Steps to reorganizing a room.
First, ask your significant other if they are satisfied with the current situation. Do they thrive in the chaos of their closet? Do they have a hidden system in their shed you know nothing of? If the answer is anything like ‘I like this.’ Stop now. Even if you have the perfect organizational system, it won’t stay, because they are not invested in it. Your knives could all have cute little slots in the drawer, but if no one puts them back in those little slots, it’s meaningless. (sorry)
If, however, they say, ‘The current system is frustrating,’ this is your time! Sweep in and make it all right! Bring the glory of labeled boxes and cute containers to this place! *cough*
Anyway.
As a quick note, even if they say everything is fine, you don’t have to give up in despair. I have found beautiful organization on one side of the room inspires the other side…
If you don’t share a room with anyone, you can skip the first step.
Second, throw out the trash. This is all you are doing. Find the easy trash, the Kleenex from last month, the pieces of string, the unintelligible sticky note, and toss it. Once you have found all the trash easily seen and accessible (don’t go digging just yet), you can move on.
Third, take everything out of the space you are organizing. I have heard some people say this step is unnecessary and overwhelming, but I like it. I like seeing the space empty and full of potential. I like envisioning how everything could fit without seeing how things are already not fitting. Obviously, I don’t take everything out of a room. I take it all out of a desk, put it back, then a shelf, then a closet. Whatever I am tackling at the moment.
Fourth, take a step back. Now that everything is out of the space, decide how you want to use all those drawers in the desk. Would it be more helpful if they were full of notebooks, or pens? Totally up to you, this is your house after all. When you have a clear vision of how you want to use the space, you can move on.
Fifth, put it all back. Now that you know what you are putting back, and how, move it all back in! If there is anything in your pile that needs to go to a different space, such as another room, or a different shelf, move it there immediately. Don’t wait till the last minute, do it right now, while you are thinking about it. Now you have only thought about it once, the decision is made and done! This includes any random trash. I find having a trash bag at hand helps quite a bit.
Sixth, take lots of snack breaks. This is especially important when organizing with another person. Reorganizing a room includes many, many decisions. Decisions are tiring. Snacks help.
Seventh, when finished, take a long moment to stare at the beautiful space you have just made. Soak in the loveliness of an organized, clean space. I really think this is an important step. We are pausing to really see, really notice, what we just did. Before the novelty wears off, enjoy your house again. It gives you a little leg up for the next project, when you can clearly remember the feeling of finishing.
Happy organizing!
Shaina Merrick
The Beauty of a Story 