To organize your home can seem overwhelming, but if you break it up into manageable chunks and go through your possessions methodically, you can eliminate the stress! I recommend starting with a small area first, instead of trying to overhaul your whole house at once.
Find an area in your home you’d like to organize, and use the acronym I CARE to streamline the process!
I CARE
Identify your goals. What does “organized” look like to you? If you know what you want before you start, you’ll be able to accomplish more.
Categorize your items.
- Purge items first:
- Return recent purchases if you find you don’t need or want them.
- Sell items that are worth the time it takes to list on a website like eBay, or through a garage sale.
- Donate what isn’t worth selling, but could be useful to someone else.
- Recycle paper and plastic according to your local regulations
- As a last resort, throw away trash that can’t be returned, sold, donated, or recycled.
- Repair items that are fixable instead of buying a new one to cut down on waste.
- Keep items that you love or need.
Assign Homes for your things. Keep like with like in labeled containers to make finding what you need simple.
Relationships. Do you use an item often? Keep it within easy reach. Do you love an item and want to see it all the time? Display it! Think about how you interact with each item in your home to determine how to store it.
Ease of Maintenance. Make it easy to put things back in their proper place, or you won’t put it away at all. You should be able to maintain your system with small actions that you do often.
You can apply this system to any area of your home. Organizing your home can be rewarding and fun when you break it down into achievable goals. Start small, with a project you know you can and will do. Then enjoy your sense of accomplishment, and try a new area!
Ready to get started organizing your home? Check out our Virtual Organizing services!
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