When people think about organizing or starting an organizing project they are afraid they will make mistakes or they are not sure how to start the project. I think the word mistake can be harsh at times so I am here to help you change the idea of making an organizing mistake and turn them into organizing accomplishments!
One mistake people make is they are not thinking through the project before they start. To change your thought process you need to think about what is not working in that space and how to create a functional organizing space. For example, the mud room and why is it a complete disaster at times. Do you still have all of your winter items in the mud room when it is the middle of July? If you are working in the mud room every season you have to go through that area and purge, sort and organize the clothes so the items in the area are only what is needed at that time of the year. In the end the accomplishment would be to have only the current weather items in the mud room so you can easily maintain the space.
The second mistake is when people purchase organizing products before they know what they need to complete the project. I am asked this question a lot from clients before we start a project if they should purchase bins or folders before our appointment. I always tell them no since we do not know what specifically we need to complete the project or how many bins or the correct size of the containers. For instance, if we are working in the basement and organizing holiday decorations we first need to purge and sort the items so we know how many items we have left so we know exactly what to store them in and the size of the bins. Also when we go through the purging process we tend to have additional bins to use for the organizing process and may not need to purchase new bins. The accomplishment would be that we save you money on purchasing unnecessary items and to figure out the best use of things you currently own.
After you complete your organizing project and your space is organized you may have a large pile of clothes, household items and kitchen supplies you no longer need and you must have a plan on where to donate those items. The mistake would be that you do not have a place to donate the items ahead of time and they stay in your house and you might be tempted to remove them from the donated pile. A good source to donate items to is a Goodwill facility or a consignment store. The best way to complete your organizing project is to take action on getting rid of your donated items within a reasonable time table. Also I tell my clients to put the donated items in the car so when you pass a donation facility you can drop them off right away. You will feel a sense of accomplishment with passing on your unwanted items to other people who would be happy to have them. Your accomplishment would be you are helping others in need and you have items in your home that you truly love!
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