Organizing Q +A: What to do with homeless items while decluttering?

Today’s organizing question is from a participant in the current session of Quick + Simple Clutter Control.

 

What I've found during my first attempt or two at a quick surface de-cluttering is that much of the clutter comes from "homeless" items. I have items that I know don't belong in the room in which I find them but, the area where they should reside is not accessible because it to is filled up with stuff. Consequently, I move things from room to room. I know I need to perform a deep de-cluttering of these areas. I would like some suggestions on what to do about these homeless items until I can create a home for them?

 

This is a great question and one that comes up often in Quick + Simple Clutter Control as well as in Organizing 101. The strategy I suggest (and I do this when I work with clients, too) is to move the items closer to where they belong. When working with clients I try to hone in on where this item will ultimately live once we are able to carve out homes for everything. So if we come across a screw driver, I'll ask if there are other tools elsewhere in the home. If there aren't other tools elsewhere (or they're all over the place) then the client will decide where she ultimately wants the tools to live. As we encounter tools while organizing, we start moving them to this room.

 

While this approach can create a bit more clutter while the organizing project is in process, we are taking steps forward to get the whole home organized and decluttered. So it is progress...even if it doesn't look that way on the surface.

 

A second option is to create a transitional space, one area in your home that becomes the temporary home for the homeless items you find while decluttering. You could use a table or some shelves in your basement, for example, as your transitional space. What I suggest with this approach is that you keep the transitional space as organized as possible. Take the time to group all the tools together, and all of the books together, etc. This way you can remember what is in the transitional space and carve out homes for these items as you continue with your organizing projects.

 

How do you handle homeless items when you declutter and organize? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Monday Morning Check-In

I hope you had a terrific weekend filled with fun and getting things done. Mine was mostly about fun. I had a really nice relaxing weekend doing things like going to the school carnival, clothes shopping (though I bought nothing!) and Mother’s Day dinner at my in-laws. I also check off everything on my (short) play list and to-finish list. (Hooray!) And I wrote my May organizing newsletter. (You can sign up here if you’d like to subscribe.)

How was your weekend? If you participated in Finish It Friday this week, this is the place to post your progress report. I look forward to hearing from you!

Also…just a quick reminder that Organizing 101 begins tomorrow! If you’d love to get organized with the help, ideas and inspiration of a professional organizer, join me for this fun and effective online workshop. I'd love to see you online soon. :)

Have a happy Monday!

Seven Reasons (and Ways!) to Get Organized this Summer

As I mentioned in my prior post, summer is just around the corner. While there are other times of the year that we typically associate with getting organized, summer is one of my favorite times of year to work on organizing projects around my home. If you’re feeling weighed down by clutter, why not make plans this summer to lighten things up and create some breathing room? Here are seven reasons to get organized this summer…and some simple ideas on how to do it!

 

Reason Number 1:  Longer Days
There’s more daylight this time of year, so use it to your advantage! Set your alarm clock fifteen minutes earlier, and spend this time decluttering one hot-spot in your home. Do that every day this summer and just think how much clutter you can clear out by fall! That will feel so good, won’t it? Plus, what could be better than starting each day with a big check mark on your to-do list—before your day typically even begins!

 

Reason Number 2:  It’s Vacation Season
One of the reasons you go on vacation is to get away from it all, right? Wouldn’t it feel terrific if your home became your get-away-from-it-all spot? It can be that haven, with a small dose of decluttering and organizing! If you don’t have plans to head out of town on vacation this year, spend some stay-cation time getting organized instead. Now, you may be thinking “that’s no vacation,” but just think about how much more tranquil, calm and peaceful your home will be when you’re finished. Investing a bit of time now will help turn your home into a relaxing escape for the rest of the year (and even longer!). Schedule some “vacation days” to spend turning your home into a relaxing retreat.

 

Reason Number 3:  More Sun = More Energy
I don’t know about you, but I naturally have more energy during the summer than any other time of year. If you feel this way, too, put that energy to use tackling one of your bigger organizing projects—like the basement, attic or garage!

 

Reason Number 4:  It’s Hot Outside and Cool Inside!
When the days get too hot to go outside, turn on the A.C. and do some good old-fashioned decluttering! It will feel so refreshing to lighten things up inside when it’s scorching hot outside!  Next time the thermometer reaches 95 degrees or higher, think to yourself “this is a great day to organize!” and then–go do it!

