Q. I discovered your site and it feels like my personal wake up call! I'm one of those people that struggle with clutter. Even though it makes me feel anxious I can't seem to keep things organized. What system do you recommend? At age 55, can I be saved?
A: Let me assure you that organization can start at any age! I can hear the frustration in your questions, and I recognize the constant anxiety that accompanies clutter. I personally believe that organization is about creating a peaceful environment which supports the way you live. Often times, people try to implement organizing systems which simply add to their “to-do” list, and become yet another reminder of all the ways in which we’re not doing what we are “supposed” to do. I don’t have ONE RIGHT system to recommend. Different things work for different people. I encourage you to look at the different worksheets available on my site. They are designed to help clarify what you want to create and get from your space, and how that might look for you personally. In general, keep what works for you and brings you joy. Let the rest go; create room for the life you want to live.
Q. I have many crafts I enjoy, but mostly I scrapbook. How can I organize all my supplies?
A: You are definitely not alone here! Scrap booking has become a favorite pasttime and a profitable business. All the fun die-cuts and stickers, scissors and stencils hold great possibilities. The trick is finding a way to keep them contained and still available. Hardware and art supply stores both sell drawer units, suitable for organizing little things. Clear bins and labels can help here as well. (As a sustainable organizer, I veer away from recommending lots of containers—especially plastic, but I concede they can be helpful here.) There’s also a system designed specifically for scrapbook supplies called The Scrap Rack. It works like an album, which I think is brilliant, because it matches the orientation of scrap booking! It can be used in sections, so everything doesn’t have to be out. I love that it can be broken down and stored away for when you aren’t working on a project, too. Whatever system you use, I encourage you to determine how much space you want to devote to your scrapbook supplies, and stick to that limit.
Q. My "office/craft" room seems to always have a mess of stuff and my one side of my garage has a pile of things I'm always going to get to. How do you prioritize?
A: The “one-day-I’ll-get-to-it” piles can be a sticky-wicket. They may contain projects that you’ve been meaning to get to for years! There’s a lot more to these piles than simply stuff, and how to prioritize this area speaks to the very heart of our philosophy of organizing: Simplifying your possessions literally creates room for your life—the life you truly want to live. I was inspired by your question to write more about the actual process of sorting through the undone projects in a new upcoming article, “In the Meantime.” To answer your question as simply as I can, I would say this: Think about what you value. Knowing that your time, energy and space are precious, limited commodities‚what deserves to take up those things? As you sort through those piles of undone projects, ask yourself these three questions: “Does this contribute to the life I want to live? Do I have the time and motivation to do it in the next six months? Does it fit into the space I have allotted for projects?” If you can’t answer yes to all three questions, I encourage you to release the project in a way that you can feel good about: sell it, donate it, or give it to someone you know will do it. Clearing this stagnant area and freeing yourself of the obligation and guilt of those projects can be liberating!
Q. My house is overrun w/ toys and pieces of toys. Each toy must come with at least 16 pieces and they're all mixed up. How can I keep them straight?
A: For toys with lots of little pieces, you need to ask yourself, if this is a battle you wish to fight? Does it matter that this guy goes with those of blocks, this car with that track, this infinitesimally small shoe go with that doll? It may, and if it does then you are best off containerizing sets together and allowing only one set to be played with at a time. If this isn’t a battle you wish to wage daily, you may find larger baskets of like items (ie “things that go,” “people,” “building blocks,”) are easier to manage. Ask your children how they want to do it. You might be surprised at their ideas. For young children (under 5), give them a choice. “Would you like your games in the toy chest or on the shelf? Do you want the fire trucks with the cars or separate?” Have them help organize to begin with and make a game out of clean up each day.
Q. I have a large amount of family photos that go back to the early part of the 20th century and up to last year (before I got a digital camera). How can I easily preserve all this family history without having to go through each one, catalog, and take up a lot of space with photo albums?
A: Photos represent our memories and are precious. Often, we want to keep them, but don’t know how, it’s time consuming, and can take up a lot of space. If you know you want them, but can’t bring yourself to deal right now, storing them in a plastic box in the garage will suffice. It protects them from dust and water damage and gets them out of your way. You may consider hiring a professional photo archivist, who will organize, catalog, restore, and preserve your earliest photos. Photo boxes can also be helpful to create general organization quickly- sort into major categories such as by year, family, or vacations. Enlisting the help of a dear friend or family member can make the job a lot of fun, reminiscing as you go. There may be photos that they want, which could be good incentive to help. Scrap booking and acid-free albums are also good choices, and of course there are professionals out there to help. You may also decide to go digital, which takes up a lot less space. I recommend that you keep negatives and backups in a fire safe or off premises as well.
