The Plan of Attack

As promised, here is how I created my Plan of Attack in preparation for our yard sale and total house overhaul.

This document lists the rooms in the house that we wanted to work on and what specifically can/could/will/should be improved. Each task is a bullet point so that they can easily be done one by one. I find this method to be less overwhelming than just saying, "I want to organize everything". My plan is to organize everything, but you can make it easier on yourself by doing it in steps. And who doesn't love to check/cross/obliterate things off a to-do list? Oh, maybe that's just me.

Okay. So you want to clean your house. Do these next steps for each room to assess what you would like to do and to start developing a Plan of Attack.

1. Stand in the middle of your space (if you can) and look around. Is there an area of the room that sticks out to you? Is one corner the "junk" corner? Is there a closet bursting with stuff? Or is the whole room just covered in a blanket of nonsense? Make a short list of the areas in the room you notice could use improvement (for example: bookshelf, TV table, desk, coffee table, etc).
2. Now close your eyes, or if you have space, sit cross-legged on the floor, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Visualize the space you would like to have. If you are anything like me, there is a lot less stuff in this visualized space. Now, for each of the areas you wrote down in step 1, go through and write next to each one at least one possible remedy. When I look at a bookcase, for example, I look to see if there are knickknacks in front of the books blocking the way, if there are books crammed into the shelves, or if the shelves just look too "busy". Then next to "Bookshelf" I write "Remove knickknacks from bookshelf. Weed collection to make a pile of books to donate." I make similar notes next to other areas such as the chifferobe in my bedroom: "Remove clothes unworn in past two year to donate. Donate old DVDs. Remove old body care products that I will not use." For help with a specific area of a room, comment on this post, and I will make sure to get back to you (except if that area is your closet as I will cover that in my upcoming post about closet overhaul).
3. With your list of areas to work on complete, make those suggestions into bullets. I typed all of mine into a word processor so that all of the formatting would be done for me. This also made it easier to drag different bullet points around and to add things that popped into my head later without ending up with a list on paper that looks like a first grader's homework.
4. Next, make yourself a realistic schedule. When I say realistic, I mean do not plan to check ten items off your list in a day. Make a more realistic goal of tackling one or two of them each day instead, and reward yourself when you stick to your schedule. For example, I planned to reorganize the bathroom shelves and medicine cabinet one day, weed through my older clothes the next day, and over the weekend tackle the basement or attic (depended on the heat) with my dad. This way, I never got discouraged or got the feeling like I used to freshman year of high school when I hadn't handed in my homework on time. It is not a fun feeling, so don't do that to yourself. And remember that your plans for the day (or week) can change in a second, so do not feel that you have failed if one day or so you have to put off one of your planned items. Just make sure you don't fall off the band wagon. Move your schedule back one or so day and keep working off that list.
5. In terms of rewards, I just love checking things off lists, but I know that isn't for everyone. Give yourself a pat on the back and remind yourself you did a great job that day. Have a little treat. But please, for the sake of progress, do not go and buy yourself more stuff as a reward. You will regret it later.
   

I hope this strategy helps you start assessing your organizational needs and motivates you to start weeding out your clutter. Remember, assessing your space, making a list, and setting a realistic schedule can be a more productive (and much less painful) way to start on your journey to organized, less stressful living.

Stay tuned for more posts (on a more regular basis), and feel free to post your comments and questions. I would love to solve your organizing issues.