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tips to get your house organized

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by Cathy Rankin

With the recent heat wave, spring cleaning is on the fast track this year.   Air out the house, clean the windows and get down and dirty with the floors.

But before I can event get to the cleaning, I am overwhelmed in clutter…..stuff!

You never know what kind of day it is going to be.  Sunny?  Snow?   Due to the up and down in the weather, I have my flip flops next to my knee high boots, my wool jacket rubbing against my jean jacket, and no room left having all four seasons worth of  clothes, coats, shoes, kids toys, and so on, all at arms reach.

What a great opportunity to de-clutter, keep only what you need, and get organized before the real spring cleaning can begin.

Enter Anne Gideon, Professional Organizer from “Just Get Organized” with her top 5 tips to organize around the house for spring:

1.     Before you begin, have boxes and bags on hand to motivate and encourage you to edit unwanted items to charity, recycling or garbage.

2.    Ask yourself what it is you want in your life right now:

More time with family and friends?
Peace of mind?
Eat healthier?

Keep in mind your goal when you are going through your items.  You will find it easier to edit once you have a clear goal in mind.

Ask yourself, “does keeping this item support my goal?”

3.    Start with a room at a time and sort your items by category and edit what you Don’t Need, Use or Love anymore.  If you find things that need fixing, really ask yourself:

How long have I not used or needed it?
Do I have the resources, time & energy to fix it?

4.    Trim the F.A.T. in your home office by remembering this acronym while going through papers:

File it, Act on it or Toss it.

5.    Find a logical place and container for the items you are keeping.

 

Keep in mind, that “Less is More”.  You will feel lighter, ready to embrace spring.  Include the whole family in the process… reward yourselves with a family outing!  For more tips and ideas, you can visit Anne’s website at JustGetOrganized.com.  I love Anne’s idea of involving the family, and rewarding yourselves afterward.

One more idea I’m going to throw in is a yard sale.  I love a good garage sale and even better when you can get the neighbours involved, a street sale, a great opportunity to find new homes for your “gently” used items.  You could use the money towards your “reward” for all the hard work or donate it to your favourite charity or cause.

Happy Organizing.

 

Cathy Rankin is a freelance writer and mother of one wonderful little boy, teaching her daily how not to sweat the small stuff.  Follow her on Twitter.