We all have it. Whether it’s a drawer, room, garage or entire house, we all have at least one area in our homes that is always messy, cluttered and a headache to see. It may seem like too much of a mountain to climb, but you can get organized in small steps.
“It can be overwhelming, but organizing your desk, your home or even your junk drawer can be incredibly satisfying and freeing,” says Joy Buffalo, family consumer science specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. “If you look at getting organized as a series of small steps, you can fit it into your schedule and see progress immediately.”
First step: Set small goals. It could be something as simple as collecting all the rubber bands in a drawer and making a rubber band ball or emptying the refrigerator of old food and almost-empty containers.
“That’s what keeps a lot of people from tackling projects like home offices and garages,” Buffalo says. “It looks like too much to even think about at first; but, if you tell yourself you are going to gather all the papers off the floor one day, the next day it won’t be so overwhelming to sort that pile.”
Next: Make a plan. How do you want the room to look? Do you see hooks on the wall to hang rakes, shovels and brooms in the garage? Shelves in the corner for a workstation? If your garage doubles as a lawn-and-garden center as well as automotive repair and storage, inventory what you need to keep in the area and how much room there is to accommodate it. Then, you will be able to sort what should stay and what should be stored elsewhere.
Speaking of sorting, divide your belongings into three piles: keep, donate and throw away. If you are sorting clothes, shoes and accessories in your closet, remember a few rules-of-thumb:
· If you have not worn it in two years, give it to a loved one or donate it to a nonprofit;
· If the item is ripped, stained or beyond repair, throw it out; and
· If the item no longer fits (and you have to be honest with yourself), give it away.
· If you have not worn it in two years, give it to a loved one or donate it to a nonprofit;
· If the item is ripped, stained or beyond repair, throw it out; and
· If the item no longer fits (and you have to be honest with yourself), give it away.
“Another thing to keep in mind is if you had it in high school or college and have not worn it since then, throw it out,” Buffalo says. “It won’t come back in style, and it’s only taking up room you need for other things.”
So approach getting organized the same way you’d go swimming in the lake for the first time in the summer: one toe at a time, and pretty soon, it’s all in.
For more information about getting organized, visit extension's Web site, or contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
