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Organizing 101: Where to Start

Being organized is the state of knowing where everything is.

Too many of the organizing sites I read give the impression that if you pare down your possessions you will automatically be organized.

I don’t subscribe to that theory. I believe that while it is important to get rid of the clutter — clutter cannot be organized — organization does not automatically follow. Organization is a skill that some people possess from birth, but for others it can be learned.

Step 1: Declutter

If you haven’t already done so, get rid of all the stuff around you that you don’t use or love or take care of properly. (How important is Grandma’s lace tablecloth if it is stored in a grocery bag in the garage?)

Step 2: Decide What The Purpose of the Space Is

If you know what you will do in an area, you know what belongs there. For instance, if you cook in the kitchen, your pots and pans should be there. If you use a printer in your office, paper and ink should be nearby.

Step 3: Sub-classify the Space and Group

Next you will split the general areas up into smaller areas of purpose. In the kitchen you would have a place where you prepare raw vegetables. Your cutting boards, knives and peelers should be handy to this area. You would keep all knives together, rather than spread out over three drawers.

Step 4: Put Things Where They Belong

Next, you take one room at at time, and assess each item: does it fit the purpose of the area? Put it with like items. If it doesn’t belong in the space, put it in the space it belongs.

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This is an overly simplified version of organizing, but it presents the basic principles. By applying these, you can organize any space.

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Photo by ifindkarma

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