Organizing is not just about throwing things out!

Professional organizers spend a lot of time talking about benefits of discarding, recycling, donating stuff from your home to help you live more organized and clutter-free life. I am no different, as many of my blogs have been directed at ways of helping you free yourselves of your stuff. 

However, there is a lot more to organizing than simply discarding of all your possessions.  You shouldn't feel that you need to part with all your things in order to get more organized. This shouldn't stop you from starting your organizing projects. When helping clients with organizing needs I often get asked: "Is it OK if I keep this?", "I really want to keep this, can I do that and still get organized?". The answer is always resounding YES! 

What good organizer can do for you is find more space and room for your things in the space that you have. This is done by organizing things in the logical order and way that works best for you. You can use many tools and tricks to get your things sorted and placed in just the right spot. Different order works for different people. For instance, I was never a fan of ordering things in an alphabetical order, but for some people that is the only way they know how to easily and quickly find what they are looking for. What works for me might not work for you, but from simple review of your daily habits and your daily routine, professional organizer can help you find what works best for you. 

If you add few dividers into your desk drawer, I can guarantee you that you will find more room for all the things that are currently crammed in that drawer. You won't have to throw any of your things out, just place them in different order in the same space as before.

Spring Cleaning!

We have all used this term! "Spring Cleaning!" Well, it's that time of the year again ... It might not feel like it for some of us, still looking at traces of snow on our front yards, but before you know it, you will be gardening and looking for your summer clothes and flip flops!

Everyone benefits from some kind of spring cleaning. The best part is, there might not be any cleaning involved per say. Maybe organizing is the better word. Who doesn't have an extra pair of jeans that has been collecting dust in the closet for the past 3 years? What about that bag of clothes that you forgot you had and now you realize you don't really need after all?

Before you start storing away your coats, scarves and gloves, take a look at what you wore this winter, how many pairs of gloves, hats and scarves do you have, and decide whether you can part away with some of them. If you absolutely cannot part with any of them, try to trick yourself into parting away with them by storing them somewhere where they might be forgotten for a very long time ... When you go through this cycle again in few years and you realize you haven't exactly missed any of these items, then you can finally give them away for good.

As I have always said, giving away things to your friends, neighbours, donating to local charities, clubs, will only make you feel better while at the same time, you will be giving yourself more room to breathe in your home.