When it’s time to declutter, it can be hard to know where to start and what to keep. Fortunately, professional organizers have developed strategies that can make the task less daunting. Read the following sections to learn organizing tips from the professionals.
Start Now and Start Small
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re thinking about organizing your entire home. When the task seems like more than you can handle, you’re more likely to put it off until later. A good strategy is to start small and start right away.
Instead of tackling the whole kitchen, for example, try this organizing tip – tackle one drawer at a time. Take everything out of that drawer and donate or give away items that you have not used in the last year. You’ll enjoy a sense of accomplishment and your kitchen will be organized and easier to use before you know it.
Declutter First
When you’re feeling inspired and ready to declutter, it’s tempting to shop for cute boxes, stylish baskets and a trendy label maker. However, professional organizers strongly recommend decluttering before you do anything else. Otherwise, you may just end up storing your clutter in cute containers. The best strategy is to finish sorting and purging first, so that you’ll know how much “stuff” you have and how many containers you really need.
Organize Paperwork
There are many tools available for reducing those stacks and boxes of paperwork. For example, you can scan receipts and other important documents and store them digitally on your computer or the cloud. Is unwanted mail piling up every day? A great way to cut down is to unsubscribe from print catalogs and opt for online versions.
You may want to keep some paper items, such as bank statements or tax records. Keep records from the past six years for these items and shred the rest.
Get Creative With Containers
When you’ve finished decluttering, it’s time to get creative. There are many affordable storage options that will help you stay organized. One professional tip is to repurpose boxes and bins that you already have. You won’t have to spend money on new containers or bring home more items. It’s also an environmentally friendly alternative to buying more containers.
If you prefer to buy new storage containers, look for baskets. Available in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors, they can be a stylish, creative storage option.
Deal With Digital Clutter
While you’re at it, remember to declutter your digital life, too! Is your inbox full of emails that you’ll never read or reference? Now is the time to click that “unsubscribe” link and delete all those unwanted emails. Create folders and file only the emails that you plan to reference.
Could your bookmarks use some organizing and decluttering? Delete bookmarks to pages you haven’t visited in the past year, and organize the remaining bookmarks into folders.
Get Support
Does your decluttering project still seem like more than you can handle? The experts at ClutterBGone are here to support you with professional organizing experience. If you’d like a free consultation, get in touch today!