The past 14 days have been quite a whirlwind in the Sheridan household! After celebrating three birthdays, a high school graduation, Juneteenth, and Father’s Day...all within a two week period...I’m ready to stop eating and finally fall into my bed...a nice, crisp, freshly-made bed, please!

Which brings us to this week’s topic: organizing your bed and bath linens.

Linen closets are high on the list of problem areas for many of the clients I visit. Whether it’s having too many linens, missing set components, not easily identifying sizes, or not knowing how to neatly fold fitted sheets...the struggle is real! Not to worry. With these easy tips, your neatly-ordered sheets and towels will evoke only feelings of soothing comfort and luxury instead of frustration.

How many is too many?
Ok, let’s address the elephant in the room. The biggest issue for most people is they just plain have way more sheets and towels than they really need. Why is it that everyone feels obliged to keep enough sheets and towels to open a hotel? Think about it: you can only use one set of sheets on a bed at a time, so two sets per bed is plenty...one on the bed, one in the wash. Include one set (two max) for each air mattress or sofa bed you use when guests visit. Your guest sheets can also serve as “backup” sheets if you ever need them during non-guest times. You really should not require any more than that. It is better to replace your sheets more often than to keep more sheets than you can comfortably store. So the formula is # of beds/sofabeds/air mattresses x 2. Period.

When it comes to towels, decide how many towels each person in your home uses between laundry days to determine how many you really need, then add just four more for guests unless you routinely have lots of guests visiting at once. Most guests won’t stay long enough to require more than two towels, and if they do, you can always do laundry. Any inconvenience of suddenly needing to wash a load of sheets or towels in the midst of their visit is far outweighed by the everyday inconvenience of wrestling with too many linens. Also remember, that if you really need to, you can always borrow extra sheets or towels for your visitors from someone who has too many. Trust me, there is no shortage of such potential lenders out there.

Folding Matters
I know, I know….nobody wants to hear those two little words because almost nobody knows how to properly fold sheets and towels. However, taking the time to learn will save you hours of frustration in the end. Trust me, if I can learn how to fold a king-size fitted sheet, anyone can. It just takes some patience and practice. (Long arms are helpful but not required.) Check out this tutorial to learn more. The point is that when you take the time to fold everything neatly to the size of your space, you’ll not only fit more in, you’ll be better able to find what you need and keep it neat. You will be amazed at how much more you can fit when everything is folded correctly. I have organized many a linen closet that was too full to fit everything in beforehand and had room to spare afterwards...simply by folding everything correctly. 

Take a little time to figure out what size to fold each item so that it makes the best use of the space where you are storing it. It will be different for each situation, but once you know how to fold items that go in a specific location, always fold those things the same way and store them in the same spot to ensure an optimal fit. If you place items so that the folded edge faces out (or up if it is in a basket), it will be easier to grab without upsetting the entire pile.

One size does not fit all
Don’t you just hate digging through all the sheets just to find the size you need? One way around this is to differentiate by color or pattern. For example, solids for twin, stripes and plaids for queen, and patterns for king. Even better, store your sheets in the closet of the room where they are to be used instead of in a central spot like a linen closet. That way, you’re not only guaranteed to get the right size, you will also have your extra sheets handy and won’t wake up the entire household if you need to do an emergency sheet change in the middle of the night (which any parent of young kids should appreciate).

Keep it together!
Stop wasting time searching for the flat sheet that matches your fitted sheet and vice versa! Keep sheet sets together either by inserting the folded fitted sheet and pillow case into the folded flat sheet to form one neat and tidy bundle, or by placing the flat and fitted sheets inside the pillow case. No more digging through your closet to locate the right pillow case!

Use your vacuum
Most people don’t think of their vacuum cleaner as an organizing tool, but when it comes to eeking out storage space for extra pillows and bulky comforters, it can be a lifesaver. Using vacuum bags for storing these items when not in use is a great space saver and keeps them well-protected from dampness, dirt and pests, even when stored under your bed or in the back of your closet or basement storage area.

Think outside the box
Just because it’s called a “linen closet” doesn’t mean you have to store your linens there. As I mentioned above, storing bed linens in bedroom closets offers convenience, as well as saving space for other things in the hall closet. Here are a few other alternative storage options:
Sheets/blankets

• Blanket chest
• Blanket stand at the foot of the bed (or hang an extra quilt or blanket neatly over the footboard)
• Rolling bin or drawer under the bed
• Night stand drawers 
• Hangers (fold neatly and drape over the horizontal bar)
• Towel bar mounted in the closet or behind a door
• Dresser drawers
• Closet shelves

Bath towels/washcloths

• Bathroom vanity
• Wall-mounted towel rack/shelves
• Over-the-door shelf
• In baskets mounted sideways on the wall like a shelf
• Clothes hamper (separate from the dirty clothes hamper, of course)

Hand towels

• Bathroom vanity
• Decorative basket on vanity or shelf

Beach towels

• Mudroom/coat closet shelf or bin
• With pool bag or pool equipment

What did I miss? Get more ideas and see photos of some of these by following my Organizing Outside the Box board on Pinterest. Share your ideas with us in the comments!

