Are you ready to organize a drawer, a cabinet or a closet?
Make sure that you follow this Most-Important Rule:
Never Organize What You Can Discard
Organized Clutter is STILL CLUTTER.
Your first step in organizing a space is to examine each item and decide if it is a “Keep” item – or a “Donate/Toss/Sell” item.
We have a tendency to sort things into “like” item piles when, in fact, the FIRST thing we should do is decide if it is worthy of taking up space in our homes at all.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when deciding whether to keep or toss your items:
1. Do I actually USE this item?
2. Do I rely on having this item around?
3. Does this item serve a meaningful purpose for me? Some things may indeed have a purpose, but that does not necessarily mean that you need to keep them. For example, if you have stored away the manual that came with your microwave, you can always access the manual online.
4. Is it a duplicate item? Say bye-bye to the extras. Chances are you have a favorite anyway. Try using this decluttering chart to keep you motivated to let more and more items go.
5. If I lost this item, would I go out and buy another one? If the answer is no, chances are you probably don’t really “need” it at all.
6. Does this item fit my current lifestyle? Perhaps you did lots of sewing years ago, but that no longer interests you. Donate your supplies and sewing machine – even if you paid a pretty penny for it. Let it be a blessing to someone else! Check out this video to learn about How Our Things Naturally Become Clutter – it happens to all of us!
7. Am I holding on to this item “just in case” I may need it someday?
8. How many months or years have I held on to this but never used it? Could I replace it for $20 or less if I were to need it in the future?
9. Does it have an expiration date? If you have 5 cans of beans that will expire soon, keep one or two and donate the others to a shelter tomorrow.
10. Do I want to handle this item AGAIN, and try to make a decision AGAIN, the next time I organize? Go ahead and make the decision NOW.
Bag up your donatable items, and toss the rest. If you opt to sell something – give yourself a deadline to list it for sale within 3 days, or it goes in the donation bag.
When you are left with ONLY your KEEP items – THEN you are ready to Organize!
Have fun with your Organizing Project – and remember to Keep It Simple!
xoxo Angie
P.S. Join the Road to Simple community and get your free Decluttering Guide.
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