January is Get Organized month, sponsored by NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers. It makes a lot of sense, since January is the month when most of us make New Year’s resolutions, and getting organized is at the top of many lists! But if you’re like me, resolutions are often made but seldom kept. Does that mean you need to just give up? Absolutely not!
Having a chance to start fresh occurs every day. Just because you didn’t start on January 1st doesn’t mean you can’t start tomorrow! You already know that you need to declutter, clean up, and organize your home or office or car. But the good news is you don’t have to do it all at once. Here are some simple tips for getting started:
- Pick one small area to start with – a closet, a cabinet, a desk, etc.
- Write down what you want it to look like, or how you will feel when it’s the way you want it.
- Get 3 boxes or bins – one for Donate, one for Keep, and one for Trash/Recycle.
- Begin sorting the items in that location into one of the 3 boxes. If you’re not sure, put it in the Keep box, but remember to come back later.
- Once the desk/closet/pantry is clear of the items, clean it. No point in putting your things back neatly in a dusty location!
- Decide on the best way to organize the items you’re keeping. If it’s a pantry, you can sort shelves by like items, such as Snack foods, Side Dishes, Paper products, Cereals, etc. or even sort alphabetically, though I recommend the first method. If it’s a closet, sort clothes by type – dresses/suits, casual pants, jeans, casual shirts, etc. – and then sort by color within category.
- Take a picture! You will be proud of what you’ve accomplished, and having a reminder of how good it looks will serve as motivation to continue keeping it that way.
Remember – the key to starting anything is making the decision to start. You’ve already done that. There is no one “right time” or “right way”. You can start NOW, and take baby steps. Feel free to contact me for help, advice, recommendations, or just to listen. Good luck, and happy Get Organized month!
Put Simply Organizing 
I found your blog through the ‘want a blogging buddy’ wordpress post. I hope you are inspired to post often-I could use a blog like yours! I signed up for an email subscription.
Hi Sonita. Glad you found my blog, as sparse as it is right now! I think having “blog buddies” will be a good thing. Do you have one yet?
I also checked out your blog and subscribed, and have to tell you that we have a lot in common, in uncommon ways! I am new to organizing (professionally), but I’ve been doing it all my life – for myself, my friends, my family, etc., and it comes naturally to me. But I’ve also come to this new career from the field of public education – 15 years as a teacher and administrator. So I’m very intrigued – and open-minded – reading your blog about homeschooling! I think that ANY teaching experience that keeps kids engaged, excited, and accountable is a good thng. I’ll follow your adventures with great interest!
I noticed in your “I’m not supermom” list, you said your house is always messy. Well with your full-time teaching and child-raising, it’s no wonder you can’t keep everything totally organized! Do you have any specific areas of concern that you’d like help with? I’d love to write topics that are specific to readers – makes it so much more beneficial. After all, I’m not really writing for myself!
Keep in touch – and have a fabulous weekend!
Kim
The messy isn’t me (mostly-LOL)-my oldest is a SLOB! And he’s rubbing off on his younger brother. 😦 My main struggle is getting the kids to pick up after themselves.
I’m getting my house back in order from the things that throw it off, I was really sick for a couple of months and too weak to cook or clean, then birthdays, holidays, busy weeks with lots of errands and appointments, all get me off my game! Plus-honestly-I’m still trying to adjust from turning my office/craft room into a classroom and putting the boys into the same bedroom again.
I need to do SOMETHING with Malachi’s old bedroom-cause it’s become a catch all room for all sorts of crap! But-it’s ;lack of purpose makes that easy!
Oh-and I contacted 2 people about the blog buddy thing but never heard back from them 😦
Hey – do you want to be buddies then? Even though our topics are different, I think the main goal is motivation and encouragement! I can also give you advice about the cleaning up stuff (from the messy son….very common!) – probably would be better to do through email than on the blog? I don’t know — I’m new to blogging. Do other people want to read that stuff? I guess if someone has a similar issue they can get help from reading of others’ struggles. Let me know! Take care – I’m just waking up and getting some coffee, and will read blogs soon!