Are You Out of Space?
Once you have defined your space, you know what it will be used for and you know what types of things should be in it. It’s time to start sorting!
Probably the best way to begin is to start in one area of the room and work your way around, this will help alleviate that overwhelmed feeling that often comes when taking on a large task.
Before you begin, it is probably a good idea to assemble some boxes, plastic bins or trash bags to hold the items rather than just piling them on the floor. This will make moving them to their final destination much easier.
You can begin your sorting process by using 5 categories to help determine what you’ll do with each item:
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Items to keep – These are the items that are used on a regular basis and belong to the function of the space.
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Items that belong in another space – These would be things that simply need to be put away.
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Sell/Donate - Whether you’re going to have a garage sale or donate, these would be items that are still very usable, but you no longer use them, they could be duplicates or things that you have determined that you can do without.
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Store – These would be the things that you are not ready to part with, possibly because of sentimental value, but they really need to be put into storage elsewhere to free up the space you are working on.
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Recycle/Trash – Items that are no longer usable fall into this category. Sometimes it’s hard to determine whether to throw it out or not, but just keep in mind that if the decision takes too long, then the decision probably is to throw it out.
Once you have finished with the sorting process, it’s time to distribute your collections to the appropriate places, whether it’s the trash, the trunk of your car for donation, or putting things away that belong elsewhere in your house.
This project can be quite enjoyable, especially when you see all the great new space you are opening up!
Our next aricle will discuss “Setting Up Storage Systems”
