You asked, and iVillage's organizing pro answered! Professional organizer Jamie Novak tackles the top 10 organizing dilemmas posted on her message board, Real Organizing for Real People. Now there's no excuse to postpone your clutter crusade. Plow through the mess with these 10 organization tips, and get your home in tip-top shape!
1. How do I find the time?
Stop waiting for a huge chunk of time to get organized. It probably won't come, and even if it does, you'll squander it doing something else.
The solution: Lose the all-or-nothing attitude. Instead, break up your organizing tasks into 18-minute segments that can be managed easily while your infant is sleeping, the laundry is spinning or dinner is finishing up in the oven.
But Jamie, you wonder, what could I possibly get done in just 18 minutes? You'll be surprised. Set your timer for 18 minutes once a day, and dive in. After a few days you'll realize how 18 minutes of focused work is as good as 45 minutes spent multitasking.
2. What if it's not perfect?
Don't bother. Once you get close to what you think is the perfect solution, situations change and you wind up modifying your system anyway.
The solution: Go for good enough. Does it really improve your life dramatically if your towels are folded with perfect edges? Wouldn't you rather save time and effort by relaxing your standards a little or allowing someone else to take over the task, even if it's not done exactly as you'd like?
3. How do I store artwork and supplies?
Noodles, glitter and the creations they become can quickly overtake your home.
The solution: Store art projects in unused pizza boxes, which are cheap and stack well. Store craft supplies the way teachers do — keep crayons, markers and colored pencils in coffee cans. Put sequins and other little things in plastic baggies, then toss those into plastic containers alongside glue, pipe cleaners, etc.
Watch Video: Toss the Junk and the Guilt!
4. Where do I put all my reading materials?
Are newspapers, magazines and catalogs piling up because you fear you may need them someday?
The solution: Grab a three-ring binder and fill it with clear plastic sheet protectors to store articles you want to read. At some point — you'll know when, based on how often you actually read the articles — institute a household rule that for every article that goes into the binder, one must come out, whether it's been read or not. Too much to read? Cancel subscriptions, change the address to a local salon or nursing home or give the magazines away.
Staggering statistic: Ninety-eight percent of what is filed is never referenced again.
5. How do I avoid "clutter magnets"?
Any horizontal surface in your home quickly attracts things you intend to get to "later." Yet later rarely comes.
The solution: Create storage near these clutter hot spots so you can put things away immediately rather than having to deal with a huge mess that accumulates after several days or weeks.
6. Why does my family sabotage my organizing efforts?
Family members, whether intentionally or not, can thwart our best efforts to stay organized. Often this is simply a matter of different clutter-comfort levels.
The solution: Work together. If one of you prefers piles instead of files, compromise by disguising stacks of paper in pretty baskets without lids (for easy access).
7. What do I do with the odds and ends?
All that little stuff — batteries, light bulbs, birthday candles, picture hangers — can quickly add up to a big mess. Whether this stuff lands in your junk drawer, gets shoved in a closet or stays on your kitchen island, the result is the same. You can't find what you need when you need it.
The solution: Group similar items together and give them a home. Zip-top plastic bags work well, and they don't need labels because you can see through them. Put birthday candles and a lighter in one bag, batteries in another.
8. How do I unclutter my closet?
A crowded closet means valuable time is wasted looking for an outfit, a bath towel, a matching sheet set or a left sneaker.
The solution: First, bring in the light by installing a battery-operated light fixture. Next, create more storage by using the back of the door and adding shelves or by placing step shelves on existing ones. Designate areas for specific items: linens on the bottom shelf, towels on the next or shoes on a slim bookshelf tucked in the corner of the closet.
9. How do I prevent things from getting lost?
Do you spend a lot of your time searching for keys, sneakers and black cords that connect to electronic devices?
The solution: Create a lost-and-found container. It can be a basket, bin, drawer or shelf that the whole family can reach. The next time you find something left out, simply toss it in the lost-and-found bin. Make sure everyone knows where to look when they're missing something. What to do when the container is overflowing? Call a family cleanup meeting and have everyone take what's his or hers. Whatever's left behind gets dumped or donated.
10. What's the cure for brain freeze or analysis paralysis?
When we don't know what to do first, we often do nothing at all. What system should we use? How should we categorize? Should we color code? Should we buy the 13-gallon or 20-gallon plastic tub?
The solution: Stop analyzing, and do something. Anything! You can always change it later. The key is to get started. Once you get moving, your progress will keep you motivated to keep going.
