Cut Clutter

1. Make your bed.

2. Throw away the newspaper or sales papers after looking at them and jotting down what you need.

3. Follow the one-minute rule. Push yourself to do any chores that take less than one minute – throw away junk mail, put away the peanut butter jar, hang up a towel…..

4. Identify a place or person to give things you no longer need. Figure out a place to store them until you quickly hand them over.

5. Be very cautious about letting yourself store something. If you store something, it means you do not use it very much. Seasonal items should be stored, but do you really use or need the other items you store.

6. Beware of freebies. If you do not need it, don’t take it.

7. Get rid of things if they break.

8. Do not keep any piece of paper unless you know you actually need it.

9. Hang up your coat and have a place for your shoes.

10. Before you go to bed, take five minutes to do an “evening clean-up”. Stack up magazines, put away shoes, shove chairs into place, place pillows on the couch in right order…..

Taken from: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2010/12/10-tips-to-beat-clutterin-less-than-5-minutes.html

From: www.bhg.com

Problem:
You waste precious time every morning running around the house looking for the items you need for the day.

Solution: Use a "transfer basket" to gather everything that needs to go out the door the next day -- library books, bills to mail, schoolwork, etc. Haul the basket to your car every morning and bring it back into the house when errands are done.
-- Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer

Good Looks

Problem: No matter how hard you try, you just can't get rid of clutter around your house.

Solution: You can't hide all clutter, but you can contain it. Look at where it collects and set up attractive ways to deal with it. Place a large bowl on the kitchen counter to collect keys. Leave a big basket by the door for shoes. Check discount stores and office supply houses for patterned folders for storing bills -- or wicker, fabric, and leather boxes to match your decor.
-- Donna Smallin, author of The One-Minute Organizer: A to Z Storage Solutions

Take Inventory

Problem: Your closet is overflowing, yet you still can't find anything to wear.

Solution: You should have only three types of clothes in your closet -- clothes that fit you, clothes you love, and clothes that always bring you compliments.
-- Peter Walsh, author of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

Tackle Tough Closets

Problem: Your closets are overflowing with an unorganized mixture of household items.

Solution: Take a close look at how you're using the top shelf in all your closets. Store yearbooks, kids' memorabilia, or once-a-year dishes on these out-of-reach shelves.
-- Marcia Ramsland, author and professional organizer

Book It

Problem: You need wall storage but don't know where to start.

Solution: Create an instant room divider by placing bookshelves back to back as storage for collections, dishes, and, of course, books.
-- Nancy Peham, professional organizer

Open Areas

Problem: The dinner table is so cluttered, it's hard to find room for a dinner plate.

Solution: The dining table is often the place where family members spread out projects. With the right organization, it can still be ready for dining at a moment's notice. Designate a bin for whatever tends to find a temporary home on the table. This can be permanent storage or a way to move things to their rightful room.
-- Meryl Starr, author of The Home Organizing Workbook

Hide and Seek

Problem: You have furniture, but you don't know how to optimize its storage capacity.

Solution: When you shop for furniture, look for pieces with built-in storage, preferably with doors. A nightstand can conceal bed and bath supplies. A dining room console table can stow holiday dishes or seldom-used china.
-- Andrew Flesher, designer

Double Time

Problem: You're working with limited space.

Solution: Think dual-purpose. Look for furniture that works hard: beds and coffee tables with drawers, ottomans with lift-off tops for out-of-sight storage, chests that can stow linens and tableware and also serve as buffets.
-- Betsy Bruce, design consultant

Use the two minute rule.
If you can do a task in two minutes or less, do it right then. Don’t put off little things until later. Hang up a jacket instead of draping it over a chair. Wash a glass and put it away or put it in the dishwasher instead of leaving it out. RSVP to an invitation. Make a hair appointment, and more.

Eighteen minute blocks of time.
It is unrealistic to think that you will have a huge block of time to organize something. Instead of quantity go for quality and break up a large task into small blocks of time. Dive into a closet even if you only have eighteen minutes. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish – a top shelf, the first twenty hanging garments, half the shoes. Do this at least once a week because a short, dedicated, focused block of time is powerful.

Put items away ready to use.
If something needs repair or cleaning, do not put it away. If a shirt needs a button or a blanket needs cleaning, do t before you put it away. This way it will be ready to use when you need it.

Sort into piles.
When faced with a bunch of stuff to go through start by making piles of like items. Once you have like piles you can see how much of what you have. You can then sort each item into keep, toss, donate, pass along, and maybe piles.

The maybe pile.
These are the items you are not sure you want to part with. Toss them in a pile and revisit them later. Limit yourself to one laundry basket-sized container. When the container nears capacity, pull out some of the maybe items and make a decision about whatever you pull out.

If you are still undecided put the maybe items in a box. Tape the box shut, write the contents on the outside, and pick a date six to twelve months in the future. Write the date on that box and if by that time you have not had to go to the box to get something you can let the entire box go. To ensure that this tip works, do not open the box when this date rolls around. Just let it go.

More Organizing Tips

1. Accept the fact that things are out of place and cluttered.
Create a plan to conquer the clutter for good. Spend your time and energy doing something about it instead of being overwhelmed and not dong anything.

