Dos and Don’ts of Organizing

"An idea can only become a reality once it is broken down into organized, actionable elements." ― Scott Belsky

If you've ever started an organizing project and quickly lost steam, this article is for you. 

Getting organized is simple—staying organized can be, too. And we’ll look at easy ways for you to do that in a future article.

For now, we’re going to focus on how you can simply and quickly get organized using these do’s and don'ts. 

Don't try to do everything at once…

Rome wasn't built in a day…and neither was Fresno or even your town! So tackle one clutter hotspot or category of stuff at a time. You may tell yourself a story that it will take too long this way—but the truth is, when you take on multiple categories or clutter hotspots at the same time, you never finish. So which technique actually gets results and which creates more clutter and disorganization? Enough said.

…instead DO set small, achievable goals. 

Once you focus on ONE task or area at a time, you then want to create time-specific goals that you can commit to instead of declaring you’re going to work until you’re “finished.”

You have no idea what finished means until you are finished—everyone who can tell time knows what 15 minutes is.

So, set a timer for no more than three hours and no less than 15 minutes, and get as much accomplished as you can in that time. THAT becomes your new goal—staying focused and working without interruptions for the duration of the time. 

Don't try to organize cluttered spaces…

Clutter is chaos, and chaos can't be organized—it’s like trying to herd cats.

There's no point in trying to organize a space with overflowing drawers of random stuff or piles of receipts that have been sitting on your surfaces for as long as you can remember.

…instead, DO declutter your spaces first.

Before you begin organizing, decide what things will be staying and what will be going. 

The quickest way to do that is to group all like items together and only then compare each similar item to its siblings—it’s much easier to let something go when you see you already have one or more of the same kind of thing AND can pick your favorites that way.

From there, you can assign every category of stuff and each object a designated space where it lives—that’s exactly HOW you get organized and can STAY organized…for good!

Don't keep “somedays…”

Is your home overflowing with “somedays”?

“Someday I will fit into that dress again.”

“Someday I will get the files off of that old computer.”

The truth is that someday will likely never come. 

…instead, DO get rid of things that don't add value to your life.

Value doesn't have to be monetary. 

Everything that you give a "home" in your space should make your life better in one way or another. 

"Does this item make my life more comfortable, convenient, or beautiful?" and if the answer is no, consider releasing it. 

Don't forget to ask for help…

Get help wherever and whenever you can. Organizing a home can be an enormous task to complete…and it can be twice as exhausting if you try to go it alone. 

…instead, DO get help from friends and family or join Unstuff Your Life.

While it may seem cheaper or easier to "just do it all yourself," enlisting family or friends to lend a hand increases your chances of success while avoiding burnout…and you can even come up with a fun-filled family reward for when the work is completed. 

If you can’t get your family on board don’t feel awkward about asking friends to help. Offer a trade for organizing their spaces together in return so that everyone benefits.

And during these unprecedented times if help is hard to come by you can always count on our team to support you on your journey. Join the Unstuff Your Life System® to get live help from professional organizers and coaches while being held accountable by other clutter warriors just like YOU. 

Our Unstuff Your Life System® offers LIVE instruction and group discussions that will give you the motivation and accountability to clear out the clutter and keep it that way…for LIFE. 

And we are so sure that we have all the tools you need that we offer a 14-day 100% money-back GUARANTEE…so what do you have to lose?