Do you ever feel like it’s all too much? Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

The Secret to Staying Organized

As a Certified Professional Organizer, I am often asked what is the secret to staying organized.

The key word being "staying".

How many times have you spent all day Sunday cleaning your room, to find the floor covered with stuff a week later?

The secret is two part: letting go of all the extra stuff and making sure every items has a clearly designated home.

Getting Started

Part One: Why letting go matters?

The more things you own, the more things you need to "organize".

When working with clients, I am often asked, "How long do you spend putting things away?"

The reality is not very long.

In fact, I spend much less time "picking-up" than my clients do.

Pop culture loves to promote minimalism as owning as little as possible. But, they are missing the point. Minimalism is all about being intentional about what you choose to bring into your life.

Letting go of all the stuff that is not adding value to your life will save you time. Kids toys are an easy example to use. Your kids have a play kitchen with play food. They love to dump it all out, play with it (usually for just few minutes) and then forget about it.

It's up to you how much play food is available for them dump out and then subsequently needs to be picked up.

Do your kids play with the food longer if there are 75 food items verse 25 food items?

In my experience, they don't. But it will take longer to pick-up 75 food items!

Letting go, reduces the amount of stuff you need to "pick-up" and "put away". This makes staying organized a lot easier.

Ironically, letting go usually saves people money too!

How many times have you bought something, only to find out you had 3 more of them at home?

Part Two: Every item needs a home.

You need to know exactly where every item you own lives. It's important that the homes you create are easily accessible and clear.

As I mentioned earlier, my clients are often shocked when I let them know that I don't designate any time, on a weekly basis, to "pick-up" the house.

Instead, I take 5 - 10 minutes when I come home to put away everything I brought in. This includes everything from the jacket I am wearing, to my new Target purchases, to the items in my work bag.

I also spend 5-10 minutes every morning putting away the dishes in the kitchen.

I know what you’re thinking: "This idea sounds great, but it can't possibly only take 10 minutes when you get home to put everything away?"

The good news is, If you create clear accessible homes for all your stuff, it can! Simply designate exactly where the item will live. Depending on how often you use that item, will determine how accessible it needs to be.

If the home is in a drawer, I would highly recommend investing in drawer dividers so that it's clear where the keys go, verse the box cutter, verse the head phones.

I hate the term junk drawer. It's fine to have a utility drawer the holds items that you use regularly, but these items need designated homes so that they are easy to find, access, and put away.

If the home is on a shelf, I would recommend investing in boxes or open bins. Labeling can help remind you of what belongs in each box and what doesn't.

What if I don't know where I should designate an item to live?

The good news is, there is no right or wrong answer. It's what works for you. If you pick a home, and it's not working, change it!

It's also common for "homes" to change as you use items differently.

If you have young kids that have toys and need batteries all the time, you might want to store them in your utility drawer. However, once the kids get older, having a box of batteries on a shelf in the closet, may work better.

Happy Spaces’ Tips & Tricks

Clear is king!
- I would recommend choosing clear bins and boxes whenever possible. The easier it is to see what you have, the easier it is to maintain your organizational systems.

Add Shelving!
- When reviewing client's spaces, who have been struggling with staying organized, one of the most common challenges is that there is not enough accessible storage space. Adding shelving to a closet can make all the difference.
Label!
- Taking a few minutes to label the bins and boxes, will go a long way toward maintaining the homes you created.

Invest in products that will create functional simple homes.
- Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a product person. However, there is no denying the value that having the right product can add.
- When designating homes, think about what you need to make the home function best.
- If your goal is to hang up your clothes in your closet right away, but you have a million different types of hangers and it's really tight every time you hang a clothing item, purchasing thin non-slip hangers may make all the difference.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

We understand how challenging and scary it can be to start something new. If you feel excited about implementing this strategy, but worry that it’s just too much to start on your own, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!

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A Note from Happy Spaces

The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:

Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.

We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.

Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®

Sincerely,

Sarah Weingarten

Meet Sarah

Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.

The Secret to Staying Organized