 |
Thank you to Melanie Dykstra from Simply Organized Solutions for contributing this article. Simply Organized Solutions is a locally owned and operated business that specializes in optimizing physical spaces within your home and business. Melanie is passionate about partnering with people to reduce stress and reclaim space in an approachable way. Call S.O.S today to get the help you've been waiting for!
The glitter is settling, the kids are back at school and parents everywhere are trying to find places to store all the items that have somehow multiplied like rabbits over the holidays. There is a reason that this is one of the busiest times of year for Professional Organizers! Even though it’s tempting to tackle some of your biggest messes as a part of your New Year resolutions, take my advice and DON’T start with the following projects:
 |
5) The Garage
Garages are tough. We see them almost every day, but they often end up being a catch-all for anything we can’t find room for. Boxes from Amazon? Toss them in the garage. Christmas tree ornaments? Garage. Toddler toys that take up too much room? You get the picture… I’m not saying that the garage shouldn’t be a project, but it can take a lot of time, ingenuity and require a lot of decisions due to the variety of belongings. I’ve had several clients underestimate the time it takes to work through an entire garage. They run out of steam, abandon it mid-project and have to call in the cavalry to finish the job. By attempting such a big project first, a lot of people just end up dirty, overwhelmed and unmotivated because they don’t see any progress. Start in a room that you spend more time in.
4) Digital Space
While unsubscribing from email lists and organizing digital photos is a worthy goal, there are other projects that should take priority. Like it or not, when we see physical clutter, it affects our level of stress more than our digital disaster. So unless those photos are causing your computer to crash daily, focus on visual messes first.
 |
3) Photos
For all of you young-uns, there once was a world where photos HAD to be printed. *gasp!* And get this - we couldn’t see them in advance! So we ended up with boxes and closets full of photos that had a blurry finger over half of the picture. But those photos are also the only (29) pictures you have of your first dog. Now, those boxes take up valuable storage space that would be nice to reclaim. Anyone who has attempted this project knows exactly how this story ends; hours upon hours of reliving memories that you’d long forgotten and you still have boxes of photos that have no rhyme or reason. Welp…there goes your precious organizing time. Treat this one as a craft project someday, hire a professional to digitize them, or just let your grandkids deal with it.
2) Sentimental items
Along the same lines as photos, sentimental belongings can be a big, black hole of time. When we hold onto these items, we are trying to hold on to a memory or a feeling, not a ‘thing’. Depending on the person, there are a lot of complicated emotions that go along with this project that can make it very hard to make practical decisions. Start your organizing projects with items that are easy to let go of instead. That will help you to make progress quickly and you will feel the thrill of simplifying your space, which will motivate you to tackle tougher projects in the future!
 |
1) Paper
We all hate the necessary relationship we have with paper. The paperless trend is certainly promising, but unfortunately, many of my clients still have years of hard copies and art projects that have taken a back seat in terms of organizing priority. And sometimes the digital clutter forces people to turn it into hard copy so that they can find it! Paper organizing is actually a very important project, but is another task that can wait for “Level 2” motivation. Sorting, decluttering and shredding paper is a time consuming job and visually makes little impact.
With all that being said, everyone’s situation is different and ultimately, any project that motivates you is better than doing nothing at all! If you are downsizing and need to get those photos narrowed down, go for it! But if you are attempting to make organizing a new habit, you will have a lot more success by starting with smaller, achievable tasks that will fill you with waves of dopamine when you see the improvements. A drawer, piles of old prescription medications or even a linen closet will make excellent first projects to help you get the ball rolling. If not, just call me and I will tackle them with you! Happy New Year!
Macaroni Kid Allen is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in Allen/Wylie/Murphy/Lucas/Parker.
We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more.
Subscribe today to receive our email newsletter every Thursday!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Advertise with us to connect with thousands of local families!