Q. I am a creative entrepreneur, with lots of various projects. How can I keep them all organized and accessible without having them over run my space?
A: Keeping them separate and having everything you need together for each project is important. How you do this will depend on what sort of things are involved. If it’s paper and information, then filing projects together (or even small portable file boxes for each) may suffice. If you have lots of books, articles, notepads etc, you may wish to designate specific shelves to house your project. Consider cardboard file boxes to temporarily house projects and supplies in process; they can be moved around, stacked up and cleaned up easily. When not in use, they can be flattened for easy storage until the next project presents itself. Being able to leave one project and move into another will facilitate shifting gears with ease.
Q. I get so much stuff in the mail! I throw a portion of it out right away — yet I still end up with a small pile that I need to go through. That builds up daily until it falls over, and then I decide to sit down in front of the TV and go through it all. It's a major pain! How can I stop the insanity of receiving so much paper through the mail? When I do get it, what is the best way to deal with it, organize it, and create a space in my home so it is relatively transparent to the public eye?
A: The constant flow of paper into our houses is something we all are assaulted with daily. No matter how my dogs try to scare off the postal carrier, the stack of envelopes still is deposited. My article Surfing the Ocean of Paper has ideas to curb the flow of paper into your home and ways to keep it from jamming up once it’s there. The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” applies here, and I am reluctant to ever tell someone to put this “get to it sometime” mail out of sight, because rarely is it dealt with then. Ask yourself this question: “is it really important? If it gets piled up, ignored, and forgotten, is it worth the energy, space and peace of mind that it drains from me?” If you can answer yes, then it should be dealt with and if you answer no, it should be recycled.
Q. I am quite the sentimental one, and treasure things that were given to me from family and friends. I have asked many family members and friends to not give me anymore "tchokes" (chatch-kees), and this has lessened the amount that I am getting. I would like to be more of a minimalist, yet I enjoy the connection I feel when I look at them or share the story with an interested visitor. Please provide some basic thoughts/ideas/wisdom/rules on how to decide what to keep, give away, or store somewhere other than sitting around my home?
A: Sentimentality is one of the best reasons people live in clutter. Our possessions are supposed to reflect who we are, what and who we value and enrich our lives. My rule of what to keep is simple: is it functional and/or does it bring you joy. Weed out anything that doesn’t meet the criteria—be very discerning. Your space and peace of mind are precious! Display only things that you hold most dear. If it: clutters your space, drains your energy or makes you anxious, or is ignored or hidden- it’s not serving you. Pictures are a wonderful way to feel connected with others and can hang on the wall, without taking up shelf space. Consider giving some of the items to friends and family, and share the love. Try changing out the chatchkees like seasonal decorations, so you can enjoy them anew. Remember also that simplifying is a process, so reassess in 3-6 months. You may find you are ready to release more. You can also try putting items you’re not sure about in a box. If you haven’t gone back into the box after one year, donate it (and DON'T open it back up!).
Q. OK, everyone probably has this same problem, but how can I organize my garage?
A: Yes, you are not alone! All too often the garage falls victim to the out of sight, out of mind phenomenon and as our consumer-driven lifestyles accumulate more and more stuff, we need a place to put it. The garage becomes our dumping ground, the cars are parked on the street, and the pool table is the world’s worst storage area. To begin, ask yourself how you truly want to use your garage? Do you want to park your car in it, use it as a workspace, access your garden tools, or have efficient storage? Start with the end in mind and keep only that which serves those purposes there. Slatwalls (better than peg boards) are great for hanging all sorts of tools, sports equipment and more. A dropdown shelf can provide higher storage and still allow a car to park. Have a garage sale and make room for the pool table and the bar frig., stocked with cold beer. A coat of paint, the extra couch, and a folding table began transforming my garage into my studio, which is now a nurturing sanctuary—so much better than boxes of stuff I never used!
Q. I live in a small studio cottage. How can I make it look like a home instead of a dorm room?
A: Loft apartments and cottages can be charming and chic, and their very nature suggests simplicity and organization. Delineating clear areas and multi-function storage are key. Even without walls, you can create “rooms” within the loft. Couches can be brought out into the room acting as “walls” for a living room, or a trunk at the end of the bed can energetically contain a bedroom. A row of free-standing shelves (you can alternate which way they face) can act as a wall between kitchen and bedroom for instance and provide adequate storage space for both rooms. A coffee table could store throw blankets, DVDs or toys. Simplify your belongings to fit the amount of space that you have and choose items that represent your unique style. Play up loft features (such as exposed pipes, white walls and cement floors) with matching furniture and hardware—a simple pipe can be a custom curtain rod for large windows for instance. Small details like sheers, throw pillows and art can add style and a softness you might not find in dorm rooms, too.