2. Gather your tools to conquer the clutter.
Include – a large tote bag, laundry baskets, small and large Ziploc bags, trash bags, a tape measure, timer, label maker with extra labels, notebook, pen, sticky notes, permanent marker, empty boxes, and a list of charities or people to give to.

3. Take a house tour.
Have a notebook and pen with you. Start at your front door. Jot down things you would change or where you spot clutter, even in the closets. Some of things you spot may not be changed immediately, but at least you are aware of them and can make future plans for them.

4. Create a master plan.
Where would you like to begin? Perhaps you will do one room or spot at a time. Give yourself a timeframe. Be realistic even if it might take a year.

5. Attack visible clutter first.
It will give you instant gratification.

6. Target the top three hot spots.
Which areas bug you the most? OR Where will you get some immediate gratification? OR Which spots cause some contention between you and those with whom you live?

7. Fast shopping!
Decide not to buy anything until you get organized. You certainly do not need more clutter.

8. Do not do marathon sessions.
Remember, an elephant is eaten one bite at a time. Work in small blocks of time. Then clear your head. Take a break and go back to it.

Overcoming Clutter
Look over the list below and identify the three biggest reasons that you hang on to clutter. Determine what steps you are going to take to overcome clutter in your life.

The true test of whether a space is organized or not is if it functions when you need it.
If you cannot find something in a minute or less, the space does not work.

Determine what type of organizational style you have.
Do you leave things out so you don’t forget about them? Do you contain things and leave them out? Or do you shove things into a closet or cabinet? Make a choice to stop doing what has not been working.

Identify what is important to you and what will give you easy access to it.

Keep things you use or love.
If you don’t need or use it, or it doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it. It’s just clutter.

Any item relating to an incomplete task is clutter.
For example, I took a sewing class, but never finished the garment because of a sewing mistake I made. I always intended to fix it or use the material for something else. I never did, but it stayed with me for years.

Put like items together.
When things are all mixed up and not put together according to categories, it becomes clutter, because it makes things hard to find. Tools go with tools, serving utensils with serving utensils, cords with cords, etc….

Put things away as soon as possible.
Often, clutter is simply a postponed decision. I am guilty of this. Don’t put it off, or it will become clutter.

Give some things away.
When you have too much of something and do not have any more space (can’t shut a drawer or a closet), go through it and give some things away. Someone else could use it.

Ask yourself, “Is it still good to me?”
Something may “still be good,” but you have to ask yourself, “Is it still good to me?” It could be furniture, clothes, an egg container from your refrigerator, or just about anything. If it’s not “good” or useful to you, give it away or throw it away.

Think before you buy.
Ask yourself, “Where will I put this? Will I use it right away?” If you do not know the answer or if the answer is “No,” do not buy it. You will just have to find a place to store it.

Don’t buy things just because they are on sale.
A good deal is not a good deal, if you have to find a place to store it and do not have the room.

Create a timeline.
f you think you might need an item someday, put a time limit on how long you will keep it. When you reach the deadline, give it away completely or let someone borrow it until you need it back.

Give...Give...Give!
Sometimes, when you clean out an area, you find something you “really love.” However, if you “really loved” it, you would have been using it and would not have forgotten about it. Give it away to someone who will “really love” it, use it, and take care of it.

Immediately organize.
Don’t allow yourself to “just put this over here, for now.” It will end up staying there! Go through the pile immediately and decide what to do with it, even if company is on the way.

Just because it is “a collectible” doesn’t mean you should hold on to it.
I used to have a collection of Precious Moments figurines. (I didn’t purposely collect them – people gave them to me.) I kept them simply because they were “collectibles,” and I stored them in a cabinet for all to see. As a result, people thought I collected them, and I kept receiving more! One day, I realized that someone else probably wanted them more than I did – so I gave them away.

Concerning mementos:
Store them in something that will protect them – keep them in a safe place.

Items in need of repair:
Make a rule that something should be repaired in a decent amount of time. If it isn’t repaired by the deadline, throw it away.

Holding on to items for the future:
Perhaps you think you might have a garage sale. My husband held on to old car magazines, because he wanted to show them to our grandchildren someday. We had those few boxes of magazines for years, while our son was growing up. Finally, I suggested to my husband that he could show our grandchildren pictures of old cars online and asked if I could throw away the boxes.

“It was free.”
Free does not mean you will use it. Think about how many of these “free” items you already have. Do you really need it?

“I can’t get rid of it; I paid good money for it.”
No matter what you paid for an item, if you don’t use it, it is a waste. Give it away. It becomes a great seed to sow.

“Someday it’ll be worth something.”
The value of an object is a perceived value. To make any money, you will have to find someone who has the same perception about the item as you do. Sell it online now or give it to someone.

“It was a gift.”
If you do not like or will not use a gift that was given to you, pass it along. God provides seed to the sower! You may be the conduit that God can use to get it to someone who should have it.

Most of the above suggestions were taken from 1000 Best, Quick, and Easy Organizing Secrets. Written by Jamie Novak. Published by Source Books, Inc.