Conquer your clutter!

April 6, 2011

8 tips from organizing guru Laura Wittmann of Clutter Rehab to get you inspired for spring cleaning and clearing.

1 | Ask clutter questions

As you face each clutter decision, ask yourself the questions below. You can do this in two ways. One is to evaluate each item by asking all the questions about it at once. If the thought of that seems too overwhelming, you can ask them in stages. For example, evaluate each item by going through and only asking the first question. Then take that same pile and go through the items again asking the second question and so on. By the time you answer all five questions, your pile should be considerably smaller (if you’ve been honest, that is!)
Questions:
• Do I love it?
• Do I use it? How long ago did I last use it? (More than a year? Toss it!)
• Do I have the room to store it without it affecting my efficiency and stress levels?
• Am I willing to give up something else in order to make room for it?
• Can I imagine myself or anyone else in my family ever loving it or using it in the foreseeable future?

2 | Use an “I’m outta here” shelf

Without this shelf I would be lost! This is a shelf near my entryway that I use for all the things that don’t belong in my house but need to go somewhere else: items that need to be returned to the store, a friend’s plate leftover from the last dinner party, magazines I want to pass along to someone else, letters to be mailed, etc. The trick is to get into two habits: to put stuff on the shelf that has to go out and to actually check the shelf before leaving the house to see if there’s an errand that can be run on your route. I’ve made it part of my before bed “10-minute” tidy to round-up these misplaced items and add them to the shelf so they’re ready and waiting for me the next day when I head out to do my errands.

3 | Establish a “command centre”

A “command centre” is a beautiful thing. It’s the ideal spot to capture bits and pieces of life that are happening right now and can’t be filed away just yet. It’s not a solution to the permanent filing. Instead, it’s a revolving display of miscellaneous documentation, a communication centre for the goings-on of life. Perfect for things such as important telephone numbers, birthday party invitations, receipts for items needing to be returned, school papers with specific information on an upcoming event, papers that need to be referenced routinely, or bills to be paid. Ideally, you want to choose a central location in your home, that you can’t help but see every day and that is accessible by all members of the family. It should include a central calendar, a message centre, and file holders or bins for each of your children’s school papers – and don’t forget the chore charts.

4 | Keep your vehicle stocked with essentials

You never know what’s going to happen when you’re out and about. Organization helps you be prepared for whatever life throws at you. While we can’t control the traffic, weather, or even sick kids, we can keep our vehicles stocked to help us in these situations should they happen. Grab yourself a container and fill it with a first aid kit, wipes, a change of clothes if you have little ones, extra diapers, Ziploc bags for travel sickness, tissues, receiving blankets (these work at any age for quick cleanups!), activity kits for traffic-stalling boredom, and of course, snacks and water. Don’t forget to keep a trash bag in your car at all times as well. You wouldn’t throw garbage on your floor at home, so don’t do it in the vehicle, either. Every time you get gas, get in the habit of dumping the garbage. Just a little advance planning can make a huge difference to how your day will end up playing out.

5 | Keep projects in progress under control

Projects in progress can hold us back. Whether we’re aware of it or not. Do you have projects that don’t interest you anymore, that have been cluttering up your space for years, yet you feel some sort of obligation to complete? It might be time to let them go and feel the weight lift from your shoulders as a result. Go ahead! What are you waiting for? Think about whether or not the space you have given your clutter permission to take over could be put to better use. Are you really willing to give up square footage of usable space in your home for stuff you “might” just use or need one day? Really stop and think about the power you’re putting in your clutter’s hands. What kind of hold does it have on you and why are you allowing it to happen?

6 | Use visual cues to eliminate clutter

Sometimes with everything else going on, we can’t remember what we’ve used and what we haven’t. It’s time for some visual cues. For instance, turn the hangers around in your closet to face the opposite direction; as you wear something, turn the hanger back around. At the end of the season, you’ll know exactly what you’ve worn and what needs to be purged. Alternatively, place small stickers on your clothing, and when you wear something remove the sticker. Anything remaining with a sticker after a year is ready to leave the nest.

7 | Install closet organizers

Closets without organizers seem naked and are crying out for organization. You can literally double the amount of closet space you have by adding an organizer to it and I’m not talking an expensive one, either. You can get perfectly wonderful inexpensive closet organizers at most department stores. I like the ones that provide the cubbies in the middle – they make my heart sing!

8 | Tackle small tasks to get big results

So often we don’t want to start an organizing project because we think it will take too long. Trying to find large chunks of time can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, many organizing tasks can be completed in short bursts of attention. Committing to these small tasks on a daily basis creates a sense of accomplishment that fuels continuation and fosters self-discipline. Once you see how easy and rewarding it is to tackle one small task or space at a time, the impact of those results will make you want to do it over and over and over again, until you become an addict like me!

Organizing tasks that can be done in
30 minutes or less:

• Organize a drawer
• Organize a bookshelf
• File papers
• Update your calendar
• Organize DVDs
• Check for expired products in your fridge
• Sort hats and mitts
• Create email folders
• Organize your wallet or purse
• Clean out backpacks
• Tidy your desk

Laura Wittmann is a professional organizer and founder of the popular blog I’m an Organizing Junkie, a website dedicated to providing encouragement and education for organized living with a good dose of fun. She is addicted to the “high” that comes from living a life of simplicity and order and is always on the lookout for her next “fix.” She lives in Alberta with her husband and three kids. orgjunkie.com

Filed under: FROM THE EXPERTS