Getting started
Step1
Try to understand the role in your life played by all those accumulated belongings. Many people hang on to belongings for comfort and security, and to remind them of who they have been and who they want to become. Paring down, however, doesn't have to be a painful process. Organizing takes whatever works best for you and makes it the norm rather than the exception.
Step2
Read 16 Set Goals. Then take an inventory of everything that's not working in your life, big or small. Is it pawing through your closet each morning for something to wear, or dreading planning dinner every night? Do you wish you had more time to work out, travel or write a book (see 496 Write the Great American Novel)? Now list everything that would make you feel better: Having bills paid on time (see 229 Simplify Bill Paying). Spending more time with your family. Being able to actually park your car in the garage. This inventory will reveal where your energy and time are needed and clarify your values.
The urge to purge
Step1
Choose an area from your inventory that needs help. Whether it's your overflowing office, your crammed closet or your bureau, roll up your sleeves.
Step2
Start small to avoid getting overwhelmed. If you don't have a entire day or weekend to devote to the project, carve out 20-minute chunks. Tackle the junk drawer during halftime. Take on the medicine chest while you're supervising baths (see 43 Organize the Medicine Cabinet). Setting a realistic time frame is key to getting stuff done.
Step3
Pull out everything from your target area and sort it into four piles: items to keep, items to sell or give away, items to fix and items to toss. Use boxes or large garbage bags to manage your piles, and keep one box to fill with items that belong elsewhere.
Step4
Put the misplaced items where they belong or in a temporary place. Take your discards to the garbage can and recycling bin.Put your sell or donate box in the car (see 12 Get Rid of What You Don't Want). Now look through what you're keeping. Set aside anything that needs repairs, with a deadline of three months or so until they are too are sold or donated.
Step5
Make purging a routine. Of all the organizing principles, it's the most difficult, yet it yields the most visible results. If you have trouble letting something go, box it up for a year. If you still haven't needed it, you'll be more ready to toss it.
Keeping it together
Step1
Start creating new organizing systems by analyzing how you use and store your stuff (see 128 Store Anything). Some organizers call it being "motion minded." Hang a bucket filled with sponges, rags, soap and wax in the garage. Keep the coffeemaker next to the sink for water, and store coffee, filters and cups nearby. Pay attention to how often you use things as well. Place frequently needed items at eye level and at the front of shelves; put less frequently used items at the back, or on high or low shelves.
Step2
Ask yourself how a particular task or area could be made more efficient, and continue to refine your systems until you're happy with the result. Whatever you try, make it simple. Anything else sets you up for failure.
Step3
Purchase containers that fit the task. Clear, stackable, sturdy, airand watertight containers offer security, access and visibility.
Step4
Label containers, folders, boxes and files clearly so everyone in the family knows where things go, and you can quickly identify contents. Unlabeled CDs, videotapes, folders or boxes are a guaranteed time waster. See 57 Live Better Through Labeling.
Step5
Be conscious about acquiring new stuff. Before you purchasesomething, make sure you have a place for it. Better yet, purchase something new only if you get rid of something old. Buy only what you'll really use--even if it's a good deal or on sale.Say no to castoffs from friends and family. When in doubt, live without. See 15 Live With Less.
Step6
Recognize that you can't do it alone all the time--that's part of being organized. Get help from relatives, friends or professionals if you can't keep up with routine chores; you aren't good at doing what needs to be done; you don't know how to do something and have no time to learn; or you recently went through a major life event such as a family death, divorce, job loss or change or a move. If you're too overwhelmed to even start, call in the cavalry (see 5 Hire a Professional Organizer).
