Amber’s Home and Office Organizing Blog index

Subscribe to Amber’s Home and Office Organizing Blog

One room at a time..

Step by Step Organizing

If you’re looking to organize on your own, try this sequence to take you from start to finish.

1. Decide where you’d like to start. I suggest starting small- a closet, mudroom, etc. Stick to just that one room for now.  
2. Next, determine how you would like to use that room. In the end, anything that doesn’t meet that goal or intention will not be left in that room. For example, if you’re organizing a front hall closet and have decided it’s purpose will be to hold coats, briefcases, scarves, hats, purses, shoes, etc then videos, skirts, pants, old records, books, and other random contents you may find need to shift elsewhere. 
3. Make 5 piles or fill 5 bags with- recycle, trash, donate, give backs (things that aren’t yours), & things that don’t belong. (i.e.- the random contents mentioned in number 2)
4. Next, sweep around the room in a one direction touching every single thing. Don’t bounce around the room. If you do, it’s a sure way to get overwhelmed and mix piles/bags of stuff.
5. Now pick up one thing at a time and decide in what category it belongs.
6. After finishing sweeping through the whole room, take time to walk the recycle and trash outside immediately.
7. Limit your time you give yourself to return items to friends or family members. If you don’t get it back to them in the next 2-3 weeks, donate the items. 
8. Finally, drive your donations to the nearest donation drop off place. You’ll feel a real sense of completion by getting it out of your house now, instead of waiting for the charity to come pick it up.
9. Whatever is left in the room because it was decided it was a keeper, must align with reaching your original organizing goal set in number 2 above. 
10. Sort keepers by like items and return items to shelves, drawers, and surfaces by category. Don’t forget to label any bin or basket. 

Visitor Comments:

I finally got started on organinzing my dvd/blue ray movies. These are the greatest as well as saving space. The company is MMDesign. Love them! Love following all of your helpful pointers too!

Wow! I saw you worked for Bonnie Hunt! I love her! I am glad to follow your blog and maybe one day have you over to organize something.