5 Steps to Getting and Staying Organized
Professional organizer Julie Morgenstern has developed a surefire system for revamping any storage space in your home. Use her S-P-A-C-E formula for making over any area and maintaining the organizing system you set up. Don’t overdo it; this isn’t a project to take on in one day. Take your time and space out your decluttering days.
1. Sort. Take everything out of your closet or storage space and organize it according to categories that make sense to you. For example, sort items into groups like t-shirts with logos, solid tops, work skirts, comfy pants, etc., so that you can really see what’s in your closest.
2. Purge. Once your items are sorted into piles and you can really know what’s really inside, ask yourself questions like, “Do I really need 16 nearly identical black sweaters?” Then, reduce your collections to what you use and love. “Remove everything that doesn’t fit anymore and box it up by size,” says Julie.
3. Assign a home. Take a good look around your now-empty storage space and decide where things should go. Ask yourself, what was working? What wasn’t? Did your shoes always end up on the floor beside the shelf where they were supposed to go or did dirty clothes pile up on top of the laundry basket instead of going inside? Once you’ve thought the organizing process through, start allocating spaces that are logical to you. And avoid “miscellaneous” shelves. “Single function storage is key,” Julie says. “Every shelf should have one or two functions, max.”
4. Container-ize. Now that you’ve cleared, culled and coordinated your stuff, it’s time to put it all back. Write out a shopping list of what containers – bins, baskets, hooks, etc. – you’ll need to keep your organizing systems clear, and easy to keep. Label each container very specifically so there’s no guesswork involved when you have to find something.
5. Equalize. Every day, make an effort to put things back where they belong so that your organizing system doesn’t break down. Always tidying up the same items? Take time to rethink your arrangement and try out a different one.
For more ways to de-clutter your space, read:
