January Basement
It’s time to put those holiday decorations away and make a fresh start.  While you’re at it, there’s probably lots of stuff in the basement that you’ve kept from years past and just don’t need in 2011.   Let them go.  This will make it easier to find what you need.  Even if you store your Christmas in the attic, you still might want to start with the basement, as it is likelier to be heated!
http://mattbaier.com/2009/12/holiday-undecorating/

February Home Office 1: Clutter
Tax day is a couple months away, so do yourself a favor and ease into it. The most valuable organizing tool is a clear work surface for processing.  Start by clearing all the non-essentials from your office and storing the back up supplies more remotely.
http://mattbaier.com/2010/07/clean-slate-of-mind/

March Home Office 2: Paper
Now that you have a clear home office to work in, attack those piles of paper.  Work quickly, general to specific.  Start by sorting four simple groups:   1. To Do, 2. To File, 3. To Archive, 4. To Trash.  Then focus on each group individually.  Despite what you may have heard, it is OK and necessary to handle a piece of paper more than once (unless, of course, it’s “To Trash.”)  This will put you in great shape to file those taxes!
http://mattbaier.com/2007/04/focus-on-filing-part-1-the-filecycle/

April Attic
With taxes paid, it’s a great time to look at the files you’ve been keeping in your file cabinet.  If you must keep the statements from 2010, you can at least store them more remotely in, say, an attic.  This will free up your file cabinet for 2011 statements.  While in the attic, take a look at what’s up there.  Do you still need the archive files that are older than 10 years?  Are the keepsakes well protected? Is the luggage easily accessible?  April also brings a good attic-organizing climate.
http://mattbaier.com/2010/01/attic-attack/

May Garage
May brings great garage-clearing weather and an opportunity to get rid of those hazardous waste materials you don’t need.  In Fairfield county there are collection services which are scheduled starting in mid April.  These collection dates will be posted in late March or early April at
http://search.earth911.com/program/RGBkNwA/?what=Pesticides&where=Fairfield,%20CT
http://mattbaier.com/2009/09/garage-ucopia/

June Bedroom
June is a great time to see if those shorts and sundresses  from last year still fit.  If they’re no longer comfortable, why not go through your bedroom closet drawers and clear out clothes you’re no longer using?  Donate them and free up space for some new clothes you can feel good in.
http://mattbaier.com/2010/02/bedroom-organizing/

July Bathrooms
The bathroom tends to be the dampest room in the house.   Add summer humidity and this can bring mold.  Clear out all the expired medications, beauty products, and other unused stuff.  Sort the supplies you keep into clear plastic drawers under the sink.  The more you can contain small items, the easier the cleaning will be.
http://mattbaier.com/2010/06/organizing-lessons-from-your-bathroom/

August Kid’s rooms
With back-to-school around the corner, it’s a great time to get the kid’s rooms organized.  If you want them doing homework in their rooms and not at the kitchen table, be sure they have adequate shelving for their books, trophies, collectibles and other stuff that ends up on their desks.
If you don’t have kids to worry about, relax and take a month off from organizing!
http://mattbaier.com/2009/09/traveling-light/

September Closets
Closets work best when they have dedicated purposes, e.g. linen closet, utility closet, pantry, etc.  With school starting and work kicking into high gear, it’s a good time to do a closet clear out and clearly define some boundaries.  Also, it’s a good time to switch seasonal items on the top shelves.  For example, you may want to get the comforter down soon, but you can stow the beach towels up and away.
http://mattbaier.com/2009/10/closet-cpr/

October Playroom/ Living room
Families tend to share space more in the fall, so this is a great time to clear out what’s crowding the communal spaces, especially toys.  Toys in good condition can be set aside for donation around the holidays.
http://mattbaier.com/2010/02/make-organizing-toys-as-simple-as-childs-play/
http://mattbaier.com/2010/05/organizing-your-living-room-with-purpose/

November Kitchen
November is a great time to clear out the kitchen because unexpired food that you don’t want can be donated at food drives in time for Thanksgiving.
http://mattbaier.com/2009/11/kitchen-organizing/

December Mudroom/Coat Closet
As we exit one year and enter another, it’s the perfect time to address your home’s exit/entryway.  With so much traffic coming and going on here, it’s important to clear out the non-essentials and dedicate the space to just the items that are regularly heading out of the door.   While you are at it, have a look at any coats that your family isn’t using.  As the mercury drops it’s a great time to donate unused coats to a coat drive.
http://mattbaier.com/2008/06/safe-harbors/

Getting organized will go more smoothly if you are in harmony with the calendar.  Happy New Year!

Keepsakes

First and foremost, admit that this is a major category.  I see it in EVERY home we work in.  These are sentimental items that bring back special memories, but you have no intention of actually using or displaying. If they’re worth keeping, they’re worth keeping well.  Clear plastic boxes or drawers are the most user-friendly, but if you require 30 of them, they can get quite expensive, so do a focused sort and purge first.

Old files

I get it.  You need to keep these, just in case, but their location in your attic, basement, or closet should be as remote as the likelihood of retrieving them.

Luggage

Luggage can take up a lot of room so it often ends up in the basement or attic.  This makes sense, but reserve a spot near the entrance, especially if you travel several times a year.

Holiday/Seasonal

Holiday and other seasonal items belong somewhere between the old files and the luggage.  Don’t bury them too deeply, as their storage and retrieval may be required up to 6 times a year or so.

Kid’s stuff

Kid’s stuff is an all too general category, which I hear all too often. It requires some subcategorizing to organize in a user-friendly fashion.
1. The first subcategory is kid’s schoolwork and artwork. This can represent a huge amount of stuff.  I discuss how to control it in my children’s artwork post.

2. Next is the someday toys and equipment.  To me the idea of keeping old stuffed animals, Lego sets, bored games (misspelling intentional), baby cribs, and strollers for 20-30 years in the unlikely event that they will be genuinely appreciated, at the expense of some valuable storage space doesn’t make sense, but I’m not a mom, so I can accept that I “just don’t get it.”  I would, however, suggest stowing this stuff very remotely, perhaps under the attic eaves, behind the boxes of old files.

3. Finally, there’s outgrown clothes.  The key to sorting these out is to get clear on WHY you are keeping them, because odds are good there are several different reasons.  If they’re for the next baby be sure to keep them in moisture resistant boxes, clearly labeled by size. If they’re handmade or special in any other way, without the intention of being used, store them with the other keepsakes.  If your kids can’t wear them and you just can’t stand to waste them, then don’t.  Make a donation.

Donations

Speaking of donations, I recommend collecting these in your garage or near your home’s exit.  The closer to the exit your donations are, the better your odds are of actually donating them.

For tips on how to get the most out of your closet space, check out my series on closet storage.  For more on attics, check out Attic Attack.

In this economy I realize that many of us have to go the DIY route, so here are some useful tips:

• Have an Exit Strategy- Before you dive into the clutter, put together a simple game plan for where it’s all going to go, because it’s so satisfying to get the garbage and donations out on the same day. Find out what time your local dump and donation service close down, if you’re doing the disposing yourself. Also, find out what items your donation service does and does not take. I’ve found that Goodwill tends to take the most, but Salvation Army sometimes will do pick-ups. If you want a one-stop shop for all disposal and donation, residents of Fairfield County will find no better service than Junkluggers. They’re terrific.
• Prevent Regrets- This takes just a little planning but it keep mistakes from being made. Start by clearing away one wall. Clear it 100%, even if you know you will be returning items to it. Reserve that wall for donation items, nothing else. Again 100%. Do the same with the trash. Reduce the guesswork to zero. This practice is particularly important if you are getting help with transporting donations and disposal, but it can also help prevent family squabbles.
• Like With Like- By making an effort to sort like with like, it is easier to really get a handle on your priorities. For example, let’s say you collect all your Christmas decorations in one place and it fills up half your basement. OK so Christmas is important, but what about that home office you’ve wanted to find a place for? By putting all your Christmas items together in one place it is easier to see how much you would be gaining by giving up half. Without this context you may decide you should save that faded, plastic Santa. WITH this context it’s easier to ponder whether you would really miss faded, plastic Santa AND how much it would cost to replace him in the unlikely event you actually DID miss him. Sorting survey says sayonara sallow Santa.
• Decision Table- Anyone who has worked with us knows we don’t go anywhere without our trusty decision table and for good reason. You may not notice it as you dive into those first bags and boxes of clutter, but after a while the repeated bending over can really take a toll on your back. Also, it’s just much easier to make decisions about your stuff if you can clearly see it, spread it out and process it on a clear, flat, well-lit surface.
• Take photos- this may sound unnecessary, but what I’ve found is that it’s surprisingly easy to forget how cluttered your space is after you’ve cleared it. It is tremendously satisfying to take before-and-after photos and it empowers you to take action with your next clutter challenge.

Hope these tips help and if you do take some photos I’d love to see them!

Originally from Matt Baier’s Organizing Works Newsletter, March 2007

Spring Clearing

 “Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in an average home” -Ottawa Citizen, 1/03/03

 Before the last snow storm I had already managed to enjoy two beautiful spring-like days.  As I opened the windows to let some fresh spring air IN, my thoughts turned to letting some musty old clutter OUT.  Let’s face it, Spring Cleaning is really more about Spring CleaRing.  You can’t clean clutter so you need to get rid of it before you can do any really satisfying cleaning.

Perhaps you decide to start with all that accumulated “junk” in the basement.   Because it’s junk, it should be easy to toss, right? But as soon as you start going through the items one by one you find that it is not “junk” after all.   If it was, you would have tossed it long ago. Perhaps you grab a suit you used to wear, but it doesn’t fit you anymore.  Maybe there’s an old computer that’s still “perfectly good,” but you’ve already replaced it with a state-of-the-art model.  Then there’s the boxes of old tax materials and the expensive dinnerware you never use.  Have you ever bought rolls of wrapping paper and later discovered you already had more than enough buried in the basement?

So how do we end up with so much stuff that we don’t need, but can’t toss?  If simply given the choice to KEEP or TOSS then odds are we will keep it JUST IN CASE.  The problem with that is that valuable items get buried under a pile of JUST IN CASES.  For options to keep or toss refer to my November newsletter [enter link here].  To reduce the accumulation in the first place, resolve to never store anything without considering the 5 “R’s”:

1. Retrieve

2. Recycle

3. Repurpose

4. Refine

5. Reevaluate

These will be the focus of this month’s Matt’s Tips.

Matt’s Tips

 1. Retreive.  When writing a good story it often helps to begin with an end in mind.  The same is true when it comes to good storage.   Let’s take holiday supplies, for example  (display items and that wrapping paper, I mentioned earlier.)   Start by dedicating just ONE zone in your basement or storage room that is strictly for holiday supplies and come to a decision on h ow much is too much.  Be generous (be realistic), but then decide that’s it, that’s the limit.  If it doesn’t fit comfortably in that zone, something’s got to go.  I say comfortably because it is important to keep things visible and accessible.  If you have too much stuff jammed into a small space, you can’t see what you have and things go to waste.  When you store your wrapping paper don’t think HIDE, think RETRIEVE.  See this month’s Featured Product.

 2. Retreive.  Accumulated paper can take up a tremendous amount of space.  Old tax material and outdated records are among the most common JUST IN CASES of all.  Of course you need to hang on to the more recent stuff, but you might be surprised at just how much you DON’T need.  Ask your  Accountant what’s safe to get rid of.  It can be very liberating!   Worried about all the dead trees?  I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.  Holding on to useless old paper will NEVER bring back all the dead trees, it will only rob you of space.  The best way to extend the trees value is to RECYCLE.

 3. Repurpose.  Sometimes all it takes to free up some space is to rethink the purpose of an item.  Sheila has replaced her old dining room table with a beautiful new one.  She stores the old one in the basement for her son Mike who is in College.  Mike certainly has no room in his dorm for a dining table and is not likely to have a dining room in his next home.  Meanwhile Sheila doesn’t have enough surface area in her craft room.  Sheila decides to ask Mike if she could use the old dining table in her craft room and Mike tells her “Go ahead, I don’t want that old thing!”   Sometimes shifting an item just takes a shift in thinking.

 4. Refine.  Refining is really a sub-stage of Sorting.  By sorting all like items together, you are able to see just how much stuff you have and this makes purging MUCH easier.   Going a step further and refining your choices can make dramatic gains in space too.  Let’s say you’ve managed to sort all your “computer stuff” into two plastic tubs.  That’s great, but now let’s refine the choices by sorting the contents further.    If you put all the computer wires together, perhaps you realize that there is more than you could ever use and you feel more comfortable in tossing the duplicates and triplicates.  How much would they cost to replace anyway?  Now sort all the software and sort out the most up to date software.  Perhaps now you will feel comfortable tossing the old versions.   You may have half a dozen boxes of floppy discs and realize that you don’t even have the appropriate drive for them in your new computer.  Before you rush out and buy an external drive, ask yourself if you have needed ANY of those disks in the last 6 years.  Before you know it, you will have refined those two tubs down to just one, with room to grow.  A series of small gains can DOUBLE your space.  

5. Reevaluate.  Sometimes running out of space is life’s way of telling you to stand back and get perspective.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the daily details that we lose sight of where we are in life.  Let’s say you’ve resolved to free up some space in your closet by emptying out the clothes that your haven’t worn in years.  Great, that makes sense, but before you store your clothes in the basement, stop for a moment and reevaluate them (and the person who’s not wearing them!)  Just because you loved a jacket in 1988, why keep it if you don’t love it today?  If a shirt is two sizes too small, will you really have the time to do the necessary exercise for it to fit again?  If there’s any sort guilt associated with these clothes, let them go.  And don’t beat yourself up about the cost.  They’ve lost their value.  Donate them to someone else, who WILL value them while YOU value the space and freedom you’ve gained.

Just as stagnant water gets dirty, so too inactive items in your home collect dust and make your Spring Cleaning that much harder.  Simplify your Spring Cleaning and your Spring CleaRing by considering the 5 “R’s” before you store.