5 Easy Steps to Organize Your Life:
1.) DECLUTTER, A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME: Declutter space by space or category by category, whatever works best for you. Try one area per day for a week or two depending on how much you have to go through -- I.e. Day 1 Closet, Day 2 Dressers, Day 3 Bathroom Cosmetics, Day 4 Coat Closet etc... until you have a space you can breathe easy in.
2.) GO THROUGH WHAT'S IN STORAGE: While I know most people my age keep their boxes of storage stuff at their parents house, I don't have that option. This means I carry everything from my 25 years of life with me every time I move and I have to store it in the closets of my Twenty-Something apartment, so what I keep in storage is right in my face and I don't organize it takes up space and gets messy and overwhelming. Although this is not true for most Twenty-something's this step is useful for everyone not only to organize and declutter but to see what you already have so you aren't spending money and collecting things unnecessarily; you may be surprised! I find the best way to do this is one box or bag or whatever it is you have. As you pull things out separate them into 5 separate piles: 1)General Keep 2)Seasonal 3)Sentimental/Keepsake 4)Donate/Sell 5)Recycle/Throw-Away. Once you've done this, box groups 2 & 3 in their own boxes and put them away, recycle group 5 (or throw-away if not recyclable), separate group 4 into a donate pile and a sell pile bag up the donations and put them aside to be taken to a donation site or picked up by donatestuff.com then take photos of the items for sale and post them to your chosen resale site then put those items neatly in an easily accessible box so you can shop them when purchased. Group 1 is going to be the most time consuming as you will have to decide what is going back into storage and what is being taken for daily life and then organize best suited to your needs. I know this seems like a lot, but breaking it down makes it so much easier and you will be surprised at how relieved you are once you're done!
3.) SHELVES ON SHELVES ON SHELVES: This one is a biggie! I feel like often times, especially in the case of small spaces, messiness occurs because items lack their own place. You can get bookshelves or plastic drawer sets for very inexpensive at Target or IKEA. These will be a game-changer, having enough space for everything to have it's place means cleaning up is easier and less stuff ends up in piles on surfaces or sitting on the floor.
4.) INDIVIDUALIZE YOUR CLUTTER STOPPERS:
By this I mean pay attention to where clutter most often accumulates for you and then place solutions there as needed. Example: I am a "nester" so for me clutter most often accumulates by my bed and by my couch so I have a small waste basket next to both of these places as well as a caddy and a set of drawers for my bed and baskets on the bottom shelf of my coffee table in front of my couch. This has been a LIFESAVER and I recommend implementing clutter stoping solutions for all!
5.) SCHEDULE TIME FOR ORGANIZATION:
Now I know most people have certain times during the week when they clean and do laundry etc. Now obviously the best way to stay organized is to do it as you go, but life gets crazy so I recommend adding 30 minutes to your weekly cleaning routine to make sure everything is in its place. Additionally, it never hurts to take time, maybe twice a year, to go through your things and make sure things you don't want, need, or use anymore aren't senselessly piling up.
I hope these tips help to organize and refresh your living space so you can relax, entertain, and as always...
Stay Cozy,
Elise Christine
