~by Mary Wood
When Sarah and I first began organizing, we soaked up all the information we could find about different methods of establishing order in the home. We studied Julie Morgenstern, Lisa Woodruff, Marla Dee, Joshua Becker, and yes–Marie Kondo–and applied their helpful systems in our work. We’ll always stay abreast of new techniques that are published, to make sure we are the best educated organizers possible. Now that we have a few years’ experience under our belt, we thought it might be helpful to come up with our own method, based on what we’ve experienced and seen.
One of the biggest challenges to organization is upkeep. We need your help to achieve lasting results! If you have the discipline to follow each step of this method, you’ll attain the clarity and peace you seek for your home. If you don’t, you may find yourself repeating efforts, wheels spinning. And that’s frustrating, isn’t it? So let us help you get organized the SMART way, the first time.
S: Sort Like with Like
I don’t know of any method, really, which doesn’t start with a sort: it’s the best way to get going. If you avoid sidetracking tangents (such as reading old journals), you won’t get overwhelmed with the enormity of the task in front of you. Like Dory in Finding Nemo, it might help to cheerily sing to yourself, “Just keep sorting, just keep sorting!”
Materials Needed:
In the Sorting stage, we use a table, our signature blue bag for donations, a black bag for trash, a white bag for recycling, and banker’s boxes for corralling piles of small stuff. We move our way systematically around the perimeter of the room, grabbing accumulated stacks and making sense of them on the table in a broad sort. Put like things with like. Paper of any kind goes here, office supplies there, mementos in this box, clothes in that bin, and so on. Use post-it notes to label piles.
Don’t get stuck figuring out where to put a random item; just stick it in the miscellaneous pile and move on. If you encounter something that is clearly trash, go ahead and throw it away in the black bag. If you already know you want to donate an item, by all means, send it sailing into the blue bag! But leave most of the decisions for the next step, and simply focus on putting everything in the room with its own kind.
M: Minimize to Favorites
Now that the room or space has been sorted, it’s time to whittle down the piles. This is the purging opportunity, the moment that can induce dread or euphoria. Sometimes it’s really hard to let go, and you might be tempted to give an excuse for keeping an item based on the lure of future use. Organizing requires tough love; if it hasn’t been used yet for that purpose, it probably won’t be. Is it really worth valuable real estate in your home? You only have so much square footage, so make sure the things that remain are your favorites. Here’s your KonMari opportunity–check what sparks joy and chuck what doesn’t!
A High Like No Other
What did I mean by euphoria? Well, some people experience an incredible high when they eliminate excess from their lives. This buzz is likely the reason the minimalism movement has taken the world by storm lately. (We love that high, and became organizers so we can help others feel it too.) Unshackling the bonds between dusty, accumulated stuff to find lightness, mobility and freedom on the other side is the best moment of the SMART process.
After you have grouped similar items together, it’s easier for your brain to make decisions, and faster to identify which are in the best condition. Seven staplers? Pick the best and let the others go. Mountain of Tupperware? Toss out those missing lids and pick a few of the sturdiest of each size. Our company’s policy is to make sure every donated item is taken to where it can have the best chance of being recycled or reused, so you can feel better about what you send out the door.
A: Accept the Limitations of Your Space
All righty, here we go. My favorite topic, and the hardest one. Dana K. White explains this concept powerfully in her book, Decluttering at the Speed of Life. The idea is that you can’t be successful in your project if you don’t accept the limitations of your container. She teaches that the home is the container for your life, the closet contains your clothes, and the bookshelf houses your books. Period, the end. Once you have assigned a home for a category and hit the limits of that space, there’s no more room. So start by filling the space with favorites first, and then when you run out of room, that which remains goes into blue bags. Liberating concept!
Mayday! Mayday!
It’s difficult to organize a home when there are no limits on stuff. Say a person has a shopping problem. After a successful organizing session, there are suddenly 25 new packages from Amazon and 10 bags from Target that now need a home. Or grocery items are all over the kitchen floor because there isn’t space in the pantry. Or 200 pairs of shoes are vying for space in every closet when only 10 are actually worn. However, it’s a great day for organizing when a client is fed up with the excess and ready to accept that what doesn’t fit has to go!
As painful and challenging as it is to recognize a finite relationship with stuff, it is the best way to truly succeed at organizing. Repeat the mantra, over and over, until it becomes your theme: I will accept the limitations of my space. The clothes that are comfortable and fit well live in your closet and/or dresser. Linens and towels for the household stay in the space you’ve assigned them. By creating a boundary, you protect yourself from being overrun and overwhelmed.
R: Reorganize Space with Repurposed or New Containers and Labels
The fourth step is when you get to add a personal touch. Now that you have sorted, minimized, and figured out the space allotted for a category, it’s time to put things away. If you need containers to keep structure, use them! You can be frugal and simply reuse bins and boxes you already have, or have fun purchasing new, matching containers. We’re especially helpful here. We can make recommendations or even do the shopping for you–we have an extensive knowledge of what’s out there.
Don’t Forget to Label!
An important part of Reorganizing is to label. Labeling is a fantastic way to teach the whole family what goes where, and saves time when you’re putting things away. In an office, label different categories of office supplies. In a pantry, baskets hold families of food together: pasta, granola bars, salty snacks, sweet snacks, breakfast foods, etc. You can use a nifty label maker and experiment with varied fonts and colored tape. For large plastic storage bins (we prefer clear so you can see what’s inside), make a label with a post-it note and Sharpie and attach it firmly with packing tape.
T: Ten Minutes a Day to Keep It Up
I don’t need to say much about the final step, except that the more seriously you are committed to it, the longer your newly organized space will stay intact. Which could be forever, if you (and your family/roommates) always put things back where they are supposed to go. What happens when you bring new things home? Follow the one in/one out rule. For instance, with a new pair of jeans: say goodbye to an old pair that isn’t as comfortable or stylish. Birthday toys for your toddler: time to donate abandoned ones or rotate them into a box in the garage. And keep in mind every time you’re tempted to buy something online or at the store whether or not you have space for it!
The point is that constant maintenance keeps your home from falling into disarray. So just commit to ten minutes a day to keep it up! You can set a daily alarm on your phone or pick a consistent time, like right after dinner. Turn on some music and make it fun! Put backpacks and shoes in their place, tidy the living areas, pick up trash, keep up on dishes and laundry, clear desks and flat surfaces, open mail/packages, and put toys away. Voila! You’ve uncluttered and organized your home again, and are ready to begin the next day with a fresh start.
Conclusion
If you follow the SMART method of organizing, you’ll find the simplicity and domestic peace you’ve been craving. You will establish order in your home, there will be limits on stuff, and your family will be happier as you accomplish the goal of becoming organized and living simply. The Whole Package Organizing team would love to help you with this process, and to celebrate with you as you move through all five stages to the end product of a continually organized home!
