image credit: shutterstock

As some of you may know I absolutely hate making decisions.  Yep it’s true, decisions stress me out and as a mom and wife you know how many decisions need to be made day by day.  It just gets to be too much sometimes. What school to send your child to, what to feed the kids day after day, what to wear, where to go, what to blog about, what friends to visit, what to keep, what to give away, what color hair dye to buy, which movies to watch…blah blah blah. You know what I’m talking about.  I am just not that person if someone asks me to decide something I’ll immediately be able to do it.  Hence the reason it is taking me so long to decide on our winners for the organizing challenge.  Sheesh!  Sometimes it just borders on ridiculous as well.  For instance, my friend just called to invite me out for lunch and between the two of us we couldn’t decide where to go.  She ended up having to ask her hubby for help :)

Last week on one of my giveaway posts I shared how long it took me to pick out a paint color for our bedroom.  Seriously it took way too long because I just couldn’t decide.  Silly old paint.  Would it really have been the end of the world if I picked the wrong color?  Well no not really but also yes because in my old house I did pick a wrong color of paint for our bedroom, a hideous bright gold color in fact.  It was awful but because I am way too lazy there was no way I was painting the entire room again.  So I lived with it and hated it every single day.  Not a great way to create a relaxing sanctuary and a decision I regretted until the day we moved.  I should have just repainted but I couldn’t take the pressure of having to pick another color.  So once you know there are consequences for your choices it makes making decisions that much harder.

Many of you chimed in with the decisions that are hardest for you to make.  It was so nice to know that I am not alone in that let me tell you.  Here are just a few examples:

I have trouble deciding where to start- the clutter seems overwhelming!

I have a hard time deciding what kids papers to keep, and what to toss.

I always have a hard time making decisions about everything. My big one is deciding what stuff (junk!) to keep and what to give away, its so hard to give away a lifetime of memories!

My hardest thing is trying to figure out what to do with all the crap in the “junk drawer.” I know I should probably throw most of it out but, I fall into….we might need it someday trap. :)

I always have trouble making decision on what things to buy to organize. I research and research until I cannot research no more.

The biggest thing I keep debating on is going entirely paperless with my to do list. I go back and forth between hand writing it and using an app on my iPhone… I just can’t decide!!!

See what I mean, decisions are hard!

So how do I stay organized when we all know that decision making is at the crux of living an organized life?

Clutter = procrastinated decisions

Ahh good question right? There are tactics I put into place to help me alleviate the decision making process as much as possible.  Yep I bypass it altogether and the decision gets made for me.  It’s the only way I can function with the constant chaos and clutter that comes with raising kids and running a household.  I reduce the number of decisions I have to make and boy what a difference it makes!

1.  Use containers to give visual cues to act

Like with my filing, I use a basket to determine for me when it’s time to file.  I don’t decide, my basket decides for me.  I use bins to decide for me how much to keep of something so I know when the bin is full something must be tossed.  The bin determines for me when it’s time to act.  There is no waffling between well should I or shouldn’t I, the decision is made when the bin is full.

2.  Assign “expiration” dates

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to throw out a bottle of salad dressing way past its prime or even a bottle of expired medication?  Expiration dates on products make the decision for us whether or not to keep something.  What a relief it can be!  But what about products that don’t have expiration dates?  I make my own!  I have a one year rule in my house that if something hasn’t been used in a one year period it has to go.  One year means I cover every season so when it comes to making the tough decision about my stuff, the decision is made for me.  See the pattern developing here.  I don’t have to think about it.  One year not used = toss.  Whew, that was easy!  Enforce your own expiration dates and take some pressure off yourself.

