So – Today is the day!! You have made the conscious decision that you are going to get your house (and with it – your life) in order.  You feel confident.  You feel MOTIVATED!! You are ready to take on anything – including that pile of folded laundry that has been sitting in the basket for over a week (Oh – is that just me?!?!) You take a look around your house… you see the unopened mail piled up on the table by the door… the opened mail in a pile on the desk… shoes scattered around the front door… a pile of… god knows what sitting at the base of the stairs waiting to be picked up…. And boom – that motivation and confidence… it didn’t just slip out of your fingers – it jumped out of your hands and ran out the front door screaming.

Does any of this sound familiar?? Can you relate?? Guess what?? Most people can.  I CAN!! I have been in that scenario plenty of times.  Yes – I am an organizer, however, I was not always an organized person (before 9th grade I had THE messiest bedroom in the world!).  Once I began 9th grade a flip switched in my head – I started making my bed each morning and somehow that evolved into everything being tidy and organized.  So over the last 20+ years I have worked on perfecting my organizational skills – and it has become my own artform -It is what works best for me and I want to share it with you – the rules I live by to keep my house organized.

1. Pick a Space and stick to it.

First things first – If you are too busy focusing on the big picture (aka the whole house or the whole room) you could very well get easily overwhelmed.  Don’t do this.  Start by looking at the smaller picture.  Pick one space and stick with it.  Focus on it only.  Not only will this help you not get too over your head – once you have completed this one small task it will help you feel more accomplished and possibly bring those feelings of Motivation and confidence back. Once you have selected the space you’re going to tackle, move on to the next step!

2. Look at what you have

This is where the fun begins!! You know the old saying “you gotta spend money to make money”…. Well I have a new one for ya.…. “You  gotta make a mess to organize your mess”.  This process is when you take everything out of the space you are organizing – for example: your bedroom closet.  Pull everything out.  Empty it out.  You need to know what you have in order to organize it.  This is the easiest of all the steps.  You want to make the next step easier? Start putting things in piles now!! Separate items into their piles when you are emptying out the space. You’ll thank yourself later!

3. Wipe down

Your space is now empty, so before you go putting things back – CLEAN IT.  Wipe it down, vacuum it, do what you have to do – but clean the space so it is ready to hold all your items.

4. Like with Like

Once you have emptied out the space you need to put “like with like” so you can see what you have. Again – we will go with using the closet as an example.  You will divide up your piles.  Categorize everything…..Piles of shirts – long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless… piles of pants…jeans, work pants, etc.  Boots…Heels… flats…. You get the idea!!! Once you have all your different piles you will attack each pile one by one with the next step.

  

5. Purge!!!

Marie Kondo tells people to ask themselves if an item brings you “joy”, and if so – then keep it.  This is a great idea, but not always feasible – Start with – “do i really need this?” and be HONEST with yourself.  Guilt is not a reason to keep something.  Remember the pile of clothes I mentioned above? Now is the time to go through it.

You are going to start with one pile.  We will use a pile of long sleeve shirts as our example.  You are going to sort the pile into color coded piles – and WHILE you are doing that you will be reviewing each article of clothing.  When was the last time you wore it? Does it fit you? Did you get rid of it? Good for you! Did it go in the designated color coded pile? That’s fine too-we’ll be coming back to it!!

So – now that you have individual piles of long sleeve tops – look at your biggest pile, for me – that would probably be black tops or white tops.  How many black tops do I need? Not a big pile worth.  NOW is the time to refer back to the art of tidying. Look at each top and narrow it down to just a few.  Obviously I am not coming to your house and looking through your closet so if you decide to keep them all – there is no penalty by me lol.

6. Find a “home” for everything

Obviously for our example of a closet – that is the clothes “home” but for other items in other spaces – this is what they need.  A home.  A place to call their own.  A place where you know it will always be and where it will always go.  This is also where the idea of hierarchy comes into play (see my Theoretical Thursday blog post – https://www.architecturallyorganized.com/architecturally-organized/theoretical-thursday-architecture-and-organizing/ ).  What do you use the most vs the least? The items that get the most use, more often than not, should be in the most accessible places.  This will be different for each person as each person is unique as are their needs.  One person will have their business attire front and center.

7. Contain your items

Sometimes your space needs some extra help.  You have the perfect location for an item – but it needs something more.  Sometimes a basket or box to contain the item is all it takes. Start by taking a look at DIY storage ideas or baskets/boxes you may already have in your own home.  Reutilize them to save on cost.  Organizing does not have to mean running around to The Container Store or TJ Maxx buying tons of containers.  You can easily find things around your own house to hold items.

8. Maintain your space

Congrats!!! All the easy work is done!!! Now comes the hard work – You have to maintain your organized and tidy space!  That is what takes the most time and effort – taking the time to put things away where they belong. You need to keep yourself invested in it and not let things fall to the wayside.  Which of course is easier said than done sometime, especially when life decides to attack you!

