SpringCleaning

January is all about making resolutions to take better care of your body; spring is the time that everyone promises to clean out the clutter and get organized. Here are some great items and tips to make the process easier.

10 Tips for Getting Organized

1 - If you’ve got several areas to be organized, start with one. You decide which one to start with – is it the area that gives

you the biggest headache, or the area that guests to your home most easily see? Whatever your priorities, select one area and stick to it. Many attempts at organization fail when the task of cleaning up the entire house seems daunting and people give up. When you complete one area, move on to the next.

2 - Allow plenty of time. Don’t expect organization to happen overnight. Depending on the area to be organized, schedule a couple of hours each day to work on getting the area organized.

 

3 - Clean house. Once you’ve selected an area, go through the contents. Use the two year rule of thumb – if you haven’t worn it in two years, it’s time to say goodbye to it.

4 - Take inventory. After you’ve removed extraneous items, take a look at what remains. Does it belong here? Does it make sense to keep it here? Is there another place where you’ve got more room to keep it, or another area where it would be more easily accessible for it’s purpose?

5 - Look for wasted space. If you’re in need of more storage space, think creatively about additional areas that you can put to work. Prime examples include over doors and underneath beds.

6 - Keep it moving. Consider storage options on wheels to allow for greater flexibility and to help

keep the clutter under control. The cart can be wheeled back into a closet or storage area when not in use.

7 - Visibility. The three rules to organization are visibility, accessibility and flexibility. Choose containers that are either transparent or that you can easily label to help immediately identify the contents and will help save valuable time.

8 - Accessibility. Make sure that the items you need most often are the easiest to access. Likewise, place the items you don’t need to get to often on a higher shelf or in another area.

9 - Flexibility. Select a storage system that can adapt to your changing needs. This way you can resuse solutions to solve a variety of storage and organization problems.

10 - Organize with color. Whether you’re working to organize the family room or striving to get your home office under control, use color to enhance your efforts. Assign each child a different colored container to keep his or her belongings. Organize projects, bills and other important papers by function and color in your home office.