Declutter and Organize

Cut the Stress & Gain Serenity in Your Home: Declutter & Organize

Why Do You Want to Get Organized?

The "organizing principle" says that if you determine what you want to achieve, practical solutions will flow. Examples of goals you'd like to achieve might include: save time in the morning; spend less time looking for things at work, etc.

Then think about what the real problem is (e.g., lack of space, too much junk coming into the home/office, lack of time, poor decision making, lack of a good process/system, etc.)

How Do You Propose to Get the Job Done?

Use Time Wisely
Start with something that is very aggravating (more motivation!).
Break it down into manageable parts. Maybe do one room or closet each weekend or do one cabinet each night. Set up a process or system for one area (e.g., incoming mail area - a waste basket, recycling bin, magazine basket, shredder for credit card offers, etc. and file folders for bills would be a good starter kit) at a time. Note: Kids think shredding is fun, so if they are old enough that safety is not a concern, let them do it.

Use your time wisely! In only five minutes you can:

• Make an appointment
• Make out a party list
• Write a note
• File your nails
• Water your plants
• Do a five minute "sweep of the room" - walk through a room, pick up clutter and take it to trash or "to file" pile.

In 10 minutes you can:

• Pick out a birthday card
• Order tickets to a concert or ballgame
• Repot a plant
• Hand wash some clothes
• Exercise

Do the "15 minute sprint"

Set your timer for 15 minutes, and give yourself a goal - clean the bathroom, clear off the desk, etc. You will be amazed what you can accomplish in 15 minutes. And if the timer goes off, and you have only a few papers left to file, you'll probably finish the job.

Reduce
Cut down on the amount of "stuff" that comes into your house by:

• Canceling catalogs you don't want (just have the catalog in hand, call their 1-800 # and ask them to take you off of their catalog list).
• Using the business reply envelope included in many solicitations to send a note asking to be removed from their list if you are not interested in the cause.
• Opting out of receiving pre-screened credit card offers by calling: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). If you are like me and hate to give your Social Security number out on the phone, I found that if you hesitate when they ask for that, they eventually give up and move on to the next question. They state that they will TRY to opt you out, even without that information. If you have a very common name this might not work. The four major credit bureaus use the same toll-free number to let consumers opt out of pre-screened credit offers.
• Stopping hard copy and e-mail junk mail by writing to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 282, Carmel, NY 15012. Include your FULL name, COMPLETE address, zip code, e-mail address and a request to "activate the preference service."
• Calling the number they usually include with privacy notices from banks and credit card companies to let them know that you do not want your information shared.
• Writing "Do not share or sell my name and address to others" in bold letters on any documents when you deal with credit card companies, online merchants, make a donation, fill out warranty cards (which are usually not necessary if you keep your receipt), etc., to keep yourself from being added to other lists.
• Getting your regular (non-cell) phone number on the Indiana Do-Not-Call List by completing the form here and getting your phone number on the National Do-Not-Call Registry.
• Making arrangements to pay bills online or by automatic deduction if you are comfortable with the safety of the transaction and possible fees.
• Never entering contests. These are often "phishing" expeditions for your personal information.
• Not taking home the free glass at the fast food joint just because it's free.
• Shopping less frequently and then making a shopping list and buying only what you really need.
• Evaluating your "collections" to see if continuing to collect is giving you joy or stress.
• Using the RAFT method for incoming papers:
• Refer it to someone else (if appropriate) - get it off your desk!
• Act on it now or set a date on your calendar to deal with it.
• File it now (click here to get a set of file labels - (when you print out, use Avery 5160 or MACO ML 3000 labels not plain paper) or put it into a "to file" folder which you clear out once a week.
• Toss it into the trash (or recycling bin).

Reorganize/Declutter Home or Office

• Take a hard look at WHERE you are storing items. Does it make sense? Are the most used items the handiest? How about putting the often-used toaster on the counter while storing the lesser-used blender? How about putting a mail file box, wastebasket and shredder near the door where you bring in the mail? How about putting pegs for coats and backpacks, containers for gloves/hats, a shoe rack and a key hook in an area near the door that you normally enter? How about putting the coffee, creamer and sugar in the cabinet above the coffee pot? Is the silverware convenient to the table and dishwasher? Are the cooking tools near the stove? Are the children's breakfast items in one place and within their reach? Could lesser used items like the large turkey roaster be stored in the attic for most of the year? Is the toilet paper stored in the bathroom? You get the idea!
• Take a look at HOW you are storing items. Consider scanning items where originals are not necessary. For advice on how long to keep tax records, visit http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98513,00.html . The IRS advises keeping original documents relating to assets (even if you dispose of the asset) indefinitely as you'll need them to calculate property depreciation or profit or loss from stock or fund sales.
• Determine if there are things you have never pulled together but that need to be. Do you have a basic first aid box ready for emergencies? Do you have a "bill" file so that you can put all incoming bills there and review/pay on a regular basis, and are your envelopes, stamps and a pen in the same spot to save time?
• Consider utilizing those unused storage places: under the bed, in the attic, on the garage rafters, in the basement or outside storage sheds.
• Now that you have a plan for what is needed and where things ought to be, dig into those closets or cabinets and go to work. Get several big boxes (boxes that office paper comes in are great) and label: Keep Where It Is, Trash, Donate, Tox-Drop, Fix (for potential "keepers" that need repair), Move to Back Entry, Move to Cabinet by Stove, etc. See Community Connections section - Environment for where to dispose of items.
• Once you've decluttered, identify problem areas that still need help and purchase organizers. Get list of examples here. Walk through your house to survey possible locations and make note of the desired location beside each item below so you'll know how many of the each item you need to purchase and where to use them after purchasing.
• Go to the Internet and search on "get organized" for more ideas and/or read the book, available from IUPUI HRA Work/Life, Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern (1998).
• Now put your items in the appropriate containers, label the containers and put them in the places where they will be most useful.

Vacation Packing/To-Dos

• Use a "packing list" - what to take in the car for short and long trips (food, blankets, etc.) and what to pack for vacation. Work/Life has provided samples of vacation packing lists (women's packing list; men's packing list, child's packing list) and things to do before you leave home.
• If you travel a lot, keep a set of toiletries (in quart plastic bag) and other must-have travel items in a small suitcase to pull out as needed.
• If you have model numbers for humidifier or air filters to keep track of, write the model numbers on the back of the appliance, put them in a 3-ring household binder, put them on a list in your computer or tape the model # from the box onto the back of the appliance.
• Keep a list of doctors, dentists, repairmen, etc. inside of cabinet door near the phone or in a 3-ring binder by phone.

Source of Information:
Most of the information in the "How Do You Propose to Get the Job Done" section is from Getting Organized, by Stephanie Winston. ** From "Real Simple" magazine, March 2005.