GETTING ORGANIZED! Part 1

GETTING ORGANIZED! 

Part 1 – Getting Ready

Spring is springing, and springtime is cleantime!  Do you have a garage, a closet, a car, some cabinets, drawers or a basement that are in desperate need of some organizing?  Is your “stuff” starting to manage you and take over your life?  Are the piles around you stressing you out?  Do you have trouble finding things when you need them?  Is there a room or closet in your house that you avoid altogether because it’s so cluttered?  Do you avoid entertaining at home because it’s just too disorganized for guests?  If you said “yes” to any of these questions, now is the time for action!  Let’s talk about some simple steps toward getting organized and staying that way.

Now lest you think I’m one of those people who spend hours of my life organizing and color-coding my sock drawer, I’m NOT.  I’m not a compulsive cleaner, and I would much rather spend my free time playing outside all day rather than cleaning my basement.  But I AM one of those people who is much more peaceful and happy when things at home are organized and in order.  My home will never be on a home magazine cover, but I do like it to look and feel inviting and uncluttered.  I also love helping other people get organized, and I have helped dozens of friends and family members get a handle on home organization over the years.  To me, being organized frees me to enjoy life and live in the moment.  It relieves stress and allows me to live more simply.  For me, organization equals peace.  My outer space is a reflection of my inner space, and it feels really good when both are in order.  My goal is life-balance, not perfection.

Let’s think about our approach to home organization in two main categories – big storage spaces and everyday living spaces.  What I call “big storage spaces” include spaces like your basement, your attic, and your garage.  These are spaces that can sometimes serve as a “catch all” space for a myriad of things, old and new.  Now, if you’ve lived in the same place for many years, your attic or basement might have some really great stuff in it!  Perhaps you’re holding on to items from old hobbies like macrame class or your jewelry-making phase.  Maybe you kept all of your children’s baby clothes, baby toys, baby teeth and hair from every haircut they had until they went to college.  And there’s that set of rooster dishes that your late grandma Ethel gave you, your ceramic reindeer collection with the light-up noses, and your dad’s lucky golf clubs that he won the club championship with back in the day.  You might have boxes or piles full of sentimental things like photos and yearbooks, your awards and ribbons from high school, your powder blue prom tux, or your record albums from the 70’s.  And don’t forget about that gigantic computer monitor and tower that you just can’t seem to part with, because you are certain that some poor person in a 3^rd world country would want that perfectly good Gateway computer system you purchased for nearly $8,000 in 1992.  Who knows, maybe slide projectors, 8 Track players, cassette answering machines and dot matrix printers just might make a huge comeback someday!  Part of the reason we let these big storage spaces go untouched is because we can’t decide what to keep and what to throw away.  Our “attic treasures” may not be important to anyone else, but they may represent years of life memories.  These treasures often connect us with important past events in our lives, or with people we love who have now passed on.  This blog post is going to focus on getting these “big storage spaces” organized, and will be part one of the “Getting Organized” series.

Getting Ready

Here are a few tips to help you as prepare to organize your “big space”.  Give yourself several days to prepare before you dive in to your project.  Things will go much more smoothly if you are well prepared!

·      Save the date.

Pick a day on your calendar that you will begin to organize your big space, and stick to it!  Don’t make any other commitments on that day, even though you’d probably rather do just about anything else.  It’s likely that your project will take more than just a few hours – in fact, it might take several days to complete.  You don’t have to give yourself a tight timeline to finish your project, but you definitely don’t want to plan any other big activities on the day you begin.

·      Recruit a few helpers.

You might be sensitive about having other people go through your things, which is perfectly understandable.  But having a young, strong assistant is a wonderful help when you are moving boxes, old furniture, and hauling items away for donation or disposal.  Try and recruit someone to help you with heavy lifting.  If you are a packrat by nature and you have a hard time getting rid of things, you should consider having someone you trust there to help you make the hard decisions regarding what to keep and what to throw away.  Projects like this are always more fun when you have a team of helpers!

·      Purchase some heavy-duty contractor bags.  These are inexpensive, and will be essential as you de-clutter your big space.

·      Get some storage containers – you’ll need ‘em!

If you plan to keep some of your “treasured” items in home storage after you get organized, you might want to consider investing in some large, plastic storage containers.  I recommend clear plastic containers so that you can see what’s inside even when they are stacked up.  (I also recommend using a numbered, catalogued system for your stored items, which we will talk more about later.)  If storage containers are not in your budget, consider visiting a local grocery store or liquor store and ask the manager if you can have some empty boxes.  If you work in an office, printer-paper boxes with lids also work very well for long-term storage.  These will be a great help to you during the organization process.

·      Get some labeling supplies.

Make sure you have index cards, sharpie markers and tape on hand.  This is an easy way to label boxes, storage containers and contractor bags. 

·      Wear a mask if you need it.

If you have a problem breathing around dust and mold like I do, make sure you wear a simple medical mask if you will be spending hours of time in dusty or moldy spaces.  These are only a few dollars, and can be purchased at any pharmacy or drug store.

·      Protect your hands and eyes.

If you’re going to be in contact with items that include grease or chemicals, make sure you wear protective gloves and goggles.  I helped a friend clean his garage once, and there were lots of poisonous substances we needed to remove, which was an unexpected surprise.

·      Call your municipality about the disposal of unique trash items.

If you will be getting rid of paint cans, old tires, batteries, computers or other items that you can’t put in your trash, contact your local municipality and find out the best way to dispose of these things.  My township has a day every spring when you can drop these things off at our local fire station, and they dispose of them for you.

·      Let there be light!

Garages, attics and basements are often poorly lit, so make sure you have plenty of light while you’re working.  Make plans to bring some temporary, additional lighting to these spaces, if needed.  These spaces can also become musty over time, so try to open windows and doors beforehand to offer some ventilation.

·      Crank up the music!

I love to work with music playing!  I seem to gravitate toward Motown music when I need to attack a “big space” project.  So grab your favorite music, speakers, and you can dance and sing your way to organization!

·      Plan your meals.

Try and plan your meals ahead of time on the day you’ll be starting your project.  Having lunch sandwiches prepared ahead of time and dinner in the crock pot will be a nice treat when you’re tired and hungry after a long day of hard, physical work.

·      Prepare yourself mentally for the big task.

This may sound a bit strange, but it can often be an unexpected emotional experience to rummage through a room full of sentimental items.  I’ve seen people burst into tears at the sight of a late spouse’s handwritten card, or as they find the clay mug their son made them for Mother’s Day.  Those items are obviously things you would want to keep!  I would not advise going through each individual photo or love letter on your big cleaning day.  Rather, save those in a storage container and go through them when you have time to savor a trip down memory lane.

·      Set clear goals.

Do you plan to just reorganize and clean your space, or do you want to simplify and get rid of things?  Remember, if your real goal is to simplify, you cannot allow yourself to keep everything that is cluttering your valuable “big space”.  Sometimes “stuff equals stress”.  Don’t be afraid to downsize.  Prepare to let go of items that are not essential.  A good rule of thumb is, if you haven’t used something at all in the past year or two, you probably won’t miss it. 

Now you’re ready to get started with your spring cleaning project!  Stay tuned for the next Wenshine blog post where I’ll share detailed, start-to-finish steps to help you get that big space organized, and keep it that way!