It’s finally here!  It’s time for Org Junkie’s 29 Day Organizational Challenge!!  Our official challenge page can be found here where you’ll find all the specifics of the challenge.

Today is all about introducing yourself and letting us know which room you’ll be organizing this month.  And for those that are bravest of all I’ve put up a linky below if you’d like to link up your “before” pictures however please know that this isn’t a requirement of the challenge (although you will have to show them at the end of the month).  I want this to be a positive and productive experience for you, that’s what it’s all about.  Leaving a comment is okay too :)

(you do need a blog for this challenge as you will be required at the end of the month to link up your post showing off your before and after pictures.  Don’t have a blog?  Consider starting one, it’s easy to do!)

Where to start?

Select one room in need of some clutter control and chaos taming this month.  Then the first step of the PROCESS is to plan your space.  You can find a list of questions to help you with that here.  Like Peter Walsh always says, what is your vision for your space?  This is important because you’ll need to remind yourself over and over again of this vision you want to achieve as you go through the tough de-clutter step.

Calendar:

Also don’t forget to print off the calendar to help you stay on track.  Pencil in a rough guideline of how much time you can dedicate each day to the project.

Download calendar here

Sponsors:

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to tell you about the amazing sponsors that have come on board to provide our winners with such FANTASTIC prizes.  Prizes are listed below for each of the three winners:

First place winner will receive 7 prizes
Second place winner will receive 4 prizes
Third place winner will receive 3 prizes
PLUS there is a bonus prize for a random winner

Are you ready for this?

$50 Gift Card from Organized Living

Organized Living offers high quality organizational items. From the closet to the kitchen to the garage, we help make life easier!

One Year Subscription to Getting Organized Magazine

Getting Organize Magazine is the go-to resource for those looking to organize their homes or their work. This comprehensive, easy to read magazine makes organizing fun, easy and how-to as possible. You’ll get previews of the latest products, tips on how to conquer your paper piles, advice on issues like attention deficit disorder (ADD) and much more. Getting Organized Magazine was created by a Professional Organizer with several years of client experience and is the only one on the market solely dedicated to the top of organization.

52 Home Organizing Missions + Ultimate To-Do List Pack: Home & Family from Get Organized Wizard

Both of these programs were created by Michele Connolly of Get Organized Wizard to help you move from procrastination to action. Tens of thousands of people around the globe use their materials to set goals and get organized in business life, personal life, and home & family life. Get Organized Wizard programs help busy men and women take action toward a life of greater happiness, productivity and personal organization.

Big Mesh Sports Basket from freedomRail

freedomRail offers the perfect combination of strength, ease and versatility to save you time, money and stress. freedomRail puts you in control!

Six Stackable Organizing Bins from SpaceSavers

SpaceSavers offers products that increase household efficiency and functional storage space for DIY home organizers and small businesses. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

$50 Gift Card from Clever Container

Clever Container is all about organizing, functionality, ideas and fun! The only DSA approved company marketing exclusively organizing products, we undoubtedly fill a niche! We have fabulous products to help you organize your life. We’ll provide clever & helpful tips whether you are just getting started on your organizational journey or are already an organizing “junkie”. We offer excellent incentives and free products whether you host a party or join our team. So, fulfill your curiosity and contact Colleen – Consultant #10 for more information!

A Collection of Glow Baby Products

(menu planner, weekly undated grid pad, chore chart pad, to-do list notepad and shopping list notepad)

Glow Baby is dedicated to providing unique and user-friendly scheduling tools for today’s busy parents. Glow Baby products are all about helping parents save time and stay organized. Glow Baby Journals, Planners, Calendars and Lists help parents keep track of daily activities such as; feeding, sleeping, diapering, bathing, first foods by type, meal planning, family activities, general to do lists for daily tasks, groceries etc. Also find Glow Baby on Facebook.

Large Lay-n-Go Storage and Activity Mat (blue)

Lay-n-Go™ is a patent pending activity mat, cleanup, storage and carryall solution in one that offers kids and parents a great way to easily manage their toy collections at home or wherever your travels may take you!

Download Membership from ListPlanIt.com

ListPlanIt.com is home to hundreds of lists, checklists, worksheets, schedules, inventories, and to dos, all geared toward helping its members live a more organized life. A Download Membership allows you to print or download the lists you want, type into them with your own information, and save them to your computer for future reference.

