Is the chaos and clutter in your life driving you crazy? Do you wish you could get a handle on it but are overwhelmed and discouraged with where to start? Don’t worry, you are not alone and I can help.
At this time of the year I like to take a moment to introduce/remind readers about the organizing PROCESS steps I recommend to assist you on your organizational journey. It’s a simple but effective acronym that helps to keep you from getting ahead of yourself when organizing in order to create lasting change.
You see I truly believe organizing is a PROCESS rather than a destination. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on things it’s time to do it all over again. Life happens. Kids outgrow their toys and clothes, your responsibilities and needs change, you have another child, you get married, a new job, etc. With the right techniques though you can stay on top of these things, you can control your space rather than your space controlling you. Being organized allows you to quickly restore the situation when “life” gets a little chaotic and let’s face it, unless you live in a bubble, it’s bound to happen.
PROCESS is defined as a series of actions used to produce something or reach a goal.
PROCESS
That is what we want to do when organizing. Having a series of actions to follow will help you create a clutter free space with a system designed specifically for your needs that is easy to maintain.
Here are the PROCESS steps:
Plan of attack – plan your project – which area(s) do you want to address – make a list – evaluate present system, what is working, what isn’t working, devise new system – determine budget – develop timeline. This step also includes analyzing why clutter is a problem in the first place.
Remove items – empty the space completely so you can start from a clean slate – this is much more effective than just shuffling everything around. Remove then sort & purge
Organize into piles – donate/toss/sell/keep/relocate – sort like with like – purge excess – the more you purge the less you have to find a home. Ask yourself some declutter questions. Your goal is to bring back into your space only what you love and use and can fit into the space you have available. Purge until it fits!
Containerize – find storage solutions – containers establish limits and boundaries – designate a space for items being kept – consolidate where possible
Evaluate plan – how is your system working for you – are you able to work your system? What needs to be modified? A good system should be easy to maintain
Solve/Simplify any remaining issues. Address anything that isn’t working for you – revise accordingly
Smile, relax and enjoy your hard work!
Bookmark:
To help remind you of these steps, here is a free printable bookmark to help you keep on track with the steps.
Sorting Labels:
Please feel free to click on the free pdf printable below and print it out to help you with your sorting.
I hope you find these tools helpful as you begin or continue on in your organizational journey. You can do this!!
TyKes Mom says
Love the solve/simplify step! I am constantly trying to simplify everything to make organizing that much easier. The easier it is, the more likely I am to stick with it! Thank you for the great resources!
Shirley says
Thank you for this information, getting organized it is one of my biggest goals this year.
Living the Balanced Life says
What a great post of a wealth of information! I love it and will share it!
Bernice
50 tips for busy moms
Emily @ Make It Happen Mama says
I love the word containerize! I also love when it slips into my everyday speech patterns and people look at me like I’m nuts 🙂
Laura says
Hahaha, me too!!
danae says
i am soooo excited about the organized room challenge coming up — i’ve got to figure out which room to do!
Lisa says
I can’t wait to begin organizing! My storage areas are so small as well as so few, and since I am not an organizer, I am hoping to get some advice. I have decided to put everything, even the smallest thing on my list. If I find that that looks too over-whelming to start with, I’ll go back and just put the medium and large tasks on my planner and go with those.
Michelle @Special Mom Space says
I’ve started the organizing “process” in my life. Not easy to stick with! I found your site on Raise Healthy Eaters.
I’m going to dig through now 🙂 Thanks for all you have to offer.
caretakerray says
I loved it when you said”organizing is a process not a destination!
Sofia says
Hi Laura!
Congratulations for the great site and thanks for sharing all those great tips! 🙂
I wonder if I get your permission to translate your PROCESS to portuguese and share it in my blog – with due credits and link back of course!
Rgs
Laura N. says
I am an American living in a 4 room condo in Bulgaria. Here there are no options for selling or donating unused or unwanted items – the only option is to put it in the garbage dumpster. Containers larger than a sugar cansiter are cost prohibitive; rooms and closets are much smaller than inthe U.S. – my closet is 20 inches deep by 44 inches wide for both hanging and folded clothes. I have no linen closets, pantry or coat closets for extra storage. How do i stay organized? i put out of season clothes in vacuum storage bags or cardboard boxes and put them in a dirt floor, damp basement that is not heated and pray the rats dont get to them. other than tat, whta can i do to try to minimize clutter and stay organized? I need HELP! 🙂
dee says
I am going to try this……. I have had issues for years and just so ready to overcome.
=)
Cindy says
I am always organizing and am almost to the point of being totally organized. Just trying to handle things that come into the house WHEN they enter the house. It’s certainly a disciplined thing that I struggle with. Love your bog for different ways of organizing things!
Cyndi says
I started my plan of attack by making sure items were in their proper rooms first. Coming from an apartment, I always kept my tools in the kitchen for example. Since moving to my house, my tools were in my bedroom, kitchen, office, etc. First things first, I made sure all items were in the rooms they were supposed to be in, then I planned my attack.
Kristine Andersen says
This is amazing. I have read a lot of organizational blogs, but this is the first time I have come across something so close to my own heart. So often you are just given the “how to”, but not the “how to keep it up”. It is so important.