10 Ways to Get Organized Without Wanting to Torch the Place or Take a Nap

1. Start With One Space

You know who you are. You’re the woman who decides Tuesday morning after dropping the kids off at school that EVERYTHING needs to be organized. Immediately. It starts with the back seat of the car and before you know it, it’s the car, the garage, the table in the entryway, the pantry, the kitchen, every closet in the house, every single thing of your husband’s, and basically everything you’ve ever owned or will own in the future. DON’T try to organize everything. Even in your head. You know where that gets you? A nap 11 minutes in. Start with one small and easily definable space. One drawer. One box. The pantry. No more.    

2. Don’t Zigzag

You know that thing where you take the thing from the room you’re currently working in, walk into the other room, realize you need to organize all the things in there, and then you completely abandon Room #1? Yeah, don’t do that. “Zigzagging” is only good if you’re running from a predator. Never when organizing.

 “But Elizabeth, it goes in another room,” I can hear you saying.

 Great…make a pile of things that go in another room. And when you are completely finished {yes, it’s possible} organizing the first space, you can set them in their respective places to be organized another time. Preferably after you’ve had a refreshing beverage and a celebratory spa service.   

3. Pull Everything Out

And I mean EVERYTHING. Rearranging is not organizing. And even the most seasoned professional organizer would go crazy trying to rearrange things. ONLY when you pull everything out of a space, clean said space, and start putting things back in – one by one – can your brain reboot and think clearly about what goes where.

4. Touch and Make a Deliberate Decision About Everything

 It’s been said that clutter is nothing more than unmade decisions. The National Association of Professional Organizers also estimates that the average home has 300,000 things in it. That’s a lot of unmade decisions. This is your chance. Take that one space and be its boss. Reclaim your amazing decision-making superpowers. Make a pile for things you definitely want to keep and a pile for things you definitely want to get rid of. Then make yourself a “maybe” pile. Come back to that after your rock solid decisions have been made. It’s ok if that maybe pile takes a few days to go through. But don’t move on to another space until you’ve made a final decision about each and every thing.  

5. Group Like Things With Like Things

Remember that Sesame Street song…”One of These Things Is Not Like the Others”? It’s the same with organizing. Paper does not get to live with scissors. Hair products don’t cohabitate with face products. And spaghetti sauce doesn’t go with cereal. Unless you have a recipe I’ve never heard of. And then, please don’t invite me over for dinner.

Whether you’re sorting or storing, group like things with like things.

  6. Purge

If you don’t love it or use it, let it go. You’ll never be able to reach for something new while you’re holding onto something old. And no space should be more than 75% full. {That means 25% empty.} At any time. 

7. Containerize

And you thought running out to Container Store was the first thing on the list. Nope! You have to know what you’ve got to work with after sorting and purging before investing in containers. I recommend that you get containers in multiples of three {sometimes two} for a more visually stunning and symmetrical look. PS…it’s ok to get a few more than you need and keep them empty on the shelf…to grow into.

8. Label

Not only does labeling ensure you {and by you, I mean your husband and children} put things back in their perfect place, but beautiful labels mean that every time you open a door or drawer, you’ll love your space. And your life. So labels save lives, people.

9. Think Outside the Box

Here’s the good news: If there’s an organizing need out there, there’s a creative solution that EXACTLY meets that need. Think outside the box.

For example, use pool noodles to make your boots stand up:

Or towel bars to hang scarves:

Or acrylic shoe drawers to create a snack zone for your kids:

10. Louvre the Things You Love

 Whether you have a sentimental item from a family member who has passed away, a mint condition collection you’ve had since you were a kid, or a treasure that brings you joy every time you look at it, there is a perfect way to showcase it. During the purging stage, get rid of everything that you don’t use or love. But your most sacred and sentimental things should be treated like they’re on exhibit at The Louvre in Paris. Louvre the things you love.

Elizabeth Jones gets paid to rifle through people’s things. Not in a creepy way. She is a professional residential organizer, as well as speaker and writer on the transformative power of being organized. Elizabeth has a master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University. She worked for 12 years in education and educational philanthropy before leaving it all to start her own organizing business, Nest & Transformation, four years ago. Having been in love with Fort Worth and its residents since the first time she visited over a decade ago, she can’t wait to go to work with her clients every day. Elizabeth specializes in organizing solutions that are both visually stunning and highly efficient, as well as showcasing the sentimental pieces her clients love to collect. Elizabeth shows clients how they can transform EVERY facet of their lives – one drawer at a time.