clutter-300x225With the end of winter nearly within sight, many are beginning to think about spring cleaning and getting organized around the house.  If you are like most people, this can seem like an overwhelming undertaking.  After all, the longer we live and the bigger the home we choose to live in, the more “stuff” we tend to accumulate.  But there are ways to make this task easier and possibly even, dare I say, enjoyable.

1.)    Start Small

You know what they say about eating an elephant…Organizing a whole house can appear an insurmountable task, but cleaning out one bookshelf doesn’t seem quite so bad.  Dorothy Beininger, “Dorothy the Organizer,” suggests scheduling regular times once a day or once a week to work on decluttering, choosing one small area like a closet or desk to get started, and setting a timer for 15 minutes to an hour.  When the timer goes off, stop.

 

2.)    Give Everything a Home

But you don’t have to find it during your decluttering session.  Dorothy recommends labeling 5 boxes with “throw away,” “donate,” “put away,” “look at later,” and “not sure.”  Chances are, if you haven’t used it in the past six months to a year, you can safely get rid of it.  Make it a policy to only handle things once and go with your initial inclination as this is most often the right one.

 

3.)    Utilize the Space in Your Home More Efficiently

My significant other has an uncanny way of maximizing the space in our small home.  He will look at a wall in the kitchen and say, “I think I’ll put a shelf there, otherwise it’s just wasted space.”  There are likely underutilized areas in your home as well.  Can you see what’s in your pantry or are you often buying foods you already have because they were shoved in the back?  Could you use a closet underneath the stairs? How about additional cabinets in the laundry room?  Take a walk around your home and try to imagine ways that certain areas could work better for you.

 

4.)    Commit to Daily Organization Habits

Things are going to get messy from time to time, but instead of allowing them to get out of hand, commit 15 minutes a day to tidying up.  Put away just 4 things in the morning and 4 things in the evening. You will be amazed at how much neater everything stays with just that small effort.