Tips For Staying Organized
Getting organized can sometimes be a bit like quitting smoking.
As Mark Twain put it, "I've done it hundreds of times.
" Here's how to stay organized after you've done a major re-haul of your stuff.
1) One thing in, one thing out This rule will help to keep you from filling up all the empty space you've just created.
There is a strong but subtle drive to go get more stuff after we've cleaned out the cabinets.
Some part of you thinks, "look at all that room...
I can go get more stuff!" And off you go to the stores, spending money that could be better spent or saved for other things to go get stuff you don't need that you'll be tripping over and disgusted with in just a few weeks.
To break the "let's go get more stuff" habit, make a rule for yourself that for everything new you bring into your house, you have to get rid of something old.
This will make you much less likely to buy things you don't need.
However, do be flexible with this rule.
If you decided to get rid of your old vacuum, for example, because it never worked well, and you just came home with a new vacuum, then you may not need to force yourself to go find something to get rid of.
However, if you are a hopeless collector of birdhouses, and you just found an amazing, one of a kind birdhouse you just had to have, maybe you should take a hard look at one of the cheap plastic birdhouses that you were keeping just to fill space on your birdhouse wall.
This can be a great way to improve a collection over time, and it works wonders in clothes closets.
2) Have a giveaway bin Get an empty recycling bin and put things you don't need any more in it.
When it is full, put it in your car and drop it off at Goodwill when you are nearby.
Simply having a designated place to put the stuff you don't want or don't need any more means you can actually let go of it, instead of just leaving it lying around your house until you're full up to the rafters again.
3) Leave a third empty This is for advanced declutterers only, but it works and it is the only way I have kept my house clutter-free for over two years now.
Leave a third of every container, shelf or closet empty when you do your re-organization.
Leaving this empty third is great for a number of reasons.
First of all, it gives you room to clean and move things around and rearrange what's there, which makes using stuff a bit less of a hassle.
It almost makes smaller spaces seem more roomy, and leaves you feeling like everything is not just crammed into your house (which can make us feel a little crammed in, too).
Finally, it gives you plenty of wiggle room for when you break rule #1 and start acquiring more stuff despite all of your best intentions.
As Mark Twain put it, "I've done it hundreds of times.
" Here's how to stay organized after you've done a major re-haul of your stuff.
1) One thing in, one thing out This rule will help to keep you from filling up all the empty space you've just created.
There is a strong but subtle drive to go get more stuff after we've cleaned out the cabinets.
Some part of you thinks, "look at all that room...
I can go get more stuff!" And off you go to the stores, spending money that could be better spent or saved for other things to go get stuff you don't need that you'll be tripping over and disgusted with in just a few weeks.
To break the "let's go get more stuff" habit, make a rule for yourself that for everything new you bring into your house, you have to get rid of something old.
This will make you much less likely to buy things you don't need.
However, do be flexible with this rule.
If you decided to get rid of your old vacuum, for example, because it never worked well, and you just came home with a new vacuum, then you may not need to force yourself to go find something to get rid of.
However, if you are a hopeless collector of birdhouses, and you just found an amazing, one of a kind birdhouse you just had to have, maybe you should take a hard look at one of the cheap plastic birdhouses that you were keeping just to fill space on your birdhouse wall.
This can be a great way to improve a collection over time, and it works wonders in clothes closets.
2) Have a giveaway bin Get an empty recycling bin and put things you don't need any more in it.
When it is full, put it in your car and drop it off at Goodwill when you are nearby.
Simply having a designated place to put the stuff you don't want or don't need any more means you can actually let go of it, instead of just leaving it lying around your house until you're full up to the rafters again.
3) Leave a third empty This is for advanced declutterers only, but it works and it is the only way I have kept my house clutter-free for over two years now.
Leave a third of every container, shelf or closet empty when you do your re-organization.
Leaving this empty third is great for a number of reasons.
First of all, it gives you room to clean and move things around and rearrange what's there, which makes using stuff a bit less of a hassle.
It almost makes smaller spaces seem more roomy, and leaves you feeling like everything is not just crammed into your house (which can make us feel a little crammed in, too).
Finally, it gives you plenty of wiggle room for when you break rule #1 and start acquiring more stuff despite all of your best intentions.
