10 Ways to Declutter and Organize Your Life

9/5/2018

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Paper Records/Mail

Throw away ALL old mail
Create a filing system and label:
- Bills
  - Paid (keep for only 1 month)
  - Due (keep in order of whats due first)
- Newsletters
- Coupons
- Personal Mail
Remember to constantly file things in proper places!

Kitchen: Cupboards/Pantry

Start with cups, plates, glasses
- If you don't have a full set of something, take it to goodwill.
- Line all cupboards with lining paper, and put all the matching sets together.
Go through the pantry & fridge.
- Throw away anything thats expired.
- Make sure all opened bags have a proper clip! Keeping things fresh is the key to having useful products. Also start to pay attention to nutritional facts, make sure you're getting the most from your pantry.
- Take everything out of your fridge, if it's old obviously throw it out. If it's something you don't plan on cooking in the next week, freeze it.
- Try to start using mason jars to keep your food fresh, it's also a great way to have everything be visible and appealing.

Laundry & Cleaning Supplies

Wipe down your washer & dryer, we don't pay attention to how clean our cleaning products are themselves, but when we walk into a clean laundering space, it makes laundry (a dreaded task) more inviting.

If you don't have a shelf for your laundry products, put a shelf up, buy some wooden boxes to place your products on.
Wherever you keep your cleaning products, keep everything in a labeled basket. Labeling and having specific places for everything will make life easier for you.

Bathroom: Product Clean-Up

Go through each drawer and make sure you have lining, this saves your drawers from getting ruined by spilled product.
The goal is keep your countertops as organized as possible and using your closet/drawer space as efficiently as possible. If you like to display certain things like perfumes, buy a small tray and keep the pretty bottles on there. It's always nice to have a plant on the tray, it brings some life to the bathroom.
Throw away anything that has little to no product left OR keep these products in the front of the closet to ensure you finish them first before using newer products.
Instead of putting products directly on the shelf of the cupboards, buy little plastic or wood baskets to place everything in.
Group things together: hair products, make up, facial products etc.
If your makeup is 3-6 months old, it may be expired or have germs, I will often wipe some alcohol over a powder to keep it germ free. Brushes should be washed constantly. Wash all your brushes and air dry, place in a container for easy access.

Linen Closet

Take everything out!!
Keep sets together, unless you have a full set or something matches, put it in the goodwill pile.
Fold everything uniformly, and place back in closet.
Keep towels and sheets in the closet, don't use the bathroom as storage for your towels!

Master Bedroom: Closet and ALL

Start with countertops, decide what items add to the overall aesthetic of your room, and keep those items.
Put all the small items you have lying around in a designated place:
- Makeup in the bathroom
- Jewelry in a jewelry box. I have a behind the door jewelry closet that doubles as my mirror, its a great way to have everything on display and also multifunctional. Here's the link to mine!
Here's how to decide what needs to go in your closet or drawers:
- Haven't worn it in a year or more and shows signs of wear: GIVEAWAY
- Haven't worn it in a year but is in great condition: SELL!!! I use Poshmark or ThredUp it's a great way to make some extra money from unwanted clothing or goods.
- If you're unsure about something, put the folded items into one drawer and see if you touch it over the next 3 months, if not get rid of it. If it's a hanging item, put the hanger backwards, if you still haven't turned it around in 3-6 months give it away or sell it.
- Categorize your hanging clothes by organizing them by color first, and then my sleeve length. This is a great example

Kids Rooms

You can use your judgement on this one, I typically go through my daughter's toys with her present, I want her to understand the need to minimize and to appreciate what she has. It's also a great teachable moment for them, sometimes doing a mini toy drive can help them begin their own journey of giving back. Keeping your kids detached from their toys really keeps them grounded and not focused on material things. If you prefer to do it when they're gone, I get that too. Avoid the drama and tears. Save your sanity.
If your child has outgrown it, donate it. If you child hasn't played with it in 6 -12months get rid of it.
Keep a designated place for all of their toys, another lesson for them is to learn to respect their space. A lot of people use play rooms which is a great idea, but it often leads to toys being thrown around, and this only teaches them a lack of respect and value for their toys. Label every container and make your children put their toys back in the designated box. I always stick with something that matches my decor, it doesn't feel like it's out of place, but rather a conscious decision. Just because we have kids, doesn't mean our space has to reflect the insanity of it all! Hidden toys are the best ones!!!
Do the same thing with their clothes as you did with yours. Hanging their clothing will help them begin to chose what they want to wear, and make them excited about what they have, every kids loves a dress-up closet.

Living Room & Common Areas

First of all, going through your tchotchkes is so important, we collect little things over time that may or may not have meaning, make two piles of that. Then decide if these items that you want to keep fit your decor, if not find ways to make them work. I liked this shelf to display my family photos, it was a nice way to get rid of things on all my table tops but also easy to switch out.
If your throw pillow cases cannot come off to get laundered AND they're over a year old, it's probably time to get new ones, especially if you have pets. Trust me, you'll thank me later.
Take your throw blankets, if you wouldn't drape them over your couch so that people can see them, they're probably old and dingy and need to be thrown out. If not, get a strong deep basket, roll them up and put them next to the couch.
Vacuum between each of your couch cushions, and launder all of your cushion covers.
Get a pretty box for your remote and store them on the coffee table. We always leave nonsense around, I love using my mirrored box for things like that. It also removes the issue of "honeyyyyy where's the remote???"

Office Space

This was one of the most important areas I organized this year, having a space that is clean and organized really made me more productive. I found myself more motivated to work, spending more time tending to my task list, and really enjoying working overall.

Remove old and useless papers
Get a small filing cabinet or box, and label each folder with what is relevant to your business or work.
- File all your papers there, you could also use the same filing system for your mail, if that makes it easier for you to know where everything is.
Get rid of desk accessories that don't match. I went for an all acrylic look, so everything is clean and easily displayed.
Only keep office supplies you use most on top of the desk, everything else should be in a designated place, wether that be the desk drawers or a cupboard.
Stock everything that you need.
Keep a trash nearby.
Put a plant on your desk, the idea that a living thing is there and also helping purify the air, keep life in your workspace.
It's aways nice to have a piece of motivating wall art or desk art nearby as well, it's a healthy reminder or affirmation for yourself.

Staying Organized is Staying Prepared

It's really easy to get stuck in a loop of routine, and even easier to keep hoarding things over time that really serve no purpose but cloud our space. It's a fact that the more material items take over your living space, the more crowded your mental space becomes. A huge part of being motivated to reach your goals in life, wether they be big or small, is being efficient. As a consumer-drive society, we've become used to constantly buying things, we're shown messages that make us believe we need more, but as we get more were gain less peace. If you're on the brink of doing big things in your life or progressing to the next phase of your life, it's the perfect time to release yourself of the old and renew yourself through simple minimalist living.