Getting Your Act Together in 2010 (and a Giveaway!)

Well, I’ll bet many of you within the sound of my voice…uh…er…I mean within the reach of my typing fingers :-) have vowed to get organized in 2010. I have chatted here in the past randomly about both managing your time and organizing your stuff. Well, this year, I want to talk more purposefully about both of those topics; topics which often trip a sister up, causing her frustration and resulting in lost items, missed appointments and late fees.

I hate to see tripped-up sisters. And I hate when I trip up in these areas too, which I still do more often than I’d like.

GettingOrganizedSo, to kick us off here in 2010, lets pinky promise that we will be intentional about getting our acts together. And let’s make it fun too. I will be giving away a signed copy of my book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized to one gal who leaves a comment on this post. ( It is worth a quarter more at your garage sale someday if it is signed ;-)) Along with it, I’ll include a Fresh Linen Soy Candle by For Every Body’s. (It is too cute. It has a little clothes pin floating in the top of the wax and smells like freshly laundered clothes. It just screams ‘clean’!) And I’ll tuck in an individual packet of Chocolate Supreme Hot Cocoa Mix from Private Selection.

So, the winner can burn her candle, causing her house to smell all fresh and tidy while she sips on the cocoa and reads the book. Oh, and at some point you’ll actually want to get up and implement the organizational ideas, so don’t get too comfy!

I covered today’s topic once before a long time ago, but it is so foundational that it is worth repeating. So, here we go….

I have the immense pleasure of chatting with hundreds of women every year at my events. So many of you are at such a loss as to what to do with your ”stuff”. And by “stuff” I mean the many piles I see. Piles of paper, piles of kids’ items, piles of assorted kitchen clutter, why, even piles of fabric!!! Do you know what all of those piles are? They are the result of two little words that you have ingrained into your homemaking vocabulary. Two words that you must rid yourselves of if you want to bust up those piles. Those awful two words ladies are….

“For now”

You know, “I’ll set this junk mail here for now.”

“I’ll place these toys and trinkets over there for now.”

“I don’t know what to do with all of this ______(you fill in the blank) so I’ll lay it here for now.”

Girlfriends, our “for nows” are ruining us! And do you realize that every pile is just a stack of unmade decisions? The first time I read that statement years ago in an organizational book it was a revelation for me!!

Part of the problem is that you have not made a decision about where it will go. Thus the piles of “for now”. The bigger part of the problem, however, is not where to put the stuff. It is that you have too much stuff. So, first let’s learn to do a little de-junking, ridding ourselves of the unnecessary clutter.

With what is left, we’ll find a place other than the dreaded culprit piles of “for now” where they currently lodge. And take note: the following system can be used in one room—for you gals with that cluttered home office, messy toy room or catch-all kitchen—or for the really brave at heart, in the entire house!

De-junking Basics

So here is how this works. First, you’ll need five boxes, (Or, if you are tackling a really big room or area, bins or laundry baskets.) They will hold items that you come across that belong somewhere other than where they are at the moment.

Label the first box Put Back. Inside of it place another small lidded container such as a shoe box or plastic tote. This box will be used to collect the items that are out of place in your home. The smaller container will hold items such as pens, pencils, barrettes, and coins so they don’t get lost in the bigger box.

The second box will be labeled Take Back. This will corral all of those items in you home that don’t belong to you and need to be returned somewhere. You know, library books, rented DVD’s, a shoe from your son’s friend who spent the night last week, a pan from the sweet lady from church who made your family brownies two months ago, etc..

The third box will be used for garbage. Label it Toss or Trash. Line it with a garbage bag so that when it becomes full, you can tie it up and transport it to the trash can. If you are a family that recycles, you can also have a box or bin for that purpose too.

Next, you’ll want to have a box for those items that are still in good shape, but no longer needed or wanted at your home. Label this one Charity or Garage Sale. You can even place price stickers on your things at this point if you will be holding a sale. If you will donate your belongings to a charity or homeless shelter, as a box fills up, seal it and put it in your vehicle to be ready to drop off next time you are near a donation center.

The last box in the bunch will be labeled Nostalgia. More on this in a minute.

Before starting, please determine that you will be ruthless. Promise yourself that if you have not used it, needed it (but couldn’t find it), worn it, or enjoyed looking at it in the past year—then you’re going to LET IT FLY!

Haul your boxes into your problem room. Position the boxes in the middle of the floor. Beginning in one corner of the room, pick up an article, and ponder the following:

• Is this item out of place? Place it in the Put Back box.

