Give yourself 5 minutes, when you return home, to take care of anything you brought home with you. I mean anything. Put your keys and handbag in a specific spot. Put away your coat and shoes. Take care of receipts, mail, and other papers. Find a home for new purchases or other stuff. Do this every time you enter your home so it becomes a habit. This helps prevent piles of clutter from growing, and helps you stay organized.
Have you ever ask yourself, “When do I have enough?” Is enough when every drawer and cupboard in our homes are stuffed to the max? Is enough when we can’t possible fit another thing in our closets? Is enough when we can’t see the walls in the kid’s playroom because the toys are stacked to the ceiling? It’s an interesting question, and I know the answer is different for everyone.
So, I challenge you to go through your personal possessions, and the rooms in your home, and ask yourself, “Do I have enough?” Open your closet and ask yourself, “Do I have enough shoes? Handbags?” Pull out your kitchen drawer and ask yourself, “Do I have enough gadgets?” Look at your bookcase and ask yourself, “Do I have enough books?” Open your desk drawer and ask yourself, “Do I have enough technology? Office supplies?” What answers did you come up with?
Deciding when you have enough maybe something new to you. It may be something you’ve never really thought of before. If that is the case here are a few guidelines that can help you.
Setting up guidelines will help you know when you have enough, but what then? What do you do with the extra and surplus? I practice the one in, one out rule. This means if something new pushes me beyond the “enough” mark, something old has to go. For example if I get a new pair of shoes, then an old pair has to be donated. This also helps when I’m shopping, because now I’ve gotten in the habit of asking myself, “If I buy this, what will I let go?” This requires time and practice, I know, but I’d like to hear your progress on finding your ENOUGH.
Another helpful organizing tip can be read in my blog about exit strategies.
©September 2017 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
How often do you go through your pocketbook and get rid of all that can be tossed? Do you wait until you find yourself sifting through a crumpled mess of old receipts and candy wrappers? Do you hold off until your arm gets sore from hefting all that loose change that’s fallen to the bottom of your bag? Or, do you simply switch your wallet and cell phone to a different pocketbook when the mess gets too cumbersome to deal with?
What about the kid’s backpacks? How often do you sort through those? What about the fridge, medicine cabinet, or pantry? What about your closet, dresser, or nightstand? I’m not going to mention mail, files, coupons, recipes, or other paper. That’s a whole new topic.
Taking time to sort through and get rid of stuff helps us stay organized. By editing the contents of our pocketbooks (and all those other areas mentioned or not mentioned) we perform an important step in the organizing process, the discard and remove step. By removing what is not wanted, needed, or used, we’re able to spend less time searching for stuff. We’re also able to easily notice when something needs to be replaced, mended, or renewed.
One important factor to consider is the frequency in which we edit. If it takes a week for those receipts to become a crumpled mess, then weekly edits need to take place. If not the mess becomes very frustrating. To help reduce our stress with a disorganized, overstuffed pocketbook (or other area) timely edits are necessary. What would you consider timely? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month?
Whatever time frame you use, consistency in editing is another important factor. Creating the habit of going through your pocketbook every week (or whatever time frame you use) helps you stay organized. It also helps reduce your stress and frustration, and helps your ability to find what you want when you need it. Worthwhile benefits. Wouldn’t you agree?
©July 2017 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
Do you have a plan for getting rid of stuff? If you did, would you get rid of more stuff? I have found that having a plan for getting rid of stuff helps me keep control of all the things I bring into my space. I call this plan an exit strategy, and it helps me stay organized. It can help you too. An exit strategy is the steps taken to remove material possessions from our spaces that are no longer needed, used, appreciated, or cherished. The end result of an exit strategy is that a particular item is gone from our space, and we no longer need to do something with it or think about it.
Example #1 – exit strategy for any type of invitation
Receive invitation. RSVP to invitation. Put details of invitation on calendar. Recycle paper invitation or delete email invitation.
Example #2 – exit strategy for any type of toy
Acquire toy. Play with toy. If toy breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate or sell toy within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. A wonderful place to donate small toys is Cradles to Crayons in Brighton, MA.
Example #3 – exit strategy for any type of coupon
Receive coupons. Immediately recycle any coupons you know you won’t use. Store the rest of the coupons in a specific location until they can be used. Two storage options for coupons are in a basket on the refrigerator, or in a zip lock bag in your purse. Sort through coupons on the first of every month and recycle all the outdated ones.
Example #4 – exit strategy for any type of electronic device
Acquire electronic device. Use electronic device. If electronic device breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate, sell, or recycle electronic device within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. (Want ideas on what to do with the box that the electronic device came in?) A great place to recycle electronics is Indie Cycle, and a place to sell electronics is Decluttr.
Example #5 – exit strategy for any type of kitchen gadget
Acquire kitchen gadget. Use kitchen gadget. If kitchen gadget breaks or pieces go missing, fix or replace pieces within 3 months or get rid of it. Donate, sell, or recycle kitchen gadget within 1-3 years if it’s no longer being used. (Want ideas on how to organize a kitchen junk drawer?)
An exit strategy helps us stay organized and in control of what comes into our space. Planning ahead is key to being successful. One way to plan ahead is to establish your exit strategies with a list of donation options attached.
© March 2017 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
The world is full of useful things, but if you’re not using them, they are not useful to you. So, remove all those things that are not useful to you, by giving, donating, recycling, or removing them every week. This helps prevent clutter from happening and piles from building.
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