What's your best organizing tip?

[sassafrass]

I'm losing control of my office/spare room and all of my closets. My goal going into the new year is to get myself completely organized.

What keeps you organized? Does anyone have any great tips or ideas?

Thanks!

[sierramist03]

Under bed storage really saves us things that are seasonal get put in tubs under the bed

[electricmayhem]

I think the tips that work best for me are:

1. Make a goal for what I want to accomplish for that day, and then sure I have enough time to complete it in that day. So if that means I'm working one shelf of the closet at a time, so be it, b/c otherwise it's really easy to get overwhelmed, and I find that when I leave off in the middle, I usually forget what I meant to do when I pick it up again.

2. Make the usual piles--save, toss, donate, but more importantly, be RUTHLESS with those piles. It's easy to get caught up in wanting to save everything and I have to really be honest with myself. If things will never a permanent home, won't get used in a timely manner, or I won't miss it, out it goes.

3. Once the piles are done, put the toss / donate stuff in another place and then take care of it as soon as the save pile is straightened out. I drive straight to Goodwill so I can't have any last minute pulling things from the bags. Garbage goes out at the end too.

4. Once I have my save pile, think about where everything needs to go permanently. This actually helps cull the pile too, because sometimes I think I should save something, but then when I really think about how it fits into my space--turns out, it doesn't. So one less thing to organize.

5. Finally, I try to be really mindful of the things I buy to organize my stuff. So this means I probably spend more money than the average person on nice storage containers, but if everything's put back and looks great I am much less likely to start cluttering it all up again.

[ssmjlm]

The best thing we have done closet wise is re-do them with organization systems. I really like the rubbermaid one that's basically a twin to the elfa system. It has made our master closet and our office closet 100x better storage and organization wise b/c we use all the space now.

Along the same lines I do my best to limit myself. So I have 2 baskets for purses and bags. If they start to get full then it's time to evaluate what I really need/use.

[Deleted]

Do you have a good filing system for your paperwork? Smart Couples Finish Rich has a great section on how to organize your financial/insurance/legal/etc. papers (what to keep, what to throw away, etc.) if you can find it at the library. I have filing tubs in the attic and at tax time, everything in the downstairs drawer gets consolidated down to "must keep" and moved to the attic storage tubs to start fresh with the new year.

[Deleted]

1. Put stuff where you will use it! You'll be more likely to return and find it if it's natural to you. The front closet is a great place for the vacuum you use twice a week. Not so much the Christmas Ornaments. The guest closet is great to store extra sheets/blankets, Probably not your kids toys. You get my drift.

2. I put a limit on totes for each thing. For example I have one for each season for decor, expect Christmas I have. (I own an entire village set..it's not as bad as it sounds). I get more than the tote holds, something has to go.

3. Just get rid of it already. I think people debate on this too much and then you end up with four bags of stuff in the "maybe" pile you're sorting through again 4 years later. Unless it's really pretty, extremely useful, one of a kind or REALLY sentimental, donate it. There's more at Target.

4. Scan/take a picture of anything you'd like to remember but don't necessarily want to keep. (Cards, HS graduation tassels, etc.)

5. And my personal fave: Don't save everything that is your kids: They won't it when they're all grown up! Trust me.


6. We use file boxes for paperwork. Easy to dig through and store.

7. Don't buy extra stuff! This is a big one for me..and my house is better for it once I got better at that rule!

[pumpkin]

Nov 7, 2012 12:44:15 GMT -5 @juno said:

Do you have a good filing system for your paperwork? Smart Couples Finish Rich has a great section on how to organize your financial/insurance/legal/etc. papers (what to keep, what to throw away, etc.) if you can find it at the library. I have filing tubs in the attic and at tax time, everything in the downstairs drawer gets consolidated down to "must keep" and moved to the attic storage tubs to start fresh with the new year.

This sounds like a great idea and one I definitely need to implement. May I ask about your attic storage tubs for your files? I have some paper boxes for files but I need to find something better.

[TBM]

My best tip is to pay attention to what isn't working and where things wind up. If you keep setting something in the same space, find a way to make that where it belongs. Just because it looks better someplace or seems like it should go somewhere, it doesn't mean that it is where it works best for you. kwim?

