Clear out that household clutter
Getting organized is like dieting. Everyone knows how to do it, but the problem is getting around to it.
When we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago, I emptied every cupboard and drawer, carefully labeling every box and bin with its contents. I found things I’d forgotten completely.
When it was time to put everything back, I decided to put things away as I actually used them. I realized why it was such a problem to keep the kitchen neat and tidy. It is impossible to organize chaos. I needed to clear out everything first.
Getting rid of the unused items that obviously had become unnecessary created space to organize the essentials.
No matter the way you do it, let this be your mantra: Eliminate and concentrate:
• Eliminate: I will admit to this being very difficult for me. I have this thing in my head that says someday I’ll need it. It’s worth a lot. It has value. After all, the power grid might go down any second, and these candle stubs could save the day. Just articulating those words makes me laugh and prompts me to do the right thing: eliminate any way I can.
• Concentrate: It’s ridiculous how the things we really do need get scattered in drawers and cupboards. Getting everything similar into one place is also a shocking experience. Yes, you need that thing; whatever it might be. Do you really need 18 of them?!
Getting rid of the clutter is a good place to start. Personally, I’m fond of the old brown bag method for gathering things — something that works wonders, especially when you are at your wits’ end over clutter and chaos.
Take one (more as necessary) large brown paper grocery bag, bin or box and fill it with all of the stacks of extraneous papers, magazines and mail; your basic clutter. The purpose here is not to throw anything away, but just to get it out of visual range until you have time to sort and file. At least that’s what you tell yourself.
Stand back and enjoy that completely clear counter, desktop, table or another flat surface. And if no one in the family has mentioned missing something of importance within 48 hours or so, it is probably safe to throw the whole thing out. While this may be a method of last resort, I swear it works.