Last week, I shared my favorite tips on keeping your clothes organized, accessible and in tip top shape. But for many of  you, the real struggle is what to do with all your accessories so that you can both easily see what you have when putting together an outfit and effortlessly put them away when you are done wearing them. Nothing is worse than realizing as you’re rushing out the door that you’ve misplaced a shoe or an earring. Not only that, it’s likely that a lot of your bedroom surface clutter consists of stray jewelry, scarves and other accessories that are strewn around, collecting dust and creating lots of visual noise and chaos in the one room that’s supposed to feel the most peaceful and calming. Never fear! You’ve come to the right place for options on maintaining accessible accessories.

Shoes, purses, jewelry, scarves/ties, belts, hair accessories...with all that going on, it’s no wonder your bedroom can get out of control so quickly! There are as many different ways to organize all these accessories as there are styles. The good news is that you don’t need to own a huge walk-in closet or spend a fortune on customization to impose an adequate amount of order. The key is creating an organization structure for each accessory type that:
1) fits within your available space
2) is accessible enough to both see what you have and easily put things away
3) accommodates your collection (paring your collection down to fit within your chosen organization structure is a great strategy for keeping it in check over time).

I’m going to share multiple storage options for each accessory type, along with some of the pros and cons for each, so that you can easily choose the right fit for you.

Shoes
Shoe cubbies or shoe chest - whether you are lucky enough to have built-in shoe cubbies in your closet or a piece of furniture specifically designed for storing shoes, or you create one using boxes, cardboard tubes or crates turned on their sides, this option creates a spot for holding each individual pair in your collection so that they are all visible at a glance.

• Pros: keeps shoes in good condition and ensures each pair has a reserved spot; usually easy to see and access
• Cons: takes up a lot of room; dictates a specific number of shoes you can accommodate 

​Shoe shelf - this can be built-in shelves designed for shoes or purses, the type you purchase and assemble yourself (usually stored on the floor of the closet or in a mudroom), or a set of fabric shelves that hang from the rod.

• Pros: The non-built in type can be moved to any location and sometimes reconfigured; offers more flexibility in the number of shoes accommodated; often adaptable to a different purpose if you decide you no longer want to use it for shoes
• Cons: the ones on the floor can be difficult to see and access, especially if obscured by hanging clothes; the hanging type eats up valuable rod space

Shoe pockets - these usually hang on the back of a door and accommodate one shoe or pair of shoes per pocket.

• Pros: utilizes vertical space, freeing up shelf, rod and floor space for other things; easy to see and access; ensures each pair has a spot reserved in your closet.
• Cons: dictates a specific number of shoes you can accommodate; larger shoes and boots will not fit; requires vertical space

Shoe rail - thin strips of wood or bars that is attached to the wall from which you hang shoes by the heels

• Pros: easy to see and access; often allows you to utilize vertical “dead” space; accommodates a lot of shoes 
• Cons: cannot be used for shoes without heels; requires vertical space

Shoe boxes - these can be either boxes you purchase or the boxes your shoes came in (tip: if using this method, label each box with a description and/or photo of the shoes to make it easier to find the pair you need)

• Pros: keeps shoes well preserved; can be stacked anywhere
• Cons: takes up a lot of room; not as easily accessible because you have to open the lids (for this reason, this method is best used for shoes you wear only rarely).

Shoe basket - place a large bin or basket either in your coat closet/entryway/mudroom or in your bedroom closet or both

• Pros: can accommodate many shoes; easy to toss them in; takes up very little room
• Cons: does not preserve shoes well; can be difficult to see what you have without digging through the basket; requires floor space

Tip for boots: Inserting pool noodles or cardboard tubes to keep them standing upright will preserve their shape longer and save space in your closet.

Purses
Shelves (tip: stuff purses to maintain their shape and help them stand up...great use for those air pillows that come with your Amazon purchases)

• Pros: easy to see and access; preserves shape and handles
• Cons: takes up a lot of shelf space

Hooks - Use “S” hooks on your closet rod, or install hooks on the wall or back of the door

• Pros: makes use of vertical space, saving shelf space for other uses
• Cons: may damage handles over time; cannot be used for clutches; requires vertical space​

Belts and scarves/ties
Drawers - fold scarves, coil belts or ties and insert in dividers; or lay ties flat

• Pros: saves closet space for other uses; easy to see and access 
• Cons: requires drawer space; folding or coiling may create unwanted creases or misshaping; takes time to neatly fold or coil when putting away

Special hangers

• Pros: saves drawer space; easy to see
• Cons: requires rod space; can be more difficult to access; often requires care in balancing items correctly on the hanger​

​Hooks

• Pros: saves drawer space; easy to see and access; utilizes vertical space
• Cons: may create unwanted creases in ties and scarves; requires vertical space

Jewelry and hair accessories
Jewelry box, chest or trays (including drawer inserts or dividers)

• Pros: requires minimal space; flexibility in where it can be stored; can be used for all types of jewelry
• Cons: limited capacity; items can get easily tangled; can be difficult to see and access; requires surface or drawer space

Special jewelry stands

• Pros: easy to see; flexibility in where it can be stored
• Cons: limited capacity, not always easy to access; requires surface space

Wall/door hooks

• Pros: easy to see and access; enables you to use vertical “dead” space; accommodates larger collections
• Cons: requires vertical space; cannot be used for all types of pieces (stud earrings, for example)

Pocket organizer

• Pros: utilizes vertical space; keeps items separate from each other for less tangling
• Cons: not as easy to see and access; limited capacity; requires vertical space

Dish

• Pros: flexible and easily adaptable; any dish can be used (tips: this is a great use for sentimental objects); easy access
• Cons: items get easily tangled; not easy to see what you have; requires surface space​

