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Blog: Take The Stress Out Of Housecleaning
 How to Have Less to Organize
 We take a look at our homes and think that the project of organizing everything is just too much to even consider. So, we get overwhelmed with the thought and have lost before we even get started. There is so much 'stuff' in our lives, everything is brimming over and falling off the shelves and we don't have any more space to store it in.
I was in a home recently where the woman of the house owned every book imaginable on organizing; her book collection was double the one I have in my home. Yet, she called a Professional Organizer to come in to help her get organized! Why? Because she didn't know where to begin and all of the book's told her how to attack certain projects that she didn't have the time to do.
This is something that I run across everyday. That is why I supply checklists for them to follow and show them how to take control of their homes in only 10-minute increments. We can all afford to organize in 10 minutes a day!
Somehow, before we begin and are setting up our plan, we neglect to do the most important thing—get rid of the junk! Do you realize how much 'junk' that you have? No, I don't mean things that you use very seldom, or things that you have special memories for. I mean 'real junk'!
Take a garbage bag, walk around your home, opening drawers and doors, and just get rid of the junk. The old box of cereal in the pantry, the notes on the desk that are now obsolete, the old wrapping paper that is all crinkled and torn and the ripped underwear that you only use as a last resort. You have now made room for all of the things that were falling out of your drawers and cupboards.
Here is a list of little thought of items that you can discard:
Old magazines
Expired medicine
Clothes that are too small, torn or faded
Tanning lotion that is from when you were a kid
Extra paper and plastic bags that are falling on the floor
Old makeup, nail polish and eye shadow
Broken and chipped figurines and plates
Duplicates of anything that you own
Clothes that have needed mending for over a year or have broken zippers
Bedspreads and scatter rugs that you don't use anymore
Things you have in your kitchen cupboard and haven't used in a year or two
Get rid of those boxes that you have stored for returning items if you no longer have the item or it is passed the warranty date-Break down the rest and tie together.
The old lamp that always flickers when you turn it on etc.
You may not want to throw all of these things I the garbage, some you may want to take to Goodwill or place like that, others you may want to price for a garage sale or to take to a consignment shop. Heck, making money with things we don't use is smart!
Talking about money—you will find loose change in most of your drawers, pockets and old purses that you can either take to the bank or add to the vacation fund for this year. I personally have a Picnic with Friends jar. I throw all of the loose change that I find throughout the year into this jar and at the beginning of summer, we have a picnic and invite the neighbors and everyone that we have seen after a long cold winter and just catch up on what is new. I always have enough for the picnic, with some leftover that goes in the vacation jar.
Now, take another bag and go through those closets and get rid of old clothes that aren't worn any more, include the jacket closet, you can always find something hiding in there!
By taking this one easy step before you organize, you will have less to move around and more space to store things. Then on to making an organizing plan.
Jan Hayner offers tips and hints on organizing and cleaning your home, business and life. Get rid of the clutter and Organize Your Life THE EASY WAY. Read her new book 'Why I Never Succeed at Getting Organized'.
posted on: 1/23/2009 10:00:00 AM by Jan Hayner
category: Homes
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