Boston Web Crew

Organizing doesn't need to begin with a trip to a container store. That's why you need to declutter! You already have too much stuff. Clear out what you don't need or use, and apply logic to the way things are stored. Arrange your cupboards in the kitchen by food type. Label your closet bins and the toolboxes you keep in the cellar. Setup your storage areas to know where you put things and make it easy to find something when you're looking. Organizing takes time, not money.

The first step, and most essential is to purge the clutter.

It's natural to collect things. Cards, magazines, old bills and receipts, books you haven't looked at for years, clothes you don't wear, sports gear you don't use, tools and supplies that simply take up space. Tackle one area at a time. A closet, a shelf, the trunk of your car. The job can be overwhelming but you don't have to do it all at once. As you sort into the trash, give away, sell, put away, containerize you'll gain momentum. Overwhelming hopelessness will give way to energy and optimism. So do it.

It takes motivation to get organized. Think about the extra time it takes to find things lost due to clutter and disorganization. Enough to make you crazy, isn't it? Clutter creates missed appointments, late bill payments, a general out-of-control feeling and problems. Good organizational systems make you free to focus.

The challenge of organizing is behavior. You need to make changes to dig out and stay that way. When you sort through everything that occupies your time and space you take control of your life. Decisions about what's important to you and letting go of that which is not may be difficult, but when you begin to experience the relief that comes from escaping the stagnation of clutter you'll gain momentum.

Start wherever you like. Whether it's the room you spend the most time in or the most cluttered room, it doesn't matter. The process is the same. Very simply, you're going to find a home for everything you have and develop a system to keep everything where it belongs. So, theoretically, you could keep all your junk, you just need to find a home for it. The problem is, just about everything requires some type of upkeep.

Focus on One Area at a Time

You don't have to do everything at once. A few minutes a day will get you to a stage where momentum just takes over. Start with a defined space, it doesn't have to be