Think outside the box
There’s lots of room for creativity when it comes to storing your accessories. You’ll find a wealth of ideas on my “Organizing Outside the Box” board on Pinterest. Some of my favorite ideas include:

• Silverware holder mounted on a wall to create jewelry shelves or inserted in a drawer as a divider
• Ice cube trays or muffin tins to hold rings, earrings and brooches
• Box grater or small shutters repurposed as an earring stand
• Picture frames fitted with screen, chicken wire or bulletin board and used as jewelry organizers
• Shower curtain rings taped together on a hanger to create a scarf holder
• Wooden mug stand, paper towel holder, or wall-mounted toilet paper holder repurposed to hold bracelets
• Toilet paper tube as an elastic hair tie holder
• Magazine holders for storing flip flops
• Tic tac container or prescription pill bottle for bobby pin storage
• Lid rack for storing clutches, wallets and small purses

    and so much more! Share your creative solutions in the comments below!

Stay tuned next week for tips on keeping your bedroom and bathroom linens organized, easy to access, and under control!

Can you believe it’s June already?!! This month is Bed and Bath Organizing month. We’ll make your bed and bathroom the restful sanctuary you deserve with tips on organizing your clothes, accessories, linens and toiletries so that getting ready for your busy day or a peaceful night’s sleep will be seamless and easy peasy. This week I’m sharing my favorite strategies for keeping your clothes easily accessible, tidy and organized.

Now that the world is opening back up and life is beginning to take on some semblance of “normal” again, it’s time to take stock of that wardrobe. Some of us have put on a few pounds since the beginning of the pandemic, while others have lost weight. Whether you’re in a new size now or not, taking stock of what you have, purging what no longer fits the way you'd like or works in your current lifestyle, and organizing your closet and drawers will ensure that you're ready to get back out there in the real world looking your best. An organized clothing system will also save you time and hassle in the morning, keep clothes in better condition longer, and -- my favorite -- reduce dry cleaning bills and ironing. Follow these ten tips to maximize space and functionality in your dresser and closet.

1. Organize by how you select your outfits. There is no "right" way to organize a closet....only a "right for you" way. Whether you choose components primarily by their size, color, fabric, style or season, keeping like items together will make it easier to find what you need quickly and easily.
2. Hang as much as you can. Unless you love to fold (and refold, and refold again), it is much easier to browse your wardrobe selection and keep it tidy when it's hanging. Hanging is also a much more efficient use of space than folding. (Watch my video tutorial that shows a nifty trick for hanging sweaters so that they won’t become misshapen.) 
3. Remove the hanger from the rod whenever you take out something to wear. Place it in your "hanger bank". An area of the rod that’s inconvenient for hanging clothes, or a basket on the floor are ideal places to store your extra hangers when not in use. You'll know just where to find an empty hanger when you need one and this will give you more sliding space on the rod. Nothing deters searching for/hanging up clothes like a tightly packed hanging rod.
4. Use the right hangers for the job. Chunky and padded hangers take up a lot of room, so use them sparingly and only when really necessary for things like suit jackets or the most delicate of items to help them hold their shape. Replace wire dry cleaner hangers as soon as possible, as they are not good for long-term storage and can damage clothes over time. (Tip: most dry cleaners will welcome their wire hangers back, so no need to take up valuable space storing them.) Thin, textured hangers are ideal for keeping slippery fabrics on the hanger while also saving lots of rod space. 
5. Reserve your drawer space for items that cannot be hung and/or can afford to be wrinkled. Pajamas, underwear, socks, workout clothes, swimsuits and tshirts are the best candidates for storing in your dresser drawers.
6. When storing clothes in drawers, fold them to a uniform size and “file” them vertically with the folded edge facing up. This will make it easier to see everything in the drawer at once and pull out only the one item you need without rumpling everything else.
7. Shelves offer a great alternative to drawers for folded clothing. They enable you to easily see what you have at a glance without having to rummage through them. Smaller items like socks, underwear and swim wear can also be stored in bins on the shelves.
8. Don't overlook your vertical storage opportunities on the backs of closet and bedroom doors. Those hanging pocket organizers are useful for more than just shoes! Roll up underwear, swimwear, socks, etc. and store inside the pockets when dresser/shelf space is at a premium. Door hooks can accommodate your bath robe or frequently-worn jackets. Next week, I'll offer you some great vertical storage tips for all kinds of accessories.
9. Purge regularly! The change of seasons is a great time to review your wardrobe and identify giveaways. If your closet is too full, you are more likely to keep wearing the same things over and over because it requires too much effort to find something different. Do not keep clothes in too many sizes or items that are out of style in your closet. This consumes valuable space that could be used for pieces you will wear and enjoy instead. Keeping a donation bag handy in your closet makes purging as you go more automatic and is especially helpful in kids' rooms. As soon as you realize something no longer fits, is defective, or you are unlikely to wear it again for any reason, toss it in your purge bag. Once something goes in, it stays in!
10. Keep up with clean and dirty laundry daily. Putting clean clothes away promptly will keep them clean, minimize wrinkling and enable you to find what you need. When you try clothes on, hang them back up right away so they stay ready to wear. Never let dirty clothes hit the ground! Put them straight in the dirty clothes hamper so that they are out of your way and don't get missed on laundry day. If you plan to re-wear items again before laundering, place them neatly in a designated spot or return them to where they are normally stored to avoid unnecessary clutter and confusion in your bedroom.