 $50 Ikea Gift Card from Simply Savvy

The Simply Savvy blog is all about sharing organization and design solutions which are affordable, flexible, interesting, and inspiring. Our goals for both our readers and our clients is to help simplify your daily life in a way that is manageable and orderly–creating solutions which fit your needs, style, and personality–and are just Simply Savvy!

Three Sweater Bins (Ivory/Red) from G.U.S – Great Useful Stuff

Great Useful Stuff is a boutique online retailer based in San Francisco that designs and sells a highly edited selection of products that meet our simple criteria: If it’s Great + it’s Useful = then it’s got to be GUS! From stylish gear to organize your high-tech personal electronic gadgets to specialized totes, boxes and bags to conceal your clutter, we have it all! For more information, please visit http://www.greatusefulstuff.com.

$50.00 Gift Card from Thirty-One Gifts

Thirty-One Gifts is a company that sells organizing products with style, convenience and quality at an amazingly affordable price. Thirty-One offers fashionable solutions for our busy go-here, go-there lifestyles, and has many options to fit every personality type and every situation. New products are continually being developed building on the idea that they must be stylish, functional, affordable and easy to give as gifts to encourage someone special. For more information on Thirty-One products including specials and organizing ideas visit consultant, Kristie Jo on Facebook.

3 ePlanners (Meals, Home, Planner) from ListPlanIt.com

ListPlanIt.com is home to hundreds of lists, checklists, worksheets, schedules, inventories, and to dos, all geared toward helping its members live a more organized life. ListPlanIt has 17 ePlanners available as a convenient, downloadable packet. Each ePlanner is filled with lists that can be typed into, printed, and/or saved to your computer for future reference.

 One Year Subscription to Getting Organized Magazine

Getting Organize Magazine is the go-to resource for those looking to organize their homes or their work. This comprehensive, easy to read magazine makes organizing fun, easy and how-to as possible. You’ll get previews of the latest products, tips on how to conquer your paper piles, advice on issues like attention deficit disorder (ADD) and much more. Getting Organized Magazine was created by a Professional Organizer with several years of client experience and is the only one on the market solely dedicated to the top of organization.

BONUS

I’ll also be giving away one prize to one random participant selected from those that link up their finished room at the end of the month. That prize is a:

$50 Amazon Gift Card from HATCHEDit.com

HATCHEDit.com wants to help you organize the chaos and more efficiently communicate and collaborate with those closest to you. HATCHEDit.com is the creation of two women, Megan Brown & Kirsten Bischoff. As both busy women and busy moms, they sought to create a free, organization tool that would streamline and improve the way families communicate with each other and with those closest to them. At the core of HATCHEDit.com is a family calendar that provides the ability to fluidly communicate important information to the people that assist you (grandparents, babysitters, au pairs, spouses, and children). Other key features include the ability to create personal groups to get rid of email streams, updating news & blog feeds, and a place to curate all that is important in your life.

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How’s that for motivation?  I told you it was exciting!!

So what do you say?  Are you ready to join us this month and turn a cluttered room into an organized one where everything has a home and you can find what you need when you need it? 

Pin It

Org Junkie’s 29 Day Organizational Challenge Begins + Sponsors! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

For those that aren’t following me on Facebook, you might have missed my exciting announcement about my upcoming 29 Day Organizing Challenge taking place in February!!  It’s going to be awesome and I’m super excited about all the awesome sponsors that are coming on board to provide AMAZING prizes for the winners (to be announced soon!).  Time to start thinking about which room you’d like to work on.  More in depth details can be found on the Challenge tab at the top of my site.  Check it out!!

You don’t want to miss this!!

29 Day Organizing Challenge Coming Soon! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Oh my goodness girlfriends, these past few days Tanna and I have been pouring over all the entries in the 28 Day Organizing Challenge.  I have laughed and cried and rejoiced with each one of you as you shared your frustrations, trials and accomplishments.  What an amazing job everyone has done!  I’m so happy for each and everyone of you.  It’s not easy to put yourself out there like that, exposing your spaces for what they were, but trust me when I say that by doing so you have inspired many others to organize their own spaces.   And from what I have read, many of you are using the lessons learned during this PROCESS as motivation to tackle more areas in your home.  Now that’s what I like to hear!!

