Conquering Clutter!

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to declutter my bedroom. I started becoming very lazy and unorganized since I got a night shift job. 

If you enter my room, you would see my dresser in a big mess with my jewelry, facial creams, cotton balls, lotion, sanitary napkins, pantyliner, and other accessories, small plastic containers for little things, vitamins, among others. If mom happens to see my dresser, (she is a very organized person), she'd probably tell me that it  looks like it's been hit by tsunami. What a shame!

I need motivation so I looked for something that would help me reach my goal this year and I stumbled upon this  article that I thought would help me conquering my clutter and I want to share it with you. It is excerpted from Martha Clouse, the founder of "Organized For Life" which is professional organizing company.

Tips for clearing clutter:

Sort one small spot- next, choose one specific pocket of bulging clutter-the junk drawer, desk drawer, one closet shelf or under the kitchen sink. 

Take everything out and sort the items in the following categories: 
 Keep- it stays here
 Move-goes somewhere else
 Give-away
 Sell
 Trash

Re-use- thinking outside the box can result in creative storage containers or alternative uses for belongings. For example: check books boxes as drawer dividers. 

Recycle- saves the natural resources that were expended to make the product.
Give- a grateful friend, relative, or neighbor who has a need for the item gets to use for FREE
Donate- the same as gift, except you do not see happiness you bring to someone else. 

Are you catching a vision of all the positive benefits for your, for others, for the environment as a result of letting go? Once you know that trimming down possessions is a good thing, it becomes much easier. The result for you is a simple,organized, and sustainable lifestyle... priceless!

Action Steps- Box up and deliver the Give and Donate items to their new owners within the week. Move the things that are needed elsewhere to their new  homes. Put only the Keep pile back together into the drawer or closet. use appropriate containers to corral smaller items so they stay together. Now that you know where these things live, you can quickly put them back after use 

Scheduled Maintenance - the most important step is to schedule to maintain your new found order. spending 15 minutes a day on clutter control will make profound difference in your home! Set aside pocket of time either morning or night. When do you check your email, brush your teeth? Use a regular activity as an anchor until you have a new habit. 

        

Let's all be tidy! Let's conquer clutter!