Are you new to 52 Weeks of Organizing? Catch up here.
Hi all! So you’ve got to know how excited I get when I see the organizing light come on for participants of this challenge. Let there be light! I sit here reading through the posts and comments fist pumping and shouting the word YES at the same time. It’s awesome! (you, not me fist pumping). Here’s what one reader, from Barefoot Deliberations, had to say:
“It also dawned on me that organizing is just planning specific spaces… Instead of planning a room for living, I planned my cupboard for living! Last week it was my closet and the week before, TroubleMaker’s Dresser… It is all starting to make a surprising amount of sense to me now!”
And did she ever plan! Check out this terrific sketch she did to map out her pantry layout:
Nicely done! You can read more of her process and see her after pictures here.
Now for a little eye candy. Over at Need to Change (I didn’t say that, it’s her blog name!) her weekly project was to tackle the shelf above her desk. She did a great job!
Before:
After:
Love those Ikea cups, so versatile! (by the way today is the last day to enter to win a $150.00 Ikea shopping spree!!) I love how she really thought out her needs and why her current system wasn’t working for her. Details here.
So why do you want to get organized anyway?
Seriously is being able to find something when you need it not motivation enough? No? How about to avoid being annoyed when you open up a freezer and have an ice pack fall on your foot. Yep that happened to me just the other day. So not happy about that. It makes me cranky and you so don’t want to see me cranky…ha! Or how about so you have more time to watch Undercover Boss bake up delicious batches of brownies? Okay let’s be honest I don’t bake up brownies, but you might want to which is cool. I’d only eat the whole batch myself and then I’d be just be annoyed which would then make me cranky. Are you seeing the cycle here?
Gosh so many reasons to organize! How about so you don’t buy any more envelopes because you’ve misplaced the three boxes you bought a couple months ago. What’s with all the envelopes people? I’m one to talk, have you seen my post it note collection? LOVE them! I sit and draw hearts on them and then color the hearts in. That’s how I get my best thinking done. Apparently for my mind to work, my hands have to be moving. Weird.
Okay so not all reasons to get organized are good ones…don’t do it to impress your friends or because I said so. Really. Do it for you. Do it for your family.
Don’t be worried that you don’t have fancy baskets or colorful labels. Those things are the fluff that can be brought in afterwards if your little heart desires…..nothing wrong with cardboard boxes and masking tape labels. For now let’s get down to the nitty gritty of knowing why we want to get organized in the first place and making it happen. For me, I don’t like to be annoyed so I’ve always got that in the back of my mind. I’m constantly asking myself “how can I fix this so it doesn’t bother me anymore?”
There are no right or wrong answers here and it’s okay if your answer is different from the next.
Not go get organized….because I said so! Oh I mean because you want to. Don’t you? 🙂
Questions to ponder:
1. Name ONE reason you want to get organized. It will be neat to see the variety of answers.
2. What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out?
3. Have you had any breakthroughs or a-ha moments yet? I would love to hear them!
Also please feel free to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing journey 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!
AlexisAnne says
I want to get organized because it’s the organization of the hidden spaces (aka cupboards, closets, drawers) that contribute to the cleanliness of the rest of your home. If there’s no place to put anything away, it never gets put away and clutter comences. I love being able to see my countertops and my floor!
Laura says
Oh I’m so with you on this one…I go nutso when my visual space is all cluttered up. It really affects my sense of peacefulness. Hard for me to relax when there is so much chaos around me.
The Bearded Iris says
Me? Well, I want to get organized so that I can not be so ashamed of the way my house always looks. I want the freedom to invite someone over without having to run myself ragged hiding piles of crap before they get here… and then trying to find the crap I stashed later. That’s just exhausting and frustrating and expensive (time and $). I also want to use all that “mad-dash” time to do the things that will really make me and my family happy. I’m tired of wasting so much precious time.
