I often ask my clients do you know the steps you need to take to completely organize and declutter your home? Many of the clients I ask are not quite sure how to begin or make it to the finish line. If you are uncertain about your own abilities when it comes to getting your home organized, start by answering these questions:

How do you feel when you walk into your home?
Is it organized and a place where you feel peaceful and comfortable?
Is your home a place where you can leave your cares behind, completely relax and rejuvenate your spirit?
Or is your home a stressful clutter-filled reminder of unfinished tasks and incomplete projects?

One thing I have learned as a professional organizer during the past decade is that decluttering your home is the first and best step you can take if you wish to create a life filled with more freedom and increased energy.

Being free from tasks left undone and clutter waiting for you at home will make you feel happier and more energized! Not only will you experience increased energy, you will have more spare time to do the fun things you really want to do. This is not just wishful thinking, it is a fact.

Did you know that an organized home saves you 42% cleaning time every week? Who doesn’t want to clean less and play more?!

If you have doubts that organizing your home can create huge results, think about this scenario: Have you ever checked into a resort and had such a relaxing experience that you woke up energized and inspired? Perhaps you had the best night’s sleep in a year? If this has happened to you, did you ever stop and wonder why?

Hotels and resorts generally provide clean, healthy and stress-free environments. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the same experience in your home? it is entirely possible for your home to become your haven where you are surrounded with things of use and beauty. You can create a restful, peaceful, beautiful space that re-energizes you and restores your soul every day.

There’s actually a lot of science and planning behind those magical, energizing yet restful resorts. This science is so well implemented and understated that most people aren’t even aware of what it takes to create such a space. They just know it feels good!

What would it mean to you if could have that experience every day within your own home? Thousands of home owners have discovered that their home can become a haven and that it doesn’t take a massive amount of time but sadly not enough people yet. This is why I am on a mission to help as many people as possible to get their streamlined and simplified and organized.

Lately I have met way too many people who don’t sleep well every night. It seems like more and more folks are subsisting on less than 3-4 hours off rest each night. After working with a few of these poor souls one on one and seeing a renewed sense peace in their environment, I have witnessed normal sleep patterns reemerging once their endless busy tasks and undone projects are swept away from their life. I seriously think that many people have way to many possessions that are literally sucking their energy and life force away by day and stealing their dreams by night. You see, the more things we own, the more energy it takes to keep them, maintain them and find them when we actually need them. And this is not even talking about the guilt surrounding our over-consumerism! I am not even going to go there in this article!

Once you understand the science and art of creating energizing spaces, you can create the same environment within your home. You can also can do it with less stress and more ease when you understand how and what needs to change to get the same result that we often pay hundreds of dollars for at a resort. You can stop the cycle of having a tortured relationship with your stuff – disorder is soul-sucking and simply unnecessary.

There are always amazing results or Zen effects that happen when you finally become organized. You will have created a restful, peaceful environment that is spacious, revitalized, purposeful, with zero clutter and your ultimate zen result is clarity about what is and what is not important to make you happy.

1. It is clean and spacious.
2.There is no clutter anywhere in sight.
3.Everything within that space serves a purpose, either to add beauty or functionality.
4. There are no unfinished tasks or distractions.

Beyond simply creating a beautiful restful place to lay your head each night, why would you want to take the time to create order in your home? As Marie Kondo writes in her best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, a dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspectives. It is life transforming.” I totally agree. As a board certified professional organizer who has been involved with thousands of client home reorganization projects, I have witnessed huge life changes and lifestyle transformations that were a direct result of reorganizing a client’s home.

Let’s face it, we all want simple, practical and eye-appealing ways to utilize the space within our home. Clutter doesn’t have to be a way of existence. Decluttering your home allows your mind to relax and your soul to feel joyous. Trust me, I have lived in chaos myself.

I was blessed and lucky when over a decade ago I named my first professional organizing consultancy Add Space To Your Life! After living on a boat and sailing for a living, I became super clear about what was and was not important back on shore. It was never so easy to be crystal clear about what I didn’t want in my life than when I returned from sea and gazed around my apartment. Upon arrival, I realized each and every time that almost nothing I had left behind was important or necessary to my being happy or joyful. In fact, I found that I was more happy when I was out to sea with only a few books and a few pieces of clothing. Life was so very simple. I didn’t have possessions screaming at me for attention and nothing to take care or keep track of. I lived a simple schedule based on sunset and sunrise.

