Hmm, where is this supposed to go?—Not knowing where something belongs can be stressful
A place for everything and everything in its place. -Benjamin Franklin
Have a specific place for everything in your home. Doing so will help you stay organized and you will be able to find what you need when you need it! It will also allow for you to know where you got an item from and where it should be returned to.
- Get yourself a label printer or go to your local craft store and pick up some cute scrapbook card-stock
- Cut it into small rectangles and write a label for each storage bin
- Punch a hole in it and attach it to your bin using a ribbon, tape, or by applying adhesive Velcro to both the label and the bin.
Put it away now, not later!—Procrastinating can make clutter worse
You just finished a load of laundry and now you have 5 shirts that need to be hung in the closet. You tell yourself, “I don’t feel like hanging these up, I’ll just lay them on the back of this chair and I’ll get around to it later.” Before you know it, it’s been a week and those shirts have not hung themselves in your closet! Even the most organized people do this!
- Instead of putting something in your junk drawer or throwing your shirts on the chair until you feel like hanging them up in your closet—go ahead and put it away now!
- Taking a few minutes to put things in their rightful place will save you time in the end. You won’t have to worry about cluttering up your junk drawer or bedroom. 😊
You don’t use that, why not get rid of it?!—Don’t hold on to a physical item, hold on to a memory
It’s February and it is too cold to go outside. It is the perfect time to start thinking about “Spring” cleaning and de-cluttering! If you don’t use it, get rid of it! According to a 2017 ClosetMaid survey of 2,000 people, the average American is hoarding 23 items in their home that they have absolutely no use for. The ClosetMaid survey also revealed that nearly 31% of those people currently have a broken item sitting around their home that they can’t bring themselves to throw away.
- Do you have clothes that you’ve had since high school or college? When you look at them do you say to yourself, “One of these days I’ll wear that again, maybe.” If so, let it go. It is adding to your clutter. Get rid of all of those clothes that may not be flattering or may not go with your current style. It will free up more space for organizing what you DO wear.
- Take a moment to go through your home, one room at a time, and ask yourself if you are using everything that you see (or don’t see). Chances are you have old appliances, old clothes, old shoes, VHS’s or DVD’s, (the list goes on) that you haven’t used in a very long time or EVER! Why let them sit there taking up space and collecting dust?
- Maybe your distant cousin bought you a piece of art work that isn’t quite your style. Take a picture of it so you can always look back on it and let it go. Do not feel like you have to hold on to something physical for sentimental reasons. A photo will take up much less space!
- There are plenty of places to donate your unwanted items in the Hampton Roads Area, a professional organizer is a great place to turn to if you need assistance!
That’s a mountain of paper clutter!—Do what you learned in Elementary school: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
You get home from work, browse through the mail and pull out what’s important. You then toss the remainder of the stack on the kitchen island and go plop down on the couch. Creating a habit of this can cause papers to pile up over time. Before you know it, you’re staring at a mountain of junk mail, magazines, and bills that you have to go through just to be able to prep your meal for dinner!
- Do you have a subscription to several magazines? Choose your favorite magazine subscription and cancel the rest.
- Store your most current Issues of that magazine in a magazine rack. As the newer issues are delivered, recycle the old ones.
- Are you getting a lot of junk mail? Cut it up into small pieces to use for scrap paper or immediately toss it into the recycle bin, don’t let it lay around and add to your clutter!
- Go paperless for your bills! Most companies offer a paperless option.
- If you have paperwork that is important enough to keep, figure out a filing system that works best for you. Ideal Organizing + Design Solutions can assist you with Sorting and Categorizing a filing system that works for you.
- Tip: Re-use old cereal boxes and cut them into the shape of a magazine holder! You can also cover them with pretty paper and label each one.
- Check out this helpful article written by Kayla Kitts, from HGTV, on How To Clear Paper Clutter!