Smart Organizing

In too many homes, closet spaces are messy spaces. People of all ages simply throw things in and shut the door. Sadly, when these people need to find things that they need, they have several challenges because of their unorganized spaces. With a few simple ideas, you can easily organize you home and make your life a little easier to live. These are a few simple secrets to making organization a regular part of your life:

1.    Pick your favorite music. When you set your mind to get down to business, it is important to have your favorite music playing in the background. Whether you rock your music on your home stereo or you plug into you iPod headphones, great music will help you get organized with soul.

2.    Buy bins. Buying bins makes it much easier to put away the things that you want to use, but at a different time. If you have bins with your seasonal decorations or with kitchen gear that you do not use on a regular basis, you will have a place to put those things so you can find them when you need them. Red and green bins denote Christmas and orange bins work for Halloween. Make it easy for yourself.

3.    Use what you have. Smart decorators use what they have, but they rotate it. With your bins, put away items that you have had out for a while, then take out the older pieces you have not seen in a while. Your home will feel updated and less cluttered because you have places to put everything.

4.    Clean your cabinets. Your kitchen probably gets a lot of use – because most kitchens do. So, at least twice per year (use the summer and winter solstice as your guides), clean out your cabinets. Set a time frame, like one year or five years or somewhere in between; if you have not used an item in the time frame you chose, it is time to donate the item.

5.    Clean out your closets. Also, at least twice per year, clean out your closets. If you have clothes that you have not worn in at least one year, it is time to get rid of it. If you have items that need repair and you know you will never get to it, get rid of them. Make room so you can add new pieces that are exciting to you.

6.    Buy drawer dividers. The junk draw is no longer a popular draw to have. If you have good quality draw dividers, you can easily organize your kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom drawers. Organization might take a little bit of work upfront, but once you have the upfront work finished, your life will be much easier to manage.

7.    Color-code your clothing. When you hang your clothing, organize it by color. This way you will be able to find the black top that you want to go with the pink jeans without having to hunt.

8.    Use categories. Anytime that you can organize items by a category, you will have an easier time finding them in the future. Categories can be as simply as a color, a size, or a shape.