I had a major a-ha moment this week though. It’s not just about the sorting and purging and fabulous containers… I need to also create routines and expectations and rules for my kids. Not my forte (yet). Looking forward to figuring that part out though!! Thanks for all you do, Laura!
http://beardediris.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/one-down-fifty-one-to-go/
Janene says
I SO relate to this!!! Your reasons are the same as mine and it is so wonderful to hear someone else say exactly how I feel and know that I’m not alone! 😉
Laura says
Oh yes getting the kids involved and taking the time to train them has been life changing for me. I wrote a bit about that here:
https://orgjunkie.com/2008/04/we-are-not-our-childrens-slaves.html
Martha(MM) says
It gives me such a feeling of peace when things are clean and organized. My mind feels scattered and I feel stressed when my surrounds aren’t organized.
Thanks for hosting Laura 🙂
Laura says
It’s amazing how much the mental clutter plays into our day to day isn’t it.
JoannaTopazT says
I want to get organized so I don’t have the same goals for myself repeating month after month, year after year — I want to make life easier for myself and move on to new goals.
Unfortuntately, I didn’t make much progress on any of this this week. 🙁
Laura says
Hi Joanna, don’t beat yourself up. Where did you get stuck?
JoannaTopazT says
There wasn’t any one place I got stuck…I just had no energy this week for anything “extra” on my plate, and I’m not even sure why.
Luckily, some sort of switch got flipped, and I did make progress today — I got my paperwork, which I had been filing in sections of an accordion file (which was NOT working for me) filed into hanging folders in a hanging file box. I’ll try this system and see if it works out better. Plus I started a new Quicken file for 2011 and got all of January transactions categorized. (It’s been several years since I’ve used it, so I just started over with a brand-new file.)
Frances says
I want to get organized for two reasons. One is that we are planning to start a family, and if I can’t do it now, how will I ever be able to do it then? The other reason is for hospitality. So many times I have met the UPS man at the stairs to keep from opening the door. Sad, I know. The good news is that I’ve only got one room left to finish now! I already feel like inviting everyone we know to come over and have some pie. I am delighted to say that after they leave I can put their dishes in our new (to us) dishwasher! I think this is already shaping up to be our best year yet!
Laura says
Ahh Frances that is so cool, I’m so happy for you!!
MonicaB says
The reason I want to get organized is that I feel less stress when things are clean and put away. It just makes everything seem more clam and peaceful.
Laura says
Amen to that!
Janene says
I want to get organized for all of the reasons listed above and because I know that it will make my hubby and I happier…happier parents = happier kiddos.
I think being organized would really just improve all areas of our lives! We would be spending less time searching for things. We would be less overwhelmed – which would be AWESOME! We would have more time for each other and feel good about being able to do things together and not like we were avoiding doing something to “clean” the house.
Laura says
Yes, yes, yes! It’s all possible and I’m excited to see this happen for you and your family!
Sarah says
My main goal with getting organized is that I want to feel like we don’t need a weekend getaway to relax. Too many times my husband has come home on Friday night and can’t enjoy the weekend because he looks around and all he can see are things to do. We often ended up traveling on weekends to get away from it all. I want our home to feel as relaxing and welcoming as any B&B or hotel room we’ve stayed in!
Laura says
This is a great goal Sarah…creating home sanctuary is a beautiful thing with so many lasting benefits for a peaceful, chaos free home.
Amber says
I want to get organized to help me save money, if I know how much I have and what I have then I won’t be so tempted to buy more.
Laura says
Amber this is so true, the dollars saved can be huge!
april says
I want to get organized because Im tired of all the stuff! My grandma was a savr and now me and mom are still trying to go through all of her things 2 1/2 years after her death! I dont want that for my crew
Plus Im tired of cleaning but it never looks like it because of all the stuff everywhere!(5 people, 900 sq ft house, plus pets, YIKES!)
Laura says
April you can definitely change this cycle and lead a clutter and chaos free life for your kids to witness and experience first hand. Less stuff equals less cleaning, that I know for sure!
All the best to you!!
Camille says
Why I want to get organize? I’m TIRED of the mad dash to take (HIDE) things in my room when I get unexpected company. TIRED I SAY!! Besides everything looks better when there’s less of it and its in its home.
