One of my major goals for the new year was to de-clutter + simplify spaces within our home. We had one too many “junk drawers” and it was starting to make me a little anxious. So one morning last week, I decided to start tackling the process. In previous “organizing” attempts I’ve always purchased organizational systems first, and then tried to put things away. Yet, I opted to do things a little differently this time around: clean + throw out first, purchase organizational systems after. I found it to be a much more effective method…..

Then, I watched a professional organizer give a talk, and basically wrote down everything she said…. and thought it would be really helpful to share it here for anyone else with the “organizational” goal for 2020…..

Regressing slightly, just cleaning out + organizing a few drawers made me feel so much more at ease. I think for me, personally, a clean + organized space helps me to feel organized on the inside as well…..

3 HABITS OF HIGHLY ORGANIZED PEOPLE

They Consume Consciously: Think about what you’re buying… don’t just impulse buy. Where will that item go, how will it work within my life, etc…

They Spend Their Clutter: The one in, one out rule. If you buy new socks to replace old ones, throw away the old ones (or donate them)… don’t just put the new in with the old. She mentioned the same goes with kiddo toys…. one toy in, figure out what toy they have likely outgrown and donate it.

They Live Within Their Space: This is the same as living within your means financially. Only bring into your house that which you have room for.

STEPS TO GET ORGANIZED

1. Ask yourself the following: Why do you want to get organized + what do you stand to gain? Where do you feel the most discomfort? What part of your home feels the best? What’s motivating you to get this done?
2. Visualize your desired results: If I get organized, what will it feel like?
3. Choose a small area to focus on:
   • Empty the entire space out
   • To determine what to get rid of, ask yourself: Does this bring value? Do I need this?
   • Give everything a home in an organizational structure
   • Keep things grouped together… pens, paper, rulers, etc in one area…. clothes in another… children’s toys in a designated area.

That got me thinking. Spaces in my home aren’t the only area that need to be simplified this year. If I can take small incrememnts of time, here and there (say, waiting for an appointment for example) and just “purge” I’d start to make a fairly large dent. Three easy spaces to clean up in short amounts of time here + there include:

That e-mail inbox. Mine has become inundated with retailers, many of which I never shop at…
Car. Such a problematic spot with kiddos…
A purse

I’ve had a lot of success finding organizational systems on Amazon…. and purchased these bamboo trays and have been so happy with them. You can easily mix them together to create a layout that best works for your drawers. I also purchased these for Camille’s accessories and they’ve been working out really well for us.