. If the answer is ‘no’ then let the item go.
Containers are very helpful organizing tools. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes. A container can be a bin, basket, box, binder, shelf, drawer, tub, tray, rack, jar or bag. When organizing containers serve three basic purposes.
Containers help us hold like things.
How many junk drawers do you have, and what’s inside them? Junk drawers are usually stuffed with a jumbled mess of random things, hence the name. Therefore, my recommendation is two small junk drawers per household, but that’s it. The rest of our drawers, and all the other containers in our home, need to be filled with items that belong together. For example, store all your tools in a tool box. Hold all your mending things in a sewing basket. Corral all your books on a bookcase. Put all your files in a file cabinet. It’s easier to find things that way and easier to remember where they are. Items that belong together need to be stored together. Other examples of ready-made containers are tie rack, jewelry box, magazine rack, hamper, fishing tackle box, golf bag, shoe rack, toy box, knitting bag, and pot rack. I can list a bunch more, but I think you get the idea.
Containers help us create storage boundaries.
Containers create boundaries where there are none. They help us corral small items such as makeup, jewelry, crafts, snacks, and toiletries. Containers help divide drawers into sections. Which is great for organizing our junk drawers, by the way. Some examples are expandable cutlery trays, utensil trays, jewelry organizers, craft bead bins, and sock organizers. Another way to create storage boundaries where we don’t have any is to use tape, paint or permanent marker. Create pie sections on our lazy Susan’s and label them as granola bars, cereal, oatmeal, etc. Create parking spaces for bikes in the garage by taping off sections and putting names on them. Tape off labeled sections on the floor of a coat closet for shoes and boots. Use the container to help create and maintain storage boundaries.
Containers provide storage guidelines.
The container helps us see when we have enough. They give us a visual indication of when we have reached the container’s maximum capacity. Therefore reducing our chances of over-stuffing. However it’s important to stay within the limits of the container. If we allow items to spill out and create piles of stuff outside the container, we’re not following the storage guidelines. Once this happens we’re tempted to purchase another container and not use our existing container as a guide, but it’s much easier to maintain order when we don’t over-stuff. Practice the one-in-one-out rule when faced with the need to stay within the container limits.
©April 2021 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO All Rights Reserved
As we start the new year, (Happy 2021!) I’d like to invite you to participate in my monthly de-cluttering challenge. For the month of January, remove 10 things that you have in your home as a result of an impulsive purchase. Some examples of impulse buys are gifts that we never gave, cute items that have no purpose, and sale items we don’t use.
Please share your items with me, and I’ll add you to the Monthly de-cluttering challenge email list. You’ll get an email on the fist of every month prompting you to get rid of something from your home. At the end of 2021 your home will be more organized and less cluttered.
Janine Cavanaugh, CPO
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