3.  Start small

Sometimes starting off with big organizing decisions can be daunting so think about starting with small decisions first and then work your way up to the bigger ones.  In other words don’t let what to do with your Gramma’s china be the first thing you deal with.  Instead decide what to do with the 500 envelopes taking up residence in your office drawer.  In my experience working with clients I notice that it takes awhile for them to warm up to the idea of dealing with their clutter.  They start off very attached to their stuff and in the process of making itty bitty decisions they build the confidence to go bigger and bigger especially once they taste the freedom that de-cluttering brings.  It’s so fun seeing their confidence grow and the a-ha moment kick in.  Once this happens there is no stopping them.  That’s why you’ll often see organizers on TV shows like Consumed do a speed purge to begin with to get those purging muscles revving.

4.  Practice, practice, practice

I can’t stress this one enough.  Like anything if you only do it sporadically you’ll never master it.  Consistently practice making organizing decisions and over time it does get easier and easier to do I promise.  Here is a great example of how walking through the de-clutter process by asking key questions helped me choose between two items which one to pass along to someone else.  I do this frequently and it’s this process of really asking myself these thorough questions as I evaluate something has made it possible for me to honestly say I’ve never regretted a decision to part with something.

5.  Ask a friend for their opinion

Friends see things that we might not and are coming from a viewpoint perhaps completely different than our own.  This is helpful when we have alternate scenarios to choose from and can’t make up our minds on something.  Whether it’s deciding if we should toss a sweater we’ve loved for perhaps far too long or the color of paint to choose for our walls, friends can be valuable resources.  An honest friend that can gently say to me, why in the world would you ever keep that shirt, is a friend I want in my life forever.  Just be careful not to ask too many friends for opinions at one time as you’ll only make things more complicated for yourself.

If you struggle with making decisions like I do, I hope you find these tips helpful.  What would you add to the above list?

How to make decisions about your stuff when you hate to make decisions is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Since January I’ve already made two separate trips to the thrift store to drop off stuff.

Purge Pile #1

Purge Pile #2

I am pretty strict about the “one in, one out” rule.  So with everything that came in for Christmas, something else had to leave.  One toy in, one toy out.  One sweater in, one sweater out and so on and so on.  We don’t have to wait to “find room” for our new things because we simply replace the new where the old use to live (although sometimes a little tweaking is necessary).  It makes life so easy and stress free and I don’t have to be the bad guy with the kids.  I’ve done this with them since they were little that they just think this is the way everyone does it :)

The second pile you see above happened at about 8:00 pm one night while I was playing hockey with the kids in the basement.  All of a sudden, as we were dodging this and that on the floor, the room started to feel smaller and smaller.  How hadn’t I noticed it before now?

That was it, game over, mommas got to organize!  The kids just roll their eyes, they know the drill.

Anyway it became very clear to me right away that we had quite a few toys down there the kids had outgrown.  My baby (6) isn’t a baby anymore.  Out, out, out.  The toys that is, not my “baby”.  So an hour later we had collected some things for the thrift store (above), a big bag for the garbage and my hubbie took out to the garage a huge play table that I will sell.

Oh how great it feels!  What a sweet and glorious high!

Seriously you’ve got to try it for yourself, just don’t take my word for it.

Here’s what you do.  Grab some garbage bags and fill them.  End of story.

Okay, okay I know it’s not that easy for some.  But it could be that easy if and when you just decide that enough is enough already.  If you have more stuff than space, you purge till it fits.

As you are working, don’t let yourself get distracted in other areas of the house…remember focus on the task at hand.  If you’ve got a lot of stuff to clear out then print off my purge labels and make an area for each category.  Then it’s just a matter of starting.  Initially you want to do a quick purge and not be held up hemming and hawing about any one thing.  Put it to the side.  Keep going and go back to that item later if you have to.  You’ll see that as you keep moving, this purging thing gets easier.  You’ll slowly start to get a small taste of the high and you’ll yearn for more.  Go, go, go!

Before you know it, you’ll be done.  You’ll look around and think to yourself.  Gosh this gal Org Junkie really knows what she’s talking about!

Well maybe you won’t say those exact words but you will be buzzing from your organizational high.

That’s when I say to you.

Welcome to my world friend, welcome to my world!!!

