Think of this scenario: If your house were burning and your family,
pets, and purse or wallet were already out of harm's way, what else would you
want to save? Probably not the blender that only works on one speed,
the china you inherited but never use, or that picture from last Thanksgiving that is one of the worst pictures of you ever taken! So here's a question to ask yourself: If I wouldn't grab them in case of a fire, why do I still have them in my home now?
There's no reason to be surrounded by things that don't work, that you
don't need, or that you don't even like. Andrew Mellen is a professional organizer, writing for Oprah. His job is to help his clients figure out what they should keep and what they should
kiss goodbye; then they figure out how to make what they have work for
them. You can do it yourself by following the steps outlined here:
The Ground Rules
1. Everything you own should have value, either because it's functional or beautiful or you just love it. Remember the question of what you'd grab if your house were on fire; that's your baseline for determining an object's worth.
2. Every item needs a place where it "lives."
Setting things down on the coffee table or kitchen counter creates
piles and confusion. My clients mock me when I say, "Where do your keys
live? They live in a bowl or on a hook by the front door"—but you never
lose anything when you put it where it lives.
3. Focus on one thing at a time.
Multitasking is supposed to help you get more things done quickly, but
when you try to do 19 things at once, everything ends up incomplete.
You're trying to simplify your life, so simplify your approach to
getting organized. Now let's get started.
A too-crammed Kitchen
Your kitchen is a food preparation area, not a storage space. The idea here is to weed out what you're not using, then put similar items together and in the best places.
Appliances:
Machines that are broken or aren't used are just taking up space. If
your Crock-Pot has a missing lid that you say you're going to replace
someday, or you're keeping the bread maker just because it was a gift,
get rid of it.
Food containers: All your plastic storage items should have corresponding lids. If you don't have one or the other, it's a recycling item.
Pots and pans:
If there isn't a lot of space in your kitchen, use a pot rack. If you
have the space, hang them along the wall for fast access.
Knives: If you're short on counter space, consider the type of knife block that fits in a drawer.
Plastic bags:
Everybody has a plastic bag full of other plastic bags. Use the ones
you have for trash can liners, or take them back to the supermarket for
recycling. Keep canvas shopping totes in the car so you don't
accumulate more plastic bags. Mesh shopping bags roll up small enough
to be kept in your handbag for unexpected trips to the market.
Cookbooks:
Unless you're a collector or you have a lot of room, edit them. How
often do you use the cookbook? If you've had it for years but it's
never gotten a single stain or burn from use, donate it.
That Pile of Mail
If you can't finish the mail, don't start the mail.
You can't slice chicken for dinner and sort your bills at the same
time, so when you come in the front door with a stack of mail, put it
in the basket, box, or whatever container you have handy for this
purpose. You don't have such a container? No wonder there are so many
piles of mail around your house.
When you're ready, take your
mail basket to wherever you deal with paperwork. First, pull out the
circulars and flyers and set them aside; you'll either clip the coupons
or put them in the recycling bin—later. Also set aside the catalogs. If
you're shopping for something specific, save them. (Caveat: no
multiples. The new catalog replaces the old one, which gets recycled.)
If you're getting catalogs you never wanted in the first place, pull
off the pages with the mailing label and put them aside; that's an
action item for later. Then separate the rest: bills, personal
correspondence, time-sensitive invitations, requests for charitable
donations, membership renewals, new credit card offers, and so forth.
Open the bills first because they represent a relationship that must be
honored; if you want the services, you have to pay. All the stuffing
that says "You've been selected to receive these free gifts" goes into
the recycling bin. All you want is the bill and the return envelope.
Put any invitations aside; later on, you'll transfer those into your calendar and send your response.
If there's room in your home office, have small bins in which to stack
bills, invitations, and the correspondence you're keeping.
When you're done sorting, then you can read your magazines. Or get
those back pages you ripped out, call the companies that sent them, and
tell them what you don't want—their catalogs.