Last week I organized tackled the laundry room. I built myself a little table to fold clothes in the laundry room and finished organizing the rest of the room. Kept finding myself opening the door to take a look at my accomplishment! YEAH…
AHA MOMENT: This was HUGE. My kids were messing around with the camera so I figured let me take a picture of my trouble spots in the living room and dining room. Holy Cow…WHen I looked through the lense it was as if I was looking through someone elses eyes-an unexpected visitors eyes. Wow this is what unexpected company sees? I live with it and got used to it. Never mind that it couldn’t all fit in one frame and had to take 5 pictures. Keep in mind my house is very small. Living room/dining room measure less than 20 x 10 combined. If your used to your clutter, get the camera and snap some pictures maybe you’ll have your own aha moment. Anyway, off to have a double espresso (at my beverage station-which I love!) and hit the clutter. Don’t have a website, can I still send you after pics? Thanks for the inspiration Laura, Camille
Laura says
Yes of course you can still send me pictures, absolutely! You offer such valuable advice here with regards to the pictures. I think we do get use to our clutter and stop seeing it after awhile. Pictures are so beneficial!
Love that you have a beverage station, that makes me so happy!!
Stacy says
Why do I want to get organazied?? LOVE that question!!
to make cleaning easier, more time with all my kids, more time for relaxation.
what did i organize this past week? well it has been tough since we had 4 ice days off school. but i did have dd try on all her clothes and we did a complete purge which means we passed on an entire kitchen garbage bag of her clothes onto the next child. also i went through my closet and did a reality check on many items. i am a very small 40 year old woman and made the decision to not buy or wear little girl clothes anymore no matter what(yep i can wear from a size 10ish in little girls to a 0 in juniors.) then we both reorganized both closets.
aha moment- too much holding onto stuff for no good reason.
Laura says
Wow give yourself a hand girl, you accomplished a lot! Way to go!!
Stacy says
thanks it felt even better making my goodwill donation this morning.
I even donated a box of knick knacks i had put up for decision making. my husband was impressed.
RacingandsavingMama says
I am trying to get organized b/c looking at all the clutter bothers me after awhile. I can’t stand seeing “stuff” lying around everywhere. I’ve always been called “the trailer” by my Grandfather b/c I left trails everywhere I went. I’m trying to improve my image! 😉 Plus my husband is ultimate neat freak and I can only listen to him sigh for so long.
Laura says
Love your motivation! You know this post I did awhile ago might be helpful for you, it’s made a world of difference for me:
https://orgjunkie.com/2007/05/my-secret-to-staying-organized-or-at-least-one-of-them.html
Christie says
Questions to ponder:
1. Name ONE reason you want to get organized. It will be neat to see the variety of answers.
One of the reasons I want to get organized is to set an example for my boys. I am trying to “practice what I preach” 🙂
2. What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out? I organized my medicine box. I am definitely more happy with the way it is now but I am still not crazy about it. Medicines are easier to find though.
3. Have you had any breakthroughs or a-ha moments yet? I would love to hear them! Oh wow, yes! I finally figured out where a lot of my stress and anxiety come from. Clutter, disorganization and inconsistency. I am still working on it but it has really improved since finding your blog. Thank you SO much Laura!!
Laura says
You are so welcome Christie, I am celebrating your accomplishments right along with you. Chaos is a major player when it comes to stress and anxiety for sure!!
danae says
i know i want to get organized for three reasons:
1. sanity – my life moves at a fast pace, & disorganization sets me back & keeps me from being able to keep up, which seriously affects my mood.
2. hospitality – we always keep our home open for people to drop in at any time, & also for spontaneous overnight guests [especially from the long-distance boyfriends & girlfriends of our teens & college students!], & not having an already half-way organized home affects this.
3. my husband – it makes him so happy when things are clean & organized, & it’s one of the things i can do for him to show him love.
Laura says
I LOVE your #3, that’s awesome!
Lisa says
I’ve always, always loved organization. I fully admit to being a bit of a control freak in this area. Having things unorganized stresses me out. The main reason I want to work on organizing our house, though, is that I just think and function better when my surroundings are tidy and organized. For me, a cluttered area = a cluttered mind = cranky Lisa.
