Home Organization Tools at Declutter First!

The most important thing you can do that will save your sanity (and your wallet) when you start to get organized, and help you stay organized for the long term, is to declutter first.

For many of us, the decision to “get organized NOW” is a response to some last straw, when chaos descends upon us once again, and we begin it with lots of determination and energy. Then we start to realize just how complicated our lives are, and wonder how we got this way. How on earth we are going to organize everything? There’s too much!

Then, what happens once we do get organized and all our stuff is stored away, our activities scheduled, our lives streamlined? We still have to keep track of it all to stay organized. And every day, more Stuff – objects, people, activities, worries – keeps on arriving. It’s enough to make you throw up your hands and surrender to chaos.

Don’t give up! There’s one thing you can do which will make it way easier to get organized and stay organized, and that is:

DECLUTTER FIRST!

That’s right. If you don’t have it in your life, you don’t have to organize it. I’m not just talking about “stuff” here, physical objects. Activities and even people can also be clutter and you may be better off getting rid of them than trying to organize them.

Get rid of all the extras – the things, activities and even people you don’t want, don’t like, or don’t need in your life. Then you can think about how to organize what’s left. Imagine how much easier it would be to organize your schedule if you were involved in only 4 activities instead of 10. You might even enjoy the four activities more than all 10 previous ones, because you don’t feel rushed and stressed and you can put more into them and thus get more out of them.

Decluttering is simple – in principle

In practice, it’s not always so easy to decide what should go and what should stay. Most of us try to take into account a whole pile of other factors as well as whether we personally need or want to keep the item, activity or person in question. Some of those factors are important, others not so much (what would the neighbors think?!?).

Most of us do a lot better with this process if we have help, whether that’s a class, a book, or a friend. There are a lot of online resources available – check out these and decide which one feels right to you:

Declutter FAST!
Declutter fast – get your home in order! How to declutter your home immediately. Discover the joy and power of order. This quick read changes your life!

Get Organized Now
Ideas, tips, tools and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life.

I Need More Time
Time management tips and tricks to organize your home, kids, wardrobe, and office.

The Definitive Guide To Home Organization For Busy People
How to quickly and easily clear clutter and organize your home…for good! Learn the exact steps and tricks used by professional organizers to get your home organized & clutter free.

Home organization tools - ideas, books or storage units – can help you get organized and stay organized.