Whether you live in a family home or a small apartment, everyone has dreams of organizing their space. Clutter can creep up on you in unexpected ways and really make an impact on your daily life. If you’re digging through a pile of papers to find the remote control after work, or if your closet closely resembles a small mountain, you’re probably looking for solutions to clear up your living space. Here are some simple suggestions for how to get started embracing a more organized home.
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Handling Your Paperwork
Even the most organized people sometimes have a hard time figuring out what to do with the papers you can’t easily throw out. Important bills, receipts, appliance instruction booklets, and financial records can pile up, until tax season comes and you’re sorting through a giant mess of white. Invest in accordion folders and start alphabetizing. If you’re saving receipts, divide them by expense: food, gas, shopping, and miscellaneous purchases. With a few labels, you’ll know where to find things and avoid accidentally tossing documents you really need.
Sorting Your Clothes
Deciding how to organize your closet can be confusing. But the easiest way to divide your clothes is simply by type—blouses, skirts, slacks, and dresses. If you want to further divide by color, length, or other factors, you can cut down on the time you spend getting dressed for work and get a clear picture of all your options when choosing an outfit. Shoes can be sorted similarly, but make sure to take into account how often you wear them. Shoes that are for special occasions or don’t fit with the season can be stored in the back of the closet or the shelf above until they’re needed.
Separate the Small Stuff
Being truly organized can often come down to finding ways to sort the smallest items in your home. Invest in creative containers and storage ideas so you’ll never have a drawer full of junk again. Door organizers can be great for nails and screws in the garage, or pencils and crayons in your kids’ room. Sort tiny toys, doll clothes, and Legos so it doesn’t feel like they’re everywhere. Dive into your medicine and bathroom cabinets with pencil boxes, plastic tubs, and anything you can use to divide medicines, hair products, and other items. Whether your junk drawers are in the den or kitchen, spending time eliminating them can make a huge difference.
Dump and Donate
You’ve probably seen those hoarders on television, living in a fortress of things they don’t really need. Be the opposite of a hoarder. Knowing when to throw things out is crucial to organizing your home, so eliminate nostalgia and all those thoughts of, “Maybe one day this will come in handy.” Freeing yourself of some of your unnecessary possessions can be a really wonderful feeling. If you’re not planning a yard sale and you don’t want to dump valuable items, think about donating. You can keep a box to fill up of clothes you don’t wear anymore or items the kids have outgrown and bring it to the thrift store or goodwill the minute it fills up. If you have items you don’t want to donate but are cluttering your space, consider using a service like The Storage Center (learn more at http://www.thestoragecenter.com/) to keep them safe and out of the way.
The process of organizing your living space isn’t as daunting as it sounds. Some time spent focusing on specific areas of your house can help you save time in the future, because simple sorting techniques mean you won’t have recurring messes. So what have you got to lose? Get the whole family involved in eliminating clutter and making everyone in your home feel like mountains and piles are a thing of the past for good.
