ORGANIZED FOR LIFE
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3 Quick Tips for Big Organizing Projects 1. Plan ahead Pick a date for your project and block out the time on your calendar. Ask a friend or family member for their help (and moral support!). Gather supplies: a big trash can and trash bags; boxes or bags with handles for donations, boxes or bins to sort stuff into, and brightly-colored 3x5 sticky notes and a large marker for labels. Think about your goals. What do you want the space to look and feel like when you're done? Focus on how wonderful the result will be, instead of focusing on it being a chore.
2. Seize the day! Determine where you'll start, and set a reachable goal for the time period. Clear an area where you can set out some sorting boxes. Then, choose your plan of attack. If you're tackling a whole room, start in one corner and work your way around the room. Or, start with the floor, then the surfaces, tackling "hidden" clutter in drawers and cabinets last. In closets, work from the floor up. Decide on a small number of sorting categories and label your boxes. For clothes: Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Repair, Donate, and Keep. For papers: Shred, Recycle, File, and Act On. For toys: Toss, Donate, Put Away, and Ask the Kids. Pick up each item and determine which category it falls into. To stay focused, stay in one room while you work. Don't leave the room to put something away. Work until your allotted time is up, leaving time to tidy up and put anything away that belongs elsewhere in the house.
3. Celebrate and enjoy! Take a look at the newly-organized area and allow yourself to feel good about what you've accomplished. Pat yourself on the back (no really - go ahead and physically do it!). Give yourself a reward like a fancy latte or a half hour of reading time. Truly celebrate what you've done, and it will motivate you to do more in the future.
Copyright 2008 by Cara Kinning, ORGANIZED FOR LIFE Please contact me for reprint permission.
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Organized for Life www.organizedforlifeonline.com (804) 330-0997 |