The Organizational Process
A well-organized home saves you time and money. No more valuable time will be spent looking for things because an organized home has a definitive place for everything. In a well-organized home, your money isn’t wasted on overstock because a managed home stocks what it needs, planning only for the near future. Consider how a cluttered home affects the time you spend cleaning it. More things mean more items for you to dust, wipe, and wash. Too much time clearing, shuffling, and protecting “stuff” happens before cleaning the base surface. The organizational process requires time, so you need to be patient. Indeed, don’t choose a time to begin organizing your home when life stresses and other commitments are beyond ordinary. Also, be aware that an organizational project takes more time than people realize. The last thing you want is to take a room apart and not have enough time to put it back together, leaving it a mess until the next time you have a block of time to put it back together. Always underestimate the time it takes to organize because usually, you will be on target. Additionally, when we bite off more than we can chew, we find ourselves rushing the project, feeling overwhelmed, and forcing us to make short-sighted decisions that cause mistakes and regret.
An organizational plan requires much thought because so many aspects are involved, such as decluttering, space planning, and shopping for storage essentials. Mulling over an organizational job is vital since your best ideas often come to mind after determining the initial plan. Taking time also allows the opportunity for modifications that improve the overall outcome. Organizing one’s home becomes an avoided task for many reasons. Mostly, people don’t know where to begin or how to approach organizing.
It is best to handle organizing by breaking down each task into manageable steps and spreading them over time, where each step ends so your home can still function smoothly. This method makes it easier for most people to fit organizing into their busy schedules.
Here are my top organizing tips that are most important for any organizing project:
Keep household items to a minimum.
The biggest key to a successful home organization is downsizing household inventories. Whenever you organize anything, it’s essential to keep only the things you need, use, love, or would buy again tomorrow. Evaluate your belongings with this concept in mind since it’s easy to find reasons to keep things. The excuses we conjure up for holding onto our belongings can often wrestle with logic; this creates the typical indecision we feel that tends to stifle the organizational process. Organizing is not only about effectively arranging your belongings; it’s equally important to eliminate items that no longer serve a purpose. Carving out time to organize is challenging. Therefore, making good use of your time and decluttering with a sense is imperative. Once useless items are out of the way, the home is in the perfect condition to reorganize. Decluttering leads to manageable inventories, which have many advantages. First, fewer storage essentials are needed, saving both money and space. Also, there’s no wasting time making storage arrangements for unnecessary belongings. Finally, finding what you need usually takes less time when you have fewer things.
Stick to one organizational project at a time
Some people start organizing space in one room, and something causes them to get sidetracked with a project in another room before completing that task. Commonly, we do such things when we shift household inventories from room to room.
It is never a good idea to organize in this manner because it usually creates a fragmented, overwhelming state by being off task. Instead, it’s best to keep organizational tasks small and limited until they’re finished. Then you can more easily move on to the next job.
Don’t keep unwanted items just because they might have value.
Commonly, people keep unnecessary things because they believe the items hold a significant monetary value. Something kept, for this reason, should be evaluated for its actual value, which involves a little work. Remember that almost all used items are worth one-half to one-third of their original cost, even when they’re in perfect condition, simply because they’re not new. Luxury items can be appraised by a certified professional. Most other belongings can be compared with identical items that are get resold.
Resale websites and stores are the best way to determine the monetary value of your used items. In general, the older the article, the less it’s worth. Technological devices are an excellent example of how age can dramatically reduce value. Bear in mind that, in most cases, it’s best to sell your things while they’re somewhat current because most items depreciate rapidly. This knowledge should assist you in the decluttering process.
Be sure you’ll use whatever you store.
Many people store items because they think one day they’ll be helpful. However, before doing so, it’s essential to visualize the thing in use or be able to account for a time when the item will be used—for example, an upcoming vacation or holiday. In addition, make sure that other household members are aware of packed items. Doing so will allow you to receive feedback about things and determine if they’ll get used. An excellent way to spread the word to other family members is to place a note on a memo board or connect via digital communication.
Items are replaceable. While decluttering your household inventories, keep in mind that you are dealing with replaceable material possessions. When something is not enjoyed or needed, let it go, bearing in mind that it’s tangible and not meant to be kept for eternity. Chances are, such items will never be missed. Usually, the worst thing that could happen in mistakenly letting go of something is that it needs to be replaced, which is not the end of the world. The replacement usually works out better and receives more use than the one let go. Remember that the space your items occupy is valuable real estate that you may still be paying off and are certainly paying taxes for using. Therefore, a more ruthless attitude toward parting with unnecessary belongings makes it all the more important to use your home space efficiently and wisely.
People wear only a small portion of what they own.
The National Association of Professional Organizers reports that we tend to wear only 20 percent of our clothes. When you declutter your inventories, remember this statistic. If you continue to buy things and never eliminate use-less articles, you’ll eventually face stressed and overcrowded storage spaces.
Buy organizers after decluttering.
It’s common for people to buy organizers first and then organize. Doing so is usually inadvisable since it’s easy to misjudge the number and type of organizers you need before you thoroughly declutter, count inventories, and create a space plan. Returning or adding extra storage organizers is an everyday chore when buying organizers before making the necessary storage space. When you know which organizers you need, purchasing them beforehand is fine, especially when you can take advantage of a great sale. However, don’t allow prepurchased storage essentials to ultimately influence your storage arrangements at the expense of poorly laid out or inefficient use of space.
