OR•GAN•I•ZA•TION

Pick a room or a closet that is in need of decluttering. This should take less than one day in order to reserve the other weekend day for rest and creativity.

Time to face the dreaded clutter that haunts and hinders the full use of a space. Here are five steps to climb and conquer Mt. Clutter that has become your room or closet.

• FACE THE MESS: directly at the combined clutter. Identify a few items that are randomly strewn about. This is an important step as it defuses some of the overwhelm that led this area to get to this point.

• GROUP LIKE ITEMS: Choose one item and place in on the floor away from direct access to the area. Pick another item and place it somewhere else on the floor unless it is similar to the first item then add to the first pile. Keep repeating this step until the area is empty.

• CATEGORIZE: Which pile has the largest amount of like items? Think about their function and how you use them in your life. What can you donate or discard? Separate broken items or items that have missing parts that you no longer have. If these items can function, then consider donating the parts you have with a note of the missing pieces.

• EVALUATE THE EMPTY SPACE: What would be the best use for this space? How could this empty space make your daily life easier? Read previous blog posts, “A Functioning Home” and “Create a Room Layout” to create a plan.

• PLACING ITEMS: Start placing the larger items and items that are used infrequently to the harder to reach areas if the space is a closet. Place all larger furniture if the space is a room. Look around the house to find furniture that could be better used in the newly decluttered space. This will prevent you from having to spend money on a new piece. It’s okay to use an unconventional piece of furniture if its function better serves you used different from the main use. For example, a rectangular filing cabinet may work better as a bedside table if you like to read, draw or knit in bed.

• FINISHING TOUCHES: Time to add accessories to the room or make sure the closet has all of the hooks, shelves and access to the most needed items.

• REST: Take the next day off to relax and feel accomplished that you made your life easier so you can have more time to rest and recharge.