If you live by yourself, you’ve likely dealt with clutter. Clothes are strewn across your bed, floor and chair as if your room has just been hit by a laundry hurricane. Your desk is piled high with papers, notebooks and stray pens that never seem to stay in order. Drowning in a sea of belongings that you didn’t know you had, you wonder “how can I fix this?”
As a new homeowner or renter, this is an issue you may be grappling with in the aftermath of your move. Maybe your situation isn’t quite as advanced as the one described above, but there’s a good chance that you’re dealing with this problem to some degree. Most people have dealt or will deal with a situation like this at some point in their lives.
The good news is that things don’t have to stay this way. With a bit of work, you can have a clean, well-organized living space that you genuinely enjoy spending time in. Once you get started on the process of organizing your home and your life, you may find out how easy this task can actually be. Always remember that any items you no longer want in the house after you have done your reorganizing can be put in a self storage unit.
Where to start
Now, if you’re wrestling with clutter, you might be stuck wondering where to start. You might be flailing a bit, lacking the motivation to attack that pile of clothes or that stack of odds and ends. If this is true in your case, here’s the best advice we can give you: just start. It doesn’t matter where you start or how much you achieve, or indeed whether the things you organize stay organized. Organizing can be an intimidating task, but once you start, it will only get easier.
In this article, we’ll be sharing some helpful tips that will make the organization process a bit smoother and more efficient, but what matters most is perseverance. A cluttered house or rental is no match for a can-do attitude and persistent, measured effort. If you chip away at the task and get a little done each day, your house will be ship-shape before you know it. Now, let’s take a look at some handy organization tips.
Containers, containers, containers!
Although it may not seem like much, the humble storage container is one of the most helpful tools a novice organizer can have in their arsenal of organizational implements. These handy repositories come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and no matter what you’re trying to store, you can bet there’s a tub, crate or canister that can contain it.
Containers make the process of organizing so, so much easier! Is your closet a mess of socks, slacks and sweaters? Buy a few storage containers, designate one for each different type of clothing, and then stack them neatly in the same space that was previously a disorganized closet. is your junk drawer overflowing with a very odd array of items? Get a few small, shallow containers and go to town sorting that mess out!
Storage containers can be found at most hardware stores, supermarkets and some craft stores. Some are made from plastic, others are made of wood. If you want to do things the eco-friendly way, you can even find storage containers made out of bamboo. Once you’ve discovered how handy these things are, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!
Organize the organization process
The next thing you’ll want to add to your arsenal of organizer’s tools is a clipboard, a pen and a few pages from a college ruled notebook. These might not seem like the most valuable tools to have at your disposal, but trust us, they are. With a clipboard, pen and paper you’ll be able to organize your thoughts as well as your living space. What’s more, this is a great tip if you’re organizing on a budget. If you don’t already have them, these won’t cost you more than $10.
So, what should you use these tools for, you ask? Well, you can use them for a wide variety of things. Make a to-do list and check off tasks as you complete them. Jot down which items need to be stored, and then refer to the list when buying your storage containers. By staying organized while organizing, you’ll eliminate the clutter in your home or apartment as well as any needless backtracking and undue confusion!
Once you discover how helpful a clipboard and its accompanying accoutrements can be, you might find yourself using it for other tasks in your everyday life. It can be used at work, at home and everywhere else where a little bit of organization will be of use. They’re simple tools, but highly effective.
Rearrange your furniture
Once you’ve cleared out the clutter and set things in order in your home or apartment, you might be left feeling that something is off. Everything seems to be in its proper place, but something is still not quite right. You can’t put your finger on it, but you know it’s true. This is a telltale sign that your furniture is overdue for some rearranging!
There are a wide variety of reasons why rearranging your furniture might be the perfect thing to wrap up your organizational adventure. Moving your furniture around to make better use of the space you have can free up your living space and make it feel more open and free, as well as giving your home an aesthetic facelift.
This might seem like a daunting task, but come on! You’re the person that tackled a messy, disorganized post-move living space and turned it into a paragon of organizational excellence. So, are you really going to be stopped by some fabric stretched over a wood and metal frame? Of course you’re not! Grab that clipboard, sketch a new layout for your rooms, and start dragging furniture. Remember to lift with your knees, not your back!
Conclusion
Organizing a new home or apartment is no task for the faint of heart, nor is it one to be scoffed at. It takes determination, perseverance and sheer grit. If you’ve already got these, maybe you think you don’t need this list, but our hope is that you’ll take advantage of these tips and use them to relieve a few organization-related headaches anyway. Keep going and don’t give up — you’ve got this!
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