Of course, later on I married and created a home that was filled with many beautiful things. This same home also contained many more items than I actually needed, used or loved. The tipping point came when we lost our business shortly after the 911 tragedy and we decided to reinvent our life and move from Florida to begin anew on the west coast. This was no small feat as we had lived in our home for almost 7 years and had collected boatloads (ha ha) of pretty things and useless possessions.

When I tried to downsize, it took 4 weekends of demeaning garage sales that eventually ended with two full Salvation Army trucks taking away all of the remaining items. I was extremely embarrassed when one of our yard sale patrons asked me incredulously if all of that stuff actually came from the inside of my home. I was mortified and vowed to never again become the collector of that much stuff! Years later, I still call upon that feeling to stop myself from collecting too many things.

I have always loved creating systems and find great joy in keeping life simple, organized and efficient. Now that our lifestyle has been dramatically downsized, I can go out and explore and create new experiences because I no longer have guilt over things left undone or projects that need my attention at home. I can also have surprise visits from friends without worrying about the house being a disaster zone. That in and of itself is huge relief!

So I know after years of living with almost nothing to living with a house stuffed full of stuff that there is a happy medium. I also now know that once a home is completely organized, it only takes a few minutes each day to keep it that way. I call it getting to that ‘zero space’ where everything has a home with a yard around it. Where my schedule is manageable and I actually have time to complete pretty much every task on my list. This is my sweet place. and this is exactly what I want for you!

So I am here to show you 6 simple steps to declutter and organize your home with easy hacks that anyone can learn and perform. After working with thousands of clients over the course of the past 13 years, I realize that our minds often control the outcomes in our life – both good and bad. To see how it affects our everyday life we are going to start there.

We can all create amazing spaces if we can first see the desired outcome plainly in our minds. This is why at the beginning of each organizing project I ask each client to explain and also visualize how they would like to feel within their space. What brings them joy, what they love to do as hobbies, what are their aspirations for the future?

These ideas are essential to set the stage for success. A clear end goal and a desire for more freedom, helps ease the discomfort of parting with possessions that have started possessing the home which have created a sense of dis-ease and discomfort.

If you have started and stopped and never quite finished getting organized, it will help you to discover what type of of subconscious blocks might be percolating in your head right now. These blocks might keep you from being able to create the vision of the home that you desire.

If you want to take a short 30 second quiz to see what blocks might stop you from getting your home organized. When you are done, you will be directed right back to this page so you can continue discovering how easy it is to get your home organized!

Welcome back!

Now that you have discovered your unseen personal blockers, they will have less power to distract and prevent you from getting your life and home organized.

It is ironic how our possessions can end up controlling our life. One of the main reasons we purchase items and bring them into our homes is because we feel that they will enhance our life and somehow make it better. Perpetual shoppers get a rush and feel great simply going through the act of making the purchase. I find many times these items are still in bags with tags stuffed into a closet because the good feeling went away even before they brought them into their house and had to figure out how to fit them into their space.

Even if we are not perpetual shoppers, everything that is in our home was put there for a reason, Sometimes only because it was inherited. That reason, by the way, is often guilt! The BIG question is, does whatever reason it came into your life the reason that still holds true and serves you now? If you find yourself surrounded with things that you don’t like, love or use, continue reading to learn the five steps to getting your home in order.

STEP ONE

SHIFT YOUR MIND

As you can see, this first step is not action oriented. This first step requires a shift in your mind and your perspective. It is important before you begin removing and moving objects within your home that you shift your perspective and begin to believe that you can create a completely organized, spacious and relaxing environment.

Take heart and believe that you can do it and you will have mastered this first step. Believing that you can get organized with the proper guidance is critical to your success. You can do it and once you believe that – you are well on your way!

STEP TWO

Take Control and Use Your Imagination

Talking control is not only about moving things around your environment. In this step, it is more about taking control of your thoughts. Disorder is soul-sucking, time wasting and generally energy zapping. You are here to take control and create the life of your dreams. A life where you are free, joyous and able to live the life of your dreams. As Marie Kondo says in her book
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing “Tidying is just a tool. not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house is in order.”