Your Overstuffed Closet
Lots of folks have a lot of "someday" best. Someday I'm going to fit into these again. Someday this trend might return. Someday I'm going to wear this. The problem is, "someday" doesn't exist; there's only today. Here's what to do with what's being worn only by your hangers.
Clothes that don't fit:
If you've gained weight, keep the smaller-sized clothes that you'll get
the most use from and work on fitting into them again. If you've
already lost weight, don't keep a whole closetful of big clothes as
though one day you're going to suddenly be struck fat; donate them.
Trend items: If you're waiting for something to come back in style, don't. Even if it does return, it will look dated—and so will you.
Special occasion outfits: The rule that says "If you haven't worn it in a year, donate it" is a fine guide for when to say goodbye.
Sentimental pieces:
You say, "I really loved this jacket." I know you did. But if you
haven't worn it in ages and it doesn't work with your other clothes,
it's time for it to go away. If you're saving your wedding dress, be
honest—do you have the space to store it? Do you have a daughter you're
saving it for, and is it a timeless classic she won't roll her eyes at?
If the answers are yes, keep it. If you're short on storage space, you
have only sons, or your dress has puffy sleeves, lace, and buttons up
the arms because you did a kind of Linda Ronstadt circa 1974 thing,
give it to a thrift store or DonateMyDress.org, which provides formal
wear to girls who can't afford prom or special occasion dresses.
Now that you have a closetful of clothes that you actually wear,
organize them—all the short-sleeved shirts together, all the jeans
together, etc. Do the same with your shoes. If you have the space, they
can be kept on shelves so you can see them immediately. If not, try
stacking shelves or hanging shoe racks.
The Drawer Full of Photos
If you don't have time to put your photos in an album or scrapbook, it's okay to stop pretending you're going to do it. Get clear shoe boxes to store them in instead.
Then get a kitchen timer. Why? Because sorting through photos leads to
reminiscing, and suddenly it's three hours later. But you're not
looking at photos now—you're organizing them so that looking at them
later will be more fun. Decide how long you have and set the timer.
Group the photos by subject—the family reunion, your trip to Istanbul.
While you're grouping, you're also sorting: Is it a clear picture? Do
you even know who those people are? Throw away any that don't measure
up, and any in which you can't stand the sight of yourself. When you're
done, label the boxes accordingly: "Family Reunion, February 2008."
The Inherited Items and Mementos from Aunt So-and-So or Uncle Joe
Your home is not a museum.
Many people subscribe to the unwritten rule that you're obligated to
keep your great-aunt's dishes, even if you don't like them, just
because she used them. But maybe your great-aunt never liked them
either and also felt too guilty to let them go. Things don't have to
become yours simply because they belonged to a relative. You're not
living her life, and you're not a bad person for giving inherited items
away.
If the acquired stuff is worth money, you may feel bound
to it financially: "It's real silver—I can't give it away." Yes, you
can. Donate it, document what it's worth, and take it off your taxes.
Or give it to another family member who would really like it. Or sell
it on eBay. And if you like something enough to keep it, consider it a
replacement, not an addition—keep Grandma's reading lamp, but donate
the one you already have.
Mementos from your own life are
harder to part with because when you see them, you relive the story: To
you, it's the cashmere V-neck you wore on your first date with the man
who would become your husband; to anyone else, it's just an old sweater
full of holes. The key to parting with items suspended in time is not
to replay that story. Leave the room, come back in, and see what you're
really holding on to—a sweater that's seen better days. Rule of thumb:
If it serves no purpose, let it go.
At the end of this project,
you'll have accomplished three goals: There will be less stuff, what's
left will be in order, and everything will be in containers that work
with your space. Being organized isn't about getting rid of everything
you own or trying to become a different person; it's about living the
way you want to live, but better. There are enough things in the world
that you can't control—but you can bring some order into your home and your life.
If you think this can't be accomplished in time for the holidays, how about setting your sights now on a 2010 New Year's resolution? Start now with what you know can be finished; pick up the rest come January 1st.
Happy Monday- and thanks to all who made our Buffalo and Pittsburgh concerts this past weekend so absolutely fantastic- we loved spending time with you!
Recent Comments