Remember that New Year’s resolution you made way back in December/January to finally make this the year that you get organized? Well, if you’re like most people, it’s probably not going too well, New Year’s resolutions typically don’t. But spring is here and with it comes spring cleaning and a chance for you to make good on that promise to yourself. But organizing can be extremely daunting and difficult, so here are some tips to help you get started with your spring cleaning!
- Figure out what areas need to be cleaned/organized.
Before you can do any cleaning and organizing, you need to pick out the areas that most need your attention. For most collegiettes these areas are typically our workspaces, bedrooms and closets but make sure not to overlook areas such as the kitchen, bathroom or your car.
- Split each area into small projects.
While spring is a season for cleaning, it is also exam and paper season as well as job and internship application season- suffice it to say, we are busy people in the spring. So split up your list of tasks into small 15-30 minute projects. Don’t try and tackle your closet all at once, but rather organize your accessories one day and your clothes another. Organize your desk drawer one day and the top of your desk on another. These small projects aren’t time consuming and are also a welcome break from studying but will still yield tremendous results.
- Less stuff, less stress: the importance of decluttering.
While I am fully aware that declutter is not technically a word, I really think it should be. So often there are people who organize by just buying bins and containers to put their stuff in. And while this is certainly a part of organizing, organizing is also about decluttering in order to make your life easier. Whether it’s donating those jeans you haven’t worn in years or that third copy of Pride and Prejudice that you’ve somehow accumulated or rounding up all those half empty bottles of shampoo and using them up before buying a new one, decluttering not only helps clear up space and simplify your life but I also find it to be extremely freeing not to have a lot of unnecessary things cluttering up my life. The less stuff you have, the less stressed out you will be.
- Work with what you have.
Fight the temptation to go out and buy a hundred bins to store your stuff in. Repurpose things that you probably already have lying around the house to meet your needs. Use your old paper organizer to store makeup palettes or a pencil organizer to hold paintbrushes. Sites like Pinterest have thousands of tips on how to repurpose daily household items for various uses and not only will this help you get organized but it will allow you to save money in the process. Only after you’ve made sure that you’ve used what you have should you go out and buy something new.
- A place for everything and everything in its place: storing like with like.
Instead of having a bottle of lotion there and a bottle of lotion here, store similar things together. Gather up all the loose hair ties and bobby pins lying around your house and put them all in one place. The same goes for books, DVDs, etc. Storing everything together means that you will constantly know where everything is and this will make your life infinitely easier. A bonus perk that I’ve noticed from doing this is that it shows you just how much stuff you really have. Once you see all your pens or lip glosses stored in one place, chances are you’ll realize you won’t need to go shopping for a while.
- Look for inspiration… but do what works for you.
There are hundreds of organization blogs, websites, books and magazines out there to inspire you (I like Real Simple, Martha Stewart, I Heart Organizing and the Organised Housewife, just to name a few) but not everything will necessarily work for you so while you’re looking at these tips make sure to adapt it to your own life. For example, matching hangers are great- they make a closet look much more uniform and can even help save space. But if you live with other people and especially children, this probably isn’t going to work out too well for you. The whole point of organizing and spring cleaning is to make your life easier- not more complicated so don’t adopt a system if it doesn’t meet your own personal needs.
Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/
Martha Stewart Home Decorating: http://www.marthastewart.com/home-decorating
I Heart Organizing: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.ca/
The Organised Housewife: http://theorganisedhousewife.com.au/
- Adopt a motto.
This sounds cheesy (and it is) but it helps to keep a motto in mind while cleaning. Whether it’s “less stuff, less stress”, “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” or even “reduce, reuse and recycle”, keeping these ideas in mind as you go along can really help to motivate you when you’re knee deep in a pile of sweaters trying to figure out which ones to donate and which ones to keep.
- Just do it.
Once you’ve developed your plan of attack, don’t think it through too much. Don’t spend hours on Martha Stewart’s website or scrolling through Pinterest. The most important thing is getting started and afterwards you’ll find that organizing really isn’t that bad and can even be relaxing.