Have you experienced a purge high lately? is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

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

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!

credit: mwoodard

The Organizing PROCESS is Your Force…Use It is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Let’s face it, one of the hardest things about the organizing process is making the decisions about what to do with all our stuff and I’m no exception to that. While I can often let go of things pretty easily there are still times it’s difficult even for me. This was the case a couple of weeks ago when I sat down to organize all my serving ware. I was doing a great job, already having set aside quite a few pieces to go to the thrift store, when I came across this lovely piece.

And then next to that one, this totally divine piece of art:

I am smitten with daisies and I just absolutely adore this unique daisy platter. Problem is I also love the first one as well. I mean it is in a basket after all :) However as you can see they are both divided dishes and I’ve never used both of them at the same time.

I started to feel my heart race because I felt like it didn’t make sense to keep both and I knew I needed to make a decision to purge one. Which was it going to be?

This was a critical moment for me.

I could panic, bury my head in the sand and just put off making the decision for another day OR I could tackle this decision head on. Putting off the decision wasn’t going to make it any easier for me later and procrastinated decisions = clutter which is why I was organizing the cabinet in the first place.

Now was the time.

I took a deep breath and got ready to ask myself the tough questions I knew were required in this situation.

1. Do I love them? Yes I love them both but one in particular I had a real soft spot for.

2. Do I use them? How long ago did I use them? I don’t use either of them regularly and never at the same time. I do use the daisy one more often and most recently at Christmas time.

3. Do I have the space to store both without it being a cluttered space? No

4. Am I willing to give up something else in this space in order to make room for both? No I was pretty set on all the other decisions I’d already made.

4. Can I imagine myself or anyone in my family ever loving it or needing it in the foreseeable future? Nope, they couldn’t care less.

As I started to ask myself these questions and the answer began to become obvious to me, my anxiety eased up. I hated to get rid of one of them because you know what if I needed it one day but the truth is I hadn’t used the basket one in over a year and it wasn’t my favorite of the two. That cemented my decision for me and I went ahead and placed it in my donation station box.

I felt great that I’d made a decision.

Do I have a special organizing gene unique to me that keeps clutter at bay? Not at all. I simply have learned the necessary skills to walk me through the decision making process. Do I still get anxious about it. Yes sometimes but the great thing about practicing and using these types of decision making skills on a regular basis means that each time the process gets easier and easier and doesn’t take nearly as long.

Where at one time it might have taken me longer to make a decision, now with practice and acquired skill it is not something I fear. I know the benefits will far outweigh the anxiety I feel in the moment.

Morale of this story:

1.  Ease purging anxiety by asking yourself some very important declutter questions as outlined above.  The decision required may become more obvious to you when you begin to talk it through.

1. Procrastinated decisions = clutter. Practice making those kinds of decisions regularly (it helps if you start small) and it will get easier for you. Your confidence with grow as a result.

2. Have a donation station but don’t let it hang around too long before donating the contents. Whenever I work with clients I always take the donations with me at the end of the day because it’s just so easy to second guess ourselves. Out of sight, out of mind. Move on.

Have you made any organizing decisions lately? What have you been able to let go of recently?

Related posts:

Clothes Purging – How to Let Go

How to Use Declutter Questions to Make Purging Decisions is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Here is the before picture:

I’m not too concerned about the organization of it inside because these games get pulled in and out all the time.   My main concern was making room for all the games so they were all housed in ONE spot.  So out everything came and with the kids help we were able to create a donation pile that looked like this.

Not bad at all, I was very impressed with the kids.  We went through each game one by one and they provided me with a yes or a no.  Some decisions were easy since my youngest who is now 6 had outgrown many of them.  Others hadn’t been played with in a long while.

Finally everything fit back into this one space:

The two yellow bins hold smaller games and decks of cards to make them easier to find.

Last week I also had a chance to change out the clothes for the seasons and so my purge pile last week ended up being three big boxes that I dropped off at our local thrift store!

This week was all about going through the seasonal outerwear and Halloween costumes.  Anything outgrown or not worn during the past season went into the donation bag.  Only one bag but still happy to pass these things along to someone else.

What was in your purge pile this week?

Games Cupboard Organization & Other Purge Piles is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Here’s the thing: Your piles of stuff and mountains of clutter aren’t going to go away on their own.

As much as we’d like it all to disappear overnight while we sleep, it’s not going to magically happen. Unless of course you happen to have an in with a clutter fairy. In that case, just sit back, relax and watch it all vanish before your very eyes. For the rest of us unlucky souls, it’s going to take a little more work. However, it’s the very thought of all that work involved that can stop us dead in our tracks.

Let’s face it…when the stuff gets to be too much, the thought of starting can simply be too overwhelming.  Hopefully these 5 declutter tactics, that you can implement today, will help you push past the barrier of overwhelm and make some lasting changes to your home and your peace of mind.

Let’s begin!  {continue reading here}

Start Today With These 5 Declutter Tactics is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

If you are new to 52 Weeks of Organizing, catch up here!

Week 20, whoot!  Are you hanging in there?

Today I decided I wanted to talk about the linen closet.  Whether your house has a big one or one that’s not so big, it’s often a neglected space.   Regardless of the size, is yours bursting at the seams?  This might be a good week to go through the PROCESS and tackle that area.

A couple of years ago I posted about how I organized my own linen closet and I encourage you to go on over and read how I followed the PROCESS myself.  I took my overstuffed closet from this:

to this:

Those pictures are from 2007 and in my old house.  Since then I have learned to downsize even more yet after looking at the state of my new linen closet I think it’s time for another overhaul.  I’ll have to do that this week also.

I think the majority of people have just way too many sets of sheets and towels.  The general rule I write about in my book, Clutter Rehab, is two sets of sheets and towels per person.  One set of sheets for the bed and one towel per person for the towel bar.  Then one for spare.  You may also want one set of each for guests along with a few blankets.  I find Space Bags to be especially convenient in the off season to help create additional space.

Remember to purge until it fits!

With some paring down and a little creativity perhaps you can use the extra storage space you uncover for other things looking for a home…craft supplies, a donation station, kid’s clothes to grow into, extra pantry space, etc.

I just have to show you what my sister did with her linen closet.  Since she lives in a small home with no garage or basement space she needed somewhere for her cat’s litter box where her girls couldn’t get into it.  So she moved her linen into her bedroom closet, added a animal door to the bottom of the closet and voila, problem solved.  Now that’s thinking outside the box!

Does your linen closet need an overhaul?

Note: most animal shelters would be more than happy to take your old linen off your hands to use for the animals :)

Please feel free to share your organizing journey and encourage one another in the comments. You are also invited to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing participation or to any post of an organizing nature that you feel will inspire and encourage others in their quest to get organized. Please remember to link back to here though so we can reach out to as many people as possible in need of some inspiration.

One other thing to consider: by including your link below you, you are giving me permission to use parts of your post including pictures as a spotlight in future 52 Weeks of Organizing posts. Proper credit and links will of course be provided. If you are not okay with this please do not link up. Thanks!

52 Weeks: #20 Take Back Your Linen Closet is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Are you new to 52 Weeks of Organizing?  Catch up here.

Hi everyone, did you have a successful organizing week?  It’s time to hear if you crossed something of that list of yours?

I took a big box of stuff to the thrift store earlier this week.  Mostly clothes from my closet.  The number of items I hadn’t worn in some time was starting to add up.  Time to get rid of them!  Need some help to do the same thing?  Check out Tip #41 in my book, Clutter Rehab.  You can also find it here: 11 tips to help you part with your clothes.

I was reading through the links last week and I gave a little whoop when I read this post by Lynn of Mom Starting From Scratch.  Lynn had a bit of an a-ha moment when she did some de-cluttering today.  She realized that sometimes we don’t see the things we surround ourselves with anymore.  That moment came when she laid eyes on this do-dad on her wall and wondered “what is it?” and “do I even like it?”

She’s now replaced it with something she truly loves.  Way to go Lynn!

Next I noticed that Cassandra of Aubut Life wasn’t going to let non-matching containers stop her from organizing her “secret” closet.  She dived right in using what she had and her closet went from this:

to this:

Thata girl!  So much better!

Remember it doesn’t have to be matching to be functional, nothing wrong with a good old-fashion cardboard box either.  Do the organizing FIRST which involves removing everything from the space, sorting and purging before worrying about how you are going to contain it. Don’t eat your dessert first my friends as tempting as it might be!

Now don’t get me wrong, clever storage solutions will definitely help you maximize space but you don’t want to be organizing clutter just because you can.  Why spend dollars on products to organize something you have absolutely no use for or to put off making a decision about?  Do the tough stuff first and then have some fun :)

We all only have so much space available to us…stop fighting it and purge until it fits.  You’ll feel better, your house will feel lighter, your stress levels will go down and your chaos will be reduced.

Did you catch that?

Purge until it fits!

Questions to ponder:
1.  Let’s talk stuff!  What have you tossed out this week?
2.  Have you ever regretted something you’ve gotten rid of?  Why?
3.  How tempted are you to rush out and pick up pretty organizing containers first?

Please feel free to share your organizing journey and encourage one another in the comments.  You are also invited to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing participation or to a post of an organizing nature that you feel will help and encourage others in their quest to get organized. Please remember to link back to here though so we can reach out to as many people as possible in need of some inspiration.

One other thing to consider: by including your link below you, you are giving me permission to use parts of your post including pictures as a spotlight in future 52 Weeks of Organizing posts. Proper credit and links will of course be provided. If you are not okay with this please do not link up. Thanks!

52 Weeks: #7 Purge Until It Fits is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Turns out my new home has a lot less storage space so rather than let it all stay piled up somewhere I sharpened my decision making skills and pared down even more.  At this stage it gets tough because most of the items are ones I love and use.  However there are three parts to this equation.

Clutter = anything you don’t love or use OR have the space to store.

So out it went.  And you know what, now that’s its gone, I don’t miss any of it.

In fact it feels great!  So great in fact that this load above was the first of two in my new house!  Just when I thought I couldn’t get it down even more than I have, I went through again and added more to the pile.

Best feeling in the world!  Well okay maybe not THE best but it’s up there :)

Do you have long forgotten piles of stuff that have been sitting there for some time taking up precious space in your home?  Why not take a pass at purging some of it today and then after you feel the high of that, go through it again and again and again. You’ll be so glad you did! :)

What are you going to part with today?

I’d love to see YOUR purge pile so email me (orgjunkie (at) hotmail (dot) com) a picture of it with My Purge Pile in the subject line so I can check it out.  In my effort to get others “hooked” along with me, I’m going to select one person from those emails to personally send a copy of Peter Walsh’s DVD, It’s All Too Much, which is a step by step guide for decluttering and bringing organization to every room in your home.

I so know you can do this!

I’ll make the email cut off Monday at 4:00 pm pst so be sure to send me your email before then.  Just know that by emailing me your purge picture you are giving me permission to use it in future blog posts although you can remain anonymous if you’d like.

Purge power!

Keep the purging going even after you move is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Outgoing pile number two (below) went to the thrift store owned by a very good friend of mine.  More books, clothes and tons and tons of other stuff my sweet pack rat daughter finally agreed to part with.  Unfortunately none of that pile includes any of the million and one notebooks she hoards owns.  No way was she parting with those.  I just have no idea where she gets her addictive tendencies from.  It makes no sense at all! :)

I’ll admit though that I do love notebooks as well so I really didn’t press too hard.

How many others can relate to a love of pretty empty pages with endless possibilities?

And the purging continues…. is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie