05.24.2016

Organization is Always in Season
If you didn't quite get to that spring-cleaning you've had on your calendar the last few months, don't worry! Cleaning knows no seasons. There's still time to cut clutter for that community garage sale this summer. Here are some tips to think about as you start sifting through the piles of the unknown:



The Gift Burden
Many people feel as if getting rid of gifts that have served their purpose is somehow disrespecting the giver. This mindset can lead to a downward spiral of unnecessary guilt that no family member or friend would want to bring upon you. Furthermore, sometimes the goal of a gift is simply for the recipient to recognize that someone was thinking of them. There is no shame in passing on an item that is no longer useful or needed. For me, saying, "Thank you friend for thinking of me," as I move the item into a give away bag makes me reflect on the thoughtfulness of the giver and brings an overall positive feeling to the cleaning session.

Categorize
One of the crucial aspects of decluttering is sorting through items and putting them into categories such as electronics, linens, or sports equipment. By placing all items with similar uses into categories, you can see the volume that you have and decide whether or not you need six erasers or 4 sets of gardening gloves. Also, this will help with only buying necessary future products because you can keep tabs on what you have and keep duplicate purchases to a minimum.

Perfectly in Place
Time is precious, yet so much is wasted on looking for misplaced items. This can easily be avoided by having a specific place for every categorized item in your house. For example, many people keep linens in various locations throughout the house. However, when you need your finest set of Egyptian cotton sheets for when your Mother-In-Law comes to visit, it can take a lot of searching to find the correct set. If all linens were in a specific closet, the searching and stress would be eliminated. Therefore, keeping all items of a category together can keep your sanity in tact.

Mindset = Life set
Many people feel like they are either born organized or not. I disagree. Organization, like any other skill, can be fostered and honed with a little practice. This mindset change from cramming items into drawers to categorizing and putting things in their place can save a lot of headaches and bring about a constant sense of order. And in a culture where stressed is the new normal, you can be the colleague who finds joy and rest in their living environment.