Congratulations goes out to everyone for your determination, perseverance and the successful completion of your spaces.  And even though time didn’t allow for Tanna and I to comment on each individual post as we would have liked, we took the time to read each and every entry and are honored that you opened up your homes to us.   Here’s what Tanna had to say about the challenge:

“First I want to say thank you to Laura for letting me take this little journey with you all. It was tough to just pick three winners in each category because you all Rock! You are all winners in my book and you did a great job! I know it is hard to show off your clutter like that but I think we all learned a little bit from it. Each and every one of you were able to inspire someone else going through some of the same issues! Your transformations were amazing and you should all be giving yourselves a huge pat on the back! I am proud of you and keep up the good work!”

Okay so now the time we have been waiting for. Please take a moment to visit each of these ladies and congratulate them on a job well done.

Whole Room Category

First Place

Winner ~ Creating a Home in Iowa

Prizes ~ One Year Design Your Life Program and $150.00 from Lifeorganizers.com

Second Place

Winner ~  The Saved Quarter

Prizes ~  Home Office Organizer VIP Membership and 28 Day Declutter Happy Hour Premium E-course

Third Place

Winner ~ Home Organization 365

Prizes ~ $100 prize package from Mabel’s Labels and One Year Subscription to Blis (Best Life Information System)

Small Space Category

First Place

Winner ~  This is My Life

Prizes ~ Seat in Organize Your Paper Clutter Online Workshop which starts March 9th and one set of Clearly Organized Bags

Second Place

Winner ~ A Classic Housewife

Prizes ~ Organize Your Home in 12 Weeks E-Course and The Clutter Code Six Step Organizing System DVD

Third Place

Winner ~  Our Turn to Dance

Prizes ~  $30.00 Prize Package from Organize It Mom! and One Year Download Membership from List PlanIt

The two random winners chosen from among all the participants using random.org are:

Angela at Notes from a City Girl wins a $30.00 Prize Package from Organize It Mom!

Barb from Eyes Wide Open (love the “special” wall art in her post! :)) wins the Home Organization for Busy Mom’s E-book

Winners please send me a quick email (orgjunkie at hotmail dot com) with Org Challenge Winner in the subject line and we’ll get your prizes set up or out to you as soon as we can.

Thanks again to all the participants and sponsors for making this such a successful month and of course to Tanna for all her hard work in helping me judge this challenge.

And the winners of the 28 Day Organizing Challenge are… is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Congratulations, you did it!!

The Mr. Linky below is ONLY for those participants that have organized a WHOLE ROOM in the 28 Day Organizing Challenge.

Mr. Linky for the small space category can be found here.

Judging criteria and prizes are here.

Summary:

1. Post BOTH the before and after pictures of your room in your final post

2. Answer the five questions posted here

3. Link up directly to your org challenge post and not to your blog’s home page

4. Cut off time for linking up is Tuesday, March 2nd at 12:00 pm PST

5. If you see that your link has been deleted it’s probably because one of the above rules weren’t followed

I do hope you have found this challenge to be the push you needed to get going on an area in your home.  I’m so excited and proud of all of you, way to go!!

28 Day Org Challenge ~ Whole Room Category is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Congratulations, you did it!!

The Mr. Linky below is ONLY for those participants that have organized a SMALL SPACE in the 28 Day Organizing Challenge.

Mr. Linky for the whole room category can be found here.

Judging criteria and prizes are here.

Summary:

1. Post BOTH the before and after pictures of your room in your final post

2. Answer the five questions posted here

3. Link up directly to your org challenge post and not to your blog’s home page

4. Cut off time for linking up is Tuesday, March 2nd at 12:00 pm PST

5. If you see that your link has been deleted it’s probably because one of the above rules weren’t followed

I do hope you have found this challenge to be the push you needed to get going on an area in your home. I’m so excited and proud of all of you, way to go!!

28 Day Org Challenge ~ Small Space Category is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

We are so close now, can you believe it’s already the end of the month?  Will you be ready?   In preparation for the challenge end I need to pass along a few instructions that will hopefully make this final process as painless as possible. I don’t want it to be complicated so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Early Monday morning I will put up two separate posts with two separate Mr. Linkys. One will be for the whole room category and one will be for the small space category.  You choose which category you are entering your space into but it has to be one or the other. If you have done multiple spaces (for instance, two small spaces or even a whole room and a small space) then please prepare different posts for each and link up each individual post into the applicable corresponding Mr. Linky.   Do not just link to your homepage.  Your deadline for adding your entry into the the Mr. Linkys will be March 2nd at 12:00 pm PST.

Your final post must contain BOTH your before and after pictures so we don’t have to jump back and forth between posts. You want to sell your space to us.  Try to make it as easy as possible for us to see your organizing efforts and what you have accomplished.  For best results it’s always nice when the “before” shot matches the “after” shot in terms of area/room view and camera angle.  Please note video isn’t preferred as it is much harder for us to compare before and afters.