 

Reason Number 5:  Your Schedule Just Got Some Breathing Room
Lack of time is a common roadblock to getting organized, and a topic covered in Organizing 101. If lack of time is an obstacle for you, here’s some good news. Summer often offers relief to overcrowded schedules when seasonal activities like school, sports, and even T.V. programs take time off. Invest this extra time organizing your home, and you’ll feel even more in control when your schedule ramps up again in the fall. Take a look at the newly created openings in your calendar and make an organizing appointment with yourself!

 

Reason Number 6: The Kids Are Out of School
Helpers can also help the time-crunched person who is craving more order. Keep this in mind:  kids make terrific organizing helpers. If you have kids of your own, spend time together this summer clearing the decks in their bedrooms, toy rooms, or craft areas. You’ll start the new school year organized and ready to go! Or enlist the help of a teenage neighbor to help on your own organizing projects. Extra hands get the job done quicker, freeing up time for more summer fun! (By the way, if you'd like to learn how to involve your kids in the organizing process, I just launched a NEW online workshop called Organizing with Your Kids.)

 

Reason Number 7:   It’s a Great Time for a Fresh Start!
Any time the seasons change is a wonderful excuse to reevaluate and start anew. Create a fresh start inside your home by bringing in some fresh-cut flowers and letting go of some stale, unneeded clutter!

 

 Get started today!
If you’re motivated to get organized this summer, get started today! Pick one idea from the list above and put it into action. Call a neighbor teen and seek their help in getting organized. (They're probably looking for something to do this summer, anyway!) Or set your alarm clock fifteen minutes earlier and create a new summer decluttering habit before summer officially begins! Just remember, it is action that creates change. So pick one action to take and follow up on it today.

 

Your turn. What are your favorite organizing projects to work on in the summer? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for sharing.

Let’s Get Organized for the Weekend

Happy Friday my Finish It Friday friends! Did you have a good week? I hope so!

Around here, school gets out three weeks from yesterday. It’s hard to believe that summer is approaching so quickly! Since our schedules will be changing, I’ve decided it’s a good time to take a break from Finish It Friday. This will allow me to focus my blogging time on other topics. I will do Finish it Friday posts for today and the next two Fridays…and then…wow, it will be summer and time for something new! :)

 

This weekend I’m going to use the same approach I used last weekend and do just the basics…and let my inspiration be my guide for everything else. I felt super motivated and productive last weekend, so it makes sense to do again what worked before, right? So here’s my list (which looks a lot like last weekend’s list. This is another reason it’s time for a little Finish It Friday break.)

Play List

• Boot camp
• Anniversary dinner out - yay!

To Finish

• Laundry.
• Cleaning.
• Plan meals for the week.

 

So that's what I'll be up to. How about you? What’s on your to-do list this weekend? Thanks for sharing! I look forward to hearing from you. Have a terrific weekend…filled with lots of fun and done. :)

The “Done” List: Monday Morning Check In

I hope you had a great weekend! It was a busy weekend around here…lots of good stuff got done. As I mentioned on Friday, I decided to keep my to-do list a bit flexible this weekend, and work on what sounded fun. Well…this approach worked really well for me! It was quite liberating to just pick and choose a project based on my mood. Here’s my “done” list:

 

• Decluttered receipts box.  
• Switched over winter and summer stuff. The hats, gloves, scarves and winter coats are on their way into storage (some is there already; some is being washed.) 
• Set up summer essentials mini zone.
• Cleaned out Collin's school papers incubator.
• Boot camp.
• Dropped off hangers for recycling at Laundromat.
• Bought vegetables and flowers.
• Weeded and tilled garden, and planted it! (This took most of Saturday afternoon.)
• Decluttered and organized recipe binder. I edited my recipe binders and got rid of recipes that no longer fit our eating habits. Still have a bit to go on this project…but it moved forward nicely this weekend. 
• Weekly cleaning.
• Laundry. 
• Planned weekly meals. 
• Planted flower boxes and pots on front porch. 
• Swept + cleaned the front porch.  
• Weeded front yard. 
• Surface decluttered downstairs family room.

 

Whew! It was busy. How did your weekend go? What's on your done list? I look forward to hearing from you! Have a terrific Monday.