Anyone who knows me knows that I get all “geeked up” about any article on Organizing ! I am passionate about simplifying things in my life to reduce stress and produce CALM in my house and in my head. One of my organizing mentors (Lisa Woodruff) wrote an article that I really love. She broke ORGANIZATION into 3 Phases- Decluttering, Organizing, and Productivity. Here is what she has to say about the first stage of organization- Decluttering.
Whether it’s a room, closet or drawer that you want to organize, you must take items out of their home to see them clearly to evaluate if they will work in your space. If you’re organizing your bedroom closet, it may be beneficial to break down the task by decluttering pants one day and shirts the next so you aren’t so overwhelmed. Lisa suggests starting in the kitchen or master closet so you will see progress in these areas where you spend so much time. Here are her 5 steps to Decluttering. Next week we will move on to phase two- Organizing.
5 Steps to Decluttering*
- Eliminate all trash, food, and broken items.
- Sell or consign anything of value you want to sell.
- Bag up any donate-able items and deliver them to the donation center {including consignment items they wouldn’t take}.
- Collect everything that goes in another room and locate it in that room.
- Make a list of any spaces that need organizers or items that need to be replaced.
* Info shared from Lisa Woodruff’s book “The Mindset of Organization” You can find info on her book HERE.
Next week we’ll talk about Organizing!!
Good advice…..I just need to do it. Thanks!