In order to see your end goal clearly, I would challenge you to close your eyes and imagine standing outside the door to your home.

Before you enter your home ask yourself these questions:
What if there were no unfinished tasks waiting for you inside?
What if there was no clutter to be found anywhere?
What if everything you owned had a designated home / place to live?
What if every closet, drawer and cabinet was neat, tidy and spacious?
What if everything within your home had a specified purpose and was there simply to make your life better?
What if all of the art and decor were objects that you loved and adored?
What if you felt rested and peaceful as soon as you walked in the door?

All of these ideas and scenarios are possible once you learn how to declutter and organize your home. An organized home is something that everyone can attain once they are armed with the right ‘know how’ and develop the proper systems for success.

Now open your eyes and take a look at your front door and make a mental note about what is in, on and around the entranceway. Is it easy on the eyes? Is it gorgeous, clean and well kept with colors that appeal to your senses? Is the stage set for an organized home?

So please take the time right now to stop and imagine how you would like to feel and what you would like to see within each space of your home before you begin tackling any area. A vision of what you want your life and your home to look and feel like before you begin will help you move along with the tasks of clearing and organizing. Seeing what you want will give you an inner ‘knowing’ of the end result and this will help to keep your eyes focused on the prize, so to speak.

Now open the door and walk inside. Make a few mental notes about how you feel and what you see as your first impression.

Step Three

Add Space and Remove The Items That Don’t Belong

OK – remember when you closed your eyes and imagined what you wished your home would look and feel like? If it is not like your vision, now is the time to take action. You can start in any room that you wish. It does not matter where you begin, it only matters that you do indeed, begin.

This is the time to become proactive. As Steven Covey teaches in his best selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey one of the steps is to be proactive. Your life (and I would add, your disorganized home) doesn’t just happen and whether you know it or not, your disorganization was designed by you. You might find this a bit unlikely until you consider how you spend your energy during the hours you are inside your home and what you actually do , or don’t do, there. Disorganization can be designed and created by default.

If you still are not sure where to start, the easiest area / room might be the front entranceway. In order to make good decisions, you need to ask yourself what type of tasks this area is being used or should be used for? Is it a holding place for bags and shoes? Is it mainly used for stowing keys and sunglasses? Or maybe you come in through the back door and this area is only used as a guest entrance.

Decide right now what you really need and want to use this space for. Once it is clear in your mind, it will be easy to see immediately what things are there that don’t support this vision. Remove the items that don’t belong or support the activities used within this area.

There are three choices as you remove items from this area. Because of three categories, you should have three different containers to help you move through this task quickly and efficiently.

– Cardboard Box or Bag = Donate – You no longer want, need or use it
– Trash bag = Rubbish / Recycle – It is not useful to anyone because it is broken or dirty
– Laundry Hamper = Move – This item is something that you definitely use and love but should be stored in a different location.

Step Four

Clean and Create Systems

Once you have cleared the area of all misplaced, unloved and unused items, you can now do a quick clean / wipe down and create systems to organize the items that will remain.

Please don’t become intimidated by the word systems. Systems are simply a way to store your possessions and maintain order. There are literally hundreds of ways to store items and the choices you make should reflect the way that you think and also the way that you and your family use the space. A good storage system will hold all ‘like’ items together and also include an extra bit of room for growth. As we like to say in the professional organizing industry – create a ‘home’ with a ‘yard’ around it. The ‘yard’ around each designated ‘home’ is critical.

One common stumbling block that I see halting a client’s progress is when they have created storage that only contains exactly what they own at the time. Life happens.Their system functions for a small amount of time and as soon as they buy one more item, the systems breaks down. Creating a ‘home with a yard around it’ i.e. room to grow, will help you keep organized once you are organized!

Here are a few examples of what type of storage might best suit you and your family:
If you are a visually oriented person and you are organizing the hall closet, it might make the most sense for you to use a clear pocket organizer that hangs on the back of the door to store your gloves, hats and mittens. This way you can see what you have and grab them quickly.

If you are a bit OCD, and hate the idea of seeing all of these small items in one glance, it might make the most sense for you to use opaque and labelled containers that you can stack and store on the top shelf. This way everything is decluttered and organized but you won’t have to see everything when you open the door.