Have more fun selecting outfits to wear and simplify your morning routine with a tidy and orderly clothing storage system!

We are nearing the end of Purging Month, but just like doing laundry, mowing the grass and grocery shopping, purging your excess stuff never really ends. The good news is that it doesn’t require a lot of time or effort to keep up with it once you’ve completed your initial purge. This week, I’m gonna share a few easy peasy habits that will make divesting yourself of your overage an automatic routine. The more of these habits you embrace, the easier it will become to maintain your equilibrium of "stuff".

First, set yourself up for success with a solid plan for what you will do with each item you decide to let go. (For more ideas on this, go back and read last week’s blog post.) Establish a holding spot/s for items to donate and items to sell (if you decide that’s really worth your time). Make it an easily accessible and consistent location or locations in your home.

Next, create a regular schedule for getting your castoffs out of your home. Whether it is scheduling regular donation pickups (or just getting in the habit of always saying YES! whenever you receive a notification that a truck will be in your area), or finding a consistent time each month to drop things off at a local charity, put it on your calendar and set up a reminder to follow through. Likewise, if you are selling items, set deadlines on your to-do list for pricing, posting, or otherwise preparing your items for upcoming sales events or dropping them off at a consignment shop. Schedule one weekend out of every month (more if needed) for dropping off any recyclables or trash that can’t be included in your regular household pickup, or create reminders to take them whenever you are out running errands nearby.

Then simply collect as you go. Opportunities abound to identify items you no longer need/want/use. As they come up, decide right away if they are 1) Sell; 2) Donate; 3) Recycle; or 4) Trash and place them into the proper receptacle immediately. Don’t procrastinate! Take action at moments like the ones below:

• Whenever you replace an old item
• Whenever you discover you already had something after buying the same thing
• Whenever you realize you have more than you need of something
• Whenever you receive a gift you can’t/won’t use
• Whenever you bought something you don’t need/can’t use and cannot return
• Whenever you (or your spouse/kids) outgrow something
• Whenever your situation changes and renders it obsolete (you change your decor, you get a new job, you lose interest in your hobby, you obtain a newer version)
• Whenever you move/downsize to something smaller and no longer have room for it
• Whenever you realize you just really don’t use it enough to warrant taking up the space
• Whenever you need the space it occupies for something else
• Whenever you discover it is broken or too difficult to use
• Whenever you decide you just don’t like it that much
• Whenever you learn that someone else needs it more than you do
• Whenever you are moving things from one area of your home to another
• Whenever you take everything out to clean

Eliminating belongings you don’t need is just like discarding your food wrappers and containers when you’re done with them. You already know you can’t/won’t use them, so it’s just a matter of putting them in the correct receptacle and following through with your predetermined plan for getting them out of the house. Decisions will become quicker and easier each time you make them. Before you know it, it will become as second nature as throwing away your candy bar wrapper or recycling your empty soda bottle. If there’s an item you’re on the fence about, treat it just like something from your freezer you aren’t sure if you’ll eat or not and add an expiration date to it. If you don’t use it by then, let it go. 

Finally, just like you occasionally still have to deep clean the rooms you clean regularly, make a point of “deep cleaning” your cabinets, shelves and drawers at least once per year to catch any expired or excess stuff you may have overlooked. You don’t have to set aside days or hours of time to do this unless that’s your preference to get it all done at once. Instead, just work on one room in your home each month and spend five to ten minutes per day performing the three Rs (remove, review, replace) on a single drawer, shelf, or cabinet at a time until the entire house is done. Then start again. The less stuff you have, the easier and quicker this ongoing process will be.

If you took my advice and joined an online give-away group like Freecycle or Buy Nothing, you’ll find that there are often people requesting one of your "someday/maybe" items. Knowing that someone else is looking for that exact thing may be enough to convince you to part with items you aren't sure you'll ever need again. These groups also offer assurance that you’ll be able to easily get whatever you need when you need it...for FREE, eliminating your need to hold onto things “just in case”. For this reason alone, I strongly urge you to consider joining one of these groups if you haven’t already done so.

I’ll be taking a week off from the EPL Blog next week. Enjoy your Memorial Day! 

Coming Soon: June is Bed and Bath Organizing month! I’ll be sharing tips all month on organizing your clothes, accessories, toiletries and makeup both here and on my Facebook page.
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All month, I’ve been encouraging you to reclaim space in your home by purging items you no longer need or want (big emphasis on “need’). While deciding to part with your cherished stuff can be challenging, doing so makes it easier to access the belongings you do use regularly and just makes it easy peasier to navigate your home. So now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to rid your home of your excess, you need to figure out exactly what to do with it all. Having a solid plan for where it goes next is crucial to your success, because simply piling up bags and boxes full of items you’ve decided to let go won’t help you until it’s actually gone! 

You have only four basic choices on what to do next:
1. Sell or 2. Donate (for things that are still usable)
​3. Recycle or 4. Trash (for things that are not still usable).
Obviously, there are pros and cons attached to each of these and the decision for which to choose depends, in part, on the item in question but also on your priorities. Picking the best option will make you feel better about letting it go. Consider each of these questions carefully to help you narrow down your choices:

• How much time/effort are you willing to spend on getting rid of stuff?
• Are you hoping to make money from it? How much time/effort are you willing to spend in order to do so?
• Are you willing to spend money to get rid of it?
• How much do you care who ends up with it? (Doing some homework on what various collectors do with your donations can be an eye-opener, both good or bad.)
• How concerned are you about its environmental impact?
• How quickly do you need it gone?
• Are you willing/able to transport it somewhere yourself?
• How knowledgeable are you about what can and can’t be put in your home trash or recycling? 
• What organizations/causes/issues are priorities for you?

