Spring Cleaning Inspiration

For some reason springtime is also synonymous with Spring Cleaning and that, in turn, leads to organizing. It’s the time of year that inspires us to purge and organize. So, let’s get to it!

While it may not sound like or actually be fun, we all need to do some Spring Cleaning from time to time and, IMO, not only in Spring. I think each new season is a good time to purge and tidy up a little. It’s a chance to get rid of things that are ripped, soiled, broken, missing a piece, no longer fits or no longer feels or looks good. A little purging and tidying up can go a long way toward eliminating clutter and the results are well worth the effort.

When it comes to purging and/or de-cluttering you can do it as you go about your life, which will help keep things organized. OR, you can do it later when the piles are high, things are out-of-control or you can’t find what you want or need. But why wait until that happens? Why not just make organizing a part of your daily routine. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Just a few minutes each day. Why not just try doing things differently for one month to see how it works out?

As we’ve all heard… “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result”. Why not stop the insanity and try selecting one area, one small area, that needs to be organized? Take a few minutes (since it’s a small area) and organize it.

I suggest that you do whatever you can, when you can. Organizing isn’t just something that happens once. It’s always work in progress. Take a few minutes every day to stay on top of things. Open the mail, clean the dishes or put them in the dishwasher, do a load of laundry and then take the time to fold it and put it away. Whatever you choose, just do something around the house every day so things don’t build up and get out of control.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. We all have choices about how to spend that time. Spending just a few minutes every day to get something done, anything, will help you get organized and stay organized.

“They” say that clutter is caused by delayed decisions and not having a designated place for something. If it’s not dealt with, it will undoubtedly continue to grow over time and get out-of-control, adding more stress and distraction to our already busy lives.

NOTE: Rule of Thumb: If you take something out, put it away when you’re finished. Put it, whatever “it” is, where it belongs.

Here are some hard and fast rules for organizing just about anything:

• Get your supplies – Bags for trash, bins for laundry, boxes for donations, new hangers so that things look cohesive, labels so you can find things easily
• Take everything out of whatever area you are working on
• Sort things into categories – Put like items with like items
• Get rid of the trash
• Make a pile of donations if applicable
• Decide what to put back
• Put things back so that they are accessible
• Label whenever possible

Even if we get close or succeed in achieving our organizing goal, perfect order is never a finish line. It’s a moving target because life isn’t static. That’s why we have to maintain whatever systems we put into place to sustain them. I can assure you that you will be more inclined to maintain the area you organized because you’ve put in the time and effort. Because it will look good, feel good and will undoubtedly make your life easier.