• Does this item need to be returned to someone or somewhere? Into the Take Back box it goes.

• Is this item in such dire shape that it is no longer usable? Then place it in the Toss box. If it is made of metal, glass, paper, or plastic, it goes in the recycle bin if you are going to add this step too.

• Is this item in fine shape but no longer needed by anyone in our family? Into the Charity or Garage Sale box it goes.

• Now here is the final question: Is this item no longer needed by anyone in our family, but one of my children (or my husband) is so attached to it that if I pitch it now, they’ll be emotionally damaged for life and, yes, someday they will be on national TV spilling their guts to Dr. Somebody about my cruel actions?

Then into the Nostalgia box it goes. All of your kiddos can have a few nostalgia boxes with favorite “keeper” items. I like to attach a note to the item such as “You wouldn’t fall asleep without this stuffed turtle by your side” or “You carried this little lunch pail on the first day of school.”

Once your question and answer exercise is finished, look down in your hand? Is the item still there? It must be:

A. Something you actually want or need and ….

B. It must be located in the proper room of the house.

Continue making a sweep around the entire room, following the same procedure with each item you encounter. Check every drawer, shelf and closet. Make certain you are taking inventory of everything you own. Be ruthless!

Every so often empty out the boxes—put back the out of place items, throw out the trash bags, transfer the storage and nostalgia items to a box that can be placed in permanent storage, and keep on truckin’! What seems like an overwhelming task will soon gain momentum.

Crank up some music you enjoy or pop in a book on cd to help the time pass more quickly. And if you are like me, you’ll discover that this concept works best when following the buddy system. Junk busting is easier with a friend who is, unlike you, not emotionally attached to your stuff. They will help you decide objectively what you will keep and what you will pitch, give away, or sell. When you come to the Tupperware deviled egg holder your Aunt Tillie gave you ten years ago that you never use, your friend will grant you the courage to get rid of it, offering their full assurance that Aunt Tillie will not suffer irreparable harm because of your decision.

It feels so good to de-junk. Every time I do it, (which for me was two and a half days last week–you know, putting away those new items received at Christmas, sorting through clothes that my kids have outgrown and ones I no longer need or wear; turning old wash clothes into rags and washing and putting away the new ones my mom got us for Christmas, etc..)

Yes, every time I do it, I understand why John Wesley said “Cleanliness is next to godliness”

It feels like a brand new start.

Try it. You’ll be glad you carved out time to do it.

And, next week, I’ll post more about what to do once you have dejunked; how to re-set up your rooms in a logical and user-friendly manner, so tune in!

Now, I will leave this post up until the end of Monday giving lots of you a chance to leave a comment for the giveaway.

It can be a comment about your worst cluttered ‘hot spot’ in your home; your biggest organizational challenge- time? paper? kid’s items? your kitchen pantry?

Or, if your are pressed for time, just leave a comment saying “I’m in!” The drawing will be random so you’ll still be entered. You can leave comments up until Monday at midnight EST. The winner will be announced Tuesday morning.

Happy organizing!!!!

78 Comments

  1. Great plan to rid yourself of junk and clutter. My husband is a pastor and we moved 3 times in 12 years so I have had to learn not to keep so much stuff. (I got tired of moving it.) Several years ago I helped my mother clean out her attic. She needed someone with no emotional attachment to her stuff to encourage her to get rid of a lot of it. So I was able to help her out.
    I just have to work on my office at home. (Okay and also the basement–again.) It is a small area so I must be ruthless and get more organized.
    Sign me up for the prize. I would love to win!!

  2. Just wondering if your book deals with adult ADD. I have never been diagnosed but the more I learn about it, the more I am convinces I “have it”. It is so hard to stay on task, to organize and so on. Thank you!

  3. I’m in! Thanks to my sister for telling me about you- I am going straight to the store tomorrow for 5 boxes. I’m actually not very sentimental, to the point that if one of my kids is missing a toy, she/he tells people that “Mama gave it to Goodwill.” Too bad I can’t do that with the mail…. Our dining room table is a major hot spot. Mail, game pieces, coffee mugs, pencils, books, stickers, part of the toy barn that I need to glue back together, pet shops, coats, chapstick – Oh! I found the chapstick!- embroidery stuff, and a candle set.. which stinks, by the way.

    “Charity.”

    I’M IN!

  4. I have been up and down with illness for over a year…. my entire home is unorganized, which adds stress and chaos to my life. I’m printing off your tips to get started. Thank you!