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Tanna and I will be specifically looking at overall transformation, creative use of space, storage solutions that work and overall experience.

Overall Transformation – A well organized, uncluttered, clearly defined and efficient space that lends itself to easy maintenance.

Creative Use of Space – Using creative solutions to allow you to maximize your space and create zones in a new and manageable way.

Storage Solutions that Work – Using storage solutions that allow you to establish boundaries and limits and contain “like with like”.

Overall Experience – The process that got you to the uncluttered space mentally and physically.

In order to ease the judging process even more and to help us narrow down the much deserving winners we ask that participants complete a challenge summary by answering the following five questions:

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries?

5. Why do you think you should win this challenge?

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to see your finished spaces and celebrate your achievement along with you.

Thank you again to all our participants and a BIG thank you to all our sponsors for their generous donations:

Get Organized Wizard
LifeOrganizers
The Home Office Organizer
Declutter Happy Hour
Mabel’s Labels
Blis
Simplify 101
Clearly Organized Bags
Take Charge Solutions
Organizing Connection
Organize It Mom!
List Plan It
The Household Helper

Complete prize descriptions can be found on the official 28 Day Organizing Challenge page.

Organizing Challenge Questions is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Here’s a little something I wrote to provide a little kick in the pants motivation as you near the end of the challenge :)  Don’t quit on me now!

The Big Push

by Org Junkie

From this junkie to you
Please don’t be blue
When I cut to the chase
And get into your face

Listen to my urging
It’s time to get purging
You have too much stuff
Way more than enough

It’s taking over your life
And causing too much strife
Remember you are the boss
Time to kick out the chaos

Think about a buying freeze
Please, please, please
No more, no more
Coming in the door

What’s holding you back
Don’t give me any flack
Stop your muttering
And get decluttering

I want you to see
What doesn’t have to be
It’s time to be aware
Of the clutter everywhere

You don’t have to have a fit
About getting rid of it
You only have so much space
To put everything in place

Don’t quit on me now
And don’t have a cow
All you have to fear
Is my kick in your rear

Peace and harmony
Is how it should be
Isn’t that the key
To a happy family

This challenge you’re on
Is just about gone
The end is almost near
You’d better get it in gear

Try to have some fun
While getting it all done
Happy organizing today
That’s all I have to say! :)

If that isn’t motivation enough (ha ha!) be sure to check out the awesome prizes up for grabs.  Two of these prizes include:

A fantastic sample pack of Clearly Organized Bags ~ I love these bags and am so happy they are back!

Organize Your Home in 12 Weeks ecourse by my friend Marcia of Take Charge Solutions

An Organizing Poem Just for You is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Oh how I love to containerize. It’s my most favorite step of the organizing PROCESS!  There is just something so rewarding about making more fit into a space by using a few carefully selected containers.   I could do it for hours.  Okay I have done it for hours and it never gets old to me :)  There are just so many possibilities and configurations and the best part is no one way is right or wrong.  If I’m able to find what I need right when I need it, if I’m able to maximize the space available to me, if everything has a home and I stick to what I can afford then I am on the right track.

One of the most important things about containers and other storage solutions is this:

Containers establish boundaries and limits.

So often people don’t pay attention to the space they really have available to them.  They figure that if their space is full they must then just need more space.  When rather what we should be thinking and what would be painfully clear if we had established limits and boundaries is that we just need less stuff.

Let’s take my cookbooks for instance.  I have a designated space for them on one shelf in one of  my bookcases.  That is the space I have set aside for them based on the space I have available in my home.  I have established that to be the boundary and limit to my cookbooks.  When that gets full I don’t then start piling the books up on the floor as I get more.  I’ve exceeded my limit and therefore need to reign in my over consumption by purging out the excess or making some tough choices about what else I could part with in order to make room for them.  And because all of that takes work it definitely makes me think twice about what I buy in the first place.

Those in place boundaries and limits keep me in check.

They allow me to divide a space and contain “like with like”, consolidating items to fit more into my space.

Containers do NOT need to cost much money.  They certainly can, but they don’t need to.  You can find containers for ANY budget.  My favorite place to shop for containers and baskets is the dollar store.  Since I mostly use these bins in drawers, cupboards and closets they don’t necessarily need to look pretty they just need to be functional.  In fact cardboard boxes such as tea boxes and tissue boxes work amazingly well in drawers just by cutting the tops off.  If I didn’t use these baskets in my drawers everything would be just thrown into one big jumbled mess and I’d never be able to find anything.

