There are three times of the year I feel really compelled to de-clutter and purge things: right after Christmas, the Spring and September. I like to have some sort of a game plan to help keep me focused. I have to be careful though because I tend to spend too much time planning and not enough doing. After searching the internet, the following ideas are the ones I found most helpful.
Elise and Emma at A Beautiful Mess shared their secrets for working smarter and not harder.
- make lists and stick to them– take a little time to come up with a game plan and list your projects or tasks at hand.
- do what you must to avoid distractions– for example don’t answer the phone unless it’s necessary while working on your project or stop to check facebook and email.
- prioritize– start with only one or two projects at a time. I personally have a habit of starting too many things at one time then wind up feeling overwhelmed. Don’t start a new project until you’ve completed one.
I found a list on pinterest via little lucy lu titled 40 bags in 40 days. The idea is to list 40 spaces that need to be cleaned out. I decided to list 30 things and do one each day. I can pick items on the list at random depending on how much time I have each day. After I’ve purged some areas I can then go back and organize. It can be too overwhelming for me to try and do both at the same time. This way I can focus on getting rid of things instead of just rearranging piles of stuff. If you’re wanting more of a full year game plan, I found a nice calendar of ideas for each day of the year at my simpler life.
Instead of bombarding you with a ton of organizational tips, I’ve decided to share them with you in stages as I work on my own home. If you’re already at the stage where you’ve purged and are ready to organize, the following blogs have tons of ideas:
You can also check out my organization board on pinterest. I’ve also written a few organization tips on these past posts. You can click on them to take you to the post.
Bathroom Organizaton, Laundry Room Before and After
Oh I love this!!!
Great post, Dawn. Have you also taken a look at flylady.net? It’s changed my life and gotten me organized (or at least close). You might like it, too.
Thanks Angie. I will check it out. I need all the help I can get. I cleaned out my pantry today and filled about 3 garbage bags for the trash.