If your spices are alphabetized, if you color code the clothes in your closet and if your car fits easily into the garage with plenty of space to spare, you are not like most of us.
We are the people who struggle with organization and decluttering. We have not seen the surface of our work desk for years. We have moving boxes in the basement filled with items that need sorting. The clothes we are wearing right now came from the basket of clean, unfolded laundry - not the closet. We buy Christmas presents months in advance and then can't find them in December.
Unlike the homes on the TV show "Hoarders," our homes are clean and our bathrooms and kitchens are sanitized. The problem is that life often gets in the way, and we just don't spend the necessary time to organize our cabinets, our drawers and our closets. Many of us have great intentions to finally tackle the problem areas of our homes, but frankly, there are so many other things we'd rather be doing.
After watching and researching professional organizers, I have found that one of their best tips is to use pretty baskets or bins that you can find at the dollar store to organize small items, mail and paperwork. A silverware tray in the drawer of the bathroom cabinet is a great place to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste. Wire shelving can be used to create multiple layers of storage in the kitchen cabinets or the pantry.
Most importantly, people should only keep items that they actually use. The rest can be donated to local charitable organizations or thrift stores. Will you ever use that fruit dehydrator that someone gifted you? It's so much easier to just go out and buy a box of raisins. Will you ever make that French-inspired meal from a cookbook or make a fancy sandwich with that panini press? You can donate craft supplies for the necklace and the earrings that you will never make or the vegetable spiralizer that you will never use.
Other practical tips include the following: put items away after you use them, throw away expired items from the pantry and the fridge and keep a to-do list of tasks or post a giant calendar where family members can list activities or appointments. Also, everything should have its own place in your home, so you always know where to find things. Shred the papers that you don't need. And, although it doesn't have to do specifically with organizing, make your bed every day. I'm not sure why, but it just makes you feel better.
I have found that the best time to organize and declutter is when we know that guests are coming over. When company is schedule to arrive, there is no better time to straighten up, put away clothes and coats that are on the backs of chairs, wipe down the counters, give the floors a quick mop or vacuum and put scattered paperwork into organizing baskets or containers. There is no greater motivation than knowing your in-laws are due any minute.
No matter what you do to make your home more organized and clutter-free, it is best to take small steps and not try to give your home a complete overhaul. Be realistic about your goals. And someday you too will have alphabetized spice racks, color-coded closets and a garage where your car fits nicely with room to spare.
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