[Deleted]

Also:

Use space like the back of doors to organize.
Get containers for storage you will actually use. Pretty isn't always better. It's about what functions best for you.
Clean the crap out of baskets too. Just becuase it's in a basket doesn't mean it's organized.
For clothes I hang shirts with shirts, pants with pants, dresses with dresses etc. Then I divide into work/fun. Not so over organized that I can't ever remember how to put it back, but good enough I can always find what I need. Don't waste your time on things like pjs pants and work out clothes. Basket or drawer them and be done.
Put like with like, so if you forget there's at least a general idea of where it is.

[floridakat]

I keep a couple of "donate" bags going all the time. I have one for kids clothes/toys that our babysitter takes to a women's shelter, and another of household items that I take to Goodwill/thrift store. When I come across something that we don't need anymore, I put it right in the bag and when it's full, we get rid of it. That helps me avoid the "I need to go through stuff and donate a bunch of stuff" that I never get around to doing.

[sassafrass]

Thank you everyone! These are great ideas. I'm really starting from scratch now. things just got so out of control! I can't wait to get things purged and organized!

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2012 12:55:39 GMT -5 pumpkin said:

Nov 7, 2012 12:44:15 GMT -5 @juno said:

Do you have a good filing system for your paperwork? Smart Couples Finish Rich has a great section on how to organize your financial/insurance/legal/etc. papers (what to keep, what to throw away, etc.) if you can find it at the library. I have filing tubs in the attic and at tax time, everything in the downstairs drawer gets consolidated down to "must keep" and moved to the attic storage tubs to start fresh with the new year.

This sounds like a great idea and one I definitely need to implement. May I ask about your attic storage tubs for your files? I have some paper boxes for files but I need to find something better.

I went to Staples and bought tubs that have the lines down the sides for holding hanging file folders, so they all stay upright and slide back and forth easily. Each hanging folder holds one or two Manila folders with a year's worth of keep docs in each manila folder. The tubs also have hinged lids so that I can't misplace a lid and the papers stay clean.

My ideal would be to have everything scanned and saved on drives that I keep in a safe deposit box, safe from fires and theft. But I don't have a scanner capable of quickly scanning scanning large quantities of documents (I probably end up keeping 3 to 4 inches of paper per year) and I don't really want to take them someone to have it done, since they are sensitive docs. I'm also not sure things like original receipts for charity goods donations should ever be discarded in favor of a scanned copy.

[peach]

This year I am going through my house getting rid of so much stuff.

My rule is, "If you don't LOVE it, or if it is not useful, then get rid of it."

I keep a few pretty or special items that I love and I know I will always love. But i have been ruthless about random decor crap, books I won't read again, etc.

It feels so good! The less you have, the easier it is to be organized and have a home for everything. I read a quote something like "The less stuff you own, the less your stuff owns you"

so true!

[RoxMonster]

We would be a mess without our hanging file folders that we use for ALL documents we keep in the house. Honestly the thing that's worked best for us is to never let something just SIT. As soon as we get something in the mail, bring something home, or what not, it gets a place right away and gets put away. We have a hanging shelf thingy in our kitchen for coupons (easily accessible) and bills needing to get paid. Once the bills are paid, the statements get filed away. Our dining room table used to be a huge mess of mail needing to be sorted, bills, coupons, etc. Having a filing system has worked wonders.

Also, pretty much every closet or drawer has some sort of divider or baskets to keep things organized and not one huge pile of crap to sort through.

[heygrey]

I organize very little because I just get rid of things. Simplify, simplify.

Then I put things where they are most practical. Like tmb said, if you keep setting something back in the "wrong" spot maybe you need to make it the right spot. Life's too short to force yourself to maintain complicated systems.

[lys]

1 - keep only what you love and need. get rid of the rest
2- containerize for any open storage or shelving
3- clothes closet - use closet organizers
4- store like items together and close to where they are used
5- a place for everything and everything in it's place
-Julie Mortgenstern has some great books on organization and tips

[cza]

The idea of purging to help organize is easier said than done for most of us. I got a great tip from an old episode of Nate that has worked well for me in the closet department. Hang all things in your closet that you have recently worn or washed on one side. as you wear, wash, and rehang continue to put on the same side. After say 3 or 6 months everything on the opposite side is stuff that you haven't worn in 3 or 6 months and can essentially be donated.

[sassafrass]

Thanks again everyone! I appreciate all the ideas.

I'm hitting Ikea on the way home from work today for some storage boxes and bins. I spent last night purging all paperwork that didn't need to be shredded and will probably spend tonight shredding what needs to be. I think baskets/bins in the closet will be a good start for me for the little things that I need regular access to.