​5 Steps to Getting Organized - January 2019

Hi my lovely Friends!
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"Out with the Old, In with the New," right?

Most of us are finishing putting away our Christmas and Holiday Decorations, but as we walk down that path,, we realize that we really....need...to...purge. Right?

Sometimes it's easier said than done!

To be honest, we've been looking at the same old pile, or bookshelves, or cluttered area for so long, it's like wasting existing real estate we really don't know what to do with. Right?

So, as you are putting away your new clothes you got for Christmas, or putting away your decor and "stuff," here are 5 easy steps for you to "unfreeze" your brain as to how and where to get 'er done!

Don't Let Your Clutter Stress You Out!

​1.Pick one or two areas to focus on. Is there one area that's making you crazy. Make a commitment and, well, GET STARTED. For me, my one area that I started on was my office bookshelf. It had become a pille of paint chips in a basket, catalogs from High Point Market, and misc disorganized printer paper.

2. Pull everything out. Yep. Pull it all off the shelves, or out of the closet, or whatever. Make one big ugly pile.

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3.Then make three piles. You can do more, but for main focus, create a trash/recycle pile, a "put it back" pile, and the donate or sell pile. Then organize the areas you need. How old is this stuff? Is there an expiration date or catalog date on stuff? I found a lot of my stuff was outdated. Yay! Pitch time.

4.Organize. Sort out what goes where. Only put back what you know you will need, be using, etc. Sort and put in baskets, containers, etc. LABEL what you can. For example, if it's magazines, then, if you still want to refer back to them, purchase the vertical magazine holders, or get some nice looking colors to jazz up your space.

5.Put everything in it's rightful place. Remember, containers and baskets can be your friend. Ta-Da!

Organized Spaces can Decrease Stress!

Unless you are slightly obsessed and everything in your life is always perfect, don't stress. It becomes easier if, when you purchase something new, such as a clothing item, remove 1-2 items from your closet that you haven't used or aren't just madly in love with. That's just an example. Or, just schedule an hour to tidy and purge here and there. I just ripped apart one very frustrating kitchen utensil drawer!

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​Another tip/Example: If you have 50 antiques from Grandma's, and you feel guilty getting rid of them, but you aren't madly in love, gift them to someone who would love them, and keep one meaningful item.
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Did you know? Clearing clutter can often decrease stress in your life?

Did you also know? Well-maintained and organized homes often bring more real and perceived value when you are trying to sell?

By the way, that one area I tackled in my own office area, plus clearing out some craft items to donate made my office area already look so much snazzier and roomier. How cool is that? I've also decided to get rid of as many paper bills as I can to save more trees and shrink that home paper pile!

Well, I hope that this January's post will help you get through the winter blues by realizing that we can all have at least one area that we can look at that makes up happy.  Let me know if I can help!  

​Warmly,

Patricia :)