If you need to get rid of a perfectly usable article of clothing quickly and don’t really care if you recoup some of your initial financial investment or who ends up wearing it next, dropping it off at a local charity like Salvation Army or Goodwill is probably your best bet. But if you need to make some money and don’t mind investing a bit more time and effort, trying to sell it at your local Tot Swap or consignment shop may be a better option. Or if you really want it to go to someone you know, try joining a neighborhood group like Freecycle or Buy Nothing or passing it on to a friend or family member who needs it.

Use your determined priorities to help you identify one or two go-to choices in each of the four categories. 
Sell
Advertise Online:

• Nextdoor 
• Craigslist
• Facebook Marketplace or Facebook community flea markets
• Ebay

In-Person:

• Yard sale or in-person flea markets
• Thrift/Consignment Shops
• Tot Swap events

Donate
Connect Online for each item:

• Freecycle
• Buy Nothing
• Nextdoor

Give specific items in-person:

• Friends/family 
• Local charities or non-profits
• Donation pickup services like Go Greendrop and DonationTown

Give larger variety/quantities of items all at once:

• Local charities/non-profits 
• Local collection drives

Recycle

• Regular household pickup
• Local authority drop off location
• Businesses that take specific items
• Mail-in or drop off services that charge a fee

Trash

• Regular household pickup
• Local authority drop off location
• Junk removal service or dumpster rental companies that charge a fee

Visit our Donating/Recycling page (it also provides info on Trashing and Selling) for more detailed information on many of the various options mentioned above.

There are as many ways to get rid of your excess items as there are items to get rid of. If you are stumped on what to do with a specific item, ask members of your network (friends, family, co-workers, neighbors) or Ask the Organizer. Chances you aren’t the only one who wants to know!

One final note of caution: Each of us has a responsibility to learn what is and isn’t safe to discard in the trash and what can and cannot be recycled. Discarding just one wrong item can contaminate an entire truck of recycling or create a serious hazard. Even if you aren’t particularly concerned about the environment, you can do a lot of damage to our planet, yourself and your community if you are reckless or too lazy to educate yourself on the basics. Always follow package directions on how to safely dispose of anything that contains chemicals or toxic ingredients or Google it if you aren’t sure how to handle it.

Stay tuned next week to learn a few easy peasy tricks for maintaining your newfound space and accessibility forever with minimal effort!

ICYMI: Each month I issue a new 1-day EasyPeasy Challenge that can be completed in less than a day (usually less than an hour). You have all month to take the challenge and then add a comment, photo or GIF to the challenge post on my Facebook page to be entered into a prize drawing at the end of the month. This month’s challenge is to join an online group like Nextdoor, Buy Nothing or Freecycle and give away just one item. It must be given away...no selling or swapping. Give it a try! I look forward to seeing your photos and comments on my page!

Last week, I talked about the central role purging your excess stuff plays in staying organized, reducing stress and frustration and saving you time and money. Getting rid of the stuff you no longer need that’s clogging up the closets, drawers, cabinets and surfaces in your home is the first step to taking back control of your domain! Technically speaking, you can organize your belongings without eliminating anything, but it will be more work and won’t stay orderly for very long. You’ll most likely end up like my mom with her muffin tins, constantly moving things from one spot to another as they continue to just get in your way. But, the more you divest, the easier organizing and maintaining your home becomes. There will be less stuff to find homes for and fewer items to put away every day. A leaner home is simply easier to navigate, relax in and keep up.

Almost everybody has items they need to evict from their homes. Any time someone finds out I’m a professional home organizing consultant, their immediate response is always, “Oh, I could really use you! I have way too much stuff!” And while I can (and do) help clients reduce their clutter and get organized, all they really need to succeed on their own is to clear the common hurdles that prevent them from getting started or from continuing to make progress once they do. But first, it’s important to understand that streamlining your stuff is an ongoing task, just like mowing the grass, cleaning the kitchen, or doing the laundry. It isn’t a “one and done” project...it requires a lifestyle change and embracing a different mindset about your belongings. Please don’t stop reading! The good news is that with the right system in place, maintaining a leaner household is easy peasy once you get through the initial purge. I’ll share more about maintenance in this blog later this month. For now, let’s focus on clearing the most common obstacles many people face when they try to part with their precious belongings.

The most common obstructions to streamlining your stuff fall into two main categories: 1) Process hurdles; 2) Item hurdles. Process hurdles prevent you from getting started or slow down your momentum. Item hurdles are roadblocks you encounter along the way that are related to a specific object or category of belongings. They trip up your progress, often causing you to stop the process entirely. Keep reading for a description and a solution for overcoming each one.

PROCESS HURDLES
It feels overwhelming. Whether the amount of clutter is too great or you just aren’t sure where/how to begin, you keep putting it off until later, and later never comes. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse the problem gets as your piles of clutter continue to grow. 
Solution: Start small. Where you start is not nearly as important as that you start. Tackle one drawer, one shelf, one box. There’s no right or wrong place to start...it all needs to get done eventually. However, many people find kitchens and bathrooms contain fewer item hurdles, so beginning there may enable you to build up some momentum to propel you forward.