Some of my favorite baskets that I use regularly:

Each of them were a $1.00 or less!

There are baskets and bins and containers for any space…big or small.  Keep your eyes open at the thrift stores as well because you can find all sorts of things that can be re-purposed to use as clever storage solutions for next to nothing.

Containers divide and conquer.

Once you have sorted your stuff into piles and purged anything you no longer love or is useful than it’s time to think about how you want to containerize the stuff remaining in your “keep” pile.  Be creative.  Look for unused nooks and crannys that could double as storage.  For instance, it drives me crazy that there is so much wasted space above the top shelf in a closet.  In our old house I had my husband add an additional shelf at the top of each of the closets, then with the use of some baskets I had storage for items I didn’t necessarily need daily access to.  So often people think they don’t have enough room but with some realistic purging and a little creativity you will be surprised at the storage you can find.

How are you all doing on your challenge?  What are you learning, finding most challenging, discouraged by, purging, etc..  Feel free to discuss, give an update and/or ask questions in the comments.  Would love to hear how it’s going!

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Participating in this month’s challenge means you’ll be eligible to win many amazing prizes including:

$100.00 Mabels Labels prize package and a one year subscription to Blis (Best Life Information System) valued at $125.00.

Related posts:

Discovering your joy with fresh eyes

Why containerizing is important is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

This next step falls under the “O” of PROCESS.  O stands for organize and that includes the very important purging stage.

Purge: to cleanse, purify; to get rid of something undesirable, unwanted, unneeded, impure, or imperfect

Ahhh I’ve said the “P” word. Purging our clutter…….why is it so hard to do? People keep “stuff” for all sorts of reasons:

I might need it one day….
I don’t want to hurt so and so’s feelings….
I don’t want to seem ungrateful….
It was so expensive…..
Do you know how much this is worth…..
It brings back so many memories….

Yes these are all great reasons and you know what…. if you have the space then by all means organize your stuff into designated areas and call it a day. However it isn’t always as easy at that because I have found that “pack rats” will quickly fill any space no matter what the size……the “stuff” eventually overwhelms the space. At this point your stuff “owns” you and not the other way around. You need to take back the control because the one thing you have to remember is it’s just stuff.

image courtesy of smemon87

The questions to ask yourself include “Do I use it regularly, do I love it and do I have the space to store it?” If the answer is well no BUT (place any excuse from the above list here), then you need to examine your motives for wanting to keep it.

The bottom line is why surround yourself with “stuff” you don’t use or love? This is what I like to call negative energy. Negative energy manifests itself into chaos, confusion, resentment, unhappiness, discontent, etc, etc, etc. Designate space for the things you love and use and get rid of the rest. It’s okay to give yourself permission to be happy by ONLY surrounding yourself with the things that bring you joy and provide you with order, function and efficiency on a regular basis.

Okay so back to the excuse list. Let’s address each one:

I might need it one day…yep thats true but if you haven’t used it in a year chances are good you won’t need it anytime soon. You have to weigh the cost between the prime real estate space it takes up and the cost to replace it if by whatever chance you do need to purchase it again.

I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by getting rid of it….okay fair enough….but I would assume the person you don’t want to hurt is close to you or otherwise you wouldn’t be so concerned about their feelings and if that is the case then how much worse do you think this person would feel knowing the additional stress they’ve put you under.  If you are keeping something to avoid hurting someone’s feelings you are essentially being a storage house for them.  You are giving up storage space in your home to make them happy.  I’m sure you can think of many different ways to effectively use your space.  Do not be burdened by stuff you are keeping for someone else.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful……another biggie.  It’s all about heart….if your heart is in the right place the giver will hopefully understand.  You need to do what’s right for you and your family.  You don’t always have to tell the giver that you and the item are parting ways.  Re-gifting is a popular choice for new items as well as donating items to thrift stores….take it to the thrift store in the next town if you are really worried about it.  Oh and don’t forget places like Craigslist or Ebay….just don’t hang onto something out of a sense of obligation…..it only harbors resentment.

It was so expensive…..yes the ol big ticket item we just had to have and there it sits collecting dust….that happens to all of us and you know you’ll never get back what you paid for it but again you have to remember that item is taking up space in your house that more than likely could be used for something else…..which makes THAT piece of real estate more expensive than the item you are hanging onto! Think about it.