Laura says
Me too Lisa! It’s so important for me to try and avoid the things that set me off….daily maintenance and routines help keep me on track.
needtochange says
I want to get organised for so many reason. Like ‘The Bearded Iris’ I want to be in the position that when I have unexpected visitors I’m not ashamed at the state of my house. I want to be able to invited someone over on the spot and know my house it clean and tidy. I want to have the time to be able to do all that I want to do and actual enjoy it. I want my kids to have a stress free calm life.
I didn’t do much organising this week, but I started tackling my computer, I can never ever find a word or excel document when I need it, so that needed to change. Oh and the photos… that will have to be a work in progress.
Laura says
Do you have folders set up on for your computer documents? It makes a world of difference when it comes to finding what you need.
Kirsten says
Oh I feel the same about unexpected company. Or company at all. Its been forever since I have had anyone over. When you don’t have people over one clutter spot becomes another, and another, and another. Also I just want it easier to clean. I can have everything falling down around me but need to have a clean floor. Which makes it really hard to do when there is so much stuff everywhere. I just want to get the clutter away so I can have a cleaning schedule that doesn’t mean deep cleaning every time. You know the time you go all day from one thing to next and can’t hardly move the next day. Or is that just me? During the summer we have rented a beach house for our family vacation. We have to keep the house clean ourselves, and leave it in the same condition it started with. Granted we were on “vacation” but my husband and I commented to each other. Why couldn’t we keep our own house this clean. It comes down to lack of stuff!!!!
This week I guess I organized/simplified my eating habits. I started the Cinch! diet. Which also included cleaning out the fridge/freezer, and snack cabinet. Getting rid of temptation and just junk we don’t use or need to have. Hopefully going to make up some time this weekend with my sewing room organization project. I have to get it done so I can get back in there to work.
My aha moment has come slowly along the way. Tackling one project at a time really gives a sense of accomplishment. And lets me know that YES I can do this without killing myself.
Laura says
If I may I’d like to suggest that you set yourself a deadline by inviting company over for a visit a couple of weeks from now. It’s amazing how much gets done when we have a deadline looming! 🙂
Living the Balanced Life says
I want to declutter and organize because in the areas I have already done, it is so much easier to find stuff and to keep it clean! Less stuff to move around!
Bernice
Letting go of who I thought I was supposed to be
Laura says
Such a peaceful feeling isn’t it!
Tamarah says
1. Name ONE reason you want to get organized. It will be neat to see the variety of answers.
My sanity. I seriously CAN NOT function if things are not neat and clean. I feel anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed. An organized space is a happy space, and I truly feel at peace.
2. What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out?
I organized my coupons and I’m very happy with how it turned out.
I really appreciate you hosting this challenge. I am constantly organizing and changing things. This challenge is helping me focus and come up with more permanent solutions. Coming on on Fridays is a highlight for me. Absolutely love seeing what everyone else is doing. It’s so motivating 🙂
Peace and Blessings Everyone 🙂
Laura says
This is awesome to hear Tamarah, I’m so glad you are finding this helpful. And you are right an organized home is a more peaceful home!
Jeannine B. says
I want to get organized so that I don’t waste time or have the stress that comes from not being able to find the things I need when I need them. I want to be able to enjoy the important things in life.
I re-organized my “landing pad” on my kitchen island this week, and I love it! Everything I need is where I need it, easily accessed – and, it looks inviting!
The thing that makes the most sense to me when organizing or setting up systems in my home/work life is the “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory. If it is too complicated – I will never be able to maintain it, and it won’t work for me and my family! My other key principle is to maintain, maintain, maintain. If I take a little time on a consistent basis to keep things organized, I don’t end up with a project that is overwhelming – and doesn’t get done!
