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 Clutter-Buster:
Assess Your Rooms
Walk through your house with a pen and a notebook,
writing down the activities that take place in each
room and the items associated with those activities.
"Then ‘purpose’ your space," says Vicki Norris,
president of Restoring Order, an organizing company in
Portland, Oregon. "Note your desired use for each
room, even if you are not using it that way
currently." Remove anything that doesn't relate to
your proposed activity for that space. If you want to
use your bedroom only for sleeping and getting
dressed, relocate anything that doesn't relate to
that: documents stored in the closet, a trade journal
you've been meaning to read, sewing supplies, or
anything else that distracts you from the main purpose
of the room.
Toss-It Tips
Start with
one room, but keep the whole house in mind.
Think of
rooms that have multiple purposes as several smaller
areas, so it's clear where items should be returned if
they stray. If gift-wrapping is the designated activity
for a certain part of the study and you find a spool of
ribbon in the kitchen, you'll know exactly where it
belongs, and so will other family members.
Why It Works
This
strategy lays the foundation for long-term change. "By
taking an `aerial view' of your entire home, you'll see
how certain activities and their supplies are strewn
throughout the home — like paperwork, memorabilia, or
toys," Norris explains.
Tackling
clutter without knowing your priorities can be
counterproductive. "People who take a `tidy up' approach
are actually rearranging rather than organizing," Norris
says. "Sooner or later, the space relapses to its
original condition."
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