That’s the gist of it.  Those are the steps I follow when going through a room or space to get it clean and organized.  Obviously some of these steps will take longer in different rooms but the end result is a space that houses things you use, need and love. Keep in mind when I am performing these tasks I am usually also cleaning while I am doing it. Wiping things down, dusting, vacuuming when needed – etc.

Take an afternoon and apply these to a space in your own house and let me know how it goes!!!

What is your level of “organized”?? Are their magic tips and tricks or secret lists that enable people to stay organized?

Is there a magic word out there that if you shout it out 3 times your house will be magically transformed and everything will be organized and you will live happily ever after?

No, I don’t think there is. Though if you google enough you will definitely find plenty of lists-some that even claim such a thing will happen.  But let’s be real here – there is no secret list, magic word or spell or sorcery.  In my eyes – it is just a lot of boring routine work and paying attention to your surroundings.  You see something lying around where it shouldn’t be – you pick it up and put it away.  That is my key…. I don’t know what the right word is here  … my key understanding… my key process… I don’t know.. What I do know is if you do that on a regular basis it will help keep your house organized.

I think Organizing means something different to everyone, and one list is not going to make everybody happy.  Yes – the basics of the word is the same-But I think there are different levels of it for different people.  For some – just having all their spices in one spot in their kitchen is organized enough for them… then you have those (eehhhheeemmm, let me clear my throat) who need them in matching jars and labels…. Then a step above this… those that put them in alphabetical order… which level are you? (I don’t put my spices in alphabetical order – but in order of most used to least-it’s what makes the most sense to me for my kitchen use)  

 

I think the BIGGEST tip of all is that everything should have a “home”.

 

And to further this statement, this “home” should be in a practical location.
For most items – and most people – this is common sense; however – the final location may not be the same for everyone.
That practical location is different for everyone, and finding a system that works best for you is the end game.

What is an object you have-that for your home  and for you-  that just makes sense to keep it where you have it – but for others it doesn’t make sense?  For me – I would say it’s that my Ralphie boy (aka my chocolate lab)  gets a portion of a cabinet that is strictly for him.  We do not have an attached garage or a mud room for storing his supplies, so the small everyday items go into this cabinet.  He has his leash in there, a refillable container of dog food, some treats and other odds and ends (I still have some of his puppy teeth!!).  For me it makes sense as I feed him in the kitchen, he gets treats in the kitchen, when we go on walks we exit out of the kitchen. For me,this is the most practical place for his items. 

Pinterest is a great tool – but not always reality….

Who all uses Pinterest? I think almost everyone.  You can find ANYTHING on that site!! I have been on pinterest for years… pining recipes, outfits, makeup tips and cleaning/organizing tips and tricks.  It’s a great place to get ideas and inspiration….though, I won’t lie – most things I have pinned just sit in their folder.  Granted – Pinterest upped their game and added the feature of folders within folders – and this made my heart happy (I am sure every person who loves to organize was jumping for joy when this option became available!!)!!  I could organize all my recipes by meal type – I was in heaven, but after that they still just sat there… lol… anyone else?? Bueller?? Bueller?? (I know I am not the only person who pins and leaves them hanging….am I??) (Image found:  http://sacraparental.com/2013/10/13/the-sacrament-of-housework-4-my-11-best-stolen-home-organisation-tips/)

Pinterest can be a bit intimidating no matter what your hobby or profession.  You login.. enter your search word… and voila…. you have a world of ideas at your fingertips and you can scroll for hours (That’s not just me too is it?) looking at all the picture perfect cakes, closets and wardrobes – and you think I could do that!!

So what do you do? You grab your crafting supplies, your baking supplies or your make up and you go to town… and you end up with … A not so picture perfect product.  You have to remember – these Pinterest Perfect Posts are done (mostly) by professionals or at least by someone who has been making the same thing over to the point of perfecting it, and often have the help of some great lighting and props…   

(image found at:  https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/epic-pinterest-food-fails-2013?sub=2849392_2193016 )

Like I said… Intimidating… But it doesn’t have to be.  Those picture perfect cakes and closets – they are not everyone’s reality and that is ok!!  Like I said – for me – it is all about INSPIRATION!!  When it comes to Pinterest and Organizing – Yes, it can sometimes give us feelings of self doubt…feelings of being overwhelmed… or that we are just not capable of doing something…  Well – I think you have to be positive and not focus on the negative…  The site can really inspire.  Look at it for its creativity and the ideas you can get from it.  That is what your focus should be. 

I think there are different levels of Organizing for different people.  Each and everyone of us are different just like each and every one of our Organizing projects are  going to be different.  Some people – they have Pinterest expectations, but for most of us – we just want things to work for us.  I could be wrong – but I have a feeling those Pinterest Perfect closets and cabinets do not stay perfect for long… maybe I am wrong…. but those people probably don’t have a spouse… or kids…. or company over…ever (I am teasing here – but not really). 

So you tell me – What does “Organized” mean to you??  Is it everything matching – labels, soup cans facing the same way – do images of the organized kitchen cabinets from Sleeping with the Enemy pop in your head?!?!?!  Or is it the ease of knowing where everything is? That everything has its “home”? You tell me!!