http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog Decluttering and home organization information and resources Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:22:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Don't let things on their way to the thrift store or the dump hang around too long. Apart from the fact that the boxes of stuff are clutter in themselves, it's too easy to change your mind and decide to pull something back out of the box. If you have a ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/keep-things-moving-out/ Create a "landing zone" by the exterior door you use the most, whether that's the front, kitchen or garage door. Use it to hold all the things you put down as you come in the door (keys, wallet, purse, car door opener... ) and the stuff waiting to go out ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/home-organization/master-the-chaos-by-the-door-2/ If you're buried in clutter, a goal to declutter even one room can take a long time to reach. Small daily or weekly goals can be a lot more reachable and give you motivation to keep going. They can be of the "spend x minutes" type, or the "toss n ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/set-reachable-goals-for-your-decluttering/ ...try some of these techniques. Stop rescuing them as far as practical - don't find their keys when they lose them, or wait for them when they can't find a clean pair of pants. Maybe, just maybe, they may get motivated to deal with their own stuff. Detach your stuff from theirs ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/if-you%e2%80%99re-decluttering-but-you%e2%80%99re-stuck-with-a-clutterer-in-your-space%e2%80%a6/ If you design for low maintenance from the beginning, or spend time making a few changes designed for low maintenance, you can reduce your regular chores for years into the future, a great way to get a really huge time-savings payback! Reduce the amount of mess and dirt coming into the ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/home-design-for-reduced-maintenance/ I've just added three new decluttering and organizing articles to the articles page which I hope you'll enjoy: How to Get Started on Decluttering Your Home How to Declutter the Kitchen Decorator-Style Organizing Don't miss the existing articles by Stephanie Roberts, author of Clutter-free Forever, also available on the articles page. http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/new-decluttering-and-organizing-articles-posted/ Keep one main central calendar for the whole family, where everyone can see it and write on it. Each person can have their own personal calendar too, of course, but EVERYTHING should go on the central calendar as soon as someone knows about it. Only time-dependent activities and tasks should ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/getting-organized/making-best-use-of-your-calendar/ Toys with lots of small parts (like LEGO and other construction toys) are an ongoing storage and organization problem. The pieces tend to spread themselves about during play, and then it takes a long time to gather them all up to put them away. And if you've ever stepped on ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/home-organization/ouch-no-more-stepping-on-lego-pieces-in-the-dark/ No matter how much you love books, eventually you'll have too many (unless you plan to move them into their own house and found a library!). Good places to donate books are: your local library (make sure they can use them), shelters, schools, daycare programs, literacy programs, hospitals, hostels, and of ... http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/books-books-and-more-books/ Merlin Mann of 43folders has an excellent thread on ways of getting rid of clutter - not just throwing it away, but recycling and reusing in ways that are environmentally responsible and useful to others. http://www.43folders.com/2007/07/04/clutter-reuse-vox-pop/ very definitely worth a read! http://www.declutterorganization.com/doblog/decluttering/ways-to-get-rid-of-our-clutter-responsibly/