  5. I am an organized person and am constantly going through my house, BUT I have one child who is extremely sentimental and will not throw ANY thing away. I’m looking for ideas for the room he and all his stuff inhabits. :)

  6. I did some sorting and organizing on New years eve, and it felt soooo goood. My scrapbooking/ office is my hot spot. I long to be more organized not just in my home, but in all aspects of my life. Your ideas were very encouraging and motivating.

  7. I’m in. Your comments on the “for now” is so me. I spend so much time searching for something that I set down “for now” and laater have no idea whice pile I’ll find it. I would very much like to be clutter free in 2010. I know your book would be a big help in getting and staying organized.

  8. Wow, I have never heard that about “for now!” Thank you so much for sharing that!!! It’s definitely going to change my life. I’m so happy you addressed this, last night I was talking with a friend about my clutter issue and how much I would love to organize my Craft Section, it is out of control!! I don’t even want to papercraft bc it’s much harder for me to put those items away as opposed to my knitting or sewing projects. sigh
    I’m so excited in the future you’re also going to address resetting the rooms, because that is what I need to do with my craft section.

  9. Oh Karen, what room is not a “hot spot” for me. I have many items in drawers that don’t belong which my husband has labeled museum drawers. Help me!

  10. I’m in the process of decluttering our home, so that we can put it on the market. We must move closer to my husband’s job. I love what you wrote about piles being for now. I have plenty of piles. I never looked at it from that perspective, but it’s true.

  11. Your tip about including a friend in the process is a wise one. Last month I finally tackled the basement, a job that has been calling my name since we moved in ten years ago!! I had a friend who was ruthless help me. Things I normally would have kept she convinced me to pitch. The job took us one afternoon (as opposed to the WEEK it would have taken me alone) and everything we saved has a place on a labeled shelf. I feel such freedom when I go down there! I injured my knee just before Christmas, and my kids ended up doing much of the Christmas morning brunch and other get togethers. It was easy for me to tell them where to look for things like the ice bucket, serving platters, etc, since I knew exactly where they were.

    Now for the rest of the house…

  12. Help! The kitchen island is a MESS. My latest solution was a beautiful wooden box to “hide” the clutter…now the clutter is on top and all around the box…including a quart of glaze for craft projects, the baby’s outgrown car toy, an empty file box…can you feel my pain? It is such a central “eyesore”…SOS

  13. Unfortunately, my organization is of the type that I know where it is but no one else would ever be able to find it. Piles seem to gravitate to any elevated flat surface, toys never have a proper home, shoes are everywhere and as much as I would love to become organized, I am drowning in my entire familiy’s mess, not just my own. When I am inspired to straighten up, the house is tidy for less than 24 hours. It’s so discouraging! A system would be nice, and a way to have everyone in the house adopt the same system!
    Geralyn

  14. I live alone and have always been an organized person. I have what I would call organized clutter. For example I have everything in a file cabinet or in my desk that I really need to go through. I have stacks of papers that I don’t need anymore and manuals for things I probably don’t even own anymore. Not to mention all the stuff in closets and drawers that I haven’t used in years. Hopefully soon I can get someone to help me go through all these things and get rid of stuff.

  15. I’m in! My hotspot is our basement. I grew up in Texas where there weren’t basements. I married my husband (who was raised in PA) and now we live in PA with a basement. It’s a catch-all nightmare! YIKES!
    I’d love to read your book and get my act together! Thanks for the opportunity!

  16. My, oh my, oh my! Do you know how badly I’ve wanted this book? It’s on my Amazon wishlist waiting for a dear family member to purchase it at some gift-giving occasion. If not, I hope to take a glimpse at it via the library.

    What do I struggle with in the way of organization? I suppose it would be finding good storage solutions that don’t cost too much and being consistent in keeping up with stuff around the house so it doesn’t become overwhelming. So count me in for the giveaway!

  17. Overall I’m fairly organized! Some areas I want to concentrate on this year include my recipes, memorabilia items in the basement. Any help would be appreciated!

  18. Oh this is wonderful Karen! I just bought 5 storage containers from Target today, but when I got home, I just didn’t know where to start! This gives me a direction and hope!! Thank you!

  19. Can I get my husband to read your book?? We are both retired. I do believe that I could keep up. However, I would prefer to have him than be de-cluttered. When I worked I cleaned closets to have a sense of accomplishment – my job did not have that. Now that I am retired, my closets are not as clean. I could start there, he doesn’t “pile” stuff in there. :)

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