Becky L. says
My sentiments exactly. I think of all the stuff I need to organize and it seems over whelming! I remember some years ago in a Tupperware managers meeting a lady shared with us how to keep our house orderly. I still do some of this. As you go through the room you have walked into, take a minute to see if there is anything out of placc. Put item away. Clean off a counter top with a dishcloth. Make your bed every morning so you won’t get back in it til the evening! Makes your room look less messy that way. Take trash out, sweep a floor…..you catch my drift. A little bit of something makes your house look better, even if company or a visitor comes by! :->
Laura says
Great advice here, thanks for sharing! Yes I think so many woman are trying to organize everything “perfectly” and that can often be more complicating than the simple solution they need. I often tell my clients not to over think things and keep it simple!
Barefoot Deliberations says
Why do I want to ‘get organized’?
I’m continually teased about my lack of organization. Professionally and personally I’m always hunting for something in some pile and after so many years of living my life this way, I don’t want to be the one hunting for that drawing or the construction schedule at work or spending an hour of my ‘crafting time’ hunting for my glue gun anymore!
And I’ve had so many “A-ha” moments since starting this challenge but the best is realizing the time I save everytime I go back to a project I’ve completed and can see the time I have on my hands because I could find what I wanted the FIRST time I looked!
Corrie
Laura says
Yay! It’s the best motivation isn’t it!
Sue says
Why do I want to get organized?
I’m always hunting for stuff. I hate it. I love it when I can put my finger right on something I need. I don’t always have that here. I am embarrassed to have people over. I’m so busy playing ‘catch up’ that I don’t feel I’ve cleaned properly & sometimes feel like my house is ‘dirty’. THAT is my perfectionist coming out!
What I organized this last week …
Little bits. I stepped up & did the things that had been bugging me – I finally ‘ate the frog’ and did them. I cleaned & organized the silverware drawer & the ‘gadget’ drawer. I got rid of excess & kept only the stuff we really use. The dishtowel drawer – they’re always scrunching up & slipping down & out the back of the drawer into the cupboard below. This person said that she rolled her towels…. So I did that in hopes that it will make things neater. I also organized & sorted some in the black hole of our bedroom. I have an air-walker in there that I really want to use, but with everything stuffed in the bedroom (to hide it, of course) I can’t use it. I made baby steps towards that goal of making it clutter free in there.
Ah-ha moment?
When I realized that I when complain about everyone else’s stuff making a cluttered mess – mine is there piled just as high:
Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.2 For you will be treated as you treat others.* The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.*
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye* when you have a log in your own?4 How can you think of saying to your friend,* ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Laura says
That’s excellent advice, thank you for sharing it! And yay for baby steps, whoot!
Lynn Brownlee says
1. I want to get organized & declutter so that I’m not constantly cleaning up, & moving around piles of stuff! I have three daughters, one of whom has special needs, and I’m also a Pastor’s wife, so there’s just a whole lotta stuff going on – I want to be able to spend my time doing things that matter. Not scrambling around looking for a pen. 😉
http://momstartingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2011/01/daily-declutter-6-one-pen-challenge.html
2. The best thing I organized last week was all my daughter’s medical records, therapy info, requisition forms….it was a project 4 years in the making….I accomplished it in one afternoon!
http://momstartingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2011/01/daily-declutter-challenge-8-special.html
3. My AHA moment was right before Christmas when I said to my husband (as I was surrounded by piles of stuff from a Christmas parcel we had received), “I’m starting to think we need a bigger house. I feel like anytime we bring anyting extra into the home it seems really crowded.”
Whoa. Note I said, “anyTHING” into the house. Not “anyONE”. It’s not like I said, “We need a bigger house so we can adopt four orphans from China.” Nope. It was stuff. I realized my priorities were out of whack and I shouldn’t be placing a burden of that sort on my husband’s shoulders. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could downsize & organize to the point where I was able to say, ‘Hey honey – if we’re supposed to move, and that means a smaller home – we can totally do it!” (Or maybe even, “Hey – I’ve found some extra space – let’s adopt four orphans from China!) 🙂
http://momstartingfromscratch.blogspot.com/
Laura says
That is huge, thank you for sharing! Yes often it isn’t about needing more space, it’s just about having less stuff. Purge until it fits is what I like to say 🙂
Way to go!!
