As I had mentioned, I am going to have a guest Blog on occasion. Here is the one I promised from Heather Brown from Beautifully Organized
Bring Calm to Your Chaos – A Simple Plan for How to Get Organized
As a professional organizer I have often been asked the question, “How do you get organized and how do you stay organized?” The skills required to achieve and maintain an organized home take time to acquire, just like any other skill.
I love the approach of Marcia Ramsland in her book Simplify Your Space. She breaks down the process into four stages and even gives you the word CALM to help you remember them.
C – Create a Plan
Determine your goals for each space. Do you want to create a coffee station in your kitchen? A coat closet that actually holds coats? Put time to work on the area on your calendar!
A – Approach it by Sections
Focus on one shelf/wall/drawer at a time. Breaking the job down into reasonable tasks helps it seem less overwhelming and much more manageable. Your goal is to remove everything from the space that isn't truly necessary. In your closet keep the clothes that fit you and make you feel good. Get rid of any clothes that are too small. I call these “guilt” clothes. When you look at your closet in the morning you should only see clothes that fit and flatter who you are right now. When you approach your kitchen, keep only the appliances and cooking utensils that you use often, one nice set of knives, one set of pots and pans and one matching set of plastic containers to store food in. Have boxes and trash bags standing by as you work so you can sort what you no longer need into give away and trash piles. Once you have determined which items to keep, measure your space and purchase a few new hangers, baskets, or bins to give the space an attractive, finished look.
L – Lighten Up and Let Go
Letting go of things can be very difficult. We often hang on to items for sentimental reasons. Just remember that getting rid of a thing in no way gets rid of the memory attached to it. So what do you do with your stuff once you are ready to part with it? Drive by Goodwill and make a tax deductible donation. Have a yard sale and donate the proceeds to your local fire station. It feels good to give and the more you practice it, the better you will be at it. If you are looking to make a little money, try listing items on Ebay or Craigslist.
M – Manage it Simply
This is your chance to establish new habits and learn to be a more organized person. Take 15 minutes each evening to do a quick pick up of your house. This keeps rooms from getting out of hand. Every week do your basic housekeeping chores such as cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, and vacuuming. You will find that these tasks become much easier and less time consuming the less stuff you have. A couple of times a year, re-evaluate what you have and if it's really working for you. Remember, you are in charge of your stuff; your stuff is not in charge of you!
Enjoying a cleaner, more organized home will also come in handy the next time you want to sell your home or move. A cluttered home will not show well and can actually make your space look smaller than it actually is. A prospective buyer will be able to visualize living in your home if it is clean and orderly. Then, when it comes time to move, you won't have to pay that moving company for quite so many hours if you don't have a ton of stuff to move!
Hopefully, you are encouraged to tackle a few organizing projects in your own home. But sometimes you just need someone to give you a hand. That's where professional organizers like me come in. I can help you re-imagine your space, make hard decisions about what to keep and what to toss, take away your items for donation and mail you a receipt for tax purposes.
Contact Me With All Of Your Organizing Needs, Big Or Small!
Heather Brown
Beautifully Organized
www.beautifully-organized.com
703-477-9694
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