It might hurt/take too long. It’s only natural to feel a little apprehensive at the prospect of parting with things that were once helpful, hold fond memories, or seem like they may still be of some use/value. It makes sense that you would see it as a cumbersome chore, and no one looks forward to that, especially if it’s a big job that seems like it might take a long time to complete.
Solution: Instead of focusing on the costs (time, energy, stuff you once loved), look forward to all the benefits you'll be gaining. Your life will be easier with more space and accessibility. You’ll feel more free and no longer suffocated by all your stuff. Once you've completed the initial purge, you'll enjoy spending your time on other things without your big pile of excess hogging up space in your home and your head. Best of all, you’ll be creating space to live in the present and create new memories for your future when you let go of things from your past that aren’t as useful as they once were. Write down your benefits list and post it somewhere you're likely to see it to keep you motivated. Even if you have a big pile to go through and it requires a significant investment of time, remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. You can break it into small, manageable pieces. One thing's for sure: the job won’t get any smaller by procrastinating any further.

There’s no clear plan for what to do with the stuff you decide to eliminate. This one actually falls into both categories. When you don’t know what you will do with things in general, it can keep you from getting started; when you don’t know what to do with a specific item, it can threaten your progress. 
Solution: There are many ways to eliminate your castoffs and each method depends on the specific item, the amount of time/effort you want to invest in finding a new home for it, where you live, and your personal priorities. I’ll cover some of the options in greater detail in next week’s blog. In the meantime, selecting a charitable organization that accepts most household and clothing items is a good first step. You can google “where to donate household items” or “donation pickup” to identify some or ask friends and neighbors where they donate. Then, visit their website or call to see what they will and will not accept and whether or not you can schedule a donation pickup or where/when you can drop items off. Organizations like Greendrop and DonationTown operate all over the country and partner with multiple charities, so these are a great place to start. You can also join a group like Freecycle, NextDoor, or Buy Nothing to find people near you who need what you have to give away. You’ll find links to all of these organizations and many more at www.easypeasyliving.com/donatingrecycling.

You suffer from “Decision Deferral Syndrome." Frankly, this is the crux of the issue for most people, and it is also why you now have more stuff than you can conveniently accommodate. Making decisions with permanent consequences is often intimidating, so we tend to put it off and end up keeping merely by default. Understand that decision deferral is a decision...a poor one made without intention..
Solution: First, acknowledge that this is a problem and accept that you will likely find forcing yourself to make a real decision uncomfortable at first. However, the more you do it, the easier it will become. Remember that not making a clear decision is how you wound up in this situation in the first place. It’s time to try something new. Take assurance from the fact that, in my experience, long-term regret at getting rid of something is extremely rare. Even when it does happen, it is almost always just mild regret. You will learn to trust your ability to make wise decisions with practice. The sooner you get started, the sooner you'll begin to feel more confident.

There’s no room to work in. This is mostly an issue in homes with extreme clutter or when working in an especially small area. 
Solution: The first step is to create a staging area. Even if it requires you to pile things up really high at first, or move some of your clutter outdoors during the initial session, make enough space for a donate bin/box, a trash bag, and a recycle bin. That's all you need to get started. It won’t take very long to clear enough room to make the process a lot easier. Be sure to remove any trash and recycling immediately at the end of each session. If possible, get rid of your donations right away too. Some suggestions: 1)  store them in your car until you can pass them on; or 2) plan your purging sessions to coincide with a donation pickup/drop-off to ensure they get taken away immediately.

ITEM HURDLES
Gift Guilt/Obligation to keep. Someone gave it to you (or even worse, made it for you) or you inherited it. You don’t like it/can’t use it but feel obliged to keep it because it was a gift or family relic. This can paralyze your purging endeavor if you let it.
Solution: Remember that no one ever intended to give you a burden as a gift. If it is consuming room in your home, getting in your way, or causing you guilt, that is what it has become. The giver may have selected or made that item for you as a tangible expression of the true gift...their love, gratitude, friendship, or congratulations, but it is merely a representation, not the gift itself. It's important to understand that giving away an item that was given to you is neither a rejection of the sentiment behind it nor of the person who gave it to you. Find a way to preserve the memory of it if that makes it easier to say goodbye to it (a photo, journal entry, etc.). Consider honoring the person it came from by giving it to someone else who can use/appreciate it. Chances are, the giver will never even realize, remember or care that you no longer have it. If you still really just can’t part with it, choose another item you were planning to keep and eliminate that in its place.

Someday/Maybe items. If you think long enough and hard enough, everything in your clutter stash could fall into this category. These are things that might be useful at some point in the future but you have only a vague (or no) idea how. 
Solution: Remind yourself that just because you might be able to use it again doesn’t mean you will. You don’t have room for “might”. If you did, you wouldn’t be feeling the need to purge. The fact is that you will use the space this item currently occupies, either for storing something else you need or for making the things you do use more accessible and easier to find. Sure, there’s a chance you might end up having to buy it again, but that is easier to do than living in cramped quarters all the time. Only keep someday/maybe items if you have both a specific plan and a timeline for using them in the near future.