Do you know how much this is worth….it’s not worth anything if its just sitting in a box….if it isn’t something you love or use regularly get rid of it and make some money on it now.

It brings back so many memories….ahh the emotional attachment….this one is probably the biggest culprit that holds people back and so I’ve saved it for last. Our memories are so wrapped up in physical material possessions…..that isn’t where the memory is and you know it. It’s in your heart…the stuff just triggers the memory for you….so many of us are afraid we will forget. I can understand that and I suggest that you take a picture of the item and allow the picture to conjure up the memory for you instead. For example, I have kept the Woody doll my son picked out when he was 2 years old prior to going in for major surgery. Thankfully the surgery revealed that my son didn’t in fact have cancer like the Drs. had originally suspected and so this small little Woody doll holds all the emotions that surfaced during that difficult but triumphant time. I get it.  For this reason I keep one tote in the top of each of my kids closets for special “memories” and other keepsakes.

Another thing, pay attention to your inner dialogue. For instance, when you are dusting your knick knacks or tripping over your floor clutter and are mumbling and grumbling about it every time you do it, why not do something about it?  Less knick knacks equal less clutter equals less dusting.  If it isn’t making you happy then pay attention to that.

Just don’t keep repeating the same negative pattern over and over.  Do something different.

When I do an organizing job and they really want to keep a particular item, I don’t have a problem with that however it will almost always have to be at the expense of something else.  What are you willing to give up to keep that particular item? Pretty soon what you really love and use will become apparent.

image courtesy of hilllisa23

Here is a list of questions to use when trying to decide whether or not to keep something:

1. Do I love it?
2. Do I use it?  How long ago did I use it?
3. Do I have the room to store it without it being a cluttered space?
4. Am I willing to give up something else in order to make room for it?
5. Can I imagine myself or anyone else in my family ever loving it or needing it in the foreseeable future?

I recently asked myself these questions when trying to decide between two pieces of serving ware.

I am certainly not saying any of this will be easy. It does take discipline for sure but if you remember to start small, not beat yourself up or get too overwhelmed, you can do it.

How are you making out on your space?  What’s been the hardest thing to part with?

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Participating in this month’s challenge means you’ll be eligible to win many amazing prizes including:

One year of The Home Office Organizer VIP Membership ~ The Ultimate Home Office Maintenance Program designed to help you stay on task while organizing your office in small steps.

A seat in the 28 Day Declutter Happy Hour Premium E-course  ~ helping you clear the physical and emotional clutter that gets in the way of decluttering and getting organized.

Letting go of stuff and clutter excuses… is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Congratulations on taking Laura’s 28-Day Organizing Challenge! This is going to be fun :)

Here are my 3 top tips for tackling your space or room.

1. Start simple

If you want to make this the start of a more organized life, choose as your project something achievable. Your success will give you momentum to move on to another project – and another one after that.

But if you begin with the worst room in your house, you may struggle to get it done – and the disappointment could undermine your future organizing efforts, too.

When taking on something new and challenging, it’s usually a good idea to begin simply, enjoy your achievement, and then build on it.

Pick something simple and achievable for your challenge and let it start you on a more organized path.

2. Decide quickly

One of the surest ways to get bogged down in your organizing projects is to over-analyze.

Not sure whether to keep or discard something? Make your default decision to discard. Only keep something if you genuinely love or use it.

Not sure whether to put it here or there? Go with your first instinct. You can always come back and re-work the area. But if you don’t make a decision, you’ll end up stuck in organizing limbo.

Make a quick choice and you’ll find all your organizing projects will become easier.

3. Have fun

People who think of organizing as drudgery to be done under sufferance and punctuated by long, agonized sighs – well, they tend to be pretty disorganized.

Instead, why not have a little fun? Choose a time when you have some energy, pour yourself a yummy drink, and put on your fave (eighties!) music mix.

Feeling good will make you more productive, so you’ll get more done. Plus, time will pass more quickly because you’ll be having fun, kinda. Much smarter than moaning and sighing, huh?

Find ways to brighten the experience and you’ll be done before you know it.

So here again are my 3 tops tips for this challenge: start simple, decide quickly, and have fun.

Good luck!

Thanks Michele!  I especially love the go with your first instinct tip.  Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.  I love to remind people that there are no right or wrong answers here, the goal is to do what works best for your family.   So even if it seems unconventional at first, if it helps to make life easier for you then don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Guest Post: My Top 3 Organizing Tips is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie