Fool-Proof Ways to Be Successful at Organizing

If you follow my fool-proof ways to be successful at organizing, I promise your home will be a much more enjoyable place to live.

Don’t believe me?

Well, join us as we once again are doing a FREE 30-Day Cleaning & Organizing Challenge. You can read my post from last year HERE to give you some inspiration and reinforcement of things I will cover today.

Fool-Proof You Say??

I’ve found that the only way to truly stay organized is to:

• Be able to purge what you don’t use or love
• Commit to keeping things organized – it’s not a one-and-done proposition
• Everyone who lives in your home needs to be on board and participate

Why You Should Want an Organized Home

• It creates a more harmonious place to live
• Which then reduces your stress levels
• and saves you money when you don’t keep bringing more “stuff” into the house

Organization Can Help you With:

• Knowing where things which is such a time saver
• Not replacing something you already own
• Creating space for everything to have a home

Area’s that Typically need the most Organization

• Cabinets & Drawers
• Closets & Dressers
• Shoes, Toys, Books, Papers, Magazines & Knick Knacks

Organizing Accountability

I know that I am more motivated to do something if I have to be accountable. One of my most successful organizers last year put it out there on Facebook that she was doing my challenge. She checked in every day and always shared her successes. I also shared some of her successes on my Instagram page.

So grab a friend to join you. I have organizing to do myself so I know that all of you who join me will definitely hold me accountable. If you need help along the journey with tips, tricks, and inspiration, please reach out to me in the comments below or directly email me HERE

Are You In??

Organizing & Cleaning?

What???? Now you want me to clean? When the spaces are empty it’s a great time to wipe everything down. You’re killing two birds with one stone. You can also put a liner in any cabinets or drawers that either hasn’t been before or are in need of an update.

Organizing Challenge Details

• Pick Your Start Date! I find that Mondays work best for me.
• Things that you need:
  • Three Large Containers or Garbage Bags (Throw, Donate, Sell)
  • Cleaning Supplies – You can make a great all-purpose spray for pennies (Don’t use on any stone surfaces; granite, marble, etc. – Just use water and soap on those surfaces)
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 tsp. Castile soap
    • 1/2 cup vinegar
    • 20 drops of lemon essential oil
    • Swirl all ingredients together in a spray bottle
• Storage containers – I wouldn’t start buying these until you get your items narrowed down and decide where they are going to be housed, then make a list and shop if you want things to be organized in containers. I will share with you some of my favorites so you can start thinking about them.
• Get your hands on a copy of Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. I use her method to fold most of my clothes and I also like some of her thoughts on purging. When she wrote this she wasn’t married and didn’t have children so keep that in mind if you read her book.
• Put together a playlist with music that motivates you. I personally put on HGTV in the background and that helps me to stay inspired.
• You also will need to be mentally ready to do this! I have faith that you are up for the challenge.

Purging

By far the hardest thing for people to do is purge. It is for me and I’m very comfortable with getting rid of things.

I don’t hang on for sentimental reasons or things that I might fit into it one day.

I have a harder time thinking I might use or need something someday. So for me personally I have to really focus on the rule of “Have you used this in the last 6 months – 1 year?” If the answer is no then it’s time to get rid of it.

Tricks to Help You Purge

I worked with a customer who had her Mother’s dishes. They were in a box in her laundry room. She didn’t use them or like them but she just couldn’t part with them.

We decided to go through the set and find one piece (a small bowl) that she could put by her kitchen sink for her rings. Having this small memory made it easy for her to part with the rest of the set. We now had a whole shelf in a cabinet where we could put things that she did use but didn’t have a spot to put them.

Another family had a box of recipes from Grandma. Again, they weren’t used but took up space on a shelf. We pulled a recipe out that had meaning to the family, framed it, and placed it in a kitchen nook.

It looked something like the recipe that my niece framed for our family of my Mom’s handwritten recipe of our Traditional Swedish Potato Sausage

When Do You Need a Professional?

If you are really having a hard time getting rid of things then you should consider hiring a professional organizer who can help you work through the process of why you are hanging on to things and what you can do to let go.

They can also help you with the biggest challenge of just getting started. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing for people to do and they get paralyzed.

If you are looking for help, you can find out more about my services in the menu above or download my brochure HERE.

Where do Purged Items Go?

• Throw or Recycle things that are not in good shape
• Sell them! I love Facebook Marketplace and I’ve written about how I sell items that way. You can find it HERE.
  • Somehow it’s easier for me to let go when I profit from the process
• Donate – I’ve also written about donating and how to know the best places to donate your items. You can read about that HERE

Do You Feel Like You Don’t Have Time?

If you are working out of the home, watching kids all day, or have a really busy life you can still participate. When was working full-time at a corporate job, I just adapted the schedule to my weekends.

There is so much flexibility in my challenge. You can move as fast or slow as you want. It’s totally customizable to your life and lifestyle.

I personally get really inspired when I start making space in my small house!

I promise you that you too can have an organized home and life if you follow my fool-proof ways to be successful at organizing.

Peace and Love,

Some of my organizing tips were featured in an article written by Inspection Support Network. The article “Home Organizing Before Selling: Tips from the Experts” has so many great organizing ideas. Be sure to check it out.

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