DECLUTTERING TIPS
Nicole Anzia, professional organizer and founder of Neatnik, says getting organized at home is a way of life, not a singular event. Set moderate expectations and a sensible time frame. Don’t try to do it all at once. Here are some of her answers to clutter questions.
Q What are the main reasons that resolutions to get organized are derailed?
A Trying to do it all in January and then stopping. People work really hard at decluttering and purging at the beginning of the year and then think they’re done. But organizing isn’t really something you’re ever done with. As long as things are coming into and leaving your home, it’s a continual process. Do a little bit here and there, but schedule some regular time weekly or monthly to continue the work.
Q What are your favourite organizing and storage products for those on a budget?
A I love clear shoe boxes. They’re great for so many things: batteries, craft supplies, office supplies, as drawer dividers, to stack shoes, etc. At Ikea, I love the Kallax shelves. They’re great for books or customized with doors or drawers. They can hold bins and baskets and can be situated upright or horizontally. Generally speaking, though, clear bins from anywhere are great because you can clearly see the contents. Whatever storage containers you decide to purchase, I would suggest buying a few extra so you have some on hand in case you can no longer find them later.
Q How do I find time to exercise, work, clean the house and declutter? Is there a way to do this that isn’t overwhelming?
A Clutter is overwhelming and exhausting. You’re not alone in feeling this way, and studies have proved that clutter affects your mental health. A couple of thoughts: Set a timer for 30 minutes and try to conquer one space. If you finish before the time is up, move on to the next spot. Don’t try to do it all at once. You can have a friend come over to help or schedule time with an organizer.
Q I often cut out interesting articles from newspapers or magazines, but then I wind up with boxes of yellowing articles. I’m at a loss for how to organize these for later retrieval — or if I
should even try. How do I decide what to keep and what to toss?
A Do you ever go back and look at the articles you’ve cut out? If not, try to stop cutting them out. If there are a few categories of articles that you like in particular, create file folders and label them (i.e., travel ideas, home decor, books). Once every couple of months, go through the files and get rid of any that no longer interest you. Toss any article that is more than a year old.
Q I’m fantastic at purging old, broken and useless items from my home, but when it comes to clothing, I struggle. Most of my clothes remain in good/wearable condition for years and years. I worry that I’ll get rid of something and then realize I shouldn’t have. Is there a good rule of thumb here?
A One thing that may help is to consider that because you have taken such good care of your things, someone else could probably use the things you’re no longer wearing. People will generally say that if you haven’t worn it in a year, you can get rid of it, but you need to use your own metric. Just as with all the other items you’ve managed to purge, clothing is just stuff, too.
Q I have a huge pile of paperwork to organize. Some is remodel stuff that I need to save, some are old bills, and who knows what else. How do I get started?
A As with all organizing tasks, you just have to start.remodelling papers can be sorted and kept in a plastic bin with dividers for the various categories.
Old bills? Unless they are for valuable items or are related to a business, do you need to keep them? Files can be stored in portable file boxes or in a filing cabinet. Most people can keep their current files in just two drawers. Anything that isn’t current — and definitely needs to be kept — can be kept in plastic file boxes.
Q I inherited generations of memorabilia from both sides of my parental tree; both sets of
grandparents and great-grandparents took copious amounts of photographs and saved every thing. I have my father’s kindergarten notebooks, locks of his hair and baby toys. I have marching-band programs from events that my mother participated in, and I have logs of business transactions that my grandfather kept. Help!
A This is a common scenario and one that is especially challenging. Is there anyone else in your family who would be willing and able to help? If so, get them on board. Regardless, I would separate the items by person or category and then cull through each group.
For instance, put all the business transaction logs together and then get rid of all but two. Take photos of things such as locks of hair, baby toys and kindergarten notebooks and then discard. For the photos, I would just try to look through a box a week. If you and/or your family members can’t identify the people in the pictures, it’s probably OK to toss, even though I know that’s hard to do. Once you have the keepers, send them to get digitized so you have a permanent record.