Broken stuff. Everybody has broken stuff they are keeping because they plan to fix it...someday.
Solution: Fix it now. Decide who will fix it, when they will fix it, what else they require in order to fix it, and how much it will cost to fix it. Decide all of that now, or get rid of it now. If it is worth fixing, it is worth doing now. Don’t let it consume space in your drawer, cabinet, or closet for another minute without a solid plan. Add it to your to-do list with a deadline and get it done. If you miss the deadline, toss it. No excuses!

Things you “spent good money on”. You paid a lot for it but never really used it or no longer use it for whatever reason.
Solution: Decide why you don’t/haven’t used it. Is it because you forgot about it or couldn’t find it until now? If so, then store it somewhere visible so that you are more likely to start using it. If there's another reason, acknowledge that it was a poor buying decision and let it go. The money is already spent either way, and you aren’t going to get it back unless you try to sell it to recoup a portion of the loss. So either do that (if you can recoup enough to make it worth the time and effort of selling it), or give it away to someone who will use it. Keeping it will not correct your error in buying it to begin with. It’s okay to admit that! We all make bad purchases from time to time. Learn from it and move forward. Don’t continue paying the price by denying yourself the space, accessibility and freedom you deserve.

Invisible Memory Triggers. These are items whose sole purpose is to trigger a fond memory but that you rarely ever see because they have been shoved into a box or bin in the dark recesses of your closets, attic or basement. The problem is that they can’t serve their primary function of triggering memories if they are always out of sight. 
Solution: The best way to handle these is to assign them a secondary purpose that places them out in the open where you can use and see them. An example would be using your grandmother’s old silver sugar bowl to hold paper clips in your home office. Every time you reach for a paper clip, you’ll think of Grandma. Then you can eliminate the boring paper clip holder you were using before instead. But sometimes this solution isn't possible. Instead of just keeping everything in your keepsake stash, whittle it down to a small, specific, representative collection of artifacts that best tells your story. Make it small enough that you can store it in a way that makes it easier to pull out and enjoy from time to time or share with others.

Playing curator of your personal museum requires a lot of thought. I recommend saving this category of items for last so that you can take time to enjoy sifting through it, reminiscing over the memories it evokes, and then properly saying goodbye to the items that don’t make the cut. Once you have already eliminated your other excess belongings, you’ll have more time and energy to relish this process in a relaxed and spacious atmosphere. It will be a more positive experience than feeling rushed to just get through it.

If you’ve encountered a hurdle I didn’t mention and need some suggestions for how to clear it, just Ask the Organizer! Chances are good that someone else may be struggling with the very same challenge.

Stay tuned next week for ideas on where to send your discarded belongings next and how to make the process as smooth and positive as possible. Until then, keep it easy peasy!

My mother was an amazing woman loved by all who knew her. She was spontaneous, fun, compassionate to a fault, caring (a nurse!), gentle, kind, and able to laugh at herself...which was a good thing because she was also pretty klutzy and quite often found herself in some pretty - er - “unique” situations. (Someday I’ll share with you the Mom-in-a-manhole story.)  She’s been gone for over 20 years now and I still miss her every single day. Although I didn’t embark on my organizing career until after she died, she continues to be the inspiration for a lot of the tips and advice I share with my clients and followers to this day. That’s because “organized” is not a word often associated with her. Let's just say, I didn't learn most of these tips and tricks from her, but I would have loved to have shared them with her. Many times, my blogs are written with her in mind as my audience.

Now don’t get me wrong...she maintained a pretty clean and tidy home and insisted my sisters and I do our part, including keeping our rooms picked up and our beds made. But I'd be lying if I told you that I was an organized kid or that everything was in its place in our home. Far from it! There is a big difference between a house that’s tidy and one that’s organized, as I will explain.

A tidy home, like the one I grew up in, is where everything looks neat at first glance. There is minimal surface clutter, laundry (both clean and dirty) is kept out of sight, coats and purses are hung up, and common areas look respectable enough to host guests on the spur of the moment. You are unlikely to find dirty towels littering the bathroom floor or toys strewn everywhere in a tidy house. However, many tidy homes harbor a secret stash of clutter and disorganization behind those closet doors. Growing up, my bedroom was tidy enough to pass Mom’s inspection...as long as she didn’t look under the bed, where all manner of chaos reigned. Or in the jumbled up drawers. Or risk the hazard of opening the closet doors. And you know what? She almost never did! I think she knew she wouldn't like what she'd find, so surface tidy was good enough. It isn’t really a mystery why I and other members of my family frequently misplaced items, as is often the case in many a tidy home.

Even in tidy homes, it can be difficult to find specific items quickly. That's because, just like untidy homes, they often contain way too much stuff for its occupants to navigate smoothly on a daily basis, leading to frustration. Too much stuff means it takes more work to put things away where they belong. That, in turn, leads to putting them away somewhere they don’t belong simply because it’s easier to access and thus quicker in our rush to get them out of sight, out of our way, and to keep things looking tidier. But this makes it harder to find later...which, my friends, is a main symptom of disorganization. If left untreated, disorganization will ultimately turn your tidy home into an untidy home when the time and effort to tidy up just becomes too great. Perhaps some of you have already discovered this.

