By Guest Columnist Stephanie Duguid
Summertime is a great time to take stock of your life and start organizing things around you. Whether you’re
looking to declutter your home, your office, or even your social media accounts, there is something about the sun that tends to bring out the inner organizer in all of us! And you have plenty of time to get started.
If you’ve caught the organization bug, but are struggling to get started, here are some simple ways to stay organized throughout the season, and make sure that your home is just the way you want it:
1. Keep things simple. When organizing, it is a good idea to start with one room at a time. Don't try to organize everything at once. If you are having trouble finding the motivation to get started, break your house down into the spaces you use. Which room gets the most traffic, or which room is the most cluttered and unorganized?
Breaking things down also helps to make the task a little less overwhelming. It also gives you a sense of achievement as you check each smaller section off your larger list.
2. Create a plan. Once you have decided what area you want to work on first, create a plan. What do you need to accomplish before moving on to the next step? Do you need to sort through papers, files, books, or other items? Is there anything else you need to do before starting? Make sure you know exactly what needs to happen before you can move forward. It can be helpful to get this plan down in writing. This gives you a tangible, concrete goal to work towards. I n addition, be sure to have all the resources you need to complete the project. Do you need boxes, trash bags, cleaning supplies, a labeler, folders, or something else?
3. Remove unwanted clutter. Before you begin any kind of organizational project, remove unwanted clutter from the space. You may not realize how much stuff you actually own until you start clearing it away. It is amazing how many things we
accumulate over the years. If they aren’t useful anymore, why keep them? As you declutter, place things in a box or bag to be thrown away or donated, and make sure this task is carried out as soon as possible. Items that hang around waiting to be
disposed have a tendency to make their way back into your home in no time.
4. Sort through your items. Now that you’ve removed the clutter, it is time to go through your belongings and decide what stays and what goes. Take inventory of your possessions, and then separate those items into two piles - keep and throw. The keep pile should contain items that you love, cherish, or find useful. These are the items that you would like to keep around. The throw pile contains items that you don’t really care about, or that you feel are unnecessary.
5. Give everything a home. After sorting through your belongings, give every item a permanent home. Take some time to make sure there is a place for everything to live. This will help prevent clutter from building up again. By ensuring that all of your items have somewhere to go, you will make tidying up a breeze in.
6. Clean up the space Finally, clean up the space. Sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, whatever you need to do to make the space look nice. Once you’re done cleaning, take a few minutes to admire your hard work!
Final Thoughts: Organizing doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does require planning and effort. By breaking down your tasks into manageable steps, and by creating a plan, you’ll be able to stay organized throughout the summer months
and into the fall.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Stephanie Duguid is owner of Do Good ProHealth (CPR Classes) and Do Good Leadership (motivational speaking, and leadership and success coaching).
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