The Cycle of Organization

 

Getting organized is on everyone's to-do list at some point or other, but where do you even start? If you feel like your life has gotten disorganized and out of control, you may feel overwhelmed just thinking about organizing. Take a deep breath, pick a manageable place to start, like a closet or a home office or a single room in the house and then dive in.

Separate and Sort

Sort out the things you use every day from the things you use rarely from the things you haven't used in years and probably never will again. Setting aside the things you don't use, make sure that everything has a place to go, whether you're using closet organizers or velvet liners in your drawers. 

Donate

Now you can take the things that you don't use and donate or recycle them. This is the hardest but also the most important step. Clearing out clutter will make every other part of getting organized easier. 

Maintain

Accept that you're going to have to go back periodically, re-assess your spaces, sort them again and take more donations out. New stuff comes into your home all the time, and life is messy. Maintenance is key. 

The real secret of organization is that it isn't a one-and-done situation. It's a cycle. You start by sorting, making a space for all the things you need and then you donate the things you don't need. You don't have to do everything all at once, you can start small and work your way through methodically. The important thing is to keep the cycle going. When you finish sorting one space and take your donations out of the house, you move onto the next space and do that. It's not rocket science, it's much harder than that, because the work is never finished.