Or – if you have small children and you are trying to corral their shoes in this closet, you might best be served with a small basket (with no lid!) for each child’s shoes. This way, you will increase the likelihood that they will actually toss their shoes into these bins as they enter the house. This is the beauty of organizing. There is no one way to do anything – it is all about you, your family and your own personal vision!

Step Five

Enjoy Freedom – Finish Moving all Items that Were Boxed or Binned

There is nothing that feels better than getting rid of the old, dusty and musty! The reason that I named my organizing consultancy addSpace To Your Life! is that I know the secret benefit behind clearing out the clutter, getting organized and adding space – it feels amazing! When you see how great your home looks and feel the renewed energy that happens after you rid your life of the excess, you will understand why this step is critical for your success.

The Rubbish – If you have not yet taken these items to the trash, carpe diem! Don not skip this step or save it for later. Do it now.

The Donations – The donation boxes should be put immediately into your car. If there is still time at the end of the day, take them to your local donation center and get them gone! Do not put them in the garage or leave them where you created them. In the beginning of my career when I was naive I witnessed extra hands and curious minds come and undo all of our hard work when these boxes were left unattended. So go to donation right away if possible. If it is not possible, do not pass go and place them into your car so that you can donate them tomorrow.

The Misplaced Keepers – Now is the time to take all remaining misplaced times back to their original home. If they don’t yet have a proper home, never fear. Simply take them to the area/room where they will live once you create the systems within that space. If you have many objects like this, consider moving them into a box or bin to be stored for safe keeping when you get to that area later.

Step Six

Live Your Purpose

If you feel the way I do, you believe that everyone of us is here to do something that can benefit the world and those around us using our own unique talents and skill sets. It is very hard to give back when you are overwhelmed and dot have any time to think, let alone do. I have witnessed hundred of clients discovering new things to do that make them happy and also give back to the world after they have gone through the process of eliminating the unnecessary stuff in their life.

This can also happen to you. You might already know what you want to do when you have more time and that is fantastic! Maybe you are like many and don’t have a clue what you would do in your newly found spare time. That is ok too. ONe of my clients almost went into shock when he discovered that he had 5 extra hours each week to do whatever he wanted. He called one day shortly after getting his home organized and explained it this way: Kathi, I feel like I am in shock right now. I have 5 extra hours each week and have absolutely no idea what to do with my time. Is this ok?” I assured him it was great and that all he had to do was try to remember what he used to do in his spare time. He said he would pull out his old phot album and try to get back to the carefree person he used to be and we then hung up. Several months later, I ran into him at the grocery and he was ecstatic! He had started blunting at the local animal shelter and loved it! He also had brought home a cat and had his first pet now living with him! You see, he had always wanted to have a pet when he was little but was never allowed. So now he surrounds himself with pets as a volunteer and comes home to a furry friend every night!

There is always at least oe thing for everyone that makes them feel joyful and happy and this is the perfect thing to use as your way to give back to the world. What ever it is, there is someone who needs just that thing. Finding a way to give back in your own special way, my friends, is how you will have found your purpose!

Your Next Action Steps

If you want more practical tips to organize your home, click here to download your free booklet – Simple Home Organizing – Tactics for Success.

Gather a few empty boxes and a roll of trash bags and roll up your sleeves and begin!

There is a Facebook page that is dedicated to helping you get your home in order and your life energized – check it out here and like it so you can come back to it from more inspiration.

You can also follow my Pinterest page where I post all sorts of inspiring DIY solutions along before and after photos.

Final Thoughts

The reason that you are probably still here reading this article is that deep down inside you crave a mental freedom removed from your stuff. You should now see that it is possible and when you truly want to conquer life’s overwhelm once and for all, you can!

Getting your house in order will open the doors to many other personal gains in your life. You mind will become clear. Your life will become much more satisfying. You will be able to actually have free time and spend it doing things that bring you pleasure and joy without the guilt of things left undone.

So simply start – envision a home where you want live before you begin. See each room and each space clear, uncluttered and beautiful before you begin removing the things that are no longer relevant, useful or loved. As Marie Kondo says, everything within your home should be loved, treasured and bring you sparks of joy!

Follow through with removing and moving objects either out (preferably) or into other parts of the house where they will become more useful. William Morris said it this way: Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”

Click here to access your free training – Six Steps to Organize and Create Your Amazing Home!