- Make a list of what is bothering you the most and prioritize your clutter cleanup. If it is the games scattered around the floor or the stuffed drawers and cabinets, put it on the list first. If alphabetizing your CD collection would be nice but not a priority, list it towards the end.
- Begin with the one area of the room which is bothering you the most and stay focused on solving just the one problem. If you plan on creating storage area, but the storage area you need is also a disaster, create a temporary holding area and label it - Games - for example.
- Have boxes handy to place those items you plan on getting rid of and label them appropriately - Garage Sale - Charity - Garbage. As you filter through the mess, place your discarded items in the appropriate box and leave it there. Digging back through boxes of items you have set aside to get rid of is counter productive.
- Avoid burying the items most often used. Keeping them handy and within reach makes good sense.
- Use stackable bins and boxes to store away items which do not need to be housed in the prime area of the room. Use the right size storage container to help keep the items separated such as, crayons and colored pencils separated from CD and DVD cases and labels.
- If every drawer has somehow turned into a collection of stuff, put a sheet on the floor, pour out the contents of each drawer into one big pile, then in an outer circle, separate the stuff into smaller piles by category - Example - Nails & Screws - Tools - Doll Clothing - Hair Accessories. Doing all the drawers at one time cuts down on time and helps you to determine storage requirements for a particular category.
- Separate seasonal items by season - including CDs and movies related to the season.
- In a small notebook, list where you have stored items to avoid dragging out boxes and digging through them when it comes time to find things.
- Invest in supplies designed for organization to help you with your task.
The trick to taking control over chaotic clutter is to create a specific place for each item. It may sound like a simple solution to an overwhelming task, but with follow up and a little nagging, the room can be kept neat, functional, and you'll spend less on replacing items you already have simply because you can not find them when you need them.
Happy Organizing!
Donna Montaldo
