Decluttering Tips!

Decluttering/organization takes discipline.  BUT, everyone can do something and we all have to start somewhere.  Over the next few days, I will be giving THREE tips per day of ideas to implement to help you become more organized. Probably the thing I would like to stress the most is that if you handle things only once, it will make your life much easier.  What do I mean by that?  For instance, if you come in from running errands, what do you normally do with your purse, keys and anything else in your hands...do you immediately put them away or do you set them on the kitchen counter so that you have to come back to them to clean up?  It might sound ridiculous, but learning this really works!  

Tomorrow my entire post will deal with keeping the kitchen clean as you prepare meals...it is simple and not overwhelming!

So, here are my first few tips!

Remember-BEFORE you put something down or store it is the best time to exercise control to get rid of something. It is hard to get the time to go back through it.

• You can’t organize junk/clutter.  Throw it out, get rid of it.  DO NOT KEEP IT!  If you can't learn this, you will always be trying to get organized.

• Newspapers don’t need to be kept once they are read– throw them away!  I quit subscribing to the newspaper because having it laying around drove me crazy!  I would read it immediately but then save it for my family to read.  They usually did not get around to reading it and the mess stressed me.  Besides, you can get your news online!

• Mail/school papers should be gone through as soon as it comes through the door.  Act immediately on each paper and then put it away. Fill out papers that need returned to school as soon as your kids bring them home then put them in their backpacks so they are ready for the next school day. Act on all papers/mail as soon as they come through the door.  It will only take a few minutes, I promise!