Organization After Decluttering

 

It is true that you cannot clean and organize clutter.  I know this because many years ago I used to try.  It simply does not work.  All you end up doing is shuffling your stuff from one place to the next and getting frustrated with the result or the lack thereof.  I do not even try to organize my things until I'm done decluttering a space and getting rid of anything I do not need use or want anymore.  I'm also known to go back and declutter again once I think I'm done.  And you know what?  I always find something else to get rid of.  As many of you already know I did a whole house declutter in December and I filled up a large space in my garage of things to donate.  I also filled up the trash and recycles bins a couple of times too.  Then in January I started over and did it again.  I found some more items to remove from my home, more than I thought I would, but that is how decluttering works.  You build up those decluttering muscles and the more you do it the easier it gets.

 

Banker boxes are ice for storing items, they stack and have handles
I like to use them to store books, DVDs, photos, etc. because they don't get too heavy to lift

My personal desire for my home was to make sure I organized and kept like items grouped together.  This is what makes sense to me.  I also didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on a bunch of fancy containers.  I wasn't going for Pinterest worthy results but rather practical organization that works for me.  Everyone is different in their organization style and it takes some time to figure it all out.  At my age I think I've finally done that - like with like.  I don't do well if things are spread out all over the place.  I want all of my items that go together grouped together.  I am also a micro organizer meaning I like to have categories within categories.  This is especially true with respect to my crafting and sewing supplies.  While some people are happy to have all of their craft supplies in one box I need to have those items within the box neatly organized.  Not everyone is this nuts about organization, but apparently I am. 

 

I now have all of the ribbons in one spot, the same with laces & trims
The one on the right is new as I needed one large enough to hold ALL of these items in one place

Once I was done decluttering I was easily able to organize and store the items I wanted to keep.  I grouped my like items together and for the most part was able to reuse a lot of the empty containers I had been collecting and setting aside as I decluttered.  After I organized my items into their containers I labeled them so I know what is inside each one and can easily find what I am looking for.  It is working very well and so far I'm quite pleased with how things are organized at the moment.  Although, I still think I have too much stuff.

 

Containers provide boundaries for the amount of items we keep
I whittled down all of my freezer food storage containers to fit in this basket

I did invest in some new containers because over the years a lot of the containers I had were worn out, broken and some were missing lids while other were missing the container and all I had was the lid.  Some of my containers were too big or not big enough to store the items I needed to put in them too.  It was only after I had things grouped that I was able to figure out what type and size of container I truly needed.

 

I reused this container to hold all of my art supplies
I personally prefer clear bins for most of my organizing

If you are uncertain about what your organization style is and what types of systems will work for you there is a test you can take to help you figure it out.  I took the test and it confirmed what took me ages to figure out on my own.  I wish I'd known much sooner as it would have saved me a lot of time and money on stuff that didn't end up working for me.  Plus it would have confirmed that my micro organizing obsession was completely normal.  If you want to take the test head over to Clutterbug.  It is free and you may find it very helpful.  I sure did, that's for sure.  I'm a Cricket by the way.

 

This basket holds all of the lids I use with my Mason jars
I like open containers for items I access frequently

Remember decluttering and organizing is a work in progress.  It is ever evolving and changing too depending on our interests and the stage of life we happen to be in.  I know quite a few of you are on a declutter journey.  I'd love to hear how you are doing.