What Now?

Ok. So you gathered your containers and whatnot. You've removed everything from whatever it is you want to organized and gotten rid of some things. You've cleaned off the shelves and they're empty. At this point, you might be asking yourself, "What now?"

Now is where the fun part (at least to me) comes in!

 

First, I group things either by category or usage. What does that mean? Well, I’ll explain it with an example: Say you are organizing a pantry or a closet.  You can choose to either combine things by category (e.g. baking items, winter accessories, cleaning supplies, breakfast food) or by usage (e.g.  Top shelf for the things we get down rarely, middle for the things we use daily, etc..). I prefer to do both, but sticking to a single way to organize is probably simpler for most people.

Second, I physically group these items together, putting ones in containers that need to be (e.g. gloves, hats and scarves in a box; extra sponges in a bag; bottles of extract in a Tupperware container, etc). Once grouped, you can tell where they will fit best. Even if you don’t group by usage, be sure to make it a factor to some degree as you sort the items. After all, you wouldn’t want the cereal on the top shelf if that is what you have for breakfast every morning, and you wouldn’t want the gloves and hats hidden behind a bunch of other things in the winter time.

Third, Figure out where things fit the best BUT are still able to be removed and used.  It is OK to leave spaces between things. It just means you have more space for that spare bottle of air freshener that was on sale. It is also ok to try something in one place and move it later when it fits better somewhere else. You know where it will go best. This is why input from you is always important when someone else is organizing things for you.

Fourth - and this one is optional - label the space. You can get sticky white labels at the dollar store or even use small post-it notes and tape. If you want everyone else to know where the winter hats and gloves are, write it on the box; This helps the rest of the family know where to put things back. A side bonus is it can help small kids to learn to read.

In closing, be sure that things you use frequently are accessible and that you know that each thing has a place.  Stand back and enjoy!

This week I put the challenge out to you! Send me your pictures of things you just can’t figure out how to organize and I will do one of two things: I will either do a blog post on how I would organize it (with your permission) or I will send you an email back with instructions on what to do. Please also send me some information on what it is and what is inside.  Email me at theorganizationguru@gmail.com