My mother owned no less than twelve (12) muffin tins. Let me say that again. She had a dozen pans that made a dozen muffins all at once. A dozen dozens. (And no, she was not a commercial baker.) When asked why she needed to keep that many muffin tins in the teensy kitchen of her tiny mobile home, she responded that she liked to have some ready to go in the oven, some in the oven already baking, and some cooling on her (overly-crowded) counter...all at once. Because they  took up a substantial percentage of her limited cabinet space, she was constantly having to move things around to make space for other kitchen items. This frustrated and annoyed her, yet it never seemed to dawn on her that the little bit of time all those muffin tins saved her on those rare occasions that she needed to make 144 muffins at once (which was probably never) was squandered many times over on her daily quest for more room in her cabinets for the things she used each and every day. If you find yourself regularly having to “reorganize” a shelf, drawer, or cabinet just to create enough room to put things away, you - like my mother - have TOO. MUCH. STUFF!

Fortunately, the remedy for too much stuff is simple...purge it! Purging is always the first step in getting organized and probably the one most people dread until they do it. That’s because they focus on what they lose by the process instead of on what they gain by it. Here’s what’s in it for you to purge your excess stuff:

• More time - true, there is an initial investment of time required to complete the actual purging process, but with the right approach and a few maintenance strategies, it will save you time in the long run...just like it would have saved my mom time every day if she’d just been willing to part with 9 or 10 of her muffin tins.
• More space - obviously, the main goal of purging is to create space, and with more space comes…
• Better organization - when you aren’t having to stuff things into any ol’ nook and cranny you can find, you’ll be able to establish a sense of order. This in turn will enable you to find what you need more easily and - even more importantly - put them away more easily (which means they’ll be where you expect to find them next time you need them). More order in your home means….
• Less stress - you’ll be able to relax when you are confident you’ll be able to find what you need easily. It’ll also be easier to keep tabs on what you already have when you know where it is and can see it more easily because it isn’t crammed into the back of a cabinet. This leads to…
• Less duplication - you won’t be buying things you already have (which eats up even more space), which of course leaves you…
• More money!

If that's not reason enough to purge, how about this: every single one of my clients reports feeling better after we've done a bit of purging...better about their homes, better about themselves, and better about their futures. In over nine years as a professional organizer, I've never had a single client tell me they regretted taking the time to do it, and for many of them, it's a game-changer. 

In next week’s blog post, I’ll tackle why many people find it so difficult to get started letting go of their belongings and how to get over the most common hurdles people face along the way. The week after that I’ll give you suggestions for what to do with all the items you decide to eliminate from your home. But for now, let’s just focus on how to get started without feeling overwhelmed by the prospect. 

First of all, there’s great news: Purging does not require you to set aside a huge chunk of time. You can accomplish a great deal in as little as 15-20 minutes per day. The key is consistency. If you don’t have a stretch of two hours to devote to purging this week (who does?), do 20 minutes each day and take a day off on Sunday. Or just decide to tackle one drawer or one shelf or one cabinet each day if that’s all the time you have. Either way, put it on your to-do list until it becomes a habit.

Here’s what you do:

1. Pull everything out of a space you are confident you can complete in the amount of time you have available. Even if you do have two hours, start small. You can always continue working on a second space once you’ve finished the first if you have time and energy leftover.
2. Pick up each item you’ve removed from the space and decide if you want to keep it. It's just a simple yes or no. Don't try to complicate it. (Hint: if it isn't a definite yes, it's a no.) If the answer is yes, put it back. If the answer is no, decide if it’s a) trash (toss it); b) recycling (recycle it); c) other. Commit to finding at least one item to eliminate in each purging session. I’ll bet you can find a lot more if you remind yourself that each item you eliminate puts you one step closer to achieving all the benefits listed above. 
3. Put all the non-trash, non-recycle items in a box or bag and store it temporarily in a designated spot until you are able to tackle the next step of actually eliminating it, which I’ll cover in more detail two weeks from now.* Keep adding to the box or bag in each subsequent purging session. 

Now I have even better news: Even if you don’t have any time to devote to the process described above, you can still begin purging right away! All you have to do is set up a box or bag in a designated spot in your home. Every time you encounter an object that: 

• you never or rarely use
• is in your way
• you forgot you had and aren’t sure why you do
• is no longer in style
• you don’t really like
• no longer fits
• you just don’t want or need anymore for any reason

...put it in the box/bag. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll do it later...do it NOW! Don’t try to talk yourself into keeping it, either. If you have to think too hard about why you might still need to keep it, you don’t. Adopt this as a new habit moving forward. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes.

And that's it! Like I said, I'll be sharing strategies for what comes next right here in this blog over the rest of this month. Be sure to sign up to get each new blog post emailed directly to you if you aren't already a subscriber so that you don't miss out.

So what makes a home organized? Having a designated spot for each item you own that’s easy to access and with a bit of extra breathing room. As I said, you can have a tidy home that’s disorganized, but can you have an organized home that’s untidy? Yes, you can. The difference between an untidy, organized home and a tidy, organized home is about 15 minutes!

For more tips and advice on purging and on organizing in general, follow @EasyPeasyLiving on Facebook. May is Purging Month, and I’ll be sharing strategies all month on how to rid your home of excess stuff and keep it that way. Plus, you’ll find out how to participate in the May 1-Day EasyPeasy Challenge. Hint: it will help you get your purge on! 

Until next week, keep it easy peasy!

*If you’re on a purging roll and don’t want to wait until my future posts to get stuff out of your way, the quickest, easiest way to get rid of it is to schedule a donation pickup or drop your items off at a local charity that accepts what you are eliminating. Visit www.easypeasyliving.com/donatingrecycling for more information and some suggested recipients for your castoffs. ​

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