Where to Start Organizing My Home

Here are my best suggestions for organizing any space in your home whether that be your closet, pantry, guest room or any other area.

There’s a couple different ideas on where people might want to start. It depends on your energy and your amount of motivation.

Super motivated and lots of energy

If you are someone who is super motivated and has lots of energy, start at the area that is holding everything else up in the house…the dumping ground. This is the space that gets all the things you don’t want to deal with or don’t know where to put. It is usually a spare bedroom, office, or garage.

Very overwhelmed and unmotivated

If you feel really overwhelmed and unmotivated in your space but really want to start getting rid of clutter, start small. Start in a very small area that’ll make a difference daily: organize your basket that you throw the mail and misc into, organize the “junk” drawer into a supply drawer, or go through your bathroom drawers.

Start small so that little basket, drawer, or shelf becomes your peaceful place and you keep looking at it because you made such progress there, it’ll help motivate you to take on the next drawer etc.

Also take before and after pictures. They are great motivators to see your progress and to send to people to get some encouragement.

In a whole room where do I begin?

Always begin with safety in mind. Clear the floor or at least make a path on the floor.

Then get flat surfaces cleared to help in the sorting of items.

Then go left to right or right to left and think about every item and why you have it, if you use it, like it, need it etc. Get rid of as much as you can by donating, recycling, throwing away, or giving to others you know. Also relocating to other areas in the house depending on where you’d look for the item and keeping like items together.

It really does help to have to tell someone else about each item so you just don’t rush through and keep too much. A professional organizer can really help with this because they are a neutral party. Or get a friend or neighbor to sit with you through the process. A close family member such as a spouse or child or parent usually makes people feel defensive and it gets too emotional so it is best to stay away from that. Even having someone on the phone or video-chat helps.

Make sure you don’t skip over decorations on the walls and surfaces and furniture. Decide if it is still needed and wanted.

Next go into drawers, cabinets, baskets and do the same.

Next Steps After Decluttering

When you are through decluttering, decide where the items you are keeping should go by thinking about zones. It helps to keep like items together such as all tools together and all craft items together. Put things where you’d look for it or where you’d use it. If possible, keep all kitchen items in the kitchen and all tools in the garage (with the exception of a couple screwdrivers). A home for everything makes it easier to keep tabs on the amount of stock you have of each item to prevent over-buying.

Use containers that you cleared out while decluttering to group items together.

Then tell the other people you live with where the new homes for things are with a little tour.

Before you are done for the day, put away everything that needs to go in another space, take out the trash, put the donations in the car and take to the donation center (not to sit in the car for weeks).

Need help getting started?

That’s what I do. I help people get started in organizing their spaces to function better for them. My clients are amazed at how much we can get done in a short amount of time. Included in each appointment is donation haul away service.

Are you ready to get your space or schedule organized? Let me know how I can help you get to a more Peaceful Place.