Erica says
1. Name ONE reason you want to get organized.
I want to know where everything is at when I need it. I don’t know how much time is wasted searching for the “lost.” I also want to get in the habit of staying organized before my little one decides to make his entrance in the world….hopefully sometime this week!!
2. What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out?
Since moving into our home 1.5 years ago, I have had a pile on our kitchen counter. It was a catch all for mail, books, eye glasses,magazines etc. I even found a golf ball! Each time I looked at the pile of junk, I cringed but never took the time to do anything about it. After finding the 52 week challenge, it was what I needed to get motivated. Since nothing belonged on the counter, last week’s exercise was about deciding what could be purged and for what was left getting it to its proper home. Once I set my mind to it, I got everything in it’s place. The counter is finally free of debris! YAY!
3. Have you had any breakthroughs or a-ha moments yet? My aha moment this week is that breaking down your organizing project into smaller projects is critical. I get overwhelmed when I think about my entire house. By setting a small goal this week, I was able to accomplish something I had put off for over a year. It didn’t take long and now I feel like I have accomplished something! I’m ready and excited for the next project!
Laura says
I’m tearing up just reading this! What an inspiration your comment is, thank you so much!
Were you surprised how little time it actually took you in the end? Especially when you think of all the time you spent stressing over it. It’s such a life changing lesson to learn!
So proud of you!!
Becky L. says
My goal this week was to finish my granddaughter’s knitted sweater. I’m close. Will finish while watching the superbowl with hubby on Sunday. I’ve had some issues with this sweater since it was a different style of sweater than I’ve ever made. I didn’t understand some of it but thru trial and error and I figured it out. I just messed up and had to unravel one front part since I didn’t do one side correctly…..there again it was partly directional and partly confusion! But I’ve got it down. That was my dilemma and I need to really pay more attention to detail. I’ve also been picking up around the house, decluttering as I go. And going through some magazines to find what I really need to keep, like recipes and then recycle or give to friend to read. I will post photo of the sweater this coming week.
Laura says
Sounds like you are doing well with daily maintenance Becky, keep up the great work!
Sandy Jenney - Organize with Sandy says
Hey Laura,
I just got those little white pod holders from Ikea today! I think they are so cute. I’m going to go check out her post that you have featured above.
Thanks!
Heather says
1. Name ONE reason you want to get organized. It will be neat to see the variety of answers.
I want to get organized so that when I move out of the house I am living at with my son’s grandma (ie, ex’s mom) that I can move into my first family home. I want to take only what will make me happy and be functional and love by my son, boyfriend and me. The main reason in addition to an impending move is to make a dramatic lifestyle change for the better and help manage my anxiety and stress levels. It is already paying off!
2. What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out?
I did so much this week because of snow days. I started a huge digital declutter, http://uh-oisfororganization.blogspot.com/2011/02/destroying-digital-clutter.html
I did the linen closet, and the biggest task of all, my basement. Linky will show you my success story.
I am so unbelievably happy with this weeks progress.
3. Have you had any breakthroughs or a-ha moments yet? I would love to hear them!
My aha-moment came on Friday when I had the professional organizer over. I was not as attached to my sons clothes as I had thought. I got rid of every piece of clothing, blanket, burp rag and bib that he has worn since birth, and managed to save my favorites in… get this, a small bankers box! Aha, I did not lose my baby after all.
Thank you so much Laura. Without your blog I would not have the constant motivation and feel the love and support from everyone here. I CAN DO IT! And it feels so good!
Michelle Harris says
I want to get organized because I am a working Mom and I just started classes for my Masters in Education Leadership. I feel like if all the “little places” are organized then my life as a whole will be more organized.
Trina @ Joy And Contentment says
I am eager to get organized because I know I CAN! I used to be more organized but when we moved into this old house with almost no storage, it all kinda fell apart. Now it’s been 4 years and everywhere I look is a disaster. I have so little time (homeschooler and small business owner), but I’m on a MISSION!
The best thing is finding encouragement in blogland. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories!
MemeGRL says
I can’t believe how stumped I am to the “why do I want to get organized” question–doesn’t everyone? (Or everyone who isn’t?) I keep thinking–for my kids–for my husband–so I don’t cringe when people come over (I won’t tell people not to come because the house is a mess but but I would like not to shrivel up inside when they come in!).
My poor husband is a neatnik–or was until I overwhelmed him. And I do NOT want to stick my kids with the task I had of downsizing my things like I had to do with my parents’. Plus–I would like them to grow up with skills (about organizing and keeping organized) that I did not.
No aha moments yet but I’m sure it is coming!
And last week, I was really bogged down in Christmas ornaments (yes, still–I’m regretting getting in to this but am sure I will not come November!). I tossed and recycled a ton of original packaging. (I mean, padded boxes are fine for fancy ones, but the CVS ones? No.) Baby steps–thanks for the inspiration!
Kari says
I want to be organized because:
1. Happiness: Crazy but have this feeling if I can get my home in order not only will my heart feel liter but so will my whole family. My Daughter and Son will feel more loved and confident because they will be able to find their things for school, activities and hobbies. They will know where to put their things away instead of where. My husband will feel inspired to finish up some of the things on your house. I could gone about happiness.
2. Create more time: If we stop wasting time looking for stuff and running to town to get stuff we would have more time for fun. And I would not feel guilty when we do go to do something fun because I would not be coming home to a mess or CHASO.
3.LOVE: I love my Family, my home and my self and it needs to be done.
What I did this week:
1.Took down the Christmas Tree. I know crazy most people have had theirs down for a month,but my father in law got sick at Thanksgiving and has been in the hospital until just a week ago and we told him we were not taking it down until he came home.
Cleaned The Great Room.
A-ha
1. Life is to short to spend time being mad at your husband and kid over mess and missing items. So do something about IT.
Enjoy Birth says
I want to get organized to make my life run more smoothly. With 3 boys it is crazy enough, a little simplicity in the home can only help.
I organized my clothes this week and got rid of 1/3 of them!
http://enjoybirth.com/blog/2011/02/04/52-organizing-week-5-clothes/
I would say my break through moment is just that I can do a little at a time. I usually do my project on Monday, but I have done more then one the last few weeks. So today feeling a little sick I could skip a day. I may do a simple junk drawer tomorrow if I feel better. But a little at a time makes it seem so much more doable!
Jackie says
I always say – the best way to get started is to pick a space and start throwing things out and bagging it up to donate. Starting small makes big improvements!
Shannon says
I’ve been sick for almost a week so I missed this week’s opportunity to organize but I just wanted to comment that I love this challenge because I find myself now organizing small spaces all the time now (and forgetting to take photos!). In the past I wouldn’t bother – how much could organizing that one drawer help? – but this challenge has really gotten me in the habit of not passing up opportunities to organize any sized space and it’s made a huge difference in my attitude towards my clutter – it feels so much more do-able now!
Heather says
Laura, I know I saw on your site somewhere about what you keep in your car, I recently cleaned mine out but I need ideas for what I should have in a “just in case” bin, if you could help me find the link I would really appreciate it!
Laura says
Is this it?
https://orgjunkie.com/2009/06/vehicle-supplies-be-prepared.html
Heather says
Yes. Thank you for the link!
Sara says
I stumbled across your page a few days ago, looking for a meal planner template, and from the moment I saw your bright, clean layout, and your smily face, I had to bookmark you!
Your 52 week challenge has inspired a new enthusiasm to split up the previously daunting task of cleaning out my home.
As my family home growing up, my house has been somewhat of a central hub for myself and my siblings (now grown) My sister moved abroad and left most of her belongings here, and when my parents unfortunately separated and both moved away, they also left everything here, while myself and my partner moved in; bringing our own house full of furniture, nick-nacks etc with us, to add to the growing stock of stored “stuff”.
My partner and I have just bought the house from my parents, and I definitely feel the need to make this home our own. I don’t want to live in a storage hub anymore!
on a lighter note, I definitely share your passion for post-its! There are hundreds of different varieties, and I’m (not so